Letter Dear Editors,

Your special correspondent should have known better to report I said that free software would have prevented BSE, the foot-and-mouth outbreak, and Britain's rail troubles. It's not merely untrue; it isn't even a plausible fabrication. I would hardly have received the reported favorable audience response with statements like that.

What I actually said is that BSE, the foot-and-mouth outbreak, and the rail difficulties reflect government's practice of toadying to corporate pressure--a practice whose effects are also visible in
copyright policy.

Sincerely,
Richard Stallman
Principal developer of the operating system often inaccurately called "Linux"
(http://www.gnu.org/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html)