Gas Bandit's Political Thread V: The Vampire Likes Bats

1 - read alerts
1a - when reading alerts, make sure to look for new stuff before the alerted post (in the case of quote/@ref alerts) or after the alerted post (else the board will assume you have read everything else on the page as well).
2 - read New Posts until it runs dry.
3 - go to look for unreads that don’t show up in NP (usually the NSFW section).

—Patrick
 

GasBandit

Staff member
1 - read alerts
1a - when reading alerts, make sure to look for new stuff before the alerted post (in the case of quote/@ref alerts) or after the alerted post (else the board will assume you have read everything else on the page as well).
2 - read New Posts until it runs dry.
3 - go to look for unreads that don’t show up in NP (usually the NSFW section).

—Patrick
  1. Read Alerts. Make note of "quoted yous", reply to them first. Make note of ratings by redheaded females for future reference. Make note of "Disagrees," make sure reply not needed.
  2. Check "Unread Watched Threads." Read each from the bottom up, making new posts as necessary. Refresh page to make sure more haven't popped up in the meantime.
  3. Stop for motherfucking lunch because 1 and 2 take a while.
  4. Check "New Posts," see if any brand new threads piques interest, pretty much disregard any other pre-existing thread I'm not already watching because ain't nobody got time for that.
  5. Check NSFW forum for new threads, immediately follow.

Some days I don't even make it as far as 4, much less 5. I watch a LOT of threads, and they're usually pretty time consuming.
 
Latest chapter in this saga: WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange gets Ecuador citizenship after 5 years living in embassy
They mention it briefly in the article, but this is "the juicy part" of the article IMO:
Espinosa said Ecuador is trying to make Assange a member of its diplomatic team, which would grant him additional rights under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, including special legal immunity and safe passage.

Britain’s Foreign Office said earlier Thursday it has rejected Ecuador’s request to grant him diplomatic status in the U.K.
Even without Britain's "approval" I wonder what would happen if they just "did it" and then moved him out of the embassy? How would each country react?
 
I'm guessing the UK would arrest him, consequences with Ecuador be damned.
Sure, that's possible, but I'd be betting against it. Remember, the whole "diplomatic immunity" (and related) thing is rarely violated. Even during the Iranian Revolution in '79, while "students" stormed the US embassy, most/all of the others were left intact. The government itself didn't violate the diplomatic stuff (officially). So it has to be "pretty extreme" for somebody to nab another country's diplomat.

This is a weird case yes, but from the UK's "public" perspective they only want him for skipping bail. Violating how many decades (centuries?) of diplomatic protocol just for him? I'd put it as unlikely. Possible yes, but not likely IMO. But you're free to read the situation differently.
 
Latest chapter in this saga: WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange gets Ecuador citizenship after 5 years living in embassy
They mention it briefly in the article, but this is "the juicy part" of the article IMO:

Even without Britain's "approval" I wonder what would happen if they just "did it" and then moved him out of the embassy? How would each country react?
The only question that needs to be asked is "What does Britain have to fear from Ecuador?" and about the worst they could do is stop honoring British passports and eject all British nationals from the country. But even that would probably be short term.
 
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I wouldn't want to set a precedent of allowing a rich person to commit a crime in your country, then bribing another random country to give you diplomatic immunity.
 
He was not a diplomat when the alleged crimes occurred, and they wouldn't be ignored under diplomatic immunity laws just because Ecuador makes him a diplomat. I doubt it would ruffle the international community if he were made a diplomat and still jailed upon leaving the embassy since it's obvious this is a legal maneuver not made in good faith.

This is a possibility that's been considered for years, though: https://www.wired.com/2015/09/ecuador-considered-smuggling-julian-assange-freedom-bag/

And the only reason he hasn't been smuggled out in a car or diplomatic bag is because the Ecuadorian Embassy is leased space in a shared building, and the UK have guards posted between the two rooms he can safely occupy and the remainder of the building and all its exits.

Further, the article points out that if he is made a diplomat then the UK can simply revoke that status without ejecting him from the country. Ecuador could retaliate by revoking diplomatic status of UK diplomats, but I think that gambit would hurt Ecuador more than they're willing to allow in order to extract Assange.
 
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-19289649
https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/why-is-ecuador-protecting-wikileaks-julian-assange/
http://world.time.com/2012/06/19/why-is-ecuador-julian-assanges-choice-for-asylum/

He's seeking political asylum under the opinion that his life is in danger since he may ultimately be extradited to the US for treason, which may result in capital punishment.[DOUBLEPOST=1515705148,1515704783][/DOUBLEPOST]Technically treason can only be committed by a citizen, and Assange is Australian. He may perhaps be charged with espionage, but regardless it would be a tenuous legal case and something that hasn't been done by any country before.

But he's been in there for nearly 5 years, without sunlight, and over time he's developed heart problems which require more treatment than what can be carried into the embassy. I suspect they may be moving things along again (despite his recent squabbles with the Ecuadorian president) because his health is failing and he can't use the health resources of the country he's in.

He's only 46, though.[DOUBLEPOST=1515705266][/DOUBLEPOST]Three of the six sexual assault charges Switzerland has leveled against him have been dismissed. I assume that the statute of limitations only applies between commission of the act and being charged. Since he's been charged he can't just wait them out.
 
So is there some business excuse reason that the companies who said they'd be growing and doing better after the tax bill are now slashing jobs, or is it just the obvious?
 
There’s always some big company growing, and always some other big company slashing jobs.

If you see a mass layoff from a hundred different companies at the same time maybe you can attribute it to government regulatory changes, similarly if they all grow more than normal simultaneously.

Otherwise all such assumptions and reporting are merely people using inadequate evidence to bolster their already shaky arguments.
 
I missed this: Sweden dropped all arrest warrants for Assange in August:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-11949341

So the UK can only arrest him for failing to appear, breaking bond, etc.

Further, Sweden hasn't dropped the charges - they've merely allowed the EU arrest warrant to expire. They can pick it back up if things change, but apparently the statute of limitations for these charges does end in 2020, so Assange can wait 2 more years or so and completely avoid a court case for rape.

In other news, he did at one time claim that if Chelsea Manning received clemancy from Obama, he'd willingly allow himself to be taken into US custody. Looks like he's not keeping that promise since it's been a year since Manning was released. There are those who believe that this is one of the reasons Manning was released, the hope that maybe they'd catch a bigger, and more dangerous to national security in the future person - Assange.
 
There’s always some big company growing, and always some other big company slashing jobs.

If you see a mass layoff from a hundred different companies at the same time maybe you can attribute it to government regulatory changes, similarly if they all grow more than normal simultaneously.

Otherwise all such assumptions and reporting are merely people using inadequate evidence to bolster their already shaky arguments.
I believe is the lying about how it will make more jobs that's the issue...


In other news, he did at one time claim that if Chelsea Manning received clemancy from Obama, he'd willingly allow himself to be taken into US custody. Looks like he's not keeping that promise since it's been a year since Manning was released. There are those who believe that this is one of the reasons Manning was released, the hope that maybe they'd catch a bigger, and more dangerous to national security in the future person - Assange.

Is he even officially wanted by the US?
 
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