I have to say again that I am stunned at the slow response, as well as no response from some quarters, to the Julian Assange, the co-founder of Wikileaks jailing and victimization. Instead, some people, even socialists and activists of various ilks have actually attacked him or they have made light of the fact that he has released information that the "we already know". So what. This is not about Assange. He may be an obnoxious middle class twit but that's not the point. He has also not been charged with any crime, sexual misconduct or anything else. And supporting Assange and the cyber direct action does not mean abandoning other, more traditional areas of struggle. I do think that being able to shut down for any period of time, the money lending operations of Bank of America's Mastercard outfit is direct action and a class struggle activity as it is being done in defense of free speech. (click on link to video at the end of this blog)
I have been writing a fair bit in different forums lately so I can't remember if I wrote this here or not and I'm too rushed to search. But I remember years ago when we had a feature in our old Union newsletter called "Supervisor of the Month". Sometimes we'd get a hold of some info, a memo, or notes (I got those on occasion from Union janitors who plucked them from waste baskets at night before shredders) that simply confirmed what all of us already knew. That didn't matter. We published it, and folks risked their jobs getting it. We had to keep our mouths shut. But it had a great and uplifting effect on us as workers and a nervous and negative affect on the boss. It brought heat down on some of us anyway even though they never knew the culprits.
Assange angered US imperialism and like governments around the world. He and Wikileaks have displaced Obama BinLaden as the US's enemy number one. His execution and/or assassination or life in prison has been called for by Democratic and Republican politicians alike in the US and the man who leaked the information that we should all know anyway is in Jail, Bradley manning. What does it say to those who want to fight the thugs in power if we let them get Assange and shut down Wikileaks?
Below is a link to short video at the bail hearing today The Swedish government has appealed his bail and he still sits in solitary confinement. I cannot understand the complacency that surrounds this issue from some people who will protest injustice at the drop of a hat. Wikileaks has done the working class a favor. We must defend this spilling of the beans that exposes of their phony diplomacy.
I am in the Bay Area and would help to the best of my ability with a protest at the Swedish embassy if there is interest. I would certainly attend and publicize one. There should be demos throughout the US on this issue. Here is a link to a site (also on the left in our links list) about Wiki defense and events. http://wlcentral.org/
The fact that the global bourgeois wants Assange's head is all the impetus we need to see what is going on here. Tatchel puts it as clear as a bell in the video but we should think about the statement he makes about his reason for being there, "I am here to show solidarity with someone who has blown the whistle on people who have committed war crimes who are not in court yet the man who exposed them is." you can see the video here:
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