Andrea Mitchell calls Wikileaks BLACKMAIL...

[Joanne98]

The media calls what Assange is doing BLACKMAIL but not what the Republicans are doing with the tax cuts!

One of biggest parts of the Wikileaks story is HOW USELESS THE CORPORATE WHORES IN THE MEDIA ARE!

It's been so long since they practiced real journalism, they don't even know what looks like anymore!

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. You are talking of a media system

that is right leaning.... (very right leaning)... and to them the leaks are a real threat to their livelihood, not because they are out there, but because they are exposing their empire.

I am sure they were told at editorial meetings to keep the iron wall going. This also means demeaning them. The Satrapies of the Empire are NOT acting that way at all. They realize this is just confirmation.

[NightWatcher]

2. says Mrs Alan Greenspan of someone who threatens to criticise the US financials

nice

[glitch]

44. She has many reasons for taking this personally.

Better up the Ambien Mrs. Greenspan.

[Le Taz Hot]

3. They're ALL characterizing him as some sort of

cyber terrorist. That "blackmail" meme will be repeated, ad nauseum, until most Americans have been "properly" indoctrinated. I honestly don't remember the last time any portion of the MSM had an original thought.

[Renew Deal]

8. But it is blackmail.

–noun 1. any payment extorted by intimidation, as by threats of injurious revelations or accusations.
2. the extortion of such payment: He confessed rather than suffer the dishonor of blackmail.
3. a tribute formerly exacted in the north of England and in Scotland by freebooting chiefs for protection from pillage.

–verb (used with object)
4. to extort money from (a person) by the use of threats.
5. to force or coerce into a particular action, statement, etc.: The strikers claimed they were blackmailed into signing the new contract.

The payoff is him not being arrested or worse. If he was honest, he'd release the entire thing and deal with the consequences.

[laughingliberal]

16. He intends to release it all. The pace at which it's released is all that's in question. nt

[Le Taz Hot]

31. Blackmail for purposes of defense, in this case,

of his life, is no sin, IMO. Blackmail, like fire, is neither good nor bad. It's how you use it.

Example, If I have information that, say Herman next door, was having unprotected sex with prostitutes without his wife's knowledge and I find out, I would have no qualms (for HER safety) blackmailing him with the following: "If you don't inform your wife of your activities yourself, *I'll* tell her." If I tell him, "Pay me $20,000 or I'm telling your wife." That TOO is blackmail. It all depends on how you use it and right now, he's using it, LITERALLY, as leverage for his life.

[villager]

4. Good little defender of Empire, she.

n/t

[xiamiam]

6. who? Mrs. Greenspan?..nt

[Renew Deal]

5. It is blackmail.

:shrug:

[leftstreet]

9. When you're blackmailing someone, you usually keep the info secret

You know...that's how you get them to pay?

[Renew Deal]

13. Part of the info is being kept secret.

Remember the "insurance?"

[laughingliberal]

18. He intends to release it all. Only thing in question here is the pace at which it's all released. nt

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

25. How would you characterize our "democratic" governments actions and threats against wikileaks?

[Renew Deal]

26. Predictable

:shrug:

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

29. Yep. Predictabley fearful of the people knowing what they do.

[notesdev]

30. It is not

In order to blackmail someone, you have to demand something in exchange for not going through with the threat.

Has Assange demanded anything?

The ONLY way this could be considered blackmail is if the intent is to murder Assange, in which case the something demanded is his ability to continue breathing (IMO not a terribly unreasonable demand, but Andrea Greenspan's opinion may of course differ).

[Renew Deal]

36. He demanded freedom from arrest or death

So yes, he fits the criteria you set.

[notesdev]

41. Under what law would he be arrested?

He's not a US citizen and US law does not apply to him.

One trumped-up misdemeanor sex charge that is an obvious frame-up is just an excuse for governments to take custody (and likely torture him). So if one is "blackmailing" for one's own just freedom and life, that hardly qualifies as blackmail. A more proper word is "detente".

