[OT] KC Independant Media Center and other politics

[Brad Spangler]

Well, if the association you are warning people about
can be summarized as:

linux = antiwar = terrorism

... then I would postulate that all have an interest
in debunking such utter nonsense.

Linux does not equal "antiwar" necessarily. Are there
libertarian connotations to the open source
philosophy?  Certainly. Then again, the FedGov drones
still pay verbal homage to freedom, the founders and
the Constitution they wipe their posteriors with on an
ongoing basis. As  Robert A. Heinlein said "Hypocrisy
makes the world go round."

It is my own opinion, so deeply held that only modesty
prevents me from trumpeting it as fact, that being
antiwar does not at all equal supporting terrorism -
and that being PRO-war is arguably pro-terrorist in
that war will almost certainly result in heightened
terrorist activity.

--- Jared Smith <jared at trios.org> wrote:
> >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>
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> majordomo at kclug.org
> Enter without the quotes in body of message

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