The War Against Wikileaks

Ola Bini, a Swedish software developer, was arrested while trying to board a plane in Ecuador yesterday. Why is that relevant?

A senior Ecuadorian official says a Swedish software developer living in Quito and who is allegedly close to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has been arrested as authorities attempt to dismantle a blackmail ring that in recent days had threatened to retaliate against President Lenin Moreno.
...On Twitter earlier Thursday, Bini called claims by the Interior Minister that Russian hackers and someone close to Wikileaks were working inside Ecuador “very worrisome” news. “This seems like a witch hunt to me,” Bini wrote.
...Vijay Prashad runs a Marxist publishing house based in India and considers himself a close friend of Bini. He said Bini is “the last person who would ever be involved in an attempt overthrow a government.”

I'm not making any judgements at all about Bini, except to note the coincidental timing of his arrest with Assange's arrest.
Speaking of coincidental timing, this also happened yesterday.

Facebook has unpublished the page of Ecuador’s former president, Rafael Correa, the social media giant confirmed on Thursday, claiming that the popular leftist leader violated the company’s security policies.

rafael-correa-page.jpg
Correa's crime was denouncing PM Moreno for turning in Assange.

If this didn't already look like an organized hit job on Wikileaks, consider Caitlin Johnstone's report on events so far.

A British judge named Michael Snow has found the WikiLeaks founder guilty of violating bail conditions, inserting himself into the annals of history by labeling Assange “a narcissist who cannot get beyond his own selfish interest.” So that tells you how much of a fair and impartial legal proceeding we can expect to see from the British judicial process on this matter.
...An unsealed indictment from the Trump administration’s District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, accompanied by an extradition request, charges Assange with “conspiracy to commit computer intrusion for agreeing to break a password to a classified U.S. government computer” during Chelsea Manning’s 2010 leak of government documents exposing US war crimes.
You can be absolutely certain that this charge is bogus because it isn’t based on any new information. The facts of the case have not changed, the information hasn’t changed, only the narrative has changed.

And yet, many Democrats are backing Trump's prosecution of Assange.

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If our page there wasn't helping to bring in new posters to c99, I'd shut it down and never go back.

Also interesting is the >war are the hard feelings brewing between the left twitterers. Tulsi is now Mother Teresa,and her supporters are pretty touchy in her defense. She can do no wrong. Gravel is pissing Tulsi's people off because how dare he think or even intimate that his is further left or more progressive than she. Bernie is still MIA on Assange, and his supporters think Assange, Gravel, and Tulsi don't matter one whit to the front runner. I tried to point out that there are quite a few disgruntled and/or less enthusiastic Bernie supporters this time for a variety of reasons, and I was firmly told I didn't matter.

We get the government we deserve because we are an incredibly stupid bunch.

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"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

@dkmich

so many people on social media talking about Julian Assange "facing justice." I never thought I would be agreeing with Tucker Carlson on anything, yet here we are:

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2019/04/11/tucker_carlson_what_w...

I can't believe I'm linking to Real Clear Politics, I can't believe that Tucker Carlson is speaking the truth, and when I compare this to Rachel Maddow's lie-based, hysteria-fueled ""journalism"" my stomach turns.

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@dkmich
https://youtu.be/wroVuMHhgK0 She has the courage that Bernie lacks.
I get that you don't like her, but I sure wish you'd stop taking shots at her.

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chuck utzman

TULSI 2020

@chuckutzman @chuckutzman

1. I won't tell you what to say, and you quit telling me what I can and can't say. DailyKos is that-a-way. I get that you don't like any criticism of Tulsi, but I wish you would stop trying to censor others.
2. It was my observations on what is happening on twitter.
3. If the shoe doesn't fit, don't wear it.
4. It was an equal criticism of all the left candidates. I wasn't particularly kind to Bernie either. I don't see Bernie supporters complaining.

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"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

Wally's picture

@dkmich

I've given a few bucks to Tulsi and one buck to Gravel. Gravel is not running. Tulsi is polling less than one percent in poll after poll. I think if she does win a primary (maybe Hawaii) or gets some delegates, and it looks like Bernie can win the nomination if she releases them to him, she'll do so.

