I am writing this in response to HN users: sgpl, 1986, aioprisan, mandevil, ddulaney, spamizbad, liaukovv.

(How many of you post with your real names on HN, by the way? I post with mine...)

But, you basically said the same thing, over and over (much like our news media does), which can be summarized as:

"Robert Smith is guilty because he admitted guilt"

And (by implication) that all that follows, including this magazine article, are perfectly OK and socially permissible by virtue of that fact...

To recap, you said:

o "This person admitted guilt and entered a non-prosecution agreement in which he agreed" (sgpl),

o "Smith acknowledged evading more than $43 million in taxes over a decade and repeatedly filing false tax forms." (1986)

o "he actually agreed that he did in fact commit crimes"
(aioprisan)

o "Mr. Smith admitted he was guilty in legal documents under penalty of perjury" (mandevil)

o "he has admitted guilt as a part of the deferred prosecution agreement" (ddulaney)

o "He admitted guilt" (spamizbad)

o "He admitted committed crimes as part of the agreement" (liaukovv)

Well, I'm not contesting that "fact" in any way shape or form.

In fact, we all agree on it!

But, before we all have a moment of collective victory, before we put on our hats and start celebrating that yes, you can really get agreement from other posters on the Internet, let's pause for a moment, and think about this for awhile...

Let's put this "fact" (that we all agree on!) -- in proper perspective...

You see, "agreements" aka, "the admission of guilt", "the agreement that a crime was committed" -- can be coerced.

A simple example of this would be if you were in another country, and you committed no crime -- but were unlawfully placed in jail under the pretense of having committed a crime...

Now the people running that prison, in that other country, come up to you with an ultimatum... They say that you're going to have to spend 20 (or more) years there(!) -- that is, unless you sign a document (giving the apparency of a legal "agreement" to other people and the public at large -- yet having been made under coercion!) which says, which is an admission that YOU COMMITTED A CRIME... in exchange for a lesser (or no) sentence!

Now what happens when that signed statement -- reaches the media?

Under such circumstances, WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

You see, it's easy to rationalize things, and say (without having been in similar circumstances) what a person should do, what you would do -- under those circumstances.

But it's not equally as easy -- to face those circumstances should you ever be put in them...

You see, that's the larger story -- the set of circumstances under which Robert Smith "agreed" (Prosecutor said, hey Robert, "agree to this or we'll prosecute you, and you'll probably go to jail for 20+ years").

None of you have ever been in a situation, a circumstance -- were all of the Federal Government's Lawyers -- all of them -- have been after you, all at the same time, for whatever reason, real or imagined...

If it were ever you, and they had a case against you (legitimate or not), and you had a deal on the table where you could avoid a 20+ year prison sentence, and all you had to do was rat on your billionaire friend (well, that and subsequently get tarred and feathered in the media!) to "make all of this go away" -- how many of you wouldn't take the easier deal, to "make it all go away"?

Let's start with most of you don't have the ethical character to post with your real names on HN...

I'd not want to be in a position where you had to make a high-level ethical decision -- where my future would be determined as a result of that decision...

Oh, and if the underlying argument is "He didn't pay his taxes" -- then my counter argument is "Paying taxes = Paying one's debt to society = Helping other people" -- but if that's the case, then

WHY ARE THERE SO MANY HOMELESS PEOPLE IN CITIES???

What is the Government (Federal, State, City, Local) -- doing to help them? Why do they continue to exist? Surely with the amount of taxes we Americans pay, you would think that Government (any tier of government) could help?

What is Government doing -- to pay it's fair share -- to society, to those people?

?

Help me to understand, please!

I claim Socratic Ignorance!