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Pirate Bay Co-Founder Peter Sunde Is a Free Man Again
jones_supa writes Former Pirate Bay spokesperson Peter Sunde was released from prison this morning. Peter is expected to take some time off to spend with family and loved ones before returning to the normal grind. He was arrested in late May this year. Despite being accused of non-violent crimes, Peter was transferred to a high-security unit. His time in prison is described as being tough. There was no concern for high values such as a vegan diet or even proper treatment of depression. Peter also lost 15 kg of weight. After the experience he tweeted, "My body just got re-united with my soul and mind, the parts of me that matters and that never can be held hostage."
he lost 15KG cause he was in protected custody like a girly boy
Post!
Does anyone do that anymore?
First of all, incarceration after arrest is not "prison"; it's jail.
Second, why should the hoosegow care about your vegan diet? If he was refusing to eat the jail's not-hipster-enough food, no wonder he lost 15 kg.
Finally, going to jail's depressing.
If your not depressed about being in prison you have a problem. prison is not supposed to have concern for your high values. That is why its a punishment.
Vegetarian sister lost tons of weight because they couldn't just give her a damn apple. She had to find other inmates willing to trade their portion of veggies for her meat.
So this is what you get when you threaten the Hollywood Moguls that control the government....welcome to 1984
IOW, you can't take the sky from me...
I am troubled by the no concern for his vegan diet. No concern would imply he was routinely served meat with no deviation from the regular prison fare. I don’t know about Sweden, but it seems there would be plenty of vegetarian diet dishes available for religious reasons to prisoners. If he was offered vegetarian fare, perhaps that suffices, its not like we can accommodate every dietary request. My religion only allows me to eat panda or human flesh certainly wouldn’t fly.
The question here is whether any reasonable accommodation was made. Without more details it is hard to judge. Disturbing if true though. This would imply you have to have a major religion to back up your moral choices in life – which to me is not religious freedom.
Letter To Iran
I have always heard crazy stories about Scandanavian "prisons" that look better than the dorm rooms I had in college, allegations that there are no locks, people just have to spend the night there, etc, etc.
Hell, I had worse punishments than that in grade school.
So, the summary doesn't match this picture. Anyone who can elucidate the reality, please disabuse me of my delusions.
Don't do the crime if you can't do the time. Fucking pussies. At least he hasn't offed himself yet.
For the revenues lost from musicians, writers, actors, filmmakers, and editors, many of whom had to abandon the careers they loved so they could provide for themselves and their families?
How about "absolutely none"? Well, the same courtesy for you, Mr. Sunde. Zero empathy cuts both sways.
What is it with governments and putting hackers in high security prisons and solitary confinement?
These people are computer nerds not violent criminals. There was no need to put Kevin Mitnick in solitary, no need to put Swartz in solitary, and there was no need to put Sunde in to high security. This is pretty clearly an abuse of power by the government, and there should be a way to stop it.
Seems strange indeed. If you're vegan for moral reasons (even if bluefoxlucid seems to think being vegan is something only hipsters do to set themselves apart) it's not protected, but if you believe in a magical being living in the sky, you're protected.
That's not just a lack of religious freedom, that's protecting the idiots.
Get free satoshi (Bitcoin) and Dogecoins
Don't violate laws that may cause you to violate the sanctions of your religions.
By proxy you made a decision that put your ability to follow your faith in jeopardy. Not thinking you would get caught doesn't count.
People - If my religion demands that I am never in jail, then it is best I follow decisions that do not put me in jail.
If my religion demands that I do not eat meat, then I best make decisions that do not put me in a place where I have no choice but to eat meat.
The choice is yours.
there are accommodations made for both vegetarian and religious reasons, Sunde is probably either a picky eater or victim of incompetence (perhaps the vegan diet he was offered was incorrectly composed resulting the weight loss).
... common sense predicts that he won't like punishment. That's the whole idea behind incarceration.
If he's got the sense god gave a pissant, he'll adjust his behavior such that he is not voluntarily deprived of his rights again.
