Who is Assange? Part 3: What Kind of World do we want to live in?
Ignorance: Our biggest enemy
We now live in a world of shortcuts, where many people trust corporate sponsored “fact checkers” because they are unable or unwilling to find the time for independent research. The erasure of information, control of information flows by big tech companies, corporate control of scripted news media and the legalization of U.S. government propaganda have combined to create a climate of ignorance that is shocking and ironic in a supposed “Age of information.”
The corporate controlled university has been decades in the making and the Group Think so well engineered, most every academic I know followed the below advice regarding our current crisis.
The very idea that they are telling “educated” faculty to “be careful where you go and what you click on,” as if they are children incapable of independent thought is appalling. Sadly, the fact that most marched in lockstep with that request says they were not far off the mark.
Our biggest strength in these deceptive times is Wikileaks and Julian Assange, with his wisdom and insights. Unfortunately, Assange has been tortured, gagged, imprisoned and at risk of further harm, or death, in Belmarsh Prison in the U.K. Just as Chelsea Manning suffered torture and imprisonment in the U.S.
No one has been harmed by Wikileaks releases according to the U. S. Department of Defense, under oath. The only harm to come from the releases Julian is facing U.S. indictment for, has been done to the truth tellers. If you don’t see a problem with this your moral compass is nonexistent.
Assange is not a U.S. citizen. He did not publish anything on American soil. How can they hold him accountable to American laws? How can a citizen of another country be a traitor? Assange faces 175 years under espionage act indictments for the Iraq and Afghanistan war logs. Those publications exposed U.S. war crimes for which not one war criminal has been punished. Why not?
The Guardian, the New York Times and der Spiegel also published these documents. Why aren’t they also being charged? These disclosures were leaks from insiders, not hacks. That’s why it’s called Wikileaks, not Wikihacks! Furthermore, the charges against Assange are not related to either Russia or 2016 in any way.
The Kangaroo Courts
Julian has been stripped of his rights and dignity, denied due process and tortured in a very long, slow, public execution for more than a decade. The extradition hearings have been a miscarriage of justice with the exception of their denial of extradition in January. But the U.S. is appealing and Assange’s future hangs in the balance. The Chief magistrate bears Julian a grudge for releases that implicated her husband.
As reported by Craig Murray, Judge Baraitser has been a compassionless judge who issues what appear to be pre-written rulings. U. S. Officials have been present and controlling the extradition hearings, even appearing to dictate instructions. Prosecutor Lewis was seen conferring with and taking directions from U. S. Officials in court.
This dehumanizing process has forced Julian to undergo unnecessary searches and to sit behind glass under constant guard. Nazi war criminals at Nuremberg were treated with more respect and compassion.
For more details on the unjust nature of court proceedings see the blog of Craig Murray, former UK ambassador. His October 2019 hearing is summarized here. The February 2020 court hearings can be found here and here.
When not in court, Assange is held in Belmarsh, a prison designed for terrorists, where he spends 23 hours a day in solitary confinement. And remember, he has no charges in the U.K. They are only holding him at the behest of the U.S. Pulitzer Prize winning journalist John Pilger has documented his visits with Assange at Belmarsh.
Former UK MP Chris Williamson summed up the behavior of the U.K. During an Imperialism on trial event stating:
“This is outrageous! We’re behaving like a tin-pot dictatorship, rather than a modern democracy. We’re incarcerating a man who’s done an incredible service to the world. He is someone we should be venerating not incarcerating.”-Chris Williamson, Former MP UK
The Future of Freedom
As the totalitarian nature of Western governments unfolds around us, it becomes clear that Orwell either knew what the plan was, or he was a visionary without rival. Indeed, war is now peace, freedom is slavery and ignorance is strength in the Western World. As they perfected their ability to sell war through a complicit media, they were preparing us to acquiesce to our own enslavement. The war against the populace is being waged as you read this.
The first step that had to be taken was the silencing of dissent. There’s no way they could do that without first silencing Julian Assange. What makes Assange dangerous to the powerful is more than merely revealing their crimes. His publications helped to give a clear and accurate picture of how power has functioned in society, especially in foreign affairs.
He placed a record number of documents into the historical record in the process. He has given us greater understanding of how the world actually works. He has exposed the crimes of the powerful and he has given us the evidence to see clearly our past course. Julian Assange is the canary in the coal mine for free speech, a free press and a free society. He must never step foot on U.S. soil. This is no longer the land of the free and the brave. I am at a loss with what to do, but I know I must do something. I know I must speak out and protest whereever and whenever I can. I have more questions than answers at this point.
How can anyone believe in the lie of American exceptionalism when both major parties are warmongering imperialists drunk on corporate cash? Who will chart our way forward if we allow Julian Assange to be martyred? When will enough people see how inextricably his future is tied to our own? How will each of us act to secure his freedom, our freedom and that of our children and grandchildren? What kind of world do we want to live in?
