Julian Assange - Still a Class-A prick

[Trolldor]

http://www.smh.com.au/technology/techno ... 16zch.html

Now it is not just governments that denounce him: Some of his own comrades are abandoning him for what they see as erratic and imperious behaviour and a nearly delusional grandeur unmatched by an awareness that the digital secrets he reveals can have a price in flesh and blood.

Several WikiLeaks colleagues say he alone decided to release the Afghan documents without removing the names of Afghan intelligence sources for NATO troops. "We were very, very upset with that and with the way he spoke about it afterwards," said Birgitta Jonsdottir, a WikiLeaks volunteer and a member of Iceland's parliament.

He is also being investigated in connection with accusations of rape and molestation involving two Swedish women. Mr Assange denied the allegations, saying the relations were consensual.

But prosecutors in Sweden have yet to formally approve charges or dismiss the case eight weeks after the complaints against Mr Assange were filed, damaging his quest for a secure base for himself and WikiLeaks. Though he characterises the claims as "a smear campaign," the scandal has compounded the pressures of his cloaked life.

[JimC]

As far as I'm concerned, the jury is still out on Julian, although I imagine him to be driven, egocentric and likely to think the means justify the ends...

The Swedish women thing could very well be a honey-trap by "interested" parties, and I am yet to be convinced that the publication of various war documents has actually harmed any individuals...

The view is still obscured by clouds...

[Trolldor]

Whether the documents would or would not is irrelevant when you compare it to the fact that Julian doesn't appear to have in his arsenal any way of assessing the risk they pose.

[JimC]

Whether the documents would or would not is irrelevant when you compare it to the fact that Julian doesn't appear to have in his arsenal any way of assessing the risk they pose.

He may have made a rough and ready assessment that no real risk ensued...

That may or may not have been accurate...

It has its risks, and he may well be blameworthy when all is said and done, but it is hard to assess that in an environment where the western powers have excellent reasons to portray him as the devil incarnate...

[DMac]

If Assange ate babies alive and imapaled gays on sticks I'd still support what he's doing, because literally no one else in the media is willing to do it; plus nearly everyone in the media is doing the exact opposite--not questioning anything at all. Assange is a prick, so what?

[Trolldor]

Assange isn't questioning anything. In case you haven't realised, he's releasing anything he can to get more attention to feed his own ego.

I mean, for fuck's sake did you read what he does? As if they couldn't find him if they wanted to, but don't let that get in the way of his delusion.

[JimC]

Assange isn't questioning anything. In case you haven't realised, he's releasing anything he can to get more attention to feed his own ego.

I mean, for fuck's sake did you read what he does? As if they couldn't find him if they wanted to, but don't let that get in the way of his delusion.

It's quite likely it is highly ego driven on his part, and possibly he is personally a prick with a "The Shadow Knows" fetish, but it can be argued that it is still a useful thing to have this stuff out in the open. He may not be analysing it, but others can. I gather the current British government is now going to have an inquiry into allegations of torture that have emerged as a result...

[Trolldor]

Again, no. It's okay to have a independant source releasing leaked documents but you need people who are able to do a proper risk assessment. Assange has none of those. If you trace the history of wikileaks you can actually see a very deliberate plan to draw attention on to him.

[JimC]

Again, no. It's okay to have a independant source releasing leaked documents but you need people who are able to do a proper risk assessment. Assange has none of those. If you trace the history of wikileaks you can actually see a very deliberate plan to draw attention on to him.

I always thought the idea was for the world's media to do the analysing, Wikileaks are just doing the covert stuff to get the info out...

(poor risk assessment is the only reasonable argument against what they are doing, but so far, so good...)

As for the "drawing attention to Julian" thing, sure... I accept that he is an egotist...

Does not necessarily change the value of having the information out there...

[Trolldor]

An independant body releasing information to the public in order to circumvent 'closed-door' policies of major players is good.
Information being released by someone on a power trip is not. There's no safety net. No way to tell what he will release and what effects that might have.

[DMac]

Again, no. It's okay to have a independant source releasing leaked documents but you need people who are able to do a proper risk assessment. Assange has none of those. If you trace the history of wikileaks you can actually see a very deliberate plan to draw attention on to him.

Okay, who do you suggest take Wikileaks' place? Who was doing what it does prior to it existing? Toadying US media? The Pentagon? Seymour Hersh, occasionally?

Yeah, he seems to have a huge ego. The risk assessment charges are rather silly though..if you trace the history of Wikileaks and whining US military-industrial-conservative-idiot-assholes.

http://salon.com/a/sehcfAA

[DMac]

An independant body releasing information to the public in order to circumvent 'closed-door' policies of major players is good.
Information being released by someone on a power trip is not. There's no safety net. No way to tell what he will release and what effects that might have.

Are you talking about Assange or George Bush/Colin Powell/Dick Cheney? Pretty sure the latter's dubious information releases have done more harm than the former's factual information releases. Shoot me a PM when Wikileaks develops a $600 billion/year army and invades countries, killing tens of thousands based on BS information/justification. And to be fair, I'll shoot you a PM when Wikileaks stops such an endeavor by such a government by pointing out that said government is bullshitting its naive populace.

[Trolldor]

How about you send me a message when Julian actually cares to make an actual assessment of the impact of what he's releasing.
Well.. he does make an assessment, but only on whether it's going to get him attention.

[mistermack]

What a crazy argument. Keep quiet about atrocities, because of a risk to the murderers. I hope those fuckers do get some grief. It could never be enough.
.

[Trolldor]

What an uneducated assumption, that everyone at risk is a murderer.