American conservatives and Wikileaks.

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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL8g3vye4xo&annotation_id=annotation_17072&feature=iv[/youtube]

Julian Assange responds to the conservative cries. Refers to Huckabee and Palin's calling for his execution as "idiots looking for attention".

And is it just me or does Assange seem to have a bit of an Aspie streak about him? Maybe not full diagnosis but some characteristics.

I really think he is, after all, he has been accused of being rude and naricistic(sp?) by some of his subordinates

I got that impression too, But impressions are no substitute for a careful diagnosis.

ruveyn

You are wanting him to be like you because he is a popular person in power.

That and how he greeted the interviewer and some of his responses. But I agree fully with ruveyn in regards to impressions vs diagnosis and thought I had made that point in my post.

Segments Ouinon made from a recent Bruce Sterling article on the wikileaks 'thing'.

http://www.wrongplanet.net/postp3258554.html#3258554

Some info gleaned from what is highly likely to be his OKcupid account.

http://www.wrongplanet.net/postp3258661.html#3258661

If you have an OKcupid account, you can see for yourself. Look up HarryHarrison

He got Trillian on the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy quiz whereas I got Author Dent.


It may be his OKC page...it hasn't been logged in since 12-2006.

Here's his "What I'm Doing With My Life"

"Directing a consuming, dangerous human rights project which is, as you might expect, male dominated. Variously professionally involved in international journalism/books, documentaries, cryptography, intelligence agencies, civil rights, political activism, white collar crime and the internet. Formal background in neuroscience, mathematics, physics and philosophy."

"Self-Summary"

"WARNING: Want a regular, down to earth guy? Keep moving. I am not the droid you're looking for. Save us both while you still can.

Passionate, and often pig headed activist intellectual seeks siren for love affair, children and occasional criminal conspiracy.

Such a woman should spirited and playful, of high intelligence, though not necessarily formally educated, have spunk, class & inner strength and be able to think strategically about the world and the people she cares about.

I like women from countries that have sustained political turmoil. Western culture seems to forge women that are valueless and inane. OK. Not only women!

Although I am pretty intellectually and physically pugnacious I am very protective of women and children.



I am DANGER, ACHTUNG, and ??????????????! "



That is, of course, assuming it's him. From looking at it, though, it could be.

There was a certain lack of affect in his responses BUT he has been through a lot lately and it could be from fatigue and stress, not because he is on the spectrum.

ruveyn

Say what? I mean granted the man has some powerful enemies and I respect that, but I wouldn't call him personally powerful.

I could have worded it better, but it's the same idea.

I'd still say he is powerful, as he has a lot of funding, and now has many powerful people that have gone out to publicly support him, not to mention those who do so privately.

I wouldn't be too quick to characterize his supporters as left or liberal.

I am a dyed-in-the-wool liberal, and I find much of what he has done to be uncritical attention-grabbing.

I see no evidence of journalism--there may be a process by which material that they have received is redacted, or withheld, but there is certainly no evidence of it. The material is simply dumped--wikileaks makes no attempt to organize, analyse, interpret or promote understanding of the material. It simply dumps the data and lets others make of it what they will.

I see little evidence of whistleblowing. While some of the reports might suggest illegal activity, they are by far the minority. The United States' ambassador's reporting an opinion of the character of the Head of Government in the Receiving State is not criminal, it is not improper. It is, in fact, central to the role of an ambassador.

What I do see is grandstanding. I would be far more impressed if the material was simply provided to professional journalists, from a wide range of journals, to make of it what they could. Another "Pentagon Papers" might be the result. Instead, we have access granted on condition that the journals don't upstage the data dump.

Meanwhile, plenty of conservatives, or people on the right, are delighted to see what they believe to be evidence that the emperor has no clothes. The more that government (particularly the current US administration) can be discredited, the happier they are.

I will offer one positive observation though. The Wikileaks dump has reinforced my belief in the professionalism and skill of the US foreign service. The caliber of insight, analysis and report (not to mention the quality of writing) that I have seen in the documents that I have read is comparable to those I read when I was in my own country's foreign service. The United States continues to be well served by this component of its public service, which should be celebrated.

I heard a blurb on the news recently that he's sold the rights to an autobiography for >1mil (I don't remember if it was $ or pounds, sorry) in order to pay some of his legal costs.

Brazilian leftist president Luis Inácio "Lula" da Silva spoke out in defense of Wikileaks.


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoHHhOdqT6I[/youtube]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11966193

He (Lula) and Poutine (yes, suprisingly) are right on one thing. A government that claims to be in favor of democracy shouldn't hide information on its doings from its citizens.

I just don't see the reason why foreign policy should be carried in such a secrecy. If the people elected the government they have the right to know what is the government's stance on foreign governments. Otherwise It gives the impression that the government is acting behind the people's back. And if they were carrying international chit chat about government leaders it is their fault.

While in most material from the embassys there was nothing out of ordinary there were some surprises. Like Saudi Arabia's intention to strike Iran.