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

[Ruben Safir]

> Since you seem to be rather ignorant of politics and how things are done in
> the real world, let me be more graphic in talking about the uproar and
> firestorm I mentioned in my previous posting.  We want the headline in the
> press to be " 'Shared source is lipstick on a pig' respond attendees to
> Microsoft position in an open debate at a free/open-source conference."
> 

I'm reluctant to move this one step further, which would make it a flame war,
but I'll tell you this.  You are flat out wrongf about my political experience
and I'm certain that I have more experience in politics than any single person 
on this list.

Your brand of 'real world' debate wouldn't get you past a PTA meeting let alone
something as imporant and contriversal as this.

Tell me, how many political campains have you worked with?

I've been an active participant on over 40 election campains.
None of them remotely sound like anything your talking about.  Perhaps
you should actually observe a political campain or two before dictating to
someone with real experience in these matters as to what is proper politically,
and  what is not.

Unlike in Washington, we in NY and weare not restricted by our job description 
and federal
law from participating in campains. We are allowed to support openly canidates 
running for office.




> We don't want the headlines to be "Academic freedom is OK for controversial
> racists but not for Microsoft,"  "Whatever happened to the first amendment
> -- George Washington University charged with bias against unpopular views
> at conference,"  "Microsoft is right, Free Software is UnAmerican charge
> Microsoft supporters in Congress after Microsoft denied right to speak at
> free/open-source software conference,"  "Government employees ordered to
> withdraw from conference committee and drop involvement with Free Software
> after controversy over rejection of Microsoft as speaker at conference."
> 
> Does that make things more clear?


It makes it clear to me that politically, your what we describe as a 'coward'.  
And THAT
is proper political jaargon used in evaluating campainers in the party who 
concede to your
adversary without rational reason.  'Cowards' are systematically weeded out of 
the party 
by 'henchmen' because they destroy party solidarty and have a high probibly of 
morphing into 
'traitors'.

None of your hypothetical headlines would ever be published with a competetent 
polical
leadership on the scene.



        Oh - that's right... in this case there is none!

> I understand that Tony Stanco spoke at LinuxWorld to the effect that the
> Free Software and Open-Source software communities need to learn how to
> lobby in Washington to counter Microsoft's big-bucks lobbying efforts.

Yeah Yeah, what you didn't read was my article in the Linux Journal on 
grassroots
organizing.  Tony, who has never run a single political campain in his life, is 
just
flat out wrong.  And I smell a 'Rat', which is another COMMON political lexicon 
in
'real world' politics.  'Rat' is someone who sells out or leaks information to 
the
opposition for unscrupules reasons.


> This discussion proves to me that this community has an enormous amount of
> learning to do before it capable of becoming as effective at lobbying as it
> needs to become.

Yeah it does.  And this lerning curve starts with YOU.

Frankly, you don't KNOW how to win.  Now you have two choices.  You can sulk
and take personal jabs at me, or you can become self-reflective and admit 
that you don't KNOW how to run a real campain, and you can start to become
educated about the 'Real World' of politics by reading this:

http://www.nylxs.com/pathfromhere.html

It wouldn't hurt for you to read about Robert Moses, Tamany Hall, Mayor Daily
and John F Kenedy.  You can also learn something from the original George Bush
campain, the Contract with America and the rise of Union Labor in American 
Politics.

Let me drop one last clue on you... it's a good thing Democracy.  It means that
political factions don't shoot each other to determine who gets to be king.
But it does nothing to change the actual nature of politics....



> >
> >> 
> >> Are you suggesting that in order for the conference to be legitimate a
> >> university and a conference committee that includes several government
> >> employees should deny a speaker from Microsoft the right to present the
> >> Microsoft position in debate before an audience almost guaranteed to be
> >> packed with active competitors and adversaries of Microsoft?
> >> 
> >> Can you imagine for a moment the uproar and political firestorm that would
> >> result from such a situation?
> >
> >Fine, as long as it takes place out of the room and as long as they get my
> name
> >and the URL for the Free Software Chamber of Commerce right before they
> attack it
> >
> >In any event, it's not a debate.  If it's a debate on Free Software versus
> >Propriatory software, say so on the website so that everyone knows this and
> >is prepared going in.
> >
> >Overwise, it's a conference on the reasons and uses of Open Source and
> Free Software
> >for government and Microsoft doesn't qualify under EITHER category.
> >
> >
> >> As an attendee and participant in this and related events, let me assure
> >> you that the event does not merely pretend to be part of our community, it
> >> is part of our community.  And the spirit of our community is not betrayed.
> >
> >If this event includes Microsoft, it betrays the Community.  Bayonne was
> imediately
> >affected by the presense of Microsoft at LWE in NY by denying it a first
> place award
> >and the press it deserved.
> >
> >That translates to food on dinner plates for my members ... period.

-- 
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