It is well established through legal precedent that media outlets can legally publish classified documents in the public interest. This has irked many in light of WikiLeaks’ ability to get ahold of particularly embarrassing documents, but in a nation less and less interested in law and order to begin with, is this a restraint or an opportunity?
Former State Department official Christian Whiton made his position clear, urging the president to designate WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange as an “enemy combatant” and calling on the Cyber Command to launch attacks against “any telecommunications company” that they believe are in league with WikiLeaks.
Others raised the prospect of sending Assange to Guantanamo Bay, America’s favorite legal black hole. Still others insisted that the military should be “waging war” against the whistleblower organization, which has released nearly half a million classified documents showing a myriad of US war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Media outlets have made much in recent days of Julian Assange’s “paranoia,” yet the increasing calls for military action against him make his secrecy seem fairly prudent, particularly when the response of most war enthusiasts to evidence of mass torture and enormous civilian deaths is to simply seek (potentially violent) reprisals against the organization that pointed it out.
Killing the messenger is "job one" within the Federal-Media kleptocracy.
It might take something like that to wake Europe up to the danger of allowing Washington to treat them as a colony. European governments need to get out of NATO and tell Washington that they believe in freedom of the press.
European gummints of the french persuasion are not above blowing up ships of protesters and whatnot in the interest of "Secret Défense", but otherwise yes.
What's funny is how Assange has become the story. Not the story itself. What's even funnier is…. the whole Iraq debacle has been dragging out now for what…. going on 9 years? And in ALL that time… if you think about it… the only 'scandals' that come out of Iraq are instigated by soldiers themselves, and mostly enlisted soldiers. The press…. our ENTIRE national press corps has contributed the net total sum of DIDDLY SQUAT to uncover the extent of massacres, murders, fraud, corruption… what people REALLY need to do, all of us, one by one… is FORCIBLY STOP supporting the media and LET THEM KNOW WHY. STOP paying for their sh1tty crappy celebrity gossip news and support sites like Antiwar.com.
Anyone who advocates military action against a civilian or civilian agency should be tried and sentenced for incitement of war crimes.
Please See: http://beforeitsnews.com/stories/by/0000000000002…
When they came for Julian Assange I did not protest because I was not "a leaker", when they came for me there was no one to tell anyone else of that fact.
Presumably these morons intend that he would be murdered by a missile fired from a drone with its known dodgy targetting software. SO we could expect loads of what is called ‘collateral damage’. The European troops fighting for the US are not going to be too happy to find the yanks have blown up their relatives back home.
They will probably just shoot down a commercial plane carrying Assange over deep water if they can't just force it to land on US territory and arrest him. Assange had better watch where he flies. If you see him on your flight, get off immediately. And if the flight has already taken off, start praying!
The US is a terrorist state. Wherever is goes mass death, and destruction ensue. Assange deserves praise, and protection from the monsters in the US government, and military period.
We all knew it would come to this, in fact it's probably already going on in secret. Make it look like suicide, they're good at that. But now they want to make 'an example' of him so they'll do it in a big 'shock and awe' way so that we can all see their power. The question now is: Who's next ? Amy Goodman ? Scott Horton ? Probably both of them. Chris Hedges ? What about Jeremy Scahill ? The Blackwater crew would love to get rid of him. Me ? You ?
People are fooling themselves if they think this "leak" is going to make any difference other than a tighter information security policy within the USG. Nothing is going to happen. No trials, no prosecutions, no questions no debate. Americans would be more interested in wikileaks if there was a reality show about Assange's personal life. Not a single discussion has come up within earshot of me regarding wikileaks or anything having to do with it. Nobody cares.
Tighter information controls have already happened, making it easier for a leaker to get caught quickly. But there is a limit to what information security can do if a leaker is willing to sacrifice himself (like Bradley Manning). So they have to make an example of someone outside the government, in order to put "fear of God" into them.
Its one thing to be a government rat calling for Assange's head. That at least makes sense to me. Self interest. I get that. What I don't get are the legions of Walmart mid level manager type super hero patriots who derive ZERO benefit (other than psychic) from DC's wars of aggression who call for the military to murder this guy. I don't get where this Soviet mentality towards the military and government comes from- a mentality of total subservience (except when it comes to doling out a few crumbs to black people by the feds- then the "Tea Party" gets upset with 'big government').
Well- I guess I do understand this mentality- these are the same people who say "we" when talking about what the DOD does on the other side of the world. I love the war monger little geeks who think they are part of Team America- who say "we" and "us" when talking about what DC does 10,000 miles away and that doesn't give a rat's behind if such losers support them or not. So delusional.
Assange > Every 'Mainstream' News source in the USA.
Did anyone see 'Morning Joe' when Mika Brez & Joe Scar sneered at Assange for walking out of the CNN(?) interview?
The sarcasm link was how Assange won't answer questions about his own life but doesn't minding leaking Iraq War info.
As if there is a moral equality between Assange and murderous Pentagon liars.
<…is this a restraint or an opportunity [for USG]?> It's great to see the flight-forward feelers pointed out as such. Even Yahoo is contaminated with the bs: http://askamerica.yahoo.com/?issue_id=wikileakspr…
"Should WikiLeaks be subject to U.S. state secrets enforcement or should foreign protections for whistleblowers prevail?" I'm stuck wondering what applicable law there is to 'enforce?' And "or should foreign protections….prevail?" is clearly a question that answers itself in the GWoT-sucker mindset.
Assange will ride through the streets in an open limousine. It will slow down to take a sharp curve. As it picks up speed, shots rings out. The side of Assange's head explodes. A few hours later, Lee Harvey Alawi is arrested as the lone nut assassin and two days after that, he is shot to death by Ali ibn el Kharish who is carrying an American passport with the alias Jack Ruby.
Assange is doing what the US media isn't, namely reporting the facts.
The media in the US is up the arse of the government and is happy to be fed the government line. Where have all the investigative reporters gone. Embedded with troops in the ailing Afghan war and only allowed to file stories their militiary minders tell them?
American free press…. don't make me laugh.