RMS, Hosts Must Support Boycott?

[Tzafrir Cohen]

On Sun, Jun 12, 2011 at 09:45:33AM +0300, geoffrey mendelson wrote:
>
> On Jun 10, 2011, at 9:38 PM, Marc Volovic wrote:
>> People, RMS (as well as any other person) is entitled to support,  
>> adhere, acquiesce or abhor, deny, etc any and all BDS activities.
>>
>> The man is entitled to his opinion and choice. It is his right as a  
>> man and as a public figure.
>
>
> Marc, it has to do with US corporate law and practice. In the US,  
> officers of a corporation are limited in liability for their actions as 
> corporate officers. What they do as private citizens is different than 
> what they do as officers of the corporation.
>
> This is different than Israeli corporate law, where there is much less  
> of a "corporate veil".
>
> When they do something as an officer of the corporation, it takes on a  
> whole new meaning. It is the stated policy of the corportation.
>
> If RMS as RMS states what he does, as a private citizen, it is free  
> speech. He is entitled to his opionions and limited by US laws as to  
> what he can say and where, but those limits are awfully wide (compared  
> to Israeli ones for example).
>
> However, once he signs an email as an officer of the FSF, or states it  
> publicly that he, as representing the FSF is going to support a boycott 
> (or not) and so on, it is FSF policy. So like it or not, the FSF has now 
> incorporated the BDS movement into their message. It's not just FREE 
> Software, it's also support the Palestinians and boycott Israel.

I suggest you go and sue the FSF.

>
> If RMS wants to vacation in Ramalah, or sun himself on the beaches of  
> Gaza, he is welcome to. If he does not want to stay in, vist or even  
> pass through Israel, (He could enter Gaza from Egypt, or the PA from  
> Jordan), he is welcome to. However as the President of the FSF his  
> perceived boycott of Israeli institutions is unacceptable, and dilutes  
> the FSF and it's message.
>
> Depending upon exactly what he does and does not do, and who provides  
> the money for his visit, he (and therefore the FSF as he spoke and  
> speaks for them) may be in volation of US law, and therefore subject to 
> investigation, tax audits, etc. Quite simply this will not end well for 
> the FSF.

Guys. We have our own local Florian Müller. Listen to him. It's the end
of the FSF!

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