Julian Assange Is Finally Free, But Let’s Not Forget the War Crimes He Exposed

Contrary to US government claims, WikiLeaks’s revelations actually saved lives — and drove demand for US accountability.

Excerpt from Truthout:

After a 14-year struggle, including five years spent in Belmarsh, a maximum-security prison in London, WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange is finally free. Under the terms of a plea deal with the U.S. Department of Justice, Assange pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to obtain documents, writings and notes connected with the national defense under the Espionage Act. Assange was facing 175 years in prison for 18 charges in the indictment filed by the Trump administration and pursued by the Biden administration.

The Justice Department agreed to the plea bargain a little over a month after the High Court of England and Wales ruled that Assange would be allowed to appeal an extradition order. The High Court found the U.S. government didn’t provide satisfactory assurances that Assange could rely on a First Amendment defense if extradited and tried in the U.S. The Justice Department, now fearful it would lose the case, scrambled to strike a deal with Assange.

The plea agreement requires that before entering his plea, Assange must have done everything he could to either return or destroy “any such unpublished information in his possession, custody, or control, or that of WikiLeaks or any affiliate of WikiLeaks.”

As stipulated in the plea deal, Ramona Manglona, U.S. Chief Judge of the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands, sentenced Assange to 62 months with credit for the time he served in Belmarsh Prison. The U.S. sentencing guidelines say the range for this “offense” is 41-51 months, so Assange served 11 to 21 months longer than this type of case would typically garner.

Assange was prosecuted because WikiLeaks exposed U.S. war crimes in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantánamo Bay. In 2010, U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, who had a “TOP SECRET” U.S. security clearance, furnished WikiLeaks with 700,000 documents and reports, many of which were classified “SECRET.”

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No One Was Harmed by WikiLeaks’s Revelations

Although the U.S. government alleged that WikiLeaks’s publication of information had caused “great harm,” they “admitted there was not a single person anywhere that they could produce that was harmed by these publications,” Assange’s attorney Barry Pollack said at a June 26 press conference in Australia.

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What Assange’s Plea Bargain Means for Free Speech

Before she accepted Assange’s guilty plea, Judge Manglona asked him what he did to violate the law. “Working as a journalist, I encouraged my source to provide information that was said to be classified,” Assange said. “I believed the First Amendment protected that activity, but I accept that it was a violation of the espionage statute.” Assange then added, “The First Amendment was in contradiction with the Espionage Act, but I accept that it would be difficult to win such a case given all these circumstances.”

Even though Assange will go free, his plea deal raises concerns for First Amendment advocates in the U.S.

“The United States has now, for the first time in the more than 100-year history of the Espionage Act, obtained an Espionage Act conviction for basic journalistic acts,” David Greene, head of civil liberties at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told The New York Times. “These charges should never have been brought.”

Read more from the full story on Truthout.

To serve his country, Donald Trump should leave the race | Editorial

Biden had a horrible night Thursday. But the debate about the debate is misplaced. The only person who should withdraw from the race is Trump.

Excerpt from The Philadelphia Inquirer:

President Joe Biden’s debate performance was a disaster. His disjointed responses and dazed look sparked calls for him to drop out of the presidential race.

But lost in the hand wringing was Donald Trump’s usual bombastic litany of lies, hyperbole, bigotry, ignorance, and fear mongering. His performance demonstrated once again that he is a danger to democracy and unfit for office.

In fact, the debate about the debate is misplaced. The only person who should withdraw from the race is Trump.

Trump, 78, has been on the political stage for eight years marked by chaos, corruption, and incivility. Why go back to that?

… Trump told more than 30 lies during the debate to go with the more than 30,000 mistruths told during his four years as president. He dodged the CNN moderators’ questions, took no responsibility for his actions, and blamed others, mainly Biden, for everything that is wrong in the world….

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Yes, Biden had a horrible night. He’s 81 and not as sharp as he used to be. But Biden on his worst day remains lightyears better than Trump on his best.

Biden must show that he is up to the job. This much is clear: He has a substantive record of real accomplishments, fighting the pandemic, combating climate change, investing in infrastructure, and supporting working families and the most vulnerable.

