Starchild: Proposed resolution of Libertarian support for Julian Assange and WikiLeaks

Starchild comments on a previous press release by the Libertarian Party supporting Julian Assange, Bradley Manning and WikiLeaks:

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What paulie said — anti-TSA and pro-WikiLeaks! Both of these issues represent key tests of government power against civil liberties, one related to the First Amendment protections of freedom and speech and of the press, the other related to the Fourth Amendment protections from unreasonable search and seizure. These protections should belong to all people in the world.

I recently wrote a proposed resolution for the Libertarian Party of San Francisco on the WikiLeaks issue, and sent it to members of the Libertarian National Committee and other email lists, offering it as sample wording others could use in crafting resolutions for their own bodies to pass on the topic:

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WHEREAS WikiLeaks has provided an invaluable service to the cause of free speech and to helping keep governments and other institutions accountable to the people of the world; and

WHEREAS numerous politicians and other public figures in the U.S. have called WikiLeaks founder and Australian citizen Julian Assange a a traitor (treason being punishable by the death penalty in the U.S.) and even in some cases for him to be assassinated; and

WHEREAS it is possible that if Julian Assange is extradited to Sweden, he could be extradited from there to the United States; and

WHEREAS the sex charges for which Julian Assange is wanted by Swedish authorities appear to be baseless, yet have been pursued in an unusually urgent and forceful manner by said authorities, in what can only be a result of Assange’s role in WikiLeaks;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Libertarian Party of San Francisco calls on the British authorities who have arrested Julian Assange and currently have not released him in Britain despite bail being granted and posted, to immediately stop all judicial proceedings against him, and refuse to extradite him to Sweden, the United States, or any other country.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Libertarian Party of San Francisco thanks Julian Assange and WikiLeaks, as well as their sources including U.S. Army private first class Bradley Manning, for exposing what congressman Ron Paul called “the delusional foreign policy” of the U.S. government, and revealing government secrets wrongfully withheld from the American people.

Pirate Parties Condemn Violence and Threats Against Wikileaks Staff

In recent weeks, numerous influential members of America's ruling political class have called for the death or assassination of Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks.  A number of chapters of the Pirate Party in Europe have released a statement condemning violence against Wikileaks staff.  From the Pirate Party UK:

In a joint declaration with other Pirate Parties, today the Pirate Party of the United Kingdom strongly condemns any attacks on Wikileaks infrastructure and more so any attacks on Wikileaks staff, as reported by Wikileaks in March and again by Julian Assange this week.

"Any democracy worth its name should distance itself immediately from any such actions" says Mark Wood, Vice-Secretary for Whistleblowing at Pirate Parties International and Member of the Board of Governors at Pirate Party UK. "Personal attacks and threats against anyone publishing information, are not what democracy is about. Should Wikileaks do anything illegal, they should be prosecuted through due process of law, which until now has - not surprisingly - not happened".

In a recent interview [2] Julian Assange, editor of Wikileaks, claims that two members of his staff have been murdered in Kenya, and that other staff have also been attacked in Luxembourg. These were new acts in a series of attacks against Wikileaks members as described in an earlier article [1]. Apart from these attacks, Wikileaks members were openly threatened by German BND [3] members.

"Again, we see many states, including some so-called democracies trying to inhibit the free flow of information that is inherent to the democratic principle" states Loz Kaye, Leader of Pirate Party UK. "It comes to show the sorry state our democracies have plunged to."

The Pirates Parties call for all democratic states to relent any attacks, to prosecute any persons or states that act through threats and violence and to actively condemn such activities for what they are: an attack on the freedoms that make up a democracy.
We urge each and every state and each journalist worth his reputation to investigate these attacks and shed the same light on them that Wikileaks has shed on this matter, which should concern all citizens.

Signed by the following parties:
- Pirate Party of Austria - Piratenpartei Österreichs
- Pirate Party of France - Parti Pirate français
- Pirate Party of Germany - Piratenpartei Deutschland
- Pirate Party of Italy - Partito Pirata Italiano
- Pirate Party Luxembourg - Piratepartei Lëtzebuerg
- Pirate Party of Switzerland
- Pirate Party of the United Kingdom

Wikileaks: US Diplomats Bemoan "Primacy of Freedom of Speech" in Danish Cartoon Controversy

A Wikileaked cable out of Embassy Copenhagen from September 2006 recounts the concerns of US diplomats that the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten might republish its controversial series of Mohammad cartoons to commemorate the first anniversary of their publication.  The paper ultimately did not republish the images.  The cable describes the "discreet discussions" of Embassy officials with the paper and senior Danish government officials regarding the matter, and effectively criticizes leaders in Denmark's three largest political parties for refusing to "retreat on core values such as free speech."  (Source: COPENHAGEN1327.)

