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Senator Warren (D-MA) & Rep. Issa (R-CA) at Swartz Memorial
Last night a memorial service was held in Washington D.C for internet activist Aaron Swartz. The event brought out activists and politicians from both the left and right who committed to reform the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act in Aaron’s name – amendments that will become known as Aaron’s Law.
Aaron’s Law would decriminalize terms of service violations, shorten sentences for minor hacking offenses, and prevent prosecutions against people who were authorized to have access to information but used atypical ways to get access to it.
Besides announcing their support for Aaron’s Law many of the politicians including Congressman Grayson and Congressman Polis reflected on their personal interactions with Swartz who was an intern in Grayson’s office and worked with Polis on stopping SOPA. Grayson analogized Swartz to brilliant computer pioneer Alan Turing who was also unjustly prosecuted and driven to suicide.
Congressman Darryl Issa affirmed his commitment, as House Oversight Committee Chairman, to investigate the practices of US Attorney Carmen Ortiz and her office during the Swartz prosecution. He also boldly claimed “Access to information is a human right.”
But perhaps the most compelling remembrances came from Swartz’s father and partner. Swartz’s father noted that both Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg broke the law while finding their way to innovation, with minor consequences. Taren Stinebrikner-Kaufmann, Swartz’s partner, talked about the broken justice system that crushes people like Aaron. She detailed the incredible abuses of power perpetrated by Ortiz’s office and the pain and suffering that Swartz’s early death has had on her personally.
Demand Progress has started a campaign to build support for Aaron’s Law.
Photo from Twitter
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I think it falls a bit short, but at least something better comes of this, and more incredible, bipartisany!
Rise up, Revolt.
Well if “my” Rep, Daryll Issa actually follows through on this, it might be the first and only useful thing he’s done *for others* (other than himself & his 1% doners, that is) in the 99%.
It’s a step in the right direction, at least, and I hope that someone goes after Ortiz for her shameful, disgusting, outrageous behavior. That needs to stop immediately. She should lose her job. Why am I paying someone to overreach like that?
There are so many awful things to think about these days but the tragedy of Aaron stands out. This brilliant young man who was hounded and harassed until he broke. I hope that his family, his friends and his partner can find some hope that his death had meaning and that we won’t forget.
This is so tragic.
Several have asked Holder for a statement. Has he made one yet?
His actions speak louder than words.
“Rise up, Revolt.”
will do. just gotta finish this facebook post first.
Is Rep Issa going to come to the aid of Bradley Manning who did what Aaron Swartz failed to do: set information free??
Issa is only acting in this to attack Obama. Hasn’t Issa attacked Obama for the fact Manning did what Swartz planned to do?
Issa is totally unprincipled in this matter.
Hey, Hitler got the German economy going, so he was a good leader, so Henry Ford was right to support Hitler and his policies.
Of course, the real issue is whether Issa is going to act to repeal the “digital piracy” laws that were the basis for charges against Swartz. Issa is a big one for demanding jack boot government prosecution of some people, like in the “gun walking” case where there was a lack of evidence of a crime, but here we have clear evidence of a Federal crime and it is now convenient for Issa to argue the crime should not be enforced vigorously. Hey, if a US citizen had been prosecuted for buying guns which he then sold to people who took them over the border, Issa would be holding hearing on how Obama is violating their second amendment rights instead of holding hearings on the failure of Obama to violate his fifth amendment rights.
You have many good points.
Personally, I’d like to see it go further:
I’d like to see it ban the President from Torturing children or others (to death);
I’d like to see it ban the President from Murdering children or others;
I’d like to see it require prosecution of the President and others who use prosecutions (persecutions!) to attack Americans (or others) for their own political purposes.
RIP Aaron.