On Tuesday morning a long awaited decision is due in the unbelievably long battle of Gary McKinnon. There is no question that many prayers are going up for the 46 year old McKinnon and his family. I know not what suffering through ten (almost 11) years of that kind of uncertainty will do to a man's heart...I can only say that the last photo I saw of Gary (sometime around August), did not look like Gary.
I have never met Mr. McKinnon or his mother Janis Sharp personally. For that matter, I'm on the other side of the Atlantic. Earlier this year, when it was mentioned to me that it was the anniversary of us landing on the moon, I was searching on You Tube for footage of an astronaut driving the land rover on the moon's surface. I found what I was looking for... And also noticed another video. The caption said something like: "Gary McKinnon. Computer Hacker. Evidence of UFO's" (Or something like that.). I clicked on the video, and saw a fresh faced, clean cut, very handsome, very dignified Gary McKinnon, sitting quietly while a British journalist was reading to him his "list of charges."
"Charges? What did he do?," I thought. McKinnon did say that he was in search of UFO's. He also said that he believed he would find evidence of anti-gravity technology. In 2001 McKinnon was arrested, and taken from the residence where he was staying to a London police station. He was questioned without a lawyer present and his computer and hard drive were confiscated; along with another computer and hard drive in the residence. McKinnon answered all questions with nothing but a desire to cooperate. I'd imagine he only wanted to get back home and get some sleep. His bail was paid and he was allowed to go.... Having no idea that two years later, he'd be fighting possible extradition to the US, facing seven counts of... what? I've been unable to find out exactly what McKinnon was charged with in the first place. Each count equaled ten years in prison. Why? McKinnon claims he left cyber notes on US government computers telling them that their computer systems are crap. He also claims that he installed the necessary firewalls the computers were lacking to begin with.
The problem is, the US government says that McKinnon did five hundred thousand dollars worth of damage to approximately 97 computers, and rendered one of the Navy's operating systems inoperable and that it cost the US government a lot of money to fix it. Have you ever done what was the wrong thing, but for what you believed was the right reason? Have you ever let someone know what they ought to do to fix something but the other person got pissed off because you were not very nice about it? Have you ever been a jerk because you knew (at least in your own mind) that you were right about something, but nobody would listen to you? Have you ever looked for something and stumbled on something else that maybe you were not supposed to see? Have you ever realized you made a stupid mistake, and knew that you could never handle the consequences? Have you ever tried to fix something when it wasn't your place, and someone else had to then take the time to fix it themselves?
Altogether, this sounds like, a high school disagreement, a curious child snooping around, a husband and wife having a fight, a mother whose child has just said "I hate you," a disagreement between room mates, and an employer whose devoted employee has made costly mistakes. What is needed in each of these scenarios? Mercy. A terrible mistake was made here (Mr McKinnon has admitted this many times). Yes, a wrong was done, and it comes with consequences. Mr. McKinnon and his family have accepted this. They are not asking that Mr. McKinnon not be tried for what he's done. They are only asking that he not be tried in the US thousands of miles away from his home. Does this seem unreasonable? Is this unacceptable for a man whose only crime seems to be insatiable curiosity? No one was directly harmed or put in danger. There was no rape, murder, physical assault, child abuse, or theft. As far as possible vandalism or damage, what sort of "hacking" would be involved with some commercially available software and a computer with a blank password?
Anyone can gain access to someone's personal information by simply being the next person to use a computer in a public place. If the last user simply hasn't closed all their applications, the next user has an open invitation to get into whatever they were working on. That person was viewing their bank statement? Oops. That person was on the DMV website? Oops. It's a hell of an "oops" because somebody is just staring someone else's private information in the face, right? Happens all the time. Will that person go to jail for leaving an "open gate"? How could they? It was an accident. Can irreparable damage be done now? You bet! Was that next user SUPPOSED to see that info.? Of course not. Were they authorized to look at it? Nope. It was just there, so they saw it no matter what. And as far as gaining access to information that was inappropriate...I don't know about you but for me, that's just a night on Facebook when I come across some people's posts! It's just there because it's someone else's information... Not mine. How can it be helped?
Mr. McKinnon has already lost almost 11 years, fighting extradition to the US, which in itself seems to be an unnecessary "sentence" in my view, when you consider what actually happened. In the last picture I saw of Gary, his face was red and swollen. His eyes were sunken in, his hair (always immaculate) was all askew. He looked to me to be a man crushed under a great weight. A certain light seemed gone from his eyes.
Add to all of this, a diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome, and the anxiety and fear that brings to a childlike spirit... And what does this do to a man's heart? I don't know... But this man needs to be able to see that morning has broken and that he can breathe again, don't you think? I'm praying that Teresa May, Prime Minister Cameron, and all those involved will do the right thing. Free Gary now!! (Please).
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