U.S. Senator Questions Attorney General about Aaron Swartz

Re:U.S. Senator Questions Attorney General about Aaron Swartz by rayiner on Friday January 18, 2013 @04:39PM (#5081217)

The Swartz case aside, nobody likes the DOJ. Liberals don't like them because they're tasked with defending laws like DOMA (until recently), drug laws, etc, and people like John Yoo, etc, that are unpopular with their contingent. Conservatives don't like them because they are tasked with defending laws like the Sherman Act, etc, that are unpopular with their contingent. But each side likes the laws that are unpopular with the other side, so they also rag on the DOJ for not doing enough to enforce those laws.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:U.S. Senator Questions Attorney General about Aaron Swartz by temphn on Friday January 18, 2013 @08:08PM (#5082123)

This is very true and your next comment is also excellent as well (re: weed vs. drug traffickers, or antitrust vs. mergers). People want the DOJ's force to be used in causes they approve of and not in causes they don't approve of. Another option, of course, is to agree that there are some things that might be worthy of a penalty like shame rather than a legal penalty, and demilitarize more of human behavior.

That is: a better alternative is to convince people you disagree with, even lead boycotts if you must, but don't use your time in power to increase the power of the government ...because soon that power will be used on you.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:U.S. Senator Questions Attorney General about Aaron Swartz by justin66 on Friday January 18, 2013 @05:35PM (#5081469)

There are some pretty serious oversimplifications there. I can "like" an office or department even if its current inhabitant is doing something I don't like. For obvious reasons, this is doubly true when we're talking about an office inhabited by political appointees.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:U.S. Senator Questions Attorney General about Aaron Swartz by rayiner on Friday January 18, 2013 @05:48PM (#5081541)

Oh sure, people like the DOJ conceptually. But nobody ever likes the actual DOJ that exists at any given time.

To a liberal, the DOJ is in the abstract the agency that enforces anti-trust laws or the like against big companies. But the actual DOJ is the one going after people growing weed. To a conservative, the DOJ in the abstract is the agency that goes after drug traffickers. But the actual DOJ is the one meddling in mergers.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:U.S. Senator Questions Attorney General about Aaron Swartz by justin66 on Friday January 18, 2013 @06:10PM (#5081655)

It seems like you're just assuming that everyone has a very simple, AM radio view of their government.

Things like disliking the political appointees of an institution rather than the institution itself, or disliking parts of an institution rather than the whole, are not difficult distinctions to make. Similarly, I can judge the work output of any institution and my opinion is not likely to be 100% positive or 100% negative.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:U.S. Senator Questions Attorney General about Aaron Swartz by jessaustin on Friday January 18, 2013 @07:08PM (#5081926)

It seems like you're just assuming that everyone has a very simple, AM radio view of their government.

Which of the ancestors to that comment could have led anyone to believe that?

[ Parent | on HN ]