Julian Assange - Still a Class-A prick

[Warren Dew]

What concerns me is Holder's statement that, "if there are gaps in the law then we will move to close those gaps." I'm surprised that little ditty hasn't gotten more play. We'll close what "gaps," Mr. Holder? Oh - if it's not a crime we'll make it a crime after the fact? If that happens, we have a real constitutional issue, with a little something called an "ex post facto law" or even a "bill of attainder." You're going to plug a gap, just for Assange???? WTF???

I expect he means 'we'll make it espionage to publish classified information even after someone else has stolen it and given it to us.' Of course, that runs afoul of another part of the constitution.

[mm_ll]

About OpenLeaks:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... 06416.html

If you don't see the full version, just Google it.

If a media organization causes harm in dealing with confidential information, it loses the trust of its audience.

So now the editors are the only ones with access to *all* information, and they will publish what they wish depending on judgement of who they want to *harm* in that moment. If the audience doesn't like it, then the newspaper will sell less copies and the editor will be fired.

I just failed to understand why is this better the wikileaks... any ideas?

[Gawd]

Guantamano Bay and torture is a pretty safe bet. Same with American waterboarding activities that are pretty much standard procedure. Yah wanna bet that the Americans torture? It's a fact that they do.

This does not resemble names. Do you have names? Do you have evidence?

Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, Joe Lieberman, George Bush, and Obama?

[Gawd]

Blah blah hyperbolic bullshit blah... I'm talking about Julian Assange.

Still denying that America tortures prisoners and murders extra judicially, I see. Maybe you should stop with all that Homeland Insecurity nonsense and see what the rest of the world sees.

[JimC]

Blah blah hyperbolic bullshit blah... I'm talking about Julian Assange.

Still denying that America tortures prisoners and murders extra judicially, I see. Maybe you should stop with all that Homeland Insecurity nonsense and see what the rest of the world sees.

The point is, Gawd, that many Americans were deeply disturbed by the whole waterboarding thing, and many other activities of the Bush administration. However, that was in a particular context. To suggest this is a standard practice in all situations is quite absurd. I would not rule out some form of black op on Assange, though I don't think it is likely. However, the US would not extradite him, and then have him disappear into some extra-legal special prison; they know enough about spin not to do that...

Most of the stuff emerging from the mouths of US politicians is angry rhetoric, nothing more. The current tide of world-wide public opinion is very much pro Assange.

[Gawd]

Blah blah hyperbolic bullshit blah... I'm talking about Julian Assange.

Still denying that America tortures prisoners and murders extra judicially, I see. Maybe you should stop with all that Homeland Insecurity nonsense and see what the rest of the world sees.

The point is, Gawd, that many Americans were deeply disturbed by the whole waterboarding thing, and many other activities of the Bush administration. However, that was in a particular context. To suggest this is a standard practice in all situations is quite absurd. I would not rule out some form of black op on Assange, though I don't think it is likely. However, the US would not extradite him, and then have him disappear into some extra-legal special prison; they know enough about spin not to do that...

Most of the stuff emerging from the mouths of US politicians is angry rhetoric, nothing more. The current tide of world-wide public opinion is very much pro Assange.

The Americans in general don't seem all that pissed off at Bush. Bush hasn't even been charged with anything or sent to the Hague. He got off without even a hitch and now has supremely powerful and wealthy American "friends". Obama even said that he would pardon anything that Bush has done. Don't think I'm easily fooled by this American charade. I've seen it before numerous times in Israel.

[Atheist-Lite]

They may have bought him while he was in prison? He appears to like money according to his mates?

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/wikileaks ... d=12394736

[GreyICE]

Guantamano Bay and torture is a pretty safe bet. Same with American waterboarding activities that are pretty much standard procedure. Yah wanna bet that the Americans torture? It's a fact that they do.

This does not resemble names. Do you have names? Do you have evidence?

Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, Joe Lieberman, George Bush, and Obama?

Well you're 2/5 for naming people in the Federal government (and thus having the authority to do what you say the government is doing), and 3/5 naming politicians in general. That would give you a 40% or a 60% which, either way you cut it is a solid F. Except that you fail at counting to nine as well, that's first grade math. But we'll give you some grade inflation since you've already dragged the curve of Gawd down pretty hard, and pass you.

Now, any luck providing quotes from the relevant individuals?

[sandinista]

Blah blah hyperbolic bullshit blah... I'm talking about Julian Assange.

Still denying that America tortures prisoners and murders extra judicially, I see. Maybe you should stop with all that Homeland Insecurity nonsense and see what the rest of the world sees.

The point is, Gawd, that many Americans were deeply disturbed by the whole waterboarding thing, and many other activities of the Bush administration. However, that was in a particular context. To suggest this is a standard practice in all situations is quite absurd. I would not rule out some form of black op on Assange, though I don't think it is likely. However, the US would not extradite him, and then have him disappear into some extra-legal special prison; they know enough about spin not to do that...

Most of the stuff emerging from the mouths of US politicians is angry rhetoric, nothing more. The current tide of world-wide public opinion is very much pro Assange.

Assange aside, the water boarding and bushy jr are nothing new. The US has been torturing people for years, a quick glance at South American history proves that. Bushy was not an aberration. Even the individuals surrounding Bushy had prominent roles in the government of the 80's. The US has acted, foreign policy wise, the same since the end of WW2. Bush, Obama, Reagan, Clinton, Nixon, Kennedy, same shit.

[Chinaski]

http://edition.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/v ... t.cnn.html

[Ian]

The point is, Gawd, that many Americans were deeply disturbed by the whole waterboarding thing, and many other activities of the Bush administration. However, that was in a particular context. To suggest this is a standard practice in all situations is quite absurd. I would not rule out some form of black op on Assange, though I don't think it is likely. However, the US would not extradite him, and then have him disappear into some extra-legal special prison; they know enough about spin not to do that....

