Gary McKinnon is a hacker from Britain who is set to be extradited the United States. McKinnon Allegedly hacked into the Pentagon’s computer system disabling and/or interrupting several national security systems while looking for info on UFO’s. McKinnon’s defense is that the reason he hacked the United States Military was “as a direct result of following the obsessional interest which drives him.” It upsets me this individual is using Aspergers as an excuse for his illegal actions.
Even though McKinnons lawyers go on to say as he had “no malicious intent to harm the computers or any human beings whatsoever.” I’m sorry, but when you hack the military headquarters of the United States you have done a malicious action – irregardless of your intent. Irregardless of your intent your actions are illegal. Irregardless of your target your actions are illegal.
There are also a lot of people out there that are saying he did this out of his one major interest, a common trait of people with Aspergers. They also say that he should be let loose because of this. My Question is why? Does Aspergers affect his ability to know that hacking into the United States Military is illegal?
Gary McKinnon – you make me very ill to the stomach. Your using Aspergers as a scapegoat for your actions that are very illegal in order to get away with what you did. As someone who has Aspergers your actions are very offensive. Do you realise your stupid last chance legal defense is painting a picture that could very well slow down the rights for Autistic People. Your claiming you don’t know whats right and wrong because of Autism – the exact picture our opponents want to paint.
Related Posts |
Support AspieWeb Today:
|
|
Please visit one of our great sponsors or |
|
{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }
← Previous Comments
I agree that Gary should not be sent to prison for the rest of his life just because he did something stupid. Americans are paying way too much for all the number of arrests being made this day. Some federal laws are even so ambiguous that most people can’t even understand them without having to consult a lawyer. Instead of focusing on the REAL criminals (rapists, murderers, etc.), the government each day makes up new nifty laws to gain the “favor” of the American people and make them believe they are making the justice system better. source: http://www.economist.com/node/16640389
Besides, even if a mental disability is no excuse for committing an outright crime, this guy didn’t even steal or make do anything malicious. One would think they’d rather apprehend him some other lesser way as misconduct and make him receive appropriate treatment but noooooo, instead the government decides to send this mentally disabled person to prison FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE. Welcome to the American justice system.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
“irregardless”?
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
This article is very misleading – Gary McKinnon didn’t even know he had Asperger’s syndrome and he never used it as an excuse to gain unauthorised access into NASA and Pentagon computers (he didn’t hack – there were no passwords – they were blank – and anyone could have done it)
McKinnon’s lawyers however did rely on the experts’ testimony that McKinnon’s undiagnosed and unsupported Asperger’s and severe depression exasperated obsessive behaviour, i.e. repeated access to sites that HAD no passwords – to look for information that morally, US has no right to hide from the people of this planet.
Nobody ever suggested that because of Gary’s Asperger’s (that by the way I also have – I was officially diagnosed in 2006 by top autism specialist) he shouldn’t be prosecuted. The author of this ‘article’ is missing the point and I hope he’s not using his AS as an excuse for not understanding the issue, because being autistic myself I have no problem reading and understanding things.
Gary’s lawyers are arguing that he has the right to be tried in UK because being autistic he will suffer in the abusive prison system in US where he WILL be bullied (Autistics are bullied everywhere, anyway. But being a non-US citizen in a US prison, accused of leaving anti-US gov. messages – McKinnon will be a target by the American home-bread bullies in prisons, both guards and prisoners. He will not have any support for his depression and paranoid delusions – he’s scared of being tortured by aliens which he believes are running the US gov. And McKinnon is not the only one to believe in the Lizard conspiracy, by the way – loads of people all around the world do, but they are not facing the red-necks in US prisons who don’t care and don’t want to understand anyone with mental health issues – they just bully and destroy. Gary is very likely to be male raped and beaten up and even killed for being ‘weird’ and for being perceived -anti-American. You must be aware how brainwashed the ignorant people in society are and I doubt many among prison population are from educated liberal left side of the political spectrum. If they were – they’d not end up in prison).
Gary did find evidence, by the way, of extra-terrestrial fleet (which didn’t specify if they were human or alien in origin but the documents were titled ‘extra-terrestrial fleet of officers’) and a foto of cigar-shaped UFO taken from spacestation, with earth visible in background
what things like that are doing on government computers and why is it a secret to the rest of us?
why are we being treated like children and not told the truth?
Breaking the law is only when the purpose is malicious and involves personal gain which there was none in McKinnon’s case – he’s just a maverick who tried to uncover the truth to benefit humanity.
He didn’t hurt anyone, he didn’t steal anything.
Those other guys did, but Gary is not even a criminal in a true sense of the word. What he did is misdemeanor because he’s left anti-US gov. messages and that’s what they are trying to put him away for 60 years for.
Apparently, freedom of speech has no meaning any more
(and what Gary said was true, anyway – the US military were being the aggressor of the world – murdering millions of Iraqis was a nasty thing to do. US military should be ashamed of themselves
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
“I am hugely dismayed at my fellow Brits’ paranoia and double standards. This man was diagnosed with aspergers AFTER he committed the act – highly convenient. He claimed to be looking for UFOs but deliberately left anti-war messages, threatened to hack and disrupt again and also maliciously deleted files…”
Sounds to me like he *doesn’t have Asperger’s.*
When someone does bad stuff [like hacking into and deleting someone else's files, sexually harassing coworkers, stealing a bus, leaving clues all over a murder scene, throwing someone through a window, etc.] and his or her sympathizers go “he or she can’t help it, he or she has Asperger’s, he or she needs to stay as free as he or she was free to do this stuff before!!!” it’s really horrible for people who *do* have Asperger’s because it scares other people away from people with Asperger’s (like “since she has Asperger’s she can get away with hitting me, so she’s more likely to hit me than someone else who would be punished for hitting me, so if I don’t want her to hit me it’s my job to stay away from her…”). I bet it even scares some people with Asperger’s away from other people with Asperger’s!
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
After reading this article. Im sorry to say but im against EVERYTHING you have mentioned. I myself has asperger syndrome, at age of 21 i was very fortunate to have been diagnosed at age of 5 and got help and support, if i hadnt been diagnosed at an early age my condition would no doubt be more advanced than it is today. I can understand what your trying to say, the fact that you don’t want people with asperger’s getting away with everything, of course not, but you have to remember Gary McKinnon is a man age of 43, and he was only diagnosed a year ago, people diagnosed at that age is kind of a blow as asperger’s can take years for a person control, everyone is different. I agree that mckinnon should serve his sentence but at the same time get support for his condition and give him help, however i am defiently against the idea of him being sent to the USA, the americans could not be more bitter than they are about the situation and thats despite doctors and psychiatrists explaning the condition and the consequences of mckinnon if he was to be sent. Its disgusting treatment if you ask me. People who are diagnosed with the condition must be given support all they can to help lead themselves to a life with very little pressure compared to what it used to be. I take it that you were diagnosed with the condition at a young age? well count yourself fortunate like i was because i think mckinnon wouldnt have done what he did if he was diagnosed at a young enough age. If you seriously think gary being sent to america will make things better…well im sorry it wont
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
← Previous Comments