Re Mckinnon and Autism
Posted by Carol_Noble at 11:00, 25 Jul 2009The story about the extradition of Gary McKinnon to the US for hacking into their computers many years ago is not going away. The Daily Mail, in the UK, is pushing a campaign to have him tried in the UK. They managed to persuade several MPs to support their campaign from all party affiliations but when the crunch came, many who had stated they supported Gary followed the whips and rejected any consideration of changing the very unfair US/UK treaty, and would not help Gary be tried at home.
After this vote, one Labour MP even went so far as to say that because Gary had only been diagnosed with Autism last year it may be a false health problem as a means of getting off with the whole criminal act. The fact that one of the Guiness people in the past had said he had Alzheimers and got off only to show he was perfectly okay soon afterwards was used as a reason for thinking such a thing.
I would like to say that this MP whilst right about the Guiness person, is totally wrong about Gary and his Autism.
Firstly, Gary is around 40 years old. Autism has only been properly understood for less than 10 years. Many adults with Autism have yet to be diagnosed.
Secondly, Autism is with you for life, and is not a transitory disability.
Thirdly, the obsessions that Gary has shown over this whole episode is very much in agreement with the way Autistic people act.
Fourthly, my son whilst having been diagnosed with Learning Difficulties at the age of 3, and Dyspraxia (diagnosed by me at the age of 10), was not diagnosed with Autism until he was 16, and then only after I had moved to a different area and determinedly sought a full assessment including that for Autism. I remember medical experts looking at him and thinking that he probably wasn't autistic, or if he was the most would be Aspergers level. Even the assessor was surprised to find that my son was quite severely mentally disabled and worse the Aspergers, although he was not quite as bad in this aspect as he had been due to the help and guidance he had been given during his childhood. Nevertheless my son was severely mentally disabled even though many would think he wasn't.
Fifthly, I know through point four that there is poor understanding of Autism in the UK, and how to deal with it, even by experts, so how can an MP who clearly is ignorant of the difficulties an Autistic person has can even try to say such a thing - unless of course he is following orders to make Gary McKinnon appear less disabled than has been stated. A smear campaign!
I stopped getting the Nexus Magazine when I moved a few months ago so am not fully conversant with what Gary said at the interview. But like Gary, I believe there is a lot of information out there that is being kept from the ordinary people, and there is a determination to get control of the internet, instead of allowing the free passing of information as has been in the past, and by making a show trial of Gary McKinnon the US would be able to pass laws both locally and internationally to gain that control.
Gary is a pawn in this game, but he is also a very vulnerable person as all Autistic people are, and it is these people who are so easily led, are very trusting, and find it hardest to cope with the fact that people in powerful places do lie, cheat, hide, smear, and do whatever they think necessary, even breaking all the rules, to get what they want. Autistic people are far more innocent, and gullible, in contrast. As I know from my son who is now 26.
If my son had problems getting the proper diagnosis, how many people who are older than him have been allowed to slip through the net?
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Comments
12 April 2007
9 min 52 sec
Fifthly, I know through point four that there is poor understanding of Autism in the UK, and how to deal with it, even by experts
There's poor understanding of Autism everywhere! We're just beginning to understand that Austism is not a disease in itself, but the end result cause by a whole scope of causes, that can not easily be pointed out.
Furthermore, as you pinted out, there are probably as many levels of autism as there are people affected by it. It's not a binary disease where you are either healthy or autistic.
Having said that, I must confess something: I don't like how McKinnon has been erected as the poster boy of Autism.
I think his current predicament has more to do with his predilection with Marijuana, than with his Asperger's.
He's an idiot. Pure and simple.
But does that mean I want to see him in jail for the rest of his life? Of course not!! I think that by now he could have served a 5-10 year sentence, and be a completely free man and reinstated to society.
But instead, he's being used as a patsy and a scapegoat, by the people he embarrased with his gimmicks, but also by the very people who want to save him.
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It's not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me...
It's all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!
Red Pill Junkie
3 June 2008
8 weeks 6 days
I agree that there may well be few countries anywhere know how to deal autism. However, when I made the posting I felt it was only possible for me to comment about my own country in this instance. I don;t know enough about the way autistic people are dealt with elsewhere to comment any further.
As for marijuana. Drugs such as marijuana have been around for several decades now and still many people think it is not harmful. Like it or not marijuana is an addictive drug and anyone who has this sort of personality is more prone to destroying themselves than others. Autistic people do have an addictive personality, as shown by their obsessions which are really no more than addictions under another name. They must do something in a particular way, or collect a particular object.
MPs in our present parliament of all political parties have over the past decade admitted they did drugs in their university days and say they came to no harm. This attitude has resulted in more an more people getting away with using drugs of one form or another without hindrance. They say that the UK is the cocaine capital of Europe (I don't know if they is true or not but cocaine tends to be used by many high flyers). In comparison to cocaine I would say that marijuana is possibly a less harmful drug. However, I accept that once someone uses marijuana they have made contact with the drug network and so are susceptible to any sales pressure to try other more harmful drugs. But as a person who has never used illegal drugs at any time I can only draw my own conclusions based on what I have read and heard, not first hand experience.
As for the way McKinnon has been treated, I agree that he has been given a bad deal. Made worse by the fact that he committed the offence a couple of years before the unjust treaty was even formed between the US and the UK. He should have been tried here but the government is too much of a lap dog of the US and the US treats the UK citizens as its serfs to do what it likes with them.
The fact that our politicians even now are not prepared to stand up for real justice and act in such a treasonous manner rather than tear up the extradition treaty speaks volumes for the way the UK people are being treated today.
Carol A Noble