Richard Stallman

Richard Stallman's Political Notes -

Urgent: Voting rights - 2025-11-02T09:36:48+00:00

US citizens: call on Congress to protect voting rights. Pass the Redistricting Reform Act.

If you sign, please spread the word!

Urgent: US Speaker of House Johnson - 2025-11-02T09:36:48+00:00

US citizens: call on Speaker Johnson to stop lying about No Kings protests.

If you sign, please spread the word!

Urgent: Supreme Court, troops and cities - 2025-11-02T09:36:48+00:00

US citizens: call on the Supreme Court to approve the lower court decisions and keep troops out of our cities.

If you sign, please spread the word!

Urgent: A journalists-ban in Gaza - 2025-11-01T02:39:30+00:00

Everyone: call on Israel to lift its ban on foreign journalists in Gaza immediately.

Urgent: Grifter-DoJ scheme, a $230m COI - 2025-11-01T02:39:30+00:00

US citizens: call on Bondi to stop the corrupter's DOJ payoff scheme.

Zohran Mamdani an example for Democratic politicians - 2025-11-01T02:39:30+00:00

Robert Reich: How Zohran Mamdani is an example for Democratic politicians at all levels.

Agreeing to supposed deal with the cheater - 2025-11-01T02:39:30+00:00

Robert Reich why agreeing to a supposed deal with the cheater is always a delusion: because he will ignore the deal when he feels like it.

Fast heavy rain hit outskirts of Beijing - 2025-11-01T02:39:30+00:00

A fast heavy rain (half a meter) hit the outskirts of Beijing and forced evacuation of 80,000 people.

I wonder if this will make the government realize that global heating means global disaster, and that there is no time to lose in curbing global greenhouse gas emissions.

More than 170 U.S. Citizens have been held by Immigration Agents - 2025-11-01T02:39:29+00:00

*More Than 170 U.S. Citizens Have Been Held by Immigration Agents. They’ve Been Kicked, Dragged and [Jailed] for Days.*

Suicides linked to domestic abuse - 2025-11-01T02:39:29+00:00

*Suicides linked to domestic abuse should be investigated as potential homicides, say UK families.*

That makes sense to me.

Emissions created by gas flaring - 2025-11-01T02:39:29+00:00

*Gas flaring created 389m tonnes of [greenhouse gas emissions] last year, report finds. Rules to prevent "enormous waste" of fuel are seen as weak and poorly enforced and firms have little incentive to stop.*

US wetlands "restored" using treated sewage - 2025-11-01T02:39:29+00:00

*US wetlands "restored" using treated sewage tainted with forever chemicals.* At last it's not as bad a putting that on farmland as "fertilizer".

Most organisms in wetlands don't live for decades, so they may never accumulate enough of PFAS to do them much harm. But that is no more than a slightly educated guess — I don't know it for a fact.

Shoot-on-sight border line drawn by Israeli army - 2025-11-01T02:39:29+00:00

The shoot-on-sight border line drawn by the Israeli army through Gaza could become a line of annexation.

Giant reservoir of the Nova Kakhovka dam - 2025-11-01T02:39:28+00:00

Scientists are fascinated by the new forest and ponds that exist where the giant reservoir of the Nova Kakhovka dam used to be.

The dam produced renewable electric power for Ukraine, and the reservoir provided water for a significant part of global grain cultivation. The disaster of their destruction contributes to global heating and makes food globally scarce — both kill people.

It is crucial to rebuild the dam.

Women's rights activists in Saudi Arabia - 2025-11-01T02:39:28+00:00

*Saudi Arabia accused of banning [already punished and gagged] women's rights activists from leaving the country.*

Pervasive surveillance of Mexican border in many more US cities - 2025-11-01T02:39:28+00:00

The US repression agencies seek to extend the pervasive surveillance of the Mexican border to cover many more US cities — perhaps all.

Sites losing traffic if displayed below [so-called] AI overview - 2025-11-01T02:39:28+00:00

*Analysis found that sites previously ranked first can lose up to 79% of traffic if results are displayed below a [so-called] AI Overview.*

Restraint and punishment of violence by local thugs cancelled - 2025-11-01T02:39:27+00:00

The federal government had compelled various US cities to agree to policies to restrain and punish violence by local thugs. The bully has cancelled all the consent decrees, so that the thugs can once again brutalize people as their hearts desire.