I could point out information stating that waterboarding had been used precisely three times during the Bush administration and none since, but Gawd would never believe it. He probably thinks Obama keeps a rack in dungeon of the White House.

Most of the stuff emerging from the mouths of US politicians is angry rhetoric, nothing more. The current tide of world-wide public opinion is very much pro Assange.

You sure about that? Of course the US has been fuming at him -even Senator Feinstein, one of the most liberal members of Congress, is calling him reckless and damaging to international diplomacy - but over the last two weeks Wikileaks has made a lot of new enemies outside the US. A lot of governments have been terribly embarrassed over the candid descriptions of them or their activities (or lack thereof) in the State Dept. cables, and their statements about Wikileaks have been almost across-the-board negative. They understand the practical mechanics of diplomacy, not the fantasies of people like Gawd, and they also know that their own foreign ministries could be next. And in the wake of official views come the public views. Whatever public support Wikileaks still has, it's going to continually dwindle for two reasons: 1) the aforementioned fact that, as other countries get burned by them, rightly or not, they'll lose more and more support from people in those countries, and 2) the low likelihood that Wikileaks will ever get so lucky as the treasure trove of classified information it got from Army PFC Brad Manning. Why else are they releasing only a couple hundred cables at a time, when it's got over a quarter million of them? Because people can't digest the information quickly enough? No, the huge Iraq and Afghanistan-related leaks refute that notion. Wikileaks is doing a slow release because otherwise they'd fall out of public view too quickly. Until they get some new information of any value (and that's only going to be tougher, thanks to their own crazy policy of publishing anything and everything, no matter what the consequences), they'll have to stay in the public eye. If they were to fade away from the public's interest, then the public support and financial donations would dry up, and then their site would really come under threat of being taken down.

[Rob]

The comic of the day from my favorite online comic site:

[Ian]

The comic of the day from my favorite online comic site:

They busted the first one a day or two ago. Brace yourself for the shock...

Trigger Warning!!!1! :

it was a teenager in Holland.

[sandinista]

The point is, Gawd, that many Americans were deeply disturbed by the whole waterboarding thing, and many other activities of the Bush administration. However, that was in a particular context. To suggest this is a standard practice in all situations is quite absurd. I would not rule out some form of black op on Assange, though I don't think it is likely. However, the US would not extradite him, and then have him disappear into some extra-legal special prison; they know enough about spin not to do that....

I could point out information stating that waterboarding had been used precisely three times during the Bush administration and none since, but Gawd would never believe it. He probably thinks Obama keeps a rack in dungeon of the White House.

Most of the stuff emerging from the mouths of US politicians is angry rhetoric, nothing more. The current tide of world-wide public opinion is very much pro Assange.

You sure about that? Of course the US has been fuming at him -even Senator Feinstein, one of the most liberal members of Congress, is calling him reckless and damaging to international diplomacy - but over the last two weeks Wikileaks has made a lot of new enemies outside the US. A lot of governments have been terribly embarrassed over the candid descriptions of them or their activities (or lack thereof) in the State Dept. cables, and their statements about Wikileaks have been almost across-the-board negative. They understand the practical mechanics of diplomacy, not the fantasies of people like Gawd, and they also know that their own foreign ministries could be next. And in the wake of official views come the public views. Whatever public support Wikileaks still has, it's going to continually dwindle for two reasons: 1) the aforementioned fact that, as other countries get burned by them, rightly or not, they'll lose more and more support from people in those countries, and 2) the low likelihood that Wikileaks will ever get so lucky as the treasure trove of classified information it got from Army PFC Brad Manning. Why else are they releasing only a couple hundred cables at a time, when it's got over a quarter million of them? Because people can't digest the information quickly enough? No, the huge Iraq and Afghanistan-related leaks refute that notion. Wikileaks is doing a slow release because otherwise they'd fall out of public view too quickly. Until they get some new information of any value (and that's only going to be tougher, thanks to their own crazy policy of publishing anything and everything, no matter what the consequences), they'll have to stay in the public eye. If they were to fade away from the public's interest, then the public support and financial donations would dry up, and then their site would really come under threat of being taken down.

I would agree with JimC, the majority of the planet is pro Assange. You're mentioning (Ian) "A lot of governments have been terribly embarrassed", that may be true (although rightly so), but the people don't really care about embarrassed governments. The vast majority of people support the leaks. No one trusted the government before the leaks, and no one trusts their governments now. If anything, people are getting pleasure watching certain governments squirm. Ian, you are in the minority here.

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/12/15/ ... ort_julian

John Pilger: Global Support for WikiLeaks is "Rebellion" Against U.S. Militarism, Secrecy

[Ian]

I would agree with JimC, the majority of the planet is pro Assange. You're mentioning (Ian) "A lot of governments have been terribly embarrassed", that may be true (although rightly so), but the people don't really care about embarrassed governments. The vast majority of people support the leaks. No one trusted the government before the leaks, and no one trusts their governments now. If anything, people are getting pleasure watching certain governments squirm.

You know what people love to have even more than stuff they can't afford? Stuff they're not allowed to have. Like classified information. "Hey, a confidential list of facilities the US government considers crucial to health and economic security! Wow, that's interesting!"

Don't assume most people on earth are as anti-government as you are. People hold their governments accountable, but Wikileaks is accountable to nobody at all. When push comes to shove and some real damage comes about because of these gratuitous leaks, those who are enjoying "watching certain governments squirm" will turn on Wikileaks in a heartbeat.