I am angry too, but at the mentors who accepted the worship of a troubled young man and led him to this. Why don't you make your pointed comment and risk a ban? Please, I can take it and it would be refreshing to see instead of all this crap directed at law enforcement. And if you are not creeper out by some of Aaron's mentors fondly recalling his cuteness, you are not paying attention to what was going on there. And now his corpse is being repurposed for several agendas. I'll go first and welcome a ban: fuck that.
Oh, another old counter-culture guy who egged on an impressionable kid. How sad that Aaron's attempt to strike a blow like those of his mentors was so squalid. Kids, I'll tell you since these heroes won't: if your "hack" involves picking locks, buying multiple computers to bypass a download limit, and violating terms of use, it's not a movement and it is not heroic. Don't let these lazy essayits lead you down this path. Find your own cause, and make it worthwhile.
Thanks for the adult, reasoned perspective Professor Kerr--it was much-needed. I have been dismayed (but not surprised) by the ghoulish treatment of this poor kid. He's a perfect martyr for movement-minded people. The only movement he should inspire right now is a gut check by anyone who is "mentoring" a minor or a troubled young person. Are you mentoring him/her for his/her benefit, or for your own? I'm sure it's immensely flattering for the leading lights of the various hacker and open source, open information movements to have brilliant youngsters sitting at their feet, capering and reacting to their social manifestos. Well, I hope Aaron's whole-hearted devotion was gratifying to SOMEONE. I personally wish he had never been allowed to wander at an impressionable age among the manifesto crowd, who in fact do incite criminal actions by their followers. They have now shown that they will allow themselves to address a child as though he is an adult, and let the chips fall where they may. But of course we all know who the REAL villains are: those who have and attempt to assert property rights. Just astounding. I think I will have to avert my gaze from this crowd of ghouls--I don't want to see a dead kid's face on tee shirts and posters, but that is where this is going.