If the Senate continues blocking the small reform of the "USA Freedom Act", parts of it will [ expire entirely next year. ]( http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/04/nsa-surveillance-reform-politicians-2015 ) Let's hope so.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#5_October_2014_%28Senate%29

Obama's strategy of arming "moderate" Syrian rebels to defeat PISSI is fantasy, and even [ confirmed Syrian enemies of Assad say so ]( http://www.commondreams.org/news/2014/10/02/analysts-sound-alarm-myth-moderate-syrian-rebels ) . Even a [ right-wing commentator acknowledges this ]( http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/david-ignatius-unifying-the-moderate-opposition-is-the-biggest-challenge-in-syria/2014/09/30/b93426f0-48c7-11e4-b72e-d60a9229cc10_story.html ) . So did [ Obama, not long ago ]( http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/09/opinion/president-obama-thomas-l-friedman-iraq-and-world-affairs.html ) . (Search the article for "fantasy".) On the other hand, if the Turkish army is willing to fight PISSI in Syria, it could win. Since Turkey is mainly Sunni, Syrian Sunnis who fear Assad would massacre them for their sect could trust Turkey not to do that. (Turkey is no great defender of human rights, but it may be good enough for this.) This might enable the Syrian Sunnis to reject PISSI. Other things could go wrong: the Turkish army might start fighting Kurds in Syria, for instance. But there is hope of avoiding that. There are [ many problems with Obama's plan ]( http://www.commondreams.org/views/2014/10/02/heres-everything-wrong-white-houses-war-islamic-state ) for dealing with PISSI.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#05_October_2014_%28Arming_moderate_Syrian_rebels%29

Right-wing extremists in the Japanese government are denying the facts about [ forcing women from conquered peoples to act as prostitutes for Japanese soldiers ]( http://www.trust.org/item/20140929205504-w9w05/ ) . The worst crime was committed by the societies that despised these women for the way they were treated. Many of them did not go home after the war, certain their families would reject them.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#05_October_2014_%28Extremists_in_Japanese_govt%29

US citizens: [ call on Congress and Obama ]( http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/stand-with-ellison-lee?source=c.url&r_by=1135580 ) to direct US diplomacy towards ending the siege of Gaza.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#05_October_2014_%28Urgent%3A_End_the_siege_of_Gaza%29

The Tories' proposed tax cuts will [ help only the non-poor, while the benefit cuts to pay for them will shaft the poor ]( http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/oct/02/cameron-tax-cuts-benefit-middle-and-high-earners-not-poor ) . We've seen similar [ dooH niboR misdirection from US Republicans ]( https://stallman.org/archives/2011-jul-oct.html#09_August_2011_(Cuts_Funding,_Rejects_Grants) ) , who got support from foolish workers who these same Republicans then impoverish.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#06_October_2014_%28Tories_proposed_tax_cuts%29

Humanity is pounding the natural world so hard that even common species are not safe from extinction. [ Many species that humans depend on face extinction ]( http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/oct/05/threatened-species-cannot-afford-to-lose-age-of-extinction ) . Don't forget that a the species that inspire human interest, such as tigers, orangutans and pandas, are used for campaigns to protect the entire ecosystems they live in; if we lose them, it will be because we lost the thousands of other species that live along with them.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#06_October_2014_%28Facing_an_age_of_extinction%29

A list of [ ethical issues ]( http://leighalexander.net/list-of-ethical-concerns-in-video-games-partial/ ) that someone else sees in regard to video games. I agree with most of them, but conspicuously absent is the direct injustice that most video games commit against their users: [ the game software is not free/libre ]( http://gnu.org/philosophy/nonfree-games.html ) . Indeed, the article goes so far as to condemn "unsanctioned clones" for being "free" (i.e., gratis, not freedom-respecting). That's where I disagree with the article.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#06_October_2014_%28Video_games%29

Most NSA snooping is "authorized" by [ Reagan's executive order 12333 ]( https://www.aclu.org/blog/national-security/new-documents-shed-light-one-nsas-most-powerful-tools ) . This snooping has no oversight by Congress or courts. Although the government says this is to prevent "terrorism", that is nothing more than an all-purpose excuse.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#06_October_2014_%28NSA_snooping_authorized%29

