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Janey

What makes me really mad.

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Why is it that the press do our children a great disservice when they report on criminals who are aspergers or autistic? Let me give you some examples:

 

Barry George originally convicted for the murder of Gill Dando reported as Aspergers

Andrew Ibrahain convicted of terrorist bombing in Bristol, reported as Aspergers

Garry McKinnon accused of hacking US military computer systems, reported as Aspergers

Adam Tait, airline fraudster, reported as autistic.

 

This gives the ignorant general public the impression that ASD or Autistic people don't know right from wrong and must all be nutters. They wouldn't report on a criminal who wears false teeth or who's colour blind for example, why do they need to report on ASD? I get the impression that the reports always suggest that the ASD is the reason for these people's criminal activities which may be to some extent true, but it paints a very gloomy picture and fuels prejudice for most law abiding ASD people. I find this very disturbing for the future of my very rule obeying autistic child, his life is going to be difficult enough without the press suggesting he is a potential criminal.

 

Janey

Edited by Tally

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Surprisingly I just emailed the BBC about their coverage of the McKinnon case and pointed out that if they must mention AS, could they, at the very least, explain why being AS would affect the case.

 

If you want to add another one to your list, CrimeWatch did a report a couple of years ago about a woman being hit with half a brick. The assailant was described in the usual terms and then they added 'and probably had Asperger Syndrome'. AARRGGHH :angry:

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The thing that annoys me is that all these crimes could have been carried out by someone without an ASD. I agree that if the media is going to add the "oh and he's got Aspergers" ending at least let the public know the impact this could have on someone. It's the general sweeping statement that tarnishes all ASD people that annoys me.

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On BBC radio 4 this morning they were talking about the Garry McKinion case and did not mention Aspergers other than one of the contributors said "his illness has been well commented on", with no reference as to what it was or how it may of may not affect anything.

 

Foot note, Apparently he could be prosecuted in this country but our government (or a department of it) have decided not to do so.

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On BBC radio 4 this morning they were talking about the Garry McKinion case and did not mention Aspergers other than one of the contributors said "his illness has been well commented on", with no reference as to what it was or how it may of may not affect anything.

BBC Breakfast made a point of saying that he had AS whenever the item came up...and didn't explain what it was or how it could affect the case/his actions at all :shame:

 

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Ahhh... the problem here is that in almost every case the lawyers representing these people have used autism as a defence. In the case of Gary McKinnon this has actually been endorsed by the NAS, who've circulated a support campaign under the umbrella of their 'Think differently About Autism' campaign...

Funnily enough, I've just answered an e-mail circular on that very issue from them:

 

Hi,

We are extremely disappointed and angry that today the High Court has ruled that Gary McKinnon, a man with Asperger syndrome accused of hacking into United States Government computer systems, should be extradited to the US.

Autism is a lifelong condition that requires understanding and support and this is a terrible day for Gary and his family. We are collecting your photos and messages to demonstrate the huge level of support they have, so please visit our website and add your voice.

Gary's fight continues, with an application to appeal the decision to extradite him in the UK Supreme Court. I'll be in touch again soon and together we will continue to fight this injustice.

 

Matthew Downey

Campaigns Manager

 

Not sure they'll appreciate the 'Different Thinking' in my reply, but I hope so:

 

Please do not send me any more unsolicited mail regarding Gary McKinnon. This is not a campaign I support and I am unhappy that the NAS have chosen to get involved in this man's appeal in any way. I totally agree that Autism is a lifelong condition that requires understanding and support, and therefore think it should NOT be used as an excuse or explanation for illegal activities knowingly, wilfully and deliberately undertaken. The use of autism as a defence in this case is, IMO, manipulative and emotive, and feeds directly into the negative stereotypes that disempower autistic people within our society. How you equate that with a campaign named 'think differently about autism' is beyond me.

Whether there is political / legal injustice in this case is a different question, and one I would have been interested to see explored. Instead, the defence has always rested on the assumption that Gary McKinnon was incapable of knowing / understanding the implications of his illegal activities, and there is absolutely no evidence to support that assumption no matter how convenient autism might be as potential 'get out of jail free' card.

