Ebbie, you're right that the UK chose chose to feed this guy to the wolves. That's the point that most people of the British side of the water have been making themselves, surely? The point at issue is the one that Paul Burke explained - that the extradition agreement is grotesquely one-sided (thereby reflecting the whole US-UK relationship at government level).

And meself's understanding of Asperger's is about right too. I am a governor at a college which has a number of students with Asperger's and the most obvious way the condition manifests itself is in obsessive and often irrational behaviour. One of its peculiarities is that it is often - in fact usually, in my experience - accompanied by exceptional ability in mathematics and related subjects. (I tried reading the Hacker's handbook myself and gave up on about page 3.)

Leeniea, no authority in the UK seems to be suggesting that McKinnon is any kind of spy or terrorist. The US admin of course has presented no evidence of any sort, which is presumably their idea of justice in action. But watch that interview and judge for yourself. Clearly though he's going to get the book thrown at him stateside, or why have they pushed for this extradition so hard for so long? The point that people in the US should be thinking hard about is that if this singleton looper can go wandering round the nation's most secure databanks at will, any half-competent terrorist group in the world can do it.

Does anyone know what's wrong with Jack the Sailor? He keeps asking what people are saying, and it is clear from his guesses that he hasn't a clue. Perhaps someone could talk him through this stuff?