I remain uncertain of where I stand with respect to Firefox and will continue using it on the systems I control and influence.
Severe damage has been done to the reputation of Mozilla, and everything I thought it stood for. This is unfortunate for Mozilla. I believe that Mozilla will survive this damage, regardless of my, or anyone else's ultimate decision concerning the use of an internet browser. I feared the worst when an internet rabble (for rabble they are), began a campaign to overturn what appeared to be a sound and well considered appointment of Mozilla's board acting in Mozilla's best interest in selecting a CEO. The board's decision was reversed. The details of how it was reversed are no longer relevant. The reason it was reversed was very, very chilling. Today, it became frightening. The damage to the ideals we cherish is just beginning, and is accelerating at a rate I could not have imagined. I was warned in 1990 by a fellow physicist we were headed this way, and I laughed at him. I was wrong then, and I pray I am wrong now. For better or worse, Mozilla is now at the epicenter of an impending societal disaster and I believe that Mozilla should lead the way in staving off this disaster. We, collectively, Mozilla, Open Source Initiative, Net Neutrality, all of us and our cherished beliefs of free association and free expression of our beliefs, all of it are being crucified on the tree of political correctness. Our personal beliefs, opinions, prior work, people we associated with are now being used by well funded and well organized small, quasi-anonymous groups of thought police who attempt to strike terror into organizations for the decisions they make, if these groups don't approve. Organizations which have given these groups the plough shares which they are now beating into swords against any perceived slight, real or imagined. Weapons they are now using to assassinate characters of talented, dedicated and committed people, but people with whom they disagree on some cause or other. Mozilla was the canary in the coal mine. That canary has died. This situation now transcends the events of the past several weeks at Mozilla and has emboldened those who would destroy anyone who would disagree with them, as can be now seen in the developing movement by these same groups to force DropBox to remove a newly appointed director because they disagree with the political beliefs of this director. I admit that I have not paid much attention to the internal affairs of Mozilla until now. I support neither political party, and have not for a long time. I have worked in totalitarian countries and have seen first hand the blessings of liberty we inherited from our founders. I have been able to contrast those blessings with places where they do not exist and clearly see the difference. I submit that the internet community, the open source community, which includes not just Mozilla, BSD and Linux (in all variants), individually, and collectively must now, immediately and strongly and unequivocally join together in denouncing and discrediting this rabble that threatens us all. The voice of our community must be loud enough that the press and the rulers and those who would sacrifice this all for sectarian motives will hear, that we will not and cannot be further intimidated. Those who would intimidate organizations, such as Mozilla and now DropBox and their people, should be told, just as the Klan was told, there is no place in our world for your style of diplomacy, but you are welcome to the table to discuss your concerns and we, and the forums we have created in the OPEN internet welcome you, but you cannot control us by threats, intimidation and character assassination. In other words, "Just say NO!" If we do not, right now, today, then the words of Martin Niemöller, will become, once again prophetic: First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out-- Because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out-- Because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out-- Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me--and there was no one left to speak for me. _______________________________________________ governance mailing list [email protected] https://lists.mozilla.org/listinfo/governance
