Wired: The U.S. Government's Pursuit Of WikiLeaks Could Be Its Undoing

[Hissyspit]

Read the whole article before commenting. It's not very long.

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2010-12/13/usa-chasing-assange?page=all

The US Government's pursuit of WikiLeaks could be its undoing

By Peter Kirwan
13 December 10

Peter Kirwan
Wired.co.uk Media Specialist

- snip -

Yet perhaps the biggest risk of all resides in the actions of the US government to date. Daniel Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon Papers, but didn't go to jail. The case was dismissed after evidence emerged of "prosecutorial misconduct". These efforts included an attempt to bribe the presiding judge. White House operatives were also despatched to break into the offices of Ellsberg's doctor in an effort to steal medical records that could be used to discredit him.

It would beggar belief if the Obama administration sabotaged its case in such a crude fashion. Yet errors of judgement become a distinct possibility when the atmosphere gets this febrile.

Already, there are straws in the wind. Solicitors representing Assange in London have spoken of intimidating letters from the State Department and heavy-handed surveillance. In September, according to The New York Times, three laptops that Julian Assange checked into the hold of a nearly-empty flight from Stockholm to Berlin went missing. They have never been recovered.

Most of all, the courts will be interested in any evidence that the US government authorised denial of service attacks against WikiLeaks. US judges tend to take a dim view of extrajudicial attempts to restrain publication.

Sit back and add it all up: if the founder of WikiLeaks enters a US courtroom, his options will multiply. The government's will diminish. This looks like a classic ju-jitsu moment in which an underpowered defendant can turn the sheer body weight of a prosecutor to his advantage.

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[Name removed]

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[cherokeeprogressive]

2. Wikileaks will be the US Government's "undoing"? You're joking, right?

Watch and wait. Julian Assange will be forgotten in short order. Witness the fact that there were 16,000 posts per day touting Assange's "heroism" here on DU two weeks ago. Today I'm seeing one, maybe two posts calling him the new Messiah. We've lost interest in Julian, and are moving on. Hey Julian; Wow us or understand that your fifteen minutes were really just that; quick fame over something not as important as you would have us believe.

Cue the "You are a slave to authority" posts...

Mark my words... Julian Assange won't be prosecuted or martyred. He'll be forgotten. He'll be a footnote in some State Department guidebook for new State Department employees.

He's destined to be something no more important than a cigarette butt tossed out of a car on Interstate 40. He's already headed that way.

I'll close by saying that if even ONE person dies because of his "disclosures" which weren't really his but handed to him on a silver platter, he should be held responsible. I would add that should one innocent person lose their life because of his foolish notion that he could be seen as the savior of the world, Karma will find him and treat him accordingly, after the US Government is done with him of course.

[Norrin Radd]

3. We protested in front of Amazon headquarters

just today for shutting down WL's site, despite the far worse than usual winter rain.

[Name removed]

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[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

26. That's easy for you and your chromed skin. -nt

[Name removed]

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[sabrina 1]

9. You couldn't be more wrong. No matter what happens

to Julian Assange, and he will definitely go down in history for the work he has done to bring back freedom of the press to remote and dangerous corners of the world, long before we here in the U.S. began to pay attention to him. He has already received several awards for that work.

But far more importantly, as a result of the persecution of this government, his status has only risen around the globe. He will be a historical figure who emerged to restore freedom of the press during a very dark period in the history of journalism world-wide.

Already, the U.S. Government's worst nightmare is coming true. Instead of just one Wikileaks, several new organizations are being launched, modeled on Wikileaks. So instead of shutting down one, they have spawned even more.

Wikileaks is the future of journalism. Journalism died in this country over the past few decades. But this is an exciting new development just when it seemed we would never see real journalism again.

Right now, in newspapers around the world, jounalists are analyzing and publishing daily scoops based on the Wilileaks cables. Lies told by governments around the world, are being exposed and victims of government lies and oppression are finally seeing some justice.

In Russia, in Ireland, in Nigeria, for the victims of torture by this government.

It is incredible to read the news today. Rather than the government approved memos, we are getting real news and it is only the beginning.

By persecuting Assange they have made him a global, New Media hero and if he is not murdered, he will spend the rest of his life as a respected and revered innovator and savior of Freedom of the Press.



In Australia, he has suddenly become a national hero thanks to the U.S. attacks and the revelations in the cables, not to mention the discovery that their own government was nothing but a puppet of the U.S. And that is about to change. This one man and the organization he is a part of have changed the world in a way that has never happened before. The way the world views this country now after two weeks of revelations, is very different to the way it was viewed just weeks ago.

