Wikileaks' Julian Assange

[Darlica]

As Lindorm said, this case does not follow the usual path.
The only time in general someone get legally slapped over a broken condom is if the man in question is HIV infected (and are aware of it) and doesn't tell his sex-partner beforehand, but instead willingly tries to infect them too. That would, if it goes to court, end up as severe assault and battery.

In Sweden, the word rape indicates that there has been a violence, treat of violence or incapacitation involved, otherwise it would classify as sexual abuse (unless we are speaking of children).


This is odd.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Assange is again in the news, this time is Ecuador granting him asylum and the UK threatening to storm the embassy using some obscure paragraph that would defeat international law.

I imagine that the UK doesn't care if it breaks relations with Ecuador or any other South American country for what matters, funny how when protesters stormed the UK embassy in Iran there weren't enough condemnation words for the incident and now is the UK making the threats.

Of course, who cares about nimble Ecuador, what's the worse that could happen, higher banana prices? 
---
As a side note, I must say that I am in no way or form a fan of Mr. Correa (Ecuador's president), nevertheless I wholeheartedly agree with his decision of granting asylum to J. Assange.

[Griffin NoName]

UK is not thinking of entering the embassy. William Hague had a hissy fit and said we would, but quickly back-tracked, couple of days ago. He just put loads of policemen round the front door. They look bored. Assange gave an interview from a balcony last night, anti-US speech, did not mention Sweden or sex. The big puzzle is how A, will ever get out of the embassy. Personally I favour rescue helicopter, ascending on rope through roof, but of course he would still be in British Air Space so I 'spose the RAF could make them force land.

[Bluenose]

Send him out through the diplomatic bag.  The west did it plenty of times during the cold war...

[Swatopluk]

Through the sewers maybe?
Or the old trick with doubles (more than one of course).

To be more serious, I think no one is looking good here. Britain for threatening breach of international law, the Ecuadorian government that simply wants to show the US the middle finger (I do not think that they actually care about Assange the person), Sweden (for rather fishy legal proceedings and the refusal to guarantee non-extradition to the US), the US (for obvious reasons).
And my impression of Assange as a person (as opposed to the political activist) is not good either (self-centered foramen ani).

[Sibling DavidH]

I usually have great respect for William Hague, so I'm surprised he made that threat.  It was monumentally stupid.

[Bluenose]

To be more serious, I think no one is looking good here...

Not to forget the Australian government for once again failing to stand up for the rights of its citizens who come to the attention of dodgy legal processes overseas.  I am no fan of Mr Assange, but I am spectacularly unimpressed by this sorry episode.  Assange might be a bit of a self aggrandising opportunist, but he does not deserve the treatment he has been getting.  The way this whole Swedish thing has gone down seems to me to be a sad indictment of both the Swedish and the British legal systems.  As for the US government, if they really had no design on Assange they can just come out and unequivocally say so.  The US ambassador making statements like "I have no knowledge of any secret Grand Jury" assures me not - why would he know about a secret one anyway?  I don't blame Assange for seeking political asylum, frankly IMO the Brits should just stop acting like a lap dog for other countries and tell the Swedes and the US to speak the plain truth for once.  Good luck with that.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

....  and tell the Swedes and the US to speak the plain truth for once.  Good luck with that.

Indeed.  Both governments thrive on suppression of the uncomfortable truth--whatever it may be at the moment.

Come to think of it, all governments thrive on such actions.

I suppose it comes with the fact that most governments are composed mostly of people who have had to lie in one or more ways, in order to get where they are.

After the first lie, telling the 2nd and the Nth lie is only a matter of time, isn't it?

After so many lies?  Telling a bald-faced truth becomes ... nearly impossible.   What with the now well-established habit of lying.

One of the biggest lies ever told?  Is this:  "you can't handle the truth"

As it turns out?  This lie is no more true than the flat-earth one ...

.. meh.

People will rise up to the occasion of really hard truths, if you give'em a chance to.

For a really hard truth is never what breaks a person-- it's always a series of small lies, piled up over and over, over time-- an finally one more small lie is the literal last-straw...

[Griffin NoName]

The Guardian today went into fairly ludicrous discussions about rape/sleep/condoms due to <sigh> George Galloway leaping into action. I am usually amused by George Galloway, but in this case he should have shut up and what he is saying is plain stupid (and offensive - but then he usually is).

I also rate William Hague, though a shame he is a Tory. He is one of my favourite people on Question Time when he appears on that; he speaks well and to the point and tends not to start mixing politics (which many do and irritates me).

[Sibling DavidH]

We need Hague to be the voice of Wallace when Peter Sallis dies.

'Cracking coalition, Gromit!'