General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I don't know what the fuck to believe anymore about the Assange case. [View all]JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)Why should events that happened in the past be secret.
None of them contain information that is secret, i.e., that is not known to anyone.
I have read books about espionage. Espionage focuses on finding future plans and on placing spies where they can get strategically important information of military value for future military operations.
The Wikileaks information I read was not about planned or even very recent troop movements. The closest I saw to anything that real spies would be interested in would already be known to our enemies.
That does not mean that the actual person who had access to the files, promised not to divulge it but did anyway will not be punished. He or she probably will and probably knew when he or she did it precisely what would happen if the information was divulged.
Spies don't print the information they gather on the internet. They sell it for money or divulge it to benefit a cause.
Assange was not targeting the US. He divulged information about injustice and wrongdoing in many nations including, I believe, Kenya before someone gave him U.S. information.
Assange was not a spy. And our press is remiss if they receive information and feel obliged to clear whether they should publish it or not with the government. That process does not comply with the First Amendment's statement that freedom of the press shall not be abridged.
Loyalty must be earned. That does not make disloyalty legal. But we tend to be more loyal to employers who treat us fairly, listen to our criticisms and appreciate our work and input. The US needs to treat its soldiers better than it does. Loyalty is earned.
Same as in a relationship. Loyalty and trust are earned. And a person should be very careful to make sure that a person with whom they enter into a relationship can be trusted.
I am not blaming women who are raped, but caution is always wise when you allow someone of the opposite sex to spend the night with you. Same for men. Women can make false accusations. So can men.
And yes, I do believe that date rape happens. I know someone to which it happened. It is a horrible thing. The person I knew did not have breakfast with her rapist the morning after. Some of the facts in the Assange case are undisputed thus far but inconsistent with rape.