Definitely Eben Moglen is a much better public speaker and the brains behind the fsf. RMS hired him to take care of the fsf. If you have an issue with the fsf, it would be better contact him instead. Eben is a licensed attorney, I think. You will get a more definitive answer if you contact him.
RMS is more of a cheerleader and wise court jester.

I second Bryans opinion. I understand this was an attempt at a joke, and I don't get all crazy as soon as someone's jokes are "inappropriate". It was a bad joke though, and he should have chosen another time and place to try it out, but still: The problem is that he's a bad public speaker.

Have you seen him to keep a speech? What I have read from people who actually were on GUADEC thought that the speech was pretty good expect the joke.

Lets look at this objectively. Yes, the joke was probably overlooked and was also in bad taste. However, this IS a free country and he is allowed to say what he wants. On the other hand, the author of the letter to RMS reprinted RMS's email without permission which IS copyright infringement. Further, he made a private conversation public without asking. While I don't think RMS is funny, this guy did at least as much wrong calling RMS out on it.

EDIT: BTW, howdy everybody. Haven't been on in a while.

Nope. It isn't.

How is publishing someone else's writing NOT copyright infringement? Even public speeches are copyrighted, for example, those made by Martin Luther King Jr.

If Stallman would enforce the copyright on his speeches, that would make me laugh so hard.

I second that opinion. Bryan is right though, RMS is a bad public speaker. And while this is a free country, RMS is only entitled to say what he wants in private conversations just like anybody else. Public speeches do not fall under that category.

@Marza @Bryan
How many times have you been in a audience on RMS's presentations?
Why(/how) was he so bad?

I have never attended a speech from RMS in person.

I've seen many video's of his various speeches that were supposed to be "of excellent quality". And I have been less than blown away. His stage presence is difficult to watch. He has been low on details, high on hyperbole. But, really, those are the major issues.

The real key problem is that he comes across as just plain crazy. Even if you agree 100% with the things he says... he seems insane.

A great example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I25UeVXrEHQ

So, even if he is completely right... he's the wrong spokesperson.