Ecuador's Tinpot Despot Grants Asylum to Julian Assange
I've just returned home from a week of honeymooning in Ecuador, a country I must admit that I knew close to nothing about prior to my visit. I had no idea that it ranked 156th (out of 179) on the Heritage Foundation's Index of Economic Freedom and is categorized as a repressed country alongside the likes of Cuba, Iran, and North Korea. But while there, I had the opportunity to speak to native Ecuadorians about their sentiments toward the current government regime led by President Rafael Correa. Reactions ran the gamut, but the most profound response came from my naturalist guide, "J.", in the Amazon basin. "What do you think about President Correa?" I asked. "Do you generally approve?"
My question was met with a very serious stare and a stunned silence. "Daiyann," J. begun, "Do you really think I could approve of someone who is friends with all of the world's bad men?" he asked. "Someone who makes allies of the Castro brothers, of Hugo Chavez, of Ahmadinejad, of Putin? Do you really think I could approve of someone who punishes the success of people who work so hard? Someone who makes owning a second home illegal, and so seizes it in the name of the poor? Someone who has no respect for free speech?"
At once I'd learned all I needed to know about Rafael Correa to determine that he is an aspiring despot.
And today comes news that President Correa has granted asylum to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. What's most despicable about the move isn't the asylum itself; rather, it's that this is such an obvious ploy to boost Correa's image as some sort of defender of free speech and the press. This is a man who has sued and incarcerated journalists for publishing critical news stories and who has rewritten his country's constitution in order to expropriate private media outlets and transform them into propaganda mouthpieces for the state. Rafael Correa's display of charity to Julian Assange is nothing more than charade.
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Jul '12
Re: Ecuador's Tinpot Despot Grants Asylum to Julian Assange
Congrats on the wedding.
Mar '11
Re: Ecuador's Tinpot Despot Grants Asylum to Julian Assange
welcome back Diane; of course at some point you'll have to provide a little more background on the choice of this *interesting* honeymoon destination!
Jul '12
Re: Ecuador's Tinpot Despot Grants Asylum to Julian Assange
Never thought of Ecuador as a honeymoon destination. Would think its neighbor Peru would be a better choice, at least from my viewpoint, with Cuzco and Machu Picchu. But each to its own. :)
Mar '11
Re: Ecuador's Tinpot Despot Grants Asylum to Julian Assange
Also something of a poke in the eye to the US which he has enjoyed doing in the past. The fellow is something of a proto-Chavez but more intelligent and less of a buffoon. One suspects his oppression is more efficient.
Oct '10
Re: Ecuador's Tinpot Despot Grants Asylum to Julian Assange
Roberto
Also something of a poke in the eye to the US…
Looking at this from the standpoint of Assange, when you poke the eagle in the eye, sometimes you have to take refuge from its talons in less than ideal domiciles—sometimes those of other eye-pokers.
As a flaming libertarian, I see little wrong in what Assange has done. If his publication of material has put clandestine operatives and their families at risk, certainly the responsibility for that rests with those who provided him the information (in violation of their oaths and employment contracts), and not the person who circulated it, when there are thousands of other free venues in which the information could have been published. And let's not get into comparing the damage WikiLeaks' disclosures may have done compared to those of the New York Times.
If the taxpayers are funding these adventures, why should they not have open source access to every document regarding what is being done in their name with the money extorted from them? (I exclude operational and tactical information.)
Assange is simply doing what ought to be the norm in transparency.
And Correa is a thug.
Mar '11
Re: Ecuador's Tinpot Despot Grants Asylum to Julian Assange
For myself it is difficult to be so sanguine about this. Yes in principle our own damn government should not be on this classification bonanza where so much information on the activities it engages in is placed outside of public view. A citizenry that is not properly informed cannot make wise decisions on its' leadership or their actions.
Yet rectifying this is not at all what Assange is engaged in. He is very much promoting information solely to undermine this nation:
Apr '11
Re: Ecuador's Tinpot Despot Grants Asylum to Julian Assange
MichaelC19fan
Never thought of Ecuador as a honeymoon destination. Would think its neighbor Peru would be a better choice, at least from my viewpoint, with Cuzco and Machu Picchu. But each to its own. :) · 2 hours ago
Agreed. I've been to Ecuador-- it's an enjoyable enough place, but there are other South American locales that are higher up on my list. Diane, we're interested in hearing your story!
Edited on August 17, 2012 at 1:29amApr '11
Re: Ecuador's Tinpot Despot Grants Asylum to Julian Assange
BTW, does Ecuador still use the US Dollar as currency? When I was there, I thought it somewhat funny for the leftist government to maintain that... (though maybe Correa is working on switching to a different currency?)
May '11
Re: Ecuador's Tinpot Despot Grants Asylum to Julian Assange
I tend to agree there. I have very little sympathy for Manning (as long as he's afforded due process and faces real charges) but Wikileaks did what mainstream media should have done with the information, but have been too timid to for many years now.
