Julian Assange: Hero or Villain?

[moo]

Haha, looks like the banks who are trying to screw our hero are getting their just reward.

Operation Avenge Assange

http://www.zerohedge.com/article/pi...nternational-hacker-community-vow-revenge-ban

Also, Assange seems headed for the (questionable) honor, Time's 2010 Person of the Year.

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2028734_2028733,00.html

 

[shortie]

now that he is arrested will he release the encryption key to his archive as he has threatened to do?

 

[moo]

Julian Assange Op Ed. Anything to disagree with here??

http://www.zerohedge.com/article/just-released-julian-assange-op-ed-australian

 

[MarketMasher]

Quote from moo:

Julian Assange Op Ed. Anything to disagree with here??

http://www.zerohedge.com/article/just-released-julian-assange-op-ed-australian

He seems to be particularly focused on the US. I have not seen much on other major countries. If he is just helping other countries point fingers while they claim virtue for themselves, I don't see that he is helping.

People still look to escape their own countries and go to America. Whether he agrees with that or not is immaterial - it is true. If he wants to rail against some US practices, that's fair, but maybe he should point those people seeking refuge from tyrannical regimes to some of those other countries he deems better.

 

[Ghost of Cutten]

Quote from MarketMasher:

He seems to be particularly focused on the US. I have not seen much on other major countries. If he is just helping other countries point fingers while they claim virtue for themselves, I don't see that he is helping.

People still look to escape their own countries and go to America. Whether he agrees with that or not is immaterial - it is true. If he wants to rail against some US practices, that's fair, but maybe he should point those people seeking refuge from tyrannical regimes to some of those other countries he deems better.

USA is the least-worst country. It's the only place where a large section of the population not only value liberty as an absolute, but some are literally prepared to use armed force and die for it. Everywhere else, some people talk about liberty but almost none would actually use force to preserve it, and the ones that do can't legally access the weapons needed for that. The USA also has by far the most robust democratic process with a strong constitution, separation of powers, and numerous checks and balances on the government and power. Even though abuses will always happen, the people and freedom have the best chance of rectifying it in the USA rather than any other country. In "next best" places like Australia, Canada, UK, Switzerland etc, all it takes is one party and politician (PM) to sign something and 1000 years of liberty can be erased overnight, with no legal comeback.

 

[omegapoint]

Scenario:

Next time we go to China or Saudi Arabia with our hands out and they tell us not this time, America will be like a junkie who noone will hire and with no where else to turn but crime for its survival. Crime for a government would mean inventing some pretext for War and in desperation renege on the debt, like a deadbeat renter. Since the possibility of the right taking over the white house looms in 2012 it would be business as usual since its always their first option. Or we could send Bono.

 

[Lucrum]

 

[omegapoint]

Sure, and if it were a republican administration you and your boys would be all over the other side of that argument 180 degrees.

 

[dcraig]

Quote from Ghost of Cutten:

USA is the least-worst country. It's the only place where a large section of the population not only value liberty as an absolute, but some are literally prepared to use armed force and die for it. Everywhere else, some people talk about liberty but almost none would actually use force to preserve it, and the ones that do can't legally access the weapons needed for that. The USA also has by far the most robust democratic process with a strong constitution, separation of powers, and numerous checks and balances on the government and power. Even though abuses will always happen, the people and freedom have the best chance of rectifying it in the USA rather than any other country. In "next best" places like Australia, Canada, UK, Switzerland etc, all it takes is one party and politician (PM) to sign something and 1000 years of liberty can be erased overnight, with no legal comeback.

What a lot of crap. The world would be improved if more people cast a critical eye over their own nation and engaged less in school yard exchanges of "my country is better than your country".

 

[Equalizer]

Quote from dcraig:

What a lot of crap. The world would be improved if more people cast a critical eye over their own nation and engaged less in school yard exchanges of "my country is better than your country".

+1