Ferguson protesters and bystanders attacked by thugs have [ sued the thug department for 40 million dollars ]( http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/29/ferguson-protesters-lawsuit-police-excessive-force ) . I hope they win, but if they do, they will only get compensation from the city. The guilty won't be punished.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-may-aug.html#30_August_2014_%28Ferguson_thug_department_sued%29

Intelligence agencies [ have every reason to overestimate ]( http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/29/trust-terror-threat-rating-intelligence-agencies ) the danger of terrorism. Not to mention that it provides an excuse to do to us what they want to do anyway: spy on everyone's communications and movements.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-may-aug.html#30_August_2014_%28Overestimation_of_terrorism_danger%29

ISIS uses [ waterboarding on prisoners ]( http://www.commondreams.org/news/2014/08/28/modeling-cia-torture-isis-waterboarded-those-it-captured-report ) , following the US example.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-may-aug.html#30_August_2014_%28ISIS_uses_waterboarding%29

The ICC says that it can investigate war crimes in Gaza [ if it gets a request from the government of Palestine ]( http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/29/icc-gaza-hague-court-investigate-war-crimes-palestine ) . I don't know whether it really needs that request or is passing the buck. I am sure the US is putting pressure on Palestine not to give the ICC jurisdiction.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-may-aug.html#30_August_2014_%28Investigation_of_war_crimes_in_Gaza%29

[ Intimidation by Imran Khan's opposition party ]( http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/29/pakistan-opposition-fights-geo-tv-stationa ) is driving a Pakistani TV station mostly off the air.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-may-aug.html#30_August_2014_%28Pakistani_TV_station_driven_off_air%29

Some major social networks [ tend to silence a dissenting few ]( http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/28/the-internet-is-a-cesspit-of-conflict-right-no-its-an-engine-of-consensus ) , on any issue. This is why it helps us greatly if you insist on calling the GNU/Linux system "GNU/Linux" and refuse to be intimidated by those who erroneously call it "Linux".
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-may-aug.html#30_August_2014_%28Social_networks_silence_dissenters%29

Many US thug departments are [ planning to deploy drones ]( http://www.commondreams.org/news/2014/08/26/activists-sound-alarm-more-police-departments-consider-using-drones ) , perhaps with infrared cameras to see what the eye could not (such as, whether someone is home). We certainly can't trust thugs to follow rules, or laws.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-may-aug.html#30_August_2014_%28US_thugs_plan_to_deploy_drones%29

US citizens: call for an end to [ tax write-offs on penalties to corporations ]( https://secure3.convio.net/engage/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=11825 ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-may-aug.html#30_August_2014_%28Urgent%3A_End_corporate_tax_write-offs%29

Republican candidates for the senate met with rich donors and [ confessed their undying gratitude and loyalty to the money ]( http://site.pfaw.org/site/R?i=B6I6e8oZZZ3t2vkNcPsx-g ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-may-aug.html#30_August_2014_%28Republican_loyalty_to_money%29

An executive order made by President Reagan, which ostensibly allows spying on foreigners, is [ used today mainly to collect data about Americans ]( http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/08/a-twisted-history-how-a-reagan-era-executive-order-led-to-mass-spying/ ) . The article repeats the absurd nostrum that terrorists such as al Qa'ida threatened the existence of the US. This is a ridiculous exaggeration — what they could directly do was too small to eliminate the US, and the only way they could do great harm was if the US reacted self-destructively (which it did). Since this ridiculous exaggeration was the excuse for Dubya's attacks on US human rights, and on Iraq, we must not let it pass as true. We must refute it even when someone else mentions it only in passing. President Reagan other horrible things. He betrayed his country by supplying weapons to terrorists as ransom for the hostages they had taken. He attacked the non-rich, setting the US on the path towards today's plutocracy and expanding poverty.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-may-aug.html#30_August_2014_%28Executive_Order_12333%29

