Like please, this dude is being torn through the mud. All for the USA’s benefit. All of investigative journalism is at play here. If the US wins this case, any real opposition to US hegemony will be Kaput (due to the precedent of them being allowed to arrest anyone who publishes whistleblowers). Chelsea Manning didn’t nearly kill herself twice for you not to give a shit. Make a stink about this please.
Let me get back to you, I'm just getting this all from the Intercept and Democracy now. I'll have an answer for you soon. For now write every elected official you have (we're talking mayors-level shit). +the squad.
I would hope so. I think every news outlet should be covering this. I'm totally quoting someone right now, but anyone who isn't covering Assange right now is admitting to being a propagandist.
A canned response still lets shit get known. A flood of nonsense is important as a precursor. Like we can argue about whether emailing shit gets anything done. It's just a a tactic. I doubt we could legitimately free Assange right now without a full militia. Let's focus on real tactics right now.
i wish the 1000's of random black kids who face totally bullshit prosecutions with insane sentences year after year could get this kind of social mobilization to advocate on their behalf. 😞
https://www.justice4assange.com/Urge-NGOs-to-Act.html https://defend.wikileaks.org/donate/ https://defend.wikileaks.org/take-action/
Assange is a bit of a problematic wanker and has been since he was a USENET edgelord, but we probably should try and bail him out of this one
I believe that we can convince people to walk and chew bubblegum at the same time.
I think he is being done wrong, through and through.
HOWEVER, my analysis is his situation is strictly through a criminal justice lens. everyone is caught up the drama of his situation. but the truth we have 2 million people behind bars. he is facing 165 years or something. that's completely absurd, but not too unusual. i don't think Assange deserves any more attention than the other nameless 10's of thousands that face similarly abusive prosecutions year after year. nor do i think erosion of "freedom of the press" is more offensive than the day to day erosions of other important "freedoms" that are guaranteed by right, but in practice they have been almost completely neutered. i mean, pick an amendment, and you can find a thousand routine examples the "erosion" of that right to the detriment of free society.
the reason there is such a spotlight on the Assange case is because his prosecution threatens the professional class instead of the riff raff, and once you realize that, it becomes extremely frustrating. even his 7 year stint on house arrest in an upscale london flat, with full internet and visitor access 5+ years of it, until his sanity started slipping and he became unruly. i guarantee you find anyone facing 7 years in a US prison, and they would kill a man for a chance to finish their time under house arrest. i can't find any reason to feel sympathy for him over the other 2 million. and the fact everyone wants to frame it as some kind of bond villan state department scandal and not simply the boring dystopia of our broken criminal legal system is honestly kind of offensive. not directed at you, but the professional class and all the people left and left-ish who have been lapping it up uncritically. i have not seen even one single person (prominent or random) post about the Assange ordeal through a criminal justice lens. not one.
I get where you're coming from, but the reason this is important is because Assange has the power to fight back. Neuter that and what's left? I'm where I'm at politically because of people like Assange. I'm not trying to disparage all the people rotting in prison unjustly, I just think we need to nip this in the bud.
