Re: [hangout] Re: eGovOS conference in D.C.; I'm not attending that

[Jay Sulzberger]

On Fri, 7 Feb 2003, Richard Stallman wrote:

>     If we go the press will report what we say.  Some reporters may partly 
> fall
>     for some Microsoft lies, but if we do not go, almost every reporter will
>     present the worst, stupidest, and most vicious Microsoft lies as being
>     "simply the facts".
>
> It is important to go to the event to correct the falsehoods, but at
> the same time we must also cast doubt on the legitimacy of the event.
> For people who think that "Linux" World reflects what our movement is
> about, the simple fact that they invite Microsoft is a statement much
> louder than ours.  How exactly to do this, I am not sure.

Yes.

Here is something I wrote to David Sugar about this:

  Well, then let us attend and speak from the floor.  Or, if it
  costs a lot of money to attend, let us batter the door down and
  enter to explain the facts.  I recommend that we be gentle and
  courteous at all times, and that we be careful to do little
  damage to other people's property when we batter the door down.

Microsoft being at this conference is a fraud.  It is a fraud on all those
who do not yet understand free software.  This is the single most important
thing we must convey to people in government and to reporters and to all
citizens.

Of course, Microsoft pushing its "Entrapment by Showing Code" offers us
many opportunities.  We will get direct statements from them on the terms
of their entrapment plan.

>
> The tendency for events that pretend to be part of our community to
> betray its spirit is very harmful, and we have to push back against
> it.  I wish we could push back much harder than we have done in the
> past.

The detailed means of pushing back will be decided upon by many groups and
individuals.  Two things about our tactics here:

1.  We must be clear.

2.  We must get enough people to the event, whether inside or outside the
door, or both.

oo--JS.