No thread about the new WIKILEAKS United States diplomatic cables leak?

[MOBIUS]

[SpencerH]

Here's some interesting thoughts. The wiki leaks may be a new way for certain un-named govt agencies to spread disinformation to discredit other govts. Alternatively, wouldnt it be fairly easy ( and not stupid) for the wiki-types to include a few "cables" that promoted their aims!

[Wezil]

Nominate Julian Assange for TIME person of the year

He has a healthy lead.

Speaking of healthy, I expect he will end up on more than a couple Dead Pool lists next year.

[DaShi]

http://www.aolnews.com/world/article/sex-by-surprise-at-heart-of-assange-criminal-probe/19741444

'Sex by Surprise' at Heart of Assange Criminal Probe

(Dec. 2) -- The international manhunt for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in a sex-crime investigation in Sweden apparently stems from a condom malfunction.

Assange's London attorney, Mark Stephens, told AOL News today that Swedish prosecutors told him that Assange is wanted not for allegations of rape, as previously reported, but for something called "sex by surprise," which he said involves a fine of 5,000 kronor or about $715.

Assange is the subject of an international manhunt, as a result of Interpol issuing a "red notice," a warrant indicating the person should be arrested with a view to extradition.

"We don't even know what 'sex by surprise' even means, and they haven't told us," Stephens said, just hours after Sweden's Supreme Court rejected Assange's bid to prevent an arrest order from being issued against him on allegations of sex crimes.

"Whatever 'sex by surprise' is, it's only a offense in Sweden -- not in the U.K. or the U.S. or even Ibiza," Stephens said. "I feel as if I'm in a surreal Swedish movie being threatened by bizarre trolls. The prosecutor has not asked to see Julian, never asked to interview him, and he hasn't been charged with anything. He's been told he's wanted for questioning, but he doesn't know the nature of the allegations against him."

The strange tale of Assange's brief flings with two Swedish women during a three-day period in mid-August -- and decisions by three different prosecutors to first dismiss rape allegations made by the women and then re-open the case -- has more twists, turns and conspiracy theories than any of Stieg Larsson's best-sellers.

True, one of Assange's accusers sounds tailor-made for those who think Assange is being set up in Sweden by dark CIA-backed operatives who want him smeared or silenced for his document dumping with WikiLeaks. She's a 31-year-old blond academic and member of the Social Democratic Party who's known for her radical feminist views, once wrote a treatise on how to take revenge against men and was once thrown out of Cuba for subversive activities.

But others say Assange, who denies any wrongdoing and says the sex was consensual, may have just run afoul of Sweden's unusual rape laws, which are considered pro-feminist because of the consideration given issues of consent when it comes to sexual activity -- including even the issue of whether a condom was used.

In fact, the current prosecutor, Marianne Ny, who re-opened the case against Assange, has been active in the proposed reforms of Swedish rape laws that would, if passed, involve an investigation of whether an imbalance in power between two people could void one person's insistence that the sex was consensual.

Swedish tabloids and the country's blogosphere have been rife since August with stories and speculation about Assange's accusers, the flip-flopping prosecutors and just what, if any, crime was committed by Assange during sex with the two women.

"He's innocent, that I can tell you," Bjorn Hurtig, Assange's Stockholm-based lawyer, told AOL News today. Hurtig later issued a statement saying the international arrest warrant for Assange is based on "exaggerated grounds."

Assange arrived in Sweden on Aug. 11 to speak at a weekend seminar sponsored by the Social Democratic Party and arranged to stay at a Stockholm apartment belonging to the event organizer, a member of the branch of the party who would become one of Assange's two accusers.

According to a police report obtained by the Daily Mail in August, she and Assange had sex, and at some point the condom broke. While she was apparently not happy about the condom breaking, the two were seen the next day at the seminar, and nothing appeared amiss.

Another woman at the seminar, a 27-year-old art photographer, said in her police statement that she'd come to hear Assange's lecture because of her fascination with him and his work. She can be seen in video footage on the Internet sitting in the front row during Assange's lecture, wearing a pink sweater and snapping pictures of him.

According to the police report, the woman managed to get an invitation to go out for lunch with Assange and his entourage after the seminar. They spent time together before he went back to stay at the event organizer's apartment.

Two days later, on Aug. 16, they reconnected by phone and the woman invited him to her apartment, more than 40 miles outside Stockholm. She paid for the ticket since Assange apparently had no cash and doesn't like to use credit cards because they could be traced.

She complained in her police statement that during the train ride to her hometown, "he paid more attention to his computer rather than me." She also said that by the time they arrived at her apartment, "the passion and excitement seemed to have disappeared."

The woman and Assange also reportedly had sex. According to the Daily Mail account, Assange did not use a condom at least one time during their sexual activity. The New York Times today quoted accounts given by the women to police and friends as saying Assange "did not comply with her appeals to stop when (the condom) was no longer in use."

According to the Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet, the photographer contacted the other woman two days after her assignation with Assange, and the two apparently had a conversation in which it became clear they had both had sex with Assange. The photographer was worried about having had unprotected sex and decided she wanted to go to the police.

The other woman accompanied her to the police station on Aug. 20 just to support her but then told the investigating officer on duty that she, too, had had sex with Assange, Aftonbladet reported.

