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Title: Air Force legal office: All of our members’ families can be prosecuted for reading WikiLeaks
Source:
rawstory
URL Source: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/02/ ... -prosecuted-reading-wikileaks/
Published: Feb 8, 2011
Author: By Stephen C. Webster
Post Date: 2011-02-08 15:14:13 by HAPPY2BME-4UM
Keywords: None
Views: 206
Comments: 18
The advisory took on new significance Monday as Julian Assange, founder of the secrets peddling website, was in a British court to argue against his extradition to Sweden, where he was wanted for questioning in relation to allegations of sexual assault and impropriety. "Classified information does not automatically become declassified as a result of unauthorized disclosure, and accessing the WikiLeaks site would introduce potentially classified information on unclassified networks," the Air Force Material Command explained, noting policy well-documented since the start of WikiLeaks' release of US diplomatic cables. "Guidance issued by the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force on Aug. 9, 2010, makes clear that Air Force personnel should not access the WikiLeaks website to view or download the publicized classified information." But, they add: Within AFMC, and across the Air Force, the WikiLeaks site has been blocked to protect the network. Other sites discovered to be posting the leaked information have also been blocked. According to AFMC's legal office, Air Force members -- military or civilian -- may not legally access WikiLeaks at home on their personal, non-governmental computers, either. [...] Also according to the legