Wikileaks’ Founder Julian Assange Talks Afghanistan On Freedom Watch

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by Frances Martel | 3:49 pm, July 31st, 2010

» 27 comments

Perhaps the most eccentric show on cable news (not that there isn’t competition) had one of the most eccentric media characters on as a guest today: Judge Andrew Napolitano‘s Freedom Watch on Fox Business Network interviewed the founder of Wikileaks Julian Assange about the recent flood of sensitive national security documents released by his site. Assange was unapologetic and meticulous in detailing how his site processes and confirms information.

Assange, who rarely makes appearances in the US media, explained to Judge Napolitano that the documents were, in fact, legitimate, and that he had partnered with the New York Times and the German newspaper Der Spiegel to confirm them. And asked whether the American military had “truthfully and accurately” reported on the war in Afghanistan, he had a simple answer: “No.” “The corruption in reporting starts very early,” he explains, “it’s like the police reporting on the police.” He also argues that, not only are the reports inaccurate, they are “written to excuse the behavior,” and gave several examples of reports where the death counts were altered and civilians were written up as soldiers.

A bigger problem, according to Assange, was a project the government called the “kill or capture list”– a list of suspected terrorists that a special task force was assigned to take care of. “Informers are being paid by the US military to reveal information about Al-Qaeda or the Taliban,” he explained, “but, in fact, they just make up stories about their political enemies or their business enemies in order to have these people raided.” He continued:

“We noticed an unusual classification in one of the reports. It was ‘No foreign.’ That means do not disclose to foreign partners including the United Kingdom, Australia, and so on. 373 involved a deliberate missile attack on a house which held seven children and killed the seven children. We saw how people get on to the list. Some governor in Afghanistan doesn’t like you, and recommends you go on the list. The problem is that we can see that’s clearly a corruptable process. Previous media reportage showed that a senior US official had told Karzai, the president of Afghanistan’s brother, if he didn’t behave, he would be put on the list.”

The interview below:

Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, Der Spiegel, Fox Business Network, Judge Andrew Napolitano, Julian Assange, New York Times, Taliban, War on Terror, Wikileaks

http://www.facebook.com/people/Josh-Feldman/1158574704 Josh Feldman

I thought the CIA was looking for this guy, and he’s making media appearances? WTF?
Azarkhan

Somebody please eliminate this supercilious prick.
http://www.karlspensen.blogspot.com Karl Spensen

YES, Azarkhan – he should be KILLED!!!!!1 This is a GREAT statement!!!1
Averreauxii

Anyone with at least 1/2 a brain and an ounce or rationality would know we are doing really fucked up shit out there that never see the light of day. Like someone once postulated, the war on terror, paradoxically is breeding more terrorism. We are not any safer now than we were 10yrs ago. Blame that on a gullible amnesiac public and propaganda media that is not willing to dig deeper. I don’t like everything this dude is doing since he’s deliberately putting in danger those who are providing valuable intelligence, but again, I will not fault him for exposing the military complex and the nefarious deeds that occur behind the curtain.
Azarkhan

“we are doing really fucked up shit out there”

I do not believe that the people of Afghanistan, and in particular the female population, would be better off under the Taliban then as currently ruled by Hamid Karzai, the United States and its allies. That would be contrary to everything we know about the Taliban.
juan

This is Treasonous!
http://www.karlspensen.blogspot.com Karl Spensen

Azarkhan – RIGHT AGAIN!!!1 Better that WE kill these brown folks FIRST so they don’t have to know what life is like without American Democracy ™!!!!1
Averreauxii

Azarkhan said:
“we are doing really fucked up shit out there”

I do not believe that the people of Afghanistan, and in particular the female population, would be better off under the Taliban then as currently ruled by Hamid Karzai, the United States and its allies. That would be contrary to everything we know about the Taliban.

This is a strawman argument and absolutely butchers the intention of my post. I expect nothing less from a rightwinger! Are we doing good fighting the war in Afghanistan? YES. Are there bad things or policies we are following in the conduction of that war that are hidden from the public? YES. Those are not mutually exclusive statements. Furthermore, if the United States was truly caring about the conditions of the “poor Afghani women” – we would have invaded that country in 1996 when the Taliban took over, not in 2001 after OUR own interests came into the picture. So spare me the altruistic argument!
http://www.facebook.com/people/David-King/1129421520 David King

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http://www.facebook.com/people/David-King/1129421520 David King

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http://www.facebook.com/people/David-King/1129421520 David King

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Azarkhan

“This is a strawman argument” Averreauxii

You’re an idiot.
notsofast

Yes, the USA is always the bad guy, eh,Assange ?

“373 involved a deliberate missile attack on a house which held seven children and killed the seven children”

Coverage Focuses on U.S.-Caused Civilian Deaths When Taliban Responsible for Ten Times More, Zings CBS’s Logan

Mon, 07/26/2010 – 20:32 ET

CBS’s Lara Logan may be in Uganda, but she recognized the skew of media coverage of the WikiLeaks war documents on the U.S. involvement in Afghanistan as she contended “the coverage would indicate that it’s more of an issue for the U.S. to kill Afghan civilians than it is for the Taliban to do so.”

CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric asked her about how the documents cite “the number of Afghan civilians who have been killed. How do you think this will damage the war effort?” Logan took the question in another direction:

” Well, the issue of civilian casualties is a major one and the U.S. has taken a lot of criticism because of this. However, what’s interesting to note that is according to the documents, 195 Afghan civilians have been killed. But also according to the documents, two thousand Afghan civilians have been killed by the Taliban, which is more than ten times the number said to be killed by U.S. and NATO forces. And very little is being made of that. The coverage would indicate that it’s more of an issue for the U.S. to kill Afghan civilians than it is for the Taliban to do so.”

