Richard Stallman's Personal Site


The photo comes from wikimedia.org
"Richard_Stallman_at_LibrePlanet_2019"
by Ruben Rodriguez

I continue to be the Chief GNUisance of the GNU Project.
This is my long-term commitment and I plan to continue.
You may have heard or read critical statements about me; please make up your own mind.

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RSS site feed for the most recent political notes and new material.

This is the personal web site of Richard Stallman.
The views expressed here are my personal views, not those of the Free Software Foundation or the GNU Project.
For the sake of separation, this site has always been hosted elsewhere and managed separately.

I will have a trip to Europe in the second week of October and I am looking for invitations for additional talks in the same trip. If you would like to invite me to speak in that trip, please write to me at rms-invitation@gnu.org with "october" as the subject.

It is more likely I can actually go if you have funds to cover the additional cost, and a speaker's fee would be nice.

If you want to send me GPG-encrypted mail, do not trust key servers! Some of them have phony keys under my name and email address, made by someone else as a trick. See gpg.html for my real key.

Richard Stallman has cancer. Fortunately it is slow-growing and manageable follicular lymphoma. Treatment put it into remission, and he can expect to live many more years. However, he now has to be even more careful not to catch Covid-19.

FSF Giving Guide

Canadians: I suggest you seek election advice at a local chapter of a group that pushes to curb global heating and has the courage to say, "Canada should stop exporting fossil fuel." It will at least use the right goals to suggest who to vote for in your area.

Join a Friday climate strike.
That page is made by scraping Fridays for Future so you can get the information without running any Javascript code. I would be very glad if they made the information on their own site accessible from the Free World; then we could simply refer people to their site and do without the scraping etc.

I am limiting the number of new political notes per day so as not to overload the volunteers who install new notes. If you'd like to help, please write to rms at gnu period org.

Is your bank pressuring you to use biometric ID? If so, please write to rms at gnu dot org. It could be useful if you document what is happening.

Please join the Free Software Foundation to support its work for your freedom.

"They" is plural — for singular antecedents, use singular gender-neutral pronouns.

Link Policy

The largest part of the site is the political notes, and they are typically updated every day.

I'm looking for people to If you would like to help me in any of these ways, please write to rms at gnu dot o r g.

Civil Liberties Minute

Upcoming talks

I will have a trip to Europe in the second week of October and I am looking for invitations for additional talks in the same trip. If you would like to invite me to speak in that trip, please write to me at rms-invitation@gnu.org with "october" as the subject.

It is more likely I can actually go if you have funds to cover the additional cost, and a speaker's fee would be nice.

Urgent action items

Recording of Guantanamero

Listen to the recording of Guantanamero, a protest song written in Spanish. The recording is in Ogg Vorbis format. To install an Ogg Vorbis player, see the FSF's Ogg Players page.

There Ought to Be a Law

More items where there ought to be a law.

Quotes

Here are some quotations that I particularly like.

Most recent Political Notes and News Items

(RSS Feed)

You can now read the political notes on Mastodon.

Europe’s heatwaves
7 July 2025

Europeans seem to recognize that heat waves indicate a slow-moving disaster, but they have given up on the idea of convincing governments to resist the planet roasters.

In effect, they are giving up civilization for dead.

How sad — because they could make governments safe if they determined not to give up.

Labour left
7 July 2025

Jeremy Corbyn's party is reanimating the Labour Left

and from outside Labour.

Israel's army mistakes
7 July 2025

Israel was compelled to admit it had shot a convoy of Palestinian medics, but still has recourse to false facts and irrelevancies to defend it.

Whether some or all of the medics in a team are related to an enemy force is irrelevant as long as they act as medics are supposed to act, and these did so.

The army's own investigation has contradicted its public excuses.

Destruction of science
7 July 2025

*We are witnessing the destruction of science in America.*

With years more research, we would have been likely to find treatments or preventatives for many diseases that plague millions of people.

I suppose research will still be done in Europe and Asia. But the US contribution has been important.

Italy greenhouse gases
7 July 2025

The largest oil company in Italy is suing those who have denounced it for its greenhouse emissions, and even arranged for one to be prosecuted.

