Article View: gnu.misc.discuss
Article #1737Re: Fund raising at the FSF
From: Mikhail Zeleny
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 18:13
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 18:13
49 lines
3598 bytes
3598 bytes
In a very long article <BURLEY.93Jan12083637@apple-gunkies.gnu.ai.mit.edu>, among variegated and sometimes justified denunciations of my ideas and character, burley@apple-gunkies.gnu.ai.mit.edu (Craig Burley) writes: >You mistake me for someone who wants to waste time arguing with you. I make no such mistake. Nor, contrary to your assumption, do I believe myself to be in possession of the final answers, which have been constitutionally denied to yourself. Every single point I made in this debate is provisional and negotiable; however I disclaim responsibility for the inability of your allies and associates to refute them by demonstrating the superiority of your own ideas. I am not interested in liberating things, in any way that would be comparable with my interest in liberating people. Should I have an opportunity to participate in a viable enterprise, expressly dedicated to the goal of promotion and support of free text, I would pursue it to the extent of my ability; however I am not interested in dedicating all of my time and energy to the task of single-handedly establishing a charitable foundation dedicated to this task. My life is too short, and I have other cats to flog. If I chose to embark on this debate, it is only because I see the efforts of the FSF to promote and proliferate the terms and conditions of the GPL, as infringing on the freedom of people not unlike myself, and because I find such infringement especially odious in conjunction with the liberationist rhetoric espoused by its advocates, as well as their claim to the status of charitable and munificent benefactors of the benighted human race. Your personal opprobrium is in many ways justified. I am easily given to anger, and do not suffer fools gladly. If I make every effort to compensate for this unfortunate personal trait by acknowledging my agreement and conceding the point to others, whenever appropriate, it is nevertheless quite impossible for me to ignore the constant demands of my affirming daimon, and abstain from promulgating that, which I regard as true, until and unless proven otherwise. And if the needs of such provisional truth demand that I mercilessly whip you for shamelessly perpetrating an evident lie, then whip you I will, your self-professed good intentions notwithstanding. You have only three options, -- ignore me in the hope that I will go away; try to persuade me that your way is right; or change your ways in a manner that befits your charitable and liberationist rhetoric. Whichever one you choose, do not expect me to stop doing what I think is right, just because your personal goal happens to run contrary to it. cordially, mikhail zeleny@husc.harvard.edu "Les beaulx bastisseurs nouveaulx de pierres mortes ne sont escriptz en mon livre de vie. Je ne bastis que pierres vives: ce sont hommes."
Technical Details
Message-ID:
<1993Jan12.131356.19246@husc3.harvard.edu>Path:
arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!sparky!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!uwm.edu!ogicse!das-news.harvard.edu!husc-news.harvard.edu!husc10.harvard.edu!zelenyReferences:
<BURLEY.93Jan9171820@apple-gunkies.gnu.ai.mit.edu> <1993Jan11.144521.19192@husc3.harvard.edu> <BURLEY.93Jan12083637@apple-gunkies.gnu.ai.mit.edu>Show Full Headers
Complete Article Headers
Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!sparky!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!uwm.edu!ogicse!das-news.harvard.edu!husc-news.harvard.edu!husc10.harvard.edu!zeleny From: zeleny@husc10.harvard.edu (Mikhail Zeleny) Newsgroups: gnu.misc.discuss,talk.philosophy.misc,misc.legal Subject: Re: Fund raising at the FSF Message-ID: <1993Jan12.131356.19246@husc3.harvard.edu> Date: 12 Jan 93 18:13:54 GMT Article-I.D.: husc3.1993Jan12.131356.19246 References: <BURLEY.93Jan9171820@apple-gunkies.gnu.ai.mit.edu> <1993Jan11.144521.19192@husc3.harvard.edu> <BURLEY.93Jan12083637@apple-gunkies.gnu.ai.mit.edu> Organization: The Phallogocentric Cabal Lines: 49 Nntp-Posting-Host: husc10.harvard.edu