Memorandum for: The US Embassies of Ecuador and the United Kingdom, and the U.S. State Department
From: Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity
Subject: Humanitarian Asylum for Julian Assange
For six years, WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange has been effectively imprisoned without charges at Ecuador’s London embassy. In that time, two international courts and dozens of respected legal and human rights organizations have decried actions of the UK, US and Swedish governments that confine the journalist in what now amounts to torturous isolation, deprived of space, sunlight, visitors, communication with the outside and necessary medical care.
The catalyst was an arcane effort by the Swedish government to extradite Assange for questioning about claims of sexual improprieties.1 The UK government subsequently arrested Assange and released him on bail.2 Ecuador granted Assange asylum at its embassy based on concerns he could be extradited to the US where he would not receive a fair trial and could receive a death sentence.3 (Former Obama DOJ spokesperson Matthew Miller has acknowledged that US officials intended to arrest Julian Assange but decided against it because of the expected impacts on press freedom.)4
The UK government threatens to arrest Assange if he leaves the embassy for “not surrendering at bail” and refuses to rule out extradition to the US.5 Under a new president, Ecuador has cut off Assange’s communications with the outside world.
Experts Criticize Treatment of Assange
In June, 2014, The National Lawyers Guild and 59 human rights and legal organizations petitioned the United Nations to act on violations of Assange’s “fundamental human rights.” In addition, “33 union, human rights, media and civil society organizations” petitioned the Human Rights Commission in Geneva on behalf of freedom for Assange. Reports submitted by the groups identified “numerous systematic deficiencies in Swedish pre-trial procedures like the routine placement of persons who have not been charged with any crime in indefinite, isolated, or unexplained pre-charge detention.”6
In February 2016, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) concluded that Assange’s situation constitutes “arbitrary detention” and violates both the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.7 Assange’s Swedish lawyer, Per Samuelson, told The Guardian, 4 Feb 2016, “If he is regarded as detained, that means he has served his time, so I see no other option for Sweden but to close the case.”8
Another year would pass, however, before Sweden dropped its investigation, after finally consenting to interview Assange at the embassy.9 Recently obtained emails show that Sweden would have dropped the case years earlier but for pressure from UK authorities.10 In summary, Assange has been confined for six years over allegations that never resulted in charges, much less a criminal conviction.
On July 12, 2018, the Organization of American States’ (OAS) Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) sent out a ruling11 that was virtually unnoticed by US news media. The IACHR found “it is the duty of nations to allow for the passage of successful asylum seekers from embassies to the mainland territory of the state that has granted an individual asylum.”
For Julian Assange, this would mean that, according to the Court’s decision, Britain has a legal obligation to allow Julian Assange to exit the Ecuadorian Embassy in London in peace and allow for his safe transit to an airport from which he would be able to fly to Ecuador, the country that has granted Assange asylum and where he now also holds formal citizenship12
“[I]t is imperative,” the ruling states, “that Assange is allowed to make the safe passage to Ecuador demanded by the Court as his physical and mental health conditions have been described as deteriorating rapidly. If, nevertheless, UK authorities insist on arresting Assange, “the British government will have wantonly failed to uphold Assange’s rights as a legitimate receiver of asylum by Ecuador.”13
The IACHR ruling suggests further that outright abuses occurred when Ecuador removed security assigned for Assange;14 when the UK rejected Ecuador’s request for safe passage of Assange to Ecuador15; and when the US obstructed efforts to end Assange’s virtual imprisonment.16
Mistaken Assumptions Underlie Government Policies
President Trump’s Attorney General Jeff Sessions hinted at a crackdown on the press.17 Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called Wikileaks a “non-state, hostile intelligence service” that is often “abetted by state actors like Russia.”18 Pompeo laments the “hero worship” of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden and suggests harsh measures would prevent future “leaks” of classified information. But, it is government persecution, not the lack of it, that gives truth-tellers hero status. Also, what truly upsets senior intelligence officials is not (frequently condoned) “leaking” but blowing the whistle on government wrongdoing.
Harsh measures do not deter individuals with strong moral convictions from whistleblowing. Instead, these motivate potential whistleblowers to find more creative avenues for disclosure. Edward Snowden, for example, was well aware of the US government’s brutality toward Thomas Drake, who used “official channels” to express concerns about the legality of NSA surveillance activities. Drake’s experience, Snowden says, were his inspiration. “It’s fair to say,” Snowden said, “if there hadn’t been a Thomas Drake, there couldn’t have been an Edward Snowden.”19
Similarly, despite the bullying of Julian Assange, new websites have appeared that draw inspiration from WikiLeaks.20 Should the US take custody of Assange and prosecute him like Drake, they could find success elusive in the opinion of Harvard Law professor Jack Goldsmith.
“The most relevant law, the Espionage Act, is famously overbroad and thus an uncertain basis for prosecution,” observed Goldsmith. “This is one reason the government has never successfully prosecuted a member of the media for soliciting or publishing classified information. Nor has the government ever successfully prosecuted a non-media organization for solicitation or receipt of classified information.”21
“Failing in the effort would make the United States look even more ineffectual than it does as a result of the leaks,” Goldsmith concluded.
A successful prosecution could have worse consequences. With little that distinguishes Wikileaks’ activities from those of mainstream news gatherers22, a dangerous legal precedent would be established. Journalists employed by major newspapers that also published government secrets, including some of the same secrets published by Wikileaks, could be imprisoned by any administration with animosity toward the press. The impacts of prosecuting Assange would ripple around the world as officials in other governments followed the most powerful nation’s example. With no means of holding governments accountable, despotism would proliferate, triggering cascading crises and worldwide disruption.
UN human rights expert Alfred de Zayas observes that “Order depends on the consistent and uniform application of international law.”23
Governments could simply ignore the court directives on Assange’s asylum rights; but that too carries risks, undermining efforts by those countries to support dissidents of their choosing. Potentially, in the future, the diplomatic privileges of UK, US and Ecuadorian diplomats could also come under assault.
A Fork in the Road
Collectively, the governments of Sweden, the UK, the US, Ecuador (recently) and, through its silence, Assange’s home country of Australia have imposed six years of suffering on Assange and possibly life-long damage to his health. With their proxies, they pound Assange with threats, ad hominem attacks and misleading statements. He cannot defend himself because the government of Ecuador terminated his access to communications systems. This may have a temporary effect of confusing the public; but as more legal experts and human rights authorities hazard coming to his defense, the public may recognize these assaults as the desperate flailings of governments that lack credible defenses for their actions.
Public dissatisfaction with governments worldwide is currently high, as evidenced by numerous massive street protests, passages of referendums against centralized power, and wide-spread elections of anti-establishment candidates. Any additional erosion of public support risks a tipping point with unforeseeable consequences. Brutality against Julian Assange, particularly as his health declines, can only increase his stature as a journalist, enshrine his popular global status as a martyr for freedom, and effectively undermine support for his persecutors.
The involved governments have arrived at a fork in the road. They can continue the persecution of Assange, risking catastrophe for diminishing returns. Or, they can let Assange proceed to Ecuador, or home to Australia if it provides suitable guarantees,24 and boost their public standing as self-described supporters of human rights, the rule of law, and a free press.
We the undersigned members of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity urge all governments to honor the OHCHR and IACHR directives with respect to Julian Assange and other asylum seekers.
For the Steering Group, Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS)
William Binney, Technical Director, NSA; co-founder, SIGINT Automation Research Center (ret.)
Richard H. Black, Senator of Virginia, 13th District; Colonel US Army (ret.); Former Chief, Criminal Law Division, Office of the Judge Advocate General, the Pentagon (associate VIPS)
Marshall Carter-Tripp, Foreign Service Officer (ret.) and Division Director, State Department Bureau of Intelligence and Research
Bogdan Dzakovic, former Team Leader of Federal Air Marshals and Red Team, FAA Security (ret.) (associate VIPS)
Philip Giraldi, CIA, Operations Officer (ret.)
Mike Gravel, former Adjutant, top secret control officer, Communications Intelligence Service; special agent of the Counter Intelligence Corps and former United States Senator
Larry C. Johnson, former CIA and State Department Counter Terrorism officer.
Michael S. Kearns, Captain, USAF (ret); Wing Commander, RAAF (ret); Intelligence Officer and Master SERE Instructor
John Kiriakou, Former CIA Counterterrorism Officer and former senior investigator, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Karen Kwiatkowski, former Lt. Col., US Air Force (ret.), at Office of Secretary of Defense watching the manufacture of lies on Iraq, 2001-2003?
Linda Lewis, WMD preparedness policy analyst, USDA (ret.) (associate VIPS)
Edward Loomis, NSA, Cryptologic Computer Scientist (ret.)
Ray McGovern, former US Army infantry/intelligence officer & CIA analyst (ret.)
Elizabeth Murray, Deputy National Intelligence Officer for Near East, CIA and National Intelligence Council (ret.)
Todd E. Pierce, MAJ, US Army Judge Advocate (ret.)
Coleen Rowley, FBI Special Agent and former Minneapolis Division Legal Counsel (ret.)
Kirk Wiebe, former Senior Analyst, SIGINT Automation Research Center, NSA
Sarah G. Wilton, Intelligence Officer, DIA (ret.); Commander, US Naval Reserve (ret.)