"Delete list" of federal regulations - 2025-11-01T02:39:27+00:00

*[DOPE] reportedly using [heuristic automated] tool to create "delete list" of federal regulations* — aiming to abolish 50% of all regulations selected (apparently) without investigating their consequences.

Urgent: Illegal arrests by ICE - 2025-10-31T14:39:34+00:00

US citizens: call on Congress to investigate the deportation thugs' illegal arrests of US citizens.

Urgent: Investigate ballroom funding - 2025-10-30T08:39:38+00:00

US citizens: call on Congress to investigate the bully's ballroom and its funding.

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

Urgent: Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Org - 2025-10-30T08:39:37+00:00

US citizens: phone your congresscritter to oppose the magat plan to alter the RICO law so it can prosecute political opposition groups.

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

Urgent: CDC, FDA, now US airport abuse - 2025-10-30T08:39:37+00:00

US residents, and anyone who has recently used a US airport: Thank US airports for rejecting magat propaganda.

If you sign, please spread the word!

Urgent: Stop US war on VEN - 2025-10-30T08:39:37+00:00

US citizens: call on Congress to Stop the war-lover from going to war with Venezuela, by supporting bipartisan War Powers Resolution.

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

Urgent: Stop violent ICE raids - 2025-10-30T08:39:37+00:00

US citizens: call on Congress to put a stop to violent raids by the deportation thugs.

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

Urgent: Condemn Vance's hypocrisy - 2025-10-30T02:39:28+00:00

US citizens: Condemn Vance's hypocrisy about the Young Republicans leaked hate-venting.

For more info about what they said, see this pol note.

Estimates of global heating effects on Japan in 2060 - 2025-10-30T02:39:28+00:00

By 2060, global heating will make it unsafe for children in most of Japan to play outdoor sports in the summer.

There are countries hotter than Japan, where that may happen some decades sooner. And global heating causes worse problems, such as crop failures and mass hunger.

Americans brace for food stamps to run out - 2025-10-30T02:39:28+00:00

*[Over 40 million] Americans brace for food stamps to run out.*

Independent technocrat committee for running Gaza - 2025-10-30T02:39:28+00:00

*Palestinian factions say they agree to let independent technocrat committee run Gaza.*

This is a concession to Israel, but it does not imply an evil to Palestinians (unlike starvation and bombing). We will see whether this leads Israel to stop those evils.

Sycophantic bullshit-generator chatbots - 2025-10-30T02:39:28+00:00

* Turning to "sycophantic" [bullshit-generator] chatbots for personal advice poses "insidious risks", according to a study showing the technology consistently affirms a user's actions and opinions even when harmful.*

International Court of Justice has condemned Israel for violations - 2025-10-30T02:39:27+00:00

The International Court of Justice has condemned Israel for many violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza.

Is there anything that the UN can do to make Israel heed international humanitarian law?

German Court Rejects Gaza Journalist's case - 2025-10-30T02:39:27+00:00

*[German] Court Rejects [Gaza] Journalist's Case Because He Couldn't Submit an Original Signature from Gaza.*

Rejecting magat with Nazi leanings - 2025-10-30T02:39:27+00:00

Several Senate Republicans have joined in rejecting a magat with Nazi leanings for a federal office.

This is positive change, and it suggests that further public pressure could make it easier to defeat them.

Pentagon's new press corp - 2025-10-30T02:39:27+00:00

The Pentagon's new press corps is filled with conspiracy ideaionists and far-right extremists: the sort of "reporters" who will believe the official bullshit and then go beyond it.

I fear they will make good use of these reporter-allies to pass lies for truth and start wars (perhaps first with Venezuela).

Deaths linked to Wood burners - 2025-10-30T02:39:27+00:00

*Wood burners linked to 2,500 deaths a year in the UK, analysis finds.*

Using a wood-burning stove is not a wise idea.

