811 COMMENTS ON "U.S. Drops Charges That Professor Shared Technology With China"
http://mobile.nytimes.com/comments/2015/09/12/us/politics/us-drops-charges-that-professor-shared-technology-with-china.html
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TheraPMidwest
Act first. Think later. This seems to be the strategy of too many law enforcement situations in our country. And once more, we have a minority person wrongly blamed, wrongly treated.
Like the biracial tennis player mistreated and falsely arrested just this week, here we have a professor, whose life has been upended and possibly a professorial career ruined or cut short.
We need Justice Reform at every level in this country.
Like the biracial tennis player mistreated and falsely arrested just this week, here we have a professor, whose life has been upended and possibly a professorial career ruined or cut short.
We need Justice Reform at every level in this country.
BubNY
I read articles like this and see the glass as half full - this guy was exonerated and the government dropped the case. He wasn't locked away in an eternity prison for political dissidents or enemies of the state, as would certainly be the case in China and a variety of other countries. I wish Xi didn't have to go through this in the first place of course, and he has every right to be angry, but at least we live in a country where there are mechanisms (or perhaps morals) in place that can have the government actually admit it was totally wrong and set someone free.
LauraCalifornia
I hope the scientific community really defends Dr. Xi and demands compensation for him, for his students, for the research he was forced to abandon, and for Temple U. The victims of this "embarrassment" include students and colleagues; reputation is a hard thing to get back.
Aron YoffeLos Angeles, CA
I'd really like to hear more details on what went on inside the FBI. What puzzles me is this: The FBI has a large Science and Technology Branch (4500 employees). And any well-trained scientist, when asked to provide a definite assessment of something outside his or her expertise, knows enough to say: "This is out of my expertise, let me track down an outside expert and have that person review this."
Given this, several possibilities present themselves: (A) the FBI agents didn't run this by their scientific staff; (B) the agents ran it by the scientists, the scientists said they needed to consult outside experts, and the agents ignored them; (C) the agents ran it by the scientists who, in spite of a lack of expertise, gave a determination (which would mean that the individual scientific staff with whom they consulted are not properly trained). Another possibility is that the FBI scientists consulted people they they thought were experts but in fact were not.
Given this, several possibilities present themselves: (A) the FBI agents didn't run this by their scientific staff; (B) the agents ran it by the scientists, the scientists said they needed to consult outside experts, and the agents ignored them; (C) the agents ran it by the scientists who, in spite of a lack of expertise, gave a determination (which would mean that the individual scientific staff with whom they consulted are not properly trained). Another possibility is that the FBI scientists consulted people they they thought were experts but in fact were not.
PeteIllinois
I think Zane D. Memeger and his office should apologize profusely and publicly for this horrible error. Instead they only released a cowardly statement saying "additional information came to the attention of the government.”
The article stated that last month the inventing engineer told the D.A. they had made a mistake. The article doesn't say when last month but at a minimum it took the incompetent (and too arrogant to admit an error) D.A. office 2+ weeks to drop charges. I hope the poor guy wasn't sitting in jail during this time.
The article stated that last month the inventing engineer told the D.A. they had made a mistake. The article doesn't say when last month but at a minimum it took the incompetent (and too arrogant to admit an error) D.A. office 2+ weeks to drop charges. I hope the poor guy wasn't sitting in jail during this time.
James CameronSeattle
“We wish they had come to us with any concerns they had about Professor Xi prior to indicting him, but at least they did listen,” Mr. Zeidenberg.
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That's an understatement. The government was inept in their handling of this case. Mr. Xiaoxing's life was turned upside-down because of this, and the most they have to say is they would drop the charges. As though they were doing him a favor.
What they should do is provide some form of restitution that includes a public apology AND undertake a thorough investigation of what went wrong. And that should include some consequences for the people involved.
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That's an understatement. The government was inept in their handling of this case. Mr. Xiaoxing's life was turned upside-down because of this, and the most they have to say is they would drop the charges. As though they were doing him a favor.