I'd like to think we're all in this together, trying to build the critical mass that's necessary for significant change. Sometimes that might entail temporarily backing off a bit on this or that issue, because that's what it takes to win.

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@Wally @Wally @Wally

I donated to Gravel, and I donated to Bernie. None of them are my ideal candidate, and Bernie is rapidly moving higher on my sh!t list. I cancelled my monthly contribution to his account. I may start it up again, but right now I'm angry at him for not defending Assange and protesting Russia's involvement in our elections.

If I can criticize my own candidate, I sure as hell can criticize the rest of them. People who don't want their candidate criticized remind me of the Hillary people on dailykos. I don't remember the person, but I remember the Hillary "morning safe place" that was verboten to Sanders supporters.

Somehow or another, I got involved in some private group IMs for Bernie people. It started with making Bernie win the Kos straw poll, grew from there, and I remain even though they don't think I'm sufficiently loyal to Bernie. It is where they told me that I didn't matter, and they argued over whether Tulsi would help or hurt Bernie and whether or not she mattered. Many think she and many other candidates running in the Dem clown car are just running for cabinet appointments or VP. It is all too manipulative for me to grasp.

To answer your question, I don't know why people get so emotionally involved with their candidate that they get touchy when their candidate is criticized.

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"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

Wally's picture

@dkmich

I want both Tulsi and Gravel up on the debate stage. But I don't believe for a second either has a snowball's chance in hell of getting the nomination. So I don't see the point of criticizing them. I don't even see the point of criticizing Bernie right now either although I probably agree with most of your criticisms. I'd prefer to wait to push him farther and farther left if and when he gets into office. I don't think he's anything like Hillary or Obama (coz socialism). I'm not even so sure that will be all that necessary. But right now, I think he's agonizing over what he really thinks and what he can say and still get elected. Finally, I'd sure like to see a lot more criticism of the neoliberals/neocons. Maybe I will start doing some essays although I hate to go back on my promise.

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@Wally

Push Bernie to defend Assange? Seriously? He has to be not just told, but pushed? Obama got my last two lesser of evil votes, and I voted for Stein in MI in 2016. I am not backing down now. I will not sugar coat candidates or parties, and if they don't like what's being said about them, then they need to not do it instead of telling others to shut up. I'd rather see Trump re-elected and both parties burnt to the ground than to support another lying, do nothing, President who just blames everyone else for what they are or aren't doing. Obama was the last of my wasted votes.

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"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

Wally's picture

@dkmich

My main concern is that somebody genuinely "progressive" or "a democratic socialist" be elected president. The only such candidate who has any chance whatsoever is Bernie imo. The other front runners are Biden(Obama) and Harris(Clintons). The others (aside from Tulsi and maybe Warren) are there to siphon votes away from Bernie and to situate themselves in terms of appointments in case Biden or Harris get the nomination and win against Trump. I've long gone on and on about how I see this election as a last chance for us all because of the 12 year climate change window of opportunity and given the doomsday clock otherwise which includes consideration of nuclear obliteration.

But whatever. I've long ago disabused myself of the notion that I can persuade anyone to think differently than they do now. But making the argument keeps me going politically (at least until March 3, 2020) or even earlier if Bernie fizzles out in Iowa and New Hampshire.

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@Wally

Obama did.

Not to mention that Bernie is the number one pick of Independents and of sane Republicans who would like an alternative to Trump that isn't a Clinton or an Obama. Add in the anyone but Trump vote, and who needs Hillbamabots. Besides it is a win/win. If the Dems lose again and Trump wins, maybe it will be the torch we need to blow up and burn down the Democratic Party. They need to go the way of the Whigs.

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"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

Wally's picture

@dkmich

But I think 2020 is much different than 2008. Way too many Dems right now are in delirious frenzy with Russia hysteria and insane Assange hatred. I've looked around on social media and they are like a rabid howling out of control mob.

I agree with you that "Bernie is the number one pick of Independents and of sane Republicans who would like an alternative to Trump that isn't a Clinton or an Obama." Yay!

