Thousands March On Washington for Gun Control (click title to entry - thank you)

There are Senate votes coming up, where is the interim Senator for Secretary Kerry?

On Thursday, John Kerry, (click here) Pres. Obama's nominee for Secretary of State, testified in front of the Senate Foreign Relations committee at his confirmation haring for the post. He was on the show back in March 2007, along with his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry. They discussed their involvement in environmental issues, which Sen. Kerry discussed during his testimony on Thursday. You can listen to Leonard's conversation with the Kerrys.

I believe there is a reason to charge the prosecutor with malicious prosecution.

Aaron Swartz was not seeking a profit from his activities. He was seeking to make available to others outside his expertise an opportunity to achieve. It was an act of friendship to provide education to others.

Aaron's activism is not malicious. It was not an attack on Plutocrats. His activism was to express to others, in some degree of understanding of an envy to his advantage in life, his willingness to put them in his shoes. He was  engaged in an educational extension of his expertise. He wanted others to share his values, his genius and be a part of his world. He posted professional articles for no other reason, except, respect to others that were somewhat 'his fans.' He wanted nothing in return, except, to offer a hand to those he considered friends lacking opportunity.

There is every reason to believe in his naivety in his actions. There is no proof otherwise and the law allows for such an outreach. I firmly believe the invasion of privacy leading to prosecution was nothing but malicious of which MIT was a partner. The institutions of law in this paradigm can be held criminally liable.

Bringing about justice in this case will require an investigation to his death, the circumstances leading up to, the involvement of MIT and its lack of policies to protect its academicians and their students and the motivation of the prosecutor. Only then will the truth be known and the evidence required to properly prosecute the 'system' and 'institution' the Plutocrats are relying on to preserve their profiteering at the cost of our country's brain trust.

Fair Use – Section 107 (click here)

A flexible exception that allows socially valuable uses of copyrighted material, including educational copying.

Fair use applies in many situations, but its application is never certain. A good faith decision in each situation is important.

Four factors are balanced to determine fair use:

1. The purpose of the use should be for non-profit education. If the use adds to the original in some creative way (like commenting on a poem or making a parody), the fair use argument is stronger.
2. Factual material is more susceptible to fair use; creative work like music and art gets stronger protection. Unpublished work also gets more protection
3. Use only that amount of the original work that is necessary to accomplish the educational purpose.
4. Avoid uses that substitute for purchasing available copies; damaging the market for the original counts heavily against fair use.

He was sharing the tools of genius. That is his only sin. He wasn't guilty of anything except a noble purpose.

I have a book on my shelf composed of nothing but professional journal articles. There is no other writing within the publication. Only professional journal articles. I purchased the book at a nominal cost for the course I attended, for the cost of the paper and binding. It was sold at the university bookstore. Of the two primary instructors of the course only one was published in the book. 

The point is, expertise nearly always stands on the shoulders of its predecessors. If a university can publish a book composed of nothing but professional journal articles from a wide variety of authors which was required reading for its students then what Aaron Swartz was involved in was neither strange or unaccepted on an academic level.

Stand on the shoulders of giants (click here)

In a USA economy that robs its people of honest wages and is sluggish to growth why not offer others a leg up and the tools to build a dream?

Aaron Swartz image inspired others to achieve and he was willing to help. Philanthropic in the only way he knew how or had resources to make it happen. He was iconic. His fame wouldn't wait and that is not his fault.

MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) is a preeminent university.

There are others, Harvard, Yale and the list is distinguished. They contribute to the USA Brain Trust in a very big way.

MIT has a unique place in the American Landscape. MIT carries out research for the USA military. MIT is engaged actively in National Security. Realizing that, MIT and universities in the USA with this capacity need to take special care of their students regardless of their academic standing.

I do believe MIT was negligent in its authority to guard Aaron Swartz from any zealot agenda of the American government. What prevents any government entity in this age of invasive by authority to the citizen from destroying the very brain trust the USA relies on.

Aaron Swartz is more than simply a suicide of an activist, he is a profound loss to the future and scope of the United States of America.

It is not unusual for students to depart from 'the norms' of society. As a culture we instill the idea our young people should be empowered with a sense of justice. They are instilled with the idea they have authority in their own lives within the scope of their understanding. Simply because Aaron Swartz's SCOPE far exceeded the common understanding of life means we OWE HIM a greater understanding of his protections as a citizen in the USA. It is appropriate and necessary.

MIT rolled over to the government to oppress the enthusiasm of Aaron Swartz. He had something to say. He wanted to say it. What underlies as a threat to cause prosecution was the idea the Plutocracy could not profit from an electronic storage facility of professional journals. Does anyone actually believe the release of PUBLISHED material of professional journals is a crime?

MIT has to stand with their students when those students are facing enormous stress in their lives. Prosecution of their students has to viewed as a threat not only to the student, but, to the reputation of the university and the brain trust of the USA. MIT needed to treat the spying on Aaron Swartz, the legal prosecution of him as if they were a full partner, because, in fact they are. MIT in accepting Aaron Swartz into their university exposed him to their capacity to provide his greatest potential. When Aaron fell under attack by a huge institution MIT needed to be a partner and not a threat to their own student.

MIT and the universities that find their role in the USA as a 'holder' to the brain trust of the country, needs to act to protect their students, work with them, provide legal representation and PARTNER with them when they are attacked by MONEY INTERESTS within or outside of the USA due to their talent and devotion to PURE THOUGHT.

I cannot express my fury over this episode with MIT. Aaron Swartz had no defenses to his abilities and that was the design of the university milieu. He needed support from more than friends. He needed support from his academic advisors and his university. MIT may as well have caused the death of Aaron Swartz because they did nothing to prevent it or to defend a brilliantly talented man this country absolutely needed among their best.

MIT and other universities need to avail strong belief in their potential to foster excellence, protect their students, their reputation and take action to fight for the beliefs and dedications of the goals of the young minds in this country. I find the willingness of MIT to simply step aside and let Aaron Swartz receive government scrutiny appalling and reactive rather than steadfast.

Every student when facing such scrutiny should be aware of the missteps they may or may not have taken to cause alarm in authority seeking to dismantle their passions. They need to be provided without cost to them lawyers able enough to defend them. I mean what happened to the Harvard Law School here?

Aaron needed resources to provide for his well being while realizing the limits of a society to cope with a dedication to freedom. MIT was grossly wrong in exposing him as if an investigative arm of the prosecutors, rather than holding him in esteem to bring him along in his own reality to survive attacks. I find the role of MIT in Aaron deaths more than threatening and down right scary to the damage they were allowing to happen.

God forbid the students should actually occupy the administrative offices!