What they should do is provide some form of restitution that includes a public apology AND undertake a thorough investigation of what went wrong. And that should include some consequences for the people involved.
EverymanNew York, New York
I'm waiting for the pre-dawn raid with guns drawn to arrest a bankster CEO.
johnnyny
The "white collar" equivalent of tackling him on the street, smashing his head into the pavement, hand cuffing him and then finding out it was a case of mistaken.... everything!
flyfysherLongmont, CO
Seems there is a uniformly negative opinion of Mr. Memeger and his office and the investigators. Calls for an apology, discipline including termination for incompetency and almost ruining this man's life and a huge judgment with attorneys fees against the government. But you know when I'll be impressed? It'll be when some member of Congress takes up the cause to make sure this type of abuse never, ever happens again. It'd be unwise to try and hold your breath until that happens. Sad that our government officials have so little regard for upholding our Constitution and the protections it supposedly affords us.
joe Getzville, NY
Having worked in the defense industry as an engineer, I am well aware of the stress on prevention of the export of sensitive technology. We received yearly briefings on ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) and the EAR (Export Administration Regulations). It's taken quite seriously. Make no mistake, the fact is that industrial espionage by foreign countries, particularly China, is quite prevalent. We have lost significant amounts of technology to foreign countries, either through hacking or old fashioned spying.
That being said we have a constitution that protects the rights of American citizens. What I see here is a lack of due diligence by either the FBI prosecutors and/or by their technical staff. I also see the overstepping use of force in the arrest, which is also becoming a problem. The actions of the FBI could have been the result of over-zealous investigators or maybe one who is interested in building his or her career. I also see the equivalent of racial profiling in action.
If we had a functional Congress this could be remedied with adequate safeguards. Government response needs to based on a realistic threat level. The use of SWAT-type teams in a case like this needs to be limited. There needs to be assurance that the prosecutors have the science right. There needs to be checks on overzealous investigators. But, as I said with a disfunctional Congress, I don't see any remedies in the near future.
That being said we have a constitution that protects the rights of American citizens. What I see here is a lack of due diligence by either the FBI prosecutors and/or by their technical staff. I also see the overstepping use of force in the arrest, which is also becoming a problem. The actions of the FBI could have been the result of over-zealous investigators or maybe one who is interested in building his or her career. I also see the equivalent of racial profiling in action.
If we had a functional Congress this could be remedied with adequate safeguards. Government response needs to based on a realistic threat level. The use of SWAT-type teams in a case like this needs to be limited. There needs to be assurance that the prosecutors have the science right. There needs to be checks on overzealous investigators. But, as I said with a disfunctional Congress, I don't see any remedies in the near future.
GloriaNYC
Hopefully these egregious mistakes lead to changes within DOJ and FBI to prevent this from happening again. But the threat of Chinese espionage is quite real. Analogies to the McCarthy era are totally off base. China is engaged in a systematic and widespread theft of information from the U.S. Our law enforcement agencies must be proactive about this.
HLBoston
As a first generation Chinese American and an aspiring academic, this case really hit home for me. It's horrifying that you can work hard your entire life, and have everything unfairly taken away from you - and your only recourse is to prove your innocence while already guilty in the eyes of the public and even your own department. Academic reputation is a tenuous thing, and unfortunately it's affected not only him but all his current and previous students and colleagues. I read on another article that the Temple spokesman stated it was too soon to say whether he would be reinstated as chairman. I can't even fathom why they would have to deliberate it. I hope finds a way to move forward and find the justice that he is entitled.
RickNew York
This is embarrassing. Not doing the scientific research to prove that a scientific equipment is stolen weakens the intelligence of the US government's ability to do proper investigation. Haven't they learned anything for CSI? In addition, this is hurting Chinese Americans who consider the United States to be their country. Sure, they are proud of their culture and ancestry, but it doesn't mean they would spy for the Chinese Communist government. The Chinese Communist government is not a part of Chinese culture, it is in fact a western political ideology, and for many Chinese people around the world, democracy is the better one.
posted by mblzzy at 8:05 PM
U.S. Drops Charges That Professor Shared Technology With China