 

L&P

 

BD

 

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:notworthy:

 

my father actually got cross with me when i told him i didn't support it, he seemed to think that i should feel sorry for him but he chose to break the law. i get hooked into things - i took a degree in american politics and i've recently watched every episode of the west wing 5 times (154 episodes X 5), but i'm not hacking into government computers to investigate it and then deleting things!

Edited by NobbyNobbs

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Hi all,

 

Just to put my original post right I meant Adam Tait not Garry Tait as posted, can't see how to edit.

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Hi Janey,

 

There is a time limit on editing posts, which is why you cannot edit it. I have edited it for you.

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Aaargh - someone on the normally very erudite BBC Radio 4 panel debate "Any Questions" has just mentioned that McKinnon has Aspergers and therefore has a mental illness. :wallbash:

 

K x

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On BBC radio 4 this morning they were talking about the Garry McKinion case and did not mention Aspergers other than one of the contributors said "his illness has been well commented on", with no reference as to what it was or how it may of may not affect anything.

 

Made up for it later in the day. But I didn't hear anyone say it was a defense, only that because of it he should not be tried in the USA. Even some former us government investigator agreed with them .

 

BBC Breakfast made a point of saying that he had AS whenever the item came up...and didn't explain what it was or how it could affect the case/his actions at all :shame:

 

Not sure which program this is but didn't see/hear it so cant comment.

 

I will repeat something I said way back, that what amazes me is that the American government owns up to the fact that someone sat in his bedroom the other side of the world can knock out the defence network so easily.

 

I don't agree that he shouldn't be extradited to America because of his Aspergers, I just don't think he should be extradited.

The US Government should sack all their IT people and get some that know what they are doing.

Edited by chris54

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Read this post with interest- and am in total agreement with you all. Funnily enough, I have also complained to Auntie Beeb about the misrepresentation of Asperger Syndrome- my lad was really very worried by the coverage and asked me if it meant he might go to prison when he's an adult.

So it's not just public perception we have to worry about, it's how this kind of thing might affect an Aspie's perception of themselves......

Really upset me, actually, and I didn't mince my words. I didn't sink into rudeness, but forged ahead with assertiveness.

Ooh, it really grinds my gears!!!

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This is part of another campaigning email I've just received from the NAS:

 

We are extremely disappointed and angry that today the High Court has ruled that Gary McKinnon, a man with Asperger syndrome accused of hacking into United States Government computer systems, should be extradited to the US.

 

Autism is a lifelong condition that requires understanding and support and this is a terrible day for Gary and his family. We are collecting your photos and messages to demonstrate the huge level of support they have, so please visit our website and add your voice.

 

Gary's fight continues, with an application to appeal the decision to extradite him in the UK Supreme Court. I'll be in touch again soon and together we will continue to fight this injustice.

 

I hope he isn't extradited, but not because of his AS. The whole extradition process needs overhauling in my opinion. The UK can't extradite anyone from the US without producing a lot of evidence and going through a lengthy legal process - not the case the other way round.

 

K x

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I've been pretty wound up about this all day too. I have such mixed feelings about it all. If I was his mum, I too would be fighting tooth & nail for him.

 

But I'm not his mum, I'm JP's mum, & I worry that he, working quietly away in his office at the city council, might end up being viewed with suspicion by those who "need to know" about his AS because of the law-breaking of someone else with AS. JP would never in a million years break any law, but I worry that he'll end up being tarred with the same brush.

 

 

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I've been pretty wound up about this all day too. I have such mixed feelings about it all. If I was his mum, I too would be fighting tooth & nail for him.

 

But I'm not his mum, I'm JP's mum, & I worry that he, working quietly away in his office at the city council, might end up being viewed with suspicion by those who "need to know" about his AS because of the law-breaking of someone else with AS. JP would never in a million years break any law, but I worry that he'll end up being tarred with the same brush.

 

That's exactly my point. Garry Mckinnon's case is what prompted me to post today, but it is not just his case that I think has done a gread injustice to our ASD children. It is the media in general who in my opinion paint autistic people as unpredictable, untrustworthy, potential criminals. When do they ever report successful people as ASD there is an unnaceptable relationship between ASD and crime being built by the media.

 

I too would be fighting tooth and nail if I were Garry Mckinnons mother regardless of his ASD.

 

Janey

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Janey to add to your list, there was the man/teen who murdered "Rosie May" she was 10, and it was at a family party. He is always described as "autistic" in reports, then there was the student in Americia who shot his classmates and killed himself, also "autisic" as the mother of a teen with ASD it IS extremely concerning because of the effect it has on family/friend and the general public. Enid

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

J

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I agree that if the media is going to add the "oh and he's got Aspergers" ending at least let the public know the impact this could have on someone. It's the general sweeping statement that tarnishes all ASD people that annoys me.

 

But I'm not his mum, I'm JP's mum, & I worry that he, working quietly away in his office at the city council, might end up being viewed with suspicion by those who "need to know" about his AS because of the law-breaking of someone else with AS. JP would never in a million years break any law, but I worry that he'll end up being tarred with the same brush.
Quite agreed, for me as a jobseeker, as if it wasn't already difficult enough trying to persuade an employer to choose me, without more tarring with the same brush in the media.

 

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If I was his mum, I too would be fighting tooth & nail for him.

Would you be fighting on the basis of the extradition being wrong/unjust or on the basis of the AS dx?

 

I'm trying to understand how and why AS even features in the case and whether it is being used as an 'easy' way to fight/challenge get round the system (well easier than challenging the extradition laws).

 

My reasoning being that I heard Garry give an interview where he stated very clearly that he knew exactly what he was doing (I can't remember if he said he knew it was illegal or not but he certainly gave the impression of knowing it was wrong). Therefore I cannot see where the AS comes in or why it is being used, at least to such an extent.

 

What is it that the NAS are challenging and why have they taken this case on so strongly? There must be thousands of people in this country currently awaiting or serving sentences who are also on the spectrum but the NAS isn't saying they should all be released because of their ASD. I don't understand what makes the Garry case special?

 

 

*Goes back to writing list of crimes to commit once the new law is passed saying ASD individuals are free to break any law because they didn't understand/mean harm/know the consequences :ph34r::devil:*

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Would you be fighting on the basis of the extradition being wrong/unjust or on the basis of the AS dx?

 

If I was his mum, I'd want him kept in this country so I could support him & visit him if he ends up in prison, just as Michael Shield's parents fought for him to be transferred from a Greek prison to a British one.

But as an uninvolved observer, I've no problem with the extradition.

Edited by pearl

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Baddad - ditto. I feel exactly the same.

 

I'm fuming that NAS funds are being spent on an individual who has now directly connected serious crime with having Aspergers. That's the very last thing that we all need.

 

Caroline.

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I've just been reading the double page spread on this in the Guardian today. I am furious.

 

Here is the article. It's slightly different from how it is presented in the paper where it begins "Asperger's sufferer..." (hmm, and I thought people suffered from diseases... :huh:)

 

I'm no medical authority, but to me, it reads like this is someone with an awful lot more going on than AS. He even talks about heavy dope smoking and not being sure what he was doing/affect on intellect, but they don't start the news with "Dope smoking computer hacker faces extradition" because that doesn't make such interesting news. He seems very paranoid in many parts, for instance in his refusal to discuss the case with the US Embassy.

 

At the very end of the article we get the usual 'AS characterised in a few lines'. I think this perfectly covers all the issues we face and paints a clear and balanced view of what AS is. In fact someone on here was asking about typical traits - I would just take this:

 

In 2008 McKinnon was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism that compels sufferers to indulge in obsessive behaviour such as compulsive internet use. Another symptom can be an overwhelming terror at the thought that one's life might be about to be turned upside down.

 

:wallbash: :wallbash: :wallbash: If I get a moment, I shall be writing to the Guardian and explaining the implications of their unbalanced and irresponsible reporting. Of course I would have to fit that within my compulsive internet use. :ph34r:

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Thanks for posting the article - it made interesting reading. My own opinion is that he & his mum have seen his dx as something of a lifeline - an excuse, if you like, for his behaviour. Makes me even crosser at the way the NAS are championing his cause.

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i think he mentally unstable which doesn't excuse his beahviour but maybe he turned obsessive side which spiralled out of his control which made matters worse i think society's views could turn negative stereotypical towards us i think it's a fine line between using it to maybe explain some pointers of the case not using it to defend him though has his mental health state been tested? as has his I.Q? maybe he acted on implusive which can become dangerous when reach this stage too late gone too far for help!

