The Assault on Assange

Dec 07, 2010 JamesHudnall Bureaucracy/Statism, Information 5 Comments">5 Comments

Julian Assange was arrested today for not wearing a condom in Sweden. In that country not wearing a condom can be considered sexual assault even if the sex was consensual. The real reason so many governments are after Assange is because he dared expose their stupidity, arrogance and corruption. That is why so many politicians, even congenial dopes like Mike Huckabee, have called for his death, shows that revealing the sins of the powerful the probably more dangerous than any other crime.

After all, a lot of terrorists who’ve been caught have been left free. One wonders of Assange will be so lucky.

Here are two three articles that bring up some good points about why Wikileaks may actually be a good thing over all. I happen to agree with their points. The first from Vasko Kohlmayer at the American Thinker. Anther from John Sexton at Big Journalism. And finally one from Wired Magazine.

Assange has redacted most of the information he released to protect people’s names in sensitive areas. He held back information that might have been helpful to terrorists, though he has threatened to release it if he were ever arrested. I know defending him puts me in the same class as people like Noam Chomsky in this instance, but the fact is we need to live in a world where we’re not constantly lied to and screwed over by imbecilic elites. Wikileaks is a small group of people sticking it to the powerful. That is ultimately a good thing in the long run. Because the truth is, a lot of what is done in our name is wrong. Hillary ordering State Department diplomats to steal credit card information for example is not in the interests of Americans. It’s in the interest of blackmailers in the government.

This whole affair is exposing a lot of dirt that’s been swept under the rug by the media. Sunshine in dark places can often be a good thing.

UPDATE: A timeline of the attacks on Wikileaks and Assange. Meanwhile, the US government declares Wikileaks off limits to researchers. And while this edict came out, so did the following from the state department.

The powerful live in fear of the day the people might turn on them. For thousands of years it has happened now and then when rulers were hauled out into the streets. Wikileaks is perhaps a metaphor for the elites losing some control. Or perhaps it’s the beginning of a sea change.

JamesHudnall

James Hudnall has been a professional writer since 1986. He's been a web developer since 1999. James currently lives in San Diego, California.

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  • Toren

    My feelings have been going back and forth on this, but I have to reluctantly agree with you. If the world was a different place, I’d want this guy in front of a firing squad. But as you say, we’re at the point in history where the risk to us from terrorists is a joke compared to what the incompetence and idiocy of the government is doing. (I’d prefer to see Predator strikes on the EPA, instead of Al Quaeda.) Turning over the rock on some of it is, overall, a good idea.
    Hell, as a bonus we’ve even learned what PC leads to, even in a well-meaning socialist paradise like Sweden.

  • GeorgeC

    Here’s something to be considered, Hud and Toren –

    Do you REALLY want to be counted amongst the Berkeley burnouts who are making Assange a hero with a declaration?

    THAT would be enough for me to come down hard on the guy! You understand that 99.9% of the time the Berkeley council is pretty much on the wrong side of history, right?

    I pretty much think Assange is a douche because a) some things have to be kept secret — military intel, the people who cooperate with us whose lives depend on some secrecy; b) the hypocrisy of hackers and their willingness to expose bank accounts to the criminal element; c) generally the self-righteous like Assange are creepy and perverted in some ways that aren’t immediately obvious until someone else delves into THEIR backgrounds!
    d) Like it or not, there are unpleasant realities to diplomacy and some less-than-honorable things that have to be done to achieve some goals… We HAVE to deal with some scummy governments, some people have to be pad. Not a great idea to pull bandaids off or remove dressings before wounds are healed! A smart man does not pull scabs off!

    I want my privacy as much as any reasonable person. There are things that NOBODY else is entitled unless it’s absolutely necessary for medical treatment. There are small things that I want to keep to myself unless I find a significant other (woman) who I trust.

    I really don’t want the Assanges invading my privacy OR wrecking important parts of national policy.

    There’s definitely a weakness in the security of government computers. That’s only the favor Assange is doing anyone…

    Again, I ask — do you REALLY want to be on the same side as Berkeley elite???

    • Anonymous

      You’re missing the point. The government cares nothing about our rights and privacy. They are groping and scanning us. They are illegally searching and wiretapping us. Yet they want it both ways. They want their corruption protected. In a “free society” the public should have a right to know a lot more than they tell us. Most of what has been revealed hasn’t harmed national security at all. Neither did the Pentagon Papers, while we’re at it. The politicians always claim that’s going to happen but what gets revealed is the graft and corruption they tried to hide.

      The Berkeley people are supporting Assange for their own reasons. I have said my support is in principal. I am not totally for the guy. But frankly, I find the government a bigger threat to the people than Assange. For example: http://www.floppingaces.net/2010/12/06/a-guide-to-the-loss-of-your-rights-reader-post/

    • Toren

      I’m not supporting him in a mindless, knee-jerk reaction like the lunatics in Berkeley. You points are well-made and I personally agree with many of them. But my initial statement still stands. Some decisions are hard to make.

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