Richard Stallman

Richard Stallman's Political Notes -

Climate displacement - 2025-11-12T04:37:03+00:00

*Climate disasters displaced 250 million people in past 10 years, UN report finds.*

That is around 3% of the Earth's human population.

PFAS - 2025-11-12T04:37:03+00:00

The EPA is proposing to approve a PFAS for use in pesticides. Critics say this could make food and water supplies dangerous.

Deforestation reduction reward - 2025-11-12T04:37:03+00:00

Brazil proposes investing a lot of money in rewarding governments that reduce deforestation.

Amazonia heat wave - 2025-11-12T04:37:03+00:00

A heat wave in Amazonia is killing fish and river dolphins.

Great Barrier Reef bleaching - 2025-11-12T04:37:02+00:00

*"Grim future" for Great Barrier Reef unless global heating kept to 2C, study finds.*

If we want to stop it before 2°C, we had best stop it before 1.5°C. Otherwise, we are likely to fall into positive feedback and tipping points.

Human rights study ceased - 2025-11-12T04:37:02+00:00

*Sheffield Hallam University ordered professor to cease human rights study into Uyghurs forced labour in China.*

The UK government is investigating that order as an alleged crime by the university.

Urgent: A place to live - 2025-11-11T22:37:04+00:00

US citizens: call on Congress to end homelessness, by investing in housing, not internment.

Main Switchboard: +1-202-224-3121 If you phone or sign, please spread the word!

Urgent: Mail-in voting in peril - 2025-11-11T22:37:03+00:00

US citizens: call on Congress to defend Mail-in voting before the 2026 mid-term elections.

Main Switchboard: +1-202-224-3121 If you phone or sign, please spread the word!

Loyalty to the measles virus - 2025-11-11T10:36:54+00:00

A sick man in Utah has transferred his loyalty from humanity to the measles virus. Despite what has done to him, he doggedly protects its opportunities to spread to other people by refusing to tell where (that is, in which human bodies) it may be hiding.

Man who posted about Charles Kirk's death - 2025-11-11T10:36:53+00:00

A man who posted to suggest that Charles Kirk's death was not a great loss to society was jailed for a month on a false charge of "making threats against a school". The judge demanded $2 million for bail, which kept him in jail until the charges were dropped.

Big Tech companies bowing to the persecutor - 2025-11-11T10:36:53+00:00

Big Tech companies are bowing to the persecutor by shutting off public communication about where deportation thugs are attacking.

Comments about rise of Hitler fit present US situation well - 2025-11-11T10:36:53+00:00

Many of Hannah Arendt's comments about the rise of Hitler fit the present US situation well.

Bully hopes to pressure Supreme Court - 2025-11-11T10:36:53+00:00

The bully hopes to pressure the Supreme Court to support his autocratic tariff policies by sitting in the court room when it hears the case.

Mutilated bodies of Palestinians - 2025-11-11T10:36:53+00:00

*At least 135 mutilated bodies of Palestinians had been held at notorious Israeli jail [and torture center called Sde Teiman], say Gaza officials.*

Helicopter parenting became burden to US parents - 2025-11-11T10:36:52+00:00

How helicopter parenting became a burden imposed on parents in the US.

Israeli prison guards caught on video raping and beating Palestinian prisoner - 2025-11-11T10:36:52+00:00

Israeli prison guards were caught on video raping (and beating) a Palestinian prisoner. They were prosecuted but only for a lesser crime.

The head army lawyer has resigned in protest.

(satire) More children than flash-bangs - 2025-11-11T10:36:52+00:00

(satire) *ICE Agent Panics After Realizing There More Children Than He Has Flash-Bangs.*

Handicapped prisoner put into solitary by deportation thugs - 2025-11-11T10:36:51+00:00

The deportation thugs put a handicapped prisoner into solitary confinement because he informed them that that the water on the floor of the cell would damage his prosthetic legs.

How billionaire tax avoidance works - 2025-11-11T10:36:51+00:00

*How Billionaire Tax Avoidance Works — America’s tax on capital gain income remains a steeply regressive tax.*

This is true, but other parts of the US tax code also contribute to the problem — for instance the trusts that allow rich people to pass on their wealth to descendants, bypassing inheritance tax. Rather than singling out just one of these tax dodges as "the" cause of the problem, we should demand to shrink all of them.

Mob in Italy beat up man they identified as Jewish - 2025-11-11T10:36:51+00:00

In Italy, a mob gathered and beat up a man that they had identified as Jewish, shouting about Palestine.

