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> Assange says he plans to release amazing, controversial, perception shattering documents, yes? ... the seeming pathological need for attention by its founder.

> Assange says he plans to release amazing, controversial, perception shattering documents, yes? ... the seeming pathological need for attention by its founder. Didn't he already do this? And not just once, but many times. In fact his releases have been so controversial that he has the "privilege" to live in an embassy while hearing via media politicians (mostly Democrats) calling for his death or even "droning" him. (Hillary suggested that) Could it be that you are just a Hillary supporter that is afraid he could release something damaging about her?

dragonwriter 10y ago
> In fact his releases have been so controversial that he has the "privilege" to live in an embassy That seems to have more to do with his refusal to face the music on rape charges than his releases. > while hearing via media politicians (mostly Democrats) calling for his death For most of the time since WikiLeaks involvement in the publishing the Manning docs, the calls for his punishment, including by the most drastic means, have been bipartisan but stronger on the Republican side. The Republicans changed their tune after Assange participated in the release of the DNC hack recently, but its somewhat revisionist to pretend that history started just a few weeks ago.
- DominikR 10y ago
  > That seems to have more to do with his refusal to face the music on rape charges than his releases. Assange surely is a conspiracy theorist to hide in the embassy when politicians publicly call for his death and his main informant Manning was placed into 24/7 solitary confinement which could only be described as torture. > the calls for his punishment, including by the most drastic means, have been bipartisan but stronger on the Republican side Okay, then please name a Republican that has called for killing Assange.
  - dragonwriter 10y ago
    Mike Huckabee called for Assange's execution, and said that execution was "too kind a penalty" for Manning for actually leaking the information published by WikiLeaks. Sara Palin called Assange an "anti-American operative with blood on his hands" who should "pursued with the same urgency we pursue al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders". Rep. Peter King (R-NY) called for Assange to be tried for espionage and for WikiLeaks to be designated, treated, and combatted as a terrorist organization. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) described Assange as a "high-tech terrorist" Newt Gingrich declared that "Julian Assange is engaged in warfare. [...] And Julian Assange is engaged in terrorism." and that "He should be treated as an enemy combatant and WikiLeaks should be closed down permanently and decisively."
    - DominikR 10y ago
      Didn't know that, but you are right on this, I agree and therefore I upvote your comment. But I still hold my other points as valid.
- woah 10y ago
  Sweden plans to extradite him to the US, where politicians call for his death.
  - jsmthrowaway 10y ago
    [citation needed] on Sweden's plan, since that's Assange's narrative and he hasn't backed it up.
    - extra88 10y ago
      I have a lot of problems with Assange but his concern is plausible. The U.S. and Sweden have an extradition treaty and the U.S. likely wants to prosecute him for his collaboration with Manning on her exfiltration of classified materials. Their chat logs are pretty good evidence that Assange went way beyond what a journalist's 1st Amendment rights would protect. Politicians calling for his death is just grandstanding. In fact, the possibility of the death penalty is probably the only thing that would keep Sweden from extraditing him.
      - dragonwriter 10y ago
        > I have a lot of problems with Assange but his concern is plausible. The U.S. and Sweden have an extradition treaty and the U.S. likely wants to prosecute him for his collaboration with Manning on her exfiltration of classified materials. The U.S. and the U.K. also have an extradition treaty, so the existence of a U.S.-Sweden extradition treaty doesn't really do much to enhance the plausibility of a double-extradition plot where Sweden extradites him from the U.K. on rape charges only as a ruse to get him into Sweden where he can be extradited to the U.S. on some other charges. (If the U.K. was a country that had no extradition treaty with the U.S. and was particularly resistant to U.S. extradition, then a double-extradition plot might be plausible.)
        extra88 10y ago
        Assange is not in the U.K., he's in Ecuador. Specifically, the Ecuadoran embassy in London. Now the U.S. and Ecuador also have a treaty but I don't read lawyer well enough, especially not old-timey lawyer, to know whether it would apply to anything Assange might be charged with. It does say it "shall not be applicable to crimes or offences of a political character" and I'm sure that's how Assange would characterize it (and I think that's at least partially why Ecuador has been housing him). But the U.S. hasn't charged him with anything so there's nothing for Ecuador to extradite him for yet. In any case, the claim is a nice excuse to avoid jail in Sweden.
- ionised 10y ago
  He did offer to be questioned at the embassy by the Swedish investigator. She declined to do it anywhere but Sweden if my memory serves.

