Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

Thomas Jefferson said when the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.

I don't think the US government is afraid of its people - I wish they were.

*quality

Awarding dag with one star point for this contribution to VideoSift - declared quality by eric3579.

I agree with you completely, @dag. Whether it's character assassination or he truly is a fame whoring ass, it doesn't matter to me one bit. He's a champion for the truth in my eyes and that is what's important to me.

I think it's laughable that the same people who constantly bitch and moan about corruption in our government are the first to rush to its defense when documents and video are released highlighting said corruption. Like damaged children who rush to defend their abusive parents. Or maybe it's jealousy; because they weren't the ones who were strong enough to expose it.

David Cross nailed the hypocrisy on the head.

The charge of sexual impropriety reeks of an intelligence attempt at character assassination. I fear and despise the government here but the apathy is what scares me even more....Can;t stand to live around the masses who sould give a fiddler's fuck about anything but their entertainment-minus-information robot-think.

Assange fucked-up because he's fighting a machine whose governor has been removed from the flywheel...that machine embedded in the side of a granite mountain and thought information flowing freely would somehow wake a few peeps up to the gravity of its size, scope, players, etc. He's one dude, man. He should have figured that his life would be a pain in the ass after the first trickle fell from his tap. Now, he will remain most likely, vilified and estranged from participation in the game. Not a smart move...BOLD, but not to wise.

Then there's the matter of leaking information without the need-to-know to any and all-comers: Pretty shitty of you Julian, even though your intentions were seemingly noble. To departmentalize without permission well, back to the not-too-bright scenario....Dude?? Did you think that a bunch of "Talking loud and saying nothingers" having your back in internet forums could defeat or sway the masses who devour scat from the Monster Media?? Poor choice of battle plans mister, read Art o' War n try to get the gyst!!

>> ^dag:

Thomas Jefferson said when the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.
I don't think the US government is afraid of its people - I wish they were.
I think there's more to the dysfunction in American government than the balance of fear.


"Government" is not a person. Our government is comprised of individuals, every one of them a human being (with the exception of two androids and four pod people). I think they DO fear us, which is why they're so prone to pandering. Worse, though, is that WE are our government. By and large, WE put these people there.
I think one of the biggest problems we have is the two-party system, an unfortunate inevitability of the First Past the Post voting system.
One thing the FPtP video doesn't really mention is what happens once the parties have established their dominance - indoctrination. We're encouraged to side with Republicans or Democrats, and once we've done that, over time we're inclined to start buying into the entire party platform. You can't be anti-abortion and pro-gay-rights. We immediately jump to the defense of any party tenet attacked by our "misguided" opposition. Minor differences of opinion become sacred cows. Perhaps this is a natural herd mentality, a defense mechanism against marginalization, or avoidance of peer conflict.
Whatever the causes, the outcome is gridlock and resentment. Nothing gets done because compromise is weakness. Candidates are only able to rise to power by adhering to the party line.
So I begin my post suggesting that government is individuals, and end by suggesting that individuals cede their power to the parties.
The system is broken. Checks and balances only function when sufficient individual agency is involved.

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

http://videosift.com/video/How-Could-Assange-Escape-the-Ecuadorian-Embassy

Well, he should be properly questioned for whatever he did/did not do. I don't think there's any doubt there. I get the heebeejeebees when they refuse to question him in the Equadorian embassy, and insist he must be extradited. That's sorta where it starts to smell fishy. If they question him and he is found guilty in the end, THEN they should totally extradite him.

His works with wikileaks doesn't absolve him of crimes.

He should, however, in now way be extradited to the US for instance, where he would likely receive a Bradley Manning and be detained until he breaks from it.

While I'm sure he's got plenty to fear from the U.S there is the issue of the allegations from the two women in Sweden.

Here's an interesting piece, updated to the 16/8/12 from a legal perspective. The final line might give you a taste of the contents;

[edit, here's the link!]
http://ffgqc.wordpress.com/2012/06/20/julian-the-asylum-seeker/

" If the Americans, the Swedes and the British are engaged in a sinister plot to deny him his rights, by subverting proper legal processes, then the founder of Wikileaks has a duty to tell us, in detail, what is going on and what is being done in our name."

>> ^gwiz665:

Well, he should be properly questioned for whatever he did/did not do. I don't think there's any doubt there. I get the heebeejeebees when they refuse to question him in the Equadorian embassy, and insist he must be extradited. That's sorta where it starts to smell fishy. If they question him and he is found guilty in the end, THEN they should totally extradite him.
His works with wikileaks doesn't absolve him of crimes.
He should, however, in now way be extradited to the US for instance, where he would likely receive a Bradley Manning and be detained until he breaks from it.


If I was Manning I'd be inclined to go down the hunger strike route. How else can he protest his incarceration? And I'm not sure I'd want to cope with the treatment he receives each day.

I'm working on it.