Site original : Richard Stallman's Political Notes
European politicians have found an excuse to thwart generic Covid vaccines: demanding that the US start exporting vaccine first.
This is a bizarre nonsequitur. The US will have spare capacity soon and could export it, but that won't be enough to vaccinate the whole world quickly.
The UK should stop prosecuting Extinction Rebellion protesters. The public are protecting them by finding them not guilty. Bravo for the public! Now it is time for the state to back down.
A descendant of Ponca chief Standing Bear demands that Harvard return a hatchet that Standing Bear gave away in gratitude.
We know that the US committed many injustices against Standing Bear and the rest of the Poncas, as it did to many other indigenous Americans. Only a fraction of them are mentioned in the article.
However, none of that invalidates Standing Bear's gift of the hatchet to Webster, who had defended his right to be considered human. That was a valid gift, and so (as far as we know) was Webster's gift of the hatchet to Harvard. Thus, I conclude that Chapman's argument is invalid and Harvard should keep the hatchet.
Displaying the hatchet in a museum can teach Americans about what indigenous Americans had to do to claim human rights in the United States.
Amnesty International has resumed referring to Alexei Navalny as a "prisoner of conscience".
The organization has decided to be less particular, and recognize people that courageously resist tyrants, even if they have expressed views that Amnesty disagrees with.
I disagree with those views too, but I think Amnesty's change in policy is wise.