A thug in Texas killed a teenager who reasonably [ thought the thug was an armed thief and tried to drive away ]( http://abc13.com/news/navasota-officer-wont-face-charges-for-fatally-shooting-teen/281936/ ) . The thug faces no charges.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-may-aug.html#30_August_2014_%28Texas_thug_kills_teenager%29

[ A US hedge fund ]( http://www.businessweek.com/printer/articles/220517-the-hedge-fund-and-the-despot ) appears to have given Mugabe the money for his terror campaign that undid the opposition's electoral victory.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-may-aug.html#30_August_2014_%28Money_for_Mugabes_terror_campaign%29

States which had legalized medical marijuana, in 2010, had [ significantly fewer deaths from opioid pain-killers ]( http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/281527.php ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-may-aug.html#30_August_2014_%28Legalized_medical_marijuana%29

The thugs knew Shannon Renee McNeal was the wrong person, and so did the court, but they [ insisted on jailing her anyway ]( http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/08/06/insane-case-of-mistaken-identity-woman-arrested-told-shes-actually-dead-jailed-anyway/ ) . Anyone can make a mistake, but there should be zero tolerance for insisting on mistreating someone based on a mistake that has been recognized. All the people who did so should be fired.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-may-aug.html#30_August_2014_%28Thugs_knowingly_jail_wrong_person%29

Canadian scientists are required to get [ 9 levels of approval ]( http://www.canada.com/news/Federal+government+puts+polar+briefings/10128511/story.html ) before they can tell the public how much Arctic ice has melted.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-may-aug.html#30_August_2014_%28Canadian_scientists_silenced%29

Most Americans want it to be [ illegal to allow children to play outside alone ]( http://reason.com/archives/2014/08/20/helicopter-parenting-run-amok-most-ameri ) . This shows how far the American insanity about children has gone. Another foolish overreaction: a foreign tourist who climbed a tower on the Brooklyn Bridge faces [ criminal charges ]( http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/25/russian-tourist-climbs-brooklyn-bridge-arrested-new-york ) . He is likely to be jailed for years before trial.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-may-aug.html#30_August_2014_%28Foolish_American_overreactions%29

A UK man was [ sentenced to about 3 years in prison ]( http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/08/british-man-sentenced-to-nearly-three-years-in-prison-for-movie-piracy/ ) for redistributing copies of a movie. Someone pointed out that this is as much as the usual penalty for convicted rapists. This redistribution was done commercially. I don't advocate legalization of commercial redistribution of copyrighted works without authorization. Works made to be used in a practical way should all be [ free ]( http://gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html ) but this was a work of fiction, not a functional work. So I don't think what Danks did has to be legalized. However, the companies that the UK government caters to would have told it to jail him just the same if he had not tried to make one penny. Please don't refer to unauthorized copying with the smear term, "piracy". Movie piracy is what you see in Captain Blood.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-may-aug.html#30_August_2014_%28Prison_sentence_for_redistributing_movie%29

Uri Avnery: [ The War for Nothing ]( http://zope.gush-shalom.org/home/en/channels/avnery/1409319940/ ) . It is interesting that the rockets fired from Hamas, although they rarely injure a person, made life so unpleasant in the farms near the border of Gaza that people began to move away. Israel has no right to order Gazans to stay away from the border on pain of being shot without warning. Israel does have the right to evacuate the land on its own side of the border. If Israel wants a buffer zone, that is the legitimate way to make one.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-may-aug.html#30_August_2014_%28The_War_for_Nothing%29

Women report that men's verbal confrontation is occasionally followed by their physical aggression, often enough that the [ verbal confrontation makes them scared physical aggression will follow ]( http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/womens-blog/2014/aug/29/mary-brandon-beaten-groped-notting-hill-carnival ) . I don't understand those men's attitude towards women. It seems to be a mixture of desire, hatred and contempt. I have never felt that way towards anyone, but I am compelled by women's testimony to believe that some men do. Nonetheless, expressions of emotion are not physical attacks. The two are not morally equivalent. If some insults lead to an assault, that doesn't mean an insult is as bad as an assault.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-may-aug.html#30_August_2014_%28Expressions_of_emotion%29

