• davel [he/him]
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        179 months ago

        I suspect they’d prefer that he die in prison over there, but if not then in prison over here. I don’t think they want to ever take this to trial, because it’s been a farce from the start.

        • TWeaK
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          9 months ago

          They literally dropped all the potentially credible charges they were first going for. Those women in Sweden? Long gone, as of 5 years ago. Hillary Clinton’s emails? Also dropped.

          What really sucks is that the narrative has changed over years, as the facts have been forgotten. People think he’s been in league with Russia, and some even think Russia provided him with evidence against Republicans alongside the Democrat emails, and that he refused to publish the Republican stuff in support of Russia so that Russia’s man (Trump) could get in the White House.

          First off, Russia wouldn’t provide Republican emails if they were trying to get a Republican inside the White House (they didn’t provide any such emails and they did promote Trump). Second, the controversy as about Wikileaks not publishing details of Russian corruption. While this is definitely controversial (and frankly something I disagree with), Wikileaks’ reasoning was simply: “Russian corruption is not news, it is to be expected”.

    • deweydecibel
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      39 months ago

      Regardless of any judicial or legal red tape preventing that extradition, are we seriously operating under the assumption that the United States government would execute him?

      • TWeaK
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        199 months ago

        are we seriously operating under the assumption that the United States government would execute him?

        Legally, UK and EU courts must consider this, because sending someone to a country where they will be executed for their crimes is a breach of human rights.

        By the strict reading of the law, he could be extradited for life in prison. If he was being extradited to be sentenced to death, that would be a no go.

        The US are skirting and pushing the bounds of UK law here. Unfortunately, they will likely get away with it, because the English are pussies.

    • @LWD@lemm.ee
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      29 months ago

      I don’t like Julian Assange, but I think that if he were found guilty of his crimes of espionage, that he has already served out more than a proportional sentence in exile.

      • TWeaK
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        169 months ago

        That’s exactly what they’re arguing here. However the US is trying to use a non-answer to avoid this, and in the past that’s worked.

  • @UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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    199 months ago

    Putin Alert! Putin Alert! This guy supports Vladimir Putin! He is undermining the US so that the Russians can invade! Also, the Chinese! Also the… uh… Cubans? Venezuelans? Quebecians? Idk, but its bad! They’re coming to take your freedom! Protect the NSA! PROTECT THE NSA! THEY STAND BETWEEN YOU AND TYRANNY!

  • Sims
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    399 months ago

    A ‘State’ is not inherently bad. That’s just libertarian propaganda/dogma. Self-interested psychopaths in charge of a state is bad…

    • @djehuti@programming.dev
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      149 months ago

      States always wind up being run by self-interested psychopaths.

      That’s not a “flaw;” it’s the fundamental nature of the concept.

      • Raphaël A. Costeau
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        6 months ago

        States always wind up being run by self-interested psychopaths

        Being an self-interested psychopath is almost a requirement to be a company owner/manager

        CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

    • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppet
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      119 months ago

      Unfortunately it’s usually self-interested psychopaths who seek out and obtain those positions, especially since you need to be a bit psychotic to do what’s required to get there.

    • @winterayars@sh.itjust.works
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      119 months ago

      The state is kinda bad and it’s not only Right-Libertarians who say that. Even so, leaking documents is not always bad. Like, the Abu Ghraib leak was objectively good.

      • @Maggoty@lemmy.world
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        49 months ago

        Abu Graib wasn’t leaked. Amnesty International talked to prisoners that were released. Then the Red Cross used their oversight powers to get in and make an official report. Then a soldier reported the crimes to the Army’s version of the FBI, (CID). The Army then did an investigation and started arresting people.

    • @9point6@lemmy.world
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      389 months ago

      Funny thing about ancap libertarianism is that they’ve correctly identified that power can lead to tyranny, but they’re completely oblivious to the power that corporatism (the conclusion of lassez-faire capitalism) results in.

      • @vikingqueef@lemmy.worldOP
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        9 months ago

        Taxes used for public good and infrastructure are what taxes are supposed to be for. And they should be raised and collected proportionally to your wealth.

        Neither of those statements describe how the US handles taxes.

  • gregorum
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    9 months ago

    False equivalence is false— but, sure, anything to make espionage seem OK

    • @ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      159 months ago

      Seeing as this was posted in c/privacy, I believe the intent was rather to say “actually that whole ‘nothing to hide nothing to fear’ premise government espionage programs enjoy thrusting on their citizens is patently bullshit, and they know it, as despite saying it to you while spying on you they make it illegal to spy on them.

      • gregorum
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        9 months ago

        Using paranoia to justify a logical fallacy - and espionage - isn’t a very good argument.

        • @LWD@lemm.ee
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          89 months ago

          “Espionage” - Ed Snowden leaking PRISM docs
          “Paranoia” - reading about it on Wikipedia

          • gregorum
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            -59 months ago

            You’re the only one who mentioned Edward Snowden

            • @LWD@lemm.ee
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              49 months ago

              You’re right, I mentioned it because it seemed like a good counterexample to your reasoning.

              … Apparently you agree?

              • gregorum
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                9 months ago

                I wish I were on the drugs you are to find the reason in the obviously logically flawed and contradictory madness you keep making of this.

                But if you need to keep telling yourself that espionage is OK just because some governments engage in some forms of mass surveillance, then I can’t stop you from making a fool of yourself by saying so. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

                I still think that both are bad, and I still find it pretty easy to argue both points without conflating the two logically fallaciously.

                Thing is, even if we don’t agree, I think you could do better arguing either or both points without conflating the two. And I think you’d be more convincing, if you didn’t rely on conflating them. That’s what I’m trying to say, is that you’re not really wrong on one point, the other is logically fallacious, but that you’re wrong for trying to say that they’re related.

                • @LWD@lemm.ee
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                  49 months ago

                  What did Edward Snowden do, if not technically espionage? Some other crime?

                  Sometimes, it’s good to do crimes. The more oppressive the government, generally speaking, then more good things might get turned into crimes. Criticism of the government. Protest. Etc.

  • deweydecibel
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    69 months ago

    I mean…the state does have legitimate things to hide beyond their spying programs. Not every person that spills government secrets is as careful as Snowden.