Biden has surrounded himself with experienced people who take public service seriously. He has passed major bipartisan legislation despite a dysfunctional Republican House majority.

Biden believes in the best of America. He has rebuilt relationships with allies around the world and stood up to foes like Russia and China.

There was only one person at the debate who does not deserve to be running for president. The sooner Trump exits the stage, the better off the country will be.

Click here to read the full editorial.

Sarah Cooper Returns

Except from the Daily Kos:

Click here for Cooper’s latest video.

Click here for Cooper’s 2021 video: How to person woman man camera tv

She’s back!!! Sarah Cooper just released “How to Boat.” He’s always given her a wealth of material to work with, but Trump’s bit about the shark/electric boat was probably just too hard for her to resist so she took his insanity and turned it into comedy gold. 

This woman helped me get through four years of Trump. “Man, woman, camera, TV” is an absolute classic. Of course he does a great job of making himself ridiculous, but she takes it to the next level. She’s sublime and her humor really illustrates just how insane and deranged the man is.

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Please let this be the first of many more to come — we need this!  

• Editor’s note: I was here for the public protests that made international news when several high-profile celebrities joined local citizens in protesting Seattle Metro desiring to dump their sludge on 2,200 acres of land they purchased in the Bald Hills area.
• Thirty-five years ago this week, Seattle Metro decided to sell their Yelm-area parcels.

A look back: Take a trip through our area’s rich history

A Look Back at This Week,

35 Years Ago

The Seattle Metro Land Selection Board recommended Metro consider selling its Bald Hills property on June 26, 1989. The board recommended Metro harvest the timber on the 2,200 acres and trade or sell the property. Metro could recover its $2.4 million investment from the timber.

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A Look Back at This Week,

25 Years Ago

The new Safeway grocery store opened June 23, 1999, in Yelm. The store was located at 10509 Yelm Ave. and had a well-received opening from the community, according to manager Darren Smith.

Know these laws before setting off fireworks in Thurston County to celebrate the 4th of July

Excerpt from The Olympian via yahoo!news:

The Fourth of July is just next week, and so are the fireworks shows, festivals and other events many attend to celebrate.

But before celebrating with personal fireworks yourself, make sure you are actually allowed to. Below are the rules and regulations surrounding fireworks in all parts of Thurston County. They do not cover public fireworks displays put on by Thurston County cities — those receive special permits.

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Yelm

Yelm bans the sale, discharge and possession of all special fireworks. But Yelm does allow the sale or purchase of common fireworks from 9 a.m. Friday, June 28, to noon July 26, and the discharge of common fireworks from:

• 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. June 28 to July 3 and July 5-6.
• 9 a.m. to midnight on July 4.

Rainier

Rainier allows the sale of consumer fireworks from:

• 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. June 29 to July 4
• 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on July 5

And the discharge of consumer fireworks from:

• 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. June 29 to July 3
• 9 a.m. to midnight July 4
• 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. July 5

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Unincorporated Thurston County

Thurston County allows the discharge of fireworks in unincorporated parts of the county from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. July 3 and July 4.

The busiest travel day ever: Airports to set records as 4th of July rush kicks off

Excerpt from The Points Guy:

The summer travel season is already off to a record-breaking pace, and it looks like the biggest crowds are yet to come. Today (June 27) and Friday (June 28) could each compete for the busiest days ever at U.S. airports as the Fourth of July travel rush gets off to a blazing start.

More travelers passed through Transportation Security Agency checkpoints on Sunday, June 24, than on any day in the agency’s nearly 23-year history. Monday was the third busiest day of all time. The five busiest days ever at TSA checkpoints have all occurred since Memorial Day weekend.

And, by all accounts, we’re just getting started. Perhaps the summer’s biggest holiday rush is now upon us.

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What is the worst day to travel for Fourth of July?

Unlike Memorial Day, which always falls on the same day of the week, predicting the busiest travel day for Fourth of July is a bit trickier.

Last year, the holiday fell on a Tuesday, and the Friday before the Fourth of July (June 30) proved to be the busiest day of the rush. A whopping 2.8 million passengers passed through TSA checkpoints that day. At the time, that was a single-day record, but it has since been topped seven times — including twice just in the past week.