In the US: [ petition major organic dairies ]( http://act.credoaction.com/sign/vermont-gmo-lawsuit ) to drop out of the organization that is supporting the lawsuit to overturn Vermont's GMO labeling law.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-may-aug.html#30_August_2014_%28Urgent%3A_Vermonts_GMO_labeling_law%29

Hillary Clinton went to a GMO convention and gave GMOs her full support, [ repeating the false talking points of the GMO companies ]( http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_30776.cfm ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-may-aug.html#31_August_2014_%28GMOs_get_Clintons_full_support%29

Kerry [ called for a "global coalition" to fight ISIS ]( http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/30/john-kerry-global-coalition-isis-iraq-syria-nato ) . Fighting ISIS in a way that is effective in the long term is not such a simple thing. Previous interventions backfired, and [ ISIS is the result ]( http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/26/isis-apocalyptic-cult-carving-place-in-modern-world ) . Although fighting ISIS can hurt it tactically, in the long term military [ opposition that enrages foreign Sunnis is what ISIS thrives on ]( https://firstlook.org/theintercept/?p=3867 ) . The leaders of ISIS seem to want to encourage a big US intervention, and that is why they publish provocative videos of real or pretended beheadings. They also [ want to encourage Shi'ite hatred ]( https://stallman.org/archives/2014-may-aug.html#25_August_2014_(Shi%27ite_militias_intend_to_expel_Sunnis) ) that will frighten Iraqi Sunnis.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-may-aug.html#31_August_2014_%28ISIS%29

In 1950, the UK establishment confronted democracy to maintain its power. Nowadays, it has achieved such superiority over democracy that [ there is nothing to restrain its power ]( http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/aug/26/the-establishment-uncovered-how-power-works-in-britain-elites-stranglehold ) . In the US, the confrontation dated from 1932 to 1980, and some details of the establishment are different, but the result is the same. This is why [ none of the major parties proposes measures that would give poor Britons decent housing ]( http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/25/nightmare-renting-westminster-human-kennels-housing-policy ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-may-aug.html#31_August_2014_%28Power_of_the_UK_establishment%29

A Brazilian court [ ordered Apple, Google and Microsoft to delete the Secret app ]( http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Brazil-wants-no-Secret-on-app-stores-5701537.php ) (and a similar one) from their app stores. Nobody should use that app; it is proprietary software, so [ the users don't control it ]( http://gnu.org/philosophy/free-software-even-more-important.html ) and it may well be malware (as many [ proprietary programs ]( http://gnu.org/philosophy/proprietary/ ) are). The Apple and Microsoft operating systems are proprietary and full of malware, too, as is Google Play which is part of [ Android ]( http://gnu.org/philosophy/android-and-users-freedom.html ) . Notwithstanding that, this court decision is oppression, pure and simple. But what makes the decision so damaging is that Apple and Microsoft have [ built censorship of apps into their operating systems ]( http://gnu.org/philosophy/proprietary/proprietary-jails.html ) . Now Brazil is using their censorship systems for its own purposes.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-may-aug.html#31_August_2014_%28Court_orders_censorship_of_app%29

WHO calls for [ regulation of e-cigarettes ]( http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/aug/26/e-cigarettes-regulation-united-nations-who-report ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#27_August_2014_%28Regulation_of_e-cigarettes%29

Dalit women who refuse to collect toilet waste face [ threats of attack ]( http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/if-you-dont-send-your-women-to-clean-our-toilets-we-will-beat-them-up/article6350683.ece ) from higher-caste people who demand this service.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#27_August_2014_%28Dalit_women_face_threats_of_attack%29

Palestine [ calls on various countries to investigate ]( http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/26/palestinian-riad-al-malki-investigate-war-crimes-foreign-citizens-israel-army ) the participation of their citizens (who are soldiers in the Israeli army) in Israel war crimes.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#27_August_2014_%28Participation_in_Israel_war_crimes%29

