Will the US prosecute Julian Assange?

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Forums > All Posts > Will the US prosecute Julian Assange?

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2010-12-01 02:44 PM

sbfriedman
Denton, TX
Posts: 931

What do you think? Will the United States be able to prosecute Julian Assange? Assange is the main guy in charge of the WikiLeaks site where about 250,000 confidential documents were sent to him. He uploaded them to his site. Do we have jurisdiction on him? Right now he is wanted in Sweden for alleged rape charges, by the way. That may be enough to get him arrested somewhere in the world. Should he be prosecuted if we do get ahold of him?

2010-12-15 03:25 PM

Tempered Blade
Monroe, MI
Posts: 10

Prosecute him for what exactly? Some people have said he should be tried for treason, which is ridiculous since he's not an American. The "rape" cases in Sweden--first it was rape, then we hear it was some sort of molestation, now it's, well, he didn't wear a condom. I have utmost sympathy for real victims of rape, and believe that victims of rape should never be blamed, but it sure seems to me that these charges against Assange have been trumped up in an attempt to discredit him. It's one of the oldest tricks in the book; if you want to ruin someone's reputation, accuse them of sexual assault. Four hundred years ago they would have tried to discredit him by saying he worshipped the devil or ate babies.

2010-12-17 09:46 AM

Schmidt
Colorado Springs, CO
Posts: 1058

I watched the segment of Keith Olbermann the other night when he had Michael Moore explain why he was contributing to Julian Assange's bail fund. Moore raised some interesting points about where more timely and reveling government transparency might have averted war...certainly the Iraq War, but also the basis for escalation of the conflict in Vietnam into a full fledged war. When governments want war, they will lie and deceive the populace. The rhetoric is in part driven by the military-industrial complex that profits from war...perpetual war.

I can agree with many of Michael Moore's points, especially as they pertain to motives for war. We need an honest, balanced and fully transparent debate before our country makes a decision to go or not to go to war. However, once we are at war, I can also appreciate the counter argument that certain documents are too sensitive and could put our troops in harms way. For anyone who has a loved one at war, they would certainly not want some of the documents publicized...war is ugly.

From what I have seen of the documents recently released, many of them are more of an embarrassment to our elected officials and their governments. I don't have much sympathy for them in that regard. I will, however, draw the line when the safety of our troops is at issue.

Olbermann has had to suspend his Twitter account because of the controversy raised by Michael Moore, especially those that think he is an apologist for rape. The rape issue seems to have moved to the front of the debate rather than the leaked documents. That's too bad.

2010-12-17 07:16 PM

CARLITOS BAM-BAM
Dallas, TX
Posts: 897

I concur......I draw the line at information pertaining to active troop positions on the battlefield....
I am in radical favor of transparency...and I loathe Machiavelli with all my heart and soul.......

In respect to Bradley Manning's incarceration......according to Jefferson, the Good Soldier has got to be willing to accept the judgment of his countrymen and women, when he or she breaks protocol and takes it upon themselves to do for the rest of us what they consider the right thing to do.......but I cannot support the charge of treason against Bradley Manning....On the contrary, I believe he maybe one of our finest Patriots.   According to Machiavelli, the Prince has got to be willing to go to hell inorder to achieve glory...and that means lieing for strategic reasons...The Good Soldier tells the truth, does what they think is right, and is willing to die for the sake of doing good.....He or she does this, precisely because they do not want to go to hell.

I know my views on Manning and WikiLeaks are controversial....but for those of you who know where I'm coming from when it comes to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, ya'll know damn well that me and the anti-war left are not on the same page anymore...and since 2006, I have supported Gates-Patreus led reform to our fighting efforts, and their performance has vindicated my position, just as the chaos that followed both invasions vindicated my opposition to starting both wars.
This kid...er..Soldier.... took it upon himself to expose major war crimes covered up by the United States Government......he is a goddamned hero! We cannot grant ourselves the right to commit war crimes and chastize others when they do it! This is how the war with radical Islam will be lost. Not on the battelfield but in the hearts and minds of the world.

Look, I take a lot of heart from the progress of ourarmed forces in Kandahar and Helmand provinces.....this is territory we have never truly penetrated....and I believe that this winter-spring consolidating gains will be made.....making it all too costly for the Taliban to refrain from the peacetable.   We can't turn our backs on the Afghans...not at this critical juncture...not when so many have risked their lives to stand up and take back their civilization from the Dark Ages, in a war that we started to capture Osama Bin Laden.... Fail!

The only way out of this war is to approach our enemies with a gun in one hand and an olive branch in the other....

No more lies! We are not the Soviet Union! America is supposed to be a Beacon on a Hill..and it is our Charge to Keep!

Fighting for Truth, Justice, and an American Way of Life That Doesn't Kill Us All,
El Prezidente Kaboom

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