March 2020 - cypherpunks - lists.cpunks.org

[OSI] [ESR] Open Source Iniciative bans co-founder, Eric S. Raymond.
by Cecilia Tanaka 12 Mar '20

12 Mar '20

<https://lunduke.com/posts/2020-03-9-b> Open Source Initiative bans co-founder, Eric S Raymond Mar 9, 2020 Last week, Eric S Raymond (often known as ESR <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_S._Raymond>, author of The Cathedral and the Bazaar <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cathedral_and_the_Bazaar>, and co-founder of the Open Source Intiative <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Source_Initiative>) was banned from the Open Source Intiative (the “OSI”). Specifically, Raymond was banned from the mailing lists used to organize and communicate with the OSI. For an organization to ban their founder from communicating with the group (such as via a mailing list) is a noteworthy move. At a time when we have seen other founders (of multiple Free and Open Source related initiatives) pushed out of the organizations they founded (such as with Richard Stallman being compelled to resign from the Free Software Foundation, or the attempts to remove Linus Torvalds from the Linux Kernel – both of which happened within the last year) it seems worth taking a deeper look at what, specifically, is happening with the Open Source Initiative. I don't wish to tell any of you what you should think about this significant move. As such I will simply provide as much of the relevant information as I can, show the timeline of events, and reach out to all involved parties for their points of view and comments. Raymond made the following statement, on February 27, 2020, on his personal blog <http://esr.ibiblio.org/?p=8609>: “I – OSI’s co-founder and its president for its first six years – was kicked off their lists for being too rhetorically forceful in opposing certain recent attempts to subvert OSD clauses 5 and 6. This despite the fact that I had vocal support from multiple list members who thanked me for being willing to speak out. It shouldn’t be news to anyone that there is an effort afoot to change – I would say corrupt – the fundamental premises of the open-source culture. Instead of meritocracy and “show me the code”, we are now urged to behave so that no-one will ever feel uncomfortable. The effect – the intended effect – is to diminish the prestige and autonomy of people who do the work – write the code – in favor of self-appointed tone-policers. In the process, the freedom to speak necessary truths even when the manner in which they are expressed is unpleasant is being gradually strangled. And that is bad for us. Very bad. Both directly – it damages our self-correction process – and in its second-order effects. The habit of institutional tone policing, even when well-intentioned, too easily slides into the active censorship of disfavored views.” So what, exactly, prompted this extreme measure? What could happen that would be so problematic that an organization would ban their founder (and one of the most well known individuals in the Open Source world)? Thankfully the Open Source Initiative keeps a public archive <https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-discuss_lists.opensource.org/> of all the posts to their mailing lists. I did what any journalist would do in this scenario… I started reading. And I didn't have to go very far back through the archive, either. Turns out the first post (in a very long time) from Raymond was 3 short days before he was banned (and before the blog post he penned above). February 24th, 2020. Raymond posted the following <https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-discuss_lists.opensource.org…> to an OSI mailing list with the title “A wild co-founder appears”: “After twenty years of staying off this list, I have joined it. I didn't, until now, because whenever I checked in on this list the regulars seemed to be doing the job I expected them to do quite competently. And I had enough of an “I can't be everywhere, dammit!” problem without adding to it. But there are two recent developments I find concerning that have convinced me I need to weigh in. Please pay careful attention, as I am not making this choice [lightly]. I will start individual threads for both issues.” What followed from there were several posts by Eric Raymond over the next two days – having conversations on multiple topics relating to Open Source licensing and how the OSI should handle potential revoking of certification of licenses. Some of the messages had strong disagreements over OSI policy. However, I was unable to find any messages, from Raymond (or anyone else) that would (based on my understanding of the Code of Conduct <https://opensource.org/codeofconduct/licensing> that the OSI has adopted for their mailing lists) constitute a banning… of a founder or of any regular member. Then, on February 26, 2020, “Moderator(a)OpenSource.xn--org-9o0a posted the following statement <https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-discuss_lists.opensource.org…> : The OSI Board is aware that some offensive emails have been sent to this list. The OSI does not tolerate deliberately divisive or disrespectful messages from any quarter. We have already taken moderation actions to this effect and we will apply further sanctions if necessary. No further details were provided, making this difficult to verify. The next day (February 27, 