The titillation factor in this saga went up when Jónsdóttir retold the story of her inviting WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, to a reception at the US embassy in Reykjavik.
During the event, Assange reportedly sipped an adult beverage with Sam Watson, the embassy's deputy chief of mission, whose embarrassing dispatches concerning the US and UK role following the collapse of Iceland's bank would later be published on WikiLeaks.
The DOJ and US Military clearly are making a legal case against PFC. They accuse Bradley Manning of copying over 250,000 messages that were classified as Secret or higher and then forwarding them to WikiLeaks.
Manning's whereabouts have been rumored to be in various US Military jails – originally in the Middle East and now supposedly near Washington, DC. If Manning is convicted in a Military Courts Marshall proceeding he could face as much as 52 years to life in prison for espionage. To add to the legal maneuvering, US Congressman Representative Darrell Issa (Republican from California) with his chairmanship of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee said he will open hearings into the whole WikiLeaks saga as soon as possible.
Clearly, there is a criminal aspect to the saga. However, there are major questions about the US government singling out WikiLeaks, its staff and friends for criminal prosecution while letting off the hook US national news media including the Washington Post, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, Baltimore Sun, Houston Chronicle, Des Moines Register, Manchester Union Leader, USA Today, and the Christian Science Monitor.
None have been subpoenaed for publishing exerts from the 250,000 classified document obtained by WikiLeaks.
Thus, it appears that the US Government is making an example of WikiLeaks in an attempt to differentiate online publications from old guard print publication.
Those are the same print publications who have published US Government initiated leaks that bolstered the proven falsehood that was used to drum up passionate support for the Bush Administration's Iraq War.
Free-speech advocates fear the same legal arguments used against WikiLeaks could be used to prosecute media that publish information in defiance of the government.
With the First Amendment to the US Constitution, the Founding Fathers intended that no American should ever need permission to read or write anything. BSN expects this saga will drag on for years and only a select few will be prosecuted after all the US Government's protestations.
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