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This was posted to “The Atlantic” about 99 minutes ago. To read over her account of both her relationship with Aaron, and then the Kafka-esque descent into madness precipitated by agents of our government in their quest to bring Aaron down is to awaken in full to the toxicity of our Brave New World of American Inquisition.
Our Department of Justice cares not at all about drug cartel money laundering at HSBC, that netted that firm billions in profits. It cares not at all about restitution for individuals who are wrongly foreclosed upon by other large banks. (Not even for one individual whose house had been paid for, in full, with cash.)
Apparently by not needing to worry about those matters, the DOJ and officials in other Federal agencies have plenty of time and resources to spend in chasing down the likes of a cyber-Einstein. The blow by blow account by Ms Norton of the various arduous and intricate methods used by the Prosecutors is painful to read. And it must have been a nightmare to live. These indecent government agents were proud of being able to hassle, harass, and outright lie to manipulate Norton into giving up, inadvertently, some needed ammunition against Aaron. All this seems so extremely outrageous, that just as I felt shame on March 23rd, 2003, when we entered into an illegal war against Iraq, I felt shame that my nation entered into this illegal war of prosecutorial misconduct against this young couple. The account is so tragic, because there never even was any victim willing to even tell the Government that they wanted Aaron brought down! And now with his senseless and untimely death, there simply are no words to express the egregiousness of these people’s actions.
Quinn Norton’s account can be read in full, at the following link:
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/13/03/life-inside-the-aaron-swartz-investigation/273654/
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The following link can act as a recap/reminder for anyone wishing to refresh their mind about the complexity of this legal affair:
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/03/editors-note-to-quinn-nortons-account-of-the-aaron-swartz-investigation/273666/
It did make me feel good to know that Quinn is now established as a writer with The Atlantic.
Thank you for the link.
Democracy Now had a program today that featured Darcy Burner, who delivered an “After Aaron” address to the Freedom to Connect conference, and Derek Khanna, a “GOP rising star” (according to DN) who “wrote a policy brief for the Republican Study Committee entitled ‘Three Myths About Copyright Law and Where to Start to Fix It.’ In it, he advocated lighter penalties for copyright infringement and an expansion of fair use, arguing that current copyright law hinders progress and runs against constitutional principles.” Khanna was fired the day after his policy brief was released.
Links for those DN segments:
http://www.democracynow.org/2013/3/4/after_aaron_late_activists_campaign_for
http://www.democracynow.org/2013/3/4/gop_rising_star_derek_khanna_fired
Thank you, elisemattu. Such a tragedy that he lost his life over freeing what should have been The Commons. That this DoJ is hell-bent on prosecuting the good guys and letting the fraudsters of the criminal financial class get richer and keep robbing us with impunity (save for some minimal fines) will never be forgotten.
I posted this on DSWright’s article yesterday. excerpt:
The story of Aaron Swartz and his friends, and others less bright but nevertheless motivated by generally (I’m thinking) more pure motives becomes more and more outrageous as this information is coming out. AND it is just like other stories, in their similarity. The connection to Bradley Manning is impossible to overlook.
The tragedy of the outcome in Aaron’s case shows the depth of the depravity of what now we must recognize as a government that has lost its way and is likely never to find its way back to the roots our founders so carefully tended.
I am sick to my core over this story, and I beg everyone to put yourself in the position of these brave young people, and find the compassion required to love them and hold them dear. We need to be ever vigilant in our attention to the abuses of power we are watching. They are picking off the young, the brightest, the most vulnerable of our future hope.
Truly, I am saying we must rise up, we must revolt.
Will be watching, probably later tonight.
Copyright is important to me; I run a publishing firm, although a small one. But the biggest way that we lose income is twofold: that large enterprises like Random House can fudge on the books and not give the authors the money they should be getting; and two, people overseas who pirate the books.
Like Wendy Davis said, Aaron was freeing those items that should be in the Commons.
Is Revolt even possible? Those who seek to do so have been marginalized, penalized. Although it is true that Quinn now has a way to address the public, over at the “Atlantic,” look at the heavy price she paid to get that!