Assange

[Jim99]

If the information published by Assange delt with Russia, China, NK, VZ or some other country that is hostile to us.........would you hold him as a hero and defender of freedom?

 

[Jane_the_Bane]

I hold him as a hero even now. Publishing the information wasn't a crime in itself, and exposing war crimes isn't a treacherous act - it ought to be the civic duty of every responsible citizen who's in a position to do so.

(BTW: Russia - hostile to the US? You *did* get the memo that the cold war is pretty much over, didn't you?)

 

[TheReasoner]

I hold him as a hero even now. Publishing the information wasn't a crime in itself, and exposing war crimes isn't a treacherous act - it ought to be the civic duty of every responsible citizen who's in a position to do so.

I agree. It is rather interesting that he is so furiously attacked from some angles. I can't help but wonder what the people who are so afraid of him have to hide. What he is doing is only what the press is supposed to do as the fourth power of state.

Like you I hold him in very high regard. He's a true hero.

(BTW: Russia - hostile to the US? You *did* get the memo that the cold war is pretty much over, didn't you?)

Whaa? No. Never. Not until the Soviet Union falls and the East Block abandons their totalitarian regimes.
Hey... Wait a second...

 

[mindlight]

If the information published by Assange delt with Russia, China, NK, VZ or some other country that is hostile to us.........would you hold him as a hero and defender of freedom?

Russia is a mafia state, China is hacking for secrets , China is not friendly to NK as it was before... many of the leaks so far on these countries have seemed pretty useful honest analysis.

I have already read the Mitrovin archives and modern Russia is not as interesting or powerful as under the KGB and the American reports on them are probably more helpful than leaks from the Russian bureaucracy. Similarly the commitment to truth and reliable reporting might yield pretty dubious reports from Chinese officials sucking up to their bosses and as for NK I would expect leaks from that country to be mere propaganda drivel.

Its a compliment to the Americans that only their leaks and those of most of their allies are worth reading if one wants to gain a genuine insight into the world in which we live. At the end of the day the USA looks pretty good having read these Wikileaks reports and if the intention was to sabotage their image I would say it has failed.

 

[shye]

the people who are afraid of these leaks are the ones that are hiding something, something that they have done that is considered treason or illegal I am strongly for wikileaks

 

[MacNeil, D.]

If the information published by Assange delt with Russia, China, NK, VZ or some other country that is hostile to us.........would you hold him as a hero and defender of freedom?

No, because it was made public, limiting its usefulness, and is potentially destabilizing, a potentially very bad thing. I'm wondering why he's still alive.

 

[iwannarock]

No, because it was made public, limiting its usefulness, and is potentially destabilizing, a potentially very bad thing. I'm wondering why he's still alive.

maybe destabilizing is exactly what the world needs. He's still alive because people are smarter than what the world governments would like to believe, including the U.S. government.

 

[dawiyd]

To be honest I don't think Assange is the hero, it's the person be it allegedly Bradley Manning or somebody else. It takes a true solider to serve the people, hell even part of the US Army Creed is "I serve the people of the United States", but probably not enough emphasis is placed on this, in America or any other nationstate.

 

[MacFall]

If the information published by Assange delt with Russia, China, NK, VZ or some other country that is hostile to us.........would you hold him as a hero and defender of freedom?

Yes. Because those nations deserve it. Only America is just and noble enough to be allowed to have state secrets, nuclear weapons, wars of invasion and occupation, and a police state. Didn't you know that? We are the Good Empire, the knight in shining armor. When we ride around slicing up peasants, it is only because they are terrorists. When our boys commit murder and rape, it is treason to speak of it - but when anyone else does it, it is treason not to denounce whole nations associated with them as villains. Our murder is collateral damage. Our hegemony is humanitarian. Our interests trump the rights of everyone; our security trumps their liberties. Our state, though a necessary evil, is nevertheless completely good.

 

[Jerry Horse]

it's the person be it allegedly Bradley Manning or somebody else. It takes a true solider to serve the people, hell even part of the US Army Creed is "I serve the people of the United States", but probably not enough emphasis is placed on this, in America or any other nationstate.

