You are right. If you know what has been happening at MIT and know who was involved then it should not surprise that Hal Abelson’s response will be highly skewed. Protecting Eric Grimson’s wrongdoing and others too.

http://tech.mit.edu/V132/N63/abelson.html

It’s kinda of a joke to see such an educated mind state something soo inane

“…but I expect to find that every person acted in accordance with MIT policy. More than that: they acted in the belief that their actions were legally and ethically proper.”

If that were the case, Swartz would never have ended up in the position he was in.

Why would Hal Abelson “expect to find” ? No, no, no. That’s certainly the wrong way to go about an objective investigation. There’s nothing to “expect” , you objectively review a matter without any “expectations”

To that end, how inappropriate is the phrase “in accordance with MIT’s policy” ?????????????????????????? Even if it said “in accordance with the law” … I beg to differ …

Does dumbly following any rule or regulation or policy or law make us moral citizens ? or make us citizens who act morally and ethically correct ?

Come on Abelson, maybe that important task was slightly out of your area of expertise. Look at the segregation laws, look at the laws that existed in Nazi Germany ? Does following those laws justify any morally correct behavior ? I’m sure people in Nazi germany used to say exactly the same thing, “Oh, but what i did was ok cause … the law expects me to do this!”

Even if people did act according to MIT’s policy, someone should be blamed and take the fall for this. That’s the only morally correct gesture that can be made.

How useful, or better, how misleading will Hal Abelson’s analysis be ? very.

Hal’s analysis will avoid undermining parts that may lead to the rightful downfall of the chancellor. It will downplay any wrongdoing that may implicate other powerful figures within the regiment of MIT. Politics will prevail, unfortunately.

That’s the bitter truth.

And Swartz’s dad was right (see last paragraph of NYTIMES). They ruined his son when they could have opted for alternatives.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/21/technology/how-mit-ensnared-a-hacker-bucking-a-freewheeling-culture.html?_r=0