It is becoming common for people to say they don't like WikiLeaks because they can't stand Assange. This is misleading. Few sympathize with Assange as a character. Most of us, myself included, have never met with him. But the issue here is not Assange, his hair or whether he does, or does not have, the ability to have sex with women while they are asleep. What is crucial instead, is the wealth of information that we have learned thanks to WikiLeaks. Here's a good summary from the Guardian. And yes, it is a lot of information. And there is much more. No matter how many experts out there say that "they already knew it all." Because regardless of whether some experts really "knew it all", the average Mohammed, Rui or Juana did not. And they are angry. It's not suprising that Foreign Policy calls the Tunisian revolt "the first WikiLeaks revolution." WikiLeaks has been a catalyst for change in Egypt, Tunisia and in lesser degrees in many other countries. WikiLeaks revelations will likely continue to outrage demonstrators and activists around the world for quite a while. And all that change we owe to the diplomatic service of the United States which turned out to be a group of remarkable journalists, the courage of one soldier, and the entrepreneurial spirit of everyone who worked at WikiLeaks, including Julian Assange.
Follow Martin Varsavsky on Twitter: www.twitter.com/martinvars
Unless you are old enough to have lived thru it, and remember the fallout from the "My Lai Massacre" That took place during the Viet Nam "POLICE ACTION" as it was called. Info Here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Lai_Massacre
Which by the way not a single mainstream media outlet has bothered to speak about or reported on.
You probably would not know that. Because of that disaster.The U.S.Govt. and Military looked at the matter and instituted regulations and procedures that would provide channels for military personnel to stop illegal,acts or operations that could be construed as war crimes. The enacted regulations
and procedures also included safe havens for whistle blowers. Those remedy's were broadened in scope over the years. And I'm told. New recruits are schooled about them in basic training.
I find it rather depressing that if wikileaks or any matter that refers to it is discussed in the comments boxes. It is always about anything but the data and impact or results of the released documents themselves. Those that fear what is in those documents the most. Have done an outstanding job of redirecting the worlds attention from what should matter the most. To defective condoms and such.
Meanwhile, if what was reported early on in this matter proves to be true.Regarding Private Mannings responses to questions about his motivations for releasing the Apache Helicopter ops video and cables. Then as far as this American citizen is concerned. All those in the media who are doing the bidding of either our military, government, or others of influence.are technically guilty of participating in a conspiracy to cover up a potential war crime.
By diverting public attention to minutia, and failing to inform "We The People" On matters that really matter. Like A solder who it may turn out should be having a medal pinned on him. Instead rots in a prison cell and is treated like a traitor. And that makes me want to vomit.. For what? So
media giants like the TIMES can increase their profits by taking advantage of a man and organization with noble aspirations, and some back bone, by turning the issue into a media freak show? How Sad.
Assange's lifestyle and mores may not reside within the fat middle of the bell shaped curve, but they aren't highly exotic in this day and age, and certainly not outside the range of common behaviors seen among the rich and famous. He seems to be getting rather selectively aggressive legal attention on peripheral matters. Never in the course of human events has so much been made of a dubious 3rd degree rape allegation.
"Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain."
Basically what they are wanting us to do is be upset about a possible rapist and ignore what they did.
"We may need to detain Mr Assange if he will not cease and desist from further disclosures. That’s his choice. If he will not cease, then I think that we may have to consider extrajudicial measures in order to detain him and stop him from proceeding."
It's the American way.
(Who cares what the law says. Just break the law. After all, senior people in American government and industry are above the law.)
The only truth we know about for certain is that Julian Assange, as the head and speaker of WikiLEaks, leaked cables in November, which really upset the US and DOJ and then a mere few days after that, suddenly all the rape and other accusations began surfacing one by one. How hard is to connect the dots here and understand that he's been facing accusations of a personal nature for obviously the sole purpose of character assassination and defamation.
So while the author's point of not equating Assange with WikiLeaks is well taken, I still dont understand why Assange has been turned into the fall guy here and why everyone - even some liberals - hate him so much. The man has put his life, his safety and freedom on the line for the principle of freedom of speech and govt accountability. He is not profiting from this an inch. He financed it all himself and now he is sitting in jail awaiting extradition charges to the US.