This exemplifies the point that blaming all Jews, simply because they are Jews, for Israel's atrocities against Palestinians is a form of antisemitism.

Plenty of Jews condemn those atrocities as much as you do. And they have no more influence over the Israeli government than you have.

Youtube deleted accounts of three Palestinian human rights groups - 2025-11-11T10:36:51+00:00

Youtube deleted the accounts of three Palestinian human rights groups, and thus also the videos they had posted documenting various crimes or reporting on investigations into crimes.

The motive for this may be that those organizations work with the International Criminal Court. But that is not a crime, merely something that a powerful corrupt official does not like.

(satire) Easier to track people without measles - 2025-11-11T10:36:51+00:00

(satire) *CDC Figures It Easier To Start Tracking People Without Measles.*

Alas, it wouldn't be useful to track them. Measles is contagious — absence of measles is not.

Sudan policy of war and massacre - 2025-11-11T10:36:50+00:00

*After mass killings in El Fasher and four years on from a coup, UAE now admits its Sudan policy [of war and massacre] has gone wrong.*

Students Rise Up protests - 2025-11-10T16:36:53+00:00

*Student, national and local groups across US organized day of action to condemn the persecutor's assault on academic freedom.*

Urgent: US President bullying non-supporters - 2025-11-09T16:36:46+00:00

US citizens: call on Congress not to let the bully punish places where people did not vote for him.

Main Switchboard: +1-202-224-3121 If you phone, please spread the word!

Urgent: Investigate well-connected rapist, OK - 2025-11-09T16:36:46+00:00

US citizens: call on Oklahoma's attorney general to investigate the decision that allowed a well-connected accused rapist to avoid possible prosecution.

You may find your state's or territory's major agencies contacts at USA.gov. If you contact them or sign, please spread the word!

Deportation thugs falsifying accusations against protesters - 2025-11-08T10:36:59+00:00

Deportation thugs were caught falsifying accusations against protesters.

Protesters charged with "conspiracy" and "intimidation" - 2025-11-08T10:36:59+00:00

Deportation thugs have charged protesters with "conspiracy" and "intimidation" for a nonviolent protest. One of them is a candidate for the House of Representatives.

Jail term for non-violent art museum protester - 2025-11-08T10:36:59+00:00

*US climate activists condemn 18-month jail term for non-violent art museum protester.*

If they had actually damaged the art, that would deserve punishment. But they took care to make their "damage" purely symbolic, leaving the painting undamaged in fact. This punishment was pure injustice.

It appears that they were jailed for 6 months awaiting trial, too.

Egypt and ICRC aid HAMAS search for hostages' corpses - 2025-11-08T10:36:59+00:00

Israel permitted Egypt and the ICRC to aid HAMAS in searching for hostages' corpses in the part of Gaza where Palestinians are now usually shot on sight. This included equipment to dig up corpses buried under rubble. Finally, Israel was allowing HAMAS to do what Israel demanded it do.

Just a couple of days later, Israel bombarded Gaza widely, claiming that this was to punish HAMAS for not yet having finished that job.

This is absurd. It seems that Netanyahu sees no need to have a coherent policy, or even to pretend to have one.

Canada's political ad in the US - 2025-11-08T10:36:59+00:00

Canada's political ad in the US, which quoted from a speech by Ronald Reagan in which he denounced tariffs in general (because he advocated friction-less trade to boost business), didn't mention a narrow exception that Reagan has described in that same speech.

The exception was to punish alleged violation of a trade treaty for low tariffs.

Here is a detailed analysis comparing the quotation to the whole speech.

Was this omission a serious misrepresentation? I don't think so. The subject of the ad was the bully's tariffs on imports from Canada, and that exception isn't pertinent to this subject.

I don't entirely agree with Reagan's general position. It is possible to use tariffs to boost domestic industry, and legitimate to do so. However, for that method to succeed, it must be applied with careful thought — something that the US government has failed to do with its tariffs.

Gorilla habitats and pristine forest at risk - 2025-11-08T10:36:58+00:00

*Gorilla habitats and pristine forest at risk as DRC opens half of country to oil and gas drilling bids.*

In the long term, the transitory "value" of burning that fossil fuel will be insignificant, but the cost of the damage it does could be irreplaceable loss.

US government claims entitled to kill people traveling in small boats - 2025-11-08T10:36:58+00:00

The US government claims it is entitled to kill people traveling in small boats in the Caribbean, but admits it has no evidence that they are really "terrorists", and does not even know who they are.

