2 ms·

That's all great information but it goes contrary to the narrative coming from all sources I've seen, including Lessig himself who was involved with the case.

by zzzeek 14y ago

That's all great information but it goes contrary to the narrative coming from all sources I've seen, including Lessig himself who was involved with the case. His own post (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lawrence-lessig/aaron-swartz-suicide_b_2467079.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lawrence-lessig/aaron-swartz-s...) cites a figure of "50 years" based on the number of felony counts (http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120917/17393320412/us-government-ups-felony-count-jstoraaron-swartz-case-four-to-thirteen.shtml http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120917/17393320412/us-gov...) , and states the "government continued to push as if it had caught the 9/11 terrorists red-handed." If these numbers are really all just meaningless and in "reality" he was really only looking at...a year? why is it that nobody, even sources like Lessig, seem to be saying this.

mpyne 14y ago
> If these numbers are really all just meaningless and in "reality" he was really only looking at...a year? why is it that nobody, even sources like Lessig, seem to be saying this. Because it goes in opposition to the worldview they're trying to push...? Everyone has a bias, you, me, Dr. Lessig, aaronsw, the prosecutors, EVERYONE. It's like when the music/movie industry tries to claim that an illegally copied media file costs them hundreds of thousands in damages. In this case you could theoretically get to 35+ by taking up all the charges, handing down sequential sentences (as opposed to the more-normal concurrent sentences), and somehow making all of those individual sentences go to the upper range of the permitted scale. I and a few others have been trying to point out that 35 years in prison was never an actual option for some days now but I think it's kind of gotten lost in the storm...
- zzzeek 14y ago
  > I and a few others have been trying to point out that 35 years in prison was never an actual option for some days now but I think it's kind of gotten lost in the storm... here's what would help. If you are in fact a criminal law attorney and know these things via practice, or if you can point us all to some links of well respected criminal attorneys, without a stake in the case, on the record saying "it's very unlikely he would get more than four years".

by zzzeek 14y ago

mpyne 14y ago

> If these numbers are really all just meaningless and in "reality" he was really only looking at...a year? why is it that nobody, even sources like Lessig, seem to be saying this. Because it goes in opposition to the worldview they're trying to push...? Everyone has a bias, you, me, Dr. Lessig, aaronsw, the prosecutors, EVERYONE. It's like when the music/movie industry tries to claim that an illegally copied media file costs them hundreds of thousands in damages. In this case you could theoretically get to 35+ by taking up all the charges, handing down sequential sentences (as opposed to the more-normal concurrent sentences), and somehow making all of those individual sentences go to the upper range of the permitted scale. I and a few others have been trying to point out that 35 years in prison was never an actual option for some days now but I think it's kind of gotten lost in the storm...

zzzeek 14y ago
> I and a few others have been trying to point out that 35 years in prison was never an actual option for some days now but I think it's kind of gotten lost in the storm... here's what would help. If you are in fact a criminal law attorney and know these things via practice, or if you can point us all to some links of well respected criminal attorneys, without a stake in the case, on the record saying "it's very unlikely he would get more than four years".