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Post by mummifiedstalin on Dec 11, 2009 22:43:14 GMT -5
Dr. Peter Watts, a Canadian writer who's written some great sf novels, most notably Blindsight which was nominated for a Hugo a couple years ago (and is just a fascinating book), was apparently beaten by US border agents at the Canadian border. Now he's accused of assaulting a federal officer, although he claims the only thing he did wrong was getting out of his car. More detailed story here, but if you've read his book and find his story convincing, a number of his friends are starting a legal fund for him. I've actually emailed the guy a few times when I was considering using Blindsight in a course, and he was always very friendly. Of course I can't speak to his general demeanor since I've never met him, but all the accounts I've read support his story. Just thought I'd spread the word.
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Post by afriendlychicken on Mar 18, 2010 16:52:50 GMT -5
I wished I had seen this and responded to it earlier. I've read his Starfish and Maelstrom books and really enjoyed them. Need to read Blindsight and Behemoth. I see that his trial started on Tuesday and they are waiting for a decision at this moment.
Thanks for posting this or I would never have known.
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Post by mummifiedstalin on Mar 20, 2010 16:25:10 GMT -5
He was found guilty yesterday. He's got a write up on his blog atm.To cut to the chase, he wasn't found guilty of assault but of not complying with a command. To whit: after he had been beaten and placed back in his car, the guard told him to get out again and raise his hands. Before he raised his hands, he asked what was wrong and why he was being stopped again. That counts as "failure to comply," and even the jurors are speaking out as a conviction on the technicalities of the law, not as true justice.
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Post by afriendlychicken on Mar 20, 2010 21:49:39 GMT -5
Reading the whole thing just boggles the mind. It's Rashomon like in it's effects. No matter which angle you look at it from, it's still bad. I think Peter does make a good point, it's the definition of the law that's wrong so the jurors couldn't do much to help him. I do hope the judge is lenient on him. It seems a very unfair reason for him to spend any time in jail. Community service would be better. We can hope.
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