If you recall, the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy began in September 2005, when the newspaper published a set of cartoons depicting the prophet Mohammad, provoking violent protests in a number of Muslim countries.  Apparently, the newspaper considered re-publishing the images for the first anniversary of their initial publication.  The cable states that the Embassy was informed of the paper's internal deliberations by a journalist with the news outlet.  The US Ambassador then called Danish Prime Minister Rasmussen's national security adviser, Bo Lidegaard, "to ask if this was true and to find out how the government was going to handle the issue."  Apparently the US Embassy in Stockholm works under the assumption that the Danish national security adviser is apprised of all newspaper editorial discussions that take place in the country in advance.

In a second conversation between the two officials, Lidegaard confirmed that the paper was considering re-publication, but stated that the Danish government "did not want to get involved in the matter," and warned US officials not to "openly influence the paper's decision," because the prime minister would have to publicly condemn any such action.  The cable's author notes later on, "the prime minister apparently concluded that the potential costs of being seen to intervene against free speech outweighed even the risk of another uproar."  [Emphasis added.] Noting that the paper ultimately decided not to re-publish the cartoons, the cable then goes on to ask, "How Could It Happen Again?"  In the document, we read:

For all the shock of the cartoon crisis and Denmark's heightened sensitivity to the Islamic world's concerns and the challenges of better integrating its own 200,000-strong Muslim population, there are still a lot of Danes who welcome confrontation with those they consider extremists and oppose any sign of retreat on core values such as free speech. The anti-immigration Danish People's Party, which votes with the government coalition, may be the most vocal on the subject (as well as the party that gained the most politically from the crisis). There are also many within the governing Liberal and Conservative parties who remain highly motivated in defense of free speech and Western culture.

Reflecting on the Danish response to the initial controversy, and the second potential crisis revolving around the publication of the cartoons, the cable comments that "the Danes have drawn mixed lessons from their experience in the cartoon crisis."  The cable's author writes:

On the good side, the Danes have stepped up engagement in promotion of democracy and reform abroad, especially in the Middle East. They now recognize the need to improve integration and outreach to the country's immigrant communities. Since the cartoon crisis, they have extended troop mandates in Iraq and Afghanistan.

For more on this point, see this article at Anti-War, entitled, "2006 Cable: Cartoon riots a good way to keep Denmark in wars," which is the only other source which appears to have picked up on this cable, as of this writing.  The "negative side" elaborated in the cable should be cause for concern to anyone who values the freedom of speech and the press.  From the cable:

On the negative side, though, this popular center-right government has hardened its views on the absolute primacy of free speech. The prime minister appeared willing to let Jyllands-Posten dictate the timing of the next Islam vs. West confrontation without question or open discussion within the government.  [Emphasis added.]

To reiterate: the cable states effectively that, on the negative side, the government has strong views in favor of the freedom of speech, and does not attempt to dictate the editorial decisions of the country's newspapers.  See a cache version of the full cable at Cable Search.  In related news, another cable alleges that the Syrian government played a role in the 2006 cartoon riots and embassy attacks.

Czech Pirate Party Launches Wikileaks-Style Site to Expose Government and Corporate Corruption

If you see something, say something.  Or at least forward that information to someone who will publish it online.  Needless to say, the most suspicious activities we are confronted with on a daily basis are conducted by governments and corporations.  The Czech Pirate Party has set up its own Wikileaks-style site to expose government and corporate corruption.  From Ars Technica:

The Czech Pirate Party (Ceska piratska strana) announced the inauguration of its "PirateLeaks" information service earlier this month, to be officially launched on Tuesday. But now the organization says that there will be some delays due to security issues.
"We could host content immediately; that's straightforward," Jakub Michálek, editor-in-chief of PirateLeaks explained to the Czech Position news service. "But what isn't straightforward is insuring 100 percent anonymity for the informers."