 

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wow. i'm off to commit some crimes cos i'm clearly entirely unable to resist doing bad things. all these years i spent following the rules (theres my compulsion) i was clearly not doing things the aspergers way after all.

 

its like a bad joke, instead of the insanity plea we now have the aspergers plea.

 

anyone would be afraid of going abroad to prison its not MEANT to be warm and comfy with mummy by your side. its meant to be a punishment for doing something wrong. and he did a big something wrong

 

EDIT - smiley, you can be absolutley sure that every other 'reason' for his breaking the law has been investigated such as low IQ.

 

 

EDIT again - i just found this on the BBC news 'have your say' about whether he should be extradited -

 

no, never he should not be extradited to USA. First he should be cured in order to make him mentally fit. After then give him a chance to change.
that just shows how truly terrible the media representation of AS is if people still view it like that. its just hurtful to everyone who has AS. there are also people saying that he only 'caught' AS after he did the crime... its horrific how such ignornace is allowed to be posted. if this was about a physical disability then they would never let it be put up there Edited by NobbyNobbs

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Hi,

the whole thing makes me think that it is far too easy to hack into the Pentagon's computers database. I am not a technical person but is it possible to protect these files somehow from hackers?

The second thing is I really DO feel sorry for him because, from what is in the article, I dont think he acctually really understood/understands the possible consequances of his actions. He lived/lives in his own world and his obssesion was only part of it, making him even less aware of the real world. The way he reacts and talks and the fact that he did not speak with the US embassy and explained himself when he should and spoke with all sort of juernalists in a light manner as if what he did was not really a crime (in this world) proves my point. I agree in a way with some of the privious posts and I think that this could have been ANY NT person, mad enough to do it. The fact that he has AS should not be emphasised. I wonder where his mother was to advise him appropriately in time (although he is an adult)? Did he hide his activities from everyone?

Another thing is: the fact is that he is guilty but why shouldn't he have a trial in the UK? I dont see anything wrong in that!

 

Danaxxx

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the whole thing makes me think that it is far too easy to hack into the Pentagon's computers database. I am not a technical person but is it possible to protect these files somehow from hackers?

 

According to the article he was able to hack in because some officials hadn't bothered to create a proper password. So he did the US a favour in exposing the weak links in their security.

 

This extradition should be fought because it is wrong, not because Gary Mackinnon has AS. The UK must stand up for the human rights of ALL its own citizens who commit crimes on home turf.

 

K x

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Grrr, this is making me crosser and crosser with each day's reporting (it even seems to have pushed swine flu out of the news :o)

 

Here is a report relating to what the mother says.

 

Now, ok, she may have a point in saying:

Ms Sharp told Sky News: "I was very disappointed because not only is he (Mr Johnson) trying not to stand up for Gary's rights, he actually is trying to incriminate him by talking about 9/11 and all the people that died and then mentioning Gary's name.

But what does she think is being done to the 500,000 people in the UK with an ASD by talking about such a crime and then mentioning ASD in passing/as a reason?

 

You can't have it both ways. :(

 

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Guest featherways

For what it's worth, Gary admitted he had done wrong. No-one was expecting him to get a 'get out of jail free' card. The problem is what happens to someone who may already have a degree of instability caused potentially (note the word potentially) by lack of help for Asperger syndrome, who is then sent to a foreign country for a trial rather than having the trial here.

 

I know that if I was sent to the US for a trial, I'd be a complete wreck. I can't cope with being outside of my environment.

 

The vast majority of people with AS are law abiding citizens. In fact, there is no research that I know of to suggest that we are any more likely to be criminal than anyone else. But I do think we need to be treated by the criminal courts in ways that reflect our different needs. I see this case as important for that reason, not because I want to see anyone break the law and get away with it, but because too harsh a punishment delivered in too harsh a way could destroy some of us completely. That is the concern for Gary's team. He is being treated like a terrorist. There is no evidence to suggest he was acting in such a way, but was acting in a naive way through his particular sort of Asperger syndrome. Wrong yes. Deserving of punishment in a way fit to kill him, I'd say not.