Robert Wing, former Foreign Service Officer (associate VIPS)
Ann Wright, Col., US Army (ret.); Foreign Service Officer (resigned)
Endnotes
1 Marchand & Schaus. European Court of Human Rights. 2016. www.ecchr.eu Accessed 2 Aug 2018.
2 BBC News. “Julian Assange in the Ecuadorian embassy: Timeline.” 30 Jul 2018. www.bbc.com Accessed 2 Aug 2018.
3 Wallace, Arturo. “Julian Assange: Why Ecuador is offering asylum.” BBC News, 16 Aug 2012.
4 Greenberg, Andy. “The US Charging Julian Assange Could Put Press Freedom on Trial.” Wired, 20 Apr 2017.
5 The Telegraph. “Arrest warrant for Julian Assange still valid.” 6 Feb 2018
6 National Lawyers Guild. “NLG and Nearly 60 International Organizations Urge UN to Remedy Human Rights Violations in Pre-Charge Detention of Julian Assange.” 19 Jun 2014
7 United Nations. UN News, 5 Feb 2016.
8 Addley, Bowcott, Elgot, Farrell & Crouch. “Julian Assange is in arbitrary detention, UN panel finds.”
The Guardian. 4 Feb 2016
9 BBC News. “Julian Assange in the Ecuadorian embassy: Timeline.” 30 Jul 2018. www.bbc.com Accessed 2 Aug 2018.
10 Bowcott & MacAskill.“Sweden tried to drop Assange extradition in 2013, CPS emails show.” The Guardian,11 Feb 2018.
11 Inter-American Court of Human Right. “Advisory Opinion on the institution of asylum and its recognition as a human right in the inter-american system of protection.” [press release] 12 Jul 2018. http://www.corteidh.or.cr/docs/comunicados/cp_28_18_eng.pdf
12 Garrie, Adam. “Julian Assange Scores Major Legal Victory as Court Orders Safe Passage of Wikileaks Founder Out of Embassy.” EurasiaFuture, 13 Jul 2018.
13 Ibid.
14 “Ecuador orders withdrawal of extra Assange security from embassy in London.” Reuters, 7 May 2018
15 Saul, Heather. “Julian Assange: British Government denies Ecuadorian request for ‘safe passage’ to get Wikileaks founder to a hospital.” The Independent, 15 Oct 2015.
16 Solomon, John. “How Comey Intervened To Kill Wikileaks’ Immunity Deal.” The Hill, 25 Jun 2018.
17 Ainsley, Julia Edwards. “Trump administration goes on attack against leakers, journalists.” Reuters. 4 Aug 2017
18 Milman, Oliver. “Trump CIA director blames ‘worship of Edward Snowden’ for rise in leaks.” The Guardian, 24 June 2017.
19 AJ Plus. “Exclusive: Edward Snowden on the man who inspired his work.” (video) 5 Aug 2015.
20 Reitman, Rainey. “Will the rise of WikiLeaks competitors make whistleblowing resistant to censorship?” Electronic Frontier Foundation. 6 Feb 2011.
21 Goldsmith, Jack. “Why the U.S. shouldn’t try Julian Assange.” Washington Post, 11 Feb 2011.
22 ”Quite simply, our motive is identical to that claimed by the New York Times and The Post — to publish newsworthy content,” Assange wrote in a recent op-ed in The Washington Post. “Consistent with the U.S. Constitution, we publish material that we can confirm to be true irrespective of whether sources came by that truth legally or have the right to release it to the media. And we strive to mitigate legitimate concerns, for example by using redaction to protect the identities of at-risk intelligence agents” (CNN, 21 May 2017).
23 UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. “UN rights expert urges the UK and Sweden to give good example to the world and implement the Assange ruling.” 15 Feb 2016. Retrieved on 1 Aug 2018 from www.ohchr.org.
24 Murdock, Jason. WikiLeaks: Australia has ‘obligation’ to protect Julian Assange, Lawyer says.” Newsweek. 1 Aug 2018.
I am totally disappointed at Australia’s inability to intercede on behalf of Julian Assange. At the next Federal election I hope that Australians will see the need to change this Government, and put in place a more humanitarian and egalitarian regime that brings this country back to the place I hoped it would be when I arrived here in the eary 1970s. Julian Assange should be allowed to return to Australia if he wishes—and we should be putting in place strategies to allow this.
The US has abandoned any pretense of adhering to the Constitution or any rule of law and by the US I mean our elected officials, Deep State, or Shadow Government. Our people for the most part no longer understand the implications as it affects their lives.Naturalized citizens cannot become citizens without pledging to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution and I don’t believe that our Founding Fathers intended that the rights and responsibilities of Naturalized citizens should be more stringent than for those native born, therfore we are all complicit in the dissolution of our nation as a Constitutional Republic. If you want to point your finger at our most destructive institution that brought this about I would say it is our banking system which is privately owned and not answerable to the People or anyone else but creates money out of nothing on which it collects interest on the form of loans which is not used to support the welfare of the people but rather to enslave them and undermine basic decency and legitimacy.
