Soul-crushing Aaron Swartz
Aaron Swartz helped create RSS and Reddit. He also opposed state-created copyright cartels. This inspired him to help develop Creative Commons, a less monopolistic approach to intellectual property.
Swartz was also inspired to pirate scholarly journals, where much of the research is taxpayer-funded. He wanted to see knowledge distributed and shared with everyone. That got him arrested. A plea bargain offered him six months in jail. Initially, Swartz preferred to fight. In retaliation for his resistance, prosecutors targeted him for imprisonment for 35 years. They never got that chance. Aaron Swartz committed suicide, snuffing out a brilliant mind and promising future.
Soul-crushing Ross Ulbricht
Ross Ulbricht believed in free trade in a free market that would be unencumbered by prohibition laws and prior restraint regulations. He created the Silk Road website to allow anonymous trading worldwide using cryptocurrencies. Of course, this violated both prohibition statutes and commercial regulations that are too numerous to count. Federal police eventually identified him and arrested him.
At sentencing, prosecutors provided the judge with untested charges and evidence. Untested means the jury didn't hear them. Ulbricht got two life sentences plus 40 years without the possibility of parole. Judges have a pleasant, legal-sounding name for this violation of the Sixth Amendment. They call it "judicial findings."
You can help end legalistic soul-crushing
Many prosecutors and judges seem to enjoy legalistic soul-crushing. Do you? Or do you prefer justice? We are promoting legislation in Congress to make judicial findings illegal. Please add your name to this effort…
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