WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange Emerges from Hiding; "Some fear for my life. I'm not one of them."

They now have their ducks in order and Private Manning has finally been charged. Let's not forget this event/issue.

NOTE This article was published on July 6th so now in order to view this article in it's entirety please register at The New York Times.
For those who do want to be updated on this issue but do not want to register with The New York Times I will post what I consider to be the interesting parts of the article so forgive my long post. Everything in italics did not derive from me and I claim no credit towards it.

link to article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/07/world/middleeast/07wikilea...

BAGHDAD — An American soldier in Iraq who was arrested on charges of leaking a video of a deadly American helicopter attack here in 2007 has also been charged with downloading more than 150,000 highly classified diplomatic cables that could, if made public, reveal the inner workings of American embassies around the world, the military here announced Tuesday.

The full contents of the cables remain unclear, but according to formal charges filed Monday, it appeared that a disgruntled soldier working at a remote base east of Baghdad had gathered some of the most guarded, if not always scandalous, secrets of American diplomacy. He disclosed at least 50 of the cables “to a person not entitled to receive them,” according to the charges.

With the charges, a case that stemmed from the furor over a graphic and fiercely contested video of an attack from an American helicopter that killed 12 people, including a reporter and a driver for Reuters, mushroomed into a far more extensive and potentially embarrassing leak.

The charges cited only one cable by name, “Reykjavik 13,” which appeared to be one made public by WikiLeaks.org, a whistle-blowing Web site devoted to disclosing the secrets of governments and corporations. The Web site decoded and in April made public an edited version of the helicopter attack in a film it called “Collateral Murder.”

In the cable, dated Jan. 13, the American deputy chief of mission, Sam Watson, detailed private discussions he held with Iceland’s leaders over a referendum on whether to repay losses from a bank failure, including a frank assessment that Iceland could default in 2011. (The referendum failed, but negotiations continue.)

WikiLeaks, which reportedly operated in Iceland for a time, disclosed a second cable from the nation in March profiling its leaders, including Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir.

Although hardly sensational in tone, the cable does reveal a complaint over the “alleged use of Icelandic airspace by C.I.A.-operated planes” by the Icelandic ambassador to the United States, Albert Jonsson, who is described as “prickly but pragmatic.” Such are the sorts of assessments that diplomats go to great lengths to keep private.

WikiLeaks has not acknowledged receiving the cables or video from the soldier, Pfc. Bradley E. Manning, 22, who worked as an analyst and whose case has been the subject of vigorous debate between defenders and critics.

Private Manning, who served with the Second Brigade of the 10th Mountain Division, based at Contingency Operating Station Hammer, was arrested in May and transferred to a military detention center in Kuwait after the military authorities said he had revealed his activities in online chats with a former computer hacker, who turned him in.

Private Manning now faces an Article 32 investigation, the military’s equivalent of a civilian grand jury, into charges that he mishandled classified information “with reason to believe the information could cause injury to the United States.”

That investigation could lead to administrative punishments or more likely, given the gravity of the charges, a court-martial.

Officially he has been charged with four counts of violating Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice for disobeying an order or regulation and eight counts of violating Article 134, a general charge for misconduct, which in this case involved breaking federal laws against disclosing classified information.

The formal charges suggested an extensive effort by military investigators to scour the official and personal computers he used, in order to trace the recipients.

The charges cited unauthorized handling of classified information from Nov. 19, 2009, until May 27 this year, two days before his detention and well after the leak of the helicopter video. The charges accused him of using the classified network to obtain the “Reykjavik 13” cable on the day the one disclosed by WikiLeaks was written.

He was also charged with downloading a classified PowerPoint presentation, one of those heavily used by the American military, but what secrets it contained remained unknown.

Excerpt from above:

"Politically it would be a great error for them to act. I feel perfectly safe --"

Translation: I have the documents, measures have been taken, I have you by balls [American Politicians].

moneybomb sounds interesting.

June 22, 2010, WikiLeaks Founder Still at Large, Julian Assange expected to reveal classified video in Brussels, Pentagon not amused - Assange keeps secret US documents that could endanger national security.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pH7c3shH1TQ

Ive been looking to move..Maybe Iceland should be put on the list. Imagine a country that supports real journalists. lol, oh and Julian why the heck would you want to travel to the US right now. The US is that floor in the hospital where everyone gets that shot everyday that makes them carry around a drool cup.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DGMY8Ac0fk

Who can you trust when every ones a crook?

Thank you for posting this Michael.

A guy releasing video because the People of Iceland took back their government and will not comply with intentions to prosecute him. Talk about new found Freedom.

Sovereignty at its best.

I wonder if OathKeepers know of this ... ?

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Julian may be right about the u.S. not wanting to make a "great error" but, as we know, he could be hit by a hit and run driver in Australia, or a piano falling out a window. No. I think I would just hunker down a while....