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What is a terrorist?
Someone who uses violence and intimidation in order to achieve a political goal.
What is a criminal?
Someone who, whether by action or omission, carries out an offense proscribed by the law, an offense which is therefore punishable by the State.
It’s important to know what these words mean, because both of them—criminal and terrorist—have been liberally applied to Julian Assange and Wikileaks, since it posted its very first batch of documents.
Now, with the State Department cable leaks, those calls have become a collective roar of condemnation, in America:
“Terrorist!”
“Criminal!”
Of course, Assange is neither a terrorist nor a criminal: He simply published some leaked documents that embarrassed some people.
He’s not a terrorist, because he did not commit a single act of violence or intimidation, in order to achieve his political goal.
He’s not a criminal, at least not in the United States, because he has not broken any law in America, and he is not an American citizen, subject to U.S. jurisdiction.
But you wouldn’t know it, from the uproar over the Wikileaks’ case.
The examples are too numerous to list—so let’s go to the highlight reel:
• Sarah Palin: The former vice-presidential candidate and current Tea Party powerhouse said that Assange “is an anti-American operative with blood on his hands”, though even the Pentagon has admitted that no harm has come to any American serviceman because of any of the Wikileaks revelations. Then Palin asked, “Why was he [Assange] not pursued with the same urgency we pursue al Qaeda and Taliban leaders?”—i.e., why isn’t Assange hunted down like a terrorist. The implication seemed to be that Assange should be pursued and then killed, though in fairness, Palin did not say so outright. Source for Palin’s comments is here. Source for Pentagon determination is here. Additionally, see “Veteran’s Today” story.
Rest here.
http://gonzalolira.blogspot.com/2010...sthe-case.html
Someone who uses violence and intimidation in order to achieve a political goal.
What is a criminal?
Someone who, whether by action or omission, carries out an offense proscribed by the law, an offense which is therefore punishable by the State.
It’s important to know what these words mean, because both of them—criminal and terrorist—have been liberally applied to Julian Assange and Wikileaks, since it posted its very first batch of documents.
Now, with the State Department cable leaks, those calls have become a collective roar of condemnation, in America:
“Terrorist!”
“Criminal!”
Of course, Assange is neither a terrorist nor a criminal: He simply published some leaked documents that embarrassed some people.
He’s not a terrorist, because he did not commit a single act of violence or intimidation, in order to achieve his political goal.
He’s not a criminal, at least not in the United States, because he has not broken any law in America, and he is not an American citizen, subject to U.S. jurisdiction.
But you wouldn’t know it, from the uproar over the Wikileaks’ case.
The examples are too numerous to list—so let’s go to the highlight reel:
• Sarah Palin: The former vice-presidential candidate and current Tea Party powerhouse said that Assange “is an anti-American operative with blood on his hands”, though even the Pentagon has admitted that no harm has come to any American serviceman because of any of the Wikileaks revelations. Then Palin asked, “Why was he [Assange] not pursued with the same urgency we pursue al Qaeda and Taliban leaders?”—i.e., why isn’t Assange hunted down like a terrorist. The implication seemed to be that Assange should be pursued and then killed, though in fairness, Palin did not say so outright. Source for Palin’s comments is here. Source for Pentagon determination is here. Additionally, see “Veteran’s Today” story.
Rest here.
http://gonzalolira.blogspot.com/2010...sthe-case.html
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