But I don't think losing again to Trump will destroy the Dem Party. They will still have their jobs and apparatus and political/cultural hegemony via the MSM. It'll be weaker but I really don't see it going down anytime in one fell swoop anytime soon. There's just too much money invested in it.

And I'm not so sure that Biden can't beat Trump, especially if they (notice I didn't suggest we here) play identity politics via a VP pick and solidify and increase the Black vote.

Finally, I just don't see any hope in turning things around and getting them on the right course if we can't pull it off this go round. Other people here may well be right in having reached that state of mind in 2016. I'm giving it one last whirl and then I'll be throwing in the towel in terms of politics if things don't pan out with a Bernie victory.

Cheers.

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snoopydawg's picture

@Wally

I'd like to think we're all in this together, trying to build the critical mass that's necessary for significant change. Sometimes that might entail temporarily backing off a bit on this or that issue, because that's what it takes to win.

This would make it seem like this site supports voting for democrats which it does not. People are welcome to say whatever they want about the candidates just not attack people who is backing one over others. This site is neutral and supports people who don't vote.

Replying to your other comment.

I think he's agonizing over what he really thinks and what he can say and still get elected.

Tuff. Other democrats are not censoring themselves on saying things about Assange's arrest and I don't think they are playing for their voters. Bernie does need to let people know where he stands on this. He's either for it or he's not. People shouldn't have to guess which.

Finally, I'd sure like to see a lot more criticism of the neoliberals/neocons

You're new here so you have missed many, many essays doing just that.

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

@snoopydawg

This would make it seem like this site supports voting for democrats which it does not...This site is neutral and supports people who don't vote.

This site is largely 1) Bernie-wing people, 2) Green Party people, 3) disgusted with politicians people.

Finally, I'd sure like to see a lot more criticism of the neoliberals/neocons

You're new here so you have missed many, many essays doing just that.

I did just a few days ago.

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Wally's picture

@gjohnsit

And yea, there have been good critiques of certain scuzzy candidates. I'd just like to see more ongoing and focused critiques of the likes of Beto, Pete B., Harris, and Biden. I'll leave Warren alone at least at this point coz she's polling third in her own state of Massachusetts.

Cheers.

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snoopydawg's picture

@gjohnsit

but maybe I'm missing something? Wally said that he would like for this site to write about the neocons. I said that we have and he might not have been here when we did.

I should have said that this site is neutral and even supports people who don't vote.
Other than that I'm not sure what you are disagreeing with. Or if you are.

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Wally's picture

@snoopydawg

ISTM the Dems you speak of go on and on about how Bernie really isn't a Democrat.

My main concern is that Bernie is progressive and a democratic socialist unlike the others vying for the Democratic nomination.

I've been supportive of both Tulsi and Gravel re. getting into the debates.

And if folks want to vote Green in the general election, that's fine with me. I voted Green in 2016 and for Nader way back when. But I just don't see myself voting in the general election this time around if Bernie doesn't pull it off. Or ever again.

Cheers.

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snoopydawg's picture

@Wally

My main concern is that Bernie is progressive and a democratic socialist unlike the others vying for the Democratic nomination.

I thought that he really would change the direction that the country was going and he would deliver on his promises. He fooled me big time when he said that he would rather be a one term president and win big than be a two term one and fail to deliver. I also thought that he was serious about addressing climate change, but we know how things turned out for us.

ISTM the Dems you speak of go on and on about how Bernie really isn't a Democrat.

??? I'm not sure what you are saying here?

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lotlizard's picture

@snoopydawg  
Or am I missing the point of your question?

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Wally's picture

@snoopydawg

ISTM the Dems you speak of go on and on about how Bernie really isn't a Democrat.
--Wally

What I was trying to get at is that I don't think Bernie should be lumped in with the Democrats In Toto even if he is running for the Democratic nomination. He's never shied away from advocating socialism. Obama never advocated socialism. Many Dems don't consider him a Dem because he has run as an independent known to be a socialist.