This year, the Fourth of July falls on a Thursday.

Looking at the travel projections, I’m reminded a bit of the pattern we typically see around Thanksgiving, which, of course, always falls on a Thursday itself.

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+ The Washington Post: You asked: How do I get rental car companies to actually hold my car? Is there a way to avoid the dreaded rental car bait-and-switch? By The Way Concierge finds out.

* Editor’s note: This is the right action to have taken, though should have been done long ago!

Biden announces pardons for veterans convicted under military law prohibiting gay sex

The president said the action was aimed at “righting an historic wrong” for many former service members who faced convictions “simply for being themselves.”

Excerpt from NBC News:

President Joe Biden said Wednesday he will use clemency authority to pardon former service members who were convicted of crimes because of their sexual orientations or gender identities.

Biden will issue a proclamation pardoning veterans who were convicted under a provision of the Uniform Code of Military Justice prohibiting gay sex, senior administration officials said on a call with reporters.

Service members who meet certain eligibility requirements will be able to obtain certificates of pardon and apply to have their discharge characterizations changed within their branches, officials said.

Biden said the action was aimed at “righting an historic wrong” for many former service members who faced convictions “simply for being themselves.”

“Despite their courage and great sacrifice, thousands of LGBTQI+ service members were forced out of the military because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Some of these patriotic Americans were subject to court-martial, and have carried the burden of this great injustice for decades,” Biden said in a statement. “This is about dignity, decency, and ensuring the culture of our Armed Forces reflect the values that make us an exceptional nation.”

The pardon would apply to any eligible conviction from 1951 through 2013, when Congress rewrote Article 125 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which criminalized sodomy.

Proposed county courthouse would be erected on Plum Street in Olympia

The proposed courthouse will have 330,000 square feet of space, 110 feet for the courthouse itself and 70 feet for the administrative building.

Excerpt from The JOLT News:

Thurston County Commissioners discussed sending voters another proposal to build a new county courthouse complex, this time in downtown Olympia. 

The location proposed is along Plum Street in Olympia, adjacent to Union Avenue.  

Current buildings: Outdated

The county’s existing courthouse facilities are outdated, as presented in the Courthouse Campus Infrastructure Project Update with the Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) yesterday, June 17.

Capital Projects Planning Manager Rick Thomas said the courthouse complex in West Olympia does not meet current earthquake safety codes, and not all can be connected to recent information technology because of their outdated data cabling limits.

Currently, there are seven courthouse buildings on three different blocks without a clear sense of entrance, and there is limited queuing space for security screening, said Thomas.

The facilities either have narrow corridors, departments located behind doors off public corridors, no central information desk, or have inefficient information/direction systems.

Thomas said that citizens wait in line to ask a question only to find out they are in the wrong building, leading to reduced staff efficiency due to the constant need to redirect the public.

Because the Thurston County Courthouse was built when the county had half the population, this lack of space causes late start times and delays in the courtroom.

…

Proposed Courthouse

The proposed courthouse would have 330,000 square feet of space. 

“So, a few features of the new courthouse: the design— we would have had more court space, we would have been more energy efficient, and we would use sustainable design for kind of our material,” said Thomas.

For operations, a one-stop customer service desk is set to be established to help people find services, offices, and departments.

Regarding security and safety, the new courthouse would separate witnesses, judges, and jurors from the defendants.

“With the modern courthouse, the back of the house is called the secured area. That’s where the judicial staff would be—judges and everyone. No one can get to that space without going through kind of a secondary mode of security,” Thomas said.

Detainees would be brought up from separate elevators directly to secure spaces that are between two courtrooms. They may be brought to the courtrooms from that space and then back down to that “sally port” area where they would be held until they were called in.

Yelm police introduce new badges

Excerpt from the NVN:

The Yelm Police Department revealed its new badges that its police officers will use on duty. Smith & Warren Badges, an American manufacturer, brought YPD and the City of Yelm’s story together. The badge features the words “Yelm Police” running on the bottom with the city’s “Pride of the Prairie” slogan above. Regional natural landscaping fills the badge, with Camas flowers, pine trees, Douglas firs and a running river, with Mount Rainier and its three peaks towering over the landscape. In the center of the badge is the iconic Yelm water tower. The badges were redesigned through a grant from and in partnership with the Nisqually Indian Tribe.