EU complicit in war in Gaza - 2025-10-30T02:39:27+00:00

*The EU was complicit in the war in Gaza. [The bully]'s plan can’t be an excuse to dodge responsibility now.*

Elephant migration routes in Africa - 2025-10-30T02:39:26+00:00

Humans and their works are cutting elephant migration routes in Africa, leading to death of elephants and humans.

No Political Enemies Act - 2025-10-30T02:39:26+00:00

The No Political Enemies Act aims to restrain rogue presidents from persecuting political opposition.

US pressuring UK to use more fossil fuel - 2025-10-30T02:39:26+00:00

The US is pressuring the UK to use more fossil fuel. And the UK government is eager to do that.

Poland worried about low birth rate - 2025-10-30T02:39:25+00:00

Poland is worried about the low birth rate and population decrease.

Nonviolent population decrease is what the world needs now, but it is a byproduct of painful social problems that cause loneliness and suffering for millions.

Mistake of designating parts of nature as "persons" - 2025-10-30T02:39:25+00:00

Campaigners to strengthen protections for nature in the UK are on the edge of the conceptual mistake of designating parts of nature as "persons".

To protect nature legally from damage by people is very important, but we should reject the idea of "rights" for an entity (such a river, or "nature") that is unable to make decisions.

Every valid right is the right to do something if you want to. To apply the term "rights" to things that society forces on you whether you like it or not is a perversion of the idea of rights.

Io avoid getting caught in that perversion, we should stop calling for "nature" to have "rights". "Rights" with its valid meaning makes sense only for persons, and in limited circumstances for animals for things they are able to decide.

Urgent: Reject giving medals to soldiers that massacred Lakotas at Wounded Knee - 2025-10-29T02:39:27+00:00

US citizens: call on Congress to reject giving medals to soldiers that massacred Lakotas at Wounded Knee.

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

Unreliable and biased advice from so-called AI chatbots - 2025-10-29T02:39:26+00:00

*[so-called] AI chatbots give "unreliable and biased" advice to voters, says Dutch watchdog.*

If this were a special problem unique to the Netherlands, it would not be globally significant. But it is a consequence of the nature of bullshit generators.

We can help reduce the impact of this problem by firmly refusing to call them any sort of "intelligence". Please join in!

No Kings rallies were great success - 2025-10-29T02:39:26+00:00

Robert Reich: The No Kings rallies on October 18 were a great success, with 7 or 8 million participants. What should patriotic Americans do now?

By voting for progressive candidates and spreading the word, we can support freedom, democracy, well-being, and justice for all.

Ex-police commissioner sues New York City - 2025-10-29T02:39:26+00:00

*Ex-police commissioner sues New York City and Eric Adams over alleged NYPD corruption.*

He says that he informed Night-Mayor Adams privately and was then pushed out of the post. *Donlon claims that his efforts to establish internal NYPD oversight were "sabotaged". He gives examples including that his meetings were cancelled, his communications were spied on, he was excluded from decision making, and alleges that his official police commissioner’s stamp was used to forge internal documents.*

Herbal remedy books on Amazon - 2025-10-29T02:39:25+00:00

*Detection firm finds 82% of herbal remedy books on Amazon ‘likely written’ by [a so-called "AI"].*

One book among those 82%, a bestseller, is labeled with praise from a nonexistent publisher of a nonexistent magazine. How much credence should one give to that book? In that "field", even books written by humans will be full of imaginary facts.

Medical neglect in US deportation prisons - 2025-10-29T02:39:25+00:00

*Pregnant women report medical neglect in [US deportation prisons], rights groups say.*

Interviews with leaders behind No Kings movement - 2025-10-29T02:39:25+00:00

Interviews with leaders of the organizations behind the No Kings movement.

New chief regulator for driverless cars - 2025-10-29T02:39:25+00:00

The corrupter has appointed a new chief regulator for driverless cars, who has a glaring conflict of interest: he was working for Apple, and owns stock in Apple.

I do not call them "self-driving" because many of them sometimes depend on communicating with cloudy servers, so that what becomes of the data it collects about passengers is cloudy too.

Australian Christian Lobby representative on laws against cults - 2025-10-29T02:39:25+00:00

The Australian Christian Lobby representative said that if Australia adopts laws against coercive behavior by cults, "legitimate" churches might be found to violate them.

If that happens, what should we make of it?