Jill Stein: 'No question' Julian Assange is a hero

[brooklynite]

Source: CNN

Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein hailed Julian Assange as a hero Saturday, saying the WikiLeaks founder's disclosure of Democratic National Committee emails exposed the American electorate to important information.

Stein's comments to CNN were made shortly before she was named the progressive party's official 2016 presidential nominee, with human rights activist Ajamu Baraka tapped as her running mate.

"Any time that we have efforts to bring information to the American people, to the world, is something worth supporting," Baraka said in a separate interview with CNN.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/06/politics/jill-stein-julian-assange-green-party-convention/

---

If you're going to be a fringe candidate, go for the gusto...

[saidsimplesimon]

2. Assange is not a hero.

IMO, he exploited Chelsea Manning and others. Anyone who releases hacked data should be held responsible for the safety of the source, the credibility of the source and the veracity of the intel.

[BlueCaliDem]

5. ^^^This!^^^ eom

[mwrguy]

8. Manning was ratted out by another hacker

[Monk06]

35. It is one thing to release information without comment or at the very maximum with the comment

here it is make your own judgement

Assange hates Hillary and Obama because it was the DoS and the DoJ under Obama and Hillary that attempted to have him extradicted to Sweden and then, as the theory goes, renditioned to the US

He hates Hillary and the Democratic Party by association with a vengence It is a down to the bone blood feud.

He is not an objective political activist he is an agent provocateur The question is who is he an agent of?

The only ones benefiting from his grudge match with Hillary and the DNC are the GOP and Putin's intelligence apparatus

Syrup of Squil, you decide

[Akicita]

40. You don't think the American people benefited from knowing what went on at the DNC vis a vis the

Sanders campaign. We are just to be kept ignorant and happily believing DWS's lies over and over again that the DNC kept the playing field level in the primary?

I think it is better that we found out the truth so that reforms can be made.

[baldguy]

52. Let's see 30,000 emails from the Sanders campaign.

We can find the half-dozen most ill-advised messages that cast the organization in the worst light possible, then spend a week harping on them. Then we'll talk.

The DNC emails are the sideshow diversion. The real story is the fact that every indication shows that Putin is behind the theft of them & leaking them, and the fact that he could manipulate people so easily.

[think]

56. The DNC not only went after Bernie Sanders they specifically went after Sanders' supporters

with a ranking member of the DNC telling other members to push the story to the press that Bernie Sanders' supporters were violent.

After the election there will be a lot more discussion of what went on. What those members of the DNC did was abhorrent, despicable, and harmful to the party. It's time to clean house in grand fashion soon....

[fleabiscuit]

81. Information from those stolen internal emails? nt

[think]

83. The ones advocating smearing Democratic Bernie supporters as violent people? Ya those emails...

[fleabiscuit]

84. Really, what did the emails say?

I remember Bernie denouncing violence of his supporters in Nevada.

[baldguy]

60. "Democrat Party"

[George II]

77. A YUUGE tipoff, if you ask me.

[George II]

78. Are you aware of the religion of the DNC Chairwoman?

[fleabiscuit]

82. IMHO, a helpful post would be to explain the "benefited" part to us American people. nt

[brush]

103. How about they expose the Sanders campaign breaking through the DNC firewall and . . .

pilfering information? We haven't forgotten that.

Stuff goes both ways you know.

[MADem]

62. He's a Russian asset and Putin is likely paying his "rent."

Jill Stein, as always, is an idiot.

She gets dumber as the years go by.

And she's in the pockets of some big-money rightwingers. She is a wealthy suburbanite from a rich town, but she didn't pay for that national ad buy all by herself.

Follow the money, I'm betting the path veers to the right.

[JoePhilly]

70. +1

[vollehosen]

3. Quote Jill Stein

"This rapist is an American hero!"

[liberalmuse]

4. She dined with Putin, so...

I'm not sure who she considers a "hero" would be who I'd consider a hero.

[revbones]

15. So dining with Putin is a standard now?

Wonder what people think about Obama since he dined with Putin too.

