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A comment on What should the next Aaron Swartz do when the DOJ knocks?. Parent comment

Re:What should the next Aaron Swartz do when the DOJ knocks? by pzxc on Thursday March 12, 2015 @03:06PM (#9193014)
> Don't give up. I hate to say it, but they guy was in the middle of negotiations, and could have probably worked out something significantly better than the 6-month deal he was offered (which really could have been far worse, in practical terms, though it never should have come to that, of course).

My understanding is that negotiations had stalled: the prosecutors absolutely refused to entertain any plea deal that did not result in Aaron getting a felony. That was all Aaron wanted: not to be a felon for the rest of his life.

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Re:What should the next Aaron Swartz do when the DOJ knocks? by ouchy on Thursday March 12, 2015 @03:14PM (#9193061)
IANAL, but as I understand it he still had options, though (trial by jury, for example).
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Re:What should the next Aaron Swartz do when the DOJ knocks? by therealwill on Thursday March 12, 2015 @03:30PM (#9193167)
93% Federal conviction rate and a trial by jury would have been extremely expensive.

Source: http://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/usao/legacy/2011/...

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Re:What should the next Aaron Swartz do when the DOJ knocks? by Lawtonfogle on Thursday March 12, 2015 @05:03PM (#9193904)
It is effectively a crime to demand a trial by jury. I say effectively because of how much harsher a sentence you'll receive if you lose compare to the plea bargain you are offered (the very reason for this is to force individuals to take a plea deal).
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Re:What should the next Aaron Swartz do when the DOJ knocks? by hkmurakami on Thursday March 12, 2015 @04:06PM (#9193472)
He had run out of funds (~$2MM) by that point.
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Re:What should the next Aaron Swartz do when the DOJ knocks? by LLWM on Thursday March 12, 2015 @05:18PM (#9193993)
That's what a lot of people want. We get it by not committing felonies.
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Re:What should the next Aaron Swartz do when the DOJ knocks? by supdog on Thursday March 12, 2015 @05:52PM (#9194186)
Normal people commit felonies doing normal things every day.

http://www.amazon.com/Three-Felonies-Day-Target-Innocent/dp/...

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Re:What should the next Aaron Swartz do when the DOJ knocks? by LLWM on Thursday March 12, 2015 @06:08PM (#9194296)
Normal people graduate from college with tens of thousands of dollars in student loans. Normal people are unhealthily obese. Normal people go bankrupt from unexpected medical expenses. Is it your aspiration in life to be normal?
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Re:What should the next Aaron Swartz do when the DOJ knocks? by supdog on Thursday March 12, 2015 @06:39PM (#9194454)
If you mean to ask me what my aspiration in life is, you might be interested to know that many of my heros were felons. Jesus, Gandhi, John Bunyan,...

Peaceful agribuisnessman Joel Salatin said it this way, "Everything I want to do is illegal" http://www.amazon.com/Everything-Want-To-Do-Illegal/dp/09638...

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Re:What should the next Aaron Swartz do when the DOJ knocks? by LLWM on Friday March 13, 2015 @10:07AM (#9197133)
No, I don't, and no, I'm not.
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Re:What should the next Aaron Swartz do when the DOJ knocks? by kaishiro on Friday March 13, 2015 @01:55AM (#9195824)
Yeah, I'm also somewhat perplexed by what point you're trying to get across here. You're saying that you agree that normal people commit felonies, so the answer is to "not be normal"?

Just looking for some clarification. Thanks.

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Re:What should the next Aaron Swartz do when the DOJ knocks? by LLWM on Friday March 13, 2015 @10:08AM (#9197136)
Yes. I don't find "most people do it" to be a convincing excuse for personal flaws.
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Re:What should the next Aaron Swartz do when the DOJ knocks? by supdog on Friday March 13, 2015 @10:46AM (#9197364)
Would you find that "most people commit felonies (without harm)" to be convincing evidence of policy flaws?
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Re:What should the next Aaron Swartz do when the DOJ knocks? by LLWM on Friday March 13, 2015 @11:48AM (#9197749)
That claim is logically impossible. If most people were committing felonies without harm, that would lend plausible deniability to harmful felons, thus indirectly causing harm.
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Re:What should the next Aaron Swartz do when the DOJ knocks? by supdog on Friday March 13, 2015 @12:26PM (#9197999)
Or the claim is highly probable, if bad policy was systemically painting peaceful people as felons. If so, what then is the root cause of the harm?
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Re:What should the next Aaron Swartz do when the DOJ knocks? by LLWM on Friday March 13, 2015 @12:59PM (#9198215)
Asking about the root cause of the harm only has meaning if there is harm being caused.
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Re:What should the next Aaron Swartz do when the DOJ knocks? by supdog on Friday March 13, 2015 @03:06PM (#9199243)
Indeed.
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Re:What should the next Aaron Swartz do when the DOJ knocks? by LLWM on Friday March 13, 2015 @03:51PM (#9199564)
Glad to see you've come round.
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Re:What should the next Aaron Swartz do when the DOJ knocks? by supdog on Friday March 13, 2015 @06:23PM (#9200471)
Have I? Or have we?
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Re:What should the next Aaron Swartz do when the DOJ knocks? by bmelton on Thursday March 12, 2015 @05:48PM (#9194160)
Good luck with that.

Obligatory reference: http://www.amazon.com/Three-Felonies-Day-Target-Innocent/dp/...

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Re:What should the next Aaron Swartz do when the DOJ knocks? by LLWM on Thursday March 12, 2015 @06:08PM (#9194297)
Thanks, you too!
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