Send Wikileaks Some Love (And Cash) – OpEd

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logs like this one could not exist without sources like Wikileaks.  I have had my own Bradley Mannings provide invaluable information which they and I deemed to be vital for my readers to know.  Information which governments and intelligence services like Israel, the Mossad and Shabak did not anyone to know.  That is why it pains me to see the campaign of persecution conducted by the power elites in the U.S. and elsewhere who’ve forced its web host, Paypal, Amazon, Mastercard and Visa (among others) to buckle under government pressure.

Since I have been the victim of a DOS attack I don’t relish this form of counterattack, but I must say these corporate monoliths have far more resources at their disposal to fight back and also have engaged in egregious conduct.  I would rather engage in a campaign of shame and boycott against them to hurt their reputation and business plan.  Though these companies are so ubiquitous in their respective fields it’s hard for any of us to withdraw from Paypal or the credit card system.

Counterpunch published an expose (and more comprehensively here) about Julian Assange’s accusers.  The tone and substance of this piece is flippant, self-serving and borderline offensive.  And I feel ambivalent about attacking someone claiming to be a victim of sex abuse.  But some of the material uncovered does make one question the motives of at least one of the accusers.  Also, I feel queasy about charging someone with the serious charge of rape as a result of engaging in consensual sex which somewhere in the course of the act became nonconsensual.

I don’t profess to know or care about Julian Assange’s sex life, though it does seem that a man in such circumstances could behave in a manner much more circumspect than he has chosen.

Aside from all of this, Wikileaks has pierced the veil of government secrecy, especially of governments like the U.S. and Israel whose policymaking apparatus is particulary opaque.  For this reason alone, Assange and Wikileaks deserve our support.  You may still support Wikileaks by bank transfer or mail:

Skulagötu 19, 101 Reykjavik, Iceland
Landsbanki Islands Account number 0111-26-611010
BANK/SWIFT:NBIIISREXXX
ACCOUNT/IBAN:IS97 0111 2661 1010 6110 1002 80

Richard Silverstein

Richard Silverstein is an author, journalist and blogger, with articles appearing in Haaretz, the Jewish Forward, Los Angeles Times, the Guardian’s Comment Is Free, Al Jazeera English, and Alternet. His work has also been in the Seattle Times, American Conservative Magazine, Beliefnet and Tikkun Magazine, where he is on the advisory board. Check out Silverstein's blog at Tikun Olam, one of the earliest liberal Jewish blogs, which he has maintained since February, 2003.

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