One of the things that almost has never come out of the generally appalling media coverage of Julian and Wikileaks, is the REASON for Wikileaks.
It had a moral base. It was about Justice. He wrote it on the home page of the first Wikileaks. It wasn’t necessarily finally defined, but to use that expression… he nailed his colours and the colours of Wikileaks to the mast.
This was going to be about Justice. It was about seeking Justice through letting people KNOW what is going on.
There’s more information in the world than ever — but who’s in control?
At the centre sits the Establishment: governments, corporations and powerful individuals who have more knowledge about us, and more power, than ever before. Circling them is a new generation of hackers, pro-democracy campaigners and internet activists who no longer accept that the Establishment should run the show.
In her gripping, revelatory new book, award-winning journalist and campaigner Heather Brooke takes us inside the Information War, from the hackerspaces of Boston and Berlin to the UK’s journalism hub and Iceland’s free speech revolution; from the headquarters of Google and Facebook to Collateral Murder, Cablegate and the murky word of Julian Assange and Wikileaks.
Julian Assange argues that while there are rules for soldiers and members of the State Department on disclosing classified information, his actions are protected by the First Amendment.
Extra: Assange’s Defense & Daniel Ellsberg
Will the newspapers that published documents obtained by WikiLeaks now help cover Julian Assange’s legal fees? Based on the experience of Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked secret Pentagon papers to the press in 1971, Assange doesn’t think so.
Extra: Julian Assange Stays on the Move
Before being placed under house arrest in Great Britain, Julian Assange lived what could be described a nomadic lifestyle. He explains to Steve Kroft why he was always on the move.
Bob Beckel and Bo Deitl are okay with murdering Julian Assange.
“A dead man can’t leak stuff…This guy’s a traitor, he’s treasonous, and he has broken every law of the United States. And I’m not for the death penalty, so…there’s only one way to do it: illegally shoot the son of a bitch. ”
The fact that Beckel is so easily swayed into killing someone shows that he has no integrity at all and cares little for the rule of law. The fact that this was on national TV in December 2010, no one has called for Bob Beckel or Bo Deitl to be arrested for claiming that a man should be murdered. At the very least, they should be arrested for inciting others to commit murder. It’s been far too long that pundits have been allowed to get away with this type of rhetoric.
By shooting Assange, you are, in fact, shooting the messenger. Julian Assange tried to enlist the help of the US government in releasing these documents, but the US refused, leaving Assange and Wikileaks to determine what should and should not be released. It’s a shame that men such as Beckel and Deitl are given a pulpit from which to preach their hateful and uninformed ideas. Sadly, they do not understand that, while they abhor when Muslims issue a statement advocating the death of a person, they are doing exactly the same thing.
Keep in mind, Julian Assange has not broken any US or Australian laws yet, somehow, murdering him is justifiable, according to FOX News.
There is an ever growing list of people who have also called for Assange’s assassination, including Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, and Bill Kristol.
Representative Peter King doesn’t go so far as demanding the death of Julian Assange, but he does intend on making it impossible for Americans to support him or Wikileaks. King is well known for his support and praise of the IRA, having raised thousands for their cause.
Julian Assange is not an American citizen and he has no constitutional rights. So, there’s no reason that the CIA can’t kill him. Moreover, ask yourself a simple question: If Julian Assange is shot in the head tomorrow or if his car is blown up when he turns the key, what message do you think that would send about releasing sensitive American data?
Hawkins advocates killing anyone who isn’t an American citizen who happens to say something that he doesn’t agree with. If you speak out, we kill you. This is not the America I know. These people should be held accountable for their actions. You can disagree all you want with Julian Assange, but advocating his murder is a step so far over the line that it should be obvious it is over the line and should never have occurred.
