Wikileaks, the Espionage Act, and the Constitution (Ralph Nader testifies)

https://dandelionsalad.wordpress.com/

C-SPAN
3 hours, 14 minutes

Constitutional law and national security scholars testified on the constitutionality of prosecuting Wikileaks founder Julian Assange under the 1917 Espionage Act. Among the topics addressed were the nature of journalism, the extent of constitutional protections of the press in protecting the divulgence of classified information, and the amount of information that is categorized as classified.

via Wikileaks,the Espionage Act, and the Constitution – C-SPAN Video Library

[Note: Ralph Nader starts at ~ 1:10:00]

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Espionage Act and the Legal and Constitutional Issues Raised by WikiLeaks (Part 1 of 2)

House.Resource.Org on Nov 20, 2011

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Espionage Act and the Legal and Constitutional Issues Raised by WikiLeaks (Part 2 of 2)

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[Here is Ralph Nader’s testimony.]

Congressional Hearing: WikiLeaks, The Espionage Act & The Constitution pt.8

WarAgainstAllWars on Dec 21, 2010

This video clip is part of Day 16 of news coverage following the release of cablegate by Wikileaks, Der Spegigel, Guardian, New York Times and many other news organizations.
A few hours before the initial release Wikileaks sent out this message via Twitter:
El Pais, Le Monde, Speigel, Guardian & NYT will publish many US embassy cables tonight, even if WikiLeaks goes down
Wikileaks began on Sunday November 28th publishing 251,287 leaked United States embassy cables, the largest set of confidential documents ever to be released into the public domain. The documents will give people around the world an unprecedented insight into US Government foreign activities.
The cables, which date from 1966 up until the end of February this year, contain confidential communications between 274 embassies in countries throughout the world and the State Department in Washington DC. 15,652 of the cables are classified Secret.
The embassy cables will be released in stages over the next few months. The subject matter of these cables is of such importance, and the geographical spread so broad, that to do otherwise would not do this material justice.
The cables show the extent of US spying on its allies and the UN; turning a blind eye to corruption and human rights abuse in “client states”; backroom deals with supposedly neutral countries; lobbying for US corporations; and the measures US diplomats take to advance those who have access to them.
This document release reveals the contradictions between the US’s public persona and what it says behind closed doors — and shows that if citizens in a democracy want their governments to reflect their wishes, they should ask to see what’s going on behind the scenes.
Every American schoolchild is taught that George Washington — the country’s first President — could not tell a lie. If the administrations of his successors lived up to the same principle, today’s document flood would be a mere embarrassment. Instead, the US Government has been warning governments — even the most corrupt — around the world about the coming leaks and is bracing itself for the exposures.
The full set consists of 251,287 documents, comprising 261,276,536 words (seven times the size of “The Iraq War Logs”, the world’s previously largest classified information release).
The cables cover from 28th December 1966 to 28th February 2010 and originate from 274 embassies, consulates and diplomatic missions.

see

Wikimania and the First Amendment by Ralph Nader

Obama’s continued disrespect for the rule of law by Mark A. Goldman

John Pilger: Global Support for WikiLeaks is “Rebellion” Against U.S. Militarism, Secrecy + Clip from “The War You Don’t See”

Hacktivism for Cyber Democracy by Joel S. Hirschhorn

Ten Thoughts About Julian Assange and WikiLeaks by Andy Worthington

Wikileaks: Prelude to a new wave of ‘legal’ repression? By William Bowles

see also

The Law Office of David E. Coombs: A Typical Day for PFC Bradley Manning

Freed on bail – but US steps up efforts to charge Assange with conspiracy – Americas, World – The Independent