Equally surprised I am with a half a century of jail to a 26 year-old person for something that, come on!...maybe it's better to keep my comments for myself about this case. But one thing I can tell you, half a century is the same as saying life prison.
What expectations can a human being have? At 26, when he could have had a life? How long did this person live after school? Yes, I blame people for his death. Changing stories now that is too late won't help anyone.
As you said, a murderer gets 11 years, many other real dangerous people are still free, and? What is just?
The AG responsible to the case has finally responded. She now says that she recognized that Swartz was not acting for personal gain, and was seeking only a six month sentence in a low security facility. Some say this is contradicted by her earlier actions. It's also noted that she could have asked for probation.
An episode of depression (or malaise) is often triggered by an external event, such as an overreaching prosecutor trying to establish a name for themselves. I would be the last person to trivialize the impact of depression on one's life, but facing half a century in jail, enormous fines and legal fees, could send many people over the edge.
My gripe is the enorrmity of the punishment for a non-violent crime. I sat on a jury where the drive-by shooter got 11 years for murder. How then can we justify half a century of jail time for a non-violent crime where the victims do not wish to press charges?
I believe it was our Founding Father Benjamin Franklin who said, "That it is better 100 guilty Persons should escape than that one innocent Person should suffer."
A very fair comment. Despite the understandable concern about the pressures brought to bear by the DoJ, one shouldn't overlook his problems with depressive illness too.
I never met Aaron Swartz, but I've read his writing -- and used a lot of his code over the years. He will be missed. And perhaps someday our society will be better about catching depression before we lose more people this way.
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Ushering in a new era of cognitive computing systems, IBM announced today the IBM Watson Engagement Advisor, a technology breakthrough that allows brands to crunch big data in record time to transform the way they engage clients in key functions such as customer service, marketing, and sales.
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