On Thu, Jun 25, 2020 at 03:53:01PM -0400, John Young wrote:
Assange will be sacrificed and discarded by journalists once no longer useful. This is a long-standing practice to assure official protection and privilege. Assange once advocated this warning but was eventully coopted by journalists who joined his team and pushed the outreach to duplicitous journalism.
Braying about threat to journalism by Assange's prosecution is a deception op conducted in cooperation with authorities. Snowden's promoters have admitted consulting with USG on what to publish, what to redact, what to withhold. Barton Gellman describes his following this CYA standard procedure in Dark Mirror.
WikiLeaks burned sources with loose security, incoherent management, Julian's vanity and opportunism, thinking he could use cohorts for his purpose without penalty. The indictment outlines the parties he enlisted, quite a few likely to have decided to cooperate, like Sabu, the "Teenager," maybe Appelbaum, others pseudonymed.
Those he has manipulated will turn against him under pressure from prosecutors against them, their families and friends. Same happened to Manning, Swartz, kirakou, Hammond, long list of others.
Snowden will eventually be handed over to USG by those he came to trust the most. Trust wears thin over time and goosed by planted suspicions and doubts, ambition, need for income. And fans are notoriously fickle, don't give a shit after the excitement wanes, smears are spread, bots and media countermesures are unleashed, rewards are offered like Greenwald's "irresistables" undergirding The Intercept.
And there is always the AP option for terminating JA. Treachery of supporters is too.
Much true here. True men of principle do not suffer greatly for vainglorious ends. Though some may get caught up in the superficial, we should feel sorry for them on that count, whilst at the same time upholding principles worthy. Manning may have procured her relief from her "double jeopardy" with a (temp) non-disclosure, yet she remains vigilant to a tee in not "being a dog and knifing Assange" for her own physical freedom - the loyalty of a champion, and for the right foundation of righteous principle, so a huge and gracious -thank you- to Manning! Assange had things to learn on his journey it appears - are any of us exempt from such? Let's not shoot the messenger. Let's take a leaf from Manning's book of grace and loyalty - if we asked her, would she hesitate to say "punch up, not down" ? Assange was part of a team, and as incoherent and flawed as it may have been, that team achieved massive wins - never forget that the results, from a broader perspective have shaken the foundations of empire, with its relentless revenge mission against Assange still in full swing to this day after so many years. If as you say, Assange 'has manipulated' people on his Wikileaks journey, just how many more years would -you- keep him locked up in Maxi, how many more years from now (of Assange in jail), depriving his children of their father, do you personally say that Assange ought be kept in the slammer in order to mete out sufficient "justic" in your mind? This is a serious and real question to you John (no matter that we are not the judiciary prosecuting him) - what be your position on the actual pennance Assange, as you imply, ought pay? Yes there are always many options - perhaps we can help to spread the word of caution, of loyalty, remind folks that ultimate dignity is that in our own mirrored eyes, before our maker and with none between ...