From: RMS%MIT-OZ@mit-eddie
Newsgroups: net.unix-wizards,net.usoft
Subject: new Unix implementation
Date: Tue, 27-Sep-83 12:35:59 EST
Organization: MIT AI Lab, Cambridge, MA

Free Unix!

Starting this Thanksgiving I am going to write a complete
Unix-compatible software system called GNU (for Gnu's Not Unix), and
give it away free(1) to everyone who can use it.

[...]

Why I Must Write GNU

I consider that the golden rule requires that if I like a program I
must share it with other people who like it. I cannot in good
conscience sign a nondisclosure agreement or a software license
agreement.

So that I can continue to use computers without violating my principles,
I have decided to put together a sufficient body of free software so that
I will be able to get along without any software that is not free.

[…] 

<li><a name="25 May 2003 ()">25 May 2003 ()</a>

<p>
The UK
<A HREF="https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2003/jun/06/pressandpublishing.lords">
is planning a censorship law</A> that would prohibit "giving a
(so-called) child anything that relates to sexual activity or contains
a reference to such activity". This clearly includes most novels that
you can buy in an ordinary book store.
<p>As usual, the term "child" is used as a form of deception, since it
includes teenagers of an age at which a large fraction of people are
sexually active nowadays. People we would not normally call children.
<p>The law would also prohibit "encouraging a (so-called) child to take
part in sexual activity." I think that everyone age 14 or above ought
to take part in sex, though not indiscriminately. (Some people are
ready earlier.) It is unnatural for humans to abstain from sex past
puberty, and while I wouldn't try to pressure anyone to participate, I
certainly encourage everyone to do so.
<p>This web site is currently hosted in the UK. If the law is adopted,
will my web site be a crime? I will have to talk with the people who
host the site about whether I should move it to another country.
<p>(The hosting company responded that I don't need to move.)

“We demand an end to the pernicious influence that millionaire pedophiles, genocidal crown princes, billionaire climate change deniers, and giant corporations profiting from wars, deportations, and concentration camps at the border hold over MIT and academia generally.  

Jeffery Epstein was a multimillionaire serial child abuser and sex trafficker who eluded serious justice for many years (his 18-month sentence from 2008, of which he served 13 months, was a slap on the wrist) by surrounding himself with powerful men and powerful institutions. He maintained these networks of powerful men by writing them big checks through his “philanthropic” activities, including philanthropic activities to MIT. He cultivated relationships with several MIT figures, including Media Lab founder Nicholas Negroponte, former Media Lab director Joi Ito, deceased AI “pioneer” Marvin Minsky (who is accused of assaulting one of Epstein’s victims), and Professor Seth Lloyd, who visited Epstein during his prison term and accepted grants afterwards. Joi Ito visited his properties, flew on his private jet, obtained 1.2 million from Epstein for his personal investments, and raised millions for the media lab with Epstein's help. However, MIT had internally “disqualified” Epstein as a donor. That meant MIT officially would not take Epstein’s money. But Joi Ito wanted Epstein's money anyway, and so Media Lab officials and other top MIT officials, such as MIT’s VP of Resource Development Julie Lucas as well as Richard MacMillan (a senior director under Lucas), worked together to cover up Epstein’s donations by anonymizing them.”

The announcement of the Friday event does an injustice to Marvin Minsky:
“deceased AI ‘pioneer’ Marvin Minsky (who is accused of assaulting one of Epstein’s victims [2])”

The injustice is in the word “assaulting”. The term “sexual assault” is so vague and slippery that it facilitates accusation inflation: taking claims that someone did X and leading people to think of it as Y, which is much worse than X.

The accusation quoted is a clear example of inflation. The reference reports the claim that Minsky had sex with one of Epstein’s harem. (See https://www.theverge.com/2019/8/9/20798900/marvin-minsky-jeffrey-epstein-sex-trafficking-island-court-records-unsealed.) 

Let’s presume that was true (I see no reason to disbelieve it).
 
The word “assaulting” presumes that he applied force or violence, in some unspecified way, but the article itself says no such thing. Only that they had sex.  We can imagine many scenarios, but the most plausible scenario is that she presented herself to him as entirely willing.  Assuming she was being coerced by Epstein, he would have had every reason to tell her to conceal that from most of his associates.

I’ve concluded from various examples of accusation inflation that it is absolutely wrong to use the term “sexual assault” in an accusation.
Whatever conduct you want to criticize, you should describe it with a specific term that avoids moral vagueness about the nature of the criticism.
I think it is morally absurd to define “rape” in a way that depends on minor details such as which country it was in or whether the victim was 18 years old or 17.

Sex between an adult and child is wrong

Many years ago I posted that I could not see anything wrong about sex between an adult and a child, if the child accepted it.
Through personal conversations in recent years, I've learned to understand how sex with a child can harm per psychologically. This changed my mind about the matter: I think adults should not do that. I am grateful for the conversations that enabled me to understand why.