Aaron Swartz commits suicide • Hacker News Board

Re: Aaron Swartz commits suicide

#581

Post by BrokenPipe » Tue, Jan 15, 2013, 4:22 PM UTC

icambron wrote: post #311

jlgreco wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly, I am right there with you. I don't understand the people saying the DOJ was just doing their jobs either. Are none of the people involved in that process given any sort of power of discretion at all? Any person in this case who was in a position to use some discretion but chose not to should be doing some serious reflection and consideration right now.

Of course they have that discretion -- prosecutors decline cases or seek reduced sentences all the time. Given the overbearing nature of our legal system, it would be impractical to do otherwise. This was just pointlessly maximalist DOJ behavior. On the other hand, shame on us for allowing these laws to exist at all, and creating opportunities for selective enforcement and massively unreasonable sentences. I'd also l…

And apparently the persecutor knew about the suicide risk: http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2013/01/14/us-reddit...

Re: Aaron Swartz commits suicide

#582

Post by teyc » Wed, Jan 16, 2013, 12:41 PM UTC

betterunix wrote: post #378

tesmar2 wrote: post #373

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Anyone with access to a university network has access to those documents The JSTOR site says "Libraries and organizations license full-text content for their patrons, and if you are affiliated with one of these institutions, you can access those complete articles." Their site seems to say anyone with a uni affiliation.

Or anyone who is a patron of a university library system , which in this day and age means anyone who has been given access to a university network. Where I am, anyone can get one-week access if someone who is affiliated signs in and generates a unique token for the guest; we frequently do this when researchers from other schools or companies visit my group, but there is no actual restriction on who can be given acce…

I was in the university a couple of decades ago. I no longer have library access.

Re: Aaron Swartz commits suicide

#583

Post by katialeitao2004 » Fri, Jan 18, 2013, 11:04 PM UTC

beadmomsw wrote: post #252

Thank you all for your kind words and thoughts. Aaron has been depressed about his case/upcoming trial, but we had no idea what he was going through was this painful. Aaron was a terrific young man. He contributed a lot to the world in his short life and I regret the loss of all the things he had yet to accomplish. As you can imagine, we all miss him dearly. The grief is unfathomable. Aaron's mother

Dearest mother,

Your son will never die. For the soul never dies. Also his beauty lives in our memory, and learned aspiration. This world wil never be the same again, as he left a very strong mark, the mark of a beautiful soul. The world has been touched. Your son is a legend.

Your son brought me closer to you.

Katia leitao