"Nice to read Kerr's nuanced read of the situation, good antidote to the shrill, half-witted shrieking of the chronically ignorant slashdotters."
Doesn't matter what is right under the law, what matters is what is right period. Bad law is meant to be broken and bad prosecutors enforcing said laws broken harder. Prosecutors are in a position to decide right from wrong, but do they if they remember how? Laws are guidelines, at least if you believe the Supreme Court that has been bouncing all over the place in this issue for the last hundred years, lately its been guidelines. If that's true the prosecutors are the primarily responsible party when pressing charges and making mistakes. Because it's standard procedure is a poor excuse for a bad decision because you didn't bother to think about the life you were ruining.
"LOL but on Slash, sci-fi is real. Space elevators, warp drives, Mars colonies and the hundreds of attendant magical technologies and fantasy materials are just a question of, like, how hard we really want them to happen."
And remember Dick Tracy's video wristwatch was described in the 1930s when radio and telephone was less than 50 years old. We have it now and in other forms such as cell phones and tablets less than 75 years later. Slashdot is visited by people in research and science fiction, who knows what could be in the next 100 years if we put the "old nose to the grindstone".
Evolution also has historical background in 20,000 years of animal and human breeding practiced even by the religious. Religions lost the battle before they even existed.
Oh and if you think the world would have been better with the soviets or chinese in charge. Remember between the two of them they wiped 100 million unarmed people just because they disagreed with them.
In some ways it is. Think about it, we are the military, educational, intellectual, government, free culture, etc. epitome of the world at the moment. With extremely high standards, world domination, and a freedom and enlightenment reputation going over a century. That we have ethically and all else been falling down and dropping like a boulder over a cliff since the eighties is nothing good if not truly embarrassing. Many of those countries are barely out of the cesspool by our standards and don't have so far to fall versus the US and haven't fallen nearly so far by a long shot. So, yes, by our near orbital standards, that we rarely ever come close to attaining anyway, the US "is" ten times worse. When the US coughs the whole world gets pneumonia and not just economically. Want proof, look around.
"Indeed. I hear that many true things come out of it."
Except "Ministry of Truth" doesn't mean what you think it does.
"Ministry of Truth" -- Babylon5.
Essentially it was a political propaganda department and like all departments of it's type with a sliver of truth(maybe) miles underneath a cesspool of lies. Where it's profession is to twist the truth to unrecognizability. The primary goal to manipulate the target of their interests. People working for such ilk along with any offspring they produce should be terminated with the most extreme methods possible for they willingly participated and often kept themselves ignorant in causing pain without any feeling or admission of responsibility.
"What if the majority believes the Flying Spaghetti Monster created everything?"
Then kill the willfully ignorant(stupid) fuckers and the minority becomes the majority. That or kill them have the country colonized by intelligent people. Either way nothing will be lost. By doing so you will have done away with possibly hundreds of years of civil strife and the death that goes with it. This also assumes somewhat that the state is the epitome of all existence.
"At least the second guy got voted out by an angry public (though that's not going to get them their millions of tax dollars back), but don't cry too much for him, his best bud Gov. Rick Perry will keep him employed [theagitator.com]."
What you didn't hang him or shoot either one? What ever a political lynching is called. You sure this was Texas? i figure at least you guys would do the right thing.
"You should rephrase your question to note that JSTOR's opinion was only "none" *after* getting all of Swartz's hard drives, a cash settlement, and an apology."
JSTOR should've been thanking him for hard testing their equipment and it seems finding a flaw for free. None of what transpired was illegal as the information was publicly paid for, obtained via public methods, in a public area. High data rates aren't illegal, sorry to burst your bubble. As for JSTORS problems, that's their fault for not hardening their systems. Do realize that JSTOR could be crushed by the slashdot effect and it would be legal and accepted. I think JSTOR realized they were in a real bind (caught in their little scheme ripping the public off at both ends) which is why they were running away from Aaron as fast as they could. The feds aren't very nice about double-dipping like they used to be.
"Threaten the worst possible thing the law allows and wait for the defendant to cop to a lesser charge, then put this in your book of wins."
Then the innocent defendant gets out of prison a hardened criminal looking for payback and no other options. Wipes prosecutor and family. Town gives criminal job and medal for getting rid of terroristic prosecutor. Wow, we need more of those criminals.
"Those are the actions of a compassion-less psychopath, and I for one don't think anyone like that deserves to be a Federal prosecutor. We deserve better. So to a certain extent, Swartz's suicide is a completely separate issue."
There's something else, the prosecutors miscalculated. Aaron's personality probably didn't allow for giving up. The prosecutors didn't realize that which is another reason they should be out for playing something so minor into something lethal. From the message Aaron wanted to fight but didn't have the money to do it and it seems he would rather die than give in to trumped up charges. Given the end result of the charges death would be preferable anyway with wining breaking him and if the 6 month option had been offered he would have seen it as an act of weakness telling him they had no case. No matter what he would've lost and I think he saw that quite clearly.