I suppose you can lump Bernie in with the Dems in the respect that he has pledged to support the nominee but he had to do that to even compete for the nomination. Even though I voted Green in 2016 and previously, I never thought they could win actually win office. My vote in 2016 was a protest vote but in years previous, I thought my vote could help build a successful party that could win some elections at least locally. From my perspective, that never panned out. I also sent a few bucks to Brana when he started up efforts to build another third party. I just don't see that happening in time to make the changes that need to be made like immediately.

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mimi's picture

@dkmich sorry for that ...
Gabbard, Gravel, Sanders, but I never liked Mother Theresa. Sorry to not fit in your scheme.
Just saying...

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@mimi gonna say ... As a Tulsi supporter, I was rather offended by the comparison to the alleged saint MoT.

If TG continues to speak out and ever gains traction with the sleeping masses, the delightful folks at DeepState will consider her an existential threat and will be war gaming ways to be rid of that threat. So, think more in terms of the major truth-tellers of our past who were seriously threatened by TPTB or who were eventually taken out.

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@wokkamile
I was scrolling up from the bottom of the page, saw your comment about "MoT", and wondered who brought Ministry of Truth into the conversation.

Just a weird little dPOS flashback.

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The earth is a multibillion-year-old sphere.
The Nazis killed millions of Jews.
On 9/11/01 a Boeing 757 (AA77) flew into the Pentagon.
AGCC is happening.
If you cannot accept these facts, I cannot fake an interest in any of your opinions.

lotlizard's picture

@UntimelyRippd  
Never heard so much as a peep back. No “mahalo / thank you” — no acknowledgement that anything had ever arrived — nuthin’.

Such are the rude ways of the “Wild West” World Wide Web, I guess.

“♪   But I was so much older then, I’m younger (and poorer) than that now.” (h/t B. Dylan / R. Zimmerman)

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Mark from Queens's picture

@UntimelyRippd @lotlizard
my neighborhood in Queens.

In fact it was some kind of weird coincidence that on one of my days carrying a clipboard from the local Bernie campaign office in 2016 with a list of names I was to canvass it included a visit to a residence with his name and status. I hadn't seen him since Occupy, and believed he moved away. He wasn't there.

Jesse's disappearance/conversion was to me emblematic of how burgeoning figures/voices could be co-opted by the PTB. There were other brilliant Occupiers of whom I often lament the status also. Guy named Hero, a tall effervescent young black guy, who I think the police targeted and harassed by arresting so many times that he was intimidated into not participating anymore.

Of course his famous video shredding the Fox News reporter in the foreground of City Hall by the Brooklyn Bridge went viral and launched the Civil War Union hat-wearing dissident into relative stardom. I saw him a lot down at Occupy and talked with him once, if you can call it that. It was basically one of those many times in which you'd find yourself in a circle of people/strangers, each eager to talk, share, honor and commiserate with each other about the state of the world and the protest. But as somebody else remarked, Jesse seemed to talk in a way as if he were auditioning for a spot on a cable news panel. I don't know if it was that cynical, but he did have a knack for nailing things concisely and delivering in those ways. I'd give him an encouraging pat on the back if I ever was just walking by him and remained very impressed by his ability to think on his feet so quickly.

Then during or just after OWS it was rumored that Jesse was offered a tv show of his own, or a spot on one as a pundit. And that was it, as far as I was concerned right then and there. It was a payoff. At the time he was also out of a job and I believe had just gotten his girlfriend pregnant. He was obviously vulnerable. I don't know that I'd have done anything different.

Not long after came the confirmation. His comments, especially his tweets, became all totally Dem Party gruel in support of Obama, etc. Haven't seen anything from him in a while, though I haven't been looking.

This is exactly how it goes down. The PTB buys off as many of the potent, dissident voices as it can. Because, as we know, everyone has a price.

Jesse, or MoT, the brilliant Occupier, was just another one in a long line of Casualties of Capitalism, as far as I can tell.

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"If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph:

THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED
FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
WAS MUSIC"

- Kurt Vonnegut

@Mark from Queens
random comment, or we'd never have had your extraordinary response. thanks for taking the time to put that all down ...

