His supporters treat him as an angel, his distractors as the devil. He is neither, but I lean to the angel side in his actions.
He is a man that through Wikileaks has exposed wrong doing by people who do not want their wrong doings held up to public scrutiny.
None of us would.
However, when we mess up, it does not effect vast numbers of others. When governments mess up they keep it classified for the need for security--in most cases their own.
Assange is not the first to be targeted by the U.S. government for revealing their war crimes. In February 1971, Daniel Ellsberg (photo above) gave the Pentagon Papers to the New York Times. He went to prison for showing the truth about the Vietnam War. The American people had been lied into going to war. Now there are 50,000+ names on a long black wall in Washington, D.C. all who died for nothing. There are some 600,000+ dead civilians as well.
Assange did not break the U.S. Espionage Act in revealing U.S. War crimes in Iraq. He is not a U.S. Citizen and he wasn't in the U.S. Can you imagine the chaos if everyone could be held responsible and punished for breaking laws where they are not citizens and didn't commit the act they are being punished for in the country trying them?
Assange showed what the world should see. War crimes.
Assange relies on whistleblowers, and bless everyone of them. Without them we would all be at the mercy of corrupt companies, corrupt politicians and corrupt governments.
Today on CNN people have said that stolen papers shouldn't be published.
So, the corrupt government, corrupt politicians and the corrupt companies will reveal all the things that they do wrong? I doubt it.
The U.S. has been merciless in punishing and is still punishing Chelsea Manning for releasing a film showing U.S. Soldiers sport shooting civilians.
Assange is right in thinking if he is ever on U.S. soil, he will be treated that badly or worse. After all, the U.S. brought down the plane of Evo Morales, Bolivian President, over because they thought Snowdon was on board. He was denied entry into air space of several European countries. If a country's president is treated that way, what will the U.S. do to an individual.
Suddenly in 2010, Assange was being charged with rape charges in Sweden. It happened after consensual sex. What followed was a mockery of justice. Assange was willing to answer questions but was blocked at every turn.Made up or blown up? Rape charge, forcing a presidential plane down, seems like another desperate move by the U.S. to get him.
His sought asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy thus escaping his bail. His fears of extradition were reasonable. The UK spent a fortune on security to make sure he didn't escape. I suspect any one else in the UK who jumped bail would not merit the same attention. The UK ignored the UN ruling to release Assange.
Today Assange's alleged rape victim wants the case reopened.
Assange's crime is not so much rape, not so much jumping bail.
His crime is revealing truth, truth that puts all the gullible people who still believe their governments are just at risk.
Snowdon, Assange, Manning...truth tellers who have paid a high
price for protecting the individual against powerful governments.
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2 comments:
I don't know much about the man, Assange, but I do believe what he stands for is right. Governments get away with far too much by citing national security. Their dirty tricks are only ever exposed by whistle blowers, so yes, I agree with you in principle, although I can't comment about the rape charges as I know too little about the validity of them.
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