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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

speedyboris Since: Feb, 2010
#277276: Apr 11th 2019 at 8:36:48 AM

The right is celebrating his arrest for two reasons: 1) They are using the "Trump did what Obama couldn't do" excuse, and 2) They are convinced Assange will spill to interrogators "proof" that Hillary, Obama, and the DNC conspired to take down Trump. No joke. There are some who are convinced it's imminent that Obama and Hillary are going to Gitmo.

Edited by speedyboris on Apr 11th 2019 at 10:40:53 AM

AzurePaladin She/Her Pronouns from Forest of Magic Since: Apr, 2018 Relationship Status: Mu
She/Her Pronouns
#277277: Apr 11th 2019 at 8:54:06 AM

So, re the Assange thing:

BBC is reporting that apparently Australia gave him a passport to try to protect him? Does anyone know why?

Also, the British government said they will not extradite him to anywhere he would be tortured or killed, so Sweden is probably more likely than the USA at this point.

Having said that: FINALLY. Jesus, he should have been locked up for rape long ago. Well, now maybe he'll face justice.

Edit: Hold on, the USA indicted him for AIDING CHELSEA MANNING!? SERIOUSLY!? THAT's the reason they want to go with!?

Edited by AzurePaladin on Apr 11th 2019 at 12:08:39 PM

The awful things he says and does are burned into our cultural consciousness like a CRT display left on the same picture too long. -Fighteer
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#277278: Apr 11th 2019 at 9:17:34 AM

Apparently that is just the initial charge (with a max sentence of 5 years), there are likely more coming, at least according to CNN's analyst(s).

The chances of him being executed are minimal, unless it comes out that he somehow committed capital murder within US jurisdiction.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#277279: Apr 11th 2019 at 9:19:18 AM

Honestly, I never understood what anyone saw in this asshole in the first place.

Disgusted, but not surprised
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#277280: Apr 11th 2019 at 9:22:35 AM

He said bad things about Democrats. What more does there need to be?

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#277281: Apr 11th 2019 at 9:24:00 AM

More specifically, he said bad things about Hillary Clinton.

Disgusted, but not surprised
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#277282: Apr 11th 2019 at 9:26:04 AM

He "fought the power" back in the day. Of course, he may have been a Russian asset even during the early years.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
AzurePaladin She/Her Pronouns from Forest of Magic Since: Apr, 2018 Relationship Status: Mu
She/Her Pronouns
#277283: Apr 11th 2019 at 9:33:32 AM

Apparently Avenatti has been indicted now? What a day.

The awful things he says and does are burned into our cultural consciousness like a CRT display left on the same picture too long. -Fighteer
TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#277284: Apr 11th 2019 at 9:54:44 AM

Avenatti? Oh no, let me play my tiny violin! That poor counterproductive bastard whose fame-whoring helped discredit the Mueller Investigation in the eyes of the public.

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
AzurePaladin She/Her Pronouns from Forest of Magic Since: Apr, 2018 Relationship Status: Mu
She/Her Pronouns
#277285: Apr 11th 2019 at 10:00:51 AM

Truly, we have lost so much.

Yeah, among the indictments were him defrauding a bunch of his clients, as well as perjury and short-changing the IRS. And there were 36 counts total.

So, he's in rather serious trouble now. Maybe he'll get his just deserts too.

Edit: Also, don't forget that he did things like filing cases without his clients' permission - something that Story Daniels didn't approve of when he represented her for a while.

Edited by AzurePaladin on Apr 11th 2019 at 1:10:31 PM

The awful things he says and does are burned into our cultural consciousness like a CRT display left on the same picture too long. -Fighteer
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#277286: Apr 11th 2019 at 10:05:43 AM

What Assange exposed, or if you want to be better, what Chelsea Manning exposed was a massive network of corruption, bribes, payoffs, cover-ups, and criminal activity by the US State Department. Furthermore, the people who wanted to arrest him and dump him in a whole were doing so because he was acting as a journalist. The fact he's a piece of shit is immaterial to why people went after him. They were going after him well before any actions he took were known to be on behalf of Russia.

And Britain promised they wouldn't extradite him to the USA....and are doing so anyway.

Edited by CharlesPhipps on Apr 11th 2019 at 10:06:04 AM

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#277287: Apr 11th 2019 at 10:44:40 AM

What Assange exposed, or if you want to be better, what Chelsea Manning exposed was a massive network of corruption, bribes, payoffs, cover-ups, and criminal activity by the US State Department. Furthermore, the people who wanted to arrest him and dump him in a whole were doing so because he was acting as a journalist. The fact he's a piece of shit is immaterial to why people went after him. They were going after him well before any actions he took were known to be on behalf of Russia.

This doesn't make Assange any less of a probable rapist who helped the Russians.

