### Richard Stallman's Personal Site
The photo comes from [wikimedia.org
"Richard\_Stallman\_at\_LibrePlanet\_2019"](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Richard_Stallman_at_LibrePlanet_2019.jpg) by Ruben Rodriguez
I continue to be the Chief GNUisance of the GNU Project.
This is my long-term commitment and I plan to continue.
You may have heard or read critical statements about me; [please make up your own mind.](https://stallmansupport.org)
I am making a second visit to Europe this year after February. If you are interested in inviting me to speak there, and you have a venue to use and a public to invite, please email me in March with "speaking invitation" in the Subject field, using the name rms and the host gnu dot org. One advantage of this period for you is that the intercontinental flights are already covered, so you won't need to pay for that.
[Political Articles](#politics) | [Political Notes](archives/polnotes.html) | [Talks](talks.html) | [Airlines](airlines.html) | [Anti-Glossary](/antiglossary.html) | [Archive](/archive.html) | [Ban face recognition](/banfacerecognition.html) | [Books](#books) | [Comics](/comics.html) | [Empire of the Megacorporations](empire.html) | [Fiction](#fiction) | [Glossary](/glossary.html) | [GPG Key](gpg.html) | [Humor](#humor) | [Humorous Bio](/biographies.html#humorousbio) | [Links](/links.html) | [Media/Press/Bio](/media.html) | [Non-Political Articles](#non-political) | [The Four Factors of the Apocalypse](#apocalypse) | [There Ought to Be a Law](#oughttobe) | [Travel Experiences](#travel) | [Travel Photos](#travel_photos) | [How I Do My Computing](stallman-computing.html) | [RMS personal FAQ](rms-lifestyle.html) | [Sayings](sayings.html) | [Scientific Links](#sci_links) | [Stallman on Love](#love) | [Thanks](#thanks) |
Site search: [advanced](site-search/index.html)
_Send comments/questions about the search engine to: rms at gnu dot org_
What's bad about: [Airbnb](/airbnb.html) | [Amazon](/amazon.html) | [Amtrak](/amtrak.html) | [Ancestry](/ancestry.html) | [Apple](/apple.html) | [Change.org](/change.org.html) | [ChatGPT](/chatgpt.html) | [Cloudflare](/cloudflare.html) | [Discord](/discord.html) | [Disney](/disney.html) | [Ebooks](/ebooks.pdf) | [Eventbrite](/eventbrite.html) | [Evernote](/evernote.html) | [Ex-Twitter](/twitter.html) | [Facebook](/facebook.html) | [FLIXbus](/flixbus.html) | [Frito-Lay](/frito-lay.html) | [Frontier](/frontier.html) | [Google](/google.html) | [Gofundme](/gofundme.html) | [Grubhub](/food-delivery.html) | [In-N-Out Burger](/in-n-out-burger.html) | [Intel](/intel.html) | [LinkedIn](/linkedin.html) | [Lyft](/lyft.html) | [Meetup](/eventbrite.html) | [Microsoft](/microsoft.html) | [Netflix](/netflix.html) | [Patreon](/patreon.html) | [Pay Toilets](/pay-toilets.html) | [Privatization](/privatization.html) | [Skype](/skype.html) | [Slack](/slack.html) | [Spotify](/spotify.html) | [Tesla](/tesla.html) | [Threads](/threads.html) | [Ticketmaster](/ticketmaster.html) | [Uber](/uber.html) | [Wendy's](/wendys.html) | [WhatsApp](/whatsapp.html) | [Zoom](/zoom.html) |
[RSS site feed](rss/rss.xml) for the most recent political notes and new material.
This is the personal web site of Richard Stallman.
The views expressed here are my personal views, not those of the [Free Software Foundation](http://www.fsf.org/) or the [GNU Project](http://www.gnu.org/).
For the sake of separation, this site has always been hosted elsewhere and managed separately.
If you want to send me GPG-encrypted mail, do not trust key servers! Some of them have phony keys under my name and email address, made by someone else as a trick. See [gpg.html](/gpg.html) for my real key.
Richard Stallman has cancer. Fortunately it is slow-growing and manageable follicular lymphoma. Treatment put it into remission, and he can expect to live many more years. However, he now has to be even more careful not to catch Covid-19.
[FSF Giving Guide](https://www.fsf.org/givingguide/v14/)
### Canadians: I suggest you seek election advice at a local chapter of a group that pushes to curb global heating and has the courage to say, "Canada should stop exporting fossil fuel." It will at least use the right goals to suggest who to vote for in your area.
### Join a [Friday climate strike](http://www.next.gen.oh.us/~anton/reference/fff.html).
That page is made by scraping Fridays for Future so you can get the information without running any Javascript code. I would be very glad if they made the information on their own site accessible from the Free World; then we could simply refer people to their site and do without the scraping etc.
### I am limiting the number of new political notes per day so as not to overload the volunteers who install new notes. If you'd like to help, please write to rms at gnu period org.
### Is your bank pressuring you to use biometric ID? If so, please write to rms at gnu dot org. It could be useful if you document what is happening.
### Please [join the Free Software Foundation](https://fsf.org/) to support its work for your freedom.
### "They" is plural — for singular antecedents, use [singular gender-neutral pronouns](/articles/genderless-pronouns.html).
[Link Policy](/linkpolicy.html)
The largest part of the site is the [political notes](archives/polnotes.html), and they are typically updated every day.
I'm looking for people to
* learn how to HTML-craft and remotely-install political notes
* send me examples of how proprietary programs have been designed to be addictive.
* check a few sites for me regularly and show me any new articles that I would like to see or link to.
* help me in maintaining stallman.org by [occasionally looking for articles on a given point in the news](/articles/bigotry.html).
* send me examples of how proprietary programs have been designed to cause programmed obsolescence of products.
* write [site-specific Firefox extensions](https://www.gnu.org/help/help-javascript.html) or local scripts to operate specific web sites.