[bluedye33139]

16. I wonder if it makes a difference that Obama is the president

And not some dirt bag trying to partner with the Kremlin against the United States

[revbones]

18. Got a link or anything to substantiate that claim?

Or are you just going for false hyperbolic statements to malign someone without real justification?

[bluedye33139]

26. Obama president

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama

He won election to the White House in 2008.

I hope I have sufficiently proven this

[Sand Rat Expat]

51. Oh please...

You haven't proven a thing! Everyone knows Wikipedia can be edited by anyone! You probably created that whole article in what, three minutes?

I feel like I shouldn't need to add the above tag, but I'm going to because you just never can tell.

[LanternWaste]

100. Is it the phrase 'dirt-bag' or the word 'partner' you pretend is hyperbole?

Is it the phrase 'dirt-bag' or the word 'partner' you pretend is hyperbole?

[Akicita]

42. I'll bet plenty of our politicians have dined with Bill Cosby.Maybe even the President.

Should they all now resign in disgrace?

[bluedye33139]

50. You mean for befriending a known rapist like Assange or Cosby?

I hadn't even thought of that. But no, the Assange problem is that he has allied with the Kremlin and is coordinating with Donald Trump. Stein can laugh off Putin's LGBT attacks because she wants power at any cost, and that is one thing I don't like about her.

[Akicita]

57. Did she really laugh off Putin's LGBT attacks?

[bluedye33139]

63. Smiling and laughing in photos

And stein seems to be one of those marvelous progressives who has no interest in LGBT rights or in civil rights for people of color.

[liberalmuse]

27. General Flynn was at the same table.

And now Flynn is working with Trump, and Stein's aim is to take votes away from Clinton (per Stein herself). Assange leaked the DNC emails. I just think it's all a bit weird.

[MelSC]

106. Yes I agree

There is something strange going on...

[Tal Vez]

6. I sometimes wonder if Assange has any notion of how hated he is becoming.

He may have a lot of technical expertise, but he has no common sense. The things that I hear people say about him! Of course, the rape cases don't help, but most rapists are more popular so it's more than just the rape cases.

[Akicita]

45. Most rapists are more popular? Care to explain that one?

I don't know of anybody who has been convicted of rape who is popular and only one person who has been accused of rape who is very popular.

[Moonwalk]

7. The anti-semitism isn really endearing either....

[saidsimplesimon]

13. I agree.

[reorg]

21. no slander is too cheap, apparently n/t

[JI7]

73. her vp running mate ?

[FairWinds]

9. Assange is indeed a hero . .

we need MORE leaks, bring 'em on.

Of the sort that might have prevented the biggest strategic blunder
in the history of the US - the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Veterans For Peace supports Dan Ellsberg (he is on our advisory board),
Manning, Snowden and all the rest . .

Jeez, you folks sound a lot like Nixon . .

all you got is ad hominem.

[saidsimplesimon]

14. Sorry, Fair Winds, we disagree.

Please don't give Nixon any mention on a progressive blog. I support Veterans for Peace, have done so for decades. That does not require I walk in lockstep with all their positions?

[pnwmom]

19. Even Snowden thinks Assange has been behaving very badly by releasing private citizen info.

Assange is anything but a hero. He's a narcissistic attention-hog.

[reorg]

30. are you a mind reader?

or are you referring to a recent tweet, perhaps this one

https://twitter.com/Snowden/status/760075290487947264

or maybe that:

https://twitter.com/Snowden/status/758759203037151232

where he ominously refers to what he thinks is a 'mistake' (rather than 'behaving very badly).

And what info has Assange released that you didn't like?

[pnwmom]

31. Assange posted Social Security #'s and other identifying info of ordinary people

who donated to the Democrats.

This was in his recent email dump, and doing so was reprehensible. In his interview, Assange attempted to skirt the issue by only addressing the issue of credit card numbers.

