membership confusion, FSF way forward

membership confusion, FSF way forward

[Daniel Pocock]

Recent discussions show a lot of confusion about FSF (associate) membership.

The FSF publishes[1] copies of the financial statements

The 2018 filing[2] shows that FSF has only registered 7 people as voting
members and the other 1466 people only registered as volunteers.  Why
the distinction?

Given the scale of the recent problems, a change of leadership is not
just about changing the president.  The existing board have supported
the president through many years.  Any of them could have resigned at
any time if they didn't agree with his leadership.

Therefore, it is my personal view that:

1. all the 1466 volunteers, associate members and any new volunteers who
joined recently must be given equal voting rights.

2. the entire board resigns and the entire organization is then engaged
in the election of both a new board and president.

The actual resignation date could be deferred until LibrePlanet so there
is time for reasoned decision making.

A new president alone doesn't mean much if the existing board or staff
carry on doing different things.  It may take time to see just what
success the president really has.  People may want to know who the
president will be and what their platform is before deciding to renew
membership or make further donations, it is too early to decide right now.

Given the extent to which recent discussions demonstrate
misunderstandings about membership status, it doesn't feel correct for
the FSF to continue using the term "associate member", as this term and
the marketing around it (phrases like "Renew your membership!") appear
to be giving people an inaccurate understanding of their status.

Regards,

Daniel


1. https://www.fsf.org/about/financial
2. https://static.fsf.org/nosvn/financial-statements/Form990-FY2018.pdf

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Re: membership confusion, FSF way forward

[Adrienne G. Thompson]

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Daniel,

It is my opinion too that the membership of the FSF board needs
re-evaluation. I'm off to get some rest.

Sincerely
Adrienne

On Sun, Sep 22, 2019 at 10:50 AM Daniel Pocock <daniel@pocock.pro> wrote:

>
> Recent discussions show a lot of confusion about FSF (associate)
> membership.
>
> The FSF publishes[1] copies of the financial statements
>
> The 2018 filing[2] shows that FSF has only registered 7 people as voting
> members and the other 1466 people only registered as volunteers.  Why
> the distinction?
>
> Given the scale of the recent problems, a change of leadership is not
> just about changing the president.  The existing board have supported
> the president through many years.  Any of them could have resigned at
> any time if they didn't agree with his leadership.
>
> Therefore, it is my personal view that:
>
> 1. all the 1466 volunteers, associate members and any new volunteers who
> joined recently must be given equal voting rights.
>
> 2. the entire board resigns and the entire organization is then engaged
> in the election of both a new board and president.
>
> The actual resignation date could be deferred until LibrePlanet so there
> is time for reasoned decision making.
>
> A new president alone doesn't mean much if the existing board or staff
> carry on doing different things.  It may take time to see just what
> success the president really has.  People may want to know who the
> president will be and what their platform is before deciding to renew
> membership or make further donations, it is too early to decide right now.
>
> Given the extent to which recent discussions demonstrate
> misunderstandings about membership status, it doesn't feel correct for
> the FSF to continue using the term "associate member", as this term and
> the marketing around it (phrases like "Renew your membership!") appear
> to be giving people an inaccurate understanding of their status.
>
> Regards,
>
> Daniel
>
>
> 1. https://www.fsf.org/about/financial
> 2. https://static.fsf.org/nosvn/financial-statements/Form990-FY2018.pdf
>
> _______________________________________________
> libreplanet-discuss mailing list
> libreplanet-discuss@libreplanet.org
> https://lists.libreplanet.org/mailman/listinfo/libreplanet-discuss



-- 
Freedom - no pane, all gaiGN!

GNU C-Graph - http://www.gnu.org/software/c-graph
Code Art Now - http://codeartnow.com
Abertheid Campaign - http://www.abertheid.info
Follow me on Twitter @AdrienneGT @GNUcgraph

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   Daniel,
   It is my opinion too that the membership of the FSF board needs
   re-evaluation. I'm off to get some rest.
   Sincerely
   Adrienne

   On Sun, Sep 22, 2019 at 10:50 AM Daniel Pocock <[1]daniel@pocock.pro>
   wrote:

     Recent discussions show a lot of confusion about FSF (associate)
     membership.
     The FSF publishes[1] copies of the financial statements
     The 2018 filing[2] shows that FSF has only registered 7 people as
     voting
     members and the other 1466 people only registered as volunteers.
     Why
     the distinction?
     Given the scale of the recent problems, a change of leadership is
     not
     just about changing the president.  The existing board have
     supported
     the president through many years.  Any of them could have resigned
     at
     any time if they didn't agree with his leadership.
     Therefore, it is my personal view that:
     1. all the 1466 volunteers, associate members and any new volunteers
     who
     joined recently must be given equal voting rights.
     2. the entire board resigns and the entire organization is then
     engaged
     in the election of both a new board and president.
     The actual resignation date could be deferred until LibrePlanet so
     there
     is time for reasoned decision making.
     A new president alone doesn't mean much if the existing board or
     staff
     carry on doing different things.  It may take time to see just what
     success the president really has.  People may want to know who the
     president will be and what their platform is before deciding to
     renew
     membership or make further donations, it is too early to decide
     right now.
     Given the extent to which recent discussions demonstrate
     misunderstandings about membership status, it doesn't feel correct
     for
     the FSF to continue using the term "associate member", as this term
     and
     the marketing around it (phrases like "Renew your membership!")
     appear
     to be giving people an inaccurate understanding of their status.
     Regards,
     Daniel
     1. [2]https://www.fsf.org/about/financial
     2.
     [3]https://static.fsf.org/nosvn/financial-statements/Form990-FY2018.
     pdf
     _______________________________________________
     libreplanet-discuss mailing list
     [4]libreplanet-discuss@libreplanet.org
     [5]https://lists.libreplanet.org/mailman/listinfo/libreplanet-discus
     s

   --

   Freedom - no pane, all gaiGN!
   GNU C-Graph - [6]http://www.gnu.org/software/c-graph
   Code Art Now - [7]http://codeartnow.com
   Abertheid Campaign - [8]http://www.abertheid.info
   Follow me on Twitter @AdrienneGT @GNUcgraph

References

   1. mailto:daniel@pocock.pro
   2. https://www.fsf.org/about/financial
   3. https://static.fsf.org/nosvn/financial-statements/Form990-FY2018.pdf
   4. mailto:libreplanet-discuss@libreplanet.org
   5. https://lists.libreplanet.org/mailman/listinfo/libreplanet-discuss
   6. http://www.gnu.org/software/c-graph
   7. http://codeartnow.com/
   8. http://www.abertheid.info/

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Re: membership confusion, FSF way forward

[Will Hill]

On Sunday 22 September 2019, Daniel Pocock wrote:
>  all the 1466 volunteers, associate members and any new volunteers who
> joined recently must be given equal voting rights.

The next day, Bill Gates would have 20,000 Microsoft employees join as voting 
members.  For the low price of $40,000/month, Bill Gates would own the FSF 
and I'd vote by dropping my membership.  



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Re: membership confusion, FSF way forward

[Adrienne G. Thompson]

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On Sun, Sep 22, 2019 at 6:19 PM Will Hill <will.hillnotes@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Sunday 22 September 2019, Daniel Pocock wrote:
> >  all the 1466 volunteers, associate members and any new volunteers who
> > joined recently must be given equal voting rights.
>
> The next day, Bill Gates would have 20,000 Microsoft employees join as
> voting
> members.  For the low price of $40,000/month, Bill Gates would own the FSF
> and I'd vote by dropping my membership.


They wouldn't just be Microsoft employees either. All the corporate empires
could participate. There would be no need to take down the FSF President in
the manner in which they've done. The era of Free Software (as we know it)
would be over.

Adrienne
-- 
Freedom - no pane, all gaiGN!

GNU C-Graph - http://www.gnu.org/software/c-graph
Code Art Now - http://codeartnow.com
Abertheid Campaign - http://www.abertheid.info
Follow me on Twitter @AdrienneGT @GNUcgraph

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   On Sun, Sep 22, 2019 at 6:19 PM Will Hill <[1]will.hillnotes@gmail.com>
   wrote:

     On Sunday 22 September 2019, Daniel Pocock wrote:
     >  all the 1466 volunteers, associate members and any new volunteers
     who
     > joined recently must be given equal voting rights.
     The next day, Bill Gates would have 20,000 Microsoft employees join
     as voting
     members.  For the low price of $40,000/month, Bill Gates would own
     the FSF
     and I'd vote by dropping my membership.