"They have bad intentions too!" has never been and is not an acceptable defense.

Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Apr 11th 2019 at 10:44:58 AM

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
Soban Since: Aug, 2009 Relationship Status: 700 wives and 300 concubines
#277288: Apr 11th 2019 at 10:57:48 AM

I went to lunch with my sister who also voted against Trump and Clinton, and I'd consider to be a step or two to the right of me brought up Amy Klobuchar at lunch today in a positive way. What do you think about her?

kkhohoho (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#277289: Apr 11th 2019 at 11:04:32 AM

[up]She throws staplers and binders at her employees. What does that tell you?

wisewillow She/her Since: May, 2011
She/her
#277290: Apr 11th 2019 at 11:09:36 AM

I generally don’t trust former prosecutors, her treatment of her staff is appalling, and she doesn’t offer anything unique or notable on policy.

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#277291: Apr 11th 2019 at 11:12:03 AM

Klobuchar has a reputation for being aggressive towards her office staff, but while that may mark her as having a problematic temperament as an employer, it doesn't say anything about her qualifications for political office.

I'm still waiting for the Democratic field to mature before I start leaning towards any particular candidate. I can't recall offhand anything that Klobuchar has said that seemed disqualifying.

Edited by Fighteer on Apr 11th 2019 at 2:12:41 PM

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#277292: Apr 11th 2019 at 11:12:41 AM

Klobuchar's main offers are a) that she's the only candidate who has staked out a moderate position and b) judging by the percentages of her reelection wins in Minnesota she is probably the most electable candidate, if you judge electability by one's past election performance and the representativeness thereof.

For the record, she along with Harris and Gillibrand are my favourite candidates, or would be if I had a vote.

Edited by SeptimusHeap on Apr 11th 2019 at 8:14:36 PM

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#277293: Apr 11th 2019 at 11:14:58 AM

Personally, I define populism in opposition to institutionalism - that is, the idea that the current will of the people should supersede and tear down existing norms, institutions and power structures. By that definition, it's not good or bad (Elizabeth Warren qualifies, for example) but it's vulnerable to some well-known pitfalls: big ideas without a concrete plan for funding them, the fact that it's a lot easier to be against something than for something, and an occasional disregard for the law of gravity.

wisewillow She/her Since: May, 2011
She/her
#277294: Apr 11th 2019 at 11:18:19 AM

[up][up][up] I don’t think shitty bosses who abuse their employees should be given more power. And being POTUS is an incredible amount of power.

sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#277295: Apr 11th 2019 at 11:20:29 AM

If nothing else, we're already getting a good example of why we wouldn't want a Bad Boss in the White House.


Less newsworthy and more "hmm, interesting"

Ron Burkle, Billionaire Investor, Is Said to Be in Talks to Buy National Enquirer – Mr. Burkle, a supermarket magnate with ties to President Bill Clinton, has emerged as a suitor for a supermarket tabloid linked to President Trump, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/11/business/dealbook/national-enquirer-ron-burkle.html

Edited by sgamer82 on Apr 11th 2019 at 12:28:22 PM

TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#277296: Apr 11th 2019 at 11:56:06 AM

I went to lunch with my sister who also voted against Trump and Clinton, and I'd consider to be a step or two to the right of me brought up Amy Klobuchar at lunch today in a positive way. What do you think about her?

She throws staplers and binders at her employees. What does that tell you?

My takeaway from this is that right-leaning people approve of employers mistreating their staff.

...

Yeah, that checks out.

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#277297: Apr 11th 2019 at 12:05:22 PM

This doesn't make Assange any less of a probable rapist who helped the Russians.

I believe Assange should serve time for what he did in Sweden. But he's not being prosecuted for that and what he is being prosecuted for will be used to justify torturing journalists.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
LeGarcon Blowout soon fellow Stalker from Skadovsk Since: Aug, 2013 Relationship Status: Gay for Big Boss
Blowout soon fellow Stalker
#277298: Apr 11th 2019 at 12:06:22 PM

He's not a journalist or a civilian, he's an enemy agent.

Oh really when?
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#277299: Apr 11th 2019 at 12:10:12 PM

Doesn't make a damn bit of difference because it will be used to torture leakers. Because, it already is (see Manning).

And will be used to torture and imprison journalists.

He is being tried for releasing documents that should have been released.

Edited by CharlesPhipps on Apr 11th 2019 at 12:10:35 PM

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
wisewillow She/her Since: May, 2011
She/her
#277300: Apr 11th 2019 at 12:13:02 PM

Yeah, this has the potential to set dangerous anti-journalism precedent. We need a strong free press and whistleblowers, now more than ever.

Edited by wisewillow on Apr 11th 2019 at 12:13:14 PM


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