Obama has signed an agreement with the contrived Afghan government to keep propping it up for [ 10 more years ]( http://www.commondreams.org/news/2014/09/30/signed-agreement-locks-ten-more-years-afghan-war ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#06_October_2014_%28Continued_support_for_Afghan_govt%29

An inexpensive 20-year-old drug for an unusual medical condition may soon cost patients $80,000, due to a [ legal maneuver by drug barons ]( http://www.thestreet.com/story/12895858/1/catalyst-pharma-closer-to-unconscionable-price-hike-for-rare-disease-drug.html ) . The long-known generic drug colchicine, used for gout, was made a monopoly through a similar maneuver. The same sort of corrupt scheme for new monopolies on old drugs exists in Europe.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#06_October_2014_%28Monopolies_on_old_drugs%29

[ Chemical companies are using the TTIP ]( http://www.commondreams.org/news/2014/10/01/leaked-ttip-documents-reveal-powerful-chemical-industry-wins ) to attack regulations to protect against toxic chemical spills.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#06_October_2014_%28Using_TTIP_to_attack_regulations%29

I support Emma Watson's [ HeForShe manifesto ]( http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2014/9/emma-watson-gender-equality-is-your-issue-too ) . It took me a while to find it in textual form; I don't want to link to a video that would lead people to run nonfree software.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#06_October_2014_%28HeForShe_manifesto%29

Some US dissidents are [ claiming that the Hong Kong protests are a US plot ]( http://www.commondreams.org/views/2014/10/05/accusing-hong-kong-activists-being-tools-us-policy-both-ignorant-and-dangerous ) . Those critics seem to be more anti-US than pro-freedom. If the US is indeed supporting the protests in Hong Kong, I'm glad that for once it is doing something good. I'd say the same thing if it were demonstrated that China or Venezuela had supported Occupy Wall Street or other legitimate democratic activity in the US.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#06_October_2014_%28Support_for_HK_protests%29

US thugs around the country are attacking CopWatch groups and their leaders with [ threats and even bogus arrests ]( http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/26527-police-departments-retaliate-against-organized-cop-watch-groups-across-the-us ) . Is spitting in a thug's face really a felony? If so, the first step in ending the thugs' reign of terror is to change that law — and many others with it. Thugs regularly abuse their power; they must have less of it.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#06_October_2014_%28US_thugs_attacking_CopWatch%29

Latin America has mostly eliminated hunger, but global heating threatens to bring it back by [ damaging agriculture ]( http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/26635-latin-america-on-a-dangerous-precipice ) . A growing population won't help.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#06_October_2014_%28Global_heating_threatens_agriculture%29

If you want to "do something" about PISSI (aka ISIS), be careful you are not following [ their script ]( http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/05/isis-islamic-state-bombing ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#06_October_2014_%28PISSIs_script%29

UK thugs [ used a journalist's phone call metadata to identify a source ]( http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/oct/05/police-chris-huhne-reporter-phone-records ) , after a judge told them they were not entitled to that information. They used the notorious R.I.P. act, which was the death knell for privacy of communications in the UK. This law also makes it a crime not to answer thugs' questions.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#06_October_2014_%28Phone_call_metadata%29

The UK could boost the economy, and not only for the wealthy, by [ setting a strong target for energy efficiency ]( http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/oct/06/energy-efficiency-target-uk-economy ) . The government is not interested, perhaps because it aims to make workers desperate and penurious, not make jobs.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#06_October_2014_%28Strong_target_for_energy_efficiency%29

The Ebola epidemic shows [ the need for universal basic health care to extend even to the poorest places ]( http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2014/oct/06/ebola-universal-health-coverage ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#06_October_2014_%28Universal_basic_health_care%29

Dentists in the US are [ increasingly likely to recommend expensive unnecessary dental work ]( http://m.motherjones.com/environment/2014/09/dentist-ripping-you-off ) . This appears to be due to the economic pressure placed on dentists by changes in dentistry, including large companies with hundreds of offices.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#06_October_2014_%28Expensive_unnecessary_dental_work%29

US citizens: call on the USDA to [ require labeling of food containing ammonia-treated meat, "pink slime" ]( http://act.credoaction.com/sign/label_pink_slime ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#06_October_2014_%28Urgent%3A_Labeling_pink_slime%29

