Forum Post: Why is there nothing about Aaron Swartz on the front page here?
Posted 11 years ago on Jan. 13, 2013, 12:02 p.m. EST by toobighasfailed
(117)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
[Edited to add: The tone of the question may sound like I'm upset, but I'm just asking out curiosity.]
If there was ever an internet/millennial activist we could admire, it was Aaron Swartz, who committed suicide on Friday in part because of pressures of facing years in prison for possibly breaching an academic paywall.
The last email a leader at Google+ received from him was a request to start hangouts for #Occupy.
https://plus.google.com/u/0/+BradleyHorowitz/posts/TirBnLBey8e
And Lawrence Lessig has a powerhouse tribute to him, wherein he berates our (in)justice system, which labeled someone like Aaron a felon, even while the people in the financial system get away with real felonies.
http://lessig.tumblr.com/post/40347463044/prosecutor-as-bully
To do some part, I created this image as part of my OWS efforts on Twitter to highlight Lessig's quote, which I think is a crucial summary of much of Aaron's (and Occupy's) philosophy:
It's a sad story, but one that should compel all of us to work harder as activists.
Here's an article I just found on yahoo:
http://news.yahoo.com/swartz-death-fuels-debate-over-computer-crime-012813164--finance.html
heads up!
http://falseflagkerncounty.blogspot.com/
Users of technology may not have deep appreciation or recognition of the technology enablers such as Aaron Swartz so his name may not go "Ding Dong." There are many users but few dig far beyond the interface. I had the very naive idea that foods, tools, gadgets, etc. all came miraculously from the shops, supermarkets, stores, etc. All I had to do was to give them pieces of intricately printed pieces of paper and coins. Of course, there were far more than that beyond the interface. The genius of Capitalism was to invent this peculiar scheme, farcical to space aliens, no doubt, but extremely exploitable by the financial criminals.
This case shows the tremendous overreach by the prosecutor(s) representing the government, which reveals itself to be very scared indeed. Freedom is inimical to domination and exploitation. Squelching dissent is top priority for the corrupts. Aaron Swartz was seen as a potentially powerful threat to the order that be, to be crushed so the hanky-panky can continue.
Someone is scared enough to overly exert injustice. There is very real fear in the motives behind such things.
The fear might also be due to the tremendous technological illiteracy or lack of technological capabilities in our government's enforcers. The F.B.I. was known to physically remove server cabinets to subpoena information or disable dissemination of information. It seems to be an approach from the paleolithic information age. Even our military, supposedly grunts, knew what to take without causing massive informational collateral damage.
You don't need to be technologically savvy to realize the bankers are fucking over everyone equally.
Absolutely correct in your statement except for two somewhat finer points -- not all of the bankers were culpable nor did the culprits hurt everyone equally. It is blatantly obvious which bankers were indeed culpable. Even paleolithic members of the Federal Bureau of Incompetence (alright, that may no longer be applicable so "Federal Bureau of Incontinence" is more apt now) know but dare not breach the veil of silence.
I concede. It is true that not all bankers are culpable, and that 'fuckings over' were not equally distributed.
The culpable bankers enjoy protection, recruited from the ranks of the very people they have robbed. Once that veil of silence is lifted, within the FBI, there will be change unstoppable, and those bankers will be held accountable for stealing from the very people they recruited to protect them.
Carmen Ortiz, the U.S. Attorney prosecuting Aaron Swartz's case, said, "Stealing is stealing whether you use a computer command or a crowbar, and whether you take documents, data or dollars," she said. "It is equally harmful to the victim whether you sell what you have stolen or give it away." Document, data or dollars makes no difference
There goes someone in a position of authority who MISSES such an important difference in the information age -- all data stolen have been copied and what was done with them is of paramount importance. The U.S. government sucked up huge amount of information globally and also domestically WITHOUT WARRANT, which goes counter to our Constitution. How can Carmen Ortiz justify not prosecuting the U.S. government?