* help [maintain and operate](http://savannah.gnu.org/maintenance/HowToBecomeASavannahHacker) savannah.gnu.org.
* experiment to find good ways to attach fruits to a [Grav-mass tree](http://stallman.org/grav-mass.html).
* help web sites put free licenses on their Javascript code.
If you would like to help me in any of these ways, please write to rms at gnu dot o r g.
[Civil Liberties Minute](/civillibertiesminute/)
###### [](http://www.aclu.org/safefree/)
graphic by Susan Henson
Americans, you may wish to copy this icon to your own page, as a way of showing what patriotism means to you.
### [Upcoming talks](#upcoming-talks)
* _\[ No upcoming talks. \]_
* My second visit to Europe will be after February. If you are interested in inviting me to speak there, and you have a venue to use and a public to invite, please email me soon with "speaking invitation" in the Subject field, using the name rms and the host gnu dot org. One advantage of this period for you is that the intercontinental flights are already covered, so you won't need to pay for that.
### [Urgent action items](#urgent)
* US citizens: call on Congress to [save NPR and PBS](https://act.demandprogress.org/sign/save-npr-pbs-musk-greene-doge/?t=1003&akid=33108%2E96703%2EMHQ6Wg) from Musk, Trump, and others' right-wing attacks.
If you phone, please spread the word! Main Switchboard: [+1-202-224-3121](tel:+12022243121)
* I will be traveling to the UK in April or May, and I'm looking for other invitations to speak there on the same visit.
To respond, please write to [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]).
I am also looking for places I could stay for a day or two.
Because I am somewhat immunocompromised, I am vulnerable to Covid and flu. I need to say in place where I have a room and a bathroom that are somewha isolated, in air circulation, from the rest of the indoors.
To respond, please write to [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]).
* US citizens: call on various university presidents to [protect protesting students](https://actionnetwork.org/letters/urgent-stop-the-growing-crackdown-on-students-protesting-genocide/) from threats of government repression.
### signing without Javascript
Here's how to make the actionnetwork.org letter campaign linked above work without running the site's nonfree JavaScript code. (See [.)](https://gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap.html)
[
First, make sure you have deactivated JavaScript in your browser or are using the LibreJS plug-in.
I have done the next step for you: I added \`?nowrapper=true' to the end of the campaign URL before posting it above. That should bring you to a page that starts with, "Letter campaigns will not work without javascript!"
They indeed won't work without some manual help, but the following simple method seems adequate for many of them, including this one.
To start, fill in the personal information answers in the box on the right side of the page. That's how you say who's sending the letter.
Then click the "START WRITING" button. That will take you to a page that can't function without nonfree JavaScript code. (To ensure it doesn't function perversely \_by running\_ that nonfree code, you can enable LibreJS or disable JavaScript by visiting that page.) You can finish sending without that code By editing its URL in the browser's address bar, as follows:
First, go to the end and insert \`&nowrapper=true'. Then tell the browser to visit that URL. This should give you a version of the page that works without JavaScript. Edit the subject and body of your letter. Finally, click on the "SEND LETTER" button, and you're done.
This method seems to work for letter campaigns that send the letters to a fixed list of recipients, the same recipients for every sender. Editing and revisiting the URL is the only additional step needed to bypass the nonfree JavaScript code. I'm sure you'll agree it is a small effort for the result of supporting the campaign without opening your computer to unjust (and potentially malicious) software.
### My letter
Here is the text I sent.
> Defend academic freedom and rule of law I call on you to defend and protect students from punishment for courageously speaking out against a long campaign of deadly atrocities combined with a deadly siege. International students now face a new threat from right-wing extremists in our government, who seek to deport them without trial for speaking up against atrocities. This attacks the Bill of Rights and academic freedom in the United States, as well as international humanitarian law whose enforcement they advocate. Students should be saluted for nonviolent political action, not punished, and never victimized by police or ICE for exercising their rights. Shutting down dissent undermines the principles of free speech, rule of law and academic freedom that universities are meant to uphold. I implore you to resist illegal un-American orders from un-American officials, and defend human rights in our country. Sincerely, Richard Stallman
](https://gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap.html)
[](https://gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap.html)* [](https://gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap.html)
[US citizens:](https://gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap.html) [Don't let the wrecker wreck and privatize the USPS](https://act.demandprogress.org/sign/trump-usps-takeover-25/?t=1003&akid=33228%2E96703%2EOPvTPd).
* US citizens: [call for an independent audit](https://actionnetwork.org/forms/audit-elon-musk?nowrapper=true&referrer=group-takeitbackorg&source=group-takeitbackorg) of Elon Musk's federal contracts.
* US citizens: call on Congress to [protect judicial independence](https://act.pfaw.org/sign/oppose-judicial-reform-bills-house/?utm_source=aa&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=judicialindependence&t=1008&akid=47839%2E660322%2EUd3e6r).
If you phone, please spread the word! Main Switchboard: [+1-202-224-3121](tel:+12022243121)
* US citizens: phone your congresscritter and call on per to demand that the government [release Mahmoud Khalil](https://act.mpowerchange.org/go/71725) and then respect his human rights.
If you phone, please spread the word! Main Switchboard: [+1-202-224-3121](tel:+12022243121)
* I'm looking for a [cartoonist](/comics.html) who would like to draw cartoons for me once in a while. If you're interested, please write to rms, which refers to me, at the location gnu period org.
* Boycott Chevron, [in the name of Steven Donziger](https://www.commondreams.org/views/2020/08/15/dont-let-big-oil-open-new-front-its-war-environmental-defenders).
### Recording of Guantanamero
Listen to the [recording](guantanamero.ogg) of [Guantanamero](guantanamero.html), a protest song written in Spanish. The recording is in Ogg Vorbis format. To install an Ogg Vorbis player, see [the FSF's Ogg Players page](http://www.fsf.org/resources/formats/playogg).
