Aaron Swartz’ Dad Wants Justice For His Son

This is a matter about which I still feel very deeply and very sadly. My understanding is that Carmen Ortiz took over the matter when the state prosecutors intended to "let him off with a stern warning", but Ortiz chose to make an example of Aaron and my reading of events is that she did not know when to "cut some slack". As a result, the world is poorer for a brilliant mind and a happy young man who believed in data freedom.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57565927-38/swartz-didnt-f...

In a wonderful scene in the film "The Hobbit" (when they find the elfin swords in the troll cave) there is a single sentence spoken by Gandalf that I feel Carmen Ortiz should have on her wall - and I believe she should make sure it is engraved both on her mind and also on the minds of all of her staff:

"True courage is not knowing when to take a life - but when to spare one."

Yes, you can make an extreme example of someone simply because you can; but it isn't courage in my books.

Well said, Ridcully.

@Christine, you said:

Quoting:I wanted to contribute my “two cents worth” to the dialog and comment on the politics that lead to this young man so tragically taking his own life, but I kept quite because I didn’t want to distract from the beautiful portrait that was being painted of him using the written word as a medium.

(Should be lead led and quite quiet.) Just sayin'.

Sovereign Immunity must be abolished.

If people are not held responsible for their actions, it leads to abuse of power. Prosecutorial Abuse is rampant, because successful prosecutions are rewarded, and the bigger the better. False convictions, errors, "In The Name Of The Father" scenarios, take years to be discovered and the ones at fault avoid responsibility for it.

The real crime in this case was that the state intervened on what should have been an entirely civil matter. That the other party in the dispute dropped their case, that should really have been an end to it.

@djohnston Thanks. I wrote this first thing in the morning (yesterday), after being up working late at my "day" job. I posted it without proof reading, which is something I never do, and every time I've looked at it since it went up I've found something else to correct. I will now lead myself to correct led and quiet, which will be quite a feat, since it might mean my correcting will be done

Christine

@skelband That's it in a nutshell. You would think that in a country where the prisons are overflowing, that when the victim of a crime, especially a property crime, is of a forgiving nature and wishes not to prosecute, that should be the end of it. Case closed. No need to spend anymore taxpayer money. Justice has been served.

Thankyou everybody for your careful and thoughtful input. I didn't want to light an "out of control inferno of anger", and it's been great to see the quiet focus on the underlying problems. I mention too that I am one of the many, many thousands of scientists who have personal understanding of what Aaron was trying to do. I know that at least some of my own published scientific papers, written without personal gain, refereed without payment, published in the name of sharing of knowledge - are now locked behind a Dutch paywall. Profiteering by restricting knowledge is never a good thing for human progress in my understanding.

> Profiteering by restricting knowledge is never a good thing for human progress in my understanding.

One of the best arguments for using F/OSS in the first place. The hood isn't welded shut.