Listen now (17 min) | I was in London as a guest of Julian Assange and Stella Moris for their wedding, but even on that day the authorities continued their relentless campaign of cruelty against Julian.
What a powerful essay! The way Julian has been treated is utterly horrifying, not only for what has been done to him, but also for what it reveals about the dark machinations of the so-called democracies in the US and the UK. "The strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must."
Powerful piece. Beautifully narrated. When I watch Julian's interviews I am always struck by his intelligence and compassion. It's beyond tragic what they have done to him. The corruption of the justice system has been fully exposed for all to see, but sadly there are few who take notice of it.
Unfortunately, most folks are ignorant of this executive branch government corruption and judicial travesty. I live near Alexandria, VA and most folks I know were either unaware that Chelsea Manning was immorally held in solitary for confinement for nearly a year (ending in March of 2020) in their own backyard on civil contempt charges by a judge presiding over a secret grand jury looking to coerce an indictment against Julian Assange for violations of the Espionage Act that simply didn't apply to his actions as editor of Wikileaks,---or couldn't care less.
While Julian was illegally pulled and arrested from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London in April of 2019, Four Americans in Washington D.C. were illegally pulled and arrested for legally occupying the Venezuelan Embassy in May of 2019. This was after water and electric service was questionably shut off by local utility companies for weeks. Their crime? They simply supported the Maduro administration that was legally in power (and were given written permission to occupy the facility by Venezualan authorities) but ran afoul of Mike Pompeo and Co. at the U.S. State Dept. who didn't personally approve. So, do you really think American citizens (or the Washington Post for that matter) who went about their every day lives ignoring this momumental travesty so close to home care about Julian Assange's condition in Britian? No. They seemingly have no ability to exercise abstract thought as it applies to their own loss of civil rights and moral behavior.
As long a the U.S. government continues to feed their kids "free" school breakfasts and lunches at public school (this function never shut down during the entire Covid19 state of emergency) then this satisfies the "bread" portion of the "Bread and Circus" calculus of corrupt government officials. More importantly, unless some measure of physical discomfort (i.e. hunger or lack of shelter) registers on the public radar, the masses will not react. The government knows this...and keeps printing more and more fiat currency in order to keep those two eventualities (literally at all costs) at bay. It may sound futile or trite folks, but unless ordinary citizens force a U.S. federal balanced budget amendment to be enacted immediately as a solution to this madness, these kinds of travesties will continue unabated.
This article was beautifully written by Mr. Hedges and beautifully narrated by Ms. Wong. How could one not be moved by the horrific journey of Julian Assange and his family over these many years? Man's inhumanity to man is so clearly displayed. While I do not fully believe "love conquers all", it may well be the only thing that saves us from a world gone mad. Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Assange on their marriage. May justice prevail and reunite this extraordinary family.
Meanwhile, Runter Bidet smokes his crack with Ukrainian prostitutes in a $30,000 a month, taxpayer funded beach house in Malibu, 40% of Americans still approve the chaotic dismantling of their country by the senile cadaver squatting in the basement vaguely resembling the White House, and London is a cesspool of marxism.
Thanks Chris, it's shamefully heart-breaking witnessing Julian being silently tortured by the authorities, treated like a terrorist in Belmarsh, not even on his wedding day. And they brag about the Rule of Law in the UK, the proud British legal tradition. Shame.
Now we see the corruption and conglomeration of the media propaganda machine in the world and the west in particular, I observe unfortunately the censorship war on the people of which is damming by the treatment of Julian Assange who is the example or even stamp on the freedoms of which all perceived themselves to have.
Interesting stuff. I've always been somewhat uncertain about Assange. While I believe it's important for transparency and he performed a positive service in that regard, I do worry about the potential negative consequences of too much transparency in some situations. I would prefer transparency to none, but it's a nuanced thing. I definitely don't like how he's being treated by many Western countries who claim to be in favour of openness, rule of law and honesty.
representative government is in a coma and the future will be tainted by this age and its militarist lies, weapon and violence fetish and casual concern for others lives.
What a powerful essay! The way Julian has been treated is utterly horrifying, not only for what has been done to him, but also for what it reveals about the dark machinations of the so-called democracies in the US and the UK. "The strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must."