### [There Ought to Be a Law](#oughttobe)
* A pitifully weak attempt to solve a real problem: asking for a federal law that would permit victims of domestic abuse and stalking to [demand that data brokers delete information about them](https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/data-brokers-harm-abuse-survivors-we-need-a-law-to-stop-them).
Data, once collected, _will_ be abused. The way to prevent that abuse is to facilitate refusing to hand it over in the first place.
Here is my proposal for protecting the specific people known to be in particular danger, and everyone else who could be harmed if individuals, businesses or governments use their personal data against them without a search warrant: require services to be available anonymously.
* The regulation of toxic chemicals in the US is hamstrung by laws that enable companies to [keep their use and their presence in any place secret](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/17/lawsuit-prevent-hiding-toxic-chemicals).
The selfish interest of those who keep trade secrets is rational but antisocial. In many cases the only harm it does is to hold back the general advance of technology. But sometimes it does really nasty things. For digital hardware and software, it often gives companies a way to subjugate their users. Regarding use of toxic chemicals, it endangers public health.
Why would legislators pass laws to "protect" companies instead of protecting the people they harm? I suspect it is partly because these companies are influential and the legislators seek their support, and partly because the legislators ask them for campaign funds.
But it is also partly the result of the mindset of "trickle down", which assumes that the only way to get more funds for the state is to let increase the size of the economy by letting companies have what they want. Unfortunately, what they want is often to be allowed to harm the public.
Most Democrats in Congress got corrupted this way in the 80s and 90s. (The exceptions are the progressive Democrats.) Now in the UK Starmer is guiding Labour into that sort of corruption.
Clearly our laws should say that any public need to know about the presence of toxic substances in a business facility overrides the desire to keep them secret.
* \*China-owned British Steel said to have [requested ÂŁ600m of taxpayer support](https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/jun/23/china-owned-british-steel-requested-600m-taxpayer-support).\*
Whether the owners are Chinese is a question that there is no need to ask, because the state should _never_ give money to a business "to support it." Instead it should offer to lend money to the company for suitable repayment, or else buy equity at a fair price.
These two ways of supporting a company avoid giving the owners an opporunity to rip off the state -- which the company's owners are likely to try to do, if they can, regardless of which country they are from.
With a policy like this, it wouldn't matter which country the company's owners are from.
* California is proposing an interesting approach towards [antisocial media platforms](https://www.engadget.com/proposed-california-bill-would-let-parents-block-algorithmic-social-feeds-for-children-220132956.html?src=rss).
It is exciting that SB 976 turns towards restricting recommendation algorithms. But these options should not be limited to minors — every user [should have this choice](https://stallman.org/archives/2023-jul-oct.html#8_September_2023_\(Taking_control_away_from_social_media_sites\)). (Please do not refer to teenagers as "children"; that feeds the US tendency to treat them like children and [retard their development](https://stallman.org/archives/2023-may-aug.html#20_July_2023_\(Free-play_kid_programs\)).)
However, I suggest taking a step beyond just choosing to use or not use the [platform's addiction system](https://stallman.org/archives/2023-nov-feb.html#7_February_2024_\(Misogynistic_messages\)). Recommendation algorithms should be completely separated from platforms!
If you want to use a nontrivial recommendation algorithm, you should be able to choose it yourself and use it anonymously. You could send it the URLs you want it to base its choices on. These might be some of the pages you had visited, and perhaps pages you had not visited.
Then it should send _you_ its recommendations. You could pass all, or just some, or none of those recommendations to the platform to look at them.
AB 1949 is admirable because it gives a small boost to privacy for users of all ages, not only for children. It isn't enough, though — users should also be guaranteed the right and possibility to access through the Tor network and to use aliases. And collection of a user's data by the state should require a warrant against the user.
[More items where there ought to be a law.](/there-ought-to-be-a-law.html)
### Quotes
Here are some [quotations](/quotes.html) that I particularly like.
Most recent [Political Notes and News Items](archives/polnotes.html)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
([RSS Feed](rss/rss.xml))
You can now read the political notes on [Mastodon](https://mastodon.xyz/@rms).
### [**Film "No Other Land"**](https://stallman.org/archives/2025-jan-apr.html#20_March_2025_\(Film_No_Other_Land\))
_20 March 2025_
[More about the campaign](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/florida-mayor-seeks-evict-cinema-screening-israeli-palestinian-film-2025-03-14/) to prevent the film _No Other Land_ from [being shown in the US](https://reason.com/2025/03/13/no-other-land-won-an-oscar-miami-beachs-mayor-is-trying-to-evict-a-movie-theater-for-screening-it/).
### [**Callousness and cruelty of Zuckerberg**](https://stallman.org/archives/2025-jan-apr.html#20_March_2025_\(Callousness_and_cruelty_of_Zuckerberg\))
_20 March 2025_
Zuckerberg's former aide has [published a revealing exposé](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/mar/13/careless-people-by-sarah-wynn-williams-review-zuckerberg-and-me) of his callousness and cruelty, not only towards the peoples of many countries but towards his associates too.
For instance, he directed Facebook' efforts for years towards developing censorship just as Xi likes it. I suppose his new target will be censorship just as [the corrupter](/glossary.html#corrupter) likes it.
More [about this book](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/mar/14/mark-zuckerberg-free-speech-meta-sheryl-sandberg).
### [**Tariffs paid by the poor**](https://stallman.org/archives/2025-jan-apr.html#20_March_2025_\(Tariffs_paid_by_the_poor\))
_20 March 2025_
\*Trump’s tariffs will be [paid by the poor](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/mar/15/trump-tariffs-robert-reich) — while his tax cuts help the rich.\*
### [**Labor redefined as "party of work"**](https://stallman.org/archives/2025-jan-apr.html#20_March_2025_\(Labor_redefined_as_party_of_work\))
_20 March 2025_
Now that Labour has [redefined itself](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/mar/17/the-guardian-view-on-labours-semantic-shift-its-the-party-of-work-not-workers) as the "Party of Work" rather than "Party of Workers", one more similar shift can redefine it as the "Party of Bosses and Shareholders that others work for."
