The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age
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    Assange Debate, My Friends

    By Donal on Thu, 12/02/2010 - 3:20pm | Politics

    Julian Assange is now The Most Interesting Man in the World.

    Don't ask why he does what he does. Don't examine his motives.

    Whether you like it or not, you're either for him or against him.

    So just drink the damn beer.

    UPDATE:

    Should WikiLeaks Be Defended? A Debate
    Tomorrow 8:00am at Live on Democracy Now! Stream at 8am EST: http://www.democracynow.org

    Should Julian Assange and his online whistleblower group WikiLeaks be defended? Democracy Now! hosts a debate on WikiLeaks between Salon.com contributing writer... Glenn Greenwald and Steven Aftergood with Secrecy News. Both have been blogging extensively about the latest release of classified U.S. embassy cables.

    Watch live at 8am Eastern Standard Time.

    Or download the video/audio podcast later in the day at: http://www.democracynow.org

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    Comments

    Worth reading, IMO:  http://zunguzungu.wordpress.com/2010/11/29/julian-assange-and-the-computer-conspiracy-“to-destroy-this-invisible-government”/


    by we are stardust on Thu, 12/02/2010 - 3:39pm

    One of the reasons these "what's the motive" debates get so out of hand is that the rest of you can't really figure out what's going on within the mind of another person with the kind of accuracy and precision that I can.

    Seriously, the Assange debate is a lot like so many of the Obama debates.  Is Obama a compromiser who, deep in his heart, believes as I do?  Is he a coward?  Does he not believe as I do and is acting on his own beliefs?  Is he a Kenyan antiocolonialist?

    It's fun to speculate about the motivations of all these people but all we can really gauge are the effects of their actions.  Concentrating too much on motive often (but not always) leads you right into a conversation cul de sac.  It's also a big part of what Ghengis wrote about in "Blowing Smoke" (don't have a copy?  Julian Assange has three!)  Because, you know, without all of these unfalsifiable theories about motive it's really difficult to spin conspiratorial yarns about people.  Which is why so many conservatives skipped right over "I don't agree with Democrats on tax policy" to "Democrats only advocate the tax policies they do because they want to confiscate all of our property and put us into hard labor on government owned farms, which they are building in Minnesota on land owned by Al Franken."

    Sigh.


    by Michael Maiello on Thu, 12/02/2010 - 3:48pm

    Very well put, destor. It is fun to speculate, and if done in moderation there's often not anything wrong with it, I'd argue, as long as we remember we're only speculating. I think things can get feisty when people pretend to have that deep knowledge and not realize that they're guessing just like everyone else is. Most of us (myself included) would benefit from remembering to stay humble.


    by Atheist (not verified) on Thu, 12/02/2010 - 3:59pm

    Stay Humble, My Friends. (urp)


    by Donal on Thu, 12/02/2010 - 4:37pm

    I humbly apologize for all past and future wrongdoings.  Can I haz a beer?

     


    by LisB on Thu, 12/02/2010 - 7:48pm

    Sure, just belly up to the bar.


    by Donal on Thu, 12/02/2010 - 7:51pm

    I've totally lost track about you, Assange and Wikileaks.  But one thing I am sure of:

    The governments (especially ours, and pressuring Sweden) got crazy to Get Him when he said he's about to release documents on BoA.  There is nothing more sancrosanct than protecting Big Banking, and that includes alleged low-level disses of nations, including OURS. 

    I hope to hell he's right, and that the info will be forwarded to the newspapers even if he's in custody, or dead. 


    by we are stardust on Thu, 12/02/2010 - 10:02pm

    Right, BofA has connections back in the old country. Actually I like the idea of the leaks enough to get queasy thinking that they might not have happened. If, for example, a neocon like Palin is actually elected, wouldn't we be begging for wiki-leaks? 


    by Oxy Mora on Thu, 12/02/2010 - 11:48pm