Richard Stallman's Political Notes' Journal
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Tuesday, September 10th, 2024
| Time |
Event |
| 12:57p |
Selfies as thought-crime, DPRK Olympians
Two
North
Korean athletes face punishment for allowing themselves to be photographed at the Olympic Games
together with South Korean athletes, after both pairs had received medals.
If the North Korean pair do not show sufficient contrition, they may be chosen as targets for the
next
Two Minute Hate.
| | 12:57p |
HR McMaster's book on Trump
HR McMaster, the corrupter's national security adviser for over a year, says he thinks
Putin
developed a hold over the corrupter
by flattering him.
Unlike McMaster, I know about these matters only what I read in the news. But I got the feeling
before and during the corrupter's term as president that he was making decisions to help
Putin.
On the day that that article was published, I ran into Phil Zimmerman (author of PGP) and in
conversation with him referred to the corrupter as
"the Manchurian candidate".
Zimmermann said he believed the corrupter was indeed the Manchurian candidate,
in league with Putin.
*The
Biden
administration has accused Russia of carrying out a sustained disinformation campaign targeted
at American voters and meant to influence the outcome of November’s presidential elections.*
This includes paying Americans to spread Putin's message. Others then repeat the disinformation
without knowing Putin's role in convincing them to do so.
| | 12:57p |
Harris' rhetoric presents well
Harris
downplays
identity politics — instead of asking us to vote for the "first female president", she
calls for defending women's rights.
In other words, she is concerned with the substance of feminism, not the identity aspect. That is
admirable.
I don't directly care whether the US president is male, female, both, or neither. Those things are
per personal matter, and don't affect the public. I care whether the US president stands for
justice, rights of real persons (not fictitious ones), and helping the disadvantaged (which in many
societies tends to include women).
| | 12:57p |
Ralph Nader book about Trump
Wrecking America: How Trump’s Lawbreaking and Lies Betray All, by
Mark Green and Ralph Nader, show the bullshitter's delusions
and how
they
add up to denial of reality.
For example:
- “Nobody knows more about taxes than I do, and income than I do.”
- “Nobody knows more about construction than I do.”
- “Nobody knows more about campaign finance than I do.”
- “I know more about drones than anybody.”
- “Nobody knows much more about technology … than I do.”
- “Nobody in the history of this country has ever known so much about
infrastructure as Donald Trump.”
- “I know that H-1B [visa], I know the H-2B. Nobody knows it better than me.”
- “I know more about ISIS than the generals do, believe me.”
- “I know a lot. I know more than I’m ever gonna tell you.”
| | 12:57p |
| | 12:57p |
| | 12:57p |
2017, Grenfell tower fire update, UK
The inquiry into the London tall building fire found that the system
of construction
regulations
had been thoroughly corrupted. Companies sold flammable building materials, contemptuously
violating safety standards and ignoring objections, and regulatory bodies had been nullified by a
government whose priority was "efficiency" through "cutting red tape".
What it shows is that the red tape is necessary because the regulations are necessary. (Similar
lessons taught the need for these regulations in the first place.)
The corporations add employees culpable should be prosecuted, but only the people can democratically
reject the politicians that propose to "cut red tape" that is necessary for public safety.
| | 12:57p |
Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, Seattle
Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, an American,
went to
Nablus to join nonviolent protests against an fairly new Israeli colony (nominally unauthorized)
near the town of Beita. Israelis fired guns to crush the protest and she was killed.
Some witnesses say a sniper shot her in the head. If so, that was murder.
Many Americans have gone to Israel and Palestine to protest against the apartheid system and its
cruel expressions, and some have been killed doing so. One I recall was
Rachel Corrie, killed in 2003 as she
refused to leave a Palestinian house that the Israeli army intended to demolish.
| | 12:57p |
Telegram head Pavel Durov, FRA charges
The charges against Pavel Durov are about chat groups,
not
encrypted conversations. It is a relief that this is not an effort to ban end-to-end
encryption. However, I am somewhat concerned about the announced changes. Those who will be
affected by them will include political dissidents as well as criminals. The phrase "upload media"
is very vague, but if it means "upload videos", I fear that blocking this will do more to hamper the
fight against crime (and particularly crime by agents of the state) than to hamper crime.
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