“My own feeling is that there is a great deal of collusion between the Australian, the British and the US governments–meant to close down WikiLeaks completely and/or deliver Julian Assange to the Americans. Recently the Australian foreign minister, Julie Bishop, traveled with senior officials to London and to Washington and raised the whole matter of Julian. But they raised it in a way that didn’t support the idea that a government should represent its citizens. These people listened to the more powerful governments. In Washington they met Mr. Pompeo, who refused to discuss Assange altogether. I think there is collusion which amounts to an attempt to try to do a deal with Assange whereby he might be allowed free passage of return to Australia if he shuts down WikiLeaks. I think that is very, very likely.”
https://consortiumnews.com/2018/08/07/pilger-excoriates-media-on-assange-silence/
This is a welcomed well thought out and organized defense of the rights of Wikileaks Leasder Julian Assange. I applaud the good citizens who have signed the document. The criminals in the US,UK, Sweden and Ecuador who are persecuting Assange should be indicted and conveyed to the Worlds Criminal Court in The Hague to end this criminal action of Assange”s persecution for exposing the vile crimes of his persecutors .
Why is this not happening. Look no farther than USA and UK which are the main roadblocks. Meanwhile Ecuador is trying to cuddle up to the USA or Ecuador is fearful of the wrath of the USA if they do not do as the USA demands.
Julian Assange must be released. He has committed no crime. However his persecutors certainly have commited and continue to commit crimes for every second they hold Assange. Justice for Assange must prevail NOW!
An International Hero is Abused in Your Name.
Do You Care?
Hello Anthony, I care a great deal. The US of ‘Murikkka became the largest outdoor and indoor insane asylum decades ago. To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln some government(s) are “of, for and by EVIL” and will not stop until their ultimate goal is achieved! Making this planet the HELLHOLE with misery and injustice for almost all!!!!!!!
I thoroughly support Julian Assange World domination begins in London with his virtual imprisonment.
The crackdown on whistle blowers is a desperate reaction by governments that have a lot to hide.
President Trump has repeatedly called almost all media outlets but Fox news “Fake News”, and bypassed them to communicate directly to his base about his policies through Twitter. Washington wants exactly to use Assange’s trial as an example to warn its domestic mainstream journalists as well as whistle blowers that the national security is of the utmost concern, the free press is over, surveillance state and big brothers have taken over. Those who do not conform to this new way of life under the dictatorship will suffer severe consequences
So the dirty laundry gets aired, and the reaction stops the exposure. No, what needs to happen is for the government officials to stop doing choosing really poor choices. It is most necessary to think about the all of the ramifications and possibilities from those choices. And this is just where anger/ego come in. It then turns into a session of “just how can we nail this guy” Sanity be Damned! Common Sense is damned!
Julian Assange wants to inform humanity of the truth – with the ultimate goal being to end war and establish peace on Earth.
Donald Trump, Theresa May and Lenin Moreno want to keep humanity uninformed of the truth – with the ultimate goal being to end peace movements and continue war on Earth.
Humanity will now decide.
I am sickened by my countries moral failure to protect the person who is a true libertarian .Thank you for speaking out ,enlightening truth
I feel the same way about my country, Germany, for not having granted asylum to Julian Assange. Thank you, VIPS, for speaking out.
Thank you so much, Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity , for keep us clued in. I believer you are correct in saying, “it is government persecution, not the lack of it, that gives truth-tellers hero status.” Lots of us all around the globe are watching anxiously for Julian’s release. And, yes, both he and Ed Snowden have become “heroes” to millions of us. That in and of itself should give the “authorities” pause to consider their next step.
Watch it, though. If the governors cannot railroad Assange, they’ll attempt to put him on a pedestal of myth creating their own version, thus separating the man from the message. You know, like M:K.
Here’s a recent article from an Australian journalist: How Julian Assange Exposed the Fraudulence of Mainstream Media
BY CAITLIN JOHNSTONE ON AUGUST 3, 2018
Why has Thomas Drake stopped signing these ever since the “leak, not hack” memo?
Good Question!
Pompous Pompeo has as much regard for the truth as POTUSTRUMPET, and to think of him being the top diplomat in the USA is terrifying. The USA should butt out completely. The UK should try a decent policy and fairness for a change after the disgraceful Skripal farce and the bombing of Syria with US/France, and let Assange fly safely to Ecuador.
America, every day, looks more stupid and more fascistic or, perhaps those two words are interchangeable.