   They wouldn't just be Microsoft employees either. All the corporate
   empires could participate. There would be no need to take down the FSF
   President in the manner in which they've done. The era of Free Software
   (as we know it) would be over.
   Adrienne
   --
   Freedom - no pane, all gaiGN!
   GNU C-Graph - [2]http://www.gnu.org/software/c-graph
   Code Art Now - [3]http://codeartnow.com
   Abertheid Campaign - [4]http://www.abertheid.info
   Follow me on Twitter @AdrienneGT @GNUcgraph

References

   1. mailto:will.hillnotes@gmail.com
   2. http://www.gnu.org/software/c-graph
   3. http://codeartnow.com/
   4. http://www.abertheid.info/

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Re: membership confusion, FSF way forward

[Caleb Herbert]

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Just because you have no vote does not mean you are not heard.

-- 
Caleb Herbert
KE0VVT
816-892-9669
https://bluehome.net/csh

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Re: membership confusion, FSF way forward

[Félicien Pillot]

Caleb Herbert <csh@bluehome.net> writes:
> Just because you have no vote does not mean you are not heard.

This is right.

RMS himself asked (at least to me, but I am sure also to others) to make
our voice as associate members, heard by the FSF.

Precisely, he said:

Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org> writes:
> If you wish, speaking as an associate member, you can tell the
> organization something about how you would like it to carry on.
> Such a statement does NOT require making any threats to stop
> contributing.
-- 
Félicien Pillot
2C7C ACC0 FBDB ADBA E7BC  50D9 043C D143 6C87 9372
felicien@gnu.org - felicien.pillot@riseup.net

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Re: membership confusion, FSF way forward

[Daniel Pocock]

On 23/09/2019 01:54, Adrienne G. Thompson wrote:
>    On Sun, Sep 22, 2019 at 6:19 PM Will Hill <[1]will.hillnotes@gmail.com>
>    wrote:
> 
>      On Sunday 22 September 2019, Daniel Pocock wrote:
>      >  all the 1466 volunteers, associate members and any new volunteers
>      who
>      > joined recently must be given equal voting rights.
>      The next day, Bill Gates would have 20,000 Microsoft employees join
>      as voting
>      members.  For the low price of $40,000/month, Bill Gates would own
>      the FSF
>      and I'd vote by dropping my membership.
> 
>    They wouldn't just be Microsoft employees either. All the corporate
>    empires could participate. There would be no need to take down the FSF
>    President in the manner in which they've done. The era of Free Software
>    (as we know it) would be over.


Having been a member of a number of organizations outside the free
software space, I feel these problems are over-exaggerated and can be
easily mitigated with the right strategies.

These problems are not new by any means.

The big problem for free software organizations is a DIY-culture: people
refuse to get outside help and insist on re-inventing the wheel.  Other
organizations in other fields of endeavour have solved these problems
before and FSF can learn from them.

I agree with your concerns, I simply don't agree that they are an
insurmountable barrier.

Regards,

Daniel

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Re: membership confusion, FSF way forward

[Leah Rowe via libreplanet-discuss]

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On Sun, 22 Sep 2019 18:16:01 -0500
Will Hill <will.hillnotes@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Sunday 22 September 2019, Daniel Pocock wrote:
> >  all the 1466 volunteers, associate members and any new volunteers
> > who joined recently must be given equal voting rights.
> 
> The next day, Bill Gates would have 20,000 Microsoft employees join
> as voting members.  For the low price of $40,000/month, Bill Gates
> would own the FSF and I'd vote by dropping my membership.  
> 

I agree 1000%. When I talked about collective efforts I was mainly
thinking of the members, in terms of better coordinating people to
advance the FSF's status and to advance the movement in positive ways.

If members could vote on FSF decisions, the organisation would die
overnight; or more likely, it would still exist but its strength would
be degraded greatly.

We need a strong leadership (led by RMS or someone like him) to steer
the movement.

-- 
Leah Rowe <info@minifree.org>
Company Director & Libreboot developer
https://minifree.org/ https://libreboot.org/

Do you know you have rights?
The right to privacy, free speech, the right to read
and the right to learn. The right not to be spied on
and censored by the government.