It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
Its difficult to prescribe biblical retribution in countries that take a rational approach to criminal incarceration. While in the united states we use the tongue-in-cheek phase 'correctional facility' sweden and other more evolved contries take a more pragmatic approach and actually work to 'correct' the bad behavior by investigating causes and potential solutions. 8 months for piracy is still a little harsh, and 8 months in a maximum security facility should serve as a clear warning to people like Assange. American interests can absolutely butter the courts into whatever they feel works best, including a nearly 1 year stint alongside murderers and violent offenders for a victimless crime that largely has no rehabilitative prescription as the sites in question are search engines, not content providers, much to the entertainment industries virulent protest.
Good people go to bed earlier.
According to Sunde the reason is incompetence;
excerpt from http://www.aftonbladet.se/debatt/article19207648.ab
"Jag är vegan och har gått ner sju kilo på en månad. Viktminskningen beror på den undermåliga maten. De få grönsaker som serveras saknar nödvändiga vitaminer och mineraler. Vid klagomål har jag fått höra att de inte behöver ge mig annan mat än den vanliga, då min diet varken är religiös eller medicinsk, trots att lagen är tydlig med att vegetarisk kost ska tillhandahållas. Problemet är att lagen inte följs särskilt ofta."
"I'm a vegan and have lost even kilos in a month. The weight loss is due to the substandard meals. The few vegetables which are served lack the necessary vitamins and minerals. When I complained I was told that they didn't need to afford me any special accommodation as my diet was neither religious nor medicinal, even if the law is clear that vegetarian diet shall be offered. The problem is that the law is often ignored".
my translation is kind of shit but it's apparent that it was a combination of incompetent and/or vindictive/uncaring prison officials.
I do understand that there are limits on when and why a prison can supply specialized diets. But the depression issue is much more serious. Obviously the prison systems are designed to create depression or worse. And that is flat out stupid. Many mental hospitals play the same game. People are given little or nothing to do that is fun or stress relieving. And much like many convicts many mental patients have nothing in life to look forward to as well. So the convicts become much harder to handle and much more prone to commit serious crimes upon release. After years of mental torture many inmates hate society so much that they are not only walking time bombs but they also seek revenge on all of society. The US prison system and jail systems can take a person with a minor problem and grow them into a monster. Small examples are obvious. A person on probabtion or parole will be required to tell a future employer that they are a criminal. Jobs are hard to get and revealing that you are a criminal makes employment next to impossible. Th ex inmate is not going to starve and rot. if he can't get work he will turn back to crime. Even child support creates many criminals. A judge assigns too much child support and a full time job will not leave a man with enough money to survive. If he doesn't pay he goes to jail. He will turn to crime. Now his exwife and child will get zero support. When he gets out of prison he can not apply for any bennefits in some states so having nothing and being unemployable his only chance is crime. The system is creating criminals and creating some serious hatred within the inmates. These issues would not exist if the system did not want them to exist. To some people a convict means money and lucrative supply contracts and therefore the system seeks to create criminals. Yes we are that corrupt.
there are accommodations made for both vegetarian and religious reasons, Sunde is probably either a picky eater or victim of incompetence (perhaps the vegan diet he was offered was incorrectly composed resulting the weight loss).
I'm a vegetarian and I wouldn't expect accommodation of my dietary predilections in prison any more so than I would expect them to accommodate my desire for a suite with an ocean view, furnished with only the finest ultraporn streamed via gigabit internet connectivity. What next, bitching that the prison library doesn't have the complete works of one's favorite author?
He was offered diet that was compatible with life and was apparently palatable enough that the other inmates weren't in open rebellion. It can't have been bad... this is *Scandinavia*, ffs.
In other words, sorry your desires weren't accommodated. I wouldn't enjoy that diet either, but this is *prison*. If the menu makes your top 3 list of complaints, you got off fairly well.
What a crap start to Monday morning.
http://www.acetonestudio.com
I reckon you have never heard of the miscarriage of justice.
