Julian Assange Runs For Office In Australia 192
mpawlo writes "Mr Julian Assange of Wikileaks fame, has, according to The Age, confirmed his intention to run for the Australian Senate in 2013. He will also form a Wikileaks political party. From the article: 'Mr Assange said plans to register an Australian WikiLeaks party were ''significantly advanced''. He indicated he would be a Senate candidate, and added that "a number of very worthy people admired by the Australian public" have indicated their availability to stand for election on a party ticket. Mr Assange said he is able to fulfill the requirements to register as an overseas elector in either New South Wales or Victoria and that he will shortly take a "strategic decision" about which state he would be a Senate candidate for.'"
Re:Best of luck (Score:2, Interesting)
The minute he steps out of the Ecuadorian embassy, he'll be arrested and bundled onto the next plane to Sweden.
Where he'll stay just long enough for Swedish authorities to cover their collective asses before he's turned over to the US for lyn^W^W^W*W*Wtrial.
I'm amazed that the Australian government is apparently fine with being made the US' bitch, by virtue of the US treating an Australian citizen this way. Same for the Australian people. I mean, I wouldn't expect Australians to start burning down the US Embassy or anything, but I would certainly expect protests. Maybe they simply haven't made the foreign news services?
Fun historical factoid: Did you know that at one time the US government actually bothered to at least pretend to uphold and be bound by the Rule of Law?
Strat
Acubra (Score:0, Interesting)
The Acubra hat in the article title is a bit misplaced as that blood drained looking albino pussy is about as far removed from an Acubra wearing man as you could ever possibly find.
Re:I like it! (Score:0, Interesting)
Alleged != Guilty - Not that it matters in the court of public opinion, as you just clearly illustrated ;)
He's hiding in an embassy because he is afraid of Sweden's criminal justice system. From the World Justice Project report ranking [worldjusticeproject.org] where Sweden ranks #2 overall in the world and #5 for criminal justice:
If Julian Assange was fleeing from the courts of Russia, China, Venezuela, or even the United States, I could understand. But fleeing from Sweden is a major red flag. He'll get a fair trial in Sweden. I wonder if that's what he's afraid of.
And everyone here is stupid (Score:5, Interesting)
The sheer fact that you're even DEBATING whether political systems are corrupt is both sad and pathetic.
Of COURSE Sweden's system is corrupt as hell. The US has been pulling strings HARD there since the very beginning. I'm not even going to fucking BOTHER googling things for you /.ers, since all of the extraordinarily shady background behind this whole Assange thing has been posted on Slashdot probably a dozen times or more by now. Do you HONESTLY think that the USA has absolutely no pull whatsoever in Sweden in this battle? Really? Is that something you believe... that Sweden is absolutely separate and doing all of this absolutely independant from the USA? Come on, how fucking naive are you?!?
Good god people, look at yourselves. Do you REALLY think that ALL of the commotion, extradition, asylum, CIA, etc, etc is ALL because of the highly questionable (and in one case completely withdrawn) rape allegation?
This has been gone over dozens of times on Slashdot! Why is there even still argument about it?!? No country on EARTH would put this much manpower, effort, mudslinging, defamation, and political force into one single person's NOT EVEN ARREST WARRENT, JUST REQUEST TO COME IN FOR QUESTIONING!
Holy christ Slashdot commenters... what the fuck happened to you. This place is getting as bad as reading a fucking message board for Nascar fans or American Idol or some typical shit that placates the mass public.
Re:I like it! (Score:4, Interesting)
It's worth noting, one of the biggest stories that didn't make Slashdot is that Assange's DNA wasn't found on the condom presented as evidence. [theregister.co.uk]