[OT] KC Independant Media Center and other politics

[Jared Smith]

>Please take action!

Warning. There is more than a simple "new website 
running on Linux" going on here.

Please note that, whether you like it or not, Linux
and the related open source philosophy is increasingly 
being associated with t error ism, largely because the giant
protests happening worldwide are appropriating some of
the terminology and ethos of "open" and "free" even
though these terms originally developed in the relatively 
serene environment of software development.

I hope you study; become informed on the profound political 
implications of your obscure interest in an operating 
system developed by a geek in Finland, and to be informed 
early, or be completely surprised later, when others 
hold you accountable for things you had no clue were 
happening...

Consider, for example:

http://www.indymedia.ie/cgi-bin/newswire.cgi?id=29627

And even more consequential:

http://www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR1382/

You were wondering what sort of nine one one fallout would 
come to an innocent computer geek like you? I propose you are 
closer to the center of the storm than you conceived, even if 
you _are_ a subscriber to 2 6 0 0 and knew about this
stuff five years ago.

KCLUG, this is one kind of FUD we have absolutely no defense 
against, because those who consider Linux to be anti - 
American will have a period of time when their 
assertion is believed; we must be prepared to show them
a frank, honest, and convincing belief in the virtue and
ethics of freedom of information.

In the end, the history of the long journey to liberty 
will be preserved in an open publishing format on an 
open source platform, or else it is not yet the end. 

Peace,

-Jared

<related muse>
Driving through Independence the other day, I saw a
sign indicating how far it is to Liberty. "Liberty 14"
read the sign. I mused out loud "How many millions of
people throughout history have longed to be only
fourteen miles from Liberty?" :-)
</muse>