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Julian Assange has reached a plea deal with the U.S., allowing him to go free

nbcnews.com

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Re: Julian Assange has reached a plea deal with the U.S., allowing him to go free

#731

Post by elif »

nextaccountic wrote: post #729
sandworm101 wrote: post #711

I am going to hold the celebrations until we are sure there isn't anything else on the horizon. He isn't getting a pardon and being declared free and clear of charges in the US is very difficult. Who knows what state prosecutor might want to bring new state charges. He may also be wanted as a material witness. If I were him I wouldn't set foot outside Australia ever again.

Trouble is, as part of the deal he is headed to an US territory next to Australia, right? Seems like the perfect place to kidnap him

That would be a great way for Biden to blow the election for no reason.

Re: Julian Assange has reached a plea deal with the U.S., allowing him to go free

#732

Post by nextaccountic »

jonathanstrange wrote: post #560
drekipus wrote: post #308

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, we should whip him for not having a level head when the entire US government is against him. Someone like you and I would have been sure to keep humble and not be egotistical when seeking asylum and fair justice against an entity that has military bases all over the world

People are so sure he made the wrong choice when he fled to the Ecuadorian embassy, but I wonder how they can be so sure. At the time, his biggest worry was to get assassinated or get snatched off the street and end up in a secret CIA torture prison. Neither of these fears were unjustified. Add to this the belief that US maximum security prisons are blatant violations of basic human rights and the belief that the UK…

The worst choice he made in this period was to be a terrible guest and eventually be evicted. However he had going through psychological problems and honestly I'm not sure if he wouldn't be evicted regardless (the new president was aligned with the US and wanted him gone)

Re: Julian Assange has reached a plea deal with the U.S., allowing him to go free

#734

Post by chinchilla2020 »

impossiblefork wrote: post #443

This isn't something good though, in fact it's really bad. He's actually agreed to confess to something which the US should have no legal authority over. We must remember that the US are torturers who tortured people here in Sweden, right at Bromma airport, even after specifically agreeing not to torture them. It is not a country which should have any influence whatsoever outside its borders; and this is someone who…

Sweden is a country that enthusiastically supported the Nazi regime. If we are comparing crimes I think Sweden should also stay within it's own borders.

Yet the calls from Swedes for the US to provide more Ukraine aid are deafening at this point. Swedes want the US to intervene when it benefits them, regardless of their chest-beating.

Where is the criticism from Swedes when Russia murders its own journalists or China restricts freedom of speech?

Please, if you are so anti-american, impress upon your countrymen to stay away from NATO. You people are clearly not interested in allying with the US.

Re: Julian Assange has reached a plea deal with the U.S., allowing him to go free

#735

Post by Red_Leaves_Flyy »

pavlov wrote: post #712
d_burfoot wrote: post #693

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It is not a country which should have any influence whatsoever outside its borders I wholly agree, as an American citizen

Be careful what you ask for. The United Kingdom went from a country with enormously outsized global influence to just another European nation. The downward spiral has been stark. The economy stagnates, more and more people live in poverty, and voters decided to inflict further self-harm by cutting themselves off from economic treaties with neighbors based on an illusion of self-importance. If America ends up in the s…

Ah. You point at a pile of shit that’s long been festering but the selfish bastards that left it have long since departed. Some people are still around adding to it here and there (brexit, etc) but the malaise and disconnectedness of the proletariat are what protects these problems from being solved because they still benefit a small group of powerful people who would very much rather their wealth, lazy existences and the like be undisturbed. A key hurdle for the proletariat is to find a way to unite across cultural boundaries - a very difficult problem in any country.

Re: Julian Assange has reached a plea deal with the U.S., allowing him to go free

#737

Post by sbarre »

pavlov wrote: post #712
d_burfoot wrote: post #693

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It is not a country which should have any influence whatsoever outside its borders I wholly agree, as an American citizen

Be careful what you ask for. The United Kingdom went from a country with enormously outsized global influence to just another European nation. The downward spiral has been stark. The economy stagnates, more and more people live in poverty, and voters decided to inflict further self-harm by cutting themselves off from economic treaties with neighbors based on an illusion of self-importance. If America ends up in the s…

> The United Kingdom went from a country with enormously outsized global influence to just another European nation.

You should read the book Treasure Islands by Nick Shaxson.

The UK may not be the global military/political power it once was (and that's probably a good thing), but it is still very much in the middle of the global economy (and not in a good way).

This isn't to refute any of your points, but it was an eye-opening read.

Re: Julian Assange has reached a plea deal with the U.S., allowing him to go free

#738

Post by jasonlaramburu »

ralusek wrote: post #727
bbor wrote: post #724

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

Trump strikes me as far more likely to grant him a pardon than Biden. Biden is neoliberal, which are just as hawkish as neocons (they’re functionally identical). Trump is more of a populist, anti-war, “anti-deep-state” (i.e. intelligence agencies) sort, who has at least entertained the idea of a pardon.

Trump had 4 years to free Assange but did nothing. He will say anything to get elected. It's surprising how people don't see it. In Texas we call that 'All hat, no cattle.'

Re: Julian Assange has reached a plea deal with the U.S., allowing him to go free

#739

Post by gosub100 »

light_triad wrote: post #342

The whole saga is an interesting lesson in how a noble cause can end up helping anti-democratic forces. Assange gave the public invaluable information that would not have been know otherwise, but he ended up playing right into the hands of the people who wanted to discredit Clinton. Politics is complicated.

A public officer running their own private email server and wiping it when authorities ask to see it is anti-democratic.

Re: Julian Assange has reached a plea deal with the U.S., allowing him to go free

#740

Post by arrowsmith »

madaxe_again wrote: post #434
DaoVeles wrote: post #351

All around my neighborhood is the graffiti of "Free Assange, Oz hero". Just this morning I saw a large amount of it in a new place. Was thinking "I really hope one day it happens but I am doubtful". And then I just saw this... wow! I am so glad to be wrong, to see my pessimistic side be completely wrong. Julian is free!

What’s the actual view on him in oz? We’ve got exiled Aussie politicians here in the U.K. saying that he’s universally reviled, and that nobody even sees him as a “real” Australian, and that Australians will never forgive him for violating their privacy (oh, the bleeding irony). No alternate viewpoints, looks like 100% of sampled Australians hate him?

> We’ve got exiled Aussie politicians here in the U.K.

Who are those? I can't think of any Australian politicians who are prominent in UK discourse, on Assange or any other topic.

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