Gary McKinnon

eddyabs

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I struggled a bit with where to place this post, and I decided on 'etc..etc' as it has a definite human aspect (bring on a Human Rights thread!).

This will be of particular interest to American members who have not heard of Gary or his plight.

Right now, here in the UK, there is a huge campaign, backed by the public, various celebrities, politicians and intellects to save Gary.

Gary McKinnon hacked into 97 NASA and Pentagon computers from his home in London between 2001 and 2002. Thanks to the US/UK extradition treaty of 2003, Gary now faces an extremely long sentence in a US federal penitentiary if his legal appeal against the extradition fails later this month.

It all sounds like he deserves it, right? Wrong.

Gary McKinnon has Asperger's Syndrome.

The general consensus, I believe, here in the UK is that Gary should not go unpunished.....but, he should be tried in his own country, (where he would receive the maximum jail term of up to 5 years, with the correct support for his condition)...not in the US, where the powers believe that he should be made an example of, and where he could receive up to 60 years in a Fed-Pen, with no support for his condition, and at the mercy of the pressure cooker horror of these prisons.

Any thoughts?

Daily Mail-Gary McKinnon.

More info about Gary's appeal...

FreeGary.org.uk
 
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jason_els

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Asperger's is not a condition where a person does not know right from wrong. Nor is it a condition where someone has periods of florid psychosis or fugue states. I don't believe that having Asperger's is any more of an excuse for illegal cracking than having a headache is for shoplifting.

I wouldn't extradite him when he faces such an extreme penalty that essentially translates into a life sentence. Five years is enough, imho.
 

eddyabs

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Asperger's is not a condition where a person does not know right from wrong. Nor is it a condition where someone has periods of florid psychosis or fugue states. I don't believe that having Asperger's is any more of an excuse for illegal cracking than having a headache is for shoplifting.

I wouldn't extradite him when he faces such an extreme penalty that essentially translates into a life sentence. Five years is enough, imho.

It's not really as simple as a condition as that Jason...there are varying degrees as to the severity of the syndrome, also, having a cousin who has Aspergers, I know that they can be extremely obsessive (with Dan it's all about computers), and that having the syndrome has been likened by my cousin and other sufferers as akin to waking up in a foreign land with no knowledge of the language, social rules or moral code.

He did wrong yes, but the fact that he has Aspergers must be taken into account, I'm sorry, but there is a MAJOR difference between Aspergers and a headache...whether or not one is robbing a shop or hacking into CIA.

This is the major reason why we in Britain want to see him tried here.....because his Aspergers will be taken into account, and he will receive the correct support in prison here in the UK...that he would not in America's prison system.
 

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Hacker loses extradition appeal

Whilst I would support an extradition where serious cases of wrongdoing have occurred on foreign soil, as far as I can see the offence occurred from within Britain so he should be tried in Britain.
His case is still to be heard in the Supreme Court, which will be the last point of appeal.

What would the US side feel about US citizens being extradited for a similar crime?

Or maybe a financial one where all the management of the swindle or negligence was on the US side?
 

B_Nick4444

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no sympathy at all

lock him up, throw away the key, I say!

I'll go farther, if actual harm, or compromise of our defense was accomplished, he should fry!
 
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