2020), Josh Berkus (a Red Hat employee and regular speaker at Open Source conferences) posted the following <https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-discuss_lists.opensource.org…> : ESR's “sharp language” is not an attempt to persuade. It is an attempt to intimidate opponents; to “win” an argument by making others afraid to participate. Indeed, even today OSI mailing list composition is entirely folks with enough privilege to be resistant to personal attacks. That's a sad, terrible thing. It's not “free speech” when it's an attempt to shout others down so that they have no voice. It's something else entirely. Further, not one of ESR's points is original or even original to this list. In his absence, not one of the ideas he so “colorfully” expressed will be lost. In the meantime, we're missing the input of so many people who will not participate in OSI because of our tolerance for wholly uncivilized behavior like his posts. Followed shortly thereafter (February 28, 2020) by Pamela Chestek (a member of the OSI Board <https://opensource.org/docs/board-annotated>) who posted the following <https://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-discuss_lists.opensource.org…> to the OSI Mailing list with the title “Member conduct”: Following an incident on Open Source Initiative mailing lists, the Board has removed a subscriber from both the License-Review and License-Discuss mailing lists for repeatedly violating the Code of Conduct. The Board took steps to mitigate the issue and began deliberating immediately after the incident, reached a decision early this morning, and notified the subscriber of the decision this afternoon. The Board regrets that some material was published that should not have been, in spite of our best moderation efforts. We ask for all mailing list participants to be cautious with the use of CC, BCC, and Reply-All fields in the future. Although we have failed in this instance, the OSI continues to work on making the email lists safe environments where all people and viewpoints are greeted with an open mind and treated with dignity and respect. OSI has a broad constituency and that remains a fundamental asset to our mission. We will be following up in the coming weeks with a more general public statement about the current state of our moderation efforts, as well as relevant projects that are in flight. We are grateful for the feedback we’ve received and welcome further input on our efforts. We hope that our continued efforts will bring more underrepresented voices to the table, and that those who left will feel safe returning. We want you all with us on this journey. I reached out to the Board and leadership of the Open Source Initiative for comment, and to provide the quote from Eric Raymond that prompted the decission to ban him. As of the writing of this article, I had not yet received any reply from the Open Source Initiative leadership. I also reached out to Eric S Raymond to see if he could shed any further light on the situation and get his views. What follows are his complete responses to me. *Lunduke*: Any idea what statement/email you sent that specifically caused the banning? *Eric S Raymond*: “They never told me specifically which message was the cause. In fact, they haven't publicly admitted to banning me, though I got an email telling me I had been banned.” *Lunduke*: I've also asked the OSI board the same question (and others)… but have yet to hear back from them. *Eric S Raymond*: “Don't hold your breath waiting. Full political ass-covering mode will be in effect now, and you can quote me on that. These people are an utter disgrace to the ideals on which I founded OSI.” *Lunduke*: What do you see as the root cause of the issues you see with the OSI (which you call out in your blog post <http://esr.ibiblio.org/?p=8609>)? *Eric S Raymond*: The fetishization of ‘nice’ behavior, where ‘nice’ ends up defined as being any behavior some self-appointed censor doesn't like. Usually (and in this case) accompanied by a lot of bafflegab about “inclusion” and “diversity” so thay anyone who isn't a fan of the new, censorious rules can be cast as some sort of bigot. *Lunduke*: How would you go about fixing those issues? *Eric S Raymond*: Abolish “Codes of Conduct” and all the Orwellian doublespeak that goes with them. It's less bad that people sometimes got their feelings hurt than it is to institutionalize a means by which dissenting opinions are crushed under the rubric of “not nice”. Let's take a step back, for a moment, and look at thing from a high level. Where are we at, as of the writing of this article? - Eric S Raymond (ESR), one of the founders of the Open Source Initiative, has been banned from OSI mailing lists. - No verifiable reason has been given, by the OSI, for the banning. Based on the timeline, presumably the offending message (or messages) would have been sent in the two day window between February 24th and February 26th. - The Open Source Initiative has not responded to a request for clarification or comment. Perhaps interestingly, the Open Source Initiative is right in the middle of an election for a few of their Board seats <https://opensource.org/elections>. With such clear and strong conflicts happening between a founder of the OSI – and some of the current leadership of the OSI – it will be interesting to see what direction the current OSI leadership and membeship choose to go in.