The same party distanced itself from the non-rich who need help in caring for their sick relatives, by [proposing big cuts](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/mar/17/labour-is-gaslighting-disabled-people-and-that-should-terrify-us-all) in government support for them.
Maybe it should rename itself to the "Hard Labour" party.
### [**Britain could unlock house construction**](https://stallman.org/archives/2025-jan-apr.html#20_March_2025_\(Britain_could_unlock_house_construction\))
_20 March 2025_
Britain could [unlock house construction](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/mar/17/in-the-rush-to-build-houses-lets-remember-what-communities-need) if it spent money to build housing that would belong to the state, for non-rich people to live in.
But it may not be necessary to _build_ all the additional housing Britain needs to _use_. I've read that Britain has enough houses and apartments, if only all were available for people to live in. They are not available because their owners use them some other way — often just as investments, kept empty. Increasing tax on doing that should get them sold off to people who will use them productively.
It all comes down to taxing the rich enough, in various ways.
### [**(satire) Quarantine for having watched "Will and Grace"**](https://stallman.org/archives/2025-jan-apr.html#20_March_2025_\(\(satire\)_Quarantine_for_having_watched_Will_and_Grace\))
_20 March 2025_
(satire) \*Texas Implements [Mandatory 6-Month Quarantine](https://theonion.com/texas-implements-mandatory-6-month-quarantine-for-anyone-who-has-watched-will-and-grace/) For Anyone Who Has Watched "Will And Grace".\*
### [**Joke that US should return Statue of Liberty**](https://stallman.org/archives/2025-jan-apr.html#20_March_2025_\(Joke_that_US_should_return_Statue_of_Liberty\))
_20 March 2025_
\*French politician [jokes US should return Statue of Liberty](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/17/return-statue-liberty-french-parliament) for siding with "tyrants".\*
Alas, giving up that statue would not help free Americans from authoritarian rule.
### [**Asylum seekers from Russia jailed by US**](https://stallman.org/archives/2025-jan-apr.html#20_March_2025_\(Asylum_seekers_from_Russia_jailed_by_US\))
_20 March 2025_
Since 2024, many asylum seekers from Russia and some neighboring countries have been [jailed by the US](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/17/i-escaped-one-gulag-only-to-end-up-in-another-russian-asylum-seekers-face-ice-detention-in-the-us) until their final asylum hearings.
Rumor is that some of them are sent by Putin with false stories as disguise. That can happen. But why take their children away and hand them to strangers?
### [**How Switzerland transformed its rivers**](https://stallman.org/archives/2025-jan-apr.html#20_March_2025_\(How_Switzerland_transformed_its_rivers\))
_20 March 2025_
\*From sewage and scum to swimming in "blue gold": how Switzerland [transformed its rivers](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/17/from-sewage-and-scum-to-swimming-in-blue-gold-how-switzerland-transformed-its-waterways-aoe) \[in a few decades\]. \*And other countries are looking to follow their lead.\*
### [**Parasite companies**](https://stallman.org/archives/2025-jan-apr.html#20_March_2025_\(Parasite_companies\))
_20 March 2025_
Yet again, a company that is [paid a commission](https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/mar/16/welwyn-hatfield-council-under-fire-as-it-issues-unjustified-fly-tipping-fines) for each person it fines has become a parasite.
All such companies should be abolished.
### [**Governor Newsom hosts a video show**](https://stallman.org/archives/2025-jan-apr.html#20_March_2025_\(Governor_Newsom_hosts_a_video_show\))
_20 March 2025_
Governor Newsom now [hosts a video show](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/mar/17/gavin-newsom-steve-bannon-podcast) in which he interviews guests, including several right-wing extremists. The writer conjectures that Newsom is planning to run for president in 2028 and wants to to gain support from that voting bloc.
Perhaps that is why he is advocating [extreme repression of homeless](https://stallman.org/archives/2024-nov-feb.html#19_February_2025_\(Homelessness_illegal_in_Fremont\)) people.
### [**National Cancer Institute cannot publish without approval**](https://stallman.org/archives/2025-jan-apr.html#20_March_2025_\(National_Cancer_Institute_cannot_publish_without_approval\))
_20 March 2025_
The antivaxxer has ordered the National Cancer Institute staff [cannot publish](https://www.propublica.org/article/national-cancer-institute-flagged-topics-vaccines-autism-rfk-jr) anything about vaccines without special approval from political higher-ups.
Giving higher priority to chronic diseases may be a wise change, but giving lower priority to infectious diseases is not.
### [**False fears about measles vaccine**](https://stallman.org/archives/2025-jan-apr.html#20_March_2025_\(False_fears_about_measles_vaccine\))
_20 March 2025_
Antivaxxers are [spreading absurd false fears](https://boingboing.net/2025/03/12/rfk-jr-s-scary-fiction-measles-vaccine-causes-blindness-and-death.html) about measles vaccine.
This can kill thousands. They are trying to lure parents into causing their children's deaths.
### [**Immigrants deported to Panama prison**](https://stallman.org/archives/2025-jan-apr.html#20_March_2025_\(Immigrants_deported_to_Panama_prison\))
_20 March 2025_
The US deported immigrants from various countries to Panama, which is [holding them in an inaccessible prison](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/27/trump-deportations-panama). Their lawyers cannot contact them.
Even worse, the US did nothing to find out whether they are entitled to asylum. Some come from countries that regularly persecute people, including Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. It is forbidden to to deport anyone to those countries.
Imagine if you are a woman from Afghanistan or Iran, you escape and ask for asylum in the US, and you are sent to a prison in a jungle and cannot talk with anyone there.
