[matt4077]

And I can't understand how so many people stay loyal to a guy who just wasted seven years of his life in a self-imposed prison with absolutely no upside except delaying whatever awaits him now.

Or how many will, when given a choice between:

(a) a wild conspiracies theories about a totally-average Swedish woman being paid by the CIA to make up some not even that damning rape charges, then asks him for an $20/5min STD test in exchange for dropping the charges, knowing too well that Assange will be stupid enough to refuse, so as to enable execution of a convoluted three-country extradition plan when they could just as well wait for Assange to travel to whatever country has the extradition treaty they liked best

or (b): guy with a history of being egotistical, who rarely managed to work with anybody, and who has a history of ignoring the house rules on hygiene (cf cat) thought nothing of discreetly trying again without a condom

...choose the former for no reason but political or personal sympathy.

[tingol]

You are delusional. You talk about him like he's your creepy neighbor from the street. This guy messed with dangerous people for the sake of truth. He is being prosecuted by the most powerful country in the world with by far the most reach outside its own borders. All his trouble began after he leaked US butchery in Iraq.

You think his self-imposed exile is an egotistical act instead of what it really is: Step outside and you're gone. I would really like to see what your actions would be in this situation. But you don't seem the type to risk your own life for the sake of others knowing the truth.

But if you think your option (b) of him being creepy is the one that makes more sense even after the fact that the woman has proven ties with the CIA than I feel sorry for you and our society because that represents the death of what I think is one of the most important pillars of modern civilization: freedom of press.

[matt4077]

The woman doesn't have "proven ties with the CIA".

According to a now-deleted article by some third-rate conspiracy theorist, she at some point during a foreign exchange in Cuba worked with (not for) a feminist organisation there, the leader of which was alleged to have ties to the CIA.

[tingol]

I'll reply here because I can't edit the comment anymore. You are correct and I retract the "proven" part, it was poor investigating on my part. On the other hand, he isn't proven guilty either and your "he is creepy" comment is still a dumb argument to make by an adult.

[ggm]

All his trouble began after he leaked US butchery in Iraq

Yes, except for the troubles he brought on his own head, which don't relate to Iraq but do relate to his extremely asocial narcissistic behaviours.

His original hacking was done because he believed NASA was hiding war work (he hacked the Australian academic network seeking a path into NASA via DECnet) and predates the war in Iraq by a decade or more.

[raxxorrax]

The first thing is request from someone leaking information for public interest, is perfect social behavior. Makes sense.

edit: Any yes, Iraq was a crime.

[ggm]

The perfect is the enemy of the good enough, or J PowerPoint Morgan's epithet: i dont want it perfect I want it by Thursday.

Assange didn't have to be perfect but the trail of wreckage behind him of past collaborators and friends speaks volumes.

[raxxorrax]

Ah, the figurative wreckage. Almost as real as the wreckage in the middle east.

I don't like Assanges personality and I think it has many, many flaws. But that isn't of interest. The documents are actually public now, I would suggest to give them a read.

[SmellyGeekBoy]

> You are delusional

>...the woman has proven ties with the CIA...

Pot, meet kettle.

[CathedralBorrow]

Can you demonstrate those "proven ties with the CIA"?

[spaced-out]

>This guy messed with dangerous people for the sake of truth.

This guy colluded with racist sleeze-bags like Sean Hannity and Donald Trump Jr. to bring fascism back to the mainstream. Whatever fate awaits him is more than he deserves.

[antidesitter]

Can you explain what you mean? Sounds like hot air.

[yjftsjthsd-h]

Sorry, "creepy" is a damming accusation now? That's either a poor euphemism, or a really poor accusation.

[ggm]

No, it's ad hom. The fact he's creepy is strictly speaking irrelevant, except some of us think non consensual sex without a condom with a sleeping woman is bad. Sufficient enough to be decidedly mixed about his subsequent behaviours. And many ex Wikileaks participants say he is a narcissistic ass. Which makes it very hard to feel entirely sad his self imposed state in the embassy is all the USA's fault. Because it he'd kept his dick under control none of this would have happened.

What happens now is very sad. He is facing a pretty dire state of affairs.

[icebraining]

That's a false choice. There's, for example,

(c) he did actually sexually abuse women, and that's being used to get him into custody and facilitate his illegal extradition to the US.

[marcosdumay]

> just wasted seven years of his life in a self-imposed prison with absolutely no upside except delaying whatever awaits him now.

Well, makes one wonder what kind of thing he was trying to delay.