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UndercoverElephant · Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2018 11:31 pm Post subject:

All I know is this: Assange is not holed up in that embassy because he's scared of anything else but being hauled in front of a US kangaroo court and being made an example of "this is what happens to people who publish leaked information about US war crimes". It is a display of brute political force, designed to send a singular message: "America controls the world. Mess with us, and we will fuck you up. Forget international law, or morality; we can fuck you up, and that is what we will do."

The rest is irrelevant.

johnhemming2 · Joined: 30 Jun 2015 Posts: 2160

raspberry-blower · Joined: 14 Mar 2009 Posts: 1708

John Pilger: The isolation of Julian Assange is the silencing of us all
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A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools - Douglas Adams.

UndercoverElephant · Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2018 11:37 pm Post subject:

I think the game is over. He has to leave the embassy now, and try to use judicial process, public pressure and social media to avoid ending up like Chelsea Manning. There's not much point in him spending the rest of his life in solitary confinement, unable to communicate with the outside world, denied even access to basic healthcare. In effect, if he chooses that path, the US has won. But if he comes out, and the US ends up seriously mistreating him, he will go down in history as a martyr for the cause of free speech, whistleblowing and the fight against US tyranny. There's all sorts of ways he can play this. They can't just bundle him into a plane and deliver him to Washington. There has to be an extradition procedure, and the world will be watching very carefully indeed. He's already been declared a political prisoner by the UN.

Either way, without the good will and co-operation of the government of Ecuador, this phase of the game is over.

UndercoverElephant · Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2018 11:41 pm Post subject:

Plus he must also have access to mountains of additional damaging information that he can use as leverage against those who want to punish him. That leverage is useless to him where he is now.

johnhemming2 · Joined: 30 Jun 2015 Posts: 2160

fuzzy · Joined: 29 Nov 2013 Posts: 830 Location: The Marches, UK

I suggest he wears butyl gloves if he goes shopping, or eating at Zizis..

UndercoverElephant · Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2018 11:50 am Post subject:

Little John · Joined: 08 Mar 2008 Posts: 6405 Location: UK

We should all be under no illusions, by now, the the "legal processes" we have hitherto come to rely upon as setting a limit on state actions, to the extent they ever really existed, are gone now.

The gloves are off, the veil has been lifted and no outcome is discountable.

emordnilap · Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2018 1:40 pm Post subject:

UndercoverElephant · Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2018 1:47 pm Post subject:

emordnilap · Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2018 1:51 pm Post subject:

He's not that sort of person though. 'Agrees to shut up'? I hope not. Very Happy

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I experience pleasure and pains, and pursue goals in service of them, so I cannot reasonably deny the right of other sentient agents to do the same - Steven Pinker

emordnilap · Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2018 1:56 pm Post subject:

The other thing about the US is that a POTUS has already 'forgiven' him as such by agreeing not to prosecute Wikileaks.

Trump of course would like to have his own alternative facts.
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I experience pleasure and pains, and pursue goals in service of them, so I cannot reasonably deny the right of other sentient agents to do the same - Steven Pinker

Little John · Joined: 08 Mar 2008 Posts: 6405 Location: UK