John McAfee dead by suicide after extradition approved by Spanish court.

[grarpamp]

Legends Are Never Forgotten.




PHANTOM PARASITE
Posted by: G Ranseen , September 17, 2021

Written by  G.Ranseen

Writer and Author of a forthcoming book titled, The Chain”

A Cursory Examination of the late John McAfee’s Bizarre Last Words

On June 23rd, 2021 – three days after the Summer Solstice –
approximately 30 miles North East of Barcelona, Spain and the
beautifully picturesque Balearic Sea – in a region known as Catalonia,
within the walls of the Centre Penitenciari Brians II  – a 75 year old
Tech Pioneer, known to the world and to the press by the name of John
McAfee was reported to have hung himself in his prison cell just hours
after a Spanish High Court ruled to have him extradited to the USA to
face Tax Evasion charges.

The news appeared to be an abrupt and surprising end to a colorful
life and personality that always seemed to be both at odds with – and
also steps ahead of – the mainstream media – as well as those who
opposed him. The news of the suicide is also strange considering how
proactive, stable and full of life McAfee himself had been on Social
Media during his approximately 8 months of being locked up, where he
was apparently able to access a computer at the prison facilities for
short periods of time on a daily basis which is a standard privilege
at the prison for low risk prisoners.

The timing of the suicide in a strange way – for a split second –
could make sense. If we consider that McAfee was truly fearing the
solitude of Prison or, realized the cold reality Prison life for the
remainder of his days and suspected that life in US Prisons while he
faced an ultimate judgement from the US Court system might have been
too much to endure at his age.

Yet, the shock of McAfee’s death blurs even further into confusion
after one reviews his somewhat bizarre suicide note which his ex-wife,
Janice McAfee – quite reasonably argues1 – was likely intended to be a
Tweet which he may have wanted to type out when he was able to re-gain
access to the prison’s computer facilities and internet the next day.
While I believe this is indeed quite possible,  I have my own thoughts
and impressions which although might not be representative of the
whole truth insofar as the information we presently have available to
us – might hopefully open up a new perspective on the confluence of
events which occurred on the date of McAfee’s death.

On a day like June 23rd, one might be inclined to believe that at the
onset of Summer and its heat being in full swing in the Northern
Hemisphere, the Earth might be closest to the Sun. However, the
opposite is true –  the Earth is actually furthest from the Sun during
the annual Summer Solstice.

In just the same way, within the heat of the moment and for a brief
instant, while I read through the various news reports on John
McAfee’s death – something in my mind or, in my heart led me to
question whether the news reports themselves might not also be
furthest from and in genuine opposition to –  the actual Truth!

*

Until his death and even just a week or, so leading up to the day he
lost his life, John McAfee had been an intriguing, entertaining,
intelligent and worthy actor on the world stage. John McAfee could be
what he wanted and when he wanted at the drop of a hat or, at the
slightest challenge or, personal whim. The motivations or, wellspring
of his vast repertoire of knowledge, locution, information and
verbosity remains a mystery.

What is particularly striking to any observer of McAfee’s life and
personality – from his eloquent and erudite speech, dark humor and
imaginative wit – to his ability to move effortlessly between serious
instructional dialogue to entertaining anecdotes from his own life or,
from history, politics, science, philosophy, medicine and his own
expertise – Computer Security and Information Technology – was his
acuity of mind.

Anyone who had the pleasure to listen or, watch McAfee while he was
with us was always left entertained, satisfied and perhaps even for
most who crossed his path – cheered and spirited for having
encountered him. McAfee’s sharp insights and cutting rhetoric tore
through the façade of most people’s pretentious and even lazy senses
of Character and Integrity.

Yet, what might strike one most about John McAfee – and what certainly
struck me – was the inherent strength of his Mind and ability to
remain functional, sharp and engaged into older age.

This to me was what in some principal way – made McAfee one unique
septuagenarian – and yet from what I observed and gleaned from his
alleged Suicide Note – this trademark or signature of McAfee’s was
only half present and nearly absent from what had characteristically
become the late Software Mogul’s communication style.

McAfee’s strength of mind and sharp acumen as both an observer,
thinker and speaker was something most people who encountered his
personality – whether in everyday life or, on Social Media – likely
were attracted and mystified by. This same tone and spirit of
consciousness can be found in the last 8 months of Tweets –  through
near the very end.

Right up through early June 2021, McAfee was tweeting or, retweeting
some deep and engaging insights. Everything from Social Engineering
hacks utilized by foreign agents to insert themselves into
corporations around the world to a mysterious anomaly involving
Boolean Algebra, a foundation for Computer Science.

It seems that near the end – McAfee was clinging to those wonders and
those aspects of life that he found most curious and engaging –
perhaps as a way to sustain his interest in life as well as perhaps to
maintain some degree of sanity in the hell of prison.

A curious slump or, gap in McAfee’s twitter activity arrives near
Father’s Day – which might not be a surprise – considering McAfee not
only had a daughter and was a father himself but his own Father had
committed suicide when McAfee was a teenager.

The fact that McAfee wrote what his ex-wife insists his suicide note
was intended to be a tweet on a piece of paper might lend credence to
the idea that McAfee was writing his tweets by hand and either sending
them to his wife or, someone who had authority to access his Twitter
account OR, as has been reported – McAfee was writing his tweets by
hand and then transposing them to this Twitter account when he had
access to the Prison’s computers and Internet.

