WikiLeaks Founder on the Run

[Jeffersons Ghost]

WikiLeaks Founder on the Run, Chased by Turmoil

LONDON — Julian Assange moves like a hunted man. In a noisy Ethiopian restaurant in London’s rundown Paddington district, he pitches his voice barely above a whisper to foil the Western intelligence agencies he fears.

He demands that his dwindling number of loyalists use expensive encrypted cellphones and swaps his own as other men change shirts. He checks into hotels under false names, dyes his hair, sleeps on sofas and floors, and uses cash instead of credit cards, often borrowed from friends.

“By being determined to be on this path, and not to compromise, I’ve wound up in an extraordinary situation,” Mr. Assange said over lunch last Sunday, when he arrived sporting a woolen beanie and a wispy stubble and trailing a youthful entourage that included a filmmaker assigned to document any unpleasant surprises.

In his remarkable journey to notoriety, Mr. Assange, founder of the WikiLeaks whistle-blowers’ Web site, sees the next few weeks as his most hazardous. Now he is making his most brazen disclosure yet: 391,832 secret documents on the Iraq war. He held a news conference in London on Saturday, saying that the release “constituted the most comprehensive and detailed account of any war ever to have entered the public record.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/24/world/24assange.html?ref=global-home

[digitaln3rd]

1. Who cares?

He's a self-serving idiot. No wonder people who work for him are running as far away from him as possible.

Good riddance.

[The Backlash Cometh]

2. We wouldn't need him if we had the balls to do our own investigation

into Bush's War.

[WinkyDink]

4. "Good riddance" to the only man brave and ethical enough to REVEAL THE TRUTH?? Bush & Yoo thank you.

[SpiralHawk]

7. Someone needed the guts to expose the pseuedo-christian Torture Freaks

Of course some who have done nothing about it will sit on the sideline and fling poo. That's often the price one pays for having a moral conscience and courage -- not that the dude is perfect -- he's altogether human. But he did not whimp out when the truth needed to be told about war crimes, brutal crimes that I deem to be grievously anti- the true spirit of Christ.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

9. "Self serving."? Like the politicians who send soldiers to kll and die for PR?

[ooglymoogly]

10. Wow! deluded much?

Do you need to be wound up or do you work on solar?

[blue sky at night]

11. well. let's see.....

I care.

I won't say more, I think you will be dealt with accordingly.

[malaise]

12. The world's progressives care

Truth will out and those Bush war crimes will be exposed.

[JVS]

13. -1

[eShirl]

14. You obviously care enough to read and reply.

I take it you don't approve of what he's doing?
:rofl:

[devilgrrl]

16. Oh, I know. Exposing atrocities against humanity - what a turd!

:sarcasm: :eyes:

[Poll_Blind]

17. -1

PB

[mike_c]

19. I care....

Piss off.

[the redcoat]

21. Wow...did you really just say that?

They guy is being treated like a terrorist because he's standing up against the secrecy of global imperialism.

...do you know what "self serving" even means?

[Moonbat2]

23. I'm with you

[Change has come]

25. You would be.

Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum!

[HCE SuiGeneris]

65. Shocker. Care to elaborate?

[Vickers]

68. Literally? Like, in a relationship?

Congratulations!!!

:headbang::headbang::headbang::headbang::headbang:

Welcome to DU! Enjoy your stay!!!

:hi:

[WinkyDink]

74. Oh, you like illegal wars and secret torture going unexamined, eh?

[SammyWinstonJack]

77. I'm sure you are.

:eyes:

[Mimosa]

29. WHO ARE YOU?

I'm no fan of Julian Assange but I sure want to know what is going on behind the scenes of the horrible and indefensible wars in the Middle east.

[laughingliberal]

31. Is the moon full or is it the solar flares that brings them out? nt

[maryf]

51. The moon is full...

really...
:D

[HCE SuiGeneris]

55. It's election time. The lurking Freeptards come out of the ooze they normally reside in to taint

the board. I can name at least 3 that have never espoused a Democratic ideal, but are posting at will in the last few days.

[laughingliberal]

56. A good point. I believe I've noticed the same phenomenon. nt

[ProudDad]

34. Well we've heard from the faux-noise bullshit machine!

What's your fucking problem with the truth?

You can't handle the truth?

[sabrina 1]

37. From the NYT? Lol, that's what they would like to think.

He's probably one of the most popular guys around the world right now.

Your 'good riddance' is a bit premature.

[tomp]

48. please change your screen name to....

...."part of the problem".

[Raksha]

57. I care, and so do a lot of people, obviously.

What are you doing here at DU?

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

62. If YOU don't care, why did you get in this thread and posted that? Please answer.

[Richard Steele]

71. Enjoy your stay.

nm

[Karmadillo]

3. War criminals, on the other hand, are hanging out and writing books.

nt

[beforeyoureyes]

61. It is disgusting, isn't it? Obama sanctioned war crimes by his failure to investigate and prosecute

I don't know how so many just overlook such a atrocity.