Spanish women are [ protesting a mayor who warned men that women would make false accusations of rape ]( http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/26/valladolid-mayor-rape-comments-bra-protest ) . The mayor's statement combines two points which don't really fit together. The suggestion to be careful where you go at 06:00 is wise, not just for women, and not just in regard to rape. There are places in Cambridge where I hesitate to walk when it is dark or deserted, because I don't want to be robbed. To give this advice for avoiding rape does not excuse rape, any more than giving this advice for avoiding robbery excuses robbery. Safety advice does not inherently involve blaming the victim. But sometimes it does. In the case of that mayor, for instance. When the mayor combines safety advice with claims about unlikely false accusations of rape, it is clear that he intends to attack women and is looking for pretexts.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#27_August_2014_%28Spanish_women_protest_mayor%29

Everyone: phone Lisa Kershner, General Area Manager of Oakland Marriott City Center and Oakland Convention Center, at 1-510-466-6410, and say you object to their support for the "Urban Shield" event which promotes military weapons for use on US streets and in US homes.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#27_August_2014_%28Urgent%3A_Phone_Lisa_Kershner%29

[ Hypersonic weapons ]( http://www.theguardian.com/world/shortcuts/2014/aug/26/hypersonic-weapons-global-arms-race-us-tested-prototype ) now being developed by the US, China and Russia would put the world on a hair trigger and could even be mistaken for a nuclear attack. It would be smarter to sign a treaty to ban them, but the US government generally refuses, assuming it will have the advantage.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#27_August_2014_%28Hypersonic_weapons%29

Russia admitted its soldiers were in Ukraine, and reporters trying to investigate reported secret graves in Russia of Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine were [ attacked ]( http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/26/ukraine-vladimir-putin-petro-poroshenko-summit-solve-conflict ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#27_August_2014_%28Russian_soldiers_in_Ukraine%29

Wisconsin Governor Walker actively raised funds for supposedly independent groups that were going to [ use the funds to promote voting for him ]( http://www.prwatch.org/news/2014/08/12577/walker-solicits-funds-outside-group-win-recalls ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#27_August_2014_%28Funds_raised_by_Wisconsin_governor%29

How AT&T [ buys the support of grass-roots organizations ]( http://lulac.org/news/pr/Empower_Hispanic_Communities_With_Technology/index.html ) for its campaign against net neutrality.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#27_August_2014_%28ATTs_campaign_against_net_neutrality%29

A Florida thug [ dumped a mostly paralyzed man onto the floor ]( http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/02/13/wheelchair.dumping/ ) by tipping his wheelchair. This incident is unusual, both for callousness, and because the thug's superior condemned it and apologized. It is not a basis for judging thugs in general. But I think it is the extreme manifestation of an attitude that many thugs have in a less egregious form.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#27_August_2014_%28Thug_attacks_man_in_wheelchair%29

Pipeline protesters in Michigan [ locked themselves to trucks ]( http://www.commondreams.org/news/2014/08/25/defiant-action-pipeline-protesters-lock-themselves-trucks ) to block construction of an oil pipeline.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#27_August_2014_%28Pipeline_protesters_in_Michigan%29

Countries and criminals around the world are [ tracking people's movements through portable phones ]( http://www.commondreams.org/news/2014/08/25/wapo-governments-exploit-cell-phone-technology-track-users-worldwide ) . This is why I don't have one. The NSA [ can figure out that two people know each other ]( https://stallman.org/archives/2013-nov-feb.html#05_December_2013_(NSA_collects_5_billion_cell_phone_locations_per_day) ) by seeing that their cell phones are in close proximity.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#27_August_2014_%28Portable_phone_tracking%29

[ How the Brutalized Become Brutal ]( http://www.commondreams.org/views/2014/08/25/how-brutalized-become-brutal ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#27_August_2014_%28How_the_Brutalized_Become_Brutal%29

