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Hacker Extradition Appeal Denied

Gary McKinnon

Computer hacker Gary McKinnon is facing extradition to the U.S. for hacking into government computers. He faces 80 years in prison.

Under standing international extradition agreements, Britain must send him to America and based on news reports, they have every intention of doing so. I don't blame them.

When a nation refuses such a request, it opens the floodgates for other countries to decline their extradition requests as well. It sets a precedent that is really not worth it.

McKinnon broke into those computers. He should answer for his crimes, just like every other hacker. I don’t agree with anyone breaking into computers, especially those belonging to world governments. It is fundamentally wrong and can endanger many.

European Court Won't Stop UK Hacker's Extradition to US

The European Court of Human Rights has refused U.K. hacker Gary McKinnon's appeal against demands for his extradition to the U.S.

McKinnon stands accused of breaking into computers belonging to NASA and the U.S. military, and had appealed against his extradition under Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. He had claimed that the conditions of detention he would face if convicted in the U.S. would breach a European prohibition on inhumane or degrading treatment.

The court said Thursday it had refused his appeal, and will not prevent his extradition. The court had previously ordered that his extradition be delayed until midnight Friday while it considered his request.

It was in 2002 that a U.S. court first indicted McKinnon for the offenses, committed in 2001, although he was not arrested by U.K. police until 2005. The U.K. government first approved his extradition in 2006.

McKinnon has never visited the U.S., and the offenses of which McKinnon is accused were committed in the U.K., his lawyers Kaim Todner LLP said.

"We maintain that any prosecution of our client ought therefore to be carried out by the appropriate British authorities," the London law firm said. "U.K. citizens are at the mercy of the ever-increasing tendency of overseas prosecutors to extend their jurisdiction to crimes allegedly committed in this country."

Security consultant Graham Cluley of Sophos said the decision sent a warning to hackers.

"The message is clear -- if you hack into computers you have to realize that the legal consequences could be severe. Others should take note of McKinnon's predicament and ask themselves: do I want to end up in his situation?" Cluley wrote.

McKinnon's lawyers said they will make one further appeal against the extradition, to the U.K. Home Secretary. The appeal will be on medical grounds, as McKinnon has recently been diagnosed as suffering from Asperger Syndrome, a neurological disorder characterized by obsessive behavior and deficiencies in social interaction.

http://www.pcworld.com

Samuel Kent: First Federal Judge Charged With Federal Sex Crimes

It’s rare that the feds indict a sitting judge. But that’s what happened yesterday when U.S. District Judge Samuel Kent was indicted on charges of abusive sexual contact and attempted aggravated sexual abuse of a female employee. The Houston Chron reports that the indictment puts Kent on the wrong side of history: he’s the first federal judge to be charged with federal sex crimes and the first in Texas indicted in recent history. Here’s the four-page indictment.

The federal criminal investigation was launched in November 2007 after Kent’s former case manager, Cathy McBroom, complained that the judge physically touched her under her clothing twice and often made obscene suggestions during the six years she worked for him.

Through her attorney, McBroom released a statement yesterday: “After a very difficult 17 months, I feel like I have finally been validated. I have listened and read with horror as Judge Kent’s lawyer suggested that what happened to me was ‘enthusiastically consensual,’ ” wrote McBroom, who remains a federal court employee. “I am relieved to find that even federal judges are not above the law, and that sexual abuse in the workplace is never acceptable, no matter the status of the offender.”...

Rusty Hardin, who repped Roger Clemens in the steroid scandal and has been described as slicker n’ deer guts on a doorknob, is McBroom’s attorney. He told the Chron: “I’m extremely disappointed that Dick would choose to try the victim and in this case he just totally ignores the evidence.”

http://blogs.wsj.com

In this edition

September 4. 2008

September 4. 2008

Obama: Uncle Sam does not want you, George!

Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama may pursue criminal charges against George W. Bush, according to his running mate, senator Joe Biden.

Someone needs to, as Bush is the worst behaving president in U.S. history and it has set a bad precedent that he has not even so much as received a slap on the wrist for his crimes against humanity, via the Iraq war, flagrantly and deceitfully breaking U.S. law and the Constitution in spying on Americans, and his thorough criminal negligence coupled with corruption, that caused the collapse of the American economy.

Condoleezza Rice and George W. Bush

If there's any president in U.S. history that deserves criminal charges, it is him. He has disgraced the Office of the Presidency in the international community, like it was his personal pet project he owned to mess up in and debase. Being a head of state is a stewardship, not a sole proprietorship.

Not to mention, he destroyed America's name in the world. Don't believe me? Go to Google and read international newspapers from all over the world to gauge what they are saying about Bush and try to get your head around what he has caused the nation's name to be associated with.

George Bush played upon people's fears after 9/11 to do the unthinkable during his presidency

I know I can't absorb what he's done and the mess he's created. It's a mind-boggling juggernaut of conundrums, woes and worst possible scenarios. He ought to face legal consequences for that, as much of it was not lawful.

Not Content With Messing Up One Country Bush Extends His Reach To Other Nations

September 4. 2008

It was announced a few days ago that President Bush will be meeting with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, for help in dealing with the terrible financial crisis that has hit America.

Brown should be careful in following Bush on such matters. It's one thing to work with Congress, which would be the better solution, as it's quite another to work with Bush, who has shown himself to be very dishonest in very important matters, such as the costly war in Iraq and public declarations he made about Iran, which a later released government report refuted.

It is my hope that he will not utilize the same blind allegiance Tony Blair did that got Britain involved in the war, which has turned out to be disastrous.

Bristol Palin (right)

“[Sarah Palin's] against premarital sex -- talk to her daughter. She's against abortion. She's against women's choice. She's against everything I stand for. … It's all right because God forgave [daughter Bristol.] God should have handed her a condom." -- Sky News, 9/3/08

http://abcnews.go.com

Senator And House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

A new school opened in downtown L.A. with the very steep price tag of $350 million dollars. All I have to say is, if that school turns out even one dummy, time to ask for a refund.

Seriously, what an extravagant waste. For $350,000,000 dollars the government could have built 350 schools around America, in cities than needed it most, to ease overcrowding.

This is the very reason the government currently doesn't work well. America's financial problems are not going to be repaired at this rate. Too much overspending, cronyism and lollygagging.

Once the school construction project hit difficulties impeding its completion, they should have done what any smart businessperson would have under the circumstances. Stopped the project, stripped it, sold the materials off and moved on to something more feasible.

$350 million high school finally opens in LA

Sep 3, 8:40 PM (ET) - LOS ANGELES (AP) - A decade behind schedule, a $350 million downtown high school finally opened on Wednesday after years of environmental, seismic and legal troubles.

"We've been waiting a long time to get this," said Uriel Rivera, an 18-year-old senior at the Edward R. Roybal Learning Center. "A lot of people in the community were supposed to graduate from here, but they didn't. I thought it was going to be the same for me."

Rivera was among more than 2,400 students who streamed into the school on its first day - long after what had been expected to be a late 1990s debut of an education showplace to relieve sorely overcrowded classrooms.

Much of what was then called the Belmont Learning Center was already constructed before fears grew about toxic gases rising from an old oil field upon which it was built.

http://apnews.myway.com