Another thing we have yet to find out is how deeply the Foreign Secretary has damaged our relations with a number of Latin American countries as a result of his threat to lift the diplomatic immunity of the of the Ecuadorian embassy in London. It ought to be remembered that it was the delivery of this threat which resulted in Ecuador granting Julian Assange political asylum.

I should have thought that one of the first casualties of this crisis was whatever reputation the Foreign Secretary might previously have enjoyed for competence and good judgement.

A prime responsibility of all citizens - and journalists in particular - is to tell the truth in the national interest and in the interests of Humanity. This Julian Assange has done to an extraordinary degree and for which he can be objectively seen as an Australian and World hero.

Julian Assange has not actually been charged with any crime and it is palpably obvious even to Blind Freddy that he is being got at by the US and its lackeys Sweden and the UK - only courageous and principled action by the Ecuadorean Government has prevented criminal rendition.

One can contrast the egregious persecution of Julian Assange (not even charged with any crime) with the full protection given by the British legal system to mass murderer Pinochet, responsible for the deaths of thousands of Chileans after the US-backed 9-11 1973 Coup (3,000 murdered but 1973-1990 excess mortality from deprivation 0.3 million) (see my book "Body Count. Global avoidable mortality since 1950" now available for free perusal on the Web).

An even more disturbing comparison is with the protection afforded to Tony Blair who with George Bush and Australia's John Howard illegally invaded Iraq in 2003 (post-invasion violent deaths 1.5 million, avoidable deaths from war-imposed deprivation 1.2 million, 0.8 million under-5 infant deaths, 90% avoidable and due to US Alliance war crimes in gross violation of the Geneva Convention; Google "Iraqi Holocaust, Iraqi Genocide").

In his 2005 Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech UK writer the late Harold Pinter stated: "We have brought torture, cluster bombs, depleted uranium, innumerable acts of random murder, misery, degradation and death to the Iraqi people and call it 'bringing freedom and democracy to the Middle East'. How many people do you have to kill before you qualify to be described as a mass murderer and a war criminal? One hundred thousand? More than enough, I would have thought. Therefore it is just that Bush and Blair be arraigned before the International Criminal Court of Justice" (Google "Art, Truth and Politics"). 2.7 million? More than enough, I would have thought.

A prime responsibility of any Australian Government and Opposition is to do everything they can to protect Australian citizens, and in particular from violent, serial human rights abusers. - yet the Neocon American and Zionist Imperialist-beholden Australian Governments have manifestly failed to protect tens of thousands of Australians being bombed by Apartheid Israel in Lebanon in 2006, scores of Australians whose passports were forged by Israelis for terrorist purposes, 5 Australians violently kidnapped by Israelis in International Waters, Mamdouh Habib and David Hicks who were renditioned and tortured by the US and its allies, and now Julian Assange who is threatened with rendition, torture, imprisonment and possible death and has evaded rendition to the US only thanks to the decency and principle Ecuadorian Government.

Latin Americans will not forget the genocidal role of British interests in the extermination of Paraguayan, Uruguayan and Argentinian Indians (replaced by cattle just as the Highland Scots were replaced by sheep) and the Congo-style British genocidal atrocities committed against Peruvian Amazon Indians in their greed for rubber (see A.R.B Robinson "The Magnificent Field of Enterprise, Britons in Peru, 1815-1915"). Relevant to whistle-blower extraordinaire Julian Assange, Sir Roger Casement, who exposed the Belgian atrocities in the Congo in which 10 million Congolese died, was hanged by the British in 1916).

The Australian Opposition Libs (Liberals) and Government Labs (Labor) sit back and allow these atrocities to be perpetrated against Australians without demur because they shamefully put the interests of Australians well behind those of several serial war criminal, nuclear terrorist rogue states, namely Zionist-beholden US, US lackey the UK and Apartheid Israel . If it can happen to Julian Assange it can happen to any Australian. Full marks to Mrs Christine Assange for her articulate defence of the human rights of her son and of ALL Australians.

For some strange reason, Sweden will not say 'NEVER' to extradition to the U.S for Mr Assange!, why not?.
We all know the Swedes could put an end to all of this. and call Assanges bluff, by making such a pledge?.
The truth is, Sweden is probably like the U.K!, it does as it`s told by their masters the Americans!, and like the servile Brits, it will 'cow tow' to any 'Mickey Mouse' reason the Americans give for Assanges extradition?, all the Swedes are saying at the moment is, it doesn`t extradite anyone who could suffer the death penalty!!, Er, yeah, ok, but that doesn`t stop them extraditing someone to spend a 100 years in the clink, on some trumped up charge regarding their favourite excuse, threats to 'National Security'.
Poor Bradley Manning, it already looks as if he`s going to spend the rest of his natural, inside?, it`s already been alleged he`s been, let`s say, roughed up, and treated very harshly, with some politicians calling for his exercution!!, along with Assanges!, and some are still questioning what all the fuss is about, regarding his extradition!!!.

I can't see what all this fuss is about? my victims were only women who were begging for it. They are likely not to have been stoned to death.
Alahu Akbar!
Death to America!
Death to Sweden!
Death to the UK!
Death (of course) to Israel.

It's hilarious and terrifying watching everyone debate the current situation, the "rape" allegations etc, seriously. Everyone KNOWS what is happening, and why. The debate is being successfully diverted into irrelevant channels such as "can Ecuador offer asylum" and "did Assange really rape those women" - complex issues with no easy answer - and that is one of the methods by which the energy and attention of the world is diverted from what is actually happening, which is that the United States government is going to get their hands on Assange, as they have wanted to all along. Everyone knows this but they allow themselves to be diverted into debates with no purpose and no end. There's nothing to be done except to watch and understand how things really work. You can't fight this, but you can watch it and understand it, and eventually, understand what the current definition of "freedom" is really worth, and what that word would really mean if you could build a world around it yourself.

Why are some on the political-left defending this alleged Rapist. Innocent men accused of this heinous crime-don't run and hide: they defend their honor with a passion in a court of law...

Can"t Assamge defend any Swedish charges against him by video link to Sweden?
Seems when the US says "Jump!" some in the West say "how high?"
Persecution for leaking inconvenient truths?

Julian Assange is undeniably a most unattractive character.

But Ecuador is right to stand up to the imperium that now presumes to exercise a universal jurisdiction which it does not in fact possess.

As would be supposedly neutral Sweden.

And as would be the United Kingdom, of the monarch of which Assange is a subject, with all liberties accordingly.