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Excerpts from Machiavelli's Discourse on Livy
by Ryan Carboni 11 Mar '20

11 Mar '20

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Discourses_on_Livy/Third_Book/Chapters_I-VII THAT WHICH MAKES A KING LOSE THE KINGDOM THAT WAS INHERITED BY HIM Tarquinius Superbus having killed Servius Tullus, and the latter not leaving any heirs, he (Tarquinius) came to possess the kingdom with security, not having to fear those things which had harmed his predecessors. And although the manner of his occupying the kingdom was irregular and odious, none the less had he observed the ancient institutions of the other Kings, he would have been tolerated, and the Senate and Plebs would never have arisen against him and taken the State away from him. This man, therefore, was not driven out because of his son Sextus having violated Lucretia, but for having broken the laws and governed it (his Kingdom) tyrannically; having taken away all authority from the Senate and assumed it himself, and those funds which were marked for public improvements with which the Roman Senate was satisfied, he diverted to the building of his own palace, with disgust and envy for him resulting. So that in a very short time, he despoiled Rome of all that liberty which she had maintained under the other previous Kings. And it was not enough for him to make the Fathers (Senators) his enemies, but he aroused the Plebs against himself, working them hard in mechanical labor and all unlike those which his predecessors had employed. So that by having filled Rome with such cruel and haughty examples of his, he had already disposed the minds of all the Romans to rebellion whenever they should have the opportunity. And if the incident of Lucretia had not happened, even so another would have arisen which would have produced the same result: For if Tarquin had lived like the other Kings and his son Sextus had not made that error, Brutus and Collatinus would have had recourse to Tarquin for vengeance against Sextus, and to the Roman People. Princes should understand, therefore, that they begin to lose the State from that hour when they begin to break the laws and ancient institutions under which men have lived for a long time. And if as private citizens, having lost the State, they should ever become so prudent to see with what facility Principalities are kept by those who are counselled wisely, they would regret their loss much more, and would condemn themselves to greater punishment than that to which others have condemned them: For it is much more easy to be loved by the good than the bad, and to obey the laws then to enforce them. And in wanting to learn the course that they should have to hold to do this, they do not have to endure any other hardship than to mirror for themselves the lives of good Princes, such as Timoleon the Corinthian, Aratus the Sicyonian, and similar ones, in the lives of whom they would find as much security and satisfaction to him who ruled as to he who is ruled; so that they ought to want to imitate him, being able to do so for the reasons mentioned: For men when they are well governed, do not seek or desire any other liberty; as happened to the people governed by the above named (Princes), whom they constrained to be Princes as long as they lived, even though they often had been tempted to return to private life. And as in this and the two preceding chapters, there has been discussed the dispositions aroused against Princes, and of the Conspiracy made by the sons of Brutus against their country, and of those made against Tarquinius Priscus and Servius Tullus, it does not appear to me to be something outside this subject to speak at length of them in the following chapter, being a matter worthy of being noted by Princes and Private Citizens. OF CONSPIRACIES And it does not appear proper to me to omit the discussion of Conspiracies, being a matter of so much danger to Princes and Private Citizens. For it is seen that many more Princes have lost their lives and States through them, than by open war. For it is conceded only to a few to be able to make open war against a Prince, but the ability to conspire against them is conceded to everyone. On the other hand, private citizens do not enter