Australia has used similar tricks to eliminate in practice the right to asylum, such as [sending people to countries such as Nauru](https://stallman.org/archives//2021-jul-oct.html#26_September_2021_\(Nauru_immigration_prison\)) that don't allow journalists to enter.
### [**An activist's phone under surveillance**](https://stallman.org/archives/2025-jan-apr.html#20_March_2025_\(An_activist's_phone_under_surveillance\))
_20 March 2025_
\* A prominent activist in Italy has warned the international criminal court (ICC) that his mobile phone was [under surveillance](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/19/italian-activist-david-yambio-alerts-icc-spyware-attack) when he was providing the ICC with confidential information about victims of torture in Libya.\*
### [**Hotel developer who could testify against NYC mayor Adams**](https://stallman.org/archives/2025-jan-apr.html#20_March_2025_\(Hotel_developer_who_could_testify_against_NYC_mayor_Adams\))
_20 March 2025_
[Night-Mayor](/glossary.html#nightmayor) Adams has NYC [paying half a million dollars per month](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/19/eric-adams-nyc-developer) to an indicted hotel developer who could testify against him.
One must suspect this is corruption like what Adams is accused of.
### [**Saboteur-in-chief wants to cancel EPA rules**](https://stallman.org/archives/2025-jan-apr.html#20_March_2025_\(Saboteur-in-chief_wants_to_cancel_EPA_rules\))
_20 March 2025_
The [saboteur-in-chief](/glossary.html#s-i-c) [wants to cancel EPA rules](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/19/trump-epa-pollution-regulation-cuts) that are expected to prevent 200,000 premature deaths.
They would also protect endangered species; canceling them could cause extinctions.
### [**Dissent repressed and labeled "antisemitism"**](https://stallman.org/archives/2025-jan-apr.html#20_March_2025_\(Dissent_repressed_and_labeled_antisemitism\))
_20 March 2025_
Right-wing extremists are [committing repression of dissent](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/mar/19/the-far-rights-pretend-fight-against-antisemitism-is-a-perfect-political-strategy) that criticizes them, and labeling the dissent "antisemitism", as a tactic to lead the public to hold Jews responsible for the repression.
Columbia [Apologized to Mahmoud Khalil](https://theintercept.com/2025/03/19/columbia-mahmoud-khalil-suspension-gaza-protests/) in May 2024 for One-Day Suspension.
### [**Canadian woman jailed in deportation prison**](https://stallman.org/archives/2025-jan-apr.html#20_March_2025_\(Canadian_woman_jailed_in_deportation_prison\))
_20 March 2025_
A Canadian woman with a US work visa [jailed in deportation prison](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/19/canadian-detained-us-immigration-jasmine-mooney) and never got an explanation of why.
The system did many cruel and avoidable things to her. Some of them were perhaps motivated by increasing the profits of the prison. The deportation [thugs](/glossary.html#thug) refused to tell her what they were doing to her or what they were going to do the next day.
Despite the brainwashing practices, the other prisoners had it much worse. She at least was sure she would get back to Canada some day.
### [**Climate protesters should not have to express remorse**](https://stallman.org/archives/2025-jan-apr.html#20_March_2025_\(Climate_protesters_should_not_have_to_express_remorse\))
_20 March 2025_
An [academic report](https://www.theguardian.com/law/2025/mar/19/non-violent-protesters-should-not-have-to-disavow-motives-trial-study) says UK courts should not require climate protesters to express remorse for risking punishment to save civilization from [global heating](/glossary.html#global%20heating).
* * *
The four factors of the apocalypse:
   global heating, global hating,
   global eating, global mating.
* * *
[](comics.html)
[](/images/so-many-candidates.jpg)
[\[More Cartoons\]](comics.html)
* * *
[](https://stallman.org/facebook.html)
Copy [this button](/no-facebook.svg) (courtesy of R.Siddharth) to express your rejection of Facebook.
* * *
### E-books
[Non-oppressive Commercial E-books](/non-oppressive-ebooks.html)
* * *
### Don't use Facebook
Facebook's [face recognition demonstrates a threat](http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/jun/14/facebook-facial-recognition-software) to everyone's privacy. I therefore ask people not to put photos of me on Facebook; you can do likewise.
Of course, [Facebook is bad for many other reasons as well.](/facebook.html)
* * *
### [Boycott Harry Potter Books, Movies, etc.](harry-potter.html)
* * *
### [Internet Music EULAS](/internet-music.html)
* * *
### [Business Supremacy Treaties](/business-supremacy-treaties.html)
* * *
### [Countries to Stay Away From](/stay-away-countries.html)
* * *
### No national identity cards
I'd like to make a list of countries that do not require a national identity card, and have no plans to adopt one. If you live in or have confirmed knowledge of such a country, please send email to rms at gnu.org.
Here's my list of countries with no national ID cards and no plans for one: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK. Australia's previous government tried to institute national ID cards, but the Labor government dropped the plan.
India has mostly finished imposing a national biometric ID number in a grand act of oppression.
Switzerland has national ID cards which are optional, but they or some other government ID card are needed for some purposes.
Iceland doesn't have ID cards as such, but they have ID numbers that citizens are forced to use frequently. For example, the national ID number is often required to rent a video or use a gym.
Denmark issues non-photo ID cards with a "person number", and many services use this card to identify people.
Norway will impose a national [biometric ID card](http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Norwegian_citizens_now_required_by_law_to_give_their_fingerprint_to_the_police.html).
[Ireland](https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/privacy-campaigners-concerned-over-national-id-card-by-stealth-1.3091209) - national ID card by stealth.
ACLU: the [five dangers of national ID cards](https://www.aclu.org/other/5-problems-national-id-cards).
Wikipedia has a list of [identity card policies by country](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_identity_card_policies_by_country).
* * *
### Borders
Stay away from certain countries because of their [bad immigration policies](bad-border-policy-countries.html).
* * *
### Flight connections
Avoid flight connections in these airports because of their [treatment of passengers](bad-connection-airports.html).
