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I think what Assange has done has gone a bit beyond "journalism" https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/wikileaks-founder-charged-superseding-indictment https://www.ju

I think what Assange has done has gone a bit beyond "journalism" https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/wikileaks-founder-charged-superseding-indictment https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/wikileaks-founder-charged-sup...

phyalow 3y ago
I see where you're coming from, but I think there's a big misunderstanding about what Julian Assange is really being accused of. It's super important to remember that a lot of what he did is pretty much what investigative journalists do all the time. Caitlin Johnstone nailed it when she said that Assange is getting heat for the same kind of work that journalists are praised for: helping sources stay anonymous, secure chats, and encouraging more leaks. This isn't "hacking" in the criminal sense; it's basic journalism 101 in today's digital world. The Obama folks had the same info but decided not to charge Assange because they knew it would be a bad look for press freedom. Fast forward, and the Trump administration decided to go all in, throwing espionage charges at Assange that could lock him away for centuries. All for what? Doing the kind of investigative work that uncovers government secrets and holds them accountable. Also, let's not forget about the whole deal with Chelsea Manning and the password thing. That attempt didn't even work, and there's no solid proof Assange was the guy behind the keyboard on that one. It feels like they're stretching the story to make the charges stick. Speaking of stretching, remember President Executive Order 13526, section 1.7? It literally says you can't classify info just to hide government screw-ups or avoid embarrassment. That's a big deal because it means a lot of what Manning leaked (and Assange published) should never have been secret in the first place. We're talking about stuff the public deserves to know, not top-secret national security risks. Manning’s lawyer even argued that the leaked info didn’t contain anything that was still sensitive or would harm ongoing missions. It was all about avoiding a red face for the government. What's really at stake here isn't just one man's freedom; it's about protecting the right to know what our governments are up to. When they went after Assange with those Espionage Act charges, they weren't just targeting him; they were firing a warning shot at every journalist out there. Lastly, Assange isn't even a US citizen. He's an Australian, which makes the US's push to prosecute him under the Espionage Act even more concerning. It sets a scary precedent for journalists worldwide – if the US can go after a foreign national like this, what's stopping them from targeting others? So yeah, I'm with Assange on this. It's not just about him; it's about defending the fundamental right to a free press and our right to know
- ThisIsMyAltAcct 3y ago
  > I see where you're coming from, but I think there's a big misunderstanding about what Julian Assange is really being accused of Not really, the full text of the indictment is in my link. I'd encourage you to read through it. > It's super important to remember that a lot of what he did is pretty much what investigative journalists do all the time. Caitlin Johnstone nailed it when she said that Assange is getting heat for the same kind of work that journalists are praised for: helping sources stay anonymous, secure chats, and encouraging more leaks. This isn't "hacking" in the criminal sense; it's basic journalism 101 in today's digital world. That's also the same kind of work that espionage entails. The discriminating factor is, like in many areas of law, intent. Specifically for classified info, whether it was leaked with the public interest in mind or to "be used to the injury of the United States or the advantage of any foreign nation" and the degree to which the leaker conspired with the source. Yeah that's vague, but that's what a trial is for. Assange leaked unredacted cables, documents on cyberwarfare capabilities, in addition to stuff that was obviously of public interest. He and Wikileaks released so many documents that they admitted they didn't even look through most of it. "Helping sources stay anonymous" is a deeply funny thing to say that Assange did given what he leaked. > Manning’s lawyer even argued that the leaked info didn’t contain anything that was still sensitive or would harm ongoing missions. And that argument failed. > When they went after Assange with those Espionage Act charges, they weren't just targeting him; they were firing a warning shot at every journalist out there. There is, like, no better country on Earth to publish secrets about than the US. Glenn Greenwald and the Snowden documents, The Intercept and the Reality Winner documents, Neil Sheehan et al. and the Pentagon Papers. Even the sources themselves get fairly moderate sentences. Reality Winner got ~5 years, Manning got out after 7, Ellsberg wasn't even sentenced because the Nixon admin was so corrupt. The idea that Assange is going to be extrajudicially murdered as soon as he steps foot in the US is projection.
  - phyalow 3y ago
    Maybe one day you will see the bigger picture. >> Manning’s lawyer even argued that the leaked info didn’t contain anything that was still sensitive or would harm ongoing missions. >And that argument failed. https://www.techdirt.com/2013/07/31/us-military-admits-no-one-died-because-mannings-leaks/ https://www.techdirt.com/2013/07/31/us-military-admits-no-on... > The idea that Assange is going to be extrajudicially murdered as soon as he steps foot in the US is projection Projection of what exactly? That doesnt even make sense. You dont remotely appear to be familiar with the facts OR are intentionally ignoring recent history. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/cia-discussed-kidnapping-or-assassinating-wikileaks-founder-julian-assange-n3x50hcsz https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/cia-discussed-kidnapping-... https://news.yahoo.com/kidnapping-assassination-and-a-london-shoot-out-inside-the-ci-as-secret-war-plans-against-wiki-leaks-090057786.html https://news.yahoo.com/kidnapping-assassination-and-a-london... https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/the-murderous-plot-against-julian-assange,15581 https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/t... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunstler_v._Central_Intelligence_Agency https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunstler_v._Central_Intelligen...
hulitu 3y ago
> I think what Assange has done has gone a bit beyond "journalism" I think what US, UK and Sweden have done has gone a bit beyond "justice". /s

