[ale] Time to stir the pot

[Rich Faulkner]

Time to stir the pot?  Okay, you asked for it...  :P

I agree with Stallman and; although I do not "exclusively" use FOSS, I
do weight very, very heavily upon it and use it in all cases where I can
(and press to convert to FOSS in all cases possible).  A hardware
equivalent has been on my mind too in the past year (if such a thing
could exist).  (Do to the nature of the business we engage in we are
forced to support client platforms that are usually MS based.  In these
cases we have turnkey systems that provide this and they are usually
provided by the client themselves).  All others are Linux based
solutions including our continued evangelism of Linux in the desktop
realm.  

We too have seen the writing on the wall with this legislation and
social/political tides that smell as products of Nazi era propaganda and
as much as we (my wife and I) would be labeled as radicals; I believe
(and have found) that our sentiment(s) are more in line with those who
live(d) outside of the US (in western society) than those who live here.
Many (if not all) in the Tea Party (here too perhaps) would call us
socialists...and that's fine with me.  The names don't bother me as I
know my convictions and answer to a higher authority.  I am not
insinuating that President Obama is instituting Nazi-era (totalitarian)
legislation; but I will defer to reading the implications of recent and
proposed legislation for myself.  As a matter of record we voted for
President Obama in 2008 and intend to do so again in 2012.  

As for us, and in the assumed context of terrorism, we are
non-belligerents and do not support violent revolution or violent action
in any form.  Criminal action such as terrorism is unthinkable as
counter to our Christian faith; but we remain aware of the daily threats
against us that seek to conform and control our thoughts and behaviour
in a manner consistent with the desires of those who seek to continue to
exist off-of-us.  We know the source of that and to that end our faith
is well addressed and centered.

It is my belief and hope that we will see a reformation of information
much as we saw a reformation of the church.  Just as Martin Luther
brought information to the masses; will we see a modern visionary who
brings to the masses truly free knowledge and information?  Free
software imparts potentials for free education and free knowledge.  I
support this and actively participate in this through mentorship and
teaching (all for FREE!) 

It's hard to really get into this when you're at work so will keep this
short.  I think Richard Stallman is spot on.  And yes, I too think it
should be called a GNU/Linux system....

RinL


On Tue, 2012-01-03 at 10:33 -0500, Jim Kinney wrote:

> http://www.osnews.com/story/25469/Richard_Stallman_Was_Right_All_Along
> 
> I've thought all along that Stalman was a better barometer of how
> things need to be than the pundits would give him credit. And yes, it
> should be called a GNU/Linux system.
> 
> the list has been rather dull lately. Time for some lively, er, um,
> heated discussion :-)
> 
> I would love a totally open, freedom-friendly hardware stack. Stallman
> sees the hardware stuff of binary blobs and similar ilk as very, very
> bad for people freedom. I totally agree.
> 
> -- 
> -- 
> James P. Kinney III
> 
> As long as the general population is passive, apathetic, diverted to
> consumerism or hatred of the vulnerable, then the powerful can do as
> they please, and those who survive will be left to contemplate the
> outcome.
> - 2011 Noam Chomsky
> 
> http://heretothereideas.blogspot.com/
> 
> 
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