Bush lies to the nation to start a war. Millions dead, orphaned, poisoned, displaced, psychologically traumatized, falsely imprisoned, tortured and there is NO criminal repurcussions. Zero.

[stray cat]

5. IF we had a draft fewer people would be able to preach from the sidelines

its different if all of us have something invested

[WinkyDink]

6. If we had the draft, there would now be no "war."

[laughingliberal]

32. +1000 nt

[datasuspect]

8. the dicks will use any weakness to exploit you and wear you down

1. women

2. money

3. drugs

seems like the rape accusations mean they can get to him.

[sabrina 1]

39. Fake rape accusations.

I think Europeans have a better idea of how these things work.

Go Julian. I hope he inspires a lot more people to start exposing the lies and the corruption. I think considering what is going in in Europe right now, any contest between someone exposing the lies and the liars themselves will definitely favor the whistle-blowers.

[felix_numinous]

15. Julian Assange is giving voice to countless human beings

whose screams in the dark we would have never heard if it weren't for him. I wish there was a way to help him get away from the dangerous goons wishing to cover their own asses.

I care very much about him, and hope he remains safe for the rest of his life, he deserves respect. He is exactly the opposite of being self serving, he gave up his personal safety for revealing important information!!

[sabrina 1]

64. You are so right. For example, we will not even allow

those tortured human beings who managed to finally gain their freedom, get any justice in our courts. The excuse always the same 'national security'.

Julian Assange is a hero, and history will record him that way. What happens to him from now on will depend on the courage of those of us who believe that governments should not lie about war to their citizens, do about supporting him.

I care too what happens to him. Not JUST because of him, but because if they succeed in destroying him, that will be the end of any transparency for a long time. So it's not just about him, it's about all of us.

[shraby]

18. Are they trying to discredit him much? SOP.

Attack the messenger, not the message.


edited to add.

[spanone]

20. imagine if the usa & all ally nations choose to make your life miserable....

[EFerrari]

22. So, is John Burns still defending the NYTs Iraq coverage

in the rush to war?

[maryf]

24. This man gives me hope...

and I wish him the best of luck, along with Bradley Manning and others, K&R!

[outerSanctum]

26. I hope nobody else has to die

because of these documents being released

[wuushew]

27. who died?

support your claims or be silent newbie.

[tkmorris]

33. Annnnndddddd another one

Three in one thread. Long way from the record but impressive nonetheless.

[ProudDad]

35. You mean the

100,000 killed by the Empire are enough, eh?

[tomp]

49. try 1,000,000+ deaths u.s imperialism responsible for in iraq. nt

[sabrina 1]

40. Who died? If anyone does die, we know who is responsible.

Interesting that you ignore what these documents revealed about who actually DID die. Not too worried about those civilians, tens of thousands of them, who were slaughtered for a lie, it seems.

The Pentagon has already said that they are not worried about this release. They said the same about the last documents. Then for propaganda purposes, changed their minds. Except the world knows that they were given the opportunity to take out any names of people who might be harmed, but refused to do so.

So, if anyone dies, it won't be Wikileaks who is to blame will it?

[wildbilln864]

59. ah, and who died?

No one AFAAK! Plenty may be saved as a result of the wikileaks disclosure. Maybe we'll end the wars because of it? I sure hope so. :hi:

[WinkyDink]

75. Arse-backwards. People DIED because of the SECRETS, not their revelation. Are you one of those "we

could have WON in VietNam" types??

[Odin2005]

28. Is it Fascism, yet?

[Kaleva]

30. The Swedes are investigating him for rape and molestation charges

"Assange, who is being investigated by Swedish authorities in two separate cases of rape and molestation, would not discuss its potential impact on the organization."

http://articles.cnn.com/2010-10-22/us/wikileaks.interview_1_julian-assange-wikileaks-afghan-war-diary?_s=PM:US

"Mr. Assange has responded by going on the run, but has found no refuge. Amid the Afghan documents controversy, he flew to Sweden, seeking a residence permit and protection under that country’s broad press freedoms. His initial welcome was euphoric.

“They called me the James Bond of journalism,” he recalled wryly. “It got me a lot of fans, and some of them ended up causing me a bit of trouble.”

Within days, his liaisons with two Swedish women led to an arrest warrant on charges of rape and molestation. Karin Rosander, a spokesperson for the prosecutor, said last week that the police were continuing to investigate."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/24/world/24assange.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

[ProudDad]

36. CNN and the New York Times

no bias there... :eyes:

Just a pair of mouthpieces for Empire.

He wouldn't be the first one set up by the CIA and other gestapo assholes for the Empire...

Did you ever consider that?

Didn't think so...

[Kaleva]

43. Can you site a source where Mr. Assange claims he was...

set up by the CIA or other "gestapo assholes for the Empire"?

I didn't think so.

He does say he was warned of dirty tricks but also says he has no idea who is behind this (Assuming he is innocent and is a victim of a honey trap).

