Julian Assange: Hero or Villain?

Discussion in 'Politics' started by Rearden Metal, Nov 29, 2010.

Julian Assange: Hero or Villain?

  1. Clearly a hero (I am a U.S. Citizen)

    28 vote(s)
    42.4%
  2. Probably more hero than villain (I am a U.S. Citizen)

    11 vote(s)
    16.7%
  3. Not sure (I am a U.S. Citizen)

    1 vote(s)
    1.5%
  4. Probably more villain than hero (I am a U.S. Citizen)

    2 vote(s)
    3.0%
  5. Clearly a villain (I am a U.S. Citizen)

    9 vote(s)
    13.6%
  6. Clearly a hero (I am NOT a U.S. Citizen)

    8 vote(s)
    12.1%
  7. Probably more hero than villain (I am NOT a U.S. Citizen)

    4 vote(s)
    6.1%
  8. Not sure (I am NOT a U.S. Citizen)

    1 vote(s)
    1.5%
  9. Probably more villain than hero (I am NOT a U.S. Citizen)

    1 vote(s)
    1.5%
  10. Clearly a villain (I am NOT a U.S. Citizen)

    1 vote(s)
    1.5%
  1. Indeed
     
    #11     Nov 29, 2010
  2. could those countries have better security?

    "In his Internet chat, Manning described the conditions as lax to the point that he could bring a homemade music CD to work with him, erase the music and replace it with secrets. He told the computer hacker who would turn him in that he lip-synched along with pop singer Lady Gaga's hit "Telephone" while making off with "possibly the largest data spillage in American history."

    Wired.com published a partial log of Manning's discussions with hacker R. Adrian Lamo in June.

    "Weak servers, weak logging, weak physical security, weak counterintelligence, inattentive signal analysis," Manning wrote. "A perfect storm....""
    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101130/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_wikileaks_security
     
    #12     Nov 29, 2010

  3. Glenn Beck showed? Stop right there.

    HA! And the same people who pay the moron Becks salary are Muslims ...his bosses. They own Fox news.
     
    #13     Nov 29, 2010
  4. When he gets around to exposing the pharmaceutical company's and the banks secret documents, he will officially become a hero.

    Can't wait to see all the illegal shit those organizations have been doing.
     
    #14     Nov 29, 2010
  5. I'd say that invading someone's property and taking something of value from it is clearly wrong, if there are not significant mitigating circumstances. So it all boils down to are there sufficient mitigating circumstances. Hacking China's computers to save the life of a dissident by publishing info is clearly fine, even if illegal. Hacking a private citizen's personal email to expose their love letters or a company to expose their confidential business strategies is clearly wrong, even if legal (which I'm pretty sure it isn't).

    You also have to factor in the foreseeable consequences of a leak. If it's going to result in innocent people getting killed (e.g. people who report on Taliban abuses, dissidents in tyrannical regimes) then it is no different to pulling the trigger yourself.

    I haven't seen the info on wikileaks so I don't know to what extent Assange and his group fall into those categories. But given his apparent carte blanche approach to leaking info, IMO it's only a matter of time before he becomes morally culpable for numerous homicides, at which point it'd be morally justified for anyone in the world to kill him. Then again, many of the world's leading statesman - past and present - have been in similar positions, morally speaking.

    His intent is probably noble, but intent doesn't really matter - you are just as dead if killed by a saint as by a sadist.
     
    #15     Nov 29, 2010
  6. The point is, you can't be a "hero" by exposing what's going on in just one country or organization. That implies that there isn't the same - or worse - happening in other countries or organizations.

    If he wants to be a hero, he has to be egalitarian about it.
     
    #16     Nov 29, 2010

  7. From the looks of him, he's been handling loads for some time now.
     
    #17     Nov 29, 2010
  8. No he doesn't. Heroism doesn't require doing it everywhere - one place is enough.
     
    #18     Nov 29, 2010
  9. there was a time when someone like this would have already been scattered over the Atlantic.

    welcome to the land of the pussified.
     
    #19     Nov 29, 2010
  10. Better security, maybe. Hit men that they would gladly use, for sure.


    You are posting too soon after your last post. ET is for retards that type real slow . Try again in a few minutes.
    You are posting too soon after your last post. Try again in a few minutes.
    You are posting too soon after your last post. Try again in a few minutes.
     
    #20     Nov 29, 2010