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The earth is a multibillion-year-old sphere.
The Nazis killed millions of Jews.
On 9/11/01 a Boeing 757 (AA77) flew into the Pentagon.
AGCC is happening.
If you cannot accept these facts, I cannot fake an interest in any of your opinions.

Mark from Queens's picture

@UntimelyRippd
You come upon it throughout your reading of history, and you sense it happening in real time when following politics. And then you're rubbing elbows with it on the streets of your city and it becomes a different thing.

Bottom line conclusion is that it's all driven by the varying degrees of vulnerability to the very real depredations and insecurity of life under capitalism.

I can't confirm any of this about Jesse, and for all I know it could be hearsay. There are others I encountered or became friends with, whose mental state and vulnerability and where their philosophies lie in this moment I also wonder about. But the evidence of his conversion is quite clear to observe.

It just saddens me. Also makes me bitterly angry at the power of our rulers, to capriciously crush the spirit of anyone who dares dream of a better world, that is no doubt possible, if only the masses could retain a requisite amount of healthy discernment and rationale in order to recognize the sheer torrent of propaganda keeping us in a holding pen of fear.

Glad you mentioned him too. Just another related component of this dystopia we endure.

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"If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph:

THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED
FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
WAS MUSIC"

- Kurt Vonnegut

Wink's picture

I met him at NN12
in Providence, RI.
@Mark from Queens

Alonzo brought him along.
Jesse filled in on our 'web
radio' stream that weekend, and we asked him
if he would like his own weekly spot on our fledgling
'network.' We could call it a network - and did - becuz we were
hosting ToP's radio stream too.
But, sadly, Jesse couldn't get the tech down, so that was that.
But it was great fun talking to him about Occupy all weekend,
seemed like a great guy. I wouldn't be surprised, however, that TPTB
"got to him" shortly after that. Or maybe before.
And maybe why he couldn't get the tech right.

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the little things you can do are more valuable than the giant things you can't! - @thanatokephaloides. On Twitter @wink1radio. (-2.1) All about building progressive media.

@mimi @mimi

You don't have to apologize to me. Except for Bernie, I wasn't sharing my opinions so much as I was telling you about my observation of what the factions on Twitter appear to think. I am always interested in your opinions, and you are free to express your like or dislike for anyone you choose. So am I. Right?

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"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

mimi's picture

@dkmich
up one's mind about who of the three or four one dislikes or not. (Warren is not out of the club yet who I like)

I have my difficulties to understand when my comments are taken as a lecture to someone else like 'this is something you can't say' and when they are acceptable.

Nothing for Ungood.

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Wink's picture

in supporters over the
last three years, he's gained
new ones to replace those.
@dkmich

That's why they don't care.
Nor does he.
Damn the torpedos and all that.

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the little things you can do are more valuable than the giant things you can't! - @thanatokephaloides. On Twitter @wink1radio. (-2.1) All about building progressive media.

some people still care

Personalities who regularly supported Assange and WikiLeaks for exposing corruption by governments and top-level organizations, rallied people to donate to the WikiLeaks defence fund.

It currently accepts Bitcoin, ZCash, as well as traditional payment methods including bank cards, and even cash or cheque.

As Bitcoinist reported yesterday, the wallet address for BTC donations jumped to a balance of 2.61 BTC ($13,200 USD) with around 20 transactions occurring moments after Assange’s arrest. Over the past 24 hours, nearly 140 more donations were received.

The total at press time is approximately 6.173 BTC or over $31,000 dollars and counting.

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detroitmechworks's picture

because it would be disrespectful to the jackboots to bleed on them.

They always look the same when they drag the people away. Spielberg chose to depict it as angry shouting men, but I would find it far more frightening if it was just calm men, quietly leading their neighbors to the pens.

Because that's what I'm seeing today.

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I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

Anja Geitz's picture

Of a warmongering regime bent on keeping their nefarious power grabs "secrets" and those lone voices pushing back on the propaganda are tragically echoed through history. Giving props to travelerxxx who posted a link in bobswern's essay about Osseitzky receiving a Nobel piece prize for fighting against the Nazis.