"It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
As a committed National Socialist, I support piracy because it helps to weaken the sickening death grip that the Jews in Hollywood have on our nation. Granted, the best option is not to watch their propaganda, but barring that, piracy is the second best option. We need to do whatever it takes to bring down these Jew bastards!
Desiring something just because and not wanting to eat something for moral reasons are completely different. Prisoners are allowed to get sex changes in some places.
> Also I wouldn't be citing moral choices when you're committing actions society as deemed criminal and will result in jail.
What's up with you folks? When someone goes to jail (s)he ceases to be human somehow?
This is a sentiment which I see deppressingly often. Get a clue: in a state of right, society puts people in jail to protect itself: it should always be a tough choice, and people in jail don't lose their human rights for that.
Yikes.
I wonder when someone realizes that they can begin to hunt the trackers.
TPB often uses the same bunch: tracker.openbittorrent.com, tracker.publicbt.com, tracker.istole.it, open.demonii.com.
Who owns and maintains these BitTorrent trackers?
I'd prefer to break laws if it was the right thing to do. Better that, than be a boot-licking slime. The choice is yours.
Not to be confused with the abortion of justice.
Their kind always separate bodies from souls. That is the way of their kind.
Hinduism is a pretty major religion, at least worldwide, and most of it's adherents are vegetarian.
Peter predicted that you would "deliberately forget" creation 2000 years ago...
"even" in the first sentence should be Seven, seems like someone failed at unit conversion for the summary as seven kilo ~ 15lb, which is pretty far from the 15 kilogram in the summary.
My guess is he complained in the wrong way like being about his health. If he had raised it a conscience issue and that he was a conscious objector to eating products made of or from animals they'd have bent over backwards quite quickly, Sweden is so politically correct to anyone being offended they'd have complied instantly.
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
If the library didn't offer the books he wanted he could always torrent them.
There you go again with your childish thinking that everyone in prison carefully weighed up the pros and cons of them breaking the law. Clearly they all didn't, so your claims are a farce.
My retort is that I'm morally opposed to being incarcerated against my will. I suppose you believe they should accommodate that moral objection as well?
"When I complained I was told that they didn't need to afford me any special accommodation as my diet was neither religious nor medicinal..."
Vegetarian and (preferably) vegan diet is part of Mahayana Buddhism and Jainism. Sweden is supposedly a secular society. Thus, if they would provide a special diet to a member of these two religions that they would not provide to someone who is not, then Sweden has ceased to be a secular society and has committed an act of government-enforced religious discrimination. It really is that simple.
-- Insert witty one-liner here. --
How many Buddhists and Jains are in Swedish jails?
there are accommodations made for both vegetarian and religious reasons, Sunde is probably either a picky eater or victim of incompetence (perhaps the vegan diet he was offered was incorrectly composed resulting the weight loss).
I'd like to offer another option: malice. Extra judicial punishment for being a pain in the ass that actually expected the rights and rules to be observed/followed.
Incorrectly composed would be to put it mildly - how about mashed potatoes, with potatoes for $meal?
Sweden is supposedly a secular society. Thus, if they would provide a special diet to a member of these two religions that they would not provide to someone who is not, then Sweden has ceased to be a secular society and has committed an act of government-enforced religious discrimination. It really is that simple.
But we provide school children kosher / halal / vegetarian / vegan in addition to the medically 'no gluten', 'no lactose' etc....
I'm sorry, but if you're in prison you eat what they give you. Unless you physically can't eat the food, you don't really have any right to demand that they cater to your tastes. If you lost a bunch of weight due to not eating it's your own damn fault.
Don't want to be in prison? Then stop breaking the law.
Peter Sunde does not practice those religion though, he's a professed Kopian(?) no clue how that's spelled so you'll have to find that out for you self, anyway, therefore the focus on *his* diet and *his* religion. Swedish prisons shall, at least from what I've heard, offer three menus "regular", vegetarian and "without pork".