Dutch school phone ban
7 July 2025

Dutch schools' prohibited the use of snoop-phones in class, and that has improved education and social interaction.

Israeli airstrike
7 July 2025

*Family of Dr Marwan al-Sultan says the Israeli airstrike "precisely" hit the apartment block the cardiologist and his relatives occupied.*

Palestine Action
7 July 2025

*Palestine Action isn’t a danger to British democracy — but this repressive government is.*

Any government that tries to stretch the definition of "terrorism" as an excuse to punish someone declares itself an enemy of freedom.

(As is any government that tries to stretch the definition of "antisemitism" as an excuse to punish someone.)

ICE arrests strike fear
7 July 2025

The bully has jailed over 130 immigrants from Iran since the brief war, accusing them of being "sleeper cells" for sabotage.

Many of them came to the US because they opposed the Iranian regime, defending there the human rights that the US used to stand for. If they were deported to Iran, they could be put in

Evin prison or another prison even worse.

Now the US could deport them to some other place such as Djibouti.

Will courts ensure that the deportation thugs prove a case against these accused spies before deporting them? Or will it allow the bully's hate-spreaders men to spread terror among all refugees and naturalized citizens in the US?

Urgent: Harms of the Big Bad Bill
6 July 2025

US citizens: phone your congresscritter to oppose the Big Bad Bill, which Congress just passed. Here's an AFL-CIO list of how it harms low-income Americans:

  • Rips health care away from 17 million people and eliminates 600,000 care jobs, forcing over 300 rural hospitals to close their doors.
  • Spikes health care costs for people with employment-based insurance by nearly $500 per person per year and nearly $2,000 annually for a family of four.
  • Destroys hundreds of thousands of energy jobs in construction, manufacturing and production, and raises energy costs at a moment when working-class households are already struggling.
  • Slashes food assistance for nearly 3 million Americans, and slashes at least 140,000 jobs in food processing facilities, school cafeterias, grocery stores, and farms by cutting billions in SNAP funding.
  • Threatens an estimated 1.75 million construction jobs and over 3 billion work hours, which translates to $148 billion in lost annual wages and benefits.
  • Adds $155 billion in funding for President Trump’s mass deportation agenda to increase raids that target immigrant workers, throw members of our communities and our unions in detention, and rip families apart.
Whether it also requires a million-dollar deposit to get an injunction in federal court against an apparently unconstitutional practice, I don't know — but you may as well say you're against that.

If you phone, please spread the word! Main Switchboard: +1-202-224-3121

Addressing homelessness today, US, UK, AUS
6 July 2025

Right-wing methods of dealing with the inconvenience of homeless people living in public areas sooner or later take a cruel and vicious form. Here is an example from Australia.

I've often linked to examples from California,

Some places choose rather to give each homeless person a place to live in.

Price of asylum rising, US, UK, AUS
6 July 2025

The magats' big brutal bill is designed to keep refugees out of the US unless they have some money. They will have to pay to request asylum, and pay for the years that they wait for a final hearing. All this is to make people persecuted in other countries give up unless they are wealthy.

It also makes sure they have to wait a long time, by limiting the number of immigration judges.

The idea of the global system of asylum was meant to ensure that people forced out of their own countries by persecution can find welcome somewhere. This scheme is designed to drive them away. Australia and the UK have been doing their best to drive away refugees for years now.

Proscribing Palestine Action
4 July 2025

*Palestine Action is part of Britain's proud history of protest. Proscribing it is an assault on democracy.*

British food co-op boycotting exports from countries with human rights abuses
4 July 2025

A nationwide British food co-op has decided to boycott exports from a list of countries, on account of their widespread human rights abuses: Afghanistan, Belarus, Central African Republic, North Korea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Iran, Israel, Libya, Mali, Myanmar, Russia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

Netanyahu likely to break Iran-Israel cease fire
4 July 2025

Arguing that Netanyahu is likely to break the Iran-Israel cease fire because he stands to gain from unending war.

