Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Defiant Julian Assange asks US to end its 'witch-hunt'
PTI, DNA ^ | Sunday, August 19, 2012 | Prasun Sonwalkar

Posted on 08/19/2012 10:25:11 AM PDT by Jyotishi

click here to read article


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-37 last
To: <1/1,000,000th%

He faces rape and sexual assault charges, which if convicted....you’d figure he does around two to three years in a Swedish prison (figure a South Carolina Motel-6 environment). He does have to worry because he probably won’t have around-the-clock availability of the internet, and he will be forced into rape counseling classes.

Added to this whole mess...at least a quarter of the people within the Wiki-circle....would prefer that he not stay as the boss of Wiki-Leaks. They see this prison episode as a chance to push him out of the organization and retake it with a neutral source. Assange has built an empire and prefers for it to stay within his hands.

I think as each month goes by with Julian in this Ecuadorian embassy deal....he gets deeper into some mental issues. Even if the UK eventually agrees....Julian can never travel to any European country ever again. Even half of the South American countries will admit that they will honor the Swedish request to export him back to face charges. If you ask me....he’s pretty much screwed up his future no matter what happens now.


21 posted on 08/19/2012 11:55:38 AM PDT by pepsionice
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: trapped_in_LA

Do you have to be an American national to be charged with espionage? He received information which he knew to be state secrets and publicized it. To me what is the difference between that handing it clandestinely to one of our enemies? I just offer the question and welcome the debate on this.


22 posted on 08/19/2012 12:15:27 PM PDT by fhayek
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: Jyotishi
He will not be a permanent guest in the Ecuadoran embassy, they won't have it. So rendition, whether a month or a year from now, it will happen.
23 posted on 08/19/2012 12:28:51 PM PDT by StAnDeliver ("So, a Mormon and a Catholic walk onto an aircraft carrier...")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: fhayek

“Do you have to be an American national to be charged with espionage? He received information which he knew to be state secrets and publicized it. To me what is the difference between that handing it clandestinely to one of our enemies?”

Sure anyone can be charged with espionage so long as they are doing it within the boundaries of the US charging you with that or you are a US citizen. But Assange did none of that and he is not a US citizen so he has no obligation to protect our “Secrets”. Somebody else (Manning) did the espionage and has been arrested for it. Really everyone is upset because he made the US State Dept look like a bunch of idiots, which they are and communists to boot. But legally he has done nothing wrong and the US can’t touch him “legally”.


24 posted on 08/19/2012 12:39:46 PM PDT by trapped_in_LA
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: FlingWingFlyer

Secrets, eh? More like embarrassing tidbits. Can’t wait for the industrial-military-media complex to collapse.


25 posted on 08/19/2012 12:40:24 PM PDT by gotribe
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: trapped_in_LA

Thanks for your explanation.


26 posted on 08/19/2012 12:42:32 PM PDT by fhayek
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: Jyotishi

“In addition, the federal government retains the death penalty for such non-murder offenses as treason, espionage and crimes under military jurisdiction;”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_the_United_States

How’s the END of a short trial and a long rope work for ya, WIKI-Weasels?


27 posted on 08/19/2012 1:38:55 PM PDT by OldEarlGray (The POTUS is FUBAR until the White Hut is sanitized with American Tea)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: a fool in paradise
Whistleblower organization? Espionage organization.


EXACTLY RIGHT. I worked in the Defense industry for decades and am contractually somewhat knowledgeable about how to "whistleblow" and potentially file a Qui Tam lawsuit - there are laws, rules, and Federal regulations on how to go about it. Also you can go to the GAO, the IG of the Agency/Department you are working with, or run to the DCAA or DCMA.


IMHO Assange should be facing a firing squad. But with the Clown in the WH who knows what will transpire - after all he has an election he has to win and the far left (his solid base) need to be on board. Far Lefties hate the military and hate all secrets being held by the Government, especially DOD and STATE.
THESE LAWS, RULES, AND REGULATIONS CERTAINLY DO NOT FACILITATE RUNNING TO THE 4TH ESTATE AND DISCLOSING CLASSIFIED MATERIAL, LET ALONE POSTING THE SAME ON THE PUBLIC INTERNET.
28 posted on 08/19/2012 2:27:45 PM PDT by Cheerio (Barry Hussein Soetoro-0bama=The Complete Destruction of American Capitalism)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: GeorgeWashingtonsGhost
How long before 0bama awards Assange with the medal of Freedom?