The Czech Pirate Party is similar to the Swedish Pirate Party, which advocates for the rights of citizens to share files and publish or access information. The CPP registered as a political entity in June of 2009, and about a year later garnered 0.8 percent of the vote in the Czech Republic's Chamber of Deputies Parliamentary election.

The group has been a big supporter of Wikileaks for quite a while. In May it launched a "pirate copy" of the site—not just a redirect, "but an exact copy, which will be regularly updated," according to a translation of the announcement.

As for establishing its own version of Wikileaks, the CPP describes the project as a "great way to influence regional politics." PirateLeaks will faithfully operate along the Wikileaks methodology—soliciting documents from institutional insiders and getting help from news media in verifying their authenticity. . . .

Wikileaks: "AARGH! SWEDISH PIRATES SET SAIL FOR BRUSSELS"

A Wikileaked cable out of Embassy Stockholm from June 2009 provides a summary of the results from European Parliament election held in Sweden earlier that month, and emphasizes the importance of the Pirate Party's showing in the election.  With the subject heading, "AARGH! SWEDISH PIRATES SET SAIL FOR BRUSSELS," the cable states that the Pirate Party, along with the Greens and the Liberal Party, were the "big winners" of the election, and notes that the Pirate Party garnered "support from young voters unhappy with the government’s decision to shut down The Pirate Bay, a file-sharing bit torrent site that had become a target of the Motion Picture Association of America."

The cable reports that the Pirate Party campaigned on a platform calling for copyright and patent reform and opposing a wiretapping law that had been proposed by Swedish security services.  It goes on to state that the party attracted "young voters angry over the guilty verdict in the Pirate Bay trial, the unpopular EU Ipred directive, and new national laws criminalizing file sharing and authorizing monitoring of emails."  In addition, the cable underscores the Pirate Party's sense that "the classic political right-left scale is outdated."

Interestingly, the analysis provided in this cable would seem to support that proposition.  Considering the possible side-effects of the Pirate Party's sudden, and surprising, electoral victory, the cable states that the Pirate Party's success likely "reduced the chances for the far-right nationalist Sweden Democrats to gain representation in the EP," as the Pirate Party draws its support from "the same voter base – young men with mistrust of politicians."  

See a cache copy of the cable at Cable Search.

Wikileaks: Italian Law Would Allow Government to Block or Censor any Internet Content

A Wikileaked cable out of Embassy Rome from February 2010 (cache) documents concerns among US diplomats that a bill before the Italian parliament would "give the Italian government enough leeway to block or censor any Internet content" and set a potentially dangerous international precedent that could be copied by other nations.  The proposed law, known as the Romani Bill, is widely viewed as an attack on the open internet and internet freedom.  The Herald Tribune reported this past January:

The 34-page decree mandates vetting any content harmful to minors, specifically pornography or excessive violence, and would require telecom providers to shut down any Internet site not in compliance, or face fines ranging from $210 to $210,960. . . .

The draft was written in mid-December, around the time the media empire founded by Berlusconi announced it was seeking at least $779 million in damages against YouTube and Google for allegedly misusing video it produced. The move is in response to a 2007 European Union directive to set up media rules, but only Italy has taken the directive to mean putting Internet companies in the hotseat.

The decree also inherently challenges the YouTube business model, shared by other hosting platforms, of allowing users to upload video without being controlled . . . 

Commenting on the proposed law, the leaked cable cites official denials on the part of the Berlusconi government, that the bill is intended to stifle free speech, and notes that there had been relatively little public outrage over the issue.  (One wonders what kind of coverage one could find on the issue in Berlusconi's massive and influential media empire.)  The cable goes on to note that the Italian government began to move swiftly toward censoring the internet after video of the prime minister being attacked in public resulted in the popularization of a Facebook fan page devoted to the attacker. 

Ironically, the cable states that the US government has for years pressured Italy to set up a regulatory regime for online content and "take action to protect copyrighted material on the Internet, in particular encouraging the establishment of clear notice-and-takedown procedures and cooperation among rights holders and ISPs to prevent illegal filesharing."  However, it finds the Italian government's defense of the law on those grounds suspect, given the Italian government's previous lack of interest in the matter.

Finally, the cable states that, if passed, the law would set a dangerous precedent that could be copied or cited by other nations to justify their own crackdowns on the freedom of speech.

