Just a couple of points...
1) He confessed... he should have plead 'not guilty' then they would have had to bring proof... bad move on his part
2) WHY did Britain give in so easy on this case? THAT needs to be looked at... have they done this before? If not why this time?
3) Gary's computer skills... "He should be thanked and given a job..."
For what? because he randomly looked for open password computers?
I am willing to bet that at least half of you out there right now do not have a password on your computer... I bet even more do not have a password on your wireless internet or network... (6 of my neighbors don't... anyone can use their connection within a several block radius... ever wonder why your connection is SLOW?
Why pay for WIFI when your on the road when you can just 'hop on' )
I will also bet that many of you out there if you have a home security system are still using the installer default of 1234 or 12369 for ADT systems (Yup better go change it RIGHT NOW )
Why? because people are LAZY and creatures of habit... All Gary did was use this weakness and found someone who was stupid to leave their terminal online when they were not at the desk and had no password.
On top of that he did not d/l stuff... he viewed it online knowing full well that anyone walking by the terminal could see what he was doing.
This is not skill... this should not be rewarded. 75 years? Heck we don't even give murderers that much...
SO WE ARE MISSING SOMETHING HERE
4) I see a lot of talk about accessing secret government computers...
Look... the internet WE use was designed by DARPA and then given to the public because they had something BETTER... there is NO WAY to access the Secret stuff from the regular internet... ONLY if some idiot took some work 'home' with him and stored it on a PC at work would you find anything... and you can bet THAT person is in Gitmo
And that would be an internal matter... you would NEVER see it on the news...
The OTHER nets are...
NIPRNET... for below top secret but sensitive and confidential traffic
SIPRNET... for secret
If you are brave enough and want to look at the front door go here..
NIC dot MIL Its okay they won't bite, but they will know you knocked... I did not post a direct link as a lot of dot mil sites play havoc with threads... merely opening the thread on a link will cause a 'ping' . You will see what is required to get in... This is the ONLY portal to SIPRNET on the internet and requires a DoD password AND calling from a dot mil computer... Go look... but don't be stupid
The top secret stuff is handled by JWICS
Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System (JWICS)
The Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System (JWICS pronounced jaywicks) is a system of interconnected computer networks used by the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of State to transmit classified information (up to and including information classified TOP SECRET and SCI) by packet switching over the TCP/IP protocols in a secure environment. It also provides services such as hypertext documents and electronic mail. In other words, the JWICS is the DoD’s classified version of the civilian Internet together with its counterpart, the SIPRNet.
The US Marines Portal is Here... front page is accessible
http://www.marcorsyscom.usmc.mil/sit.../JWICS.html#sd
Bear in mind that most likely none of these links will work from OUTSIDE the USA
There is one higher... usually only referred to as "the Global"... No I won't give out any more on that one... some dogs are best left sleeping
5) I hear a lot of UFO talk... what Gary found was a list of non terrestrial officers and an 'alleged' photo of one of our 'other' spaceships nothing to do with UFO's but to do with a project that is so secret it's hard to even find clues...
Every one of us researchers would love to get our hands on such evidence... and we seek for it every day in documents at .mil sites... all publicly accessable to be sure... and not trying to sneak in any back doors ( errmmm ya...)
If 'they' ever wanted to 'get' one of us they could simply leave a sensitive document lying around for us to 'find'... track the IP and kick in your door because they KNOW you now have a restricted file on your computer...
So that means there is a LOT more to this than we currently know...
One other caveat.... all skeptics scream for proof of this secret space program... yet if it IS secret... merely possessing a document that proves it is a treasonable offense... something to think about
And you can scream all you want about the EVIL governments but until you are ready to grab arms and oppose them... it is a truth that they have all the cool toys like stealth planes and smart bombs that a kid with a joystick in Area 51 can fly right into your bedroom window...
Conclusion...
THERE IS MORE TO THIS THAN WE KNOW