Underestimate of how rich the rich are - 2025-11-08T10:36:58+00:00

Most people drastically underestimate how much richer the rich in their country are than ordinary workers. When they see the facts, many start advocating systematic redistribution.

Protesters who colored Stonehenge - 2025-11-08T10:36:58+00:00

British protesters who colored Stonehenge temporarily orange using food coloring were prosecuted, absurdly, for nonexistent "damage".

Repressive exaggerations like this are part of the standard playbook of governments that have submitted to the power of the plutocrats.

Luxury effect in urban ecology - 2025-11-08T10:36:58+00:00

The luxury effect in urban ecology: richer neighborhoods have more diversity of wildlife.

Russian soldiers who refuse suicide missions - 2025-11-08T10:36:57+00:00

Journalists in Russia report that commanders are torturing or killing soldiers who refuse suicide missions.

I would expect that the reason these commanders are not punished is that they are doing what Putin wants them to do.

Threats of US troops to invade Nigeria - 2025-11-08T10:36:57+00:00

The war-lover threatens to send US troops to invade Nigeria to wipe out their equivalent of the Taliban.

The US tried this in Afghanistan, with the initial support of most of the population, but the effort ultimately failed. The war-lover in his first term was unable to make it work, and then spoke of pulling out the US troops. Biden displayed political courage by actually pulling the plug on the failed intervention. But the war lover claims that in Nigeria victory would be easy.

Or maybe it is just another bluff to look tough.

Scientists warn Earth tipping into disaster - 2025-11-08T10:36:57+00:00

Scientists are warning that Earth is tipping into disaster and strong actions would be needed to pull it back from there.

Deportation thug agency holding people in secretive rooms - 2025-11-08T10:36:57+00:00

*[The deportation thug agency] violates its own policy by holding people in secretive rooms for days or weeks.

Progressive candidate for Congress indicted - 2025-11-08T10:36:57+00:00

*Kat Abughazaleh, progressive candidate for Congress, has been indicted for "impeding" a deportation thug during a protest. Basically, getting in the thug's way.

Food stamps situation, US - 2025-11-08T04:36:42+00:00

The bully plans to supply only half the normal amount of food stamps during the shutdown.

The shutdown plan is designed to use them as hostages in several ways. Naturally he doesn't want to completely release his hostages. So his advisors are coming up with legal technicalities with which to delay and cut.

Urgent: Dept. of Education losses - 2025-11-08T04:36:42+00:00

US citizens: urge states to sue to stop the destruction of the Department of Education.

You can find your state governor phone number at USA.gov. If you phone, please spread the word!

Urgent: Federal worker evictions - 2025-11-06T22:36:48+00:00

US citizens: call on Congress to pass the Federal Employee Civil Relief Act so as to protect federal workers from eviction during the shutdown.

Main Switchboard: +1-202-224-3121 If you phone or sign, please spread the word!

Urgent: $1T-plan to hijack Tesla, Inc. - 2025-11-06T22:36:47+00:00

US citizens: call on state pension officials to vote the pensions' shares against the muskrat's proposal for Tesla to pay him $1 trillion.

To contact a state or territory governor or state agencies, see USA.gov. If you do, please spread the word!

US attempts to overthrow Venezuela - 2025-11-05T10:37:03+00:00

Greg Palast writes of repeated US attempts to overthrow the government of Venezuela to steal its enormous oil reserves.

He also compares Maduro, an election cheater like the corrupter, with Chavez, who won honestly.

Secretary general of UN warns on global heating - 2025-11-05T10:37:03+00:00

* Humanity has failed to limit global heating to 1.5C and must change course immediately, the secretary general of the UN has warned.*

Bill Gates warned the world that it had better get global heating back down to under 1.5C as soon as possible, to avoid disastrous tipping points.

Russian drone attacks on civilians - 2025-11-05T10:37:03+00:00

*Russian drone attacks on civilians in Ukraine are war crimes, UN report concludes.*

Moving to higher ground on Miquelon Island - 2025-11-05T10:37:02+00:00

To help the inhabitants of Miquelon Island move to higher ground, the French government buys their homes, then lets them live in those homes for three more years while they use the money to build new homes on higher ground.

National greenhouse emissions reduction plans fall short - 2025-11-05T10:37:02+00:00

*World's [national greenhouse emissions reduction] plans fall drastically short of action needed, analysis shows.* Together they will, if successful, do 1/6 of the missions reduction required.