Based on what was said to police, the on-call prosecutor, Marie Kjellstrand, decided to issue an arrest warrant on charges of rape and molestation, and the next day the story hit the Swedish paper Expressen and newspapers all over the world.

Kjellstrand's decision was overruled the following day by a higher-level prosecutor, Eva Finne, who withdrew the arrest warrant and said she did not see any evidence for rape allegations.

Then, on Sept. 1, a third prosecutor, Ny, re-opened the rape investigation, implying that she had new information in the case.

On Nov. 18, Swedish judicial officials approved a prosecutorial request that Assange be detained for questioning for alleged sex crimes, and on Nov. 30 Interpol issued a "red notice" against Assange for alleged sex crimes in Sweden. Despite what has happened, the woman who organized the event and had Assange stay at her apartment told Aftonbladet that she never intended that Assange be charged with rape.

"It is quite wrong that we were afraid of him. He is not violent, and I do not feel threatened by him," she told the newspaper in an interview that did not identify her by name. "The responsibility for what happened to me and the other girl lies with a man who had attitude problems with women."

When the second accuser was reached on her mobile phone today by AOL News, she said simply, "I have nothing to say on the matter."

Stephens, Assange's lawyer, said that even though British police know Assange's whereabouts -- reportedly in southeastern England -- they have not yet arrested him because of the inadequacy of the arrest warrants issued by Sweden.

"The Swedes couldn't even produce another warrant today that was valid," Stephens told AOL News. "The police here sent it back."

Just made me think of this:

[Asher]

Why does the US keep insisting on embarrassing itself?

The leaks are already out, and now they wish to demonstrate for the world how little they value freedom of speech in the 21st century?

http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-20025082-281.html

They're eyeing charging Assange for publishing the leaks, because they don't define him as a journalist. Are they ****ing serious?

Truly sad.

[Asher]

HC's favourite politician strikes again also:

Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, the head of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, would remove the media's First Amendment shield completely. In an interview yesterday on Fox News, he suggested that news organizations should be prosecuted as well:

To me New York Times has committed at least an act of bad citizenship. And whether they've committed a crime, I think that bears very intensive inquiry by the Justice Department. And, again, why do you prosecute crimes? Because if you don't, well, first you do because that's what our system of justice requires. Second, if you don't prosecute people who commit crimes, others are going to do it soon and again. And I'm afraid that's what's going to happen here.

Making it a crime to report on things the State doesn't want public?

Where have I heard that before?

[giblets]

Why does the US keep insisting on embarrassing itself?

The leaks are already out, and now they wish to demonstrate for the world how little they value freedom of speech in the 21st century?

http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-20025082-281.html

They're eyeing charging Assange for publishing the leaks, because they don't define him as a journalist. Are they ****ing serious?

Truly sad.

[Asher]

I love this cable: http://wikileaks.ch/cable/2008/01/08OTTAWA136.html

Is this what our governments are up to all day?

[germanos]

Here's some interesting thoughts. The wiki leaks may be a new way for certain un-named govt agencies to spread disinformation to discredit other govts.

Like spreading the news that foreign powers can launch WMD within 15 minutes in order to invade said country?

Alternatively, wouldnt it be fairly easy ( and not stupid) for the wiki-types to include a few "cables" that promoted their aims!

That would be very easy but very stupid. And I think it is precisely why the cables are published at such a slow speed AND in collaboration with major news-agencies

[OneFootInTheGrave]

I love this cable: http://wikileaks.ch/cable/2008/01/08OTTAWA136.html

Is this what our governments are up to all day?

this is worth quoting

Summary: The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)
has long gone to great pains to highlight the distinction
between Americans and Canadians in its programming, generally
at our expense. However, the level of anti-American melodrama
has been given a huge boost in the current television season
as a number of programs offer Canadian viewers their fill of
nefarious American officials carrying out equally nefarious
deeds in Canada while Canadian officials either oppose them
or fall trying.

what should the Brits say about thier Hollywood treatment than???

[SpencerH]

Like spreading the news that foreign powers can launch WMD within 15 minutes in order to invade said country?

Actually, what brought this up was the very embarrassing leaks that have emerged regarding the Saudi's previously unstated position for dealing with Iran.

That would be very easy but very stupid. And I think it is precisely why the cables are published at such a slow speed AND in collaboration with major news-agencies

Stupid, how so? Wikileaks have already shown on a number of occasions their willingness to falsify material posted on their website. Adding a few well designed bogus cables (amongst the thousands of real cables) that help to destabilize american foreign relations with other countries would be a coup for the nutjobs that post wikileaks.

[germanos]

Wikileaks have already shown on a number of occasions their willingness to falsify material posted on their website.

Please elaborate.

At the moment it seems that the USofA is more then capable to destabilize their foreign relations by the **** they spit on their allies. The Golden Shower that is WikiLeaks is that they don't even have to make things up. Has any of the stuff officially been denied BTW?

[Wezil]

Stupid, how so? Wikileaks have already shown on a number of occasions their willingness to falsify material posted on their website.

Yeah, you need to source this.

[Asher]

Why does he need it? The guy's always been crazy, just ignore what he says by default. Only under extenuating circumstances with irrefutable mounds of evidence are his posts to be taken seriously.

This has never happened since Feb 2002.

[Wezil]

It's only fair to allow the opportunity.