Cry me a fucking river. You're in prison, not the Hilton. Unless there's a medical reason to treat you differently you shouldn't be treated differently. He lost weight because he wasn't eating, not because the meals didn't contain sufficient nutrients to sustain him. It's his own damn fault.
BeauHD. Worst editor since kdawson.
well you know what they say "never attribute to malice that which may be explained by incompetence"... or something.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Separation of church and state. Fuck 'em. Maybe vegetarians will think twice before coming to the good old US of A and committing crimes if they want a vegi diet in prison! Don't so the crime if you cant eat the meat!
"His time in prison is described as being tough. There was no concern for high values such as a vegan diet" - not unexpected. It costs about $50k a year per criminal in jail already - we should up that to $100+k a year to be sure of catering for the occasional unusual, not-really-deserving-of-hard-jail-time person going through the system?
If they ever decide to make everything like a five-star hotel, I for one will go do some jail-time on the taxpayer's dollar. I want the latest "in" tablet. Hand over that controller for the 5,000 cable channels on the projector TV. Book the hookers and blow for 10pm.
Why don't you just fuck right off and die in a gruesome fire, you ignorant little piece of shit?
Right, that's the reply on your level.
Now, for the real reply: The law requires the prison to provide nutritious vegetarian food. The prison did not. The prison broke the law. Nobody is getting punished for it. But that's ok in your book, isn't it?
When your prison system sees escapees "break" into the kitchen, bake cake and go back to their cells, your system might - just might - be reforming those criminals back into functional members of society.
When your prison system improves its quarterly profit reports by maximizing incarceration rates, and trains those working in or around it to view the livestock within as monsters never to be allowed to see the light of day once more, the only results are a fucked up economy and a whole bunch of monsters in a box.
Very disturbing if true.
One would think if it was due to medical reasons they would have to serve a comparable diet.
Otherwise for anyone lacking the gut microbes to digest meat, a two month or longer sentence is equal to a death sentence via slow starvation.
I've suffered from digestive problems most all of my life and have twice now lost all the microbes needed to breakdown and digest many meats (mainly beef and poultry)
I was recultured once but it was pretty agonizing to use afterwards and only lasted a couple years. I neglected to spend the time and money being recultured again.
While I can physically eat meat, it is both agonizing to digest and provides nearly no nutrition at all to me. I'd rather eat nothing and die after a couple weeks instead of eating only meat and being in pain for a couple weeks plus a day or two with the same fate.
From what I have read in articles, he did get the same food as the other prisoners except with the non-vegan parts removed.
For instance, if the prisoners were given spaghetti with bolognese-sauce, he as given only spaghetti. If the other prisoners were given meatballs and potatoes, he got a potato. That's not exactly a balanced diet.
BTW. Silly that the parent post gets mod'ed "Score:4, Insightful" when it says "Without more details it is hard to judge".
We can do better, guys.
"We mustn't be caught by surprise by our own advancing technology" -- Aldous Huxley
"The problem is that the law is often ignored" - Unintentionally funny I guess, from someone who made a business out of ignoring the law.
Personally I don't think there are prison officials to blame. Special diet wishes are costly, and jails don't have budgets for inmate frivolities. They do have budget to meet legal requirements, but vegan just is not a religion. The officials simply did follow the law. That said, I would argue for vegetarian meals as the standard in prisons. Meat too is a luxury and should not be considered a right for prisoners. Besides, there are very few religions (none that I know) which mandate meat, so vegetarian as standard reduces the number of religious exceptions needed, an additional saving.
Wasn't he allowed to buy food himself or have friends deliver it?
Wait, so if I don't bother to think about the consequences I should be better accommodated?
Clearly your vote is for a world without consequences. Or people having to think about consequences to adjust what they do.
Glad you are free
Instead of chasing down real criminals, they go after these guys because they're terrified that they might not make as many millions of dollars as they'd wanted! There was no crime here! ANYONE is allowed to "share" what they have!!!