The OP is absolutely right. The best course would have been to simply deal with the leaks as best as possible, start applying the rule of law to Real Criminals, like Bush/Cheney, and fix their security system on which we spend billions of dollars each year.

I have hopes now that there will be a free and open press in our future. That some of our own journalists will be inspired to go back to being real journalists instead of reading government memos.

It's a very exciting time and the U.S. rather than assassinating this Global hero, better start hoping no one else does and they get the blame.

[Kaleko]

11. On behalf of all the perceptive people on DU, thank you for another great post, Sabrina.

[sabrina 1]

15. Thank you, Kaleko ~

I just watched the Swedish Documentary on Wikileaks. It is excellent. If you have not seen it yet, you can see it here http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article27039.htm

This should be spread around this country, so that Americans learn the facts about this news organization, rather than getting their impression of who Assange is and what Wikileaks is, from our Corporate media.

[Kaleko]

19. I wonder if this the documentary Daily Kos featured in an article yesterday.

I've been looking for a working link because the embed at DK was blacked out by the time I got to it.

Thanks again! DU is a worthwhile news agregator only because of bright lights like you, my friend.

[sabrina 1]

21. Yes, it is the same one.

I wonder why it was blacked out at DK? And you're very welcome.

[Kaleko]

22. Here is a link to the WikiRebels documentary that actually works.

As I've reported elsewhere, on the informationclearinghouse link, the video is also blacked out.

Weird...

http://thenextweb.com/shareables/2010/12/12/wikirebels-the-documentary/

[sabrina 1]

24. That's strange, I watched it there last night, twice.

Maybe there are copyright issues? Or is it more government censorship?

Anyhow, thanks for the link. I hope it doesn't disappear also.

[sabrina 1]

25. Okay, I just went back to the Information Clearing house link

and it is working for me, as is the DK link. Mmm, I am using google chrome, could that make a difference?

[Kaleko]

27. That must be it then. My friends and I are all using Macs in Snow Leopard and Safari.

:shrug:

[malaise]

20. A super post

Should have its own thread.

[bemildred]

28. Great post. nt

[Raster]

12. Really?

"He's destined to be something no more important than a cigarette butt tossed out of a car on Interstate 40. He's already headed that way."

Julian Assange: Readers' Choice for TIME's Person of the Year 2010

[Tunkamerica]

13. which weren't really his but handed to him on a silver platter, he should be held responsible.

How can you contradict yourself so blatantly and expect anyone to take your point seriously?

[tavalon]

16. When the Bush and Obama administrations have been held accountable for the 1000s

Of deaths they have caused, then you might have some justification, but still flimsy. It's not the revealing of behavior that is dangerous, it is the behavior done with or without scrutiny.

He's not going to be a footnote, sorry.

[krabigirl]

18. Herp derp. Nt

[Hissyspit]

30. I asked everyone to read the whole thing. I think it is pretty clear he means

that the pursuit will be the pursuit's undoing. Even if I am wrong, it's pretty clear he does not mean that the government is going to collapse. He means that there will be unintended consequences to the prosecution.

How about we hold accountable the many, many people who are not being held accountable for causing the deaths of multiple innocent people?

[grasswire]

4. discovery's a bitch

as they say

[Name removed]

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[EFerrari]

10. I believe it will be out in January. nt

[Name removed]

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[riderinthestorm]

23. By the way, welcome to DU JKelligesq! I'm also fascinated by the Wikileaks story

and Julian Assange and honestly believe he's the harbinger of things to come. He's already made his place in history if he does nothing else than create and set up Wikileaks...



... but he will do even greater things I'm sure!

[Name removed]

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[Hissyspit]

17. Kick in light of recent news. nt

[glinda]

29. That was the old America. THe new America is blatantly corrupt. Assange must never come here.

The odds are actually stacked against him if he does. He should not be sent here at all.

[Pavulon]

33. He would be safer here charged with conspiracy, the gerry bull option

is removed once he is physically here.

[Dash87]

31. Never fall into your own punji pit.

A.k.a Being so infatuated with perpetrating a 'war of freedom' that you become Fascist in the process.

[Pavulon]

32. It is all in the hands of bradass87. He will or will not

testify to conspiracy with assange. If those charges are shown in recorded communications and or chat logs assange is done.

And yes if he goes to court here he gains legal protection, if he just goes away, well, he has no protection now.