* * *
### The Lifelong Activist
People often ask how I manage to continue devoting myself to progressive activism (such as the free software movement) for years without burning out. The best way I can answer is by recommending a book, [The Lifelong Activist](https://hillaryrettigproductivity.com/the-lifelong-activist/) by Hillary Rettig.
I disagree with the book on one theoretical point in the last part of the book: we shouldn't think of political activism as _being_ marketing and sales, because those terms refer to business, and politics is something much more important than mere business. However, this doesn't diminish the value of the book's practical advice about borrowing techniques from marketing and sales.
Disclosure: I am friends with the author.
* * *
### Bob Chassell
[Writing](/Bob-Chassell/) (mostly science fiction) by my friend Bob Chassell who recently died.
* * *
### Solidarity Economy and Free Software
[Personal Declaration of Richard Stallman and Euclides Mance on Solidarity Economy and Free Software.](https://stallman.org/solidarity-economy.html)
* * *
### Falkvinge articles
[I have reposted some of Rick Falkvinge's articles.](/falkvinge.html) As posted on his site, you can't see them in a browser without running some nonfree Javascript code which is apparently non-free. These versions show the same text, without the obstacle.
* * *
### [Long-term action items](/longterm.html)
* * *
### [Political Articles](#politics)
These are my political articles that are not related to the GNU operating system or free software. For GNU-related articles, see the [GNU philosophy directory](http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/). You can also download copies of my book, [Free Software, Free Society, 3rd edition](https://www.fsf.org/faif/).
* [A way to recognize misleading political propaganda](articles/propaganda.html) (July 2024)
* [Fight Modern Slavery, but Leave Astronomy Alone](/articles/magellan-just-a-name.html) (May 2024)
* [Let Benevolence Shine](/articles/benevolence.html) (December 2023)
* [What I learned about gender and language from talking about the Virgin of Emacs, and how I made use of that in practice](/articles/virgin-of-emacs.html) (October 2023)
* [Many governments invite schools to invite companies to snoop on students](/articles/companies-snoop-on-students.html) (June 2022)
* [To Endure, Peace Needs to Weaken Putin But Not Ruin Him](/articles/lasting-peace-weaken-putin-not-ruin.html) (March 2022)
* [The Russian Army has become the Putin Forces](/articles/putin-forces.html) (March 2022)
* [The definition of "racism" must not be formulated based on who the perpetrators are](/articles/defining-racism.html) (February 2022)
* [Why we should get rid of corporate landlords, and an easy method](/articles/corporate-landlords.html) (August 2021)
* [Worker-owned internet services can still be dis-services](/articles/cooperative-internet-disservices.html) (June 2021)
* [Necessary Changes in Society](/articles/necessary-changes.html) (March 2021)
* [On the Firing of Jeffrey Toobin](/articles/toobin.html) (November 2020)
* [The Broken Trust Model of Policing Police](/articles/policing-police.html) (October 2020)
* [An Extinction Rebellion activist comments about the London police by Clark Killick](/articles/clark-killick.html) (October 2020)
* [What sort of laws would give us real privacy?](/articles/real-privacy-laws.html) (December 2019)
* [My Talk at Microsoft](/articles/microsoft-talk.html) (September 2019)
* [Surveillance Ordinance](/articles/surveillance-ordinance.html) (November 2018)
* [How the Ramayana endorses caste bias](/articles/ramayana.html) (April 2018)
* [Better Genderless Pronouns in English](/articles/genderless-pronouns.html) (April 2018)
* A [radical proposal](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/apr/03/facebook-abusing-data-law-privacy-big-tech-surveillance) to keep your personal data safe. (April 2018)
* [What Mary Had](/articles/what-mary-had.html) (May 2017)
* [Anonymous internet payments using pay phones](/articles/anonymous-payments-thru-phones.html) (Apr 2017)
* When people are [conscripted by the DMCA into the War on Sharing](/articles/conscripted.html). (Dec 2016)
* If you feel your organization needs a ["presence" in Facebook](/facebook-presence.html). (Dec 2016)
* [How Much Surveillance](https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/surveillance-vs-democracy.html) Can Democracy Withstand?
* Yes, [You Have Something to Fear](/articles/why-fear-surveillance.html). (August 2016)
* A [proposal for resolving the dispute](http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jul/13/something-to-really-miss-about-david-cameron) over the South China Sea. (July 2016)
* Is [duckduckgo.com partially enforcing](/articles/duckduckgo-censorship.html) the "celebrity threesome injunction"? (May 2016)
* Adapting the Marseillaise to the [greatest threat to civilization](/articles/chant-du-29-novembre.html).
* [Proposing the Logo Sea Turtle — for Whales](/articles/logo-sea-turtle.html) (October 2015)
* [Controlling When the Cameras Record](/articles/when-should-body-cameras-record.html) (August 2015)
* A few [words to Greece](/articles/words-to-greece.html) (June 2015)
* Fixing [Too Big To Fail](/articles/progressive-tax-on-business-gross-income.html) (Apr 2015)
* [Enslaved Workers](/enslaved-workers.html)
* [What I said about Hrant Dink](/articles/hrant-dink.html) in my talks in Turkey (Apr 2015)
* [Earth under attack from planet Koch](/articles/planet-koch.html).
* [Fine government contractors for hiring ex-officials](/articles/fine-hiring-ex-officials.html) (Feb 2015)
* [Suggestion to the target of a witch hunt](/articles/witch-hunt.html) (Feb 2015)
* [Nonexistence](/articles/nonexistence-not-good-or-bad.html) (Feb 2015)
* [The Thermocene Epoch](/articles/thermocene.html) (Feb 2015)
* [Digital Voting.](/articles/digital-voting-bad.html) (Jan 2015)
* My letter asking the judge not to sentence [Jeremy Hammond to prison](/articles/hammond.pdf). (Jan 2015)
* It is a [bad idea to have computers count the votes in public elections](/evoting.html).