[HereSince1628]

7. That would require a quid pro quo...what is Assange squeezing them for? n/t

[Renew Deal]

10. Freedom from arrest

or worse.

[Bluerthanblue]

21. he has said that if he is taken into custody he will dump

his "thermo-nuclear attack".

So, in effect he's saying that he will not be answerable to anyone.

And people right here on DU are ok with that.

:shrug:

The man must be god.

[HereSince1628]

35. Ah, the 'insurance' files.

Got it. Freedom is different than threatening to destroy the global economy with international finance fraud.

[Bluerthanblue]

37. no, I got it, it's only wrong when "they" do it-

if it suits your personal agenda, anything goes?

Your argument that disapproving of Assange's tactics means you support the wrongs being done in the world is just plain stupid.

"yer either with us, or yer with the terrists" comes to mind.

[HereSince1628]

40. No, that's not my argument, My argument would be...

if you REALLY can ruin the global economy, the powers of the world will kiss your ass. If you aren't then when you embarrass the Patrons of Power, you will be hunted down more vigorously than the hunt for Bin Laden's funding and logictical sources.

So far I haven't seen anything that directly endangers the physical safety of Americans, the American Military, America's military allies in the field or legitimate friends of America.

There certainly ARE things that show that MANY state players act like 8th graders. And 8th graders in charge of the world IS CERTAINLY SCARY, and some people in some places simply won't tolerate that.

[bemildred]

11. "Ah, you are surprised I speak your language, eh?"

In other contexts, it would be called extortion, "hard bargaining", or a "credible threat".

[laughingliberal]

19. Wonder if she calls TARP blackmail. What did they threaten us with? Martial law, wasn't it? nt

[brooklynite]

12. Actually, I agree...

Assange is saying that if he's arrested, additional material will be released. If he believes the material should be made public, why is this at all contingent on his legal situation? If he doesn't believe the material should be made public, why is he willing to release it for the sake of his own security?

[laughingliberal]

14. Mrs Alan Greenspan would be up in arms about exposure of the banksters' criminal activities.

:hi:

[Better Believe It]

15. Let the slander and character assassination campaign against Assange continue!

The "swiftboaters" can take lessons from those media news readers and millionaire hacks.

[laughingliberal]

20. And it's working so well. Worldwide, I wonder who is more believed. Assange or the US government?

:shrug:

[Bluerthanblue]

17. Assange is using coercian/blackmail. So are the Republicans-

what she says isn't wrong. But it IS selective.

[treestar]

22. You are talking about Congress, which has power that is legitimate

and comparing it with something not comparable - someone who is violating our classified documents (or helping to do so).

[laughingliberal]

33. I consider a free press to have legitimate power. So did the founders.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

23. LOL. Of course, our government's threats and actions against him are merely fatherly advice.

[malaise]

24. What did she call what her husband did to the US economy

Fucking it up???

[Kablooie]

27. Self defense is not blackmail.

[Bluerthanblue]

34. his threat to release if taken into custody isn't "self-defense".

The death threats are a different matter. But he has stated that if they arrest him, the dump will happen. That's blackmail.

[laughingliberal]

43. The release will happen anyway. It'll just happen sooner if he's arrested or killed.

He'd prefer to release the information in a more orderly fashion so it can be assimilated well. But I'm sure he set a lot of it up on dead man's switches a while back to keep it from being lost if something happens to him.

I would have.

[disillusioned73]

28. As expected, the corporate media is..

making Assange the story - all the while the leaked document aren't being covered. Genious, and the lemmings drool on themselves as they watch the tube...

[SpiralHawk]

32. One of biggest parts of the Wikileaks story is...

"One of biggest parts of the Wikileaks story is HOW USELESS THE CORPORATE WHORES IN THE MEDIA ARE!"

Bingo !

[EFerrari]

39. I agree. Wikileaks makes the media look like impotent fatuous idiots

which they are.

[Holly_Hobby]

38. Wikileaks has got something on hubby Greenspan n/t

[Frisbee]

42. Do they even TEACH real journalism anymore?

I really wonder what they are teaching in journalism school these days?