[oclug] [RANT] Wither Free Software?

[Francis J. A. Pinteric]

On Thu, 19 Jun 2003 08:28:34 -0500
"Pat Gilliland" <patrick at inkpotproductions.ca> wrote:

> Finally, while Francis is the Bass-o-matic of trolling, I believe it
> is important that the expression he used and others of its ilk be kept
> in context and not taken lightly.  Not to flog one group in
> perpetuity, but to keep alive the awareness of how easy it is for
> these mindsets to take hold.  We have seen the rise of extreme
> philosophies in many parts of the world.  We as a society need to be
> on our guard against extremism of any form.
> 
>

Except for me being a troll, most of what you say is correct.  However,
you are forgetting one thing.  Whether you like it or not, we are at
war, and the enemy is Microsoft.  For the last quarter of a century or
so, Microsoft has operated in a manner that can only be described as an
attempt to take over the world.  Bill Gates and his nefarious friends
have done everything in their power, including threats, intimidations
and grossly illegal acts to do it.  It has set it's sights upon any of
it's significant competitors as if they were mortal enemies for either
assimilation or destruction. This is a fact, borne out by history, and
Linux is the latest threat to it's dominion that is in it's sight. In
other words, Microsoft has declared war on Linux.

War is an extreme activity requiring extreme measures. As has been cited
by others, we are in a war that was declared on us, not we on them. It
has nothing to do with fanaticism, but with doing those things that are
required to persevere to victory. 

In order to accomplish that, we have to rally the troops, and that is an
emotional activity, not an intellectual one.  All of us accept the
concept Freed Software and are part of the Software Emancipation
Movement, and presumably we've all come to that acceptance through a
reasonable and rational process.  But our opponents is not using reaon
and rationality against us.  They are appealing to the emotion through
the use of fear, uncertainty and doubt. Bill Gates has used threats and
intimidation to cow even some of those companies with which he
collaborates.  The most famous of such blantant threats was contained in
a `leaked' transcript of a telephone conversation between Dr. Andrew
Groves of Intel and `Mr.' Bill Gates in which Gates threated to freeze
Intel out of any future advance information of Windoze API `upgrades'
and giving them to AMD instead unless Dr. Groves stopped his then plans
to release Linux kernel code for it's latest processor (I forget which
one) before allowing Microsoft to release Windoze code for it first and
which they were woefully behind schedule at the time. Talk about
fanaticism!

But I do agree with you that we must guard against fanaticism.  There
are fanatics on all sides of various issues who have used disgraceful
tactics against their opponents.  One can only point to certain racist
groups and the various terror tactics that they have perpetrated to know
that.  By the same token, there are fanatics on the opposite side, such
as Anti-Racist Action, who themselves are full blown anti-white racist
terrorists in their own right, making the pitiful excuse for neo-Nazi
groups we have in Canada look like the Boy Scouts. Some see"Black Pride"
as perfectly fine while at the same time label "White Pride" as racist.
Are they justified? There are racists on both sides of this argument.

In an ironic twist, there is a group in Ottawa supporting a person with
known terrorist links against which CSIS has issued what is called a
Security Certificate and will be deported in due course. His supporters
are labelling such an action racist and discrimintatory, are calling
for the elimination of the Security Certificate, and are fighting
against his deportation. When one of their leaders was informed that
CSIS has also issued such a certificate against Ernst Zundel, the
infamous holocaust denier, and who is now sitting in a Toronto jail
awaiting deporation to his native Germany, the supposedly freedom loving
socialist suddenly found merit in the Security Certificate. Such
hypocracy is common amoung fanatics who see only their side of the
issue.

Unlike them, I do see all sides of the issue.  What I am doing is
deliberate and calculated.  It is not fanaticism, it is war. You may not
like it, but it's true nonetheless. In such times, certain things are
required of all of us that may seen somewhat extreme, but is necessary
in order for us all to prevail.  You may wish to be a "conscientious
objector", but don't stand in the way of those who wish to volunteer and
fight for his freedom and your freedom too.  I believe it is in "Henry
V" where the king has a sililoquy in which he says something to the
effect, "Many will ask: is this cause just? for if it is not, it will be
a black matter for the king."  Whether the cause is just is something
that we all have to struggle with, but once we decide, the time for
action and commitment begins.

Ask yourself, is the cause just, and if you say it is, what are you
going to do about it besides complain?

>>>--fja->
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