(satire) Entitled child expects to eat every day
4 July 2025

(satire) *Entitled Child Expects To Eat Lunch Every Day.*

(satire) Blank Bill for Trump to write whatever law he wants
4 July 2025

(satire) *Congress Passes Blank Bill For Trump To Write Whatever Law He Wants.*

(satire) Christian Faith important part of who Senator pretends to be
4 July 2025

(satire) *Christian Faith An Important Part Of Who Senator Pretends To Be.*

Campaign to repress journalism intimidating students writing for school papers
4 July 2025

The wrecker's campaign to repress journalism is intimidating many students who write or wrote for school newspapers. They are asking the newspapers to delete their articles.

The USA's tree of liberty was always flawed, but now it may be poisoned entirely. The wrecker's axe is cutting into the heart of the trunk.

National government system for internet accounts in China
4 July 2025

China has set up a national government system for internet accounts, enabling uniform ID checks on all platforms.

Every unified national system of internet accounts is a scheme ready-made for repression. Whatever its purpose is — even if it is only to verify a person's age — it will enable the government to track all of everyone's internet use, on all servers that the state chooses to impose this on. Combine that with a would-be autocrat and it is disaster.


The four factors of the apocalypse:
   global heating, global hating,
   global eating, global mating.


[More Cartoons]


Not f'd. You won't find us on Facebook

Copy this button (courtesy of R.Siddharth) to express your rejection of Facebook.


E-books

Non-oppressive Commercial E-books


Don't use Facebook

Facebook's face recognition demonstrates a threat to everyone's privacy. I therefore ask people not to put photos of me on Facebook; you can do likewise.

Of course, Facebook is bad for many other reasons as well.


Boycott Harry Potter Books, Movies, etc.



Internet Music EULAS



Business Supremacy Treaties



Countries to Stay Away From



No national identity cards

I'd like to make a list of countries that do not require a national identity card, and have no plans to adopt one. If you live in or have confirmed knowledge of such a country, please send email to rms at gnu.org.

Here's my list of countries with no national ID cards and no plans for one: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK. Australia's previous government tried to institute national ID cards, but the Labor government dropped the plan.

India has mostly finished imposing a national biometric ID number in a grand act of oppression.

Switzerland has national ID cards which are optional, but they or some other government ID card are needed for some purposes.

Iceland doesn't have ID cards as such, but they have ID numbers that citizens are forced to use frequently. For example, the national ID number is often required to rent a video or use a gym.

Denmark issues non-photo ID cards with a "person number", and many services use this card to identify people.

Norway will impose a national biometric ID card.

Ireland - national ID card by stealth.

ACLU: the five dangers of national ID cards.

Wikipedia has a list of identity card policies by country.


Borders

Stay away from certain countries because of their bad immigration policies.


Flight connections

Avoid flight connections in these airports because of their treatment of passengers.


The Lifelong Activist

People often ask how I manage to continue devoting myself to progressive activism (such as the free software movement) for years without burning out. The best way I can answer is by recommending a book, The Lifelong Activist by Hillary Rettig.

I disagree with the book on one theoretical point in the last part of the book: we shouldn't think of political activism as being marketing and sales, because those terms refer to business, and politics is something much more important than mere business. However, this doesn't diminish the value of the book's practical advice about borrowing techniques from marketing and sales.

Disclosure: I am friends with the author.


Bob Chassell

Writing (mostly science fiction) by my friend Bob Chassell who recently died.


Solidarity Economy and Free Software

Personal Declaration of Richard Stallman and Euclides Mance on Solidarity Economy and Free Software.


Falkvinge articles

I have reposted some of Rick Falkvinge's articles. As posted on his site, you can't see them in a browser without running some nonfree Javascript code which is apparently non-free. These versions show the same text, without the obstacle.


Long-term action items


Political Articles

These are my political articles that are not related to the GNU operating system or free software. For GNU-related articles, see the GNU philosophy directory. You can also download copies of my book, Free Software, Free Society, 3rd edition.

Political notes

"Those who profess to favor freedom, yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will."

Here are notes about various issues I care about, usually with links to more information. The current notes are here. For all previous notes, see this page.

See this page for information on efforts to maintain links in the political notes.