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For what it's worth, Gary admitted he had done wrong. No-one was expecting him to get a 'get out of jail free' card. The problem is what happens to someone who may already have a degree of instability caused potentially (note the word potentially) by lack of help for Asperger syndrome, who is then sent to a foreign country for a trial rather than having the trial here.

 

I know that if I was sent to the US for a trial, I'd be a complete wreck. I can't cope with being outside of my environment.

 

The vast majority of people with AS are law abiding citizens. In fact, there is no research that I know of to suggest that we are any more likely to be criminal than anyone else. But I do think we need to be treated by the criminal courts in ways that reflect our different needs. I see this case as important for that reason, not because I want to see anyone break the law and get away with it, but because too harsh a punishment delivered in too harsh a way could destroy some of us completely. That is the concern for Gary's team. He is being treated like a terrorist. There is no evidence to suggest he was acting in such a way, but was acting in a naive way through his particular sort of Asperger syndrome. Wrong yes. Deserving of punishment in a way fit to kill him, I'd say not.

I'm sorry but I have to completely disagree. Once you get into the realms of one law for one person another for someone else, everything is going to get really messy. Surely that would be far more unsettling? If you do something wrong - and it's clear here that he knew he was doing wrong - you have to face the consequences.

 

By all means his legal team can debate whether there should be extradition and which laws apply - and that's the interesting bit legally - but confuse it by throwing AS in? No.

 

His punishment is not going to kill him; it's going to be unpleasant. And that's what punishment should be.

 

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he is being treated like a terrorist because he committed terrorism. he launched a malicious attack against a foreign country. the message he left (oh yes, they dont mention that bit much) was malicious and threatening against the US and combined with the damage caused constitutes terrorism. that is why he is being extradited, just like other people who commit terrorist acts.

 

i also find the labouring of 'foreign trial' odd. the trial will be held in english, and the prisons presumably are of a similar nature to british ones, he's not being extradited to north korea to be tortured! he doesn't want to be extradited because the british prison sentence he will recieve is tiny and the US sentence massive. otherwise why isn't he trying to arrange to be trialed in the US and then complete his full sentence in the uk? anyone would try to go with the easier option, but he's dragging every other person with AS through the mud while he does it.

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I don't understand what makes the Garry case special?

 

1. Because he committed the crimes BEFORE the extradition laws came into force.

 

2. Because Britain already has sufficient legislation in place to prosecute him for his crimes. The Computer Misuse Act applies to hacking BOTH British and foreign computer systems from a location on British soil.

 

I could understand a desire for the US to extradite Gary McKinnon if either British laws did not exist to prosecute him or the British government steadfastly refused to prosecute him, but this is not the situation, which makes the extradition plain rough justice.

 

That's exactly my point. Garry Mckinnon's case is what prompted me to post today, but it is not just his case that I think has done a gread injustice to our ASD children. It is the media in general who in my opinion paint autistic people as unpredictable, untrustworthy, potential criminals. When do they ever report successful people as ASD there is an unnaceptable relationship between ASD and crime being built by the media.

 

I don't think the media generally likes people with AS. They want to create a society that views people with AS as untrustworthy individuals with low moral standards who do not know right from wrong.

 

I too would be fighting tooth and nail if I were Garry Mckinnons mother regardless of his ASD.

 

I consider the extradition as a human rights issue where AS does not come into the equation at all.

 

 

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I also find the labouring of 'foreign trial' odd. the trial will be held in english, and the prisons presumably are of a similar nature to british ones, he's not being extradited to north korea to be tortured! he doesn't want to be extradited because the british prison sentence he will recieve is tiny and the US sentence massive. otherwise why isn't he trying to arrange to be trialed in the US and then complete his full sentence in the uk? anyone would try to go with the easier option, but he's dragging every other person with AS through the mud while he does it.

:clap: :clap: :clap:

 

Perhaps we should all bring a case against him for the damage he's done to AS people. We could get AS representatives from around the world, find the nastiest part of each legal/jail system, and then really show him what punishment is all about :lol::ph34r:

 

I don't know who I am most cross with - how did the mention of AS first make it into this case; who suggested it to him and on what basis because he was only dx'ed several years into the trial? :unsure:

 

Oh, if the extradition laws only came into place after he had committed the crime, then his DX which only came into place after beginning the trial shouldn't count either!!