Defend freedom. Use free (free as in freedom) software.
Spread freedom. Tell everyone you know about it!
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html

Minifree Ltd, trading as Ministry of Freedom.
Registered in England, registration No. 9361826
VAT Registration No. GB202190462
Minifree Ltd, 19 Hilton Road, Canvey Island
Essex SS8 9QA, United Kingdom
United Kingdom

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FSF and Ideas

[Algot Runeman via libreplanet-discuss]

It is good to see that this discussion has become generally civil as 
people begin to take considered positions about being LibrePlanet 
participants, Associate members and Supporters of FSF, Software 
Freedom/Free Software. The misquotes in modern media are not surprising, 
actually. "If it bleeds, it leads." has been an editorial policy (even 
if unstated) for a long time.

Seeing this continuing discussion rise above that level is gratifying. 
Being a FSF Associate Member is one step towards being actively in 
support of the ideals. For those who are unable to make significant code 
contributions to GPL software can use the small financial contribution 
as a way to do more than simply saying, "I support the four freedoms" as 
the only "contribution".

I benefit daily from my freedoms, including not walking in lockstep with 
any tech corporation for software. Thanks to all who are educating me 
about the complexities of finding a sustainable organization whose 
purpose goes steadfastly forward to keep GPL strong, and Free Software 
much more than just "gratis".

Keep the good ideas coming.



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Re: membership confusion, FSF way forward

[Leah Rowe via libreplanet-discuss]

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I take issue with this: there is the issue of vetting regular members.
What if a bunch of members are present who do not share the FSF's
hardline stance on free software?

On Sun, 22 Sep 2019 17:49:45 +0200
Daniel Pocock <daniel@pocock.pro> wrote:

> 
> Recent discussions show a lot of confusion about FSF (associate)
> membership.
> 
> The FSF publishes[1] copies of the financial statements
> 
> The 2018 filing[2] shows that FSF has only registered 7 people as
> voting members and the other 1466 people only registered as
> volunteers.  Why the distinction?
> 
> Given the scale of the recent problems, a change of leadership is not
> just about changing the president.  The existing board have supported
> the president through many years.  Any of them could have resigned at
> any time if they didn't agree with his leadership.
> 
> Therefore, it is my personal view that:
> 
> 1. all the 1466 volunteers, associate members and any new volunteers
> who joined recently must be given equal voting rights.
> 
> 2. the entire board resigns and the entire organization is then
> engaged in the election of both a new board and president.
> 
> The actual resignation date could be deferred until LibrePlanet so
> there is time for reasoned decision making.
> 
> A new president alone doesn't mean much if the existing board or staff
> carry on doing different things.  It may take time to see just what
> success the president really has.  People may want to know who the
> president will be and what their platform is before deciding to renew
> membership or make further donations, it is too early to decide right
> now.
> 
> Given the extent to which recent discussions demonstrate
> misunderstandings about membership status, it doesn't feel correct for
> the FSF to continue using the term "associate member", as this term
> and the marketing around it (phrases like "Renew your membership!")
> appear to be giving people an inaccurate understanding of their
> status.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Daniel
> 
> 
> 1. https://www.fsf.org/about/financial
> 2.
> https://static.fsf.org/nosvn/financial-statements/Form990-FY2018.pdf
> 
> _______________________________________________
> libreplanet-discuss mailing list
> libreplanet-discuss@libreplanet.org
> https://lists.libreplanet.org/mailman/listinfo/libreplanet-discuss

-- 
Leah Rowe <info@minifree.org>
Company Director & Libreboot developer
https://minifree.org/ https://libreboot.org/

Do you know you have rights?
The right to privacy, free speech, the right to read
and the right to learn. The right not to be spied on
and censored by the government.

Defend freedom. Use free (free as in freedom) software.
Spread freedom. Tell everyone you know about it!
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html

Minifree Ltd, trading as Ministry of Freedom.
Registered in England, registration No. 9361826
VAT Registration No. GB202190462
Minifree Ltd, 19 Hilton Road, Canvey Island
Essex SS8 9QA, United Kingdom
United Kingdom

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Re: membership confusion, FSF way forward

[Nishant Sharma]

On 23 September 2019 8:48:42 AM IST, Leah Rowe via libreplanet-discuss <libreplanet-discuss@libreplanet.org> wrote:
>
>I take issue with this: there is the issue of vetting regular members.
>What if a bunch of members are present who do not share the FSF's
>hardline stance on free software?
>

I agree. The governance and other decisions should remain with the core members who believe and support the hardline stance.

In comparison to democratic governance of a nation, a government doesn't ask for views / vote from every citizen on every matter. We trust our representatives to speak for us and take decisions in the best interest of the nation.

