-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 On Thursday 01 March 2007 15:40, Paul Johnson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> was heard to say: > You realize that GNU and socialism have more in common than in > difference, right?
False. Socialist practices are ones of state concentration of power, collective "ownership". Socialism is the government granted monopoly for delivery of your local telephone wiring, your local electricity, your local water, sewer, trash. Socialism is the government granted monopoly that says you cannot draw three circles in a certain way, or you can be punished by government as a proxy for Disney Corp. Copyright and patent are _socialist_ institutions, because they are monopoly grants backed by the coercive force of the state. The distinction is _force_. The GNU project and its F/OSS progeny are _voluntary_. Because they are entirely voluntary, they cannot by definition be socialist. The definition of voluntary sharing is called "cooperation", not "socialism". Because I have complete control over my own property, to use or not, to distribute or not, to add to the works of others or not, F/OSS embodies respect for private property. Private property is the antithesis of "collective" ownership. It is capitalism. It is no less capitalism because the "capital" goods are not being valued in terms of money. Information and reputation are just as valuable, maybe more so. "A libertarian is a person who believes that no one has the right, under any circumstances, to initiate force against another human being, or to advocate or delegate its initiation. Those who act consistently with this principle are libertarians, whether they realize it or not. Those who fail to act consistently with it are *not* libertarians, regardless of what they may claim." -- author L. Neil Smith Curt- - -- September 11th, 2001 The proudest day for gun control and central planning advocates in American history -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.6 (GNU/Linux) iQEVAwUBRedBhy9Y35yItIgBAQKTfgf/RSikbRsgv+iGmnhyFU+dWqP2pPViVTFA +jSTaOfwRHvxGIe0+B8qFmkh/dCmZKtDIQ0ZYBjN7HTRh+Qf1cskPuusD67nRvrj kX/nnIrRo0PU00HMNhqcJiCsRj+zSSpqlRGMc920RX9x1IHAFxCsGXGvsoFgU+a+ PZpba0BrKKz/72hR8+GXBCzZgQdBAa0pFxjhkPom9jQDKERADJMtDcwyA4w0Lcf+ 0g9fsj9sKCxSgh2JSDauY5iaDzhqU+CaDs93/qvQ7546FXR30F/2kdxnmSDZKOMQ wb2kIsCFXz6U2/ypqnGhSWJuJyxH3uQTeH36EK0erg9FebrqsJ+7LA== =u5cL -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]