Saturday, December 15, 2012

No Charges Against Gary McKinnon, UFO Hacker - Lucky to Live in a Democracy

Crown Prosecution Service decided against a court indictment in the case of UFO hacker, Gary McKinnon. No matter the official reason, he is lucky to live in sort of a real democracy and not in what the American government calls a justice system.

Almost eight years after his initial arrest under the charges of hacking American government and military computers under his solo effort to find out the truth about UFOs, Gary McKinnon learned today that the British prosecution will not file a court indictment in his case, officially for technical reasons.
The first decision by the British authorities, not to extradite him, was the original political statement against the US approach in this subject, and today's decision is just a natural resumption of the same policy.

File:Gary McKinnon.jpg
Gary McKinnon 
(Wikimedia Commons:Wilsha)

By doing so the Brits acknowledge that in the US McKinnon's fate would be up to 60 years in jail, all in an attempt to prompt a real disclosure of information in a subject that is first and for most in realm of the public right to know. You can't prevent access to the most important scientific discovery of all time and then punish those who try to reveal your crimes.
But most important is McKinnon's personal condition, the man suffer from Asperger's Syndrome, and is not fully fit to take responsibility for his actions, but the US government was never going to think twice before charging him.

McKinnon is lucky to have been born in the UK, if he were to be an American we all know what was waiting for him.

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