* [Internet Voting: don't even think of it!](/internet-voting.html)
* The patent system is, at best, [not worth keeping](http://www.luc.edu/media/lucedu/law/students/publications/llj/pdfs/45_1_stallman.pdf). (February 2014)
* [Why We Need A State](/articles/why-we-need-a-state.html) (November 2013)
* We can put an end to "too big to fail" with an [innovative tax](https://www.reuters.com/article/idUK261136661120130204) that also defeats corporate tax-dodging. (August 2013)
* [Exxon and the Letter Exx.](/articles/exxon.html) (April 1, 2013)
* [Fixing too big to fail](https://www.reuters.com/article/idUK261136661120130204) (February 2013)
* [Why internet music "sale" is a bad deal.](http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2013/jan/21/hmv-loss-music-buying-cash) (January 2013)
* [On-line education](/articles/online-education.html) is using a flawed Creative Commons license (September 2012) [French Translation](/articles/online-education.fr.html)
* [Redistributable Scientific Publishing](/articles/redistributable-scientific-publishing.html) (April 2012)
* [My Doctor's Office Asked me to Lie](/articles/asked-to-lie.html) (August 2011)
* [Responding to Beggars](articles/responding-to-beggars.html)
* [UK extreme pornography law](articles/extreme.html).
* My criticism of the [The Zeitgeist Movement](/articles/zeitgeist.html). The Venus Project is more or less the same idea.
* [The states need to form a union](articles/states-union.html).
* [Additional Political Articles](/articles/political-articles.html) are on a separate page
### [Political notes](#notes)
> _"Those who profess to favor freedom, yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will."_
>
> [Frederick Douglass](http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/doughtml/doughome.html), American Abolitionist, [Letter to an associate, 1849](http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Frederick_Douglass#West_India_Emancipation_.281857.29)
Here are notes about various issues I care about, usually with links to more information. The current notes are [here](/archives/current.html). For all previous notes, see [this page](/archives/index.html).
See [this page](/repairing-links.html) for information on efforts to maintain links in the political notes.
Political notes about the 2001 G8 summit in Genoa, Italy are being archived on [their own page](/genoa.html).
### Media/Press/Bios
Richard Stallman's bio and publicity photos, and other things of interest to the press, have been moved to a [separate page](/media.html).
### [Travel experiences](#travel)
* [How it happened](/articles/palestine-trip.html) that I planned speeches at Israeli universities, then cancelled them.
* [Richard Stallman's travel blog](http://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms) and [restaurants reviews](/restaurants.html)
* My [visit to Machu Picchu](articles/machu.html)
* Stories about visits to [Tikal](articles/tikal.html) and [Greece](articles/greece.html)
### [Photos about my travels](#travel_photos)
* Photos of me [working on my laptop](photos/rms-working/) at various places
* [All of my photos](/photos/index.html), organized by location, from my trips.
* [Photos people like best](/favorite-photos.html), among those I have taken and posted here.
* [OSCON](https://web.archive.org/web/20201125151515if_/http://juliancash.com/view/rms2/set/medium_index.html)
* [More Photos from OSCON](http://web.archive.org/web/20040630232452/http://juliancash.com/view/rms3/medium_index.html)
* my [visit to Switzerland](https://stallman.org/photos/switzerland/2003-RMS-Tour-de-Suisse/index.html) in May 2003 (and the same [photos at the original photographer's site](http://www.flickr.com/photos/mum/sets/72157623706272563/).)
* Some pictures from [Vaasa](vaasa.html) where I slipped on icy ground in the airport, broke my elbow, and gave my speech by telephone from the hospital bed
* my [trips to Greece](/photos/greece)
* In Singapore in March 2001, a [lovely parrot](parrot-love.jpg) (50k jpeg) became enamored of me, while others [enjoyed my recorder playing](singapore-music.jpg) (91k jpeg)
* my [visit to China](/photos/china/2000/RMS_in_China_2000.html) in May/June 2000. I also visited Tibet unawares, because nobody told me that JiuZhaiGou was part of Tibetan territory annexed by China since the conquest
* my visit to Brazil: some from [Rio de Janeiro](https://web.archive.org/web/20010613171306/http://www.cipsga.org.br/rmsinrio/) and some from [Porto Alegre](https://web.archive.org/web/20010613171306/http://www.cipsga.org.br/rmsinrio/) where the Software Livre 2000 event was held.
* [my trip to Slovenia](https://web.archive.org/web/20060112234750/http://www.lugos.si/lugos/rms2000/pic/)
* A [photo of me](./rms-1.jpg) by Blake Livingston (may be used under CC-BY-SA).
### [Scientific Links](#sci_links)
* [Homeopathy debunked](http://arstechnica.com/science/2007/09/the-pseudoscience-behind-homeopathy/), and thoroughly, as pseudoscience.
* * *
### Some [humor](#humor)
[The berry torture](https://stallman.org/articles/the-berry-torture.html).
[The Free Software Song](https://www.gnu.org/music/free-software-song.en.html), by Richard M. Stallman. You can listen to a performance of the song: [Free Software Song performed by Thor](https://www.gnu.org/music/free-software-song-rhythmic.ogg) Here is a variant of this song called ["The Free Firmware Song"](https://blog.vimuser.org/free-firmware-song.html).
[Earth under attack from planet Koch](/articles/planet-koch.html).
[On doxing](/doxing.html), and how to spell it.
[Futon Physics](/futon-physics.html)
[A Spanish cartoon: La Ruleta Española.](/images/ruleta-espanola.png)
[The Night before M-x-mas](https://web.archive.org/web/20140208062623/http://shift-reset.com/blog/2013/12/24/The%20Night%20before%20M-x-mas/)
Here I am [wearing my "power tie"](power-tie.jpg).
[Wine snobs](https://harpers.org/archive/2021/01/pour-decisions/) get their comeuppance.
Here I am [struggling to open a bottle of water](IMG_5884.JPG).
