A bunch of folks keep saying I called for Julian Assange to be “murdered.” The only problem is, I didn’t. Here’s a post from Balloon Juice:
Jonah Goldberg calls for Julian Assange’s murder.
He (Assange) told the New Yorker earlier this year that he fully understands innocent people might die as a result of the “collateral damage” of his work and that WikiLeaks may have “blood on our hands.” WikiLeaks is easily among the most significant and well-publicized breaches of American national security since the Rosenbergs gave the Soviets the bomb.
So again, I ask: Why wasn’t Assange garroted in his hotel room years ago?
It’s a serious question.
Of course, this is nowhere near as bad as using the word curb-stomping in a post.
When hundreds of thousands of Iraqis die as a result of “collateral damage”, that just proves freedom is messy. It also earns the architects of the collateral damage Medals of Freedom, natch.
If you don’t think that the right is serious about using violence to take power, you’re not paying attention.
Any fair reading of my column might find it too glib, but it wouldn’t support the conclusion that I call for the guy’s assassination or his murder — because I don’t. Indeed, there’s nothing in the quote at Balloon Juice to justify the claim I call for his murder. Meanwhile, here’s what I write at the end:
Second, Assange is essentially hiding behind his celebrity and the fact that it wouldn’t do any good to kill him, given the nature of the Web. Even if the CIA wanted to take him out, they couldn’t without massive controversy.
That’s because assassinating a hipster Australian Web guru as opposed to a Muslim terrorist is the kind of controversy no official dares invite.
That’s fine. And it’s the law. Ultimately, I don’t expect the U.S. government to kill Assange, but I do expect them to try to stop him. Alas, as of now, the plan seems to be to do nothing at all.
It's pretty simple what you did. You wondered out loud why this guy emerged as a problem. Simple logic:
p1) If the world is like X [and you explored a couple of versions of X], then Mr. Julian would have been eliminated before he could make a splash. [Funnily enough, NR's comment screen doesn't like his last name.]
p2) Mr. Julian made a splash.
c) Therefore, the world is not like X.
Simple modus tollens. Now, there's lots of wiggle room to attack the truth of the premises, but that's not nearly as satisfying as claiming you're promoting violence. One involves argumentation, and the other involves emotional ego-stroking. Sadly, we know which one pays better.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIf he was doing this to the Russians or Chinese he would have been dead months -- if not years -- ago.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWe shouldn't assassinate him. That's wrong!
However I don't see the harm in a website that posts his and his helpers' whereabouts. Just in case one of our allies who had his name published on Wikileaks, had strong feelings about it...
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseJonah, I must congratulate you. We don't see the left wing blogosphere go ape-$#!T over the latest George Will or Charles Krauthammer columns. I love how you seem to press their buttons as much as Rush, Sean and Levin do on the radio. They must really be afraid of your questioning of conventional wisdom and skewing their sacred cows.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseJonah clearly was poking fun at the conspiracy freaks who always suspect our government of the worst possible covert conduct against enemies.
Obviously, conspiracy freaks cannot distinguish between someone poking a little fun at their imaginations, fantasies and movie plots and a serious suggestion to take out Julian the self-important, world saver.
So the joke was completely lost on them.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIf Jonathan Swift were alive today, he'd be accused of having seriously promoted infant cannibalism.
I can't really blame you for having your point willfully misinterpreted, though it was inevitable once you wrote something that provoactive as an attention-grabber. You can't win an argument with a fool, and you can't win an argument with a liar. If the left just agrees to pretend your point was that Julian S should be murdered, then that becomes their narrative. I think it's safe to say they have the discipline to stick to that story.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWhile I find it commendable that you wanted to increase the size of the file that the FBI and Secret Service must have on you there is no way what you wrote even approaches the depraved ramblings of some of those on the left who wish heart attacks/AIDS/rape/death of some of us on the right (and by "us" I mean people like you). If you really want to goad the left into apoplexy then you should follow in the steps of Tom Clancy, Vince Flynn and some other fiction authors and write a book about a rogue clandestine operative who creatively puts an end to a leaker's life. Heck, you could even bring back WFB's Blackford Oaks to do the deed. Now that would be something.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWhere is Section 31 when you need it? If a namby-pamby outfit like the Federation can disappear its intelligence risks in short order, why can't we?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWhy isn't he dead?
Does that prove our "intelligence services" are incompetent?
Or are they restricted by law or moral standards?
None of these.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseMissing:
They already kill people they don't like.
Whether that person is a threat to our national security, political goals, or citizens is mere coincidence.
Balloon Juice has been off the charts ever since W was elected - never expect a good faith reading of anything from them.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSalon has got to win some kind of prize here for the most misinterpretations of Jonah Goldberg. First they claim that in a one sentence post Jonah claimed that Scott Ritter was an agent foreign intelligence when in the same line Jonah clearly said that it was just a random thought given about 97 seconds of consideration. Not a serious post. Now two, count'em, two of the bloggers at Salon claim that Jonah wants to kill Julian because Jonah is really an authoritarian brown shirt with bad taste in movies. My God do they not even known when they are being mocked. Are they so locked in a reality warp that they can't read plain English? Hello liberal bloggers EVERYWHERE JONAH WAS MOCKING YOUR CONSPIRACY THEORIES not calling for the murder of anyone. Man I read leftist stuff so that I would not hate them but they are really making it hard. Read the stuff you wail about would you man o man...
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseFunny i took a beating on the kos site for joking that we would be better off if we would burn each others upside downhouses down this Halloween. Not sure what it is about kos but there are a lot of nanny staters ready to arrest people for comments like Goldbergs.....
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