Free Gary McKinnon

I am here in america. I find it very disturbing that our government can, at will, reach out and make an example out of anyone it chooses.
I've been following Gary's case on and off for a couple of years now and I still fail to see what actual damage was done aside from causing massive embarrassment to a slipping government who's only recourse is similar to that of a desperate-grocery-store-parent.
The way I understand the "hack" is as a fairly trivial process that any common shopping mall should be secured against let alone a "super power".
I am appalled and ashamed at that the gov. of the country I live in is seeking a life sentence (if I understand it correctly) for a crime with no victim.

VVVVV

Hi, my name is Renato, I'm from Brasil. I follow the Gary's case since 2006 and still do not understand the reason for requesting his extradition. This is ridiculous. Unfortunately, this is the world we live in.
What is left twisting, however, you remains to fight, continue protesting against this absurdity.

Um grande abraço,
Renato.

http://receitasgeek.blogspot.com

You know that feeling when you fall out of a tree and hit every branch on the way down? i reckon thats how Gary Mckinnon feels about the British Justice system.

Peter Marshall has a photo of the demonstration

http://mylondondiary.co.uk/#mckinnon

"You know that feeling when you fall out of a tree and hit every branch on the way down? I reckon thats how Gary Mckinnon feels about the British Justice system".

Brilliant, powerful and beautifully summarised.

Stay in the light, guys.

Instead of calling it: 'the biggest military computer hack of all time' they should call it: ‘the biggest US Government's Information Security failure of all time’.

But in the real world incompetence is not a crime.

Wish you the best luck Gary, keep on fighting this nonsense.

Ciao,

Alxx

You people are morons! If you break into a system how can you not expect repercussions? You rally around Gary like he's some kind of left wing martyr poster boy. You call him a victim of American imperial oppression and ignore the fact of his crime. Imagine if he hacked into your bank account or paypal. He didn't actually steal any cash but you would feel violated right? Well, think of it that way. I expect you to delete this post as you loonies don't like criticism about your poster boy. Frankly, he deserves what he got and you are all fools for thinking he should get away with it.

Britain should not extradite any of it's citizens to a country that condones and uses torture as America does.
America has lost all moral authority in the world and the war mongering criminal George Bush should be tried for war crimes but America made itself immune to prosecution for war crimes in Iraq and immune to prosecution in the Hague.

When Gary McKinnons mother wrote an article on "Comment Is Free" in the Guardian, someone had put her article on the very front page of an American website for the American Military to respond with rude comments.
Now how paranoid can a nation be when they put a mothers article on the front page of a military website.

It really doesn't help the American position when Mathew Bevan hacked into U.S military computers Ten years before Gary and that Mathew Bevan was hysterically described as the most Dangerous person to World Peace since Adolph Hitler. Mathew Bevan now runs an internet security business in the U.K and the U.S Military computers are as insecure as ever.

Exagerations like the Adolph Hitler accusation and calling Gary McKinnon a cyber terrorist just doesn't help the American cause.

The people who should be prosecuted to the Max, are the criminal employees of the U.S military that had NO PASSWORDS and NO FIREWALLS on Military computers prior to and after after 9/11.

To have no internet security for weeks would have been unforgivable but to have no internet security such as basic as Passwords and Firewalls for NOT WEEKS but for YEARS ON END is a Crime.

The American people were left totally unprotected prior to and after 9/11 and Why? and for many years prior. This is the real crime that should be looked into. Perhaps they have traitors in your Midst.

The fact that Gary told them that people from all over the world (including China) were wandering through their systems didn't seem to register as their security is still abysmal but rather than paying to upgrade it with some decent staff, they go for the soft option and want to Extradite and throw the book at someone who admitted walking into their systems on a dial up machine in his girlfriends bedroom almost seven years ago.

This case is alll about the Embarrasement of the U.S government and nothing more.
If we wanted to Extradite a U.S citizen for hacking we wouldn't have a hope in hell even if we did provide the evidence which is required for us to do so.

Attempting to extradite a computer nerd that's merely embarrassed the American Military is pathetic because that's the reality of what's happening here and they are continuing to embarrass themselves by their determination to hound Gary McKinnon into the ground.
They really should try and find some real terrorists.

Would they rather Gary McKinnon hadn't made them aware of their horrendous lack of security? He left notes on the military computers telling them their security was crap and nothing was done to rectify it....WHY?

Gary can be tried in the U.K and get a sentence commensurate with the alleged crime, as opposed to the proposed American sentence of Ten Years Per Count x 7 counts =70 years.

The American Judicial system is not a bit like ours and I worry about the sanity of people that can propose such sentences for non violent crimes and as I said; no British citizen should be extradited to a country that uses torture, the U.S being such a country.

Gary -

What I would like to know is why there is a news ban here in North America on the Gary McKinnon / Pre 911 Security Blunder. I have never seen any coverage on television, radio, newspapers, or any other media except the net.

That right there should raise questions about this issue.

Elle

I think perhaps the reason Gary hasn't been, extradited five weeks after the ECHR decision against him, might be because the U.S doesn't want the fact that they had no passwords and no firewalls on Military Machines before and after 9/11, to come out during their elections.

I wonder who the U.S citizens would blame. A computer nerd on a dial up machine, or the U.S Military who were supposedly protecting America?

No Contest!

@Wil - that's it exactly! As soon as the presidential election fandango is over we can expect the wheels to start turning on Gary's extradition.

On a side note, I'm surprised that this story has not been reported in the popular media here in Ireland (as far as I have seen).

Claire whose husband used to work with Gary called and suggested I post my blog here, it is full of good information on Gary.
www.usexpats.blogspot.com

I am deeply disturbed by the display of the autism rights banner, this case has NOTHING to do with autism rights. Nobody should get off for a crime by virtue of autism - promoting that idea actually works AGAINST autism rights by implying that autism weakens someone's ability to behave in a law-abiding manner.

Gareth,

No one is trying to "Get Off" by having an Utism Banner.
The Autistic Rights Movement chose to support Gary because they want to ensure that he is treated fairly and has a trial in his own country in the U.K.
Having the fear, worry and extreme stress of the past six and a half year of facing extradition hanging over Gary's head is not "Getting Off".

Gary has asked only to be tried in his own country, he has not "got off" by any stretch of the imagination, as anyone facing almost seven years of fear, stress and worry would know.

Many people with Aspergers/Autism know and appreciate what Gary is going through and they very rightly decided to offer him the support they know he needs.

Gary is fighting extradition and is asking to be tried in his own country where he was told by the police almost seven years ago, that he would receive a six months community service sentence for computer misuse.
In the end they decided not to prosecute Gary in the U.K, presumably because the crime was so trivial.

This Extradition treaty is an afront to Justice and many U.K citizens feel strongly about it and protest against it both physically and by letter writing.
The London Autistic Rights Movement do both.