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Just some crazy idea that popped into my head.
When your <strike>so-called</strike> leadership begins the throw around emotionally and politically charged words like "terrorist" and "fundamentalist" and you realize that they are referring to you, it might just be time to sit down, sharpen your quill pen and write yourself a manifesto. If you are in Boston, you might also celebrate with a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_tea_party tea party,] but not all acts of defiance need to be destructive, in fact many can be constructive or even Constructionist.
A manifesto is not an easy document to craft, particularly when you have important business to take care of, like building tools to educate the world's children, so it might be a good idea to look around and see if there is any content in the public domain that you can easily modify, under the applicable copyright laws, as a starting point. There is a userful list of them on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manifesto Wikipedia] and even more are listed [http://www.manifestos.net/titles/ here.] Among all of the manifestos listed on those sites, one has taken on meaning that transcends the boundaries of it's homeland and speaks deeply to many, especially those within it's homeland who still see it as a statement of hope in dark times.
And so with apologies to the author, please consider this rough first draft of a "Sugar Manifesto". Out of respect for the original, no words have been removed, although those not applicable are in <strike>strikeout</strike>, insertions appear in ''italics''.
+++++++++++
When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one ''group of'' people to dissolve the <strike>political</strike> ''institutional'' bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the <strike>powers</strike> ''friends'' of the earth ''and all of it's children'', the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God ''as well as applicable copyright law'' entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal'', but that sadly, not all children are granted equal opportunity to learn'', that they <strike>are</strike> ''should be'' endowed by their <strike>Creator</strike> ''Teachers'' with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are ''a'' Life''time love of learning'', Liberty ''(particularly the liberty to understand and even modify the source code of their learning tools)'' and the pursuit of Happiness ''and Knowledge on their own terms''. — That to secure these rights, <strike>Governments</strike> ''software projects'' are instituted among Men ''and Women, but especially coders'', deriving their just powers from the consent of the <strike>governed</strike> ''participants'', — That whenever any <strike>Form of Government</strike> ''institution'' becomes destructive of these ends ''or simply loses it's path and moral compass'', it is the Right of the People ''actually providing much of the effort'' to <strike>alter or to abolish</strike> ''leave'' it ''with heartfelt regret'', and to institute ''a'' new <strike>Government</strike>''project'', laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety ''to produce open-source tools'' and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that <strike>Governments</strike> ''institutions'' long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such <strike>Government</strike> ''leadership'', and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these <strike>Colonies</strike> ''coders''; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of <strike>Government</strike> ''collaboration''. The history of the present <strike>King of Great Britain</strike> ''Chairman'' is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over <strike>these States</strike> ''the movement to bring the benefits of Constructionist learning theories and advanced learning technology to the children of the world''. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
List of grievances left as an exercise to the reader, for the original listing see [http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/index.htm here].
[[Sugar_Labs]] contains a more serious treatment of this topic, but I was moved to draft this in response to the flurry of edits on [[Announcing_SugarLabs]].
[[User:Cjl|Cjl]] 20:50, 15 May 2008 (UTC)
A manifesto is not an easy document to craft, particularly when you have important business to take care of, like building tools to educate the world's children, so it might be a good idea to look around and see if there is any content in the public domain that you can easily modify, under the applicable copyright laws, as a starting point. There is a userful list of them on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manifesto Wikipedia] and even more are listed [http://www.manifestos.net/titles/ here.] Among all of the manifestos listed on those sites, one has taken on meaning that transcends the boundaries of it's homeland and speaks deeply to many, especially those within it's homeland who still see it as a statement of hope in dark times.
And so with apologies to the author, please consider this rough first draft of a "Sugar Manifesto". Out of respect for the original, no words have been removed, although those not applicable are in <strike>strikeout</strike>, insertions appear in ''italics''.
+++++++++++
When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one ''group of'' people to dissolve the <strike>political</strike> ''institutional'' bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the <strike>powers</strike> ''friends'' of the earth ''and all of it's children'', the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God ''as well as applicable copyright law'' entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal'', but that sadly, not all children are granted equal opportunity to learn'', that they <strike>are</strike> ''should be'' endowed by their <strike>Creator</strike> ''Teachers'' with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are ''a'' Life''time love of learning'', Liberty ''(particularly the liberty to understand and even modify the source code of their learning tools)'' and the pursuit of Happiness ''and Knowledge on their own terms''. — That to secure these rights, <strike>Governments</strike> ''software projects'' are instituted among Men ''and Women, but especially coders'', deriving their just powers from the consent of the <strike>governed</strike> ''participants'', — That whenever any <strike>Form of Government</strike> ''institution'' becomes destructive of these ends ''or simply loses it's path and moral compass'', it is the Right of the People ''actually providing much of the effort'' to <strike>alter or to abolish</strike> ''leave'' it ''with heartfelt regret'', and to institute ''a'' new <strike>Government</strike>''project'', laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety ''to produce open-source tools'' and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that <strike>Governments</strike> ''institutions'' long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such <strike>Government</strike> ''leadership'', and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these <strike>Colonies</strike> ''coders''; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of <strike>Government</strike> ''collaboration''. The history of the present <strike>King of Great Britain</strike> ''Chairman'' is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over <strike>these States</strike> ''the movement to bring the benefits of Constructionist learning theories and advanced learning technology to the children of the world''. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
List of grievances left as an exercise to the reader, for the original listing see [http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/index.htm here].
[[Sugar_Labs]] contains a more serious treatment of this topic, but I was moved to draft this in response to the flurry of edits on [[Announcing_SugarLabs]].
[[User:Cjl|Cjl]] 20:50, 15 May 2008 (UTC)