in an enterprise more perilous nor more foolhardy than this, as it is difficult and most dangerous in all of its parts. Whence it happens that many are attempted, and very few have the desired ending. So that, therefore, Princes may learn to guard themselves from these dangers, and that Private Citizens may less rashly engage in them, and rather may learn to live contentedly under the Rule that has been assigned to them by chance and by their state, I shall speak widely, not omitting any notable case, in documenting the one and the other. And truly that sentence of Cornelius Tacitus is golden, which says that men have to honor things past but obey the present, and ought to desire good Princes, but tolerate the ones they have. And truly, whoever does otherwise, most of the time will ruin himself and his country. We ought, therefore, ((in entering on this matter)) to consider first against whom conspiracies are made, and we will find them to be made either against a country or against a Prince. It is of these two that I want us to discuss at present; for those which are made to give a town over to the enemy who besiege it, or that have some reason similar to this, have been talked about above sufficiently. And in this first part we shall treat of that against a Prince, and first we will examine the reasons for it, which are many, but there is one which is more important than all the others: and this is his being hated by the general public; for in the case of that Prince who has aroused this universal hatred, it is reasonable (to suppose) that there are some particular individuals who have been injured by him more (then others) and who desire to avenge themselves. This desire of theirs is increased by that universal ill disposition that they see is aroused against him. A Prince ought therefore to avoid these public charges, but I do not want to talk here ((having treated of this elsewhere)) of what he should do to avoid them. For by guarding himself against this (hatred), the simple offenses against particular individuals will make less war against him: One, because rarely is a man met who thinks so much of an injury that he will put himself in so much danger to avenge it: The other, even if they should be of a mind and power to do so, they are held back by that universal benevolence that they see the Prince to have. Injuries that happen to an individual are of Possessions (taking them from him), of Blood (physical injury), or of Honor. Of those of Blood, threats are most dangerous, and there is no peril in the execution, because he who is dead cannot think of vengeance, and those who remain alive most of the time leave such thoughts to the dead: but he who is threatened, and sees himself constrained by necessity either to act or to suffer, becomes a most dangerous man for the Prince, as we shall relate in detail in its place. Outside of this necessity, those (injuries) of Possession and Honor, are matters that harm men more than any other offense, and against which the Prince ought to guard himself, for he can never despoil one so much that he does not leave a mind obstinate to vengeance. And of (injuries) of honor, that are inflicted on men, that against their women is most important, and after that, insult to their person. This (kind of injury) armed Pausanias against Phillip of Macedonia: this has armed many others against many other Princes: and in our times, Julio Belanti would not have set in motion a conspiracy against Pandolfo, Tyrant of Siena, except that the latter had given him a daughter for his wife, and then took her away, as we will relate in its place. The major cause that made the Pazzi conspire against the Medici, was the inheritance of Giovanni Borromei, which was taken from the former by the latter.

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The Turks are Masters of American Politics
by Ryan Carboni 11 Mar '20

11 Mar '20

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sibel_Edmonds In September 2005, Edmonds claimed in Vanity Fair that a price was set for Dennis Hastert to withdraw support for the Armenian Genocide resolution. That the "... Turkish Consulate ... claimed in one recording that the price for Hastert to withdraw the resolution would have been at least $500,000."