dragonwriter 10y ago

> In fact his releases have been so controversial that he has the "privilege" to live in an embassy That seems to have more to do with his refusal to face the music on rape charges than his releases. > while hearing via media politicians (mostly Democrats) calling for his death For most of the time since WikiLeaks involvement in the publishing the Manning docs, the calls for his punishment, including by the most drastic means, have been bipartisan but stronger on the Republican side. The Republicans changed their tune after Assange participated in the release of the DNC hack recently, but its somewhat revisionist to pretend that history started just a few weeks ago.

DominikR 10y ago
> That seems to have more to do with his refusal to face the music on rape charges than his releases. Assange surely is a conspiracy theorist to hide in the embassy when politicians publicly call for his death and his main informant Manning was placed into 24/7 solitary confinement which could only be described as torture. > the calls for his punishment, including by the most drastic means, have been bipartisan but stronger on the Republican side Okay, then please name a Republican that has called for killing Assange.
- dragonwriter 10y ago
  Mike Huckabee called for Assange's execution, and said that execution was "too kind a penalty" for Manning for actually leaking the information published by WikiLeaks. Sara Palin called Assange an "anti-American operative with blood on his hands" who should "pursued with the same urgency we pursue al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders". Rep. Peter King (R-NY) called for Assange to be tried for espionage and for WikiLeaks to be designated, treated, and combatted as a terrorist organization. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) described Assange as a "high-tech terrorist" Newt Gingrich declared that "Julian Assange is engaged in warfare. [...] And Julian Assange is engaged in terrorism." and that "He should be treated as an enemy combatant and WikiLeaks should be closed down permanently and decisively."
  - DominikR 10y ago
    Didn't know that, but you are right on this, I agree and therefore I upvote your comment. But I still hold my other points as valid.
woah 10y ago
Sweden plans to extradite him to the US, where politicians call for his death.
- jsmthrowaway 10y ago
  [citation needed] on Sweden's plan, since that's Assange's narrative and he hasn't backed it up.
  - extra88 10y ago
    I have a lot of problems with Assange but his concern is plausible. The U.S. and Sweden have an extradition treaty and the U.S. likely wants to prosecute him for his collaboration with Manning on her exfiltration of classified materials. Their chat logs are pretty good evidence that Assange went way beyond what a journalist's 1st Amendment rights would protect. Politicians calling for his death is just grandstanding. In fact, the possibility of the death penalty is probably the only thing that would keep Sweden from extraditing him.
    - dragonwriter 10y ago
      > I have a lot of problems with Assange but his concern is plausible. The U.S. and Sweden have an extradition treaty and the U.S. likely wants to prosecute him for his collaboration with Manning on her exfiltration of classified materials. The U.S. and the U.K. also have an extradition treaty, so the existence of a U.S.-Sweden extradition treaty doesn't really do much to enhance the plausibility of a double-extradition plot where Sweden extradites him from the U.K. on rape charges only as a ruse to get him into Sweden where he can be extradited to the U.S. on some other charges. (If the U.K. was a country that had no extradition treaty with the U.S. and was particularly resistant to U.S. extradition, then a double-extradition plot might be plausible.)
      - extra88 10y ago
        Assange is not in the U.K., he's in Ecuador. Specifically, the Ecuadoran embassy in London. Now the U.S. and Ecuador also have a treaty but I don't read lawyer well enough, especially not old-timey lawyer, to know whether it would apply to anything Assange might be charged with. It does say it "shall not be applicable to crimes or offences of a political character" and I'm sure that's how Assange would characterize it (and I think that's at least partially why Ecuador has been housing him). But the U.S. hasn't charged him with anything so there's nothing for Ecuador to extradite him for yet. In any case, the claim is a nice excuse to avoid jail in Sweden.
ionised 10y ago
He did offer to be questioned at the embassy by the Swedish investigator. She declined to do it anywhere but Sweden if my memory serves.