sponsorship?

[geoffrey mendelson]

On May 29, 2011, at 1:12 PM, Hetz Ben Hamo wrote:

> Demanding that he will not talk to the Palestinians? umm, with the  
> political situation today, I hardly belive he will agree to that.

I think that the whole situation is a bad one, and we should just drop  
it, let him come, let him go, let him do what he wants without making  
a big stink about it.

If he does not speak to the Palestinians, and I agree with Hetz, I  
doubt that he would, nor really do I think we should force the issue.  
After all it's free software as in beer so you don't have to pay me,  
and FREE software as in you can use it, I can't stop you.

The way I see it, the more a stink is made about his speaking there  
and not here, the less GNU software will be liked here. This is bad  
for GNU, bad for FOSS and IMHO bad for Israel. It may also be bad for  
"the Jews, but I am begining to see where they differ.

The last thing we need is for GNU to be seen as anti-Israeli. It will  
just make it harder to gain acceptance of Linux and other GNU  
software, harder to get venture funding, and harder to get government  
support.

Last week no one would fix their websites to work with FOSS browsers  
because it cost them money, next week they will say doing so supports  
the Palestinians, and is therefore unpatriotic.

It's interesting because I commented on a Facebook posting today a  
quote from the movie "My Blue Heaven": "I am the worst case scenario  
of Thomas Jefferson's dream". Well, in this case, Stallman himself is  
the worst case scenario of his own (or at least our) dream.

Even worse case is if some polticiain gets ahold of this, and he is  
refused a visa and has to enter the PA via Jordan. Then it will make  
it almost if not completely impossible for him to ever speak here.

>
> I was thinking more of: If we can find a company who's willing to  
> pay the flight tickets, hotel etc, and then let Stallman decide  
> whether he wants to appear at the Palestinians universities or not.


I think that's the best idea, but it should be a separate trip.

As a slight ad homonym, he point about the fences is made out of  
ignorance. He never really did understand the point of the fence and  
the diplomatic initatives Sharon was making.

Geoff.
-- 
Geoffrey S. Mendelson,  N3OWJ/4X1GM
Making your enemy reliant on software you support is the best revenge.