And the Wikileaks leak of the personal info of almost all female Turkish voters was both reprehensible and could be dangerous to many.


http://www.rollingstone.com/tv/news/watch-julian-assange-defend-dnc-email-hack-on-real-time-w433133

As for the non-redacted delivery of the leak – which exposed donors' personal information and social security numbers, Assange countered, "We did not publish the credit numbers of donors; it's the last four digits, just like your 7-Eleven receipt. It's very important for tracking money laundering,"

Wikileaks' DNC leak drew criticism from whistleblower Edward Snowden, who tweeted of the hack, "Democratizing information has never been more vital, and Wikileaks has helped. But their hostility to even modest curation is a mistake."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/zeynep-tufekci/wikileaks-erdogan-emails_b_11158792.html

WikiLeaks Put Women in Turkey in Danger, for No Reason

Yes — this “leak” actually contains spreadsheets of private, sensitive information of what appears to be every female voter in 79 out of 81 provinces in Turkey, including their home addresses and other private information, sometimes including their cellphone numbers. If these women are members of Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (known as the AKP), the dumped files also contain their Turkish citizenship ID, which increases the risk to them as the ID is used in practicing a range of basic rights and accessing services. The Istanbul file alone contains more than a million women’s private information, and there are 79 files, with most including information of many hundreds of thousands of women.

We are talking about millions of women whose private, personal information has been dumped into the world, with nary an outcry. Their addresses are out there for every stalker, ex-partner, disapproving relative or random crazy to peruse as they wish. And let’s remember that, every year in Turkey, hundreds of women are murdered, most often by current or ex-husbands or boyfriends, and thousands of women leave their homes or go into hiding, seeking safety.

[Akicita]

46. Why did Assange just release the women's info in Turkey? Why not the men's too?

[pnwmom]

48. Good question. He doesn't exactly have a good record with women. nt

[reorg]

66. Wrong question

Somewhere in that heap of information apparently lifted from a server that belongs to Turkey's ruling party are spreadsheets with addresses and some phone numbers of female voters.

Wikileaks apparently released everything in that heap, possibly without sifting through every single item in it. The question is: why would the AKP maintain these spreadsheets. Perhaps they were used in gender-specific mailing campaigns?

[Akicita]

67. Thanks for that additional info. Maybe the ruling party is keeping lists of women specifi voters

because many do not believe they should be voting and as Erdogan consolidates power and more Sharia law is imposed, they will go after women voters.

[pnwmom]

72. It doesn't matter why they were there -- there is no excuse for publishing them and exposing

the women.

[reorg]

55. we were talking about how 'even Snowden' allegedly accuses Assange

Now you are telling me a different story. You are correct in stating that Assange said

"We did not publish the credit numbers of donors; it's the last four digits, just like your 7-Eleven receipt. It's very important for tracking money laundering,"

So, what is wrong about that? He was referring to claims that Wikileaks was publishing credit card numbers and clarified that such accusations are false.

As to your other complaints, that even though Wikileaks didn't publish personal information such as credit card numbers, there may often be some other personal information contained in the leaks which the individuals concerned may find uncomfortable. Such vague and general accusations are, of course, not easy to deal with since we don't know exactly what you are talking about. I only know that in the case of the embassy cables, all such claims were complete nonsense and nobody was ever shown to have been hurt by their publication.

Most likely the same is true in the case of these 'AKP' emails. I scanned through some of them that were written in English or German, they seem to be mostly spam and nonsense I am not interested in. But perhaps someone who speaks Turkish can explain what they are about. However, the claim that somebody might search in these emails for "personal information" about former lovers so as to stalk, hurt or kill them seems totally ridiculous on its face. What's more, that allegedly dangerous information was apparently removed very quickly, as soon as somebody complained, so there.

[pnwmom]

61. Snowden has criticized Assange for publishing un-redacted personal info.

What about the quote below was too hard for you to understand? Assange's only apparent defense to the criticism that he shouldn't be posting personal info INCLUDING SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS was that he only posted 4 digits of credit card numbers. That's not an excuse; it's a distraction.

Concerning the embassy cables, CIA informants were reportedly outed. If there were negative repercussions this would not be something publicized because that could endanger other informants. The fact that you are aware of none means nothing.

