If you think a twenty-something ought to be tossed in federal prison for 35 years because he tried to download some musty academic journal articles without permission, you are a lot things, but a conservative is not one of them.

You might be relieved to know that Aaron Swartz, one of the internet geniuses behind RSS and Reddit.com, will not be imprisoned for a third of a century. Unfortunately, that’s because the fragile young man hanged himself after the United States attorney prosecuting the case generously offered him the alternative of pleading guilty to a felony, paying a crippling fine and going to prison for six months.

I guess we can all rest easier knowing he’s no longer a looming threat to the American way of life.

This is a disgrace. We should be ashamed that this is happening in our name – and conservatives should take the lead in putting a stop to it.

via Conservatives Should Take the Lead Against Government Injustice – Kurt Schlichter – [page].