Manning is not a hero. He did not release those documents out of a moral obligation because of what they contained; he just downloaded all the classified information he could, no matter what it was. He gave it to Wikileaks because his ego was hurt due to him having to get coffee, and also because he felt discriminated because he was gay. Don't raise him up on a pedestal, because he's not worthy of it. At least Assange took the time to sort through the cables and release important information; Manning could have cared less what was released.

 

[TheReasoner]

Manning is not a hero. He did not release those documents out of a moral obligation because of what they contained; he just downloaded all the classified information he could, no matter what it was. He gave it to Wikileaks because his ego was hurt due to him having to get coffee, and also because he felt discriminated because he was gay. Don't raise him up on a pedestal, because he's not worthy of it. At least Assange took the time to sort through the cables and release important information; Manning could have cared less what was released.

If someone shot Hitler out of spite, would he not have been a hero?

Does his personal motivations matter that much?

 

[truelies]

This whole business has the smell of a black op intended to justify further attacks on the freedom of the American People.

 

[TheReasoner]

This whole business has the smell of a black op intended to justify further attacks on the freedom of the American People.

Ah. You mean like "the patriot act"? How is it an attack on the freedom of the American people to reveal mistakes and crimes done by the leaders? Is not covering it up, excusing those crimes and explaining them away showing a blatant disrespect of both the law and the American people who these people were supposed to serve?

 

[Algol Omega]

If the information published by Assange delt with Russia, China, NK, VZ or some other country that is hostile to us.........would you hold him as a hero and defender of freedom?

I hold him as neither, but I do think he is another useful tool in proving that big governments are always tyrannical, and so far he hasn't let me down.

 

[ACougar]

If something is happening that is blatantly illegal and exposing it is the only way to deal with it then it should be exposed. I don't think that's the case with Bradley Manning, he just wanted to do harm to his country. That one video where the gunship kills those kids, had he released just that video... I could believe he was trying to be a whistle blower. However the massive release of everything this guy could get his hands on is a completely different story. It was part of Manning's job to keep secrets, he betrayed the trust of his nation. If he's guilty he should be locked up for the rest of his life.

Assange on the other hand is a member of the press, it's his job to shine the light of day where he can (with some limitations like not getting people killed.) Until/unless someone actually documents and proves how info released by Assange resulted in the death of someone... I think he's within his rights. At this point I'm not ready to view him as hero or villain...

To be honest I don't think Assange is the hero, it's the person be it allegedly Bradley Manning or somebody else. It takes a true solider to serve the people, hell even part of the US Army Creed is "I serve the people of the United States", but probably not enough emphasis is placed on this, in America or any other nationstate.

 

[Brak]

What bothers me most is how so many people know that these rape charges are pretty obviously trumped up, but they're just like "hmmmm well". It's like he leaked U.S. national security documents, he deserves it.

 

[MacFall]

What bothers me most is how so many people know that these rape charges are pretty obviously trumped up, but they're just like "hmmmm well". It's like he leaked U.S. national security documents, he deserves it.

All who blaspheme against the American god-state deserve to die a horrible death. If false rape charges are what it takes to give it to him, well, the ends justify the means.

 

[ACougar]

It looks like a pretty halfhearted attempt to discredit him. If they really wanted him it would have been child porn, and not some escort claiming he didn't use a condom when he was supposed too... that it was reported as "rape" tells us a lot about Western mainstream media in general.

What bothers me most is how so many people know that these rape charges are pretty obviously trumped up, but they're just like "hmmmm well". It's like he leaked U.S. national security documents, he deserves it.

 

[MacFall]

Without evidence, child porn charges only work well in the US. In other countries there still seems to be a presumption of innocence for that charge.

 

[Irv Homer]

I don't know if I'd go so far as to call him a hero, but I am happy that what he did exposes the corruption in our government (not that anything will ever be done about it).

Personally, I don't see the problem. The government is constantly trying to pry into our private lives and violating our privacy. Why shouldn't they be subjected to the same thing?