Slashdot Mirror
Interviews: Ask John McAfee About His Presidential Run
samzenpus writes: He's run a multi-billion dollar company and hidden in the jungles of Central America while being chased by Belizean authorities, but John McAfee's presidential bid may be his most interesting adventure yet. Last week John said: "Our government is in a dysfunctional state. It is also illiterate when it comes to technology. Technology is not a tool that should be used for a government to invade our privacy. Technology should not be the scapegoat when we fail to protect our digital assets and tools of commerce. These are matters of priorities," when announcing his run. According to his Cyber Party website: "Donkeys and elephants just don't make sense in the modern world. If the federal bureaucracy adopts technology in a meaningful way, it will become much easier to adapt to changes in policy or procedure. 10 hour long congressional hearings will no longer be needed for a simple change in workflow. By adapting a lean approach to government, the amount of savings that can be realized by improved efficiency will eliminate the need for wholesale changes to foundational policies. Other parties consistently lag behind trends in technology – Cyber Party members are committed to staying ahead of the curve and remaining proactive in policymaking." John has agreed to answer any questions you have about his step into politics or any other questions you may have. As usual, ask as many as you'd like, but please, one question per post.
What is your agenda for the first 100 days of the McAfee administration?
John, what is your position on Nuclear Power?
Would you support the re-opening of research into liquid fluoride thorium reactors. These reactor designs, and the thorium fuel cycle were researched back in the 70's and can solve both our energy crisis, be far more environmentally friendly than uranium based fuel cycles, and can even used 'spent' uranium reactor fuel as fuel sources, allowing us to reprocess our vast quantity of spent fuel into less harmful waste, while also capturing the energy from them (instead of having it wasted heating water in spent fuel ponds).
In your opinion, what are the societal implications of electing an alleged murdering drug addict to the office of President? As a followup, if elected will you install a stripper pole in the oval office?
Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.
that's the least of a president's worries. Trade, strategic alliances, military actions, departments of education, transportation, etc.......
never vote for someone just because they "understand technology", and the fundamental problems of the USA even regarding privacy are not in the realm of technology, but rather of who really wields power. Someone who doesn't understand corporate fascism will only become part of the problem
Will your cabinet be allowed to WFH?
John, what is your position on Nuclear Fusion?
Would you support increased funding for US participation in ITER? I believe increased funding would allow ITER to achieve it's goals faster. Would you also support alternative programs for researching fusion, including the re-opening of the NIF (National Ignition Facility) which was exploring inertial confinement fusion?
Clearly, the US can afford such massive undertakings, just be switching its priorities from war (military spending) to peace (energy research)
If we had near unlimited free energy, there is a lot we could do to help the planet, including completely phasing out coal, natural gas, and oil for electrical production.
Make sure you have a big presence on chan boards. Get memes made about you, and generally continue being your awesome-ridiculous self. Don't act professional for the sake of your campaign. That isn't what millenials want, and they are the ones you can get to vote for you if you do your marketing right. Think about that. Millenials might actually vote. All you have to do is entertain them. Get yourself made fun of on John Oliver repeatedly. Be a bigger cartoon character than Donald Trump. You can do this. I believe in you. You're the closest we could ever get to President Zaphod Beeblebrox. Please make it happen.
Mr. McAfee,
As President of the United States, would you make any significant changes to what drugs you take and how often you take them? If so, could you give us a general sense of what those changes might be?
Obliteracy: Words with explosions
Do you feel that copyright protections on art and entertainment are too weak or too strong, and do you intend to do anything about it?
Third party runs in the US aren't really given a remotely fair shot.
Specifically the republican party primary seems like you would have the best shot there... I would be shocked if you can't make it to the top 10...
Mr. McAfee, obviously your field of expertise is Information Security. What are the one or two biggest problems facing the Federal government from an IT perspective? How would you solve these problems?
What are your thoughts on Donald Trump (another businessman)? And why are you more qualified to be president?
See subject: Your thoughts on what needs to be done on the account of outsourcing/offshoring jobs in the United States, most specifically on the software industry related front?
* I think you'd be a great candidate on privacy issues, and from what I've read from you on that note plus your industry experience, there I have little doubts in your knowledge & experience... the above question is what I am interested in, as it affects the USA as a whole.
(I'm semi-retired from the field myself, only doing contracts here & there/now & then, instead focusing on a real estate related business I run now, but software & tech allowed me to get to this point now for the most part. It changed my life for the better. I hate to see other younger folks being deprived of the same opportunities I had...)
I don't understand our government and the corporate America that REALLY runs the show behind it (lobbying & what-not) - don't they understand that when you pull jobs you remove taxable income AND a spending/buying public? I think they do - but instead, live for short-term gains only nowadays.
APK
P.S.=> Thanks for your time Mr. McAfee... apk
Would you pardon Edward Snowden?
What is the purpose of government?
We understand where you stand on surveillance. Where do you stand on these issues?:
firearms
abortion
gay marriage
investing in prisons and drug stings vs. investing in job training and job creation
legalizing marijuana
keeping the FCC from preventing flashing of consumer electronics with new firmware
net neutrality
the Keystone XL pipeline
amnesty for illegal immigrants
streamlining guest worker visas for legal immigrants
HB-1 visa quotas
lowering the skyrocketing levels of student debt
making healthcare affordable or subsidizing paying for it
investing in our roads and bridges
making Internet a common utility like water and electricity
Would you rather fight one horse-sized Hillary Clinton or 100 duck-sized Donald Trumps?
Also, "Cyber Party?" Is that like a group sex chat room? I do not want to have a cyber party with you.
We don't have a state-run media we have a media-run state.
Hello Mr. McAfee,
The world largely views the USA as a bully and full of very wealthy people that don't care about those less privileged. As president of the USA, how would you advance world cooperation and work to change world views of the USA to just another location in the world full of mostly average non-privileged individuals living out their lives?
Unrelated, my best friend almost ran you over at Defcon. He wasn't looking where he is going and apologizes.
There is or can be built a machine that can simulate any physical object. -Church-Turing principle
Pretty sure he already answered that one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
Yeah, well, look, with Donald Trump running (and having momentum), running for president is now officially a free-for-all.
If I was rich and nobody's told me "no" in a decade or two, I'm sure I could be convinced that I could run for president while balancing random fruits on my head and calling my party the "Hell no to GMOs" party.
Some people don't believe in fairies. I don't believe in The Patriarchy.
Anyone that runs for President is insane. It's sort of a job requirement. Certainly, being insane wouldn't disqualify anyone. So, yes, he is qualified to run for President on that criteria.
>> some dead guy from Detroit
Not true. The dead are a reliable Democrat bloc.
Care to comment on your last answer from your last interview here on slashdot?
McAfee: The attorney for the House Ways and Means Committee contacted me and asked if I would help. I said “no”. I would never run for office, neither would I want to be in office, of any kind. I would rather drive a nail through my foot.
Some people die at 25 and aren't buried until 75. -Benjamin Franklin
How do you plan to overcome the virtual impossibility of breaking through the two-party system?
Trying not to be facetious here, but why should we believe you're genuinely interested in leading this country and not just trying to get some media coverage? What in your recent history would lead a voter to believe you'll take this process seriously enough to make and difference at all?
If technology is the main plank of this guy's platform, then he doesn't have a clue about what's wrong with our government.
What technology research should be government funded and what should be private?
"I say we take off, nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure."
Yeah, well, look, with Donald Trump running (and having momentum), running for president is now officially a free-for-all.
It used to be that people asked themselves if they should run for the office of president, now they ask themselves, "Why shouldn't I run for president?"
Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...