Wikileaks: Spanish Prime Minister Reveals the Secret of his Success in Meeting with Biden

A newly released Wikileaked diplomatic cable from April 2009 details a meeting between Vice President Joe Biden and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Zapatero at a Progressive Governance Leaders Summit in Chile.  Discussion of the Obama administration's "new approach to foreign policy" appears to have dominated the meeting.  Biden stated that for eight years the doctrine of "my way or the high way" had been ascendant in American foreign policy, but that the Obama administration would seek collaboration and consensus.

For his part, Zapatero expressed high expectations in working with the Obama administration but admitted that "managing the managing the relationship between the United States and Spain under the Bush administration was easy for him."  The cable states: "Whatever position the Bush Administration took, [Zapatero] would take the opposite and see his domestic poll numbers increase. Sarcastically, Zapatero said "for that I will always be grateful to the Bush Administration."

Zapatero, a member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, was elected Prime Minister in 2004 and then re-elected in 2008.  During the Bush administration, he was an outspoken critic of US foreign policy and the war in Iraq.

See a cache copy of the cable at Cable Search.  

In Defense of Wikileaks at the Constitution Party of Tennessee

From Darrell Castle at the Constitution Party of TN website:

Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, is, according to various politicians, the most dangerous and evil man alive. . . .  It’s not enough that Assange has an international criminal warrant out for him through Interpol; he should be hunted down and assassinated like al-Qaida and Taliban leaders. My analysis of what Julian Assange did leads me to a different conclusion.

Who is actually guilty of attacking the international community? Did Julian Assange order the United States military to invade Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan, resulting in the deaths of God only knows how many people? Did he destroy the infrastructure of those countries and pollute them with depleted uranium weapons?

With regard to having blood on his hands, did he kill over 5,000 young Americans and wound tens of thousands more? Did he order American diplomats to commit espionage against their host countries? Has he led a campaign to destroy the Bill of Rights by authorizing warrantless searches, denying the right to counsel, and denying the right to Habeas Corpus? . . .

It’s time these international lunatics come to understand that we can not be expected to allow them to plot their evil schemes in private. Sunshine is the best disinfectant. I’m sure the reaction to the release will be to restrict access and be even more secretive. I suppose that makes more sense to American leaders than to stop murdering and lying . . .

Wikileaks: 10 Tenets of Authoritarianism on the Example of Hugo Chavez

A newly published Wikileaked cable out of Embassy Caracas from June 2009 provides an analysis and overview of the political situation in Venezuela at the time.  The cable states that despite his "professed allegiance to socialism," the country's President, Hugo Chavez, "lacks any consistent ideology" and instead relies on an "authoritarian playbook" to retain and consolidate his hold on power.  The cable delineates "10 Tenets of Chavismo" and, in the process, effectively elaborates the core principles and practices of any authoritarian government:

1) There Is Only One Great, Indispensable Leader
2) Centralize Power
3) Hype External and Internal "Enemies"
4) Polarize: exploit social divisions for political gain
5) Insist on Democratic Credentials: blur any distinction between being elected democratically and governing democratically
6) Reward Loyalty Over Competence
7) Repress Selectively: pick political victims carefully, making examples of sector leaders
8) Create Parallel Structures: develop pro-government NGOs, business groups, labor unions, television and radio networks
9) Party Equals State: assert partisan political control over all state functions
10) Monopolize Nationalism: assert exclusive claim to forefathers and national symbols

Sound familiar?  See a cache copy of the cable at Cable Search.

Socialist Party Chairs: Wikileaks Revelations are a Call to Action

From Andrea Pason and Billy Wharton, co-chairs Socialist Party USA:

The latest Wikileaks revelations should be a call to action for all Americans. It is time to tear down the empire that has been created in their name. Two tasks are first and foremost. We need to create a vibrant movement to end the wars being waged in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan. No more occupations, no more military surges and no more drone attacks. Simultaneously, we must demand that the prison facility at Guantanamo Bay be closed immediately. Achieving such demands will open a political space to more directly challenge the centre of the military industrial complex by calling for an immediate reduction of the military budget by 50% and the closing of all US military bases abroad.

As democratic socialists, we imagine another society, where the great wealth this world produces is put to use to meet human needs. Such a world would not need the secret cloak that covers the operations of the US empire. It would, instead, be based on notions that seem very distant from our current reality – democracy, free association and self-determination. We think that democratic socialism holds the potential to live up to these lofty ideals. Let the Wikileaks disclosures provide the motivation for you to join in this struggle.