Bus deregulation in the UK (outside London) resulted in [ high fares and bad service ]( http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/aug/26/bus-deregulation-outside-london-failure-thinktank ) . This suggests to me that buses need a subsidy, and that deregulation meant elimination of the subsidy. Does anyone know?
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#27_August_2014_%28Bus_deregulation_in_the_UK%29

Young people who were in Fukushima at the time of the meltdown show a [ high rate of thyroid cancer ]( http://www.commondreams.org/news/2014/08/25/elevated-rates-thyroid-cancer-found-fukushima-youth ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#27_August_2014_%28Thyroid_cancer_in_Fukushima_youth%29

A woman in Indiana [ faces many years' imprisonment ]( http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/26/indiana-woman-feticide-charge ) for taking drugs to cause an abortion.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#27_August_2014_%28Imprisonment_for_attempting_abortion%29

The IPCC reports that global heating is [ already a source of danger ]( http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/aug/26/global-warming-irreversible-un-panel-report ) and it may be impossible to reverse.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#27_August_2014_%28IPCC_report_on_global_heating%29

Greg Palast: oil companies destroyed the swamp that protected New Orleans from hurricanes, and an oil company [ shut down the research center that tried to warn people of the danger ]( http://us4.campaign-archive2.com/?u=33e4ec877eed6a43863a4a92e&id=c23b8eb68a&e=8283eff9b8 ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#27_August_2014_%28Oil_companies_endanger_New_Orleans%29

Detroit has resumed [ disconnecting poor people from water supply ]( http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/26/detroit-water-shutoffs-resume-suspension ) . Some people have restored their own connections. Bravo!
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#27_August_2014_%28Detroit_resumes_water_shutoffs%29

US citizens: call on the Department of Transportation to recognize that Americans [ drive a little less every year, and stop wasting money on unnecessary roads ]( https://secure3.convio.net/engage/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=11763 ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#27_August_2014_%28Urgent%3A_Wasting_money_on_unnecessary_roads%29

New [ pun in spanish ]( https://stallman.org/spanish_puns.html ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#28_August_2014_%28New_Spanish_Pun%29

Global heating denialists claim [ Australia's record-breaking summer heat is a lie ]( http://www.theguardian.com/environment/planet-oz/2014/aug/27/climate-sceptics-see-a-conspiracy-in-australias-record-breaking-heat ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#28_August_2014_%28Australia%27s_record-breaking_summer_heat%29

A security guard in Australia was [ declared a "security risk" for having a sign on her car ]( http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/aug/27/security-guard-banned-from-brisbane-ports-after-displaying-anti-coal-sign ) that criticized the danger of coal dust. The greatest irony is that these ports endanger the security of Australians far more than any individual could.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#28_August_2014_%28Declared_a_security_risk_for_having_sign_on_car%29

The UK has very little no social mobility. [ Here are some of the causes ]( http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/aug/28/british-society-elitism-privileged-owen-jones ) . The [ situation in the US is similar overall ]( https://stallman.org/archives/2014-may-aug.html#05_June_2014_%28Study_find_very_little_social_mobility%29 ) . Social mobility has gone way down since 50 years ago.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#29_August_2014_%28UK_social_mobility%29

The City of London has a police force that [ fights the War on Sharing, illegally ]( https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140824/20040428311/city-london-police-turn-down-torrentfreaks-foia-request-because-it-would-take-too-long-to-fulfill.shtml ) . The City of London is a small part of London that acts as a [ political arm of the banksters ]( https://stallman.org/archives/2011-nov-feb.html#5_November_2011_%28London_Banksters%29 ) . It is the enemy of democracy.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#29_August_2014_%28The_War_on_Sharing%29

Protester Ellie Mae O'Hagan, CS gas sprayed by a wild thug for no reason says that the years-late apology from the thug department is no substitute for [ holding thugs accountable for their actions ]( http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/27/met-apology-unlawful-cs-spray ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#29_August_2014_%28Years-Late_apology_from_thug_department%29