Keep in mind, though, that the person directly responsible for the Assange debacle was/is Hillary Clinton. She was the one whose pride was wounded by the exposure Assange gave of her misdemeanors and incompetence. Those emails demonstrated that she was neither equipped nor even interested in State beyond promoting her own politico-financial interests. What we got from her phony “diplomatic” run was a million miles of photo ops at vast expense and a series of wars that we have been losing for ten years. She is known to have an almost psychotic streak of vengeance when crossed like that.
Hillary may have lost because of her brand of being, but she still owns the DNC, Sanders, Warren or not, and the fortune she accumulated via her political antics and the so-called Foundation still buys a lot of voice in DC.
So true. It’s utterly insane.
And don’t forget – Clinton brought us “Russiagate,” the gift that keeps on giving as the 2018 and 2020 elections approach. She has also helped instigate the insane war on alternate media platforms that threaten the Deep State’s hold on “the news.” All of this ties in with getting ahold of Assange to use as an example of what happens to truthtellers and whistleblowers. We are very, very close to losing our country completely to these forces of evil, and no one, including me, knows what to do to stop it.
The US should pardon Assange. He has not been convicted. Drop the charges.
Beautiful work by VIPS that I hope sees the light of day! The fate of the role of free journalism in the support of a non-imperialist, non-hegemonic, pro-cooperative components of the world’s leading nations hangs in the balance. What are the chances they will be able to actually influence the decisions of their governments in making the correct choice for a sane world, not one bent on self destruction? Thank you ladies and gentlemen of VIPS.
He has already been in virtual prison.
I don’t think the US wants to try him because of a good chance he will be found not guilty… freedom of the Press and all the world’s media published his findings. And it would be bad for Trump unless he pardoned Julian if found guilty (guilty of what?). A trial is the only way out of his continued imprisonment in England or Here. “I Love wikileaks” Trump. This article by VIPs is all ammunition for Julian in a trial.
Hello Jim Glover,
I disagree. The US has so many places around the country that it is easy to get the dumbest jurors to railroad a ham sandwich! Take the Florida trial some years ago in which the jurors dressed up in red, wiite or blue clothes. Just what chance did justice ever have in that trial. The judge should have removed that jury as highly prejudicial! This type of abominable behavior needs to be stamped out but it suits the government to crush defendants!!!!!!!!
Very good points. However, Assange, and others like him, is a danger to the status quo worldwide. He would never come to trial because he would “commit suicide” in prison before he ever saw a courtroom.
Jim,
You will notice that the New York Times suddenly believes in freedom of the press since if Julian Assange went on trial, they and the Washington Post would be on trial with him. They are hypocrites first and foremost and support every illegal war the US creates. But since they printed the infamous emails, they now suddenly have “moral” courage so they don’t get censored by the courts themselves.
Thank you Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity for this articulate expression of the illegal inhumanity being placed on Julian and the very dire threat to our cherished and essential freedom of the press. Julian Assange is our ‘twenty first century digital Paul Revere’. We need to share your letter widely and as Ray McGovern has done we should join together via #unity4J to shield and protect both Julian and our free press. The sociopathic elitist powers and the dark intelligence deep state actors need to be restrained, enlightened, or otherwise made impotent by the rest of us who care. We are really one human family and together we can and must strive for a humane peaceful and sustainable future on our one Mother Earth.
Most times I read the comments before posting, but today I posted first and read next. Noticed that your opening line and mine (below) are pretty much the same.
Love your closing line, “We are really one human family and together we can and must strive for a humane peaceful and sustainable future on our one Mother Earth,” and that bears repeating!
Also, meant to add that I do not approve of government secrets! Sure, it’s refreshing to know that men like McGovern and the co-signers as well as Snowden and Manning put integrity before protecting the image of Intelligence agencies. However, our “authority figures” might choose to hold a secret trial for Assange with that oft used excuse, “this trial may touch on sensitive areas and our top priority is to first keep Americans safe!”
Of course, we know just which Americans they protect!
World: This Man Fought To Bring Us Truth! We Must Fight For Him Or Live To Regret Our Failure To Do So. We’ll Lose Feedom Of Speech And Be Fed What Others Want Us To Believe!!!! We’ll Lose Our Only Conduits To Truth. If They Succeed In Bringing Julian Down They’ll More Easily Shut Down The Rest. This Is A Fight WE MUST WIN! PRAY! FIGHT! BELIEVE! NOW
Russia is the only party with the means to protect the brain of Assange. The countries wanting to torture him are supported by international corporations that know how to poison hearts and brains in great detail. I remember being appalled Russia was doing this to people in the times of Solzenitsyn. That practice somehow got implanted outside of Russia and has become a risk to every individual targeted by the unholy alliance between governments and poisonerseven, likely to some of the poisoners themselves.
