This is the Internet in 2014. We don't refute controversial arguments, we scream "wow, just wow, hate speech, what a bigot", publicly shame and defame their character and derail their careers. We're enlightened now.
The comments section provides some very decent counterarguments which ESR seems to skip over. I have to say, I'm a bit surprised. I'd read his writings on open source and I thought they were always interesting if not fully convincing, but I never knew this side of him and I'm not too impressed.
I agree with the sentiment, but I think that attempting to refute an argument and being personally disgusted by people who make a particular argument, not doing business with them, and advising others not to do business with them are not mutually exclusive choices.
You don't want to tip into the "people hating me because of something I said is an abridgement of my god-given right to free-speech" crowd. You have to be responsible for both what you say, and also for how people interpret what you say in order to be an effective communicator.