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His punishment is not going to kill him; it's going to be unpleasant. And that's what punishment should be.

 

If he gets 60 years he almost certainly won't come out alive. If he get 6 years he may not come out alive. Have you ever seen what American prisons are like? Nasty inhumane places run under very brutal regimes that would be unacceptable in the UK and most of Europe. I wouldn't be surprised if he is killed by another inmate because of his social naivity and lack of 'street skills'. Although such an event could still happen in a British prison it would be far less likely.

 

and the prisons presumably are of a similar nature to british ones

 

Read above.

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canopus unless you've been in a US prison i think perhaps your argument needs to be reconsidered. your statement is based on speculation not fact. and as i said. he's not trying to get his US jail term served in the uk, he's trying to wriggle out of the greater punishment.

 

youtube his interview with richard and judy, he appears unrepentant and even seems to think he was justified in his actions.

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canopus unless you've been in a US prison i think perhaps your argument needs to be reconsidered.

 

I have known a few former and serving prison wardens from the US who have provided me much information what life in American prisons is like. Some even quit their jobs because they could no longer support a system they didn't believe in and considered excessively cruel and unjust whilst achieving little positive in practice. One is now an AS activist pressing for changes in the US legal system.

 

he's trying to wriggle out of the greater punishment.

 

Maybe he is. Has Gary McKinnon openly stated he refuses to serve a sentence in a British prison according to that set out in the Computer Misuse Act?

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Maybe he is. Has Gary McKinnon openly stated he refuses to serve a sentence in a British prison according to that set out in the Computer Misuse Act?

thats not the point i was making. that would not be him serving the US sentence in the UK. the government has already stated that they are willing to negotiate with the US so that this could happened but McKinnon is ignoring that. the reason the computer misuse act isn't being applied is because his attacks were directed at the US military, hence the extradition. if a US citizen did it to us and we had a stronger punishment then everyone would be spitting fire if the US refused to extradite him irrespective of current law, so i'm not sure what all the fuss is about.

 

if he can't stand the punishment he shouldn't have done the crime

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Hi

 

I am heartened to know other people (with and without AS) feel the same as me - I thought I might be being harsh and unsympathetic!

 

This quote is from one of the article links posted:

"He also suggested that maybe in return for dropping the charges he could join their team and teach them the brilliantly clever ways of the hacker but they demurred, explaining that any idiot could have done what he did."

 

This is a damning statement about their computer systems, is it not?! I think they must be extremely embarrassed and want to 'throw the book' at him. It did occur to me that they should be employing him rather than punishing him, but this is the real world after all :tearful:

 

It makes me sad that AS is just said, as if he 'can't help it'. We would never want our children to use AS as an excuse for not being able to do something, or for doing something.

 

He seems to have been very deliberate and determined in what he did, he even appears to know it was illegal (he felt he was going beyond what a normal journalist would agree to do). I really don't think he should 'get out of it' because of AS. I also don't see why he shouldn't be extradited - it was a crime against America so they should try him (and pay for the cost of that). He is obviously OK being interviewed by journalists. If travelling was a huge problem then this should be being explained properly, what effect it would have on him. If it is that America prisons would be worse than British ones, then he shouldn't have hacked into the American computer systems!

 

Anyone who does something like this must face the consequences. His legal team can negotiate on the sentence (serve it in British prison, or some other form of punishment dependent on psychiatric reports), but he still has to face a trial and punishment.

 

I feel for his mum, I can't guarantee we won't find ourselves in an equally bad situation in the future and it does worry me. But 'he has AS' is doing nobody any favours, even himself.

 

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"He also suggested that maybe in return for dropping the charges he could join their team and teach them the brilliantly clever ways of the hacker but they demurred, explaining that any idiot could have done what he did."

 

This is a damning statement about their computer systems, is it not?! I think they must be extremely embarrassed and want to 'throw the book' at him. It did occur to me that they should be employing him rather than punishing him, but this is the real world after all :tearful:

 

As you say, it doesn't say much for their security!

K x

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