Richard Stallman's Political Notes' Journal

EU watering down car pollution rules

*EU poised to water down new car pollution rules after industry lobbying.*

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Trudeau talks of backing down on heating oil tax

Trudeau is talking about chickening out on the proposed tax on heating oil, which is meant to lead Canada away from using fossil fuel for heating.

People need help in paying for heating their homes, but canceling tax incentives to avoid destroying civilization is the wrong way to do it. A better way is to give people a subsidy to help them pay the cot of heating.

The crucial point is that people should be allowed to use the subsidy for anything. So if they make heating cheaper, they can use some of that money for other things.

That subsidy system will help poor people afford heating, but still give them (and everyone else) an incentive to invest in doing the job more efficiently.

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UK looking to ban march in support of Palestine

The UK government is groping for an excuse to ban a march in London in support of Palestine and Palestinians.

Instead of overtly banning the march, the justice minister called on the organizers to cede to the recommendation of the cops, whose recommendation is (naturally) to cancel it. The difference is so subtle that I don't see it makes any difference.

The reason given is that the route of the march goes near a memorial to Britons who died in World War I, where others will meet on that day for mourning. However, it seems that the march stays two miles away from that place.

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Fee to store fertilized embryos

Some British would-be parents can't afford the fee to maintain and store fertilized embryos they have made.

It is unfair to lure patients into paying many thousands for fertility treatments only to find that additional junk fees make their purchase a waste. These services should quote a full, inclusive price at the outset, so that patients won't start unless they can afford to finish.

Perhaps that full price should include the cost of gestating the embryos and raising the resulting child. That way, a patient won't start to pay the price unless she can count on being able to get to the end.

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Cruise knew of self-driving car problems

*Cruise Knew Its Self-Driving Cars Had Problems Recognizing Children — and Kept Them on the Streets.*

I expect that the technology for driverless cars will eventually be perfected so that it drives properly. Especially if governments don't permit them to drive on the street until that is achieved.

But that doesn't imply that these cars will not be designed to injure people in ways other than flaws in driving — such as snooping, tracking, and seizing people.

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China charging penalties to poor countries

China is charging penalties to many poor countries that can't pay back what China lent them a few years ago.

This makes me think of what the US, and the IMF, have done to poor countries. Will China be worse, or better, as a creditor?

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Junk food advertisers using antisocial media

Junk food advertisers using antisocial media now lure children on-line into working for the advertising campaign themselves, by "building a relationship" with individual children.

If a child believes this relationship involves real concern about per on the company's part, that is an abusive relationship. Society should not allow that sort of abuse.

When the media says "children", we often don't know how old those people really are. Often some of the "children" are really adolescents. In this case, I don't think that alters the conclusion. Manipulation like this is done to adolescents, and it is done to adults — it's abusive and wrong regardless of the victim's age.

If "building a relationship" with a victim requires an employee's time, the number of victims a company can do this to will be limited. But using a chatbot to talk with each victim would enable the company to use any number of victims in parallel.

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Senator Tuberville blocking reassignments of generals in military

Senator Tuberville is blocking all reassignments of generals in the US military, as a blackmail campaign demanding that the military stop helping servicewomen travel to get an abortion.

This is the Republican Way: take hostages, whatever you can grab, and threaten them in order to impose (1) your prejudices and (2) your power on the whole US.

The new speaker of the House is following the same approach, but he has a bigger hostage — the operation of most of the US government — and is making a bigger demand — to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

Both are following the general principles of the Republican Party. That party has tried to rig elections for decades; the insurrectionist has led it to try to steal elections after the fact as well.

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Compassion, not cruelty

*Compassion, not cruelty, is the answer to rough sleeping — we have the proof in Milton Keynes.*

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Don't believe rich will do the right thing

*It’s easy to be dazzled by the super-rich, but don’t believe that they’ll do the right thing.*

I would suggest that on certain issues — for instance, climate defense, and reducing the inequality of wealth — they are almost certain to do evil, when it comes to their businesses.

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Tracking cell phone movement in Australia

The Australian government uses an American company which keeps a big database to search and track the movements of cell phones in Australia.

The company builds its phone locations database by buying location data accumulated by various apps. I'd say it should be a crime for apps to report the phone's location. But that won't be enough to stop the snooping.

If the software on the phone were free/libre, the users could make sure the apps can't get the location.

