No one is saying that the information in the leaks is irrelevant, but when people keep defending Assange and demonizing his accusers and/or misrepresenting their claims on the basis that the work of wikileaks is too important, it makes the case that ALL rape victims should take one for the team, as it were, in the event that their attacker is considered sufficiently important.

Wow, I’m glad we’re over the big issues here. Let’s get down to the sex and ego, already. This is America, durnit!

Try as you might, you can’t blame anyone but Assange for this one. A crime is a crime is a crime. We wouldn’t be having this discussion if Assange hadn’t acted the way he did. I would appreciate it if the Fanboy Crowd at least had enough spine to stand for their own supposed principles rather then tossing their ideals to the curb when they don’t happen to suit the political needs of the hour.

You see, there’s this ‘content’ to the leaks, which is surprisingly more important than the meta-story of how the information is being released.

So really, if we could all focus less on how “ASSANGE IZ MEGALOMANIACAL”, and more on the information being freely given to us by numerous people putting their lives and freedom at risk to do so, I would very much appreciate it.

I guess you got me though. I don’t care about this Weekly World News crap. So I clearly support rape. Actually, I think it’s great. I was always sort of a feminist before Wikileaks, but WHOOSH, there’s goes all that noise.

maybe we should start with a more serious rape crime.

That’s sick Lobster. Your claiming that, sex crimes should only be investigated in the most serious of cases??? It is only “rape” if there was violence. That’s a sickening view to hold. Sexual Harassment and other less or non- violent sex crimes still deserve investigation. The law is what matters, not your opinion of that law.

You know, since there’s already been a trial and all.

I agree, but if so what benefit is Assange’s constant spinning and publicising the leaks. Surely the thing to do is release the files and let them speak for themselves? Why have the separate Collateral Murder website, did the footage not stand on it’s own merits?

I would love if Assange would get the hell out of the way and allow Wikileaks be simply a safe and secure repository of leaked info.

That’s not rape. That’s homicide and attempted homicide. FWIW.

To me, unconditionally defending anything Assange’s accusers say, just because they’ve accused someone of rape, is just as bad as unconditionally defending anything someone else says (like Assange, or a politician, or anyone else). People like the Duke accuser and the recent news anchor accuser have realized that they can tap into an emotional goldmine and get instant support . . . if you want to be part of facilitating that, that’s your choice, I guess.

Please don’t mistake my comments for discouraging efforts by rape victims/survivors to provide support for each other. I have friends of both genders (more of them female) who have been victims of rape, and I’ve seen how it has scarred them. But that doesn’t mean that anyone making that allegation should instantly gain your unconditional support/defense. Again, see the huge % of lynching cases in this country’s history that hinged on immediate unconditional support of a rape accusation. Here’s a book on the topic: http://www.amazon.com/Race-Rape-Lynching-Literature-1890-1912/dp/0195099907

You don’t have to list rape as a hobby on your facebook profile, you just have to be enough of an adult to understand that crimes have degrees of severity and circumstances. If you were to date-rape someone, that’s obviously bad; is it exactly as bad as raping a child to death?

My stance has always been that the allegations against him deserve continued investigation. I am against the “allegations are false” crowd as they would simply see the charges dismissed because they think he is “innocent”.

Get things straight Assange legal status is neither “guilty” nor “innocent” if falls in this gray area known as “suspect”

Details, please. Maybe I’m just misunderstanding, but I’m definitely not putting words in your mouth.

If you do care about being fair and honest, ‘accused’ is a better word to be using.

You’re either with the ‘raped’, or you’re with the ‘rapist’.

Also, you’re either with the US, or with the terrorists. Just to round it out.

Which is really my whole point. I don’t care about him or what he did. If he did ‘force sex’ or whatever on someone, then one would hope that the evidence would bear it out in trial. It has no effect on the content of the leaks, and frankly I’m tired of all this celebrity gossip crap about it.

It’s funny, actually, that after all this time reading stories and commenting here, I never noticed how all the articles are all about all the rapes that happen every day. Which is why I have to keep hearing about this one.

So, back to your comment, in short: agreed. What I would like to see is everything released, and the organization go completely headless from now on.

https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:p4DoRYRh6N0J:www.facebook.com/topic.php%3Fuid%3D54544349234%26topic%3D13415+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us