Wikileaks Calls for Sarah Palin's Arrest

[kster]

By Marshall Kirkpatrick / January 10, 2011

The official Twitter account for Wikileaks has posted a press release this evening drawing a comparison between the controversial rhetoric from public figures that some believe contributed to the attempted assassination on Saturday of Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and the even more explicit calls from public officials for violence against Wikileaks spokesperson Julien Assange and others. The organization called for public figures making such calls to violence to be arrested and charged with crimes.

Assange is attributed the following quote in the release: "No organisation anywhere in the world is a more devoted advocate of free speech than Wikileaks but when senior politicians and attention seeking media commentators call for specific individuals or groups of people to be killed they should be charged with incitement -- to murder. Those who call for an act of murder deserve as significant share of the guilt as those raising a gun to pull the trigger." The release pointed to specific high-profile calls for Assange's assasination by Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee and others and concluded with a link to the website PeopleOKwithMurderingAssange.com.



http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/wikileaks_calls_for_sarah_palins_arrest.php#

[begin_within]

1. Exactly... She's a party to it.

[Raschel]

2. Can't argue with that. Can you? I'm glad he's weighing in. Now is the right time.

It must be horrible to have politicians and media calling for your death.

[Fleshdancer]

3. If this scenario happened in a different country wouldn't Americans agree?

"...when senior politicians and attention seeking media commentators call for specific individuals or groups of people to be killed they should be charged with incitement -- to murder. Those who call for an act of murder deserve as significant share of the guilt as those raising a gun to pull the trigger."

Imagine if this happened in Venezuela, Turkey, France, or wherever. Assuming Americans were aware of it, I suspect all of us would speak out against it regardless of what political party we belonged to.

[Tumbulu]

4. Good points! (nt)

[Gregorian]

5. I'm disappointed in Jon Stewart. This helps me to come to grips with that.

In the last year I've finally started distancing myself from the Daily Show, after what must be 15 years of watching. They just don't get it. They're so smart. And yet they want to be nice. Well if they are so smart they should recognize that nice isn't working. I'm thinking more along the lines of Bill Hicks. That was comedy. But he was swinging.

This is an opportunity. I will admit it. We better not let this one slip away. Too many already have.

[EFerrari]

14. That's how I feel, too.

We better use this opportunity.

[RainDog]

6. karma is a... and all that n/t

[HEyHEY]

7. That dick in Canada should be arrested for certain.

[EFerrari]

8. And there is julianassangemustdie.com

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x166915

Wikileaks is right, of course.

[moondust]

9. Why does WikiLeaks believe this is any of their business?

I thought he was from Australia. :shrug: Intrude much, Julian?

[EFerrari]

10. Because the same loudmouth that targeted Giffords called for his assassination?

It's right in the OP.

[Matariki]

12. What you said EFerrari

They have a damn good reason to say something.

[EFerrari]

13. We're so inured to this violent rhetoric

we can't even keep up with all the targets.

[HEyHEY]

15. On this, I think they are correct to say it.

When they suggest people should be arrested cause of leaks, I don't agree. But their employees have been subject to such suggestions and I think they are being reasonable in suggesting this.

[moondust]

18. Agree.

I didn't know Palin was one of the wackos that had actually called for assassination. I'll give them a pass on this.

[diabeticman]

11. I totally agree.

If any liberal did what Sarah Palin did we'd be arrested, charged and sentenced to life in prison for conspiracy to commit murder.

[Turborama]

16. K&R The problem with that is the "free speech" absolutists who control the definition of incitement

...in the US.

As long as they cling to their fundamentalist beliefs, no-one is going to get charged with incitement to murder, unfortunately.

[AdHocSolver]

17. Studies show that authoritarian personalities are relatively easily influenced by authority figures.

Studies by Stanley Milgram and Robert Altemeyer show that people who are considered psychologically "normal" can be persuaded to commit violence on people who are no threat to them just by the urging of those that they consider to be authority figures.

Actually, the excuse that this shooter was "crazy" is less relevant to his actions than the atmosphere of hate and violent rhetoric spewed by "authority" figures. Even a crazy person will not necessarily act out their animosity if their social environment frowns upon such activity.

[kestrel91316]

19. Sarah Manson stoked the fires - with gasoline. That she did not light the match is irrelevant.