And with regard to posting the personal info of female voters, the dangers of that are obvious to anyone who isn't drinking the Assange koolaid. Assange shouldn't have been linking to uncurated files and his action isn't excused by the fact that those who posted those files eventually took them down. The damage was done.

http://www.rollingstone.com/tv/news/watch-julian-assange-defend-dnc-email-hack-on-real-time-w433133

As for the non-redacted delivery of the leak – which exposed donors' personal information and social security numbers, Assange countered, "We did not publish the credit numbers of donors; it's the last four digits, just like your 7-Eleven receipt. It's very important for tracking money laundering,"

[reorg]

64. no, you haven't been listening carefully

so I did it for you.

You're just hearing what you want to hear, or rather have read in some biased publication, perhaps.

Bill Maher's question was: ... the DNC is not a government, it's private, and some of the donors had their SS numbers AND credit card numbers released. Do you think this is fair game?

Assange replied that, well, "fair game, we did the same thing to senator Norman Coleman's campaign," (and others) and that he was "super happy with how that's gone" because it had some effect.

Then the conversation deviates somewhat, Maher and Assange are joking about - since, I believe, it's a comedy/entertainment show until they get back to the point where Assange says:

"... let's tackle these criticisms. We did not publish full credit card numbers about donors ..."

So much about "curating" the leaks. They did, again, make an effort to remove information that may unnecessarily hurt individuals if it gets out in the open. They did not remove the credit card numbers entirely in order to not "censor" information that may be relevant, e.g. regarding accusations of money laundering. Assange insists that "our materials are pristine, completely valid and true."

Maher then mentions Snowden's criticism verbatim "their hostility to even modest curation is a mistake" and Assange responds directly, without distraction: I suppose, well, he doesn't really know the definition of curation. So, curation is not censorship of the ruling political party's cash flows ...

Before he EXPLAINS why he thinks Snowden takes that stance (publicly).

Here you can watch the whole thing, it's not that long:

[pnwmom]

71. Nowhere in that worthless video of Assange does he address SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS.

Social Security numbers are NOT the same as credit card numbers, and Social Security numbers were included in some of the un-redacted emails.

Why do you keep avoiding the point?

[reorg]

74. that's right, he isn't concerned about them

I did address that point: Assange has repeatedly made it clear that in his mind changing or leaving out certain information from the materials leaked to his organisation is the same as "censoring" them, which he refuses to do, unless there is an obvious potential for abuse.

[pnwmom]

75. There IS an obvious potential for abuse with Social Security numbers. Are you for real?

First you don't seem to understand the difference between credit card numbers and Social Security numbers. Then you imply that Social Security numbers can't be abused, that there is "no obvious potential for abuse."

This is basic information that anyone with a U.S. Social Security number should know.

I really have to wonder what you are trying to do here..

[reorg]

76. well, perhaps you can explain it to me

I don't have a US Social Security number and don't know what the potential of abuse might be. The only number I would be concerned about is indeed my full credit card number, but even that doesn't concern me all that much: if I report that somebody else has used it without authorisation, I get my money back. Has happened to me, so I know how it works - it's a nuisance, but not a financial loss.

[pnwmom]

80. Everyone in the US has to get one at birth. Maybe you should educate yourself

instead of repeating Assange's false claims.

Everyone needs to keep their social security numbers private because of the potential of identify theft.

https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10064.pdf

Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in America. A dishonest person who has your Social Security number can use it to get other personal information about you. Identity thieves can use your number and your good credit to apply for more credit in your name. Then, they use the credit cards and don’t pay the bills. You may not find out that someone is using your number until you’re turned down for credit, or you begin to get calls from unknown creditors demanding payment for items you never bought.

Someone illegally using your Social Security number and assuming your identity can cause a lot of problems.

Your number is confidential

The Social Security Administration protects your Social Security number and keeps your records confidential. We don’t give your number to anyone, except when authorized by law. You should be careful about sharing your number, even when you’re asked for it. You should ask why your number is needed, how it’ll be used, and what will happen if you refuse. The answers to these questions can help you decide if you want to give out your Social Security number.

[reorg]

89. that much I knew already

ok, 'identity theft', I watched a movie on that topic a while ago, but I think you need a little more than just a SS number to do that successfully. You can 'use it to get other personal information', how? From what you are telling me, it seems to come down to credit cards and bills again, anyway. Yes, I experienced that, it is but a nuisance and not a financial loss if you monitor your accounts.

