Let’s not confuse the activities of WikiLeaks with those of Assange

[struggle4progress]

By Luke Harding
Published 22 August 2012

... Soon after that, I wrote a book with my Guardian colleague David Leigh – WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange’s War on Secrecy. (The book does not abuse Assange; much of it is sympathetic to him.) By this point Assange had severed his links with the Guardian – he was furious that the newspaper had published details of the Swedish police investigation against him.

I had problems of my own: in February 2011 the Kremlin threw me out of Russia. My reporting of US cables alleging top-level Kremlin corruption and details of Putin’s “secret assets” was apparently the final straw.

During his speech, I listened to Assange portray his struggle as a universal one for freedom of expression in a “dangerous and oppressive world”. He urged the US to call off its “witch-hunt” against WikiLeaks and go back to its “revolutionary values”. Assange also called for the release of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot.

This would have come across as less ludicrous had Assange not agreed a TV deal with Russia Today, the Kremlin’s English-language propaganda channel, whose mission is to accuse the west of hypocrisy while staying mute about Russia’s own failings ...

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/politics/2012/08/lets-not-confuse-activities-wikileaks-those-assange

[AnotherMcIntosh]

1. Your daily anti-Assange post?

[mazzarro]

2. I know!

It has become a daily crusade for the OP.

[struggle4progress]

3. Opinion on Assange by a journalist who knows him and who used some of the cables

[AnotherMcIntosh]

4. Even if true, SO WHAT? How does this justify a daily anti-Assange post?

[struggle4progress]

5. Maybe you should read links before commenting? The author finds it "hard not to admire Julian"

Or does your anger stem from the fact that the reviewer has mixed opinions of Julian, rather than regarding him as Guru, Liberator, and Saint?

[AnotherMcIntosh]

7. Anger? I don't have to have anger. But you apparently do, and an obsession with Assange.

You want to influence others so that they will be angry toward Assange. Not angry at the governmental officials whose corruption and venality has been shown by the leaks, but angry at Assange.

Not angry at all accused rapists, not angry at all accused rapists where the "rape victims" do not claim that there have been rapes, but angry at Assange.

Not angry at all men who have purportedly used condoms which have broken, but angry at Assange.

Not angry at all men who have purportedly had sex with a sleeping sex partner, but angry at Assange.

I am not "angry" toward you. I do find your obsession with trashing Assange to be odd, however.

[OnyxCollie]

6. Daily?

You need to catch up.