My application to an join Marian Henley's [ex-boyfriends list](ex-boyfriends-list.html).
My [funny poetry and song parodies](doggerel.html).
A song parody, [Colors of the Lisp](https://web.archive.org/web/20210308124953/http://aoeu2code.com/post/251), by Jefferson Carpenter.
The text to a [filk](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/filk) song, [Johnny v. N.](https://potrzebie.review/johnny.txt ), by Paul Rubin.
[My Cartoons](comics.html)
[My Puns in English](/puns.html) ([Little Leaguer](/puns.html#littleleague), August 2019).
[My Puns in Spanish](/spanish-puns.html) (New pun: [ApostasĂa](/spanish-puns.html#apostasia) April 2019)
[My Puns in French](/french-puns.html) (New pun: [Microsoft Ă l'Ă©cole](/french-puns.html#microsoft) July 2019)
[My Puns in Portuguese](/portuguese-puns.html)
[My Puns in Italian](/italian-puns.html) (New pun: [Quale pesce fa starnutire?](/italian-puns.html#pesce) New 10/2018)
[My Puns in German](/german-puns.html) (New 02/2016)
[Linguistic Swifties](linguistic-swifties.html) (Now with: Wintu, Penutian, Cochiti, Taos, and Towa.)
[](/saint.html)\--[Saint IGNUcius](/saint.html)\-- The Church of Emacs will [soon be officially listed](extra/church.html) by at least one person as his religion for census purposes.
There are no godfathers in the Church of Emacs, since there are no gods, but you can be someone's [editorfather](editorfather.html).
[Stallman Does Dallas](articles/texas.html): "I have to warn you that Texans have been known to have an adverse reaction to my personality…"
[The Dalai Lama today announced the official release of Yellow Hat GNU/Linux.](articles/yellow-hat.html)
[Pre-Zen Studies.](/articles/pre-zen.html)
I found [a funny song about the Mickey Mouse Copyright Act](extra/bdk.html) (officially the Sonny Bono Copyright Act) which extended copyright retroactively by 20 years on works made as early as the 1920s.
If you are a geek and read Spanish, you will love Raulito el Friki, who said "Hello, world!" immediately after he was born. Here's [an archive of this now-defunct comic strip](http://www.taringa.net/posts/linux/1289402/Raulito-el-friki:-Homenaje.html).
[Sleeping with Stallman](http://disobedience.mit.edu/?p=813) at MIT.
[Un malentendido gracioso](/malentendido-gracioso.html).
ESR's favorite programming language: [Objectivist C](http://fdiv.net/2012/04/01/objectivist-c).
[American Extremists](http://web.archive.org/web/20140701124736/http://americanextremists.thecomicseries.com/
)
[My Small Mouth](/articles/mouth.html)
[The huns and the writs](/huns-writs.html).
[No Kludges in Cluj](/articles/cluj.html) (June 2014)
[Hammer into Anvil](/images/P1010083.JPG)
### [Fiction](#fiction)
[Made for You](/articles/made-for-you.html) (December 2012) ([local copy](/articles/made-for-you.html)) [Esperanto translation](/articles/made-for-you.eo.html)
[A science fiction story: Jinnetic Engineering](/articles/jinnetic.html) ([in Portuguese](/articles/jinnetic-portuguese.html), [Farsi](/articles/jinnetic-engineering.fa.html), [Spanish](/articles/jinnetic.es.html), [Armenian](/articles/jinnetic.hy.html), [Russian](/articles/jinnetic.ru.html), [French](/articles/jinnetic.fr.html), and [Italian](/articles/jinnetic.it.html)).
[The Right to Read](http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html)
### [Books](#books)
My book of essays about the philosophy of Software Freedom, is available from the [GNU Press](http://shop.fsf.org/category/books).
### [Stallman on Love](#love)
[Love and Dance](articles/love-and-dance.html)
[My Childhood Sweetheart](articles/childhood-sweetheart.html)
[Made for You](articles/made-for-you.html)
[My Former Personal Ad](extra/personal.html)
### [Non-Political Articles](#non-political)
[Am I Doctor Stallman?](/articles/dr-stallman.html)
[Avec des chapeaux](/articles/avec-des-chapeaux.html) French song parody.
My [radio program of Music from Georgia](/RMSGeorgianMusicWUOG.ogg), originally broadcast on WUOG in Athens, Georgia on Oct 13, 2014.
[Resolving the trolley problem](/articles/trolley-problem.html)
[Quantum Theory and Abortion Rights](/articles/quantum-abortion.html)
A [proposal for gender neutrality in Spanish](/articles/castellano-sin-genero.html), suitable for both speech and writing.
[Origin of the POSIX name.](articles/posix.html)
[On Hacking](articles/on-hacking.html): In June 2000, while visiting Korea, I did a fun hack that clearly illustrates the original and true meaning of the word "hacker".
[My Childhood Sweetheart](/articles/childhood-sweetheart.html)
[Love and Dance](/articles/love-and-dance.html)
Predicting the attack on [Pearl Harbor](pearlharbor.html)
[Certificate of confusion](/articles/destruction-certificate.txt)
### [Links](/links.html)
### [Thanks](#thanks)
I would like to thank:
* Positive Internet for hosting this web site.
* Graziano Sorbaioli for improving the layout of the main page.
* * *
Please send comments on these web pages to **rms at gnu period org**.
Copyright © 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 Richard Stallman
Verbatim copying and redistribution of this entire page are permitted provided this notice is preserved.
Verbatim copying and redistribution of any of the photos in the _photos_ subdirectory is permitted under the [Creative Commons Noderivs license version 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/) or later. You can copy and redistribute the photo of [me playing music to the butterfly](rms.jpg) under the [Creative Commons Noderivs Nocommercial license version 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/) or later. Any other photos of me in this (the toplevel) directory may be copied and redistributed under the [Creative Commons Noderivs license version 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/)