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Re: [ox-en] Nazi in Debian Alert



On Wed, Jan 21, 2004 at 11:50:47PM [PHONE NUMBER REMOVED], Robin Green wrote:
Well, that's unfortunate, but if the Debian developers don't want to eject
him, what can you do?

It's not that individuals Debian developers don't, on some or more
than one level, want to kick him our not work with him. It's that
Debian is explicitly structured to not discriminate against users,
developers, or software based on who they are or what they do. It's in
our free software guidelines and its in the social contract!

If you're uncomfortable with this you're not alone -- Lessig recently
told me that 3/4 of the works licensed under the Creative Commons
licenses use the non-commercial use clause -- discrimination against
field of endeavor. But make no mistake, this is a problem you with
have with one of the core freedoms in Free Software and Open Source
and we passionately hold on to it for reasons we think are
important. Important enough that we're willing to risk working with
Nazis.

I mean, it's not as if Walther is using his position to promote Nazi
ideology is it - or is it?

This is the key issue. Debian will not and has not promoted Nazism or
Fascism. This should be very clear and if Paul's intention is to imply
that this is the case through this public email campaign, then
shame on him.

Personally I would not want to work on a free software project with a
Nazi, and if I were in their shoes I'd try to have him ejected. But
that's on the personal level, and on their personal level apparently
they aren't too bothered by it - or not bothered enough to exclude him,
anyway.

I agree with most of what you're saying Robin but this incorrect. It's
not that people aren't bothered or bothered enough. It's that Debian
folks have conflicting sets of ethical obligations and the one's
specified in our social contract trump our personal politics when it
comes to the explicitly multi-political body that is Debian.

If I thought Debian was reflecting or subverted by or working toward
Nazi or Fascist goals, I would be gone. While knowing that there are
Nazis in Debian implies a baby step in this direction, I don't we've
gone far enough for me to stop yet -- nor do I think we will.

Regards,
Mako

-- 
Benjamin Mako Hill
mako debian.org
http://mako.yukidoke.org/

_______________________
http://www.oekonux.org/



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