I never thought, especially as an American citizen with parents born in Germany in 1937 , I would actually be making comparison between the two countries. I'll let you be the judge if the connection I'm making here is a bridge too far, but frankly I do think Julian deserves a Nobel peace prize for pushing back against this warmongering government at great personal cost.

https://allthatsinteresting.com/carl-von-ossietzky

In 1927 Ossietzky became the editor of the oppositional journal Die Weltbühne, where he published articles warning against Hitler and the nascent Nazi party. In March 1929, Ossietzky published his most daring exposé. Along with fellow Die Weltbühne writer, Walter Kreiser, they released a piece that exposed the secret rearmament of the German military and air force, in direct violation of the Treaty of Versailles which ended World War I. For betraying state secrets, Ossietzky was charged with high treason and espionage. In 1931 he was convicted, resulting in an 18-month prison sentence.

Ossietsky was cruelly tortured in prison by the Nazis and sent to a concentration camp where he contracted TB. After being visited by the Red Cross he was finally sent to a hospital, where he received the Nobel Peace prize and then died shortly afterwards.

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There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier

@Anja Geitz

born in Poland shortly after WW II ended, and they both left the country before martial law locked it down. What I know of my family's history validates your perspective, and I agree that Assange is deserving of a Nobel.

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snoopydawg's picture

This goes double for you or Queen of Heinousness!

Hillary Clinton told an audience in New York that “it’s ironic that he may be the only foreigner that this administration would welcome to the United States,” before chuckling at her own joke.

An you too you blue dawg ass.

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

gulfgal98's picture

@snoopydawg Assange is not a US citizen, nor has he ever lived in the United Stated. Assange is NOT US property. People like Schumer, Manchin, and probably nearly all of the rest of Congress with the exception of Tulsi Gabbard have no moral high ground. As far as I know, Tulsi is the only member of Congress who has spoken out in support of Julian Assange and has pointed out the very reason his arrest is so dangerous for the rest of us. I continue to be shocked at the vacuousness of our leaders in this country.

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

snoopydawg's picture

Mueller has flopped.

Trump loves Wikileaks so much that he has had Ecuador expelled him from the embassy? How do you make sense of that in your mind>

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dystopian's picture

Most disgusting thing I heard was Hillary saying about Julian something to the effect of "he needs to be held accountable for what he did."

Had I been there "what about you and Lybia?" surely would have uncontrollably spewed forth.
Or maybe "unlike you, your husband, and the Clinton Foundation!"

To Her Turness, 'what he did', is ruin her Queenship.

The empire wants him dead, but not until after torturing him.

Julian does deserve a Nobel Peace Prize.

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We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

Mark from Queens's picture

for the loan they needed in exchange for giving up Assange?

From Off-Guardian:

Jen

Apr, 12, 2019

It seems that the US government can’t quite make up its mind as to what to charge Julian Assange with, that would justify his extradition. If memory serves me correctly, the initial charge against Assange, for which a Grand Jury was assembled in Virginia (?), was espionage. Now the charge has changed to conspiring with Chelsea Manning (after that unfortunate was arrested again and presumably put through various tortures to break her down and extract a false confession) to crack a password to access and hack US government computers. So Assange is to be charged as if he were a computer hacker, not a journalist or a publisher.

The sordid role of Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno should not go unnoticed. He is currently on the ropes as leader for his involvement with two investment companies run by his brother and registered in Belize and Panama, both known to be tax havens. He has been involved in bribery. He has used Ecuadorian law to raise charges against politicians associated with the previous Correa government, including Correa himself, in a way that smacks of the treatment other former Latin American leaders like Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff got in Brazil, and Cristina Fernandez Kirchner got in Argentina. He has had Assange under illegal surveillance for a year and cut off Assange’s contact with the outside world. Now he is using Assange to deflect international attention away from the corruption probe being conducted against him.
https://defend.wikileaks.org/2019/04/03/ecuador-twists-embarrassing-ina-...