Anyway, the question for Wikileaks is to what extent are they going to tamper with the material. The fact that over all those years nobody could demonstrate how any of the leaked information was used by "dishonest persons" to steal, harrass, and kill seems to be a pretty good indicator that these allegations are as hollow as they sound.

[haele]

97. Not just financial information is affected by a stolen Social Security number, but people's jobs

Personal records - like medical records can be accessed by someone's social security number. Someone's social security record is linked to their birth records - place and date of birth, mother's name, father's name. So, someone can get a fake or driver's license. Someone can get access to otherwise secure locations - employer's records and SharePoint/data collaboration sites - or other accounts that you have access to, just by putting together your SSN and the birth record information that goes along with it and a few other details that can be found about you by Google search. Someone can impersonate you to commit a crime. They don't want your bank account. They want enough components of your otherwise innocuous "good" identity to get through someone else's protections against criminals. That's a favorite trick for more sophisticated black-hat hackers.
They can apply for a job in a critical infrastructure site using fake i.d. based off your SSI, and create all sorts of havoc.
So yes, having someone's Social Security number out in the open is the stuff of nightmares to people's lives require they maintain private security.
Even if you believe in transparency, you still want shower curtains, don't you?

Haele

[reorg]

99. I can see that. The importance of this SS number in the US

seems to be the result of the general unwillingness there to have a proper registration system, like a national identity card and so forth. However, even with an ID card/passport or other identification (e.g. medical insurance ID card, with photo) it would be impossible for me to get most of the things you mentioned unless I would present myself in person, WITH the ID card with a photo of myself.

So, while the situation in the US may be different from other countries in this respect, I understand the SS number alone doesn't get you anywhere if you are one of those criminals who are just waiting for the next Wikileaks release so they can scour the records until they find something they can abuse. OTOH, people seem to leave that SS number in places where it can be found. If it is really useful for criminals, there are probably rackets that steal SS numbers and sell them by the batch.

[LisaM]

101. Actually, that's the question my CC company asks when I call them

They want to know the last four digits of my SS#, then they'll do things pertinent to my account. So if I dropped my credit card somewhere and they called my bank and had those numbers - bingo. They could do a lot of damage.

[MBS]

41. I completely agree. n/t

[wildbilln864]

44. damned right! n/t

[Odin2005]

90. Assange is a rapist douchebag techie Libertarian.

Fuck him.

[pnwmom]

20. He said that 6 years ago, time enough to prove that he was wrong about Assange.

I'm sure Ellsberg doesn't support Assange releasing un-redacted personal info of private citizens who have done nothing wrong.

[vinny9698]

11. Assange is not a hacker, he is just the middleman

He runs a file server that anyone with a basic IT knowledge can do. It is alll menu driven by Windows. He doesn't even know who is feeding him the information. Hackers are going to give anyone their real identity. Especially Assange, he will rat you if caught to get a deal.
He is just like Trump seeking glory at someone elses hacking. Manning and Snowden are also not hackers, they just had access to the material and copied it to their thumb drives or burnt cds. which any security guy would have disabled in the CMOS settings and put a password on the cmos bios.

I seriously doubt he has anymore information. He is just trying to give the non story legs and get his mug on TV.
The Russians if they really did it, dumped everything.
Office gossip that you have on any large corporation between staff.

[FairWinds]

12. It is a dead giveaway when the DU national security patriots . .

NEVER have a word to say about the real leakers . .

Petraeus, Libby, Armitage, Clapper - the list goes on.

[saidsimplesimon]

17. Excuse me

This thread was not about the "DU national security patriots", was it? The internet search is your friend. Cheney and friends should be at the top of the list for international security threats, imo.

I do respect whistle blowers, encourage them to come out with any information that should be made public.

[FairWinds]

65. Hey Simon . .

thanks very much for making a real effort to keep this disagreement civil.

It is appreciated.

And for sure, we in Vets For Peace disagree sharply at times.