I think lawyers since they are a part of the legal infrastructure should be public servants only with no real authority and no options to move up. Essentially put them in their place. Pay them accordingly too which should get them paid less than script kiddies.
"It's the absurdity of our public education system (can't fail a kid if it might damage their self-esteem) expanded into absurdity in the application and enforcement of the law."
Except it wasn't enforcement of the law it was abuse of service combined with career building.
"...I would have offed myself too. Dear DOJ, go f' yourself."
Here, here, author, author. The sick part is Aaron did the country a service by pointing out public fraud. Everyone knew he was right except the prosecutors which part of their job is to tell the difference between right and wrong. They are there in service to the public, not boost their careers. And maybe that's part of the problem, it shouldn't be a career and should have direct accountability at minimum equivalent to power exercised.
"...Stop letting prosecutors pick and choose who to charge at their own whim, with little to zero oversight. Punish prosecutors who bring charges in bad faith. End the system of plea-bargains and return to the jury trials that are supposed to be the core of our criminal law."
"The point is, he was by no means at the end of his rope, and it had to be the depression or other mental health issues attributable to Swartz himself, since this was not a forced check leading to a checkmate, and the game was by no means over."
Well at least the prosecutors didn't attach all his accounts so he couldn't defend himself with capable counsel like they do in most other cases. Oh, that's right, he didn't have any money for them to take. Either way, they were warned they might push him over the edge. The man died because he had no tolerance for political games perpetrated on him by people who love political games. The worst part is these jackasses could just drop the charges and the three years Aaron was in limbo hell would have been a waste with not even an apology. The fact is these pricks dragged this on way to long ignoring the price paid by the defendant in lost time milking it for all they could. Terminate these pricks and make an example for the rest, since its the excuse they would use.
Slashdot Mirror
"Nice to read Kerr's nuanced read of the situation, good antidote to the shrill, half-witted shrieking of the chronically ignorant slashdotters."
Doesn't matter what is right under the law, what matters is what is right period. Bad law is meant to be broken and bad prosecutors enforcing said laws broken harder. Prosecutors are in a position to decide right from wrong, but do they if they remember how? Laws are guidelines, at least if you believe the Supreme Court that has been bouncing all over the place in this issue for the last hundred years, lately its been guidelines. If that's true the prosecutors are the primarily responsible party when pressing charges and making mistakes. Because it's standard procedure is a poor excuse for a bad decision because you didn't bother to think about the life you were ruining.
"On a lighter note, Aaron Swartz is now both a hero and an hero [encyclopediadramatica.se]."
He's also a martyr.
Remember Aaron!!
Remember Aaron!!
"For me this is psychopatic behavior."
Doesn't that classify her as mentally ill. Time to lock her up, preferably with the people she put in.
"and that they are already supporting abridgment of the second amendment - just only one that suits their selfish beliefs."
As opposed to your selfish beliefs. The BULLSHIT goes both ways.
"LOL but on Slash, sci-fi is real. Space elevators, warp drives, Mars colonies and the hundreds of attendant magical technologies and fantasy materials are just a question of, like, how hard we really want them to happen."
And remember Dick Tracy's video wristwatch was described in the 1930s when radio and telephone was less than 50 years old. We have it now and in other forms such as cell phones and tablets less than 75 years later. Slashdot is visited by people in research and science fiction, who knows what could be in the next 100 years if we put the "old nose to the grindstone".
"The earth isn't round. It's shaped like a burrito!"
With similar gaseous effects.
Evolution also has historical background in 20,000 years of animal and human breeding practiced even by the religious. Religions lost the battle before they even existed.
Oh and if you think the world would have been better with the soviets or chinese in charge. Remember between the two of them they wiped 100 million unarmed people just because they disagreed with them.
""Yeah, but the USA is TEN TIMES WORSE!""
In some ways it is. Think about it, we are the military, educational, intellectual, government, free culture, etc. epitome of the world at the moment. With extremely high standards, world domination, and a freedom and enlightenment reputation going over a century. That we have ethically and all else been falling down and dropping like a boulder over a cliff since the eighties is nothing good if not truly embarrassing. Many of those countries are barely out of the cesspool by our standards and don't have so far to fall versus the US and haven't fallen nearly so far by a long shot. So, yes, by our near orbital standards, that we rarely ever come close to attaining anyway, the US "is" ten times worse. When the US coughs the whole world gets pneumonia and not just economically. Want proof, look around.
"other countries have plenty of dirty laundry"
Yes they do. They just burn, hang, stone, behead, etc. essentially murder theirs away.
"Then when the country starts breeding western-hating under-educated terrorist morons"
Nuke'm, problem goes away.
"Indeed. I hear that many true things come out of it."
Except "Ministry of Truth" doesn't mean what you think it does.
"Ministry of Truth" -- Babylon5.