In the administration of justice, one must exercise good judgment and render sentences commensurate with the severity of the case. Using a sledgehammer in Aaron Swartz's case belies the prosecutor's incompetence at the best and governmental favoritism at the worst. Let all U.S. citizens be reminded that we Americans fought our Revolutionary War partly due to the arbitrariness of "justice."
Ortiz represents a desperate ideology, intent upon the attempt to limit the spread of information. Much information shared has a grave potential to have adverse effects upon those with that mindset.
It is no surprise that ideologies like that are incapable of perceiving such contradictions. The end will forever justify the means for them, as long as fear of exposure remains the dictatorial determinant.
The purported data allegedly stolen by Aaron Swartz were academic papers that more than 99.9% of the people on our planet have absolutely NO interest in even if they were available for free.
If censoring information is how the U.S. government seeks to protect its national security, it is going about it the wrong way. Even much of the so-called classified information can be easily pieced together by those knowledgeable in the craft. If they truly have ill intents, a little bit of money will NOT deter them and JSTOR or not will not make any real difference. The case shows how much the U.S. cowers in fear of information leaks.
Controlling information is the method chosen by those who cannot comprehend the information. Swartz was removing control.
Any government intent on such tactics will only be met with further and further resistance. The tide will not be held by a sand castle.
Very true indeed. Carmen Ortiz would be hard pressed to be able to understand such an academic paper. This is the effect of the new "liberalization" of the U.S. minds achieved in our persons of authority. We deploy legions of tin-made security agents to defend our sand castle on the beach. Is there anyone still wondering why the U.S. will go broke paying for our home castle defense against the tide? Prior to 9/11/2001, data glut caused intelligence breakdown. Now, what we have achieved since then is -- far more data than before!
If every American taxpayer knew what his/her own families went without in order to persist in this frivolous expenditure, there would be no more sand castles on the beach. Figuratively.
Yes, indeed. There is something very perverted about eating far more to solve the problem of constipation and perhaps the American taxpayer will realize that.
What an 'anal ogy'. I am still chuckling.
I imagine if it is possible to free the 'impaction' there will be a free flowing of resource. Trillions are spent on military. Billions are squandered by banking. This status quo is unsustainable and people will inevitably wake up.
Oh, six more weeks to the raising-of-the-debt-ceiling arguments. If our debt bomb is detonated, everybody will not only wake up, some will surely be "blown up" figuratively speaking. A little bit more patience and the pressure will build up enough to provide either some relief or some "explosion." Fitch Ratings has already promised a review of the credit rating of the U.S.
because this site has huge latency of certain actions and reactions. some actions like climate change and some shit like gmo products seems to me were chosen to be more important rather than freedom issues. political corruption in many ways is too bad, but most likely you won't get the catch
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/15/aaron-swartz-father-says-killed-by-government_n_2482646.html
He didn;t use a semi automatic scary looking rifle (aka "assault weapon") to commit suicide or leave a note blaming Bush, so no traction on this forum.
A: Shills maybe?
http://occupywallst.org/forum/aaron-swartz-was-an-activist-for-free-information-/
I don't know why don't you send a query to the site?
Contact
Help & Directions +1 (516) 708-4777
General Inquiries general@occupywallst.org
Press Inquiries press@occupywallst.org
Inquiries Re: OccupyWallSt.org info@occupywallst.org +1 (516) 708-4777
For the common good, and in the context of NOT fooling the people, I offer: “The public be suckered” is both this track record, and keeping it unseen. http://www.showrealhist.com/yTRIAL.html
It Is of course sad & tragic but also an illustration of the govt overreaching, overreacting, and exhibiting tyrannical, anti freedom tactics.
it is disgusting. Ms Ortiz who is the AG in Ma responsible should be defeated it least, prosecuted & convicted at most.
Schwarz should be remembered, lionized as a great soldier for the 99% and the freedom of the use & access of information.
Thanx