Political notes about the 2001 G8 summit in Genoa, Italy are being archived on their own page.

Media/Press/Bios

Richard Stallman's bio and publicity photos, and other things of interest to the press, have been moved to a separate page.

Travel experiences

Photos about my travels

Scientific Links


Some humor

The berry torture.

The Free Software Song, by Richard M. Stallman. You can listen to a performance of the song: Free Software Song performed by Thor Here is a variant of this song called "The Free Firmware Song".

Earth under attack from planet Koch.

On doxing, and how to spell it.

Futon Physics

A Spanish cartoon: La Ruleta Española. thumbnail

The Night before M-x-mas

Here I am wearing my "power tie".

Wine snobs get their comeuppance.

Here I am struggling to open a bottle of water.

My application to an join Marian Henley's ex-boyfriends list.

My funny poetry and song parodies.

A song parody, Colors of the Lisp, by Jefferson Carpenter.

The text to a filk song, Johnny v. N., by Paul Rubin.

My Cartoons

My Puns in English (Little Leaguer, August 2019).

My Puns in Spanish (New pun: Apostasía April 2019)

My Puns in French (New pun: Microsoft à l'école July 2019)

My Puns in Portuguese

My Puns in Italian (New pun: Quale pesce fa starnutire? New 10/2018)

My Puns in German (New 02/2016)

Linguistic Swifties (Now with: Wintu, Penutian, Cochiti, Taos, and Towa.)

I am a
     Saint In the Church Of Emacs --Saint IGNUcius-- The Church of Emacs will soon be officially listed by at least one person as his religion for census purposes.

There are no godfathers in the Church of Emacs, since there are no gods, but you can be someone's editorfather.

Stallman Does Dallas: "I have to warn you that Texans have been known to have an adverse reaction to my personality…"

The Dalai Lama today announced the official release of Yellow Hat GNU/Linux.

Pre-Zen Studies.

I found a funny song about the Mickey Mouse Copyright Act (officially the Sonny Bono Copyright Act) which extended copyright retroactively by 20 years on works made as early as the 1920s.

If you are a geek and read Spanish, you will love Raulito el Friki, who said "Hello, world!" immediately after he was born. Here's an archive of this now-defunct comic strip.

Sleeping with Stallman at MIT.

Un malentendido gracioso.

ESR's favorite programming language: Objectivist C.

American Extremists

My Small Mouth

The huns and the writs.

No Kludges in Cluj (June 2014)

Hammer into Anvil

Fiction

Made for You (December 2012) (local copy) Esperanto translation

A science fiction story: Jinnetic Engineering (in Portuguese, Farsi, Spanish, Armenian, Russian, French, and Italian).

The Right to Read

Books

My book of essays about the philosophy of Software Freedom, is available from the GNU Press.

Stallman on Love

Love and Dance

My Childhood Sweetheart

Made for You

My Former Personal Ad

Non-Political Articles

Am I Doctor Stallman?

Avec des chapeaux French song parody.

My radio program of Music from Georgia, originally broadcast on WUOG in Athens, Georgia on Oct 13, 2014.

Resolving the trolley problem

Quantum Theory and Abortion Rights

A proposal for gender neutrality in Spanish, suitable for both speech and writing.

Origin of the POSIX name.

On Hacking: In June 2000, while visiting Korea, I did a fun hack that clearly illustrates the original and true meaning of the word "hacker".

My Childhood Sweetheart

Love and Dance

Predicting the attack on Pearl Harbor

Certificate of confusion

Links

Thanks

I would like to thank:


Please send comments on these web pages to rms at gnu period org.

Copyright © 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 Richard Stallman
Verbatim copying and redistribution of this entire page are permitted provided this notice is preserved.
Verbatim copying and redistribution of any of the photos in the photos subdirectory is permitted under the Creative Commons Noderivs license version 3.0 or later. You can copy and redistribute the photo of me playing music to the butterfly under the Creative Commons Noderivs Nocommercial license version 3.0 or later. Any other photos of me in this (the toplevel) directory may be copied and redistributed under the Creative Commons Noderivs license version 3.0