Mary,
You will notice that the Soviet era has long been gone, completely. Yet everytime I turn on TV, people are saying “Soviet” as if that awful time still exists with all the murder, torture and mayhem it embodied. Incredible that the US still rags on and on about a none existent “cold war” which simply does not exist except in the propaganda of the US war mongers. I just returned from Russia and realize how lucky Edward Snowden is to live there in peace. The US is sick and getting sicker by the day. So is Israel. Between them, the world may well be destroyed.
The VIPS are smart and always can back up what they print. Thank goodness for people like them. who rely on facts not propaganda.
Julian Assange is being very badly served by his lawyers.
He has been effectively kept in solitary confinement by the Ecuadorian government of Lenin Moreno for over 4 months. They cut of his internet and phone and refuse to allow him any visitors.
He is a citizen of Ecuador and has rights under the Ecuadorian constitution.
As soon as he was cut off from the outside world on 29th March a case should have been brought in the Ecuadorian courts to enforce those rights.
Why no such case has been brought is a mystery, despite direct requests none of Assange’s “lawyers” have even replied.
Your government, which constantly tells you that you are the most free people on Earth, actually hates your freedom and does everything it can to destroy it. When you can see this, you will begin to understand what your government really is.
Mike, because this bears repeating: In reality there is no such thing as a government on this planet. Governments are legal fictions; they do not exist in the real world. “Government” is the *imaginary* garb of people who assert the power to coerce others into doing their will. But governments are no more real than corporations. Trustees of Dartmouth College v. Woodward, 4 Wheat. 518, 636 (1819) (Marshall, C. J.), https://law.resource.org/pub/us/case/reporter/US/17/17.US.518.html. (“A corporation is an artificial being, invisible, intangible, and existing only in contemplation of law.”)
It is misguided to oppose a government because the government does not exist. One must always focus on the people who claim government powers. Being human, they are far more vulnerable than they would have you believe. They are hemmed in and tied in place by such factors as administrative law, the purported government’s table of organization and distribution of powers, turf wars, etc. Illegal acts and omissions can not by definition be acts of government. Hence the citizen — with far more flexibility to act and far more arrows in the quiver — has major advantages over those claiming authority as “government.”
Always keep in mind that your relevant adversaries are not in fact “government” or “corporations.” They are people. And like the proverbial emperor, they wear no real clothing. They sit there in their cubicles, buck naked, awaiting your arrows.
In an increasingly tense time when nations with weapons of mass destruction are led by unstable individuals and undemocratic factions, it is so valuable that a group such as yourselves have chosen to speak out in the name of both humanity and the need for sanity in international relations.
Bravo to the VIPS. All that can be done now is to do some good, as best you can, and then let it go. Even if your message is scorned by those at whom it was aimed, it has led to the thoughtful responses above. Those have meaning. They signify to others that they are not alone.
They’re going to send Assange to prison for life if they can. Meanwhile dirty people like John Brennan are walking free and pushing their evil on TV every day.
They’re going to murder him if they can while the murderers of millions walk free.
The list of offenses against a true freedom of the press is growing. With censorship of movies such as Oliver Stone’s ‘Ukraine on Fire’ and the exposing of Bill Browder in ‘the Magnitsky Act Behind the Scenes’, our eyes cannot see the opinions of the diverse filmmakers on the screen. News huckster Alex Jones suffers as a result of a Facebook and Google crackdown, as one only wonders to who’s next to be silenced. MSM infotainment makes sure not to invite pundits on who may stir the stew in a different direction. Caught by Wikileaks, the DNC illegally tampering with our voting process only gets Russians in trouble, but never mind to who’s behind the screen corrupting our so called democracy. Any criticism of Israel is met with charges of Antisemitism. With all of this, and with the cruel unusual treatment of Julian Assange I think it save to say all freedom of our press is gone.
As we write our comments here there’s more censorship….
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-08-07/crackdown-continues-twitter-suspends-libertarian-accounts-including-ron-paul
I have been suspended 2x recently. I didn’t know what I said that twitter objected to.
nothing controversial about my account. maybe, they were suspended like me, and
they have more interesting reasons for being suspended, in their minds?
You are absolutely right, Joe, although I don’t call it MSM infotainment, I call it MSM propaganda. Watching the Magnitsky Act Behind the Scenes prompted The Agonizing Reappraisal. I thought I was cynical before but after watching that Russian filmmaker set out to make a panegyric about Magnitsky only to discover that nothing was as it seemed and that the “liberal order” was neither liberal nor orderly… they are the media; calling them the press makes it sound like they’re journalists or something honorable like that. Instead, they’re just sycophantic scribes. The film maker was doing the job the journalists should have done.