Indeed, neither ABC nor NBC on Monday night pointed out the number of Afghans killed by the Taliban, while ABC’s Martha Raddatz directed World News viewers toward “horrifying detail about civilian deaths in 2007. Five ground-launched American rockets destroy a compound where it is believed a senior al Qaeda commander is staying. The Army Delta Force arrives to find seven children killed by the rockets and no al Qaeda commander.”

And Julian, what you are doing is not journalism; it’s just data distribution. You also gave out the names of Afgans who are helping the US.

You must be so proud?

And what will happen if the US pulls out? Look at the cover of this weeks Time Magazine. That’s tells it all.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine

Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/brent-baker/2010/07/26/coverage-focuses-u-s-caused-civilian-deaths-when-taliban-responsible-te#ixzz0vJ8zQDFD
http://www.karlspensen.blogspot.com Karl Spensen

THANK GOD for True American Patriots like Notsofast and MichelleF who are FIRST to post relevant articles from NEWSBUSTERS, the most reliable and unbiased website on the entire INTERNET!!!1
Averreauxii

Azarkhan said:
“This is a strawman argument” Averreauxii

You’re an idiot.

That’s what I figured…..wingnut!
murf

Congrats to Julian and Wikileaks !111 For exposing the EVIL baby killer SAVAGEs !!!!11 That is our US military !!!111 Assange’s work is NOBEL peace prize WORTHY !!!111 Shutdown GITMO it is RECRUITING more radical Islamic terrorists!!!!!111 These released DOCUMENTS will cause a DECLINE in Al Qaeda from being able to RECRUIT!!!!!111111 ALLAH be praised !!!11
http://www.karlspensen.blogspot.com Karl Spensen

Murf usually your words are like hearing a CHOIR of King Jesus’ FAVORITE ANGELS, but you’re WAY off base here!!!1 I’m pretty sure that I’d rather NOT KNOW what our Troops are doing over there – just like all those VIETNAM MOVIES they made after that war made me feel all weird about it!!!1 I can only hope that EVERY SINGLE VIETNAM MOVIE (other than that John Wayne one of course!!1) is a completely made-up FANTASY!!!1 Of COURSE that’s the kind of thing that HollyWIERD would do!!!1 Knowing the REALITIES of war make us LESS LIKELY to unquestionably support it, and there’s NOTHING more un-American than THAT!!!1
The Real Royal King

Karl Spensen said:
THANK GOD for True American Patriots like Notsofast and MichelleF who are FIRST to post relevant articles from NEWSBUSTERS, the most reliable and unbiased website on the entire INTERNET!!!1

Holy Joseph Smith, isn’t that the truth!

RESPECT FOR THE TRUTH IS AN ACQUIRED TASTE.
AT FOX NEWS, WE’RE A TASTELESS BUNCH!
murf

” Karl ” I have some very close friends over there.( Kabul to be specific ) Go fuck off , I served in Iraq in 2004 at the height of the false accusations and the bullshit press reports of innocent killings , air raiding villages , and torturi ng detainees started to circulate. Which was a complete distorted, misrepresentation of the facts on the ground.

Believe what you want leftys , but you look and talk to the Iraqi or Afghani people , and hear them thank us for what we did and are doing , then get back to me with your anti war blinded propaganda.
Averreauxii

Muff, no, you go fuck yourself on the high horse you rode in. I suppose all the people in Iraq & Afghanistan who want the US to leave their countries are a figment of our imagination and/or a result of misrepresentation by the media? Don’t use your uniform as a shield for criticism or the impropers that have occurred in those war-fronts. I would have given you respect but you had to pull that BS patriotism card. GFY….again!
murf

Averreauxii—- * sigh * your narrow mind isn’t worth my time or debate.
Averreauxii

Sure……muff.
notsofast

Karl Spensen said:
THANK GOD for True American Patriots like Notsofast and MichelleF who are FIRST to post relevant articles from NEWSBUSTERS, the most reliable and unbiased website on the entire INTERNET!!!1

karl, I enjoy your retorts because they are so risible. Newsbusters didn’t write Logan’s report, fool, but I guess we should not expect reading comprehension from someone with an IQ of 2 like you, can we.

Karl, I don’t know if you are just stupid or are possessed by a retarded ghost.

One thing is for sure; you could not refute one thing Logan said.
ordinary

notsofast has good points about the Taliban killing many more times the civilians than the U.S.

An additional point is that the Taliban kills civilians ON PURPOSE.

Also, by not wearing uniforms, the Taliban, per the geneva convention, are unlawful combatants. They hide amongst the civilian population. So even the civilians blood killed by the U.S. as collateral damage is on the Taliban’s hands.

Spare us your righteous indignation Assange.
ordinary

I suspect that if Assange was in harms way, he may have a different outlook on how the war is being prosecuted.

For example, if he were a platoon leader and his company commander asked him “Lieutenant Assange, our intelligence tells us that some major Taliban leaders are in that village in an extended family’s building. Should we send your platoon in to take them out, or should we take them out with a predator drone missile? If you go in with your platoon, we will likely avoid civilian casualties. What do you think?”

During WWII, according to the British historian, Antony Beevor, the western allies killed more French civilians than the Germans did. Thats because they bombed towns and villages to rubble before the allied tanks and infantry moved in. It was a decision made with eyes open to save American and British soldier’s lives at the expense of French civilian lives. But if too many allied soldier lives were lost, perhaps France would not have been liberated at all.
Nachi

One should never be apologetic for telling the truth. It is “truth” that weakling “Murcuhns” cannot tolerate.
Intellectually dull & impoverished. Nap’s show is much of a tired joke.
notsofast

Nachi said:
ntellectually dull & impoverished. Nap’s show is much of a tired joke.

Then you should feel right at home.