Lauri Love – actions without thought of consequences

In a case reminiscent of Gary McKinnon, a UK citizen, Lauri Love, son of a prison chaplain and an Asperger sufferer at risk of suicide, is facing extradition to the US on charges of accessing dozens of US government IT systems, including the FBI, the US Army and the Department of Defense, and stealing “massive amounts” of data. If extradited and found guilty of the US charges, he faces a maximum penalty of 99 years in prison. The case now goes to the UK secretary of state, who may, as in McKinnon’s case, refuse to send him.

He committed the cyber attacks as part of a “hacktivist” campaign in 2012 protesting the death of Aaron Swartz, a computer programmer who committed suicide while facing up to 35 years in US prison on charges of computer misuse. According to Love’s American lawyer, the allegations aren’t as serious as they sound. “The information he allegedly copied was never distributed anywhere, it was more a youthful prank. And the security exploit they allegedly used had been publicly disclosed months before and used by tens of thousands of people.”

Lauri Love, born 14 Dec 1984, is a Sun Uranus Mercury in Sagittarius with Mars in Aquarius and Pluto Saturn in Scorpio. That’s not dissimilar to Chelsea Manning, the whistle blowing data-leaker, who is a Sun Uranus Saturn Mercury in Sagittarius with Pluto Moon Mars in Scorpio. Both crusading Sagittarians who have problems with authority figures. Aaron Schwartz was a Sun Venus Pluto Mercury in Scorpio; but he also had Saturn Uranus in Sagittarius; and Mars in Aquarius which can be uncompromising. Sagittarius can be self-righteous and Uranus Saturn struggle for a better society.

Gary McKinnon, is a Sun Mercury in Aquarius square Neptune; with five planets in Mutable signs – Mars Saturn in Pisces, Uranus Pluto in Virgo and Jupiter in Gemini. The mix of Mutable and Fixed is interesting – the first contributing to high nervous tension and incessant curiosity; the second to obstinacy.

Despite losing this court case, Love looks to be over the worst. When he was first hauled in by the police his Solar Arc Saturn was conjunct his Sun Mercury. He’s got tr Pluto as well as Solar Arc Uranus conjunct his Jupiter, which should produce some relief. In the UK similar crimes would face a much much shorter sentence.