Phil Butler seems to have a handle on what Bill Browder is all about. Read this….
https://journal-neo.org/2018/08/05/can-we-say-that-putin-s-enemies-are-the-enemies-of-humanity/
Great links Joe. Thanks.
Here’s another link for you Skip. This article goes into what we are losing.
https://straightlinelogic.com/2018/08/07/americas-kristallnacht/
Thanx, Joe. Just what I needed on a hot summer’s afternoon. More proof of the corruption of our government.
Get an air conditioner, and get yourself together, there’s lots to be done. Sorry Jeff, I’ll take it easy on ya, but get ready for there’s more to come. Joe
This is just the start of it. More or less. It isn’t just politics and world affairs that are being censored and controlled ,its also science. Things like Global Warming, Radiation. I know there are some big fires in California these days because I can see the smoke but what is happening in Japan with their heat wave and what about Fukushima ? I know it’s in California wines now. Where are the other million of gallons of wastewater going to end up and have they got a robot near the melted core yet?
As veteran intelligence professionals, you guys must be familiar with methods of “extraction” and people who have the capability of pulling them off. If a bunch of thugs can break a Rédoine Faïd out of prison, surely there are groups who can free Julian Assange from the Ecuadorian embassy. Just saying…
This is a wise and thoughtful peroration. It strikes me as something that was intuitively obvious for quite some time now as the US government has been trying to cut Wikileaks off at the knees for quite some time now. It’s interesting that the US is the one that is trying to kill Wikileaks. Our persecution complex notwithstanding, Wikileaks has released tons of documents on non-US entities who aren’t running around trying to cut off Wikileaks access to payment systems and arrest their journalists and supporters. But we, apparently, see ourselves as the guardians of the “liberal” world order. It’s interesting that Merriam Webster defines liberalism as a political and moral philosophy based on liberty and equality. It’s hard for me to believe that anyone can describe the world order created at any point but certainly after WWII as a liberal world order with a straight face. Most of the bozos running the shows around the world wouldn’t know liberty or equality if they came up and kicked ’em in the ass. Hopefully, nobody is going to be so silly as to actually think that either the US or the UK would actually think about considering to conspire to pay the slightest bit of attention to this letter.
“The involved governments have arrived at a fork in the road. They can continue the persecution of Assange, risking catastrophe for diminishing returns. Or, they can let Assange proceed to Ecuador, or home to Australia if it provides suitable guarantees,24 and boost their public standing as self-described supporters of human rights, the rule of law, and a free press”
So many forks in the road today with Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, Syria, Israel et al that would lift the spirits of mankind…
Honore de Balzac had a line that comes to mind.
Even Homer’s Iliad recalls that sound advice.
Behold our deeds, from which proceeds
A posture ineluctable that cannot be resigned.
Duty frowns should easy ways successfully entice.
Everything de Balzac said might summarize respect.
Noblesse Oblige! The dignity that consummates the throne!
That wondering eyes perceive no lies,
In such the Royal Sovereign must duty’s grace protect:
No other path transcends the fate that envy would condone.
“Others will respect you for detesting evil things.”
Silence buys convenience but the bargain doesn’t last.
What Queen or Prince could so convince
That destiny and not the will betrays the fate of Kings?
Noblesse Oblige protects The Prince unless he’s been miscast.
Where sits The Queen in all of this, succession shortly looms,
A legacy of lion hearts with honor to pursue,
A noble act would well impact
The young man’s rightful claim to grace the Royal Throne presumes.
If Honore were here today, he’d say, “She’s in the bloody loo!”
Honore de Balzac may have been the funniest man alive during his time. He got a lot of mileage out of hypocrisy, and mercilessly ridiculed it. I’m sure that he would admonish The Royal Family to get off the pot and do something to protect Britain’s legacy, while knowing full well that his words fell on deaf ears. This would be the perfect chance for costumed pretenders to show a little spine, but I’m afraid the odds are slim to none.
I suggest that readers email the embassies of Ecuador to support Mr. Assange. If the email addresses do not appear in a reply below, see my comment on the 8/4 CN article Journalists Are All Julian Assange. Some statements from my email to the embassies:
“Esteemed Ecuadorians,
“You made yourselves heroes of the majority of the informed people of the United States by protecting Julian Assange from the extreme right-wing oligarchy that has come to control the US government. I do not know any educated person outside of government who does not honor Mr. Assange as a benefactor of the United States. We are dismayed that Ecuador has been pressured by the tyrants who have corrupted our government, to threaten the removal and arrest of Mr. Assange from your embassy in London. Ecuador can show the world that humanity strongly disagrees with US secret actions.
