Gary McKinnon - Martyr or Muppet ?

[DaveR]

I still find it hard to sympathise with this guy

He hacked into US government computer systems, presumably knowing that it was a crime, and that if he was caught it would be the US authorities who would be after him. He was caught, and they are, and now he says 'actually I should be tried in the UK, and anyway I'm ill'.

Like I said before, I'm no fan of the US justice system, but I guess most people (including Gary McKinnon) have an idea that it is v. tough. Nobody forced him to hack into US computers - he chose to do it, and thereby exposed himself to US justice.

[daizie]

But.. he has Aspergers Syndrome.

The US should be thankful , it was an english guy with a significant disability and not a terrorist . He has showed them right up and thats the crux of it .

[DaveR]

Having Aspergers would be extremely unlikely to prevent a prosecution in the UK, so why should we expect the US to be different? In fact, he is campaigning to be tried in the UK, so he is clearly fit to be tried. He showed them up, committed a number of crimes (it seems), and doesn't want to do the time.

[Keef]

Aspergers can mean a lot of things, including very little.

Muppet.

[mockney piers]

I'd say 100% of programmers Ive worked with have shown some degree of aspergic behaviour. If they're ok to be employed in virtually every medium to large company and government then I don't see why it should mean they are free from being convicted of a crime.

I'm split, he did what he did but is obviously being scapegoated, by kicking up a stink it'll only end up worse for him, but uneven extradition is a bad thing and also needs addressing.

I'm with daizie, give him a job.

[HAL9000]

mockney piers Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I'd say 100% of programmers Ive worked with have

> shown some degree of aspergic behaviour.

That is so true - I was involved in a dot.com start-up during the late nineties that employed a lot of contract programmers: almost all of them exhibited some degree of asperger-like behaviour. They were quite brilliant and great fun to work with but it could be surreal at times.

> by kicking up a stink it'll

> only end up worse for him

I'm not sure about that. The US legal system is more likely to treat him fairly and justly now that he has so many supporters and observers watching the progress of his trial. Publicity and justice tend to go hand in hand.

[daizie]

Has got a judicial review

[Keef]

I couldn;'t believe it this morning, when I got this email (to my work account)

  Quote

In a message dated 10/01/2010 00:09:29 GMT Standard Time, Janis Sharp writes:

Hi, I'm writing in relation to the plight of my son Gary McKinnon who has been fighting extradition to America for eight traumatic years.

Despite having done everything I can possibly think of to ensure that Gary is not extradited....I need help.... before it's too late.

Gary has Asperger's Syndrome and was searching for information on UFO's and free energy. When he discovered that there were no passwords or firewalls on thousands of U.S military machines, he left cyber messages telling them their security was extremely poor and almost non-existent. Gary has always been prepared to be tried in Britain, his own country, and to receive an appropriate sentence for what he did - but extradition is totally disproportionate for a non-violent crime and the sixty years maximum sentence that American prosecutors said they would try to attain is terrifying.

Before a court decision or extradition can take place I'm asking people to please help my son Gary McKinnon by texting the word GARY to 65000 now and asking at least ten other people to do the same . If each person that texts asks at least ten others to do likewise and forwards this email to as many people as they can, then the sheer numbers of people texting and supporting Gary, should ensure that in an election year our government has to listen and that compassion and common sense will prevail.

The Text4Gary campaign is purely to demonstrate to the Government the level of support for Gary to be kept and tried in the U.K.. STD rates apply and no profit is made.

Since the very beginning my campaign to keep my son in the U.K has depended soley on the compassion and good heartedness of people that believe in fighting for Justice.

The Text4Gary campaign is powered by the essence of people power and will end on the 1st February 2010. Your help can save my son Gary's life.

We are all links in a chain for good and I am so grateful to everyone for their help

Many Thanks & Very Best Wishes

Janis Sharp (Gary McKinnon's Mum)

For more information regarding the text petition, please see: http://bit.ly/4xIQ2E

Makes me hope they throw away the key!

Sorry, bit harsh, but I hate stuff like that.

[mockney piers]

Sounds very dbiius to me. Probably a pound a text going to someone who has nothing to do with the McKinnons.

[Keef]

Quite, I did think the same thing, but being that this is all over the news, I'm not 100% sure.

This country loves stuff like this, remember the Louise Woodward case, loads of muppets walking round with yellow ribbons on! Made me want to smash my head against a brick wall, so as not to have to share air with these people anymore!

[northlondoner]

What on earth makes the Guardianistas so irate about this bloke's plight. He broke the law, end of. This asperge's diagnosis smacks of recent invetion - no matter how many "eminent" experts testify on his behalf. You have no idea how annoying this kind of "Brits in Peril" furore is to those of us of a commonwealth bent.

[iaineasy]

I think the guy's a muppet and deserves deporting and whatever he gets afterwards, the fact of the matter is talented or not, aspergic or not he hacked into Americas national security system and must have known what that meant, If you have the brains to do that, you must have the brains to know the consequences too. Sorry but all of the debate about his disability seems pointless to me, especially as he was only diagnosed AFTER he got caught,and to be honest it sounds like the best excuse his highly paid solicitors could come up with.

I know it sounds harsh but my gut feeling is that he should be tried in america and take his punishment.

[daizie]

Do you think there is ANY chance of them just smacking his bottom and letting him go?

I wouldn't be surprised if they put him Guantanamo as an enemy alien

[TE44]

I think this a guy, who when first arrested in 2002 was told he may get a slap on the wrist or community service, has served his sentence.

He has a lot of support and a mother who will not stop fighting for her son.

He was arrested before the extadition act, that on its own seems wrong.