Clinton admits in her book that, while claiming to support returning Zelaya to the presidency of Honduras, she was [ actually moving secretly to prevent his return ]( http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2014/9/hillary-clinton-honduraslatinamericaforeignpolicy.html ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#07_October_2014_%28Clinton_admits_anti-democratic_meddling%29

In a privatized immigration prison in Texas, [ the staff take sexual advantage of the prisoners ]( http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/03/usa-immigration-texas-idUSL2N0RX2W520141003 ) . In ordinary language, a prisoner is anyone kept in prison. When the authorities try to impose distinctions, with words such as "detainee", I think that is a plan to avoid the odium of the word "prisoner" for cases such as these. Why help them? I call these people "prisoner".
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#06_October_2014_%28Staff_take_sexual_advantage_of_prisoners%29

UK thugs have been directed to [ investigate their own intimidation of political activists ]( http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/undercover-with-paul-lewis-and-rob-evans/2014/oct/06/police-concede-allegations-over-attempts-to-turn-activists-into-informers-are-serious ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#07_October_2014_%28UK_thugs_to_investigate_themselves%29

Australian senators [ voted for a monstrous censorship law without reading it ]( http://www.smh.com.au/comment/george-brandis-has-silently-swept-away-your-freedoms-20140929-10nev6.html ) . If you see government agents kill people, either accidentally or intentionally, it will be [ illegal for you to tell anyone ]( http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/media-reporting-of-asio-killings-illegal-under-new-national-security-laws-says-law-expert-20140930-10o9i2.html ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#06_October_2014_%28A_monstrous_censorship_law%29

Smelly, Contaminated, Full of Disease: [ the World's Open Dumps Are Growing ]( http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/oct/06/smelly-contaminated-disease-worlds-open-dumps ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#06_October_2014_%28The_World%27s_Open_Dumps_Are_Growing%29

The Hong Kong executive defeated the protesters by [ waiting for them to lose hope ]( http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/06/hong-kong-protests-exhaustion-sets-in ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#07_October_2014_%28HK_executives_strategy_against_protesters%29

Morocco has imprisoned a tourist, [ convicting him of "being gay" ]( http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/06/british-man-ray-cole-70-jailed-four-months-morocco-gay ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#06_October_2014_%28Morocco_imprisons_tourist_for_being_gay%29

Estimates of the cost of curbing global heating need to be set against the costs of failing to do so. The [ medical costs of global heating will be bigger than people realize ]( http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2014/oct/06/tackling-global-warming-improve-health-save-lives-money ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#06_October_2014_%28Cost_of_global_heating%29

Obama's plan to strengthen "moderate" Syrian opposition to fight against PISSI has so many problems that the US [ can't find suitable "moderate" Syrian opposition to support ]( http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/06/us-undecided-syria-rebels-fight-islamic-state ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#06_October_2014_%28Obama%27s_plan_to_fight_PISSI%29

UK arms exports to Israel [ may be illegal ]( http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/06/government-military-export-licences-israel ) under UK law.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#07_October_2014_%28UK_arms_exports_to_Israel%29

Vice President Biden was forced to apologize for telling the truth about [ US "allies" that funded the growth of the jihadi movement in Syria ]( http://m.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2014/10/joe-biden-apologizes-telling-truth ) (leading to PISSI).
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#07_October_2014_%28Biden_apologizes_for_telling_truth%29

Turkey [ traded PISSI soldiers interned in Turkey for Turkish civilians captured by PISSI ]( http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/06/turkey-britons-swap-deal-isis-hostages-reports ) . PISSI is the Pseudo-Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#07_October_2014_%28Turkey_makes_trade_with_PISSI%29

500 New York City phone booths have devices to [ track cell phones that pass by ]( https://firstlook.org/theintercept/?p=6163 ) . The city says it will remove them.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#07_October_2014_%28Cell_phone_trackers_in_NYC_phone_booths%29

Hillary Clinton owes Ray McGovern an apology, because the State Department under her direction [ persecuted dissident Ray McGovern ]( http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/09/26/1332553/-Hilary-Clinton-Loses ) . I agree, but I lost my respect for Ms Clinton long ago for other reasons.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#07_October_2014_%28Clinton_owes_Ray_McGovern_an_apology%29