Let's have faith in the board members of the FSF and at the same time keep a check on them. It is our responsibility to keep writing/talking to them to not let them deviate from the principles and ethics it was founded on and for.

Regards,
Nishant
-- 
https://unmukti.in - Embedding FOSS
https://hopbox.in - Networking with Free Software & Open Hardware
http://charcoal.io - URL redirector for distributed squid proxies

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Re: membership confusion, FSF way forward

[Daniel Pocock]

On 23/09/2019 05:18, Leah Rowe via libreplanet-discuss wrote:
> 
> I take issue with this: there is the issue of vetting regular members.
> What if a bunch of members are present who do not share the FSF's
> hardline stance on free software?

If I understand correctly, RMS was always true to the philosophy and he
may well be the gold standard.  His resignation coincided with vocal
pressure from certain donors and partners.  So the importance of money
is already getting an edge over the importance of philosophy.

What you describe is a problem that is well understood and shared by
many organizations.  There are many articles and books about it, for
example:

https://sheilamargolis.com/core-culture-and-five-ps/the-five-ps-and-organizational-alignment/philosophy/

Going forward, do you think FSF will be more successful with a
fear-based approach or by exploring and consulting more widely on how to
ensure an enduring philosophy?

With 1500 voting members, RMS may have had a third option: calling for a
vote of confidence in his leadership.  Sometimes a vote carried by the
silent majority can be a powerful buffer against the loud criticism that
appeared recently.

Regards,

Daniel


--
Debian Developer
https://danielpocock.com

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Re: membership confusion, FSF way forward

[Leah Rowe via libreplanet-discuss]

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On Mon, 23 Sep 2019 11:04:46 +0200
Daniel Pocock <daniel@pocock.pro> wrote:
> On 23/09/2019 05:18, Leah Rowe via libreplanet-discuss wrote:
> > 
> > I take issue with this: there is the issue of vetting regular
> > members. What if a bunch of members are present who do not share
> > the FSF's hardline stance on free software?
> 
> If I understand correctly, RMS was always true to the philosophy and
> he may well be the gold standard.  His resignation coincided with
> vocal pressure from certain donors and partners.  So the importance
> of money is already getting an edge over the importance of philosophy.
> 
> What you describe is a problem that is well understood and shared by
> many organizations.  There are many articles and books about it, for
> example:
> 
> https://sheilamargolis.com/core-culture-and-five-ps/the-five-ps-and-organizational-alignment/philosophy/
> 
> Going forward, do you think FSF will be more successful with a
> fear-based approach or by exploring and consulting more widely on how
> to ensure an enduring philosophy?

Money is the main cause of fear in any movement. Fear of something to
lose.

This is especially true the larger you get.

I can't speak for the efficacy of FSF's board of directors in terms of
integrity to the movement. My experience has been that the FSF, despite
taking money from some questionable sources, has maintained its
integrity.

At times, I've raised by eyebrows about certain members of the board.

At present, I don't think the FSF is in a bad spot.

Of course, my answer is always:
Fuck the money. You have to stand by your convictions. This is how the
free software movement started; RMS was saddened deeply by the
increasing dominance of proprietary software in the hacker community.
He could have gotten filthy rich, but instead he created the GNU
project and the FSF.

*That* is what we need. RMS has always made a point of not being paid
by the FSF for instance; this means he is not influenced by whomever
donates to or sponsors the FSF. He is his own person.

When you have something to lose, it better be your ideology and not
money. If you have money to lose, you've already lost everything.

This is why I'm a perfect leader in my (albiet much smaller than the
FSF) organisations, because I'm not wealthy at all.

Wealth is what kills all ideological movements. You don't make progress
with money; you can build bridges with money, write software with money
and build infrastructure with it, but you can't buy ideology. Ideology
exists in its own universe.

-- 
Leah Rowe <info@minifree.org>
Company Director & Libreboot developer
https://minifree.org/ https://libreboot.org/

Do you know you have rights?
The right to privacy, free speech, the right to read
and the right to learn. The right not to be spied on
and censored by the government.