Jul '10
Re: Ecuador's Tinpot Despot Grants Asylum to Julian Assange
Assange is the favorite "freedom fighter" of the totalitarians (he has a show-hosting gig on Russian state TV). He's a boutique morality pet that they can embrace without fear because he only threatens their enemies.
A decent man concerned with freedom and transparency would be embarrassed by such company, but Assange has never given any indication of being a decent man in any respect.
May '10
Re: Ecuador's Tinpot Despot Grants Asylum to Julian Assange
Rarely have I seen such utter and shameless ignorance of the practical realities of life in a dangerous world trumpeted so proudly.
But to you, Diane, congratulations on your nuptials, I hope your honeymoon was a delight, and I wish you and your groom a wonderful life of love together.
Apr '11
Re: Ecuador's Tinpot Despot Grants Asylum to Julian Assange
jonsouth
I tend to agree there. I have very little sympathy for Manning (as long as he's afforded due process and faces real charges) but Wikileaks did what mainstream media should have done with the information, but have been too timid to for many years now. · 11 hours ago
Just to be clear, the media should have enabled the murders of Afghan housewives who provided information on the organized criminal gangs in their area? I think that that goes a little further in the direction of horror than Mr. Walker's suggestion that the libertarian position is that there's nothing wrong with engaging in wrongdoing if someone else might do it if you didn't.
Re: Ecuador's Tinpot Despot Grants Asylum to Julian Assange
Keith Doherty
MichaelC19fan
Never thought of Ecuador as a honeymoon destination. Would think its neighbor Peru would be a better choice, at least from my viewpoint, with Cuzco and Machu Picchu. But each to its own. :) · 2 hours ago
Agreed. I've been to Ecuador-- it's an enjoyable enough place, but there are other South American locales that are higher up on my list. Diane, we're interested in hearing your story! · 19 hours ago
The husband was in charge of it all. He asked a travel agent friend to organize a trip for us on a very limited budget, told her we didn't want to be anywhere too rainy or cold (most of South America during August), but that we'd always dreamed of going to South America. Ecuador was the only place that seemed to meet all of the criteria.
The Amazon basin, where we spent half of our trip was beautiful and incredible and I'd recommend it to anyone.
Re: Ecuador's Tinpot Despot Grants Asylum to Julian Assange
Yes, they've been on the dollar since 2000. Correa wasn't and isn't a fan of dolarization, but concedes that they're beyond the point of no return. He does, however, advocate for a single South American currency like the Euro.
Jul '10
Re: Ecuador's Tinpot Despot Grants Asylum to Julian Assange
Nothing can possibly go wrong with this plan.
Mar '11
Re: Ecuador's Tinpot Despot Grants Asylum to Julian Assange
I was delighted to learn Mr Assange has found a new home and clarified his alligance.
I suspect he may have jumped from the frying pan into the fire. I always thought the Swedish sex charges were a weak way to go. Prosecuting him for what most countries would condemn as merely very bad manners instead of for his serious crimes. I hope that, after keeping him sleeping on an air bed and living on fast food in the embassy for a month or so, the British government allows the Ecuadoreans to put him on a plane to Ecuador. Being a guest of the Correa regime, having to make himself useful but otherwise keep silent, might become more tedious than a Swedish prison, or a U.S. one, after a while.
It might be interesting if civilized countries that trade with Ecuador started requesting payment in cash.
May '11
Re: Ecuador's Tinpot Despot Grants Asylum to Julian Assange
James Of England
Just to be clear, the media should have enabled the murders of Afghan housewives who provided information on the organized criminal gangs in their area? I think that that goes a little further in the direction of horror than Mr. Walker's suggestion that the libertarian position is that there's nothing wrong with engaging in wrongdoing if someone else might do it if you didn't. · Aug 17 at 4:55am
A straw man. There is no evidence that anyone has died as a result of the leaks, and most of the anger so far has been over revelations of the inner workings of government and international relations, not informants.
I am no fan of Assange. I think he's reckless and an egomaniac. But I also think the pursuit of him is borne out of revenge and ass-covering, not justice.
Apr '11
Re: Ecuador's Tinpot Despot Grants Asylum to Julian Assange
jonsouth
James Of England
Just to be clear, the media should have enabled the murders of Afghan housewives who provided information on the organized criminal gangs in their area? I think that that goes a little further in the direction of horror than Mr. Walker's suggestion that the libertarian position is that there's nothing wrong with engaging in wrongdoing if someone else might do it if you didn't. ·
A straw man. There is no evidence that anyone has died as a result of the leaks, and most of the anger so far has been over revelations of the inner workings of government and international relations, not informants.
I am no fan of Assange. I think he's reckless and an egomaniac. But I also think the pursuit of him is borne out of revenge and ass-covering, not justice. ·
What kind of evidence would you want? It's very difficult to investigate Taliban motives for murder. In terms of what people have been upset about, maybe being in Iraq skewed my sample, but I mostly heard about the extreme evil. Even if some were otherwise concerned, the extreme evil cannot be sufficiently punished.