""I never said the word CIA, I never said anyone was behind this," he said

"I said very clearly what we knew, which was that on the 11th we received a warning, and that this was a smear because it is not true," Mr Assange said. "That doesn't mean that intelligence agencies are behind this, nor does it mean they are not behind it, nor does it mean once this has happened, for other reasons, that they are not capitalizing on it.""

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/sweden/7988119/Wikileaks-founder-requests-new-lawyer-in-rape-case.html

[sabrina 1]

41. Yes, fake charges, which were immediately withdrawn

because there was no evidence. Then reinstated under pressure. Charges made by someone who initially had to admit there was no rape. Rightwing tabloid published the story immediately.

As for the woman herself, maybe the NY Times should report on her history. But they won't, will they?

NY Times, always ready and willing to do the bidding of the war mongers.

They'll 'continue to investigate' until they are told there is no longer any need to do so.

I think they all need to be talking about what is in those documents. The lies they expose, the slaughter and the tragedy brought upon so many people by a gang of war criminals, liars and profiteers.

Assange is simply the messenger and of course they have to discredit him to try to distract from their own major crimes. It won't work though. Shame on our media, always part of the propaganda machine.

[Kaleva]

44. The molestation charges were never dropped.

[sabrina 1]

47. Molestation means something entirely different over there. I am

well aware of the case. Molestation over there is a misdemeanor and could mean something as innocuous as bumping into someone. But they KNOW what the word means here and here you are, interpreting it the way they want you to.

Anyhow, he isn't the story. THEY are. War criminals, torturers, thieves, liars all hoping people will do what you are doing, forget about them and look at someone else because their crimes are so great they KNOW there will be demands for justice. And instead of being angry at themselves, they are angry at those who have revealed their crimes to the world.

[Kaleva]

52. "Anyhow, he isn't the story."

The thread, as you may have noticed, is about him.

[sabrina 1]

53. And why is there a thread about HIM? Because HE

had the guts to expose the lies. Now, the focus should be on the war criminals, don't you think? Unless torturing people to death, or bombing innocent civilians is less of an outrage than a couple of women at least one of whom has been exposed as a person who might have some political reasons for what she is doing, making allegations oddly enough, about the person who exposed the crimes.

[Kaleva]

63. Read post #45 in this thread

As to why Jefferson Ghost wrote an OP about Mr. Assange, you'll have to ask him.

[sabrina 1]

66. He wrote it because Mr. Assange is the hero who

has exposed the lies told, not just by this government, but other governments. As such he will be mentioned. But to people of conscience his role will diminish in view of WHAT has been revealed in those documents. To those who have something to fear from the revelations, the smear campaign against him will be the story.

Take your pick, I have.

[Kaleva]

73. Then whatever is said about Mr. Assange himself is irrelevant....

to those who say what is revealed in the documents is what truly matters. What I see here is Mr. Assange being put on a pedastal and made to be the subject of hero worship and little attention is being paid to the documents.

[wildbilln864]

60. the rape charges were dropped in less than 24 hours ....

so? You keep believing the corporate news network though since you like it so much. :rofl:

[Subdivisions]

38. Why does it always have to be about Assange? Can we talk about

the potential war crimes revealed in the leaked documents?

[sabrina 1]

42. Exactly.

But that's why they have their agents in the U.S. media talk about Assange. They are desperate to hide the truth and since our media is so aligned with them, I guess they get their orders on where to focus.

[Kaleva]

45. This probably ought to be divided into two seperate threads.

One about Mr. Assange and the other about potential war crimes.

[jeanpalmer]

46. By exposing the snitches in Afghanistan

he probably has saved many lives.

[Cid_B]

50. Seriously...

I have no idea WTF you mean by that. If you are referring to sources that report to ISAF then they are more likely to be killed.

Can you explain a bit more?

[jeanpalmer]

72. What's hard to figure out?

Are they spies against their own country, reporting to an occupation that has killed 100,000+ people? :shrug:

[Better Believe It]

54. Nothing more than a big propaganda hit piece smearing Assange. CIA inspired?

This needs to be answered and exposed by the progressive media.

Are these writers on the CIA's payroll?

It wouldn't surprise me.

The CIA is once again signing up mass media reporters to write stories pushing their propaganda line against "the left".

[Better Believe It]

67. Glenn Greenwald exposes this smear campaign!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9380376

[jeanpalmer]

69. NY Times on the CIA payroll?

They've always seemed to be willing promoters of the empire. They seem to work hand in glove with the Pentagon. We're never going to throw off the MIC until these promoters disappear. Hopefully, it will happen soon.

[EFerrari]

70. Burns is still cya-ing for the horrendous pre-war cheerleading. n/t

[kgnu_fan]

58. And Rumsfeld is safely taking a nap: an enormous number of very good things happening over there

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/10/23/world/main6985472.shtml

Rumsfeld expressed frustration with the negative media coverage of the war: "All I know is that there are just an enormous number of very good things happening over there, and yet what we tend to see are the other side of the coin, namely that there are a few things going on over there that are not positive and that are worrisome."

[sofa king]

76. He's at the top of my list of people destined to die by two self-inflicted gunshots to the head.