Defend freedom. Use free (free as in freedom) software.
Spread freedom. Tell everyone you know about it!
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html

Minifree Ltd, trading as Ministry of Freedom.
Registered in England, registration No. 9361826
VAT Registration No. GB202190462
Minifree Ltd, 19 Hilton Road, Canvey Island
Essex SS8 9QA, United Kingdom
United Kingdom

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Re: membership confusion, FSF way forward

[Caleb Herbert]

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Speaking of money, where do I donate to get people to reverse engineer a
site's JavaScript?

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Re: Who is making Web usable without nonfree JS and how had FSF tripped them up

[Dmitry Alexandrov]

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Caleb Herbert <csh@bluehome.net> wrote:
> Speaking of money, where do I donate to get people to reverse engineer a site's JavaScript?

Which site?

In general: https://weboob.org.

By the way, you might found the fact, that its Debian package have been fallen victim to Molly de Blanc’s (an FSF campaign manager at the time) antiharassing team [0] quite relevant to the ongoing topic.

[0] https://bugs.debian.org/914179

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Re: membership confusion, FSF way forward

[Adrienne G. Thompson]

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On Sun, Sep 22, 2019 at 10:19 PM Leah Rowe via libreplanet-discuss <
libreplanet-discuss@libreplanet.org> wrote:


> I take issue with this: there is the issue of vetting regular members.
> What if a bunch of members are present who do not share the FSF's
> hardline stance on free software?
>

Those who disagree with FSF policies are free to go elsewhere.

Adrienne
Freedom - no pane, all gaiGN!

GNU C-Graph - http://www.gnu.org/software/c-graph
Code Art Now - http://codeartnow.com
Abertheid Campaign - http://www.abertheid.info
Follow me on Twitter @AdrienneGT @GNUcgraph

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   On Sun, Sep 22, 2019 at 10:19 PM Leah Rowe via libreplanet-discuss
   <[1]libreplanet-discuss@libreplanet.org> wrote:

     I take issue with this: there is the issue of vetting regular
     members.
     What if a bunch of members are present who do not share the FSF's
     hardline stance on free software?

   Those who disagree with FSF policies are free to go elsewhere.
   Adrienne
   Freedom - no pane, all gaiGN!
   GNU C-Graph - [2]http://www.gnu.org/software/c-graph
   Code Art Now - [3]http://codeartnow.com
   Abertheid Campaign - [4]http://www.abertheid.info
   Follow me on Twitter @AdrienneGT @GNUcgraph

References

   1. mailto:libreplanet-discuss@libreplanet.org
   2. http://www.gnu.org/software/c-graph
   3. http://codeartnow.com/
   4. http://www.abertheid.info/

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Re: membership confusion, FSF way forward

[Caleb Herbert]

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It is important to support the FSF, even though we may not agree totally
with all its policies.  The FSF is the only one doing work against
JavaScript and other issues most developers don't care about.

This is similar to vegans who are against PETA.  They don't realize that
PETA's size allows them to buy influence in companies to minimize use of
animal products.  Vegetarians can now eat the pinto beans at Chipotle
thanks to PETA.

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Re: membership confusion, FSF way forward

[Cinder Roxley]

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On September 22, 2019 at 11:04:46 AM:
Given the extent to which recent discussions demonstrate
misunderstandings about membership status, it doesn't feel correct for
the FSF to continue using the term "associate member", as this term and
the marketing around it (phrases like "Renew your membership!") appear
to be giving people an inaccurate understanding of their status.
“Associate membership” is the correct term for what is being offered.  An Associate Member is defined as "a person who is a member of a club, organization, etc. but only has partial rights and privileges or subordinate status.” [1]  You would be hard pressed to find *any* organization that gives associate members voting rights much less selection of board members.  If the term is being misconstrued, the blame can be assigned to assumptions made based in ignorance.

[1] Harper-Collins Dictionary


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   On September 22, 2019 at 11:04:46 AM:

   Given the extent to which recent discussions demonstrate
   misunderstandings about membership status, it doesn't feel correct for
   the FSF to continue using the term "associate member", as this term and
   the marketing around it (phrases like "Renew your membership!") appear
   to be giving people an inaccurate understanding of their status.

   “Associate membership” is the correct term for what is being offered.
   An Associate Member is defined as "a person who is a member of a club,
   organization, etc. but only has partial rights and privileges or
   subordinate status.” [1]  You would be hard pressed to find *any*
   organization that gives associate members voting rights much less
   selection of board members.  If the term is being misconstrued, the
   blame can be assigned to assumptions made based in ignorance.

   [1] Harper-Collins Dictionary

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