Re: Should we take steps to reduce russian access to Free Software?> the headache of it all dissolves in forgiveness

[Valentino Giudice]

> when Devin answers with: " 'what' the FSF ... ", that 'what' makes me
> think that there is something going on

Stop right there.
Devin is only responsible for what he writes, not for what you think.

> but then, is there the same amount of active engagemant on all the
> other issues? and that is no trivial question, for there might be
> monsanto using free software for spraying prohibited neonicotins,

Which is something the FSF doesn't legally have to care about.
But because there are US sanctions against Russia, the FSF, and any
other US organization, has to comply.

>... and then we come to the problem of arbitrirary choosing as best as
>  we can, out of zillion unjustices, which ones we will fight against.

But the FSF is not fighting against this injustice. In fact, the FSF
is not even claiming the ongoing situation is an injustice.
The FSF is just "chosing" anything, it's just doing what it has to as
a US organization.

> so who will decide

The US government. Do you think the FSF decided these sanctions?

> so i wonder what would this selective active engagement in our case
> mean.

It means the FSF is complying with the law. It has to.

> and i come to the conclusion, that it is a political stance.

You came to the wrong conclusion.

> the answer or
> rather the lack of it, shows complete support of emotionally charged
> jacobs opinion

By the same logic, I could argue that unless the FSF expressly
condemns the Russian government, it means it supports it.
Would that make sense? Absolutely not, because this logic doesn't make sense.
Not saying something doesn't equate saying the opposite. What would
imply endorsement of what Jacob said is if Devin expressly endorsed
it, which isn't what happened.

While I was attempting to reply to your email, I will have to skip
part of it. It's so badly written I can't even parse it. You should
really put more effort in your writing.

>  i
> find it very rude to be calling civilians to go to war. i find it very
> very rude to be coming from FSF.

That literally never happened. The FSF never called for anyone to go to war.

> or am i wrong?

You are wrong.
The FSF is only political when it comes to software freedom and
related topics. The US government, however, *is* political and the FSF
will comply with US law.

> he is taking a
> stand in a war which he is no part of.

The stand is "we will literally follow the law, which we have to".

None is recruiting soldiers, not on the FSF mailing list.


Devin's "answer" effectively didn't answer Jacob's question at all.
Some others did answer it, including Richard Stallman, a member of the
board of directors of the FSF. And the consensus seems pretty clear to
me: the answer to Jacob's question is NO.

As Stallman has said, Devin's answer was incomplete. But he didn't say
anything wrong. Unless you read way too much into it.