Right after obama bows to him?

29 posted on 08/19/2012 2:45:48 PM PDT by Caipirabob (I say we take off and Newt the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Jyotishi

Ahhhh, just let him go ... to Ecuador ... forever.


30 posted on 08/19/2012 3:00:32 PM PDT by Belteshazzar (We are not justified by our works but by faith - De Jacob et vita beata 2 +Ambrose of Milan)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Jyotishi

Bradley Manning on the other hand should be released to St. Helena for the same amount of time ... forever. Napoleon Bonaparte would highly recommend it.


31 posted on 08/19/2012 3:03:53 PM PDT by Belteshazzar (We are not justified by our works but by faith - De Jacob et vita beata 2 +Ambrose of Milan)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Belteshazzar

It seems that he thinks that he’s in Ecuador already:

Assange berates United States from Ecuador embassy balcony

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-wikileaks-assangebre87i01x-20120819,0,7812597.story


32 posted on 08/19/2012 3:08:23 PM PDT by Jyotishi (Seeking the truth, a fact at a time.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]

To: Olog-hai
Why is it always incumbent upon the USA to make the declaration?

Because Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution kind of requires it.

The U.S. was effectively at war with Germany long before Germany formally declared war in 1941. The U.S. was supplying arms and munitions to Great Britain long before that, and they were being transported to Britain under escort by U.S. naval vessels in the North Atlantic.

Assange "waged war on us"? LOL. You must be kidding me. We can't even figure out what the hell our military is doing in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, and you're going to put that on him?

33 posted on 08/19/2012 7:21:22 PM PDT by Alberta's Child ("If you touch my junk, I'm gonna have you arrested.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: Alberta's Child

Article 1 section 8 does not impose a requirement to declare war if someone declares war on us. It assigns a power to Congress. That power does not mean that we are devoid of the power to defend ourselves pending any necessary or unnecessary formal declaration of war by us.

Yes, Assange waged war on us. There is no other description for what he did. You sure you’re on the right website?


34 posted on 08/19/2012 7:32:14 PM PDT by Olog-hai
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

To: Jyotishi

Indeed he does seem to think he is in Ecuador already. And the Ecuadorians, at least those who staff their London Embassy, seem to be quite cooperative in allowing him to indulge publicly in his moral superiority. Therefore I think the proper resolution to the situation is for Assange to become an Ecuadorian citizen. I dare say few other countries want to have anything to do with him.

After 20 years or so, we’ll see how happy he is in his adopted country ... and how happy Ecuadorians are with him. Can you imagine how insufferable he will be in his dotage, telling the same self-aggrandizing stories over and over and over and over ... well, you get the idea. But America haters will continue to listen to buy him drinks and listen. Let them have each other.


35 posted on 08/19/2012 7:57:17 PM PDT by Belteshazzar (We are not justified by our works but by faith - De Jacob et vita beata 2 +Ambrose of Milan)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: Olog-hai
Yes, I'm sure I'm on the right website. I was part of a fascinating exchange among a number of Freepers when the Wikileaks story was breaking, and a lot of us agreed that there seemed to be an unnecessary "rush to judgement" about the leaks.

For one thing, a number of reports on the incident have indicated that as many as three million people (including both military and civilian personnel) had access to the leaked documents, which included more than 250,000 diplomatic cables sent by U.S. officials over the years. You'd have a hard time convincing me that anything of the information released by Assange/Wikileaks was particularly sensitive if that many people had access to it. And it turns out most of that information was more embarrassing to the U.S. than "sensitive" in any military sense.

There's also the inconvenient matter of Assange's apparent offer to the U.S. State Department to allow them to review all of the documents and redact any sensitive information from them before he posted them. I found THAT a bit curious ... as if the U.S. government was complicit in their release.

36 posted on 08/19/2012 8:06:12 PM PDT by Alberta's Child ("If you touch my junk, I'm gonna have you arrested.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]

To: Jyotishi
We are not hunting witches, we are hunting spies and saboteurs.
37 posted on 08/20/2012 4:55:42 PM PDT by reg45 (Barack 0bama: Implementing class warfare by having no class!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-37 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson