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US Embargo against Wikileaks

Oliver

Penultimate Amazing
Oliver
Joined
Aug 12, 2006
Messages
17,396
Okay, I just read Wikileaks press release "WikiLeaks condemns US embargo move".

Could someone explain what would happen once such an "Embargo" was in place? Would that mean that an US citizen buying Assanges book, companies printing and selling the book would be criminals themselves under US law? :confused:


WikiLeaks today condemned calls from the chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security to "strangle the viability" of WikiLeaks by placing the publisher and its editor-in-chief, Julian Assange, on a US "enemies list" normally reserved for terrorists and dictators.

Placement on the US "Specially Designated National and Blocked Persons List" would criminalize US companies who deal with WikiLeaks or its editor. "The U.S. government simply cannot continue its ineffective piecemeal approach of responding in the aftermath of Wikileaks’ damage," King wrote in a letter to the Secretary of the US Treasury, Geithner. "The U.S. government should be making every effort to strangle the viability of Assange’s organization."

...full press release
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I suppose it means the U.S. could go after the NY Times if they published any more documents provided by Wikileaks.

Somehow, I doubt they'd ever try that--what with that pesky First Amendment and all.
 
WikiLeaks today condemned calls from the chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security to "strangle the viability" of WikiLeaks by placing the publisher and its editor-in-chief, Julian Assange, on a US "enemies list" normally reserved for terrorists and dictators.
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Pardon my face palm, please.

The problem is the folks leaking to Assange.
 
What weight does a Wikileaks condemnation carry? Does Wikileaks have a navy?
 
egslim said:
Seems to me the real problem is the US governments attitude to freedom of speech.
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No, the "problem" is self-absorbed paunks who choose to make themselves enemies of a superpower, and then whine piteously when they are not able to do so with complete impunity.
 
Jacob Appelbaum, a security researcher, Tor developer, and volunteer with Wikileaks, reported today on his Twitter feed that he was detained, searched, and questioned by the US Customs and Border Patrol agents at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on January 10, upon re-entering the US after a vacation in Iceland.
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http://www.boingboing.net/2011/01/12/wikileaks-volunteer-1.html

I like these parts:
The forensic specialist (who was friendly) explained that EnCase and FTK, with a write-blocker inline were unable to see the Bill of Rights.
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and
The CBP agents in Seattle were nicer than ones in Newark. None of them implied I would be raped in prison for the rest of my life this time.
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and
While it's true that Communist China has never treated me as badly as CBP, I know this isn't true for everyone who travels to China.
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America, land of the rape dungeons and home of the incompetent...
 
Arcade22 said:
http://www.boingboing.net/2011/01/12/wikileaks-volunteer-1.html

I like these parts:

Quote:
The forensic specialist (who was friendly) explained that EnCase and FTK, with a write-blocker inline were unable to see the Bill of Rights.

and

Quote:
The CBP agents in Seattle were nicer than ones in Newark. None of them implied I would be raped in prison for the rest of my life this time.

and

Quote:
While it's true that Communist China has never treated me as badly as CBP, I know this isn't true for everyone who travels to China.
Click to expand...

And?

Oh, I get it. He's whining because he has not uniformly enjoyed complete impunity.

Well, I guess that answers my first question. They don't have a navy. They rely entirely upon the kindness of strangers. (flutter flutter)
 
Last edited:
Okay People, move along, nothing to see here, Embargo is over...

5.55pm: The US Treasury says it will not be blacklisting WikiLeaks. The chair of House of Representatives homeland security committee, Peter King, had earlier this week asked it to add WikiLeaks to its list of terrorists, drug traffickers, etc. that US citizens are barred from doing business with in order to "strangle the viability of Assange's organisation". A US Treasury spokesman said neither Assange or WikiLeaks met the necessary criteria.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/jan/14/wikileaks-latest-developments
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Oliver,

Wow, I'm surprised the system actually worked. Regardless, eventually they'll figure out a way to get it classified as a terrorist organization. A recent SCOTUS ruling actually stated that speech constituted material aid to a terrorist organization; technically telling them to abandon violence would be considered giving them aid.

Effectively if they can blackball the site: Visiting the site, and communicating with the site could be considered giving material aid to a terrorist organization. Technically if they were charged with a crime, any lawyer who would represent them in a court of law (everybody is supposed to have the right to counsel) could be considered giving material aid to a terrorist organization.

This may sound like I'm going to the Nth degree, but one thing I've learned from the Bush administration -- if the government is given an inch, it will take a mile.


INRM
"no matter how I die, it was murder"
 
egslim said:
Seems to me the real problem is the US governments attitude to freedom of speech.
Click to expand...
And the right of the population to have a transparent government with exceptions that can be justified, not based on political embarrassment.
 
Toontown said:
No, the "problem" is self-absorbed paunks who choose to make themselves enemies of [the leaders of] a superpower, and then whine piteously when they are not able to do so with complete impunity.
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FTFY

As a member of the public in said superpower, Wikileaks is not my enemy.
 
Arcade22 said:
....

America, land of the rape dungeons and home of the incompetent...
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American criticism aside, I wonder what you think of Sweden, land of the prosecutor that is either interested in personal fame, or acting as a puppet for the US in trying to extradite Assange?
 
INRM said:
Oliver,

Wow, I'm surprised the system actually worked. Regardless, eventually they'll figure out a way to get it classified as a terrorist organization. A recent SCOTUS ruling actually stated that speech constituted material aid to a terrorist organization; technically telling them to abandon violence would be considered giving them aid.

Effectively if they can blackball the site: Visiting the site, and communicating with the site could be considered giving material aid to a terrorist organization. Technically if they were charged with a crime, any lawyer who would represent them in a court of law (everybody is supposed to have the right to counsel) could be considered giving material aid to a terrorist organization.

This may sound like I'm going to the Nth degree, but one thing I've learned from the Bush administration -- if the government is given an inch, it will take a mile.


INRM
"no matter how I die, it was murder"
Click to expand...


Well, but how would they manage to brand Wikileaks a Terrorist organization? By definition that's not the case.

Not to mention how ridiculous that would sound to many Americans and the rest of the world if the land of the "free" once again turned into the "land of the oppressing world-führer", so to speak.
 
Toontown said:
And?

Oh, I get it. He's whining because he has not uniformly enjoyed complete impunity.

Well, I guess that answers my first question. They don't have a navy. They rely entirely upon the kindness of strangers. (flutter flutter)
Click to expand...

I gotta agree with you on this. If you go up against the devil you shouldn't whine if you get burned on his pitchfork.

Skeptic Ginger said:
American criticism aside, I wonder what you think of Sweden, land of the prosecutor that is either interested in personal fame, or acting as a puppet for the US in trying to extradite Assange?
Click to expand...

My view on Sweden? A country with a pathetic foreign policy composed entirely of hubris and naivety. I haven't kept up with Assanges "rape charges" or whatever, but most of the Swedish government's foreign policy could probably be traced to the two latter conditions.
 
Travis said:
Do explain.
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Last I heard neither wikileaks nor Assange have been charged with anything by the US judicial system, let alone convicted.

But officials and politicians have taken a lot of action to suppress them, not to mention made threats.

The moment a government takes action to suppress speech that's not in violation of any law, freedom of speech is in serious jeopardy.
 
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