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Broad definition of extremism

* [UK] Government officials have drawn up deeply controversial proposals to broaden the definition of extremism to include anyone who “undermines” the [UK]’s institutions and its values.*

If this is applied to protesters, it would be a tool for repression. However, it might do some good if applied to Tories. Would Bogus Johnson qualify as "undermining", perhaps? How about various current Tory ministers?

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Benefits owed to drivers by Guber and Lyft

Unionized drivers in NYC compelled Guber and Lyft to pay benefits that they owed the drivers under state law, including sick pay.

I celebrate this victory for the drivers, but remember that both of those companies continue exploiting drivers in large parts of the US, and in other countries. And that's not to mention their injustice to the customers: making them run nonfree software, and identify themselves to be tracked.

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The insurrectionist and Putin attack truth

The insurrectionist in the US, and Putin in Russia, attack Truth in the same way. However, Putin adds censorship to disinformation and uses the two together.

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Another 14th-Amendment case, MN

*Minnesota supreme court to hear case challenging [the insurrectionist]'s 2024 eligibility.*

Corporate ISDS powers

*It's Time to Exit ISDS: 200+ Labor, Environment, and Other Civil Society Groups Urge Biden to Eliminate Extreme Corporate Powers From Existing Trade Pacts.*

A ISDS clause, which I describe as standing for "I Sue Democratic States", subjugates all the signatory countries to the power of businesses located in the other signatory countries.

Palestinian human rights

*Is it too much to ask people to view Palestinians as humans? Apparently so [with some people].*

PFAS legislation battles

*US chemical industry likely spent $110m trying to thwart PFAS legislation, study finds.*

Natural consequences of Palestinian damages

*Israel’s attempt to destroy Hamas will breed more radicalization, UN expert says.*

Prisons restricting reading

Prisons in the US increasingly censor the books and magazines mailed to prisoners, often for trivial reasons.

They often don't bother to tell the prisoners what they have have blocked or why.

Myanmar military losses

A rebel alliance in Burma has made substantial military progress against the military rulers.

The military rulers get support from China, which makes western sanctions against them ineffective. But they have failed to satisfy China's demand to crack down on swindling and cheating of Chinese by people in Burma. The rebels say they will do it. If they can win China's cooperation, the military government might fall.

I do wonder whether China can corrupt the rebels, so that their victory would not make things much better.

Inside Gaza

*UN-run shelters in Gaza are so crowded that it is impossible to count the people needing food, water, medicine and other basics, administrators say.*

Ceasefire demands, Statue of Liberty

*500 Jewish New Yorkers take over Statue of Liberty demanding a ceasefire.*

Pro-Palestinian rallies, US

*Protesters [organized by Jewish Voice for Peace] stage sit-in demanding ceasefire in Gaza at Statue of Liberty.*

Two-states, no Netanyahu

*The two-state solution has been a diplomatic failure, [thus far]. It's also still the best answer we’ve got.*

Atrocities as policy, ISR

Israeli officials have explicitly stated that they plan mass murder, mass hunger, mass thirst and mass sickness in Gaza. And annexation.

None of those is a part of legitimate self-defense against HAMAS.

Diplomatic stir, US State Dept

US diplomats at the State Department filed an internal "dissent" memo criticizing the US diplomatic stance on the war in Gaza. The memo called for the US to call for a cease fire and criticize Israel's actions which constitute war crimes.

Urgent: convert to renewable energy

US citizens: Call for fast conversion to renewable energy so as to reduce global heating disaster.

The petition lists sensible specific goals, but also a simplistic slogan which is exaggerated. I think the sensible specific goals are the petition's real point.

Urgent: Ceasefire in Gaza

US citizens: call on Congress to pass the Gaza Ceasefire resolution.

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

Urgent: Protect the Right of Organizing

US citizens: call on Congress to stand with workers and pass the PRO Act.

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

Urgent: defend the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

US citizens: phone your congresscritter and your two senators and tell them to reject SCROTUS's latest plans to ruin the CFPB:

The CFPB Restructuring Rider, which would strip authority at the agency from its independent director and hand it over to a five-member commission, two of whom “must have private sector experience in the provision of consumer financial products and services.” (In other words … your henhouse security team must have at least 40% foxes.)
The Small Business Lending Rider would prevent the CFPB from even collecting data on lending to women and minority-owned businesses to ensure fair lending practices. (Because if there’s no data on the problem, they can pretend it doesn’t exist.)