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Re: Coronavirus Patients in China to beTreated with High-Dose Vitamin C in New Clinical Trial
by Zenaan Harkness 11 Mar '20

11 Mar '20

24gm may well be too much acidity for the human body. Eckhard Rohric in Sydney Australia, was giving 2gm (2000mg) per day intravenous to cancer patients, and having significant success. Hopefully Wuhan U. will discover if 24gm/day over a week, is too much. On Sat, Feb 15, 2020 at 04:44:19PM +1000, Gil May wrote: > *Coronavirus Patients in China to be Treated with High-Dose Vitamin C in > New Clinical Trial* > > by Andrew W. Saul, Editor > <http://orthomolecular.activehosted.com/index.php?action=social&chash=42a0e1…> > Orthomolecular Medicine News Service > <http://orthomolecular.activehosted.com/index.php?action=social&chash=42a0e1…> > > FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE > > (OMNS February 13, 2020) Breaking news: China is conducting a clinical > trial of 24,000 mg/day of intravenous vitamin C to treat patients with > coronavirus and severe respiratory complications. Participants will receive > IV vitamin C for 7 days straight at Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University. > Honor and thanks are due to Zhiyong Peng, MD, for making this happen. He is > chief physician and professor at the hospital, which is close to ground > zero for coronavirus. This important study was filed and announced > yesterday and details may be confirmed at > https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04264533 > <https://orthomolecular.acemlna.com/lt.php?notrack=1&s=d185c2708608bef09bdb5…> > > *At Zhongnan Hospital in Wuhan, China, 24,000 mg of vitamin C will be > administered to coronavirus patients, intravenously, each day for 7 days.* > > To fight a dangerous virus for which there is no existing medical > treatment, you must rely on your own immune system. It is well established, > in every nutrition textbook ever written, that you need vitamin C to make > your immune system work well, or to even work at all. Inadequate vitamin C > intake is a worldwide problem that can be immediately and economically > fixed. With even modest amounts of supplemental vitamin C, deaths will > decrease. In one study, a mere 200 mg of vitamin C/day resulted in an *80% > decrease in deaths among severely ill, hospitalized respiratory disease > patients.* [Hunt C et al. *Int J Vitam Nutr Res* 1994;64:212-19.] > http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v16n09.shtml > <https://orthomolecular.acemlna.com/lt.php?notrack=1&s=d185c2708608bef09bdb5…> > > Another recent study used this same low 200 mg dose for infants and > children under five years of age, with severe pneumonia. The authors > concluded that > > *“Vitamin C is effective in reducing duration of severe pneumonia in > children less than five years of age. Oxygen saturation was improved in > less than one day.”** [Khan IM et al. J Rawalpindi Med Coll (JRMC); > 2014;18(1):55-57 http://www.journalrmc.com/volumes/1405749894.pdf > <https://orthomolecular.acemlna.com/lt.php?notrack=1&s=d185c2708608bef09bdb5…> > ]* > > A lack of vitamin C has been long known, literally for decades, to increase > susceptibility to viruses. > http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v16n06.shtml > <https://orthomolecular.acemlna.com/lt.php?notrack=1&s=d185c2708608bef09bdb5…> > > It is one thing to be sick from a virus and another thing entirely to die > from a viral-instigated disease. The greatest danger with coronavirus is > escalation to pneumonia. For this, much higher doses of vitamin C are > indicated, preferably by IV. > > How to administer high-dose intravenous vitamin C in hospital, Chinese > language edition, is now posted for free access at > http://www.doctoryourself.com/Coronavirus_Chinese_IV_C_Protocol.pdf > <https://orthomolecular.acemlna.com/lt.php?notrack=1&s=d185c2708608bef09bdb5…> > . > > This information is now being publicized all over Asia. Just because it is > not on the American news channels doesn’t mean it’s not happening. It is. > This is real news. The fake news is the media’s neglect in not reporting > it. And here is the protocol in English, to make reporting all the easier: > http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v16n07.shtml > <https://orthomolecular.acemlna.com/lt.php?notrack=1&s=d185c2708608bef09bdb5…> > > *(OMNS Editor-in-Chief Andrew W. Saul is a member of the Medical and > Scientific Advisory Board to the International Intravenous Vitamin C China > Epidemic Medical Support Team. Its director is Richard Z. Cheng, MD, PhD; > associate director is Hong Zhang, PhD. Other team members that American > readers will recognize include Jeanne Drisko, MD (Professor, University of > Kansas Medical School); Thomas Levy, MD, JD; and Atsuo Yanagisawa, MD, PhD. > (Professor, Kyorin University, Tokyo).* > > *Intravenous Vitamin C Protocol in > English: http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v16n07.shtml > <https://orthomolecular.acemlna.com/lt.php?notrack=1&s=d185c2708608bef09bdb5…>* > > *IVC Protocol in > Chinese: http://www.doctoryourself.com/Coronavirus_Chinese_IV_C_Protocol.pdf > <https://orthomolecular.acemlna.com/lt.php?notrack=1&s=d185c2708608bef09bdb5…>*