Also Ecuador needs a loan and can’t get it from the IMF unless it gives up Assange.

https://twitter.com/wikileaks/status/1080582161521147904?ref_src=twsrc%5...


IMF Deal for Ecuador Paved Way for Assange’s Arrest

According to the document shared by Correa, the audit will examine the period from January 1, 2012, to September 20, 2018, and will “determine whether the procedures for granting asylum and naturalization to Julian Assange were carried out in accordance with national and international law.”

WikiLeaks subsequently shared Correa’s tweet and noted that this seemingly unusual reevaluation of Assange’s asylum was directly related to the Moreno administration’s efforts to secure a loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a total of $10 billion.

Per WikiLeaks, some of the conditions set for Ecuador’s receipt of the IMF loan included U.S. government demands of “handing over Assange and dropping environmental claims against Chevron” for the oil giant’s role in polluting Ecuador’s rainforest and poisoning many of its indigenous inhabitants.

From a March 7 Popular Resistance article, "With Ecuador’s Cooperation Bought By IMF Loans, Washington Waxes Optimistic On Assange Extradition"

Washington’s IMF leverage

For those who would argue that the U.S. could not set such conditions on a loan offered by an “independent” international financial institution, it is worth pointing out that the U.S. is the IMF’s largest shareholder — owning 17.46 percent of the institution – and also ponies up the largest quota for the institution’s maintenance, paying $164 billion in IMF financial commitments annually. In the past, the U.S. has used its privileged position as the institution’s largest funder to control IMF policy by threatening to withhold its IMF funding if the institution does not abide by Washington’s demands.

Furthermore, a leaked U.S. Army manual on “Unconventional Warfare” published by WikiLeaks in 2008 noted that the IMF was considered by the U.S. government to be a “financial weapon” to be used in “unconventional warfare” scenarios. As MintPress News recently noted, the manual states that the U.S.’ “persuasive influence” over the IMF can be used by the U.S. military to create “financial incentives or disincentives to persuade adversaries, allies and surrogates to modify their behavior at the theater strategic, operational, and tactical levels,” with such unconventional warfare campaigns highly coordinated with the State Department and the intelligence community.

It is also worth pointing out that Ecuador has been threatened with the financial might of the United States for much more minor issues than Assange’s status, despite its return to Washington’s “good graces” under Moreno’s leadership. For instance, last July, the U.S.threatened Ecuador with “punishing trade measures” if it introduced a measure at the UN that supported breastfeeding over infant formula — a stunning move that showed the international community the U.S.’ willingness to use “economic weapons,” even against allies. Ecuador, of course, immediately acquiesced under the threat of U.S. retribution.

Less than two weeks ago, on February 21, Ecuador signed a deal securing the controversial IMF loan for a total of $4.2 billion, in addition to another $6 billion from other U.S.-dominated financial institutions like the World Bank, for a total of $10.2 billion. If WikiLeaks’ early January warning is to be believed, it can be assumed that deal was secured by Ecuador offering the U.S. assurances that it would soon “hand over” Assange.

Moreno, since he signed on the IMF’s dotted line, has wasted no time in putting into practice the “structural adjustments” and other conditions required by the IMF for Ecuador’s receipt of the loan, including job cuts. In just three days, from February 28 to March 1, Moreno’s government fired nearly 10,000 public officials, according to Ecuadorian media. This is remarkable considering that the deal has not even been granted final approval by the IMF, demonstrating that Moreno is eager to show his willingness to enact the demands of the loan package.

Appears it was Mint Press who first reported this, but I'm not positive.

Don't know who Press For Truth is but found this on the Duck Duck Go search:

This is so fucking ugly and disturbing. It's everything John Perkins was whistleblowing about in his book "Confessions of An Economic Hitman."

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THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED
FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
WAS MUSIC"

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k9disc's picture

vs $500,000,000 to your foundation after a nuclear deal. Or millions from a "friendly" state. Scrubbed voter roles in your district. DWS.

How this can lead to extradition and actual fucking bribery can't be proven unless there is a wink, a nod, fingerprints, and "intent".

This shit has gone too far.

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