Powerful piece. Beautifully narrated. When I watch Julian's interviews I am always struck by his intelligence and compassion. It's beyond tragic what they have done to him. The corruption of the justice system has been fully exposed for all to see, but sadly there are few who take notice of it.
Unfortunately, most folks are ignorant of this executive branch government corruption and judicial travesty. I live near Alexandria, VA and most folks I know were either unaware that Chelsea Manning was immorally held in solitary for confinement for nearly a year (ending in March of 2020) in their own backyard on civil contempt charges by a judge presiding over a secret grand jury looking to coerce an indictment against Julian Assange for violations of the Espionage Act that simply didn't apply to his actions as editor of Wikileaks,---or couldn't care less.
While Julian was illegally pulled and arrested from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London in April of 2019, Four Americans in Washington D.C. were illegally pulled and arrested for legally occupying the Venezuelan Embassy in May of 2019. This was after water and electric service was questionably shut off by local utility companies for weeks. Their crime? They simply supported the Maduro administration that was legally in power (and were given written permission to occupy the facility by Venezualan authorities) but ran afoul of Mike Pompeo and Co. at the U.S. State Dept. who didn't personally approve. So, do you really think American citizens (or the Washington Post for that matter) who went about their every day lives ignoring this momumental travesty so close to home care about Julian Assange's condition in Britian? No. They seemingly have no ability to exercise abstract thought as it applies to their own loss of civil rights and moral behavior.
As long a the U.S. government continues to feed their kids "free" school breakfasts and lunches at public school (this function never shut down during the entire Covid19 state of emergency) then this satisfies the "bread" portion of the "Bread and Circus" calculus of corrupt government officials. More importantly, unless some measure of physical discomfort (i.e. hunger or lack of shelter) registers on the public radar, the masses will not react. The government knows this...and keeps printing more and more fiat currency in order to keep those two eventualities (literally at all costs) at bay. It may sound futile or trite folks, but unless ordinary citizens force a U.S. federal balanced budget amendment to be enacted immediately as a solution to this madness, these kinds of travesties will continue unabated.
This article was beautifully written by Mr. Hedges and beautifully narrated by Ms. Wong. How could one not be moved by the horrific journey of Julian Assange and his family over these many years? Man's inhumanity to man is so clearly displayed. While I do not fully believe "love conquers all", it may well be the only thing that saves us from a world gone mad. Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Assange on their marriage. May justice prevail and reunite this extraordinary family.
ϟ ϟ ϟ
Meanwhile, Runter Bidet smokes his crack with Ukrainian prostitutes in a $30,000 a month, taxpayer funded beach house in Malibu, 40% of Americans still approve the chaotic dismantling of their country by the senile cadaver squatting in the basement vaguely resembling the White House, and London is a cesspool of marxism.
Thanks Chris, it's shamefully heart-breaking witnessing Julian being silently tortured by the authorities, treated like a terrorist in Belmarsh, not even on his wedding day. And they brag about the Rule of Law in the UK, the proud British legal tradition. Shame.
Thank you Ms. Wong!!! Very moving and so necessary for all of us to hear it!
Now we see the corruption and conglomeration of the media propaganda machine in the world and the west in particular, I observe unfortunately the censorship war on the people of which is damming by the treatment of Julian Assange who is the example or even stamp on the freedoms of which all perceived themselves to have.
Magnificent, only shows how evil the forces ranged against those that dare to speak truth can be
The Sadistic State has got to fall.
Powerful writing! Thank you for the truth that aches. Awareness and action to not live silently! Prayers ascending.
My heart breaks for Julian and his family daily. Over and over again.
"The Marriage of Julian Assange" should be the subject of an opera. Maybe the prisoners you shepherd would be interested in that project Chris.
Interesting stuff. I've always been somewhat uncertain about Assange. While I believe it's important for transparency and he performed a positive service in that regard, I do worry about the potential negative consequences of too much transparency in some situations. I would prefer transparency to none, but it's a nuanced thing. I definitely don't like how he's being treated by many Western countries who claim to be in favour of openness, rule of law and honesty.
representative government is in a coma and the future will be tainted by this age and its militarist lies, weapon and violence fetish and casual concern for others lives.
The war against the Oligarchs is over. We lost. Vive la Résistance!