Assange (Wikileaks) Arrested

[indyartisan]

I still believe censorship is bad, secrets are bad, and information deserves to be free. There is no definitive proof that even a single person was injured as a result of Assange and Wikileaks. He did the world a favor by exposing our corrupt leaders' dirty laundry, and the US gov is going to bury him for embarrassing them. The safer the secrets of the rich and powerful are from people like him, the worse off we all are.

 

[HoughMade]

In some other world, sure, it'd be great to not need things like keeping information private for national security reasons...

...but none of us live in that world as it does not exist.

 

[Libertarian01]

Personally, I would like to see it where ALL information becomes declassified after a certain number of years, preferably within the peoples lifetimes.

My start would be 25 years. If people want to argue that this will make certain areas of "national security" pause, I say "GREAT!" I would even be willing to say that any alleged crimes committed by the folks doing the secret ops are automatically immune from prosecution, I am also fine with that. However, if the people in the secret ops and the covert missions know that the only punishment they may face in a quarter century is looking their kids in the face and trying to explain what they did I believe that would be a good thing. If a dirty mission is truly important it can be justified, but the very grey areas may cause folks to have second thoughts about what they are doing at the time.

Regards,

Doug

 

[ArcadiaGP]

Dunno, I think that'd ruin people.

Actions, with context, can be justified.

Context doesn't exist after 25 years.

Some **** people just don't need to know, because the lowest common denominator will weaponize the information to destroy people and change policy/law.

 

[Libertarian01]

Dunno, I think that'd ruin people.

Actions, with context, can be justified.

Context doesn't exist after 25 years.

Some **** people just don't need to know, because the lowest common denominator will weaponize the information to destroy people and change policy/law.

I understand but respectfully disagree.

Some orders should not be followed. Some orders should not be issued. Some policies should not be in place.

The problem is that when they exist in the dark FOREVER there is no hope for improvement.

This is the whole point of Edward Snowden. He TRIED to correct Constitutional violations while he was within the system. He was ignored. He was forced to leave the system because the system feared no repercussions.

I believe that people fearing repercussions even if they not be criminal conviction or civil forfeiture would behave better. I know they don't behave well when they fear nothing.

Regards,

Doug

 

[AmmoManAaron]

My opinion is that people have released a lot more damaging information that this.

The Obama admin released the personal info of assets and agents that was actionable by the enemy.

The stuff Asange and Snowden released is more embarrassing than any threat to OPSEC.

Arresting Asange and Snowden (if they ever get him) is more circus and vengeance than anything else. IMO

^^^I'm right there with you on this^^^

I don't know...But my Twitter feed has made for strange bedfellows today...Kind of weird.....

That's because there are corrupt swamp dwellers on both sides of the aisle all around the world.

He did the world a favor by exposing our corrupt leaders' dirty laundry, and the US gov is going to bury him for embarrassing them. The safer the secrets of the rich and powerful are from people like him, the worse off we all are.

^^^This right here^^^

He embarrassed powerful corrupt people on both sides of the aisle - and now he will be made to pay. It's a pity that is what the world is.

 

[HoughMade]

So if he worked with Chelsea to hack into a secure DoD computer network....no probs.

Gotcha.

 

[Ark]

In some other world, sure, it'd be great to not need things like keeping information private for national security reasons...

...but none of us live in that world as it does not exist.

I would be shocked if even 10% of classified information was classified for legitimate reasons that didn't expire in five years or less.

Governments misbehave when given broad secrecy powers. It's a law of the universe.

 

[jamil]

So if he worked with Chelsea to hack into a secure DoD computer network....no probs.

Gotcha.

Imma go with Hough here. He should be extradited and tried. If he did work with the former dude to hack secured data, he should be prosecuted for it. But. I do get the reasoning for the flipping. He’s evil when he exposes information that damns your side, but then he’s providing a public service when he damns the other.

I will say this. If he’s extradited, his trial needs to be as public and transparent as possible. I suspect there is a strong motivation to find him guilty regardless of facts.

 

[KLB]

Imma go with Hough here. He should be extradited and tried. If he did work with the former dude to hack secured data, he should be prosecuted for it. But. I do get the reasoning for the flipping. He’s evil when he exposes information that damns your side, but then he’s providing a public service when he damns the other.

I will say this. If he’s extradited, his trial needs to be as public and transparent as possible. I suspect there is a strong motivation to find him guilty regardless of facts.

I'm guessing it will be exactly the opposite. National security will dictate that the courtroom be sealed.

 

[HoughMade]

I'm guessing it will be exactly the opposite. National security will dictate that the courtroom be sealed.

That does not happen. 6th Amendment. However, what information they extracted (if they did) is not necessarily relevant and can be held from disclosure. That hacking occurred or was planned, how it was to be carried out and the nature of what they were looking for- relevant. The contents of the exact classified information, not so much.

 

[BugI02]

I'm guessing one side wants to squeeze him to implicate Trump, and the other side wants to squeeze him to implicate those who sought to bring Trump down. Either way, it doesn't look pretty to be him and I'm unsure 'the Truth' will ever be known because I'm not sure we will be able to trust anything that comes of this

If one side changes tack and starts saying how he should be released with a slap on the wrist, will that mean he has the most dirt on that side or that he has agreed to work for them?

 

[Expat]

MSN

it is over

WASHINGTON — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange plans to plead guilty to a conspiracy charge this week as part of a plea deal with the U.S. Justice Department that will allow him to go free after spending five years in a British prison, according to court documents.

Assange was charged by criminal information — which typically signifies a plea deal — with conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defense information, the court documents say. A letter from Justice Department official Matthew McKenzie to U.S. District Judge Ramona Manglona of the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands said that Assange would appear in court at 9 a.m. local time on Wednesday (or, 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday) to plead guilty and said that DOJ expects Assange will return to Australia, his country of citizenship, after the proceedings.

 

[Shadow01]

This government as it sets today hasn’t earned the privilege of keeping secrets from its citizens.

 

[Leadeye]

MSN

it is over

He should avoid NY.

 

[NHT3]

Might as well cut him loose, he's served as much time at this point as Chester did before BHO commuted his sentence.

 

[Tombs]

MSN

it is over

The west and all its blustering about "protecting journalists" throwing a journalist in prison for 5 years for journalism after forcing him to spend a significant portion of his life seeking political asylum in an embassy.

This is embarrassing, and proof that we are no better than anyone else.

 

[Cameramonkey]

The west and all its blustering about "protecting journalists" throwing a journalist in prison for 5 years for journalism after forcing him to spend a significant portion of his life seeking political asylum in an embassy.

This is embarrassing, and proof that we are no better than anyone else.

They only want to protect journalists they like.

 

[tim87tr]

Assange speaks yesterday for the first time since released. It gives a good timeline of events since this has been going on for 14 years. Video was informative. His closing statement was "Journalism is not a crime, it is a pillar of a free and informed society."

Julian Assange delivers first speech since release from UK prison: “I pleaded guilty to journalism”

Assange told the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe: “I am not free today because the system worked, I am free today after years of incarceration because I pled guilty to journalism.”

www.wsws.org