Assange, Potential Enemy of the State, Speaks to U.N.
Posted on Sep 27, 2012 truthdig.com
Speaking from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, a weary Julian Assange denounced the Obama administration for exploiting the Arab Spring for political gain during an address to the United Nations via video link on Wednesday morning.
Democracy Now!
Assange borrowed a token from the title of President Obama’s 2006 best-seller, “The Audacity of Hope,” an Oprah Winfrey favorite in which the then-candidate prepared the rhetorical ground for many of the issues that would become central to his campaign. Assange identified what he considers one of the true “audacities” of Obama’s career: the willingness to claim responsibility for the modest triumphs of revolutionary democracy around the world after supporting the very leaders those uprisings sought to topple.
Mohamed Bouazizi, the Tunisian street vendor whose suicide in January 2011 sparked his nation’s revolt, “did not set himself on fire so that Barack Obama could get re-elected,” Assange said.
To the contrary, the Obama administration has done everything it can to protect the enemies of democracy and government transparency. Recently declassified Air Force records detail the investigation of an analyst who expressed support for WikiLeaks and its founder Assange. The inquiry was closed when it found no evidence that the analyst had leaked classified material, but the documents reveal that Assange may have been designated an enemy of the United States—the same status as the Taliban and al-Qaida—as the analyst was under investigation for the crime of “Communicating With the Enemy.”
That crime carries a potential death penalty, and its inclusion in an investigation into contact with WikiLeaks suggests that the government now views anyone who publishes classified material that could be seen by anyone considered an enemy as an enemy themselves. The list of candidates for enemy status extends far beyond Assange. Any media outlet, including The New York Times, which has published far more sensitive secrets than WikiLeaks, would become a potential enemy of the state. Glenn Greenwald explains:
It seems clear that the US military now deems any leaks of classified information to constitute the capital offense of “aiding the enemy” or “communicating with the enemy” even if no information is passed directly to the “enemy” and there is no intent to aid or communicate with them. Merely informing the public about classified government activities now constitutes this capital crime because it “indirectly” informs the enemy.The implications of this theory are as obvious as they are disturbing. If someone can be charged with “aiding” or “communicating with the enemy” by virtue of leaking to WikiLeaks, then why wouldn’t that same crime be committed by someone leaking classified information to any outlet: the New York Times, the Guardian, ABC News or anyone else? In other words, does this theory not inevitably and necessarily make all leaking of all classified information – whether to WikiLeaks or any media outlet – a capital offense: treason or a related crime?
Michael Ratner, legal adviser to Assange and WikiLeaks and president emeritus of the Center for Constitutional Rights, comments further below.
—Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly.
Click to see the first video from Democracy Now!
Click to see the second video from Democracy Now!
Subscribe or “Follow” us on riseuptimes.wordpress.com. For the TC EVENTS calendar and the ACTIONS AND ACTION ALERTS click on the tab at the top of the page and click on the item of interest to view. WAMMToday is also on Facebook! Check the WAMMToday page for posts from this blog and more! “Like” our page today.
5 Comments
Comments are closed.
Subscribe via email
Enter your email address to follow Rise Up Times and receive notifications of new posts by email.
Join 3,899 other followers
VIDEO: Militarism, Climate Chaos, and the Environment
BLACK LIVES MATTER
Now, there are hundreds of programs available ranging from
free to hundreds of dollars, including everything from a bare bones setup to an all inclusive image editing suit.
He knew the system well enough to not pay many of his suppliers and
sub-contractors, then would cover it up up by handing out fake lien releases to make it look
like they were paid. Decide now because if you are a weight lifter,
you will not build the chest that you are looking for.
Now, there are hundreds of programs available ranging from free
to hundreds of dollars, including everything from a bare bones
setup to an all inclusive image editing suit. It’s easy to use a fake IP address on i – Phone and i – Pad, but you need to know what you need the fake IP for. You wont get a true imitation of your signature with this Android app, unless you can cleverly manipulate the mechanics behind its operation, but that is highly unlikely.
Now, there are hundreds of programs available ranging from free to hundreds
of dollars, including everything from a bare bones setup to an all inclusive image editing suit.
Wouldn’t it be easier if we could be able to save changes ourselves whenever we want. If a picture is worth a thousand words then you can just image how much you will absorb by browsing this site.
Make sure you put your keyword in the web page title, first paragraph and once or twice
in the main body. ) and installation used are correct for your situation and the location
of your wine cellar. You can make corrections directly instead of having to search mistake through the code, if something does not seem OK for you.
All they need to do is to enroll with their name, email, contact number
and country and vemmabuilder will cater to the particular
country of the person. He knew the system well enough to not pay many of his suppliers
and sub-contractors, then would cover it up up by handing out
fake lien releases to make it look like they were paid.
You wont get a true imitation of your signature with this Android app, unless you can cleverly manipulate the
mechanics behind its operation, but that is highly unlikely.