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Where is Ali Mohamed?
by Ryan Carboni 11 Mar '20

11 Mar '20

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Mohamed Is the history of American intelligence simply idiots failing to outsmart others? I like my odds.

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Cryptocurrency: Bitcoin 2011
by grarpamp 11 Mar '20

11 Mar '20

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB1dNmphRJQ #BitcoinRoadtrip 2011 @ UAH 1/2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuRys98OzlI #BitcoinRoadtrip 2011 @ UAH 2/2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5-52CPEluQ #BitcoinRoadtrip Day One http://thebitcoinpodcast.com/the-bitcoin-podcast-294/ https://www.whatbitcoindid.com/podcast/nick-szabo-on-cypherpunks-money-and-… IRS in 2014: Bitcoin is not a currency. IRS in 2020: Let us know if you own any so we can take it from you.

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Leaks and Intel: DOJ Howto
by grarpamp 10 Mar '20

10 Mar '20

https://www.justice.gov/criminal-ccips/page/file/1252341/download online_intel_gathering_recovery_of_stolen_data_-_final.pdf

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Facialized: Dress for Privacy Success
by grarpamp 10 Mar '20

10 Mar '20

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/03/16/dressing-for-the-surveillance… As cities become ever more packed with cameras that always see, public anonymity could disappear. Can stealth streetwear evade electronic eyes? https://www.thispersondoesnotexist.com/ https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/the-opt-out-illusion/ https://www.github.developerdan.com/hosts/ http://noyb.eu/ https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock https://github.com/notracking/hosts-blocklists/wiki/Install-pi-hole

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Intel LVI and AMD L1D: Fuct Again - Invent #OpenFabs Printing #OpenCPU
by grarpamp 10 Mar '20

10 Mar '20

https://transient.fail/ https://lviattack.eu/ https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/bitdefender-researchers-discover-n… http://blog.ptsecurity.com/2020/03/intelx86-root-of-trust-loss-of-trust.html https://github.com/jovanbulck/sgx-step/tree/master/app/lvi https://github.com/bitdefender/lvi-lfb-attack-poc https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/security-center/advisory/intel-sa-0… https://software.intel.com/security-software-guidance/software-guidance/loa… AMD L1D Cache Way https://mlq.me/download/takeaway.pdf https://gruss.cc/files/takeaway.pdf Props: https://meltdownattack.com/ https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7Jsn37GlvSwYGaetkukEROk9Ew8OUoHj #OpenFabs , #OpenCPU , #OpenHW , #OpenAudit ... Get er done... https://rootsofprogress.org/how-early-american-inventors-funded-their-ventu…

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Syrian geography lesson with a bit of history
by Zenaan Harkness 10 Mar '20

10 Mar '20

For those interested in ME politics, geography and/or history, the below is a packed little piece you might enjoy. Once the Syrian oil thieves are finally kicked out of their country by the USA - or something - perhaps Erdogan/ Turkey might get a taste of its own lessons. From: Zenaan Harkness <zen(a)freedbms.net> Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2020 21:10:29 +1100 Subject: Syrian geography lesson :) This was my Syrian geography lesson on the weekend: The Gateway To Idlib Goes Via Cilica http://thesaker.is/the-gateway-to-idlib-goes-via-cilica/

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