Yelm’s council eliminates 2 ways for citizens to participate in their government

• Editor’s note: The Yelm City Council voted Tuesday evening (June 25) to eliminate the Yelm Homelessness Committee and the Yelm Library Citizen Advisory Board.
• Key Point: Without the framework of a Citizens Advisory Board, the council may be less inclined to consider library taxpayers who own property outside of city limits, which is exactly what occurred since the Advisory Board was sidelined in 2010.
• After my public comment on the value of the Library Board tonight, I had a great realization – the days of elected representatives, all the way down to the local level, having public input/interactions with their constituents and voters on policy issues has come to an end.
• As an example, in the past, the STIP (6 year transportation plan) had a public hearing, much public participation/ interaction, and discussion among councilors. Tonight there was no public hearing, no interaction on the included projects, no citizens, no nothing, except a vote.
• Only 2 councilors voted to postpone the Library Board dissolution for a public discussion. The rest voted to eliminate the Board. Their reasoning was that since Mayor Harding sidelined the Board in 2010, and Mayors Foster and DePinto did not appoint board members, the Board should be axed.
• I got that loud and clear.
• However, the Librarian voiced his concern otherwise, as did I and one other citizen.
• They’re right to a certain degree – however eliminating the board does not serve the public’s interests which the council took an oath to uphold.
• The Yelm council keeps eliminating public interactions in their government to their city’s detriment in the future.
• There is a sea change I read about in The Washington Post earlier this year about freshmen Congressional Reps – they come into Washington, D.C. with little to no policy education or vision, and just want their faces on Tik-Tok, Facebook, Instagram, etc. There is no serving in the public’s interests – it’s all transactional. Like Marjorie Taylor Green, who has no policy vision except to be disruptive to government.
• I foresee the Yelm council to continue making decisions taking the torch to more connections with the public they serve. I clearly got that sitting in the council chambers tonight.
• No wonder no one comes to these meetings and Yelm voter participation is so low – the public continually comments that they feel unincluded. Only one citizen not connected to the city was at the council session this evening, plus myself. How sad. There is no vision for the future.
• Eliminating boards for regular civilians to contribute to causes of their interest and skill-set/ knowledge-base is VERY dangerous and takes Yelm further from being a community and closer to just being land where people live.
• The mayor ADMITTED he wasn’t knowledgeable enough to fill a board, rather just followed former administrations past practices. Most of the council comments were “this hasn’t been cared about for over a decade,” and shows that it’s none of the voters’ wheelhouse.
• However, 3 members of community showed more knowledge and passion all combined so therefore listen to the people who know what they are talking about!
• History will be repeated here when poor and uninformed decisions are made by councils without an active Library Advisory Board and public interactions.
• Click here to read my letter to the Yelm City Council. scroll to pages 57, 58.

Yelm Library Board responsibilities on the city’s website in 2008:
“The Yelm Library Advisory Board advises the Mayor and City Council on specific library matters. It consists of five members appointed by the Mayor for a period of five years, on the basis of demonstrated interest in, or knowledge and support of public libraries… The Yelm Library Advisory Board makes studies, reports, and recommendations and serves as an advisory body to the Mayor and City Council in all matters relative to the need for acquisition, utilization, care, maintenance and disposition of the library building or buildings and all property or equipment pertaining to or associated with library purposes which is or is intended to be owned by the City of Yelm; evaluates, advises and makes recommendations regarding the relationship between the City of Yelm and Timberland Regional Library District (TRL); evaluates legislative issues before the Washington State Legislature related to library matters, which may impact the City of Yelm, property owners within the City of Yelm, and/or patrons of the Timberland Regional Library District; serves as liaison between citizens and the Mayor and City Council on library-related issues; and reviews, advises and makes recommendations on rules and regulations governing the use of the library, its building(s) and grounds, and such equipment owned by the City of Yelm.”