An argument that the bureaucratization and marketization of society is [ partly responsible for putting an end to major technological advances ]( http://www.thebaffler.com/salvos/of-flying-cars-and-the-declining-rate-of-profit ) since 1970.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#07_October_2014_%28Bureaucratization_and_marketization%29

US citizens: [ Call for an investigation ]( http://act.credoaction.com/sign/warren_goldman_sachs_tapes ) of submissive bank regulators that don't dare enforce regulations on Goldman Sachs.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#07_October_2014_%28Urgent%3A_Investigate_bank_regulators%29

Everyone: [ write to the political leaders of Iran ]( http://act.amnestyusa.org/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=1839&ea.campaign.id=31813&ea.tracking.id=Country_Iran~MessagingCategory_PrisonersandPeopleatRisk-PrisonersofConscience~MessagingCategory_WomensRights~Region_MiddleEastandNorthAfrica ) on behalf of Ghoncheh Ghavami, an Iranian woman threatened with dying in prison because she wanted to watch a sports match.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#07_October_2014_%28Urgent%3A_Free_Ghoncheh_Ghavami%29

Everyone: [ call on giant fast food companies ]( https://secure3.convio.net/ucs/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=4263 ) to stop using palm oil from farms created by destroying forests and peat swamps.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#07_October_2014_%28Urgent%3A_No_palm_oil_from_destroyed_forests%29

Clinton admits in her book that, while claiming to support returning Zelaya to the presidency of Honduras, she was [ actually moving secretly to prevent his return ]( http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2014/9/hillary-clinton-honduraslatinamericaforeignpolicy.html ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#06_October_2014_%28Clinton_admits_anti-democratic_meddling%29

UK thugs have been directed to [ investigate their own intimidation of political activists ]( http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/undercover-with-paul-lewis-and-rob-evans/2014/oct/06/police-concede-allegations-over-attempts-to-turn-activists-into-informers-are-serious ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#06_October_2014_%28UK_thugs_to_investigate_themselves%29

The Hong Kong executive defeated the protesters by [ waiting for them to lose hope ]( http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/06/hong-kong-protests-exhaustion-sets-in ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#06_October_2014_%28HK_executives_strategy_against_protesters%29

The UK government is talking about cutting human welfare funds to dump people into the street. [ Why not cut corporate welfare instead ]( http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/06/benefits-corporate-welfare-research-public-money-businesses ) ?
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#08_October_2014_%28UK_corporate_welfare%29

Guantanamo [ force-feeding videos ]( https://firstlook.org/theintercept/?p=6198 ) show that torture is still practiced there, even against prisoners that are admittedly not criminals and have been "cleared for release".
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#08_October_2014_%28Guantanamo_force-feeding_videos%29

Finland's schools demand [ less school time, have hardly any standardized tests ]( http://www.commondreams.org/views/2014/10/06/why-finlands-schools-are-top-notch ) , and students come out very well educated.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#08_October_2014_%28Education_in_Finland%29

[ Many forms of evidence ]( http://truth-out.org/news/item/26614-monsanto-s-roundup-linked-to-cancer ) link Roundup to increased rates of cancer in humans.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#08_October_2014_%28Evidence_links_Roundup_to_cancer%29

PISSI is slowly capturing parts of [ Kobani ]( http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/07/isis-militants-enter-kobani-on-syrias-border-with-turkey ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#08_October_2014_%28PISSI_capturing_Kobani%29

Long experience shows that the only way to deal with terrorist movements (other than small gangs without public support) is to [ negotiate with them ]( http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/07/-sp-how-to-talk-to-terrorists-isis-al-qaida ) . This may not apply to PISSI today, which is more of a barbarian horde than a terrorist movement. It can be defeated in battle, at this stage. If that happens, it may morph into a terrorist movement.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#08_October_2014_%28Terrorist_movements%29

[ Politicians Should Stop Bullying Young Jobless People into Trying to Find Work ]( http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/oct/07/politicians-bullying-young-workless-people-into-jobs ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#08_October_2014_%28Young_jobless_people%29

[ The National Crime Agency Would Take [The UK] Back to Soviet-Style Surveillance ]( http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/07/national-crime-agency-surveillance-security-civil-liberties-keith-bristow ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#08_October_2014_%28UKs_National_Crime_Agency%29