What are your thoughts on WikiLeaks and Julian Assange?

Do you think he's guilty, or do you think the governments are making stuff up to lock him up?

When someone is accused of this kind of stuff, don't they have the right to face the person making accusations? You'd think they'd portray that person in the media as well.

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Wheelhouse

Part of me is upset that the leaks have and will continue to hurt US relations, but then again a part of me thinks that some of the dirty shit we see surfacing int he leaks needs to be known. As far as Assange goes, he's a media man with a mission. Hard to fault him. The soldier that did the deed so to speak is guilty as hell, but Assange? I don't know.

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Swedish law may not provide for an accused to face their accuser. Besides, he's not that far in the process yet. He's fighting extradition right now.

I think that Assange is doing a noble thing. He's not out there fishing for dirt. He's just providing a medium for people that have dirt, and want to share it. He's allowing people to read and judge for themselves, and not beholden to the governments like the media is today.

On the charges in Sweden, I dunno. It's been reported in the media that he's up on rape charges, but that's not totally accurate. The definition of rape in Sweden isn't the same as it is here, and the facts of the case are just too muddled for anyone to know for sure what the hell is really going on.

That being said, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that there is government shenanigans trying hard to bury him. They don't like their laundry being exposed.

That would really piss me off if the governments were going after him like that.

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Wheelhouse

The leaks about Iraq and Afghanistan were meaningful and probably did some good. Since people were dying, it's the public's right to know...those aren't secret wars.

The leak of the diplomatic cables are pointless (or as one of my friends put it "porn") and show him to be a douche solely bent on harming the image of the US, not ending wars.

Fuck him.

I hope he rots on trumped up charges and I'm sure he will.

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Hold my beer and watch this...

How can any of us make a judgement without knowing details of the case. Asking for a response to that question is just to stir up a bunch of ignorance.

The details of what case?
The no-condom rape in Sweden?

Don't care about that at all and that's not why he's being held, just the excuse being used.

I can definitely make a judgment on him being a douche though...and an ego-maniac.

Since he's also apparently dumb enough to openly screw with the most powerful governments on Earth I say he's simply reaping what he's sown.

EDIT: Sorry, I just read this bit:

When someone is accused of rape we should drag the victim into the media?
No, that's actually pretty fucked up.

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Hold my beer and watch this...

Wait...from what I have heard it was consentual sex and the condom broke....basically a fucking joke. Rape is a far cry from "Oh shit...condom broke"

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What I read is she asked him to wear a condom but there wasn't one around, so they did it anyway. Then she threw a party for him the next morning. Sounds like a rape victim to me, mmmhmm.

Maybe he has a lot of dirt on the US because the US has a lot of dirt.

Take it easy, Ed. I'm not saying the victim should be dragged into the media.

I'm saying it's unusual that we haven't heard a single thing about her. It's part of high profile cases. Is it right? No. But it happens.

In the US, you're innocent until proven guilty. She's not a rape victim until the court of law says so. If the accused ends up not guilty, who exactly was the media exposure unfair to?

Assange is doing a good thing, and I don't really care what his motivation is.

I enjoy seeing the government challenged. It needs to be humbled from time to time.

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Wheelhouse

I've heard quotes from both alleged victims on NPR and I believe at least one of them has sone an extensive interview...it's out there.

I'm not trying to pick on you but that's another fucked up statement right there.

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Hold my beer and watch this...

Here ya go...pictures and a story...they're in the media.



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... later.html

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Hold my beer and watch this...

From that article, the two women in question seem very suspect. The whole story is a joke and I think any rational person who reads that has to chuckle and rolls their eyes. The motives are pretty transparent. Seems extra fishy when you add in that the US and a few other nations would do anything to gag this guy. Also, throwing the word RAPE around like it's in the thesaurus next to regret is twisted and wrong. These women wanted to fuck this guy, wanted to feel important and now see an angle. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the US or someone else was behind these motivations either.

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I totally agree...I don't think he did anything wrong with those women, but that's not going to save his ass now.
His mouth has bee writing checks that his body can't cash.

As for the usage of the word "rape"; it's simply the legal classification for the crime he's accused of committing in Sweden....sexual assault = rape.

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Hold my beer and watch this...

I know that's the "assault" they are claiming, but what I meant was that these two women are using the word rape, or more accurately accusing the guy of rape when it clearly seems not to fit. They are taking something consensual and trying to make the guy look like a damn rapist for it. Dirty. Hope they enjoy their payday and the 15 minutes of fame.

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They aren't claiming "rape"...the law is.



I think going after these women in any way is misguided.
At worst, they're pawns, at best they're attention whores (my money is on attention whoring).

These charges are irrelevant to his future, that's been pre-decided.

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Hold my beer and watch this...

I agree. I can't see going after these ladies but honestly, if things settled and Assange didn't have a million other things to worry about, do you think he could get them for assaulting his character? I know it's far fetched, just sayinhg if he wanted to, maybe he could. Just thinking out loud so to speak. I knbow I would be furious if I was accused of rape by two attention whores/pay day seekers. I've had friends in the military accused of rape after the chick realized that she was being viewed as a whore. Decided it was easier to accuse rape instead of just sucking it up and admitting that sometimes booze makes you horny and loose.

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The law isn't claiming rape either. Assange has not been indicted or charged with any crime in Sweden. The international warrant is to have him in for questioning on the incidents. When the two women decide to go to the police (days after their encounters,after one of the women threw a party for him, and only after they talked to each other and found out they both fucked him), the cops took the case to their version of the DA, who felt there wasn't nearly enough evidence to support the suspicion of rape, only minor charges of harassment.

The case was only reopened after one of the two changed her story and went to the papers, and the two hired a Swedish lawyer who is well known for trying to expand the definition of rape in Sweden.

One of the two women involved in the case has also left Sweeden for work in the Middle East, and has not been working with Swedish lawn enforcement in some time.

Before someone is publicly labeled as a rapist, it's only fair that they're at least charged with the crime.

The victim should not be dragged into the media. The right of someone to face their accuser means that it happens in court. Not on CNN.