Details of Assange rape case leaked

[General Zod]

A three-page lengthy read.

It's a long read, but so far it's far more believable than some of the stuff that's been floating around. If this really is the case then there isn't that much doubt left that Assange should face trial in Sweden. Though there's always the nagging question of whether any trial he gets would be fair considering how much he's in the press lately.

[Thanas]

Yeah, if that is indeed what happened, than he is a grade A scumbag. However, from a legal standpoint, it will most likely turn out to be he-said she-said.

My guess is that he will face probation, if a prison sentence at all - provided he is even found guilty.

[Bakustra]

Yeah, if that is indeed what happened, than he is a grade A scumbag. However, from a legal standpoint, it will most likely turn out to be he-said she-said.

My guess is that he will face probation, if a prison sentence at all - provided he is even found guilty.

Well, he's still a scumbag either way, seeing as he's whipped up his supporters against the women and then had the audacity to complain about their names not being released.

[Zixinus]

We have proof that if there is a god, he has a sense of humor.

Either way, the whole Assange-raped-women things is largely irrelevant (except to the women and Assange obviously) and not really news-worthy. But I guess when you have Wikileaks leaking cables, you want to focus on the topic in many ways as much as possible.

[Koolaidkirby]

We have proof that if there is a god, he has a sense of humor.

Either way, the whole Assange-raped-women things is largely irrelevant (except to the women and Assange obviously) and not really news-worthy. But I guess when you have Wikileaks leaking cables, you want to focus on the topic in many ways as much as possible.

I'll give the Americans credit for one thing, their strategy of focusing on Assange has definitely turned the public eye away from what he was actually leaking.

[Todeswind]

I'll give the Americans credit for one thing, their strategy of focusing on Assange has definitely turned the public eye away from what he was actually leaking.

You mean a borderline irrelevant series of "classified" documents that amount to either rambling conversations between peers, schoolyard bitching, stuff we already knew, or stuff that anyone with grade-school reasoning skills and an understanding of history ought to have guessed? Yep a rape case turned out to be way more interesting.

[Themightytom]

I'll give the Americans credit for one thing, their strategy of focusing on Assange has definitely turned the public eye away from what he was actually leaking.

You mean a borderline irrelevant series of "classified" documents that amount to either rambling conversations between peers, schoolyard bitching, stuff we already knew, or stuff that anyone with grade-school reasoning skills and an understanding of history ought to have guessed? Yep a rape case turned out to be way more interesting.

Except now it isn't. Whereas before, with the words "rape" and :Extradition" being thrown around Assange seemed like some kind of international Elliot Carver trying to bring down the US from some kind of anonymowithus Volcano lair, now he's pretty much just an immature asshole on par with your average NFL idol.

Whats worse, is there is a lot of eerie coincidence about how seriously this is being taken.

[Terralthra]

I'll give the Americans credit for one thing, their strategy of focusing on Assange has definitely turned the public eye away from what he was actually leaking.

You mean a borderline irrelevant series of "classified" documents that amount to either rambling conversations between peers, schoolyard bitching, stuff we already knew, or stuff that anyone with grade-school reasoning skills and an understanding of history ought to have guessed? Yep a rape case turned out to be way more interesting.

"American taxpayers are, unbeknownst to them, funding drug-fueled parties for Afghani militia forces complete with child rape," is 'borderline irrelevant'?

[Thanas]

"America joined with China to sabotage climate change talks"

"America is either silently arming or keeping a benevolent silence towards armament shipments for the rebels in darfur"

"USA tries to get climate-skeptic approved to top positions"

"USA spying on UNO diplomats, trying to collect DNA information in breach of international law"

...all of which is very relevant IMO.

[Todeswind]

I'll give the Americans credit for one thing, their strategy of focusing on Assange has definitely turned the public eye away from what he was actually leaking.

You mean a borderline irrelevant series of "classified" documents that amount to either rambling conversations between peers, schoolyard bitching, stuff we already knew, or stuff that anyone with grade-school reasoning skills and an understanding of history ought to have guessed? Yep a rape case turned out to be way more interesting.

"American taxpayers are, unbeknownst to them, funding drug-fueled parties for Afghani militia forces complete with child rape," is 'borderline irrelevant'?

No, it's stuff we've known about for five years and stuff that anyone with gradeschool reasoning skills should realize will happen when you fund afghan militia fighters with US tax dollars. And it's less of an issue with "rape" and more of a matter of ill-defined age of consent within the afghan provinces.

[General Zod]

No, it's stuff we've known about for five years and stuff that anyone with gradeschool reasoning skills should realize will happen when you fund afghan militia fighters with US tax dollars. And it's less of an issue with "rape" and more of a matter of ill-defined age of consent within the afghan provinces.

There's a difference between "known about" and "have proof".

[Todeswind]

No, it's stuff we've known about for five years and stuff that anyone with gradeschool reasoning skills should realize will happen when you fund afghan militia fighters with US tax dollars. And it's less of an issue with "rape" and more of a matter of ill-defined age of consent within the afghan provinces.

There's a difference between "known about" and "have proof".

When you hire mercenaries and warlords who previously made their income off of opium sales to work for your police force you don't get to act surprised when they act like paramilitary groups funded by drug sales. It's hardly proof so much as "no duh."

