A few quick points:

- Jullian Assange IS NOT a U.S. citizen, and in general we don’t conduct raids on other countries to abduct people. I say “in general” because obviously we’ve done it in the past, and it appears we may be doing with Assange right now, but to argue that its “lawful” is absurd.

- your argument that since Hassan Abu-Jihaad was just convicted in the U.S. of supporting terrorism and therefore Assange is guilty too is completely retarded: not only is Hassan Abu-Jihaad a U.S. citizen, but he was in the frickin U.S. Navy when he leaked the data. See the difference?

- and I LOVE that you call it a matter of *privilege* that the U.S. isn’t breaking laws by abducting Assange. Priceless. Sounds just like the speeches from the thugs in China who beat people for protesting, or the thugs in Iran who beat women for not wearing a veil.

Make with some due process sometime soon, US!

By the way, the rule of law and warfare would in no way be violated by killing you. Nor would that be correct to call it an assassination. You’ve declared yourself an enemy of the U.S., seeking its defeat in Afghanistan, and you’ve backed that up by disseminating classified information intended to sabotage the war. In previous wars, foreign spies and saboteurs have been executed. All well within law and custom. More recently, a NY appeals court just upheld the conviction of Hassan Abu-Jihaad for leaking a relatively small amount of information to our enemies.

I know it was a few posts ago, but this is great. Because it succinctly states what, I’d say, most people are thinking.
Assange hates the US (enemy), sabotage our troops (disseminating classified information), and therefore you are to be gone (executed).

I don’t know if this is a brick wall of thought, or really someone who is just ‘patriotic’, but it is probably more like a black and white view of the world vs the grey reality.

From what I know, this statement is wrong – the information was on the past; it exposes atrocities done in the name of the USA for unsubstantiated reasons of why they are actually there; Assnage is Australian (no treason), but it isn’t clear whether the whole organisation or just JA is in the posts sights.

Ernunnos, I would suggest something some questions to ponder. You don’t have to write back, just ponder them:
- what information/leaks should be released? If none, then how do we become educated about the real facts of history? (noting that the documents about Iraq and Afganistan are not current to present day action) If it is again, ‘nothing’, then when?

- are you looking at JA directly, or the organisation? If him, then think about this: the internet was designed to withstand a nuclear attack. I believe WL was designed along the same lines. Do you want no information out about anything, or just nothing that implicates the USA?

If you are targeting JA, then you are falling for the ‘get the man, and the org collapses”. It won’t happen. It was designed to not happen (although I note that JA is a control freak and compromised this, but I believe that the structure stands intact). There are people working right now to keep releasing cables – they also have tonnes of leaks that sit unopened, because of lack of time.

Think about this Ernunnos, something happens to JA. Then the day after he is gone, the next Cable goes out. Then a week later, they release the insurance key, then 2 weeks later, out comes the bank info. You knocked off a man, which had no discernable affect on WL. Sure, a face is gone, but you do know that he put himself up as a fall guy? It’s in the plans!!!

It’s not going to stop…if you don’t realise this, then you may just be ranting to yourself. It is obvious you don’t like Assange and/or WL. But they aren’t going away, or others like them.

I love it, because for once, a mob not connected to any power elite in ANY country is playing one of the best games of power chess, where they are in the lead!!! When has this happened before?? And WL is not just about hurting US feelings you know. They dealt with Kenya long before the USA you know…don’t you?

As JA said, the USA spends more on military intelligence then the rest of the world combined. So they aren’t going down in a hurry.

If it’s the troops are so worried about, how about just pulling them out of Afganistan altogether, and putting them to defending the actual country of the physical and political infrastructure and population of the USA, and collecting info on real threats (which may include WL). Like an military is meant to do…imho

It’s a new world now. I’d be working out intelligent ways to clamp down on them, or working out ways to deal with the new paradigm.

This really is a priceless posting. Always strikes me as so interesting to see fascism expressed by American patriots.

I wouldn’t call it fascism. That’s stronger than what it is. It is also more of a trigger word. I would call it authoritarianism with shades of militarism. How to put it, he seems very fine with using of lethal force to get rid of an ‘enemy’, and generally ‘pro troops’ (non draft troops).

Well, “don’t be evil” is still a good baseline. It amuses me to see just how hard that is for the current paradigm to digest.

This is such an interesting story on so many levels…

To paint the US as the prime example of a repressive regime is “shock jock journalism.” And to bring up McCarthy from the 1950s? Believe me, today’s journalism is a far cry from Edward R. Murrow or even Walter Cronkite.

This idea of ambiguity around this point, murdered Kenyans or what have you, seems to be lingering in your mind. The question today was, to paraphrase: “Are you a terrorist?”, and the answer is clear: WL have never used violence or threats to further its political agenda. To support this he cites lack of evidence to show anyone having been killed in 4 years of operation. You don’t need to “guess” and it is perfectly clear, and you need to move on.

> And as a further aside, Assange looks exhausted.

He is a [former] programmer; we all look like that at the best of times!

The only way to fight that level of power is to make sure everyone is watching and praying that your supporters hold those in power to account.

On a side note, the “Merry Christmas” at the end is comical after an interview like that.

Why do you dignify THEM so, by granting those assholes THEIR desired “Holy War”?!

The USA does it self a great dis-service, to go to “war” upon the ‘invitation’ of those merely CRIMINAL scum.

“War” is far too grand a word for the forceful POLICE operation that has always been the proper, correct and just answer to these terror attacks and those behind them.

IMHO.

Huckleberry, the Swag-Hag, the Cluster-Fox clown of the year Bob Beckel who called, publicly for Assange’s assassination with no repercussions – This is just NOT ACCEPTABLE.

So if you or I called publicly for the same types of things, we would be hauled away in shackles… That’s EXACTLY WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN TO THE CLUSTER-FOX CLOWNS – TODAY.

He did look weary but neither he or the rest of his organization will ever give up… Seems they are among a smaller and smaller and smaller circle of REAL journalists….

This is a country that was led into a costly, illegal war, despite widespread, nationwide protest; and where confessed war criminals sell books and public appearances with impunity. To accuse Assange of being a terrorist is to strip the word of all its meaning – precisely as was done with the word Communist in the 50s, and the word Anarchist in the generation before that.

Gitmo is certainly state-sponsored terrorism. Either they are prisoners of war or they are criminals. Rendition for outsourced torture, or our very own home grown kind, is still torture, and still terrorism. So are the drones shooting missiles at people in other countries we are not at war with. If any third world country was doing this, we’d be screaming at them as terrorists.

All these “leaders” we have, with their idiotic remarks, are as sane as Osama bin Laden. They are certainly terrorists more than Assange, and they have the power of the world’s only superpower behind them, one well known for extra legal assassinations.

It is entirely proper to call the US government a terrorist organization. It just isn’t the worst.