Essentially it was a political propaganda department and like all departments of it's type with a sliver of truth(maybe) miles underneath a cesspool of lies. Where it's profession is to twist the truth to unrecognizability. The primary goal to manipulate the target of their interests. People working for such ilk along with any offspring they produce should be terminated with the most extreme methods possible for they willingly participated and often kept themselves ignorant in causing pain without any feeling or admission of responsibility.
"Isn't there some paperwork we have to sign?"
Pay back what you owe first. And we want back everything you've taken.
"What if the majority believes the Flying Spaghetti Monster created everything?"
Then kill the willfully ignorant(stupid) fuckers and the minority becomes the majority. That or kill them have the country colonized by intelligent people. Either way nothing will be lost. By doing so you will have done away with possibly hundreds of years of civil strife and the death that goes with it. This also assumes somewhat that the state is the epitome of all existence.
"At least the second guy got voted out by an angry public (though that's not going to get them their millions of tax dollars back), but don't cry too much for him, his best bud Gov. Rick Perry will keep him employed [theagitator.com]."
What you didn't hang him or shoot either one? What ever a political lynching is called. You sure this was Texas? i figure at least you guys would do the right thing.
"You should rephrase your question to note that JSTOR's opinion was only "none" *after* getting all of Swartz's hard drives, a cash settlement, and an apology."
JSTOR should've been thanking him for hard testing their equipment and it seems finding a flaw for free. None of what transpired was illegal as the information was publicly paid for, obtained via public methods, in a public area. High data rates aren't illegal, sorry to burst your bubble. As for JSTORS problems, that's their fault for not hardening their systems. Do realize that JSTOR could be crushed by the slashdot effect and it would be legal and accepted. I think JSTOR realized they were in a real bind (caught in their little scheme ripping the public off at both ends) which is why they were running away from Aaron as fast as they could. The feds aren't very nice about double-dipping like they used to be.
"Threaten the worst possible thing the law allows and wait for the defendant to cop to a lesser charge, then put this in your book of wins."
Then the innocent defendant gets out of prison a hardened criminal looking for payback and no other options. Wipes prosecutor and family. Town gives criminal job and medal for getting rid of terroristic prosecutor. Wow, we need more of those criminals.
"Those are the actions of a compassion-less psychopath, and I for one don't think anyone like that deserves to be a Federal prosecutor. We deserve better. So to a certain extent, Swartz's suicide is a completely separate issue."
There's something else, the prosecutors miscalculated. Aaron's personality probably didn't allow for giving up. The prosecutors didn't realize that which is another reason they should be out for playing something so minor into something lethal. From the message Aaron wanted to fight but didn't have the money to do it and it seems he would rather die than give in to trumped up charges. Given the end result of the charges death would be preferable anyway with wining breaking him and if the 6 month option had been offered he would have seen it as an act of weakness telling him they had no case. No matter what he would've lost and I think he saw that quite clearly.
I think lawyers since they are a part of the legal infrastructure should be public servants only with no real authority and no options to move up. Essentially put them in their place. Pay them accordingly too which should get them paid less than script kiddies.
"It's the absurdity of our public education system (can't fail a kid if it might damage their self-esteem) expanded into absurdity in the application and enforcement of the law."
Except it wasn't enforcement of the law it was abuse of service combined with career building.
"It's well past time for scholarly knowledge to be openly accessible to everyone."
Agreed.
Remember Aaron.
"...I would have offed myself too. Dear DOJ, go f' yourself."
Here, here, author, author. The sick part is Aaron did the country a service by pointing out public fraud. Everyone knew he was right except the prosecutors which part of their job is to tell the difference between right and wrong. They are there in service to the public, not boost their careers. And maybe that's part of the problem, it shouldn't be a career and should have direct accountability at minimum equivalent to power exercised.
"And then of course prosecutors have qualified immunity"
Maybe we should kill a few, then they wouldn't think they are so immune.
"...The US justice system is not perfect but name one system that is."
If you can't afford proper counsel to assist you with going through the legal morass prosecutors generate then it's more imperfect than you think.
"...Stop letting prosecutors pick and choose who to charge at their own whim, with little to zero oversight. Punish prosecutors who bring charges in bad faith. End the system of plea-bargains and return to the jury trials that are supposed to be the core of our criminal law."
I'm for that.
"The point is, he was by no means at the end of his rope, and it had to be the depression or other mental health issues attributable to Swartz himself, since this was not a forced check leading to a checkmate, and the game was by no means over."
Well at least the prosecutors didn't attach all his accounts so he couldn't defend himself with capable counsel like they do in most other cases. Oh, that's right, he didn't have any money for them to take. Either way, they were warned they might push him over the edge. The man died because he had no tolerance for political games perpetrated on him by people who love political games. The worst part is these jackasses could just drop the charges and the three years Aaron was in limbo hell would have been a waste with not even an apology. The fact is these pricks dragged this on way to long ignoring the price paid by the defendant in lost time milking it for all they could. Terminate these pricks and make an example for the rest, since its the excuse they would use.