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Defending an alleged serial sexual predator from facing the accusations does not help any cause he claims to hold dear. Being the most public face of a mostly ethical social movement is not license to ignore accusations of rape. Treating it as though it does by saying it’s too dangerous to allow the Swedish authorities to interview him hurts the cause that WL stands for. WL and the movement it’s a part of does not depend on any one man, no matter how much of a narcissist he is, be it Assange or Appelbaum.
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Trumped-up accusations of rape are the same thing as trumped-up accusations of corruption, but push the right buttons in our collective consciousness.
Are you saying the allegations are trumped up and not worth influencing how we vote?
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So it’s you’re job to decide if the accusations have merit? Why is your opinion worth more than the women who made the accusations in spite of all the abuse and vitriol they must have known his fanbois would direct at them? Or right, the CIA is secretly behind it all…one might almost say they rigged it…despite the goal of governments being to shut down WL, not jail one person.
You can advocate for him all you want, but it’s still a double standard. The conspiracy theories have as much evidence as Trump’s. The rape accusations have actual accusers.
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It’s pretty darn depressing how pretty much every aspect of the 2016 Presidential election is tainted by association with people accused of sexual assault.
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Gotta disagree in one particular. The effort to blame Hillary for her husband’s actions is pure sexism. There’s a lot I’m not keen on with her politics, but I don’t hold her responsible for her husband’s behavior. It’s an effort to distract from Trump’s own sexual assaults and at the same time normalize them by implying his opponent is somehow just as guilty of her husband’s behavior, which she isn’t.
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I agree, and I don’t blame Hillary. But still, it’s sad that there’s no one around who is more than one degree of separation from allegations of sex crimes.
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Especially for his victims.
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No, it’s the prosecution’s job. Which they did, once, when they let him go; before a more “political” magistrate entered the fray and resurrected the case. But I won’t rehash the whole thing, it’s well-documented. Like it’s well-documented how the the rape accusations don’t, actually, have “actual accusers” anymore, if they ever did at all; or how the prosecution refuses to proceed like they did in other cases, interviewing people abroad.
Oh right, he’s accused of sexual crimes so he must be guilty and he’s just trying to escape (escape what, a verdict that would probably carry a punishment more lenient than what he’s already spent, if it ever carries a punishment at all?) . I understand.
Wikileaks suffered a reputational damage that is even better than “shutting them down”: anytime WL publishes anything, be it proof that Hitler was a Nazi or that the sun is a star, people like you will roll out the litany “oh but Assange is a sexual predator, let’s ignore the documents and talk about rape rape rape”.
You can advocate against him all you want, but you’re still being played.
Do we have any reason to think he wouldn’t also publish material about Trump if he had it?
On the contrary. When WL is the topic, I will never be the first to bring him up. Assange is NOT Wikileaks. It’s people who conflate the two that are the useful idiots.
Hey @mewyn, @OtherMichael, @alahmnat, he’s calling you names! 
I am not useful.
And Wikileaks needs to lose Assange. But they won’t…
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Is there a Starbucks in Pringles can range?
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Maybe the IT guy upgraded the router but forgot to tell him the new password? Has he tried user “default” password “password”?
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It’s pretty irresponsible. He’s taking emails stolen by Russia for the express purpose of destabilizing the US elections and getting Trump elected. These communications may or may not be intact/factual. He doesn’t know what he’s spreading, but whatever he’s doing, he’s doing at someone else’s bidding.
If this were not his (and Russia’s) intent, then these communications should be released November 9 and be properly vetted.
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Oddly enough I know someone who witnessed Julian using cracking skills at 1990s level (ie, before SSL became widespread). Maybe his ability has waned while systems overall became more secure.
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“emails the FBI says …”. FTFY
A bit like Homer Simpson after the primaries: https://youtu.be/4v7XXSt9XRM?list=RDFlcngdW2Ju4&t=26