“If Ecuador coordinates with any group in London, or by its own diplomatic initiative, to remove Mr. Assange to Ecuador under the diplomatic protection of Ecuador, you will again be heroes of humanity.”
Email addresses:
[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; ;[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]
Hi Sam F-
I noticed that my reply to you on your letter in the other comment thread has been scrubbed. I can’t understand why, since I was suggesting that Moreno is in the process of being bribed by our so-called “Intelligence Community”. Joe Lauria has made the same implication in a comment thread in an earlier article. Correa was a man of conscience, but I’m pretty sure Moreno is a puppet.
That said, even if they did try to get Julian safely out of the embassy and back to Ecuador, they would need the equivalent of “witness protection” to keep him safe. He will be forever hunted by our evil empire. Until we undo the power structure that runs our so-called “Intelligence Community”, Julian Assange is a marked man.
My comment was replaced by an earlier one combining the comment and the email address list, which had been put in moderation. But I am getting zero replies lately under the Akismet comment settings.
Yes, Mr. Assange will be in danger, although he might be safe under cover in Australia, and if threatened could join Snowden in Russia. No one will doubt that the US pursued him, and the risks to Assange and Snowden argue strongly that JFK/RFK/MLK were assassinated by US intentions. It would be a major blunder of the US to allow harm to Mr. Assange.
I know that nowadays they try to use other less obvious methods than outright assassinations to accomplish their goals, and that they would prefer a kangaroo court or some other way of stopping Wikileaks. However, they could always claim that it wasn’t them, but some other disgruntled party that did the hit. They are now getting even more heavy handed with their media control campaign.
https://caitlinjohnstone.com/2018/08/07/in-a-corporatist-system-of-government-corporate-censorship-is-state-censorship/
I wouldn’t put it past them to assassinate him and blame the Russians if they thought it would serve their purposes.
Those who hate truth, like the US government, will do anything to silence those who speak it.
As an Australian, and very strong supporter of Julian Assange, I welcome this piece.
However, there is a very substantial (and unfortunately sloppy) error at paragraph 9.
It says: “[I]t is imperative,” the ruling states, “that Assange is allowed to make the safe passage….”
The RULING states no such thing and is not even specific to Assange. What the authors have done is to take a quote from the opinion piece in “EurasiaFuture” and give it the appearance of being a direct quote from the opinion of the IACHR.
I fully support the sentiments and intentions of the article, but it is important to get the facts straight.
Such an oversight is not critical. Diplomatic tradition and international treaties require that all nations allow safe passage under diplomatic immunity. This is the foundation of the US (and presumably most nations) use of its embassies as large spy bases. So the arrest of Assange would upset the entire scheme of international spying, and should be promptly exploited by those who oppose it.
Revenge is what it’s all about. A short sighted American political system which drags along the British and Swedish puppets. If the Americans had addressed the problems highlighted by Wikileaks they would have earned the respect of their nation. Instead the persecution of Julian Assange and many more just brings to the fore just what a nasty despotic system there is in place in that ‘great nation’.
This memorandum is a sane analysis of the situation that Julian Assange finds himself in and offers a rational solution to resolve the situation. But those opposed to Julian Assange are far from rational. Revenge for exposing their egregious acts to public scrutiny is their sole motivation and they are oblivious or ignorant of the consequences of their actions. Let us not forget that Julian Assange has done us all a great service in exposing corruption at the highest level of office and deserves the support of all who believe that corruption in all levels of government should be exposed without fear of retribution.
“Let us not forget that Julian Assange has done us all a great service in exposing corruption at the highest level of office…”
Yes, and let us not forget madam Hillary’s response: “Can’t we just drone this guy?”
“Can’t we just drone this guy?” priceless! will have to remember that.
The treatment of Assange, one of the great heroes of resistance against the espionage/secret police state, is a profound disgrace which exposes the tyrannical fascism at the heart of the contemporary Anglo-American governing system.
Some will think that “tyrannical fascism at the heart of the contemporary Anglo-American governing system” goes too far. But I am investigating state and local political racketeering in Florida, and have found it so completely pervasive that my spirits can just support the daily grind of investigation. Our entire political system is completely bought, and money dictates every candidate and their every action, in politics, the judiciary, and the mass media. Probably it is not just the Repubs I am finding, who pretend that money=virtue to get some for themselves.
I have been comparing the remnants of our former democracy to a dead tree in the forest of democracies (its institutions), a rusted out Chevy at the bottom of a cliff (it’s economy), an empty suit of armor (its foreign policy of blundering around the globe, swinging its sword madly), and a pile of sewage (its culture, whose organization stinks although its atoms could be assembled into a better society). But the spectacle of Repubs delighted to abuse office to steal money, their idealists literally carrying cash to candidates and dictating judicial decisions and news stories, defies comparison.