[Todeswind]

"America joined with China to sabotage climate change talks"

"America is either silently arming or keeping a benevolent silence towards armament shipments for the rebels in darfur"

"USA tries to get climate-skeptic approved to top positions"

"USA spying on UNO diplomats, trying to collect DNA information in breach of international law"

...all of which is very relevant IMO.

Which tells us exactly two things,

1) America either doesn't believe in Climate Change or is allied with business interests who are best served by sabotaging climate change legislation
----> 1.5) China want's to expand it's economy

2) America pretty much ignores international law when it suits America.

3) America could give a **** about africa.

Which of these facts tells you something you didn't know before reading the leaked documents?

[Koolaidkirby]

Which tells us exactly two things,

1) America either doesn't believe in Climate Change or is allied with business interests who are best served by sabotaging climate change legislation
----> 1.5) China want's to expand it's economy

2) America pretty much ignores international law when it suits America.

3) America could give a **** about africa.

Which of these facts tells you something you didn't know before reading the leaked documents?

well I don't know about everyone else, but personally I didn't know about

America joined with China to sabotage climate change talks"

"America is either silently arming or keeping a benevolent silence towards armament shipments for the rebels in darfur"

"USA tries to get climate-skeptic approved to top positions"

"USA spying on UNO diplomats, trying to collect DNA information in breach of international law"

so that's at least 4 things I didn't know about before reading the leaked documents.

[Simon_Jester]

It may be easy to deduce a lot of these things, that they could happen or are plausible.

But it really ought to affect our assessment of policy to know that these things are happening. I fear that it may not, but that's a sign of fundamental sickness in Western democracies more than of anything else.

So no, Todeswind, I think you're very much off base here. There's a huge difference between knowing that someone wants something and that they are willing to commit great crimes or (literally) conspire to damage the planet while officially avowing that they want to make progress on the issues they're sabotaging behind closed doors.

[Todeswind]

Do you realize how weak support for global warming legislation is inside the USA? Less than 50% of Americans even believe climate change is a direct result of human activity.

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-shepp ... ing-planet (Ok it's from 2009 but it was the first thing to pop up on google)
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_ ... rgy_update

Why on earth wouldn't that follow into policy making decisions? Even Democrats, who tend to be the loudest about climate change as an issue in the election season, tend to be relatively conservative when it comes time to actually vote on climate change legislation. As to the destruction of the world, America only recently passed a law allowing the FDA to call for food recalls of tainted food. If America can't be convinced that the government needs to be able to protect them from Escherichia coli today it stands to reason they're not going to be too perturbed about the desalination of the oceans and rising of sea levels over the next hundred years.

[Thanas]

Again, it is one thing to suspect it. It is a whole other ballgame to have proof of Obama lying on the issue and allying with china to do so.

[Simon_Jester]

Do you realize how weak support for global warming legislation is inside the USA? Less than 50% of Americans even believe climate change is a direct result of human activity.

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-shepp ... ing-planet (Ok it's from 2009 but it was the first thing to pop up on google)
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_ ... rgy_update

Why on earth wouldn't that follow into policy making decisions? Even Democrats, who tend to be the loudest about climate change as an issue in the election season, tend to be relatively conservative when it comes time to actually vote on climate change legislation. As to the destruction of the world, America only recently passed a law allowing the FDA to call for food recalls of tainted food. If America can't be convinced that the government needs to be able to protect them from Escherichia coli today it stands to reason they're not going to be too perturbed about the desalination of the oceans and rising of sea levels over the next hundred years.

What I'm not sure you get is that this kind of information needs to be out there. You're forgetting that there's a difference between "I am cynical enough to believe anything about American foreign policy" and "I actually know American foreign policy is doing this." The former is a conspiracy theory, albeit a plausible one. The latter is a credible case.

It's fair to question how much impact this will have. It won't have as much impact as it should. But that's not the same as looking at it and going "oh well, it doesn't matter because really, is anyone surprised?"

[Todeswind]

Perhaps I should clarify somewhat. My problem isn't necessarily with the relevancy of the information, I just fail to see how anyone is going to apply it in any way, let alone any lasting way.

[cosmicalstorm]

This seems to prove that he is a scumbag and a creep but not a rapist, which is what I already thought. I've read interviews with people working in Wikileaks who say similar things about him. Apparently a lot of people are dropping out of wikileaks because of his behavior.

[Zed]

"A scumbag and a creep but not a rapist"? If these allegations are true, he had unprotected sex with a sleeping woman. How is that not rape?

[Todeswind]

"A scumbag and a creep but not a rapist"? If these allegations are true, he had unprotected sex with a sleeping woman. How is that not rape?

I guess he yelled "surprise!"

[Skgoa]

Have I missed something? There is absolutely nothing new in that article. Its still just what the women claim happened. We still don't know anything. Ms Arin still destroyed evidence that would have put her honesty into question. I don't get were the "this proves he is a scumbag!!!" crowd get their information.

And by now I think it would help wikileaks if Assange were sent to prison right now. He is not needed for the continued leaking and it would get him out of the headlines.

[Todeswind]

Read the second two pages of the article.

[Edi]

This article has more substance than previous ones and Assange does look like an enormous asshat, but as Thanas said, it may boil down to a case of one person's word against another. If the allegations are true, then he is a rapist, no ifs, buts or maybes about it. Showing them conclusively true is the hard part.