McKinnon and Alan Turing

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Both McKinnon and Alan Turing hsve been Aspergers. Turing was a math genius who contributed as perhaps no one else singularly to the allies' victory in WW2. He broke the Enigma code of the Germans allowing the allies to know in advance thre militsry movements of the Germans. He was imprisoned in the UK for his homosexuality and committed suicide.Today Gordon Brown apologized for his heineous treatment.
McKinnon broke into military codes of the US and risks, if extradited to the US, a life sentence. He was not politically motivated (he believed to find something about the UFOs). The home secretary of Gordon Brown's cabinet approved his extradition to the US.

Were either of them ever actually diagnosed (not by armchair psychologists, by someone professional in their lifetime)?

So what's the connection?

The fact is McKinnon is a criminal, he broke the law. He needs to serve his time.

And for those that think the goverment wont weigh in his Aspergers when sentencing him, check out this other Hacker with Aspergers recently sentenced.

Mckinnon is a naive nerd but did break the law, personally the worst punishment is he should be barred from computers for 5 years as he did highlight the lousy security the USA government had in place. He actually did them a favour.
Turning for all his WW2 service knew right from wrong and he should not have picked up a 19 year old for a homosexual liason as this was highly illegal at the time. You can be smart but lack total commonsense and be a dumbass. Turing did himself in after all this was in 1952 Britain.

And you think that because homosexuality is illegal a gay is going to abstain from having sex or love? Oscar Wilde a "dumbass"? Forster? Lytton Strachey? Keynes?

I think that a world of difference exists between a gay man in the 1950s having sex with another gay man, and the crime of breaking into computers.

I think that the UK law on gay sex should have been abolished sooner than it was, for goodness sake there used to be a law in England making it a crime to fail to go to church. It is also a crime to fail to do your archery on sundays. Is someone going to suggest that the random male english aspie who wags off both church and arrows is the same as McKinnon and Turing, if they do then they will be very stupid.

Turing should never have been punished, but McKinnon should be busted under the UK misuse of computers laws.

On sept 10, 2009 the british government finally apologized for their treatment of Alan Turing. He had committed suicide while incarcerated by taking cyanide, some find this suspicious and suspect murder.

I seem to remember that Turing actually admitted he was homosexual to a Policeman investigating a burglary at Turing's home.
It was very poor judgement.
In a progamme some years ago about him, they showed a young lady friend telling Turing that he should marry her as a cover so he wouldn't be suspected of homosexuality.
If this is true, he should have taken her up on her offer.

Turing was brutalized by the British legal system and forced to take drugs that would sexually neuter him. He was extremely depressed when let out of jail. It is no surprise he committed suicide.

Alan Turning was one of a few individuals of who it could be said that he saved Britain from defeat. Another well know gay man, Oscar Wilde, similarly treated once wrote that no good deed will go unpunished. So damned true!

ruveyn

So few people know that it was Turing who came up with the idea of a machine that could run the thousands of permutations in order to decipher the Enigma code.
That one idea saved countless lives at sea, and gave us the tool we needed to fight off the German U Boats.

Still have to get to Bletchly Park on a day when I can see (and hear) a replica of that machine run.

What Gary McKinnon did was an act of willful misconduct. If he is excused or shown any leniency
because of Asperger's Syndrome, then AS will become a disqualifying condition among us who are
employed in aerospace, defense, or any industry where a security clearance is required.

Alan Turing was the victim of legalized bigotry.

I don't think he should get leniency because he has Aspergers Syndrome I think he should get leniency because the American military are stupid and did not secure there computers.
I also dislike intensely that legislation for prosecuting terrorists is being used against someone who clearly is not a terrorist!

If as you say Aspergers Syndrome were to disqualify people from working in the aerospace and defence industry these industry's would be deprived of many of there best engineers and mathematicians.

Are you saying a housebreaker should be pardoned, if his victim neglected to lock the door?

ruveyn

No he would not be a housebreaker , he would be charged with theft which is a lesser charge than breaking and entry.
In reality it would be very unlikely a charge would be brought.

It is also not a good comparison NASA and The Pentagon should be expected not to leave the doors unlocked and the gate open!