The secret life of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange
smh.com.au
smh.com.au
No spin? So here's an article about Assange and Wikileaks that doesn't actually even know much about Wikileaks.
Incidentally, if Julian Assange isn't his real name (unlike "proff", his #hack handle from back-when), it has been his not-real name since the early '90s, long before Wikileaks.
I really admire this guy, and I'd be looking for justice too if my hair went white at 15.
Moderator --- perhaps you could switch to it?
[Interesting, apparently there's no way to flag your own comment to grab a moderator's attention. Probably not a common desire! Perhaps someone could flag this comment for this purpose?]
Assange's passport was confiscated for 15 minutes while customs officials examined it because of wear and tear. This is a common procedure. It was then returned to him, and he was told that it may be cancelled (because of damage). If that's the case, he simply has to reapply for another passport.
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/australian-...
>(At the time of writing, his passport status was apparently back to normal after immigration officials at Melbourne Airport said that his passport was going to be cancelled on the grounds that it was too tatty).
>''It has been in a couple of rivers,'' Assange allows, of the state of his passport. The first time, as he recalls, in December, 2006, when he was crossing a swollen river during heavy rain, in southern Tasmania, and was swept out to sea. He swam back in.
http://www.theage.com.au/national/keeper-of-secrets-20100521...
I know the government can be pressured by "allies" to act int nefarious ways, but I will always defer to good judgment and kind heart of Aussies to do the right thing.
It's an unassuming, proletariat country, where even the usual government goons are suspicious of bureaucracy. I felt the first whiff of their professionalism when computer ate my online electronic visa application, and the consulate in D.C. gave me a hand-signed "Pass" into Australia few hours before my flight. Second time was when I was renewing my visa, the clerk found out I had 3 days left, of which 2 were weekend days; she escorted me out of the line into an express booth and everything was sorted out. Can't wait to return here in 2 months and for my immigration papers to get approved. I am eager to call it home, what not with an aussie mrs.
FWIW, fellow yanks should google Australian "COPS" type shows, where they show police arresting criminals, etc. It's a laughable joke! I have seen drunks and thieves abuse, spit and attack police officers. In the U.S. that would mean a one way ticket to the operating room, and if you're lucky to make it out alive, a prison cell.
My suggestion is, until you have your TR/PR visa, be lightweight and be mobile. Always have your bank statements and few grands in cash to show you're not a burden and you're not moonlighting illegally in the country.
However, there is always the possibility of someone having a bad day to mess up your plans.
It's very disappointing. We badly need something like Wikileaks, but it can't work in the long run unless it's done in a principled and scrupulous way. Exactly the opposite of these ego games.
Edit: something's odd about this, though. Assange's no dummy. But you'd have to be an idiot to think you could spin a triviality like this into an international incident.
edit: here's the actual interview
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXj72pNb6U0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBbS4btirUE
here's the specific part where the passport is discussed.
Heh. I guess it was a storm in the internet teacup I inhabit.
It's a smart move to make all coverage about Wikileaks and the mission, and not like some celebrity fluff piece about the founder. No matter how much the MSM tries to TMZ-ify everything it touches, information is power, and the stakes are very real here.
In a counter-intelligence sense, the dominant strategy is to hold your cards & remain a blank slate as long as possible. Let everybody fill in the blanks themselves on an empty canvas, introducing their own wrong biases, rather than tell them what to think.
It's informative to flip through history books, and see what has happened to the guy telling the King's secrets.
In almost every instance, that guy ends up dead. (The usual method being suicide via two gunshots in the back of the head.)
With that in mind, it makes perfect sense to publicly reveal as little as possible about one's personal life, just in case pissed off Mossad agents seek vengeance decades later, for example.