My Parents Were Executed Under the Unconstitutional Espionage Act -- We Must Protect Julian Assange

[Better Believe It]

My Parents Were Executed Under the Unconstitutional Espionage Act -- Here's Why We Must Fight to Protect Julian Assange
The Espionage Act is a huge danger to our open society; it's been used to send hundreds of dissenters to jail just for voicing their opinions, transforming dissent into treason.
By Robert Meeropol
December 28, 2010


Rumors are swirling that the United States is preparing to indict Wikileaks leader Julian Assange for conspiring to violate the Espionage Act of 1917. The modern version of that act states among many, many other things that: “Whoever, for the purpose of obtaining information respecting the national defense with intent or reason to believe that the information is to be used to the injury of the United States” causes the disclosure or publication of this material, could be subject to massive criminal penalties. It also states that: “If two or more persons conspire to violate any of the foregoing provisions … each of the parties to such conspiracy shall be subject to the punishment provided for the offense which is the object of such conspiracy.” (18 U.S. Code, Chapter 37, Section 793.)

I view the Espionage Act of 1917 as a lifelong nemesis. My parents were charged, tried and ultimately executed after being indicted for Conspiracy to Commit Espionage under that act.

It is no accident that Julian Assange may face a “conspiracy” charge just as my parents did. All that is required of the prosecution to prove a conspiracy is to present evidence that two or more people got together and took one act in furtherance of an illegal plan. It could be a phone call or a conversation.

Viewing the Wikileaks situation through this lens, it becomes apparent why the government would seek to charge Assange with conspiracy. Not only Assange, but anyone involved in the Wikileaks community could be swept up in a dragnet. Just as in my parents’ case, the prosecutors could seek to bully some involved into ratting out others, in return for more favorable treatment. This divide and conquer approach would turn individuals against each other, sow the seeds of distrust within the broader community, and intimidate others into quiescence.

This kind of attack threatens every left wing activist. I urge all progressives to come to the defense of Julian Assange should he be indicted for violating the Espionage Act of 1917.

Read the full article at:

http://www.alternet.org/rights/149345/my_parents_were_executed_under_the_unconstitutional_espionage_act_--_here%27s_why_we_must_fight_to_protect_julian_assange/


Eugene Debs, the great labor leader and socialist was also falsely charged with espionage under the Espionage Act for giving an anti-war speech! He served five years in prison!

I don't believe the Rosenbergs were guilty of "stealing the secret" of the atomic bomb and giving it to the Soviet Union. They didn't have the atom bomb "secret" and they were not members of the American Communist Party as government prosecutors suggested. They were executed under bogus charges.

The Rosenberg's conviction and execution intensified the big post World War II government witch-hunt that charged members of the Communist Party and other radical organizations with being secret spies for the Soviet Union. That claim was total bull shit but most people believed it was true because of an effective "anti-Red" propaganda campaign by politicians of both major parties and the mass media and the Communist Party's support of the Stalinist regimes in the Soviet Union and eastern Europe.

I don't agree with the policies of the American Communist Party during that period or afterwards. And most radicals during that dark period of McCarthyism didn't agree with the views of the Communist Party, but, members of the Communist Party and their supporters were not Russian spies.

BBI

[sarcasmo]

1. The World Police on the march again.

[lunatica]

2. It's no surprise that governments are trying to squelch freedoms

Since it seems truth is leaking out all over the place. It stand to reason that those who have kept the truth from coming out would do everything in their power to stop it. This is no surprise to anyone who understands the rudiments of human psychology or who knows history. There is always the backlash from those in power. I expect it'll get worse, and more violent if history serves.

[sirthomas66]

11. They can't steal from us if we fight them. Many of us will die but

our children's lives will be better.

[aquart]

3. My dad knew his dad.

Rosenberg was my father's boss during World War II. They were inspectors. They stopped greedy manufacturers from killing our soldiers with dangerous equipment. To the day he died, my father believed THAT was the reason for Rosenberg's prosecution.

[Better Believe It]

5. Robert Meeropol might be interested in what you wrote about your dad.

[Raine]

8. Interesting

and I wouldn't be one bit suprised.

[Catherina]

17. Interesting information. Thank you. What was done to the Rosenbergs was shameful. n/t

[Kurovski]

4. Wow.

K&R.

Edit: "I urge all progressives to come to the defense of Julian Assange should he be indicted for violating the Espionage Act of 1917."

[molly77]

12. Democracy Now ...Amy Goodman

says there is a rumor that a grand jury has been convened in Va. to convict Julian Assange of ....

"Whatever they can think up."

Would somebody please have Julian Assange masks manufactured? If he has to go before a grand jury in Va. , I want to camp out wearing a mask.Today's show can be watched online. It is killer. Robert Meeropol is a powerful speaker.

[nashville_brook]

6. k and r

[Starry Messenger]

7. I'm not sure why all the caveats about the ACP but k&r anyway

Good article.

[Recursion]

9. Eh

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VENONA#Julius_and_Ethel_Rosenberg

Sobell also confessed to spying, and implicated Julius as his accomplice, on his deathbed.

There are problems with the espionage act, but I think bringing up people who actually were engaged in espionage muddies the issue.

[liberation]

13. Uh, what?

"There are problems with the espionage act, but I think bringing up people who actually were engaged in espionage muddies the issue."


Should we bring up people who are engaged in floral arrangements instead? WTF?

[Recursion]

14. People like Assange and Eugene Debs

Who didn't engage in "espionage" in any commonly-used sense of the term (one gave anti-war speeches, the other put leaked documents online). That's the big worry of the espionage act: it has been and is being used to stop things other than espionage.

[liberation]

16. That makes more sense...

Although I still don't see the issue with bringing people who were accused of espionage. Esp. since the released KGB docs sort of made it clear that the Rosenbergs' involvement had been overstated way out of proportion by US prosecutors.

[defendandprotect]

10. Agree ... especially about the excecution of the Rosenbergs ....

all seemed based on lies -- what's new?

It was just people like Rosenbergs and Alger Hiss -- they used those people to

gather up fear and eventually authority to purge all of government of liberals --

[newtothegame]

15. What does Julian Assange have to do with the American Espionage Act?

Wasn't he arrested by the British? :shrug:

[kgnu_fan]

19. Are you playing "sarcasm"????

[Catherina]

18. Rec'd n/t

[The Wizard]

20. The Rosenbergs were executed because

they were Jews, and Jews were involved with organized labor and the communist party in America, and organized labor was seen as a communist plot by the industrial titans.
The powers that be needed to set an example. Ethel was executed first so Julius could hear her scream and beg for mercy. They thought hearing Ethel scream would elicit a confession from Julius.
A good book on the subject is a satire by Robert Coover called "The Public Burning." The narrators in the book are Richard Nixon and Uncle Sam. It's worth the read.

[midnight]

21. Rosenburgs were charged under bogus charges and killed...

This is very concerning... While in college I read about the Rosenburgs. War erodes rights to free thinking. Now in the UK , as if it is not already going on here, the police want more authority to take people away for seeming like a terrorist...

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

22. The U.S. won't execute Assange.

Pvt Manning, that's another story. He committed the crime, so his life is over (or it will seem that way).

But we won't try Assange, won't execute him. It is possible that some unfortunate accident will befall him. Our government knows some people.

:hi: