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Federal prosecutors don't screw around. Just take the plea bargain. Also, the authorities in general don't like to be scorned. If you get away with something

Federal prosecutors don't screw around. Just take the plea bargain. Also, the authorities in general don't like to be scorned. If you get away with something once, keep your nose clean afterwards. Just some practical lessons unrelated to the passion play.

falcor84 6y ago
But if no one is unveiling to dissent then nothing will change. I don't know what I personally would do if faced by that horrible choice, but I admire the heroism of dissidents willing to stand their ground. "Any man who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust and willingly accepts the penalty by staying in jail to arouse the conscience of the community on the injustice of the law is at that moment expressing the very highest respect for the law." Martin Luther King Jr.
- realreality 6y ago
  But Aaron didn’t accept the penalty. He killed himself to avoid facing the consequences of his actions.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
  - meekmind 6y ago
    I don't think he avoided any consequences, he escalated the consequences to the maximum degree he could. No, I'm not advocating suicide. If anyone out there thinks that suicide is a solution, it isn't. But, morally speaking, is there a huge difference between being imprisoned in a tiny concrete room for 20 years (esp. during the prime of your life) and being dead? No, probably not. I'm not saying his decision to take his own life was right, only that I can empathize with the position he was in and how it would seem hopeless given his personality and the inherent lack of fairness in prosecutorial discretion and mandatory minimum sentences. Aaron was a big-minded softie, who cared deeply about humanity, and was courageous enough to escalate beyond slacktivism to real action. He underestimated how entrenched his opponents were and that they would bring the full force and intimidation of the state down on his head. He knew what he was doing was right, but he didn't know what he was really up against. Like a lot of smart people, he wrongly assumed that other people were like him. He probably thought that they would see the reason of his position, and sense that he was really a good person, and treat him with fairness (like he would do) and not as an evil terrorist. It still hurts me to think about Aaron, what Aaron represented, and what our system does to people like that.

falcor84 6y ago

But if no one is unveiling to dissent then nothing will change. I don't know what I personally would do if faced by that horrible choice, but I admire the heroism of dissidents willing to stand their ground. "Any man who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust and willingly accepts the penalty by staying in jail to arouse the conscience of the community on the injustice of the law is at that moment expressing the very highest respect for the law." Martin Luther King Jr.

realreality 6y ago
But Aaron didn’t accept the penalty. He killed himself to avoid facing the consequences of his actions.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- meekmind 6y ago
  I don't think he avoided any consequences, he escalated the consequences to the maximum degree he could. No, I'm not advocating suicide. If anyone out there thinks that suicide is a solution, it isn't. But, morally speaking, is there a huge difference between being imprisoned in a tiny concrete room for 20 years (esp. during the prime of your life) and being dead? No, probably not. I'm not saying his decision to take his own life was right, only that I can empathize with the position he was in and how it would seem hopeless given his personality and the inherent lack of fairness in prosecutorial discretion and mandatory minimum sentences. Aaron was a big-minded softie, who cared deeply about humanity, and was courageous enough to escalate beyond slacktivism to real action. He underestimated how entrenched his opponents were and that they would bring the full force and intimidation of the state down on his head. He knew what he was doing was right, but he didn't know what he was really up against. Like a lot of smart people, he wrongly assumed that other people were like him. He probably thought that they would see the reason of his position, and sense that he was really a good person, and treat him with fairness (like he would do) and not as an evil terrorist. It still hurts me to think about Aaron, what Aaron represented, and what our system does to people like that.