From: Andrew Johnson
Date: 2007-04-24 12:32:09
observer.guardian.co…,,2059253,00.html This much I know Gary McKinnonHacker, 41, London Interview by Stephen Emms
Sunday April 22, 2007
The Observer I was a man obsessed. I spent two and a half grand in dial-up charges trying to get into the US military systems, eight hours a day, every day, over the course of a year. At first it didn’t feel like addiction, but later I wouldn’t even bother washing or getting dressed. Sometimes there were 70 other hackers from around the world looking at the same screen as me. I used to check them out and see IP addresses from Turkey, China, Holland, all over. Change your password every month. Make it complicated but easy to remember. When I scanned thousands of machines on one particular military network, there were always a few hundred with blank passwords, and once you’re on one, you use ‘trust’ to speak to another. Towards the end I’d become sloppy. I’d have a six-pack and a few spliffs, and was borderline megalomaniacal. The US originally offered me a three- to four-year sentence if I flew there of my own accord, but refused to put it in writing, so when the new extradition law was finalised here they pounced. My lawyers argue that I should face trial under British law. I’d still like to make it as a singer-songwriter even though I’m 41. I was charged seven times, with 10 years’ imprisonment on each. The most serious accusation was ‘bringing down the entire military network of Washington’. When I received the extradition threat it was like being eaten from the inside out. Hearing that the New Jersey Authorities want to see me ‘fry’ was like having a 17-tonne hammer waiting to hit me on the head. I fear going to prison for 60 years. I’m terrified of being raped, and sitting there with paedophiles and murderers. I think I’ll rely on my friendliness to get on with people in prison. I’d like to help illiterate prisoners write letters to their families. I believe in UFOs. They were my reason for hacking. As a kid my stepdad would tell me stories of how he saw one in Bonnybridge, near Falkirk, the UFO capital of the world. I discovered names and ranks of non-terrestrial officers. They were all very human-like – although I can’t remember the details as my hard drive was seized by the police. I’m a techno-luddite now. I can’t access my own email address. Other people do it for me. Be very scared of a mother protecting her child. After my arrest my mum turned into Superwoman, lobbying MPs, writing letters. She’s disgusted by the fact that you can be handed over on a plate to a foreign government. I’m schizophrenic emotionally at the moment. The little boy inside me is shit scared, but the adult side wants to take it on and fight them. My anti-authoritarian streak started to grow when, aged 16 and working at a printer’s, I quit after the boss came down one day and said, ‘Gary you must always stand up at work, never relax, always pretend someone’s watching you.’ That awoke something in me. My situation is a constant tension for me and my girlfriend Lucy, we’re both quite intense. Without this I’d be able to love her properly. I’d like marriage and kids. My advice to my younger self? Don’t hack. I despaired when I lost my appeal to the High Court, but my final kernel of hope is a possible hearing in the House of Lords. They’re a very eclectic bunch. But if they choose not to hear the case, then I’ll be extradited within four weeks. I would like to be remembered as the guy who won his court case. · www.freegary.org.uk Discover the new Windows Vista Learn more!– _________________________________Alfred Lambremont Webre, JD, MEdICIS-Institute for Cooperation in Space3339 West 41 AvenueVancouver, B.C. V6N3E5 CANADATEL: 604-733-8134FAX: 604-733-8135Email: alw@peaceinspace.com…: www.peaceinspace.com…: www.peaceinspace.org…: www.exopolitics.comS… DREAMS TO EXOPOLITICS