THE NOTE

Now, to the Suicide Note itself. In image can be found online2 and
based on McAfee’s twitter history – the note could be a tweet in the
making. However, there is an incoherence in the tweet which is worth
noting.  I am doing my best to transcribe it below:

John McAfee’s Alleged Suicide Note – with Strikethrough

“I am the present moment’s phantom parasite. I used it for my own will
to attain my own ends. Instead of fully living it. I want to control
my future which does not exist. By using the present with my past as
the controller. Through knowledge which is mere ashes of memory. But
the here and the now are beyond the control of any and all reality. “

John McAfee’s Alleged Suicide Note – without Strikethrough

“I am the present moment’s phantom parasite. I used it to attain my
own ends. Instead of fully living it. I want to control my future
which does not exist. Through knowledge which is mere ashes of
memory.”

*

My first impressions of this note are that there isn’t the same
command and grip that McAfee had over his subject matter or even the
focal point of a communication the way he normally delivered through
Social Media or, even through Speech.

The term Phantom Parasite is specifically interesting however –
considering that McAfee was being chased and charged by the IRS who
one could argue are a “Phantom Parasite” – in that Taxation if
unconstitutional as both McAfee and even the late Irwin Schiff3 – who
died in prison for refusing to pay taxes – insisted it is! If human
beings are being bled dry by something that doesn’t exist – I suspect
only a rare few might attempt to speak up about it and John McAfee was
one of those rare few who had the know how as well as the freedom of
mind, guts and spirit to do so.

The idea that McAfee was confused or, communicating strangely brought
to my mind the possibility that McAfee experienced some kind of
Dissociative Identity episode. There can be no doubt that prison life
would slowly chip away at one’s mental faculties as well as add
additional stress to what already may have been a truly difficult
experience – particularly for an older individual.

When I looked up the rates and occurrences of Mental Illness and
Dissociative Disorders among Prisoners – I found that such links have
long been linked to Trauma4. It also worth noting that a study
published within the past 5 years shows how prevalent mental illness
is among prisoners and how these illnesses can develop and even
accelerate with prison life itself5. There is also a study which
focuses on mental illness among older prisoners6.

There are a few other Dissociative disorders which might be worth
exploring in an attempt to understand how Prison life can take its
toll on the mental health and well being of prisoners.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, also known
as the DSM or, per its latest (5th) edition – the DSM-5 –  is a manual
published by the American Psychiatric Association and is used, per the
APA’s own language, as an “authoritative volume that defines and
classifies mental disorders in order to improve diagnoses, treatment,
and research.”7

The manual as it has been compiled and created by the APA has been
around since 1949 with the first edition formally being published in
1952. There are proponents of the Manual’s ever expansive conditions,
mental illnesses and states of consciousness and how the expanding
nomenclature and classifications of diverse mental states has allowed
our modern Age of Science and Technology to propel our Medicine and
our Healthcare capacities to unparalleled heights.

There are a few disorders outlined in the DSM-5 and other Manuals
which are worth mentioning as they relate to Dissociative disorders
and Prisoners.

Fugue State

According to the DSM 5 –  “The disorder is a rare psychiatric
abnormality characterized by reversible amnesia for one’s own personal
identity, including the memories, personality, and other identifying
characteristics of individuality8.” In addition to this definition,
according to an article published by WebMD, it is possible for someone
suffering a prolonged or, even brief experience in a Fugue state of
mind to completely lose their identity and not know who or, what they
are9.

Ganser Syndrome

Another dissociative disorder which is common among prisoners is known
as Ganser syndrome. According to British Journal of Psychiatry,
“Ganser syndrome is a rare dissociative disorder characterized by
nonsensical or wrong answers to questions and other dissociative
symptoms such as fugue, amnesia or conversion disorder, often with
visual pseudohallucinations and a decreased state of consciousness10.

Additionally, “ The syndrome has also been called nonsense syndrome,
balderdash syndrome, syndrome of approximate answers, hysterical
pseudodementia or prison psychosis11.”

*

Is it possible that either of these disorders were experienced by John
McAfee and ultimately led him into a state of mind in which he did not
know who he was? Is it possible that John McAfee actually
disassociated and left us even before he was found deceased in his
Prison cell? Did John McAfee disassociate from society and become
someone else? Did John McAfee consciously take his own life?

 Or, is it possible – as McAfee himself feared and forewarned and as
many have theorized – he was actually murdered or, whacked for fear of
what he might know or, reveal or, even what he might ultimately
represent?

Perhaps only time will reveal this answer and settle the mystery and
hopefully the world can have the answers we deserve. In the meantime,
my condolences go to John McAfee’s family and friends.

SOURCES CITED

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/john-mcafee-wife-suicide-note-b1883585.html
    https://www.whoismcafee.com/note-found-in-john-mcafees-pocket/
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irwin_Schiff
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17523027/
    https://www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org/evidence-and-research/learn-more-about/3695
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28282734/
    https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm
    https://web.archive.org/web/20070928080517/http://www.psychiatryonline.com/content.aspx?aID=9744
    https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/dissociative-fugue
    https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-british-journal-of-psychiatry/article/abs/ganser-syndrome/367655C2029F500E378C1AA045F4FE58
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganser_syndrome

Tags: $WHACKD, Centre Penitenciari Brians, John McAfee, John McAfee
Suicide, PHANTOM PARASITE