"There's no doubt that there's a tremendous political
component to the software industry today, which is especially
evident in free and open source software development. Whether this
is good or bad is immaterial -- it exists, and we must endure it.
But there is a point, easily reached, where this becomes not
just counter-productive but sufficiently shrill that it makes it
difficult for the movement(s) to be taken seriously -- it simply
provides ammunition for those who do not wish us well.
A couple of recent events involving stars of the community
underline this. They are Richard M. Stallman's candidacy for
membership on the board of the Gnome Foundation, and Eric S.
Raymond's advocacy of Second Amendment rights.
The issue is not the validity of their positions but instead the
appropriateness of the milieu in which they are raised."
