DISCLAIMER: I am not--repeat NOT--offering a personal opinion on Julian Assange here though I do have a personal opinion about all that which I will probably share later.
But I will admit that this Paul Wachter piece did make me back up and rethink some of my opinion about all that:
So what do you think? Is Assange a villain who is attempting to undermine the security and integrity of the USA? Or is he a hero and a wakeup call for indefensible corruption in government that nobody has the courage to address?
Did the quoted piece make any difference in how you look at this? Or do you see Wachter as being over the top and indefensible in his point of view?
But I will admit that this Paul Wachter piece did make me back up and rethink some of my opinion about all that:
Dec. 10) -- "[T]he Nobel Committee has chosen someone who has been an eloquent and courageous spokesman for the advance of universal values through peaceful and nonviolent means, including his support for democracy, human rights and the rule of law." -- statement by President Barack Obama on the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo.
There is now another imprisoned "courageous spokesman for the advance of universal values through peaceful and nonviolent means" whom the Nobel Committee should be considering for next year's award: Julian Assange.
Through a series of leaks -- first of military documents concerning the United States' ongoing and doomed efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq; now of cables unveiling a hodgepodge of diplomatic duplicities -- Assange's organization, WikiLeaks, has offered up an unflattering portrayal of U.S. foreign policy.
It's the first real stab at a correction of the crusading, lawless Bush years that President Obama, the impulsive Nobel Committee's designee two years ago, has perpetuated.
The recent diplomatic leaks -- a mere 960 or so so far, all first published by the world's most prestigious newspapers -- have revealed, among many other outrages:
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's illegal (under the U.S.-signed 1961 Vienna Treaty) ordering of her diplomatic employees to spy on United Nations personnel.
A U.S. policy that precludes U.S. personnel in Iraq from investigating atrocities committed against civilians.
Saudi Arabia is still the major funder of al-Qaida and an advocate for an "Arab army" to confront Hezbollah in Lebanon.
But rather than calling for congressional investigations, American politicians and a largely sycophantic press have targeted the messenger.
Sarah Palin's recent tweets implicitly call for Assange's assassination. Without any evidence, Jeffrey Kuhner of the right-wing Washington Times writes that the leaks could lead to many Americans and their allies "being killed, tortured or targeted by insurgents." And that's also the White House line. (Also note that the administration is showing much more resolve going after Assange than Osama bin Laden, who killed 3,000 Americans and is probably, at this moment, happily sipping a cup of tea.). . .
More here:Opinion: Julian Assange Should Be Considered for Nobel Peace Prize
So what do you think? Is Assange a villain who is attempting to undermine the security and integrity of the USA? Or is he a hero and a wakeup call for indefensible corruption in government that nobody has the courage to address?
Did the quoted piece make any difference in how you look at this? Or do you see Wachter as being over the top and indefensible in his point of view?