phyalow 3y ago

I see where you're coming from, but I think there's a big misunderstanding about what Julian Assange is really being accused of. It's super important to remember that a lot of what he did is pretty much what investigative journalists do all the time. Caitlin Johnstone nailed it when she said that Assange is getting heat for the same kind of work that journalists are praised for: helping sources stay anonymous, secure chats, and encouraging more leaks. This isn't "hacking" in the criminal sense; it's basic journalism 101 in today's digital world. The Obama folks had the same info but decided not to charge Assange because they knew it would be a bad look for press freedom. Fast forward, and the Trump administration decided to go all in, throwing espionage charges at Assange that could lock him away for centuries. All for what? Doing the kind of investigative work that uncovers government secrets and holds them accountable. Also, let's not forget about the whole deal with Chelsea Manning and the password thing. That attempt didn't even work, and there's no solid proof Assange was the guy behind the keyboard on that one. It feels like they're stretching the story to make the charges stick. Speaking of stretching, remember President Executive Order 13526, section 1.7? It literally says you can't classify info just to hide government screw-ups or avoid embarrassment. That's a big deal because it means a lot of what Manning leaked (and Assange published) should never have been secret in the first place. We're talking about stuff the public deserves to know, not top-secret national security risks. Manning’s lawyer even argued that the leaked info didn’t contain anything that was still sensitive or would harm ongoing missions. It was all about avoiding a red face for the government. What's really at stake here isn't just one man's freedom; it's about protecting the right to know what our governments are up to. When they went after Assange with those Espionage Act charges, they weren't just targeting him; they were firing a warning shot at every journalist out there. Lastly, Assange isn't even a US citizen. He's an Australian, which makes the US's push to prosecute him under the Espionage Act even more concerning. It sets a scary precedent for journalists worldwide – if the US can go after a foreign national like this, what's stopping them from targeting others? So yeah, I'm with Assange on this. It's not just about him; it's about defending the fundamental right to a free press and our right to know

ThisIsMyAltAcct 3y ago
> I see where you're coming from, but I think there's a big misunderstanding about what Julian Assange is really being accused of Not really, the full text of the indictment is in my link. I'd encourage you to read through it. > It's super important to remember that a lot of what he did is pretty much what investigative journalists do all the time. Caitlin Johnstone nailed it when she said that Assange is getting heat for the same kind of work that journalists are praised for: helping sources stay anonymous, secure chats, and encouraging more leaks. This isn't "hacking" in the criminal sense; it's basic journalism 101 in today's digital world. That's also the same kind of work that espionage entails. The discriminating factor is, like in many areas of law, intent. Specifically for classified info, whether it was leaked with the public interest in mind or to "be used to the injury of the United States or the advantage of any foreign nation" and the degree to which the leaker conspired with the source. Yeah that's vague, but that's what a trial is for. Assange leaked unredacted cables, documents on cyberwarfare capabilities, in addition to stuff that was obviously of public interest. He and Wikileaks released so many documents that they admitted they didn't even look through most of it. "Helping sources stay anonymous" is a deeply funny thing to say that Assange did given what he leaked. > Manning’s lawyer even argued that the leaked info didn’t contain anything that was still sensitive or would harm ongoing missions. And that argument failed. > When they went after Assange with those Espionage Act charges, they weren't just targeting him; they were firing a warning shot at every journalist out there. There is, like, no better country on Earth to publish secrets about than the US. Glenn Greenwald and the Snowden documents, The Intercept and the Reality Winner documents, Neil Sheehan et al. and the Pentagon Papers. Even the sources themselves get fairly moderate sentences. Reality Winner got ~5 years, Manning got out after 7, Ellsberg wasn't even sentenced because the Nixon admin was so corrupt. The idea that Assange is going to be extrajudicially murdered as soon as he steps foot in the US is projection.
- phyalow 3y ago
  Maybe one day you will see the bigger picture. >> Manning’s lawyer even argued that the leaked info didn’t contain anything that was still sensitive or would harm ongoing missions. >And that argument failed. https://www.techdirt.com/2013/07/31/us-military-admits-no-one-died-because-mannings-leaks/ https://www.techdirt.com/2013/07/31/us-military-admits-no-on... > The idea that Assange is going to be extrajudicially murdered as soon as he steps foot in the US is projection Projection of what exactly? That doesnt even make sense. You dont remotely appear to be familiar with the facts OR are intentionally ignoring recent history. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/cia-discussed-kidnapping-or-assassinating-wikileaks-founder-julian-assange-n3x50hcsz https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/cia-discussed-kidnapping-... https://news.yahoo.com/kidnapping-assassination-and-a-london-shoot-out-inside-the-ci-as-secret-war-plans-against-wiki-leaks-090057786.html https://news.yahoo.com/kidnapping-assassination-and-a-london... https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/the-murderous-plot-against-julian-assange,15581 https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/t... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunstler_v._Central_Intelligence_Agency https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunstler_v._Central_Intelligen...

hulitu 3y ago

> I think what Assange has done has gone a bit beyond "journalism" I think what US, UK and Sweden have done has gone a bit beyond "justice". /s