[hrmjustin]

22. He is no hero to me.

[EricMaundry]

23. Jill is in the same septic tank with Putin and Trump

Selling America out to its enemies. What a low point for this country.

[TreasonousBastard]

24. And no questiion Jill Stein is an asshole.

[EricMaundry]

25. Jill is the left wing equivalent of Donald Trump

[onecaliberal]

28. What the hell is she thinking. She obviously is out for herself not the country.

[MrWendel]

29. This is the ...

same person that thinks vaccines are evil right?

[Archae]

33. But she's "just asking questions," donchu know.

She also claims WiFi is damaging our kids' brains in schools.

[Akicita]

47. Does she have any evidence about wifi to back that up?

[randome]

49. Other than her own damaged brain? No.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]A ton of bricks, a ton of feathers, it's still gonna hurt.[/center][/font][hr]

[Archae]

54. Yeah, she just "knows" it's true.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10028071622

[MFM008]

32. she is irrelevant

to me.

[Tarheel_Dem]

34. Stein is pimping ASSange to get media attention. Any attention, even negative attention, would be..

welcomed by her & her strange "supporters".

[Festivito]

36. Less knowledge to the people! Seems to be the new DU thread norm.

I suppose I could go through all the could be Assange negatives myself, but, they've been covered.

[awoke_in_2003]

37. He's an anti-semite

Fuck him.

[Dopers_Greed]

38. So an anti-semite trying to elect Trump is a hero?

Some progressive candidate we have here.

[Lil Missy]

39. Assange is a piece of shit. n/t

[MBS]

43. " " " " "n/t

[DonCoquixote]

53. one does not need to be grateful for the fruits of assange

To realize that tree has some serious rot. Of course I know Washington is trying to use that rot to lynch him, but that does not mean we need to eat that rot. The idea of Trump, Thiel, and Assange as the new heroes of the 21st century is a disaster, for all of them want Women to be reduced to servants or toys.

[Sunlei]

58. I think he lost control of his website and stolen files storage collection long ago.

[xocet]

68. Wikileaks...

https://collateralmurder.wikileaks.org/

[DownriverDem]

69. Might as well vote for Trump

Here's the truth: Either Hillary or Trump will be the next President. If you really don't want Trump to win, you must vote for Hillary. Oh you may feel good about voting for Stein, but she won't win and won't even carry one state. At what cost? So if Trump wins, young folks lives will be a living hell with a Trump Supreme Court for the next 30 years. And for many folks they will rue the day that Trump won.

[fleabiscuit]

79. I like the line "Voting Third Party is the Electoral Equivalent of Sending Thoughts and Prayers"

http://www.freepresshouston.com/voting-third-party-is-the-electoral-equivalent-of-sending-thoughts-and-prayers/

[yurbud]

85. wow--a lot of people are upset that the financial elite can't keep secrets from us anymore

without an informed electorate, you don't have a real democracy.

If you are happy with your leaders withholding information like war crimes, trade deals, and in the case of the DNC, putting their finger on the scale of elections, and you aren't happy with leaks, how exactly do you expect us to be informed?

[Elmergantry]

86. You are only to be informed

When the information does not threaten the agenda.

[yurbud]

88. or when it advances the agenda.

[Elmergantry]

93. that too! nt

[harun]

91. They don't want an informed electorate

They want slaves.

[reddread]

92. who knew

the War on Information was a real thing?
I cant wait to see where we are in four years!

[yurbud]

94. In some respects, Obama is a moderate on this stuff. Hillary won't be.

[reddread]

98. funny how "moderate" changes its stripes when the right creeps far enough

[Democat]

95. Stein is the Financial Elite

Assange and Stein are trying to take down the candidate who wants to raise taxes on the rich and elect the candidate who wants to lower taxes on the rich.

[Blue_Tires]

96. She's making the rest of liberal America look bad at this point...

[tandem5]

102. He is a hero and he shall be honored with the order For Merit to the Fatherland!

[farleftlib]

104. No question is absolutely right

K & R

[MelSC]

105. Who cares what she has to say anymore

She's like a troll running for President

[ismnotwasm]

107. He's a disgusting pig.

[SunSeeker]

108. And liar. And hack. nt