Gary McKinnon is no enemy of the state

Gary McKinnon outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London. Photograph: John D Mchugh/AFP/Getty Images

A final decision on whether computer hacker Gary McKinnon is to be extradited to the United States is now imminent. Behind the scenes, a battle is apparently under way between politicians and officials over what the outcome should be. There may be much else to occupy the government at the moment, but it is vital that this matter of principle is not sidelined.

More than a decade has passed since a self-styled computer nerd, working out of a bedroom in north London, started trawling through the computer systems of Nasa and the US defence department in search of information about UFOs. He left behind some rude messages about the systems' sloppy security and was arrested by British police. In all that time, no evidence has been advanced by the US prosecuting authorities that any harm – beyond the cost of installing better computer security – has resulted from McKinnon's activities.

Had he been prosecuted in the UK, as he should have been at the time, the whole matter would have been forgotten. McKinnon, who has since been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, would have served a mild, possibly suspended, sentence. As it is, his case now presents the government with a test of ethics.

"Gary McKinnon has been hung out to dry by a British government desperate to appease its American counterparts" – the words of Nick Clegg, while still in opposition. "Gary McKinnon is a vulnerable young man and I see no compassion in sending him thousands of miles away from his home and loved ones to stand trial. If he has questions to answer, there is a clear argument to be made that he should answer them in a British court," is what David Cameron said before he became prime minister. Fine words. They should both now make clear to home secretary Theresa May that she would have their full and public backing, despite what her officials may tell her, if she announces that McKinnon is not to be hauled off to the US.

The failure to deal with the case has already taken its toll on him, and the latest psychiatric assessment, made in April this year, places him at "extreme" risk of suicide if extradited. "Gary has lost 10 years of his youth," his mother, Janis, said on Monday. "A young man who cycled, swam, composed music and sang, now sits in the dark with his cats and never wants to see or speak to anyone."

Cameron, to his credit, has raised the case with President Obama on at least two occasions. The latter indicated that he would be content with whatever decision the British government were to make. It has long been clear that there is little real clamour in the US for McKinnon to be sent there for trial. Whether that relaxed attitude would change if Mitt Romney was to win the presidential election in November is another matter. For this reason, it is important that the British government acts now.

McKinnon's MP, David Burrowes, has hit on a novel way to resolve the issue by attaching it to the diamond jubilee celebrations. He wants the Queen to consider using her prerogative of mercy to ensure justice is served. The government should consider that doing the right thing will have only favourable consequences for them. A decision to allow the extradition would haunt them all the way, through trials and imprisonment, to the next election. The case of Gary McKinnon is a clear instance of a vulnerable individual being targeted by an overwhelmingly powerful force. With this in mind, it is time for Theresa May to reassert the rights of the citizen and to stand up to the bullying threats from the other side of the Atlantic.

via guardian.co.uk

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jun/04/gary-mckinnon-extradition...

No Extradition for Gary McKinnon

The Hanged Man: Gary McKinnon from a Tarot Perspective

I have often thought of Gary McKinnon as a real-life representation of the twelfth card in the Tarot, ‘The Hanged Man’. Below are a couple of examples from two very well-known Tarot decks, the Rider Waite and the Morgan-Greer.

Take a look at these two cards. A man is hanging upside down; his face is relaxed; his posture, with his arms held behind his back could be that of someone just waiting, without a care in the world, if the man was standing up. 

It is clear that this is not a man who is being hung, as a form of execution, but rather a man who is suspended, waiting.

Gary McKinnon has been waiting for a decision on his fate for almost 10 years now. He was a young man when he was caught hacking into the Pentagon’s unsecured computers, and he is now 45 years old. During the past 10 years, he has been suspended in limbo, while the most prolonged, drawn-out, Bleak House-style legal proceedings have been under way. Because of his deteriorating mental health, Gary has made very few public appearances in recent times; he has given up control over his destiny and handed it over to his mother, Janis Sharp, who is the face of the campaign to grant him a U.K. trial. 

The Hanged Man is tied to a wooden frame which is made of Rods (also referred to as Wands, which are the suit of ‘action’); therefore, he is tied to the action that he cannot control. The clouds in the background of the Morgan Greer card represent the air, the high concepts of justice of liberty that are being discussed while the subject hangs, still.

The twelfth card in the Tarot is even more relevant to Gary McKinnon’s life when one looks at the cards that precede it and that follow. Card No. 11 is “Justice”; card no. 13 is “Death” (which, in the traditional Tarot de Marseille, is actually referred to as “The Arcane with No Name”). Justice initiated the process; in the name of ‘Justice’ Gary was arrested and in the name of ‘Justice’ the USA demanded his extradition; but even the ‘crime’ itself was triggered in a - probably misguided - pursuit of justice, as Gary was scanning the US defence computers in search of UFO technology that allegedly would solve the global shortage of fossil fuels.

“Death” is the end of this process, the end of hanging, a final conclusion. The end, in other words, is near. But what will “The End” mean for Gary McKinnon? What will be of this man when the final verdict is read out in court, when the final credits roll?

Even assuming a positive outcome - a U.K. trial, or a complete acquittal - there will be no walking into the sunset for Gary. His supporters will be celebrating, but he will have to re-adjust to standing up rather than hanging; his ankles will have been cut through to the flesh by the rope he has been hanging from for the last 10 years. Blood will rush from his head down to his feet. He will be unsteady on his legs. After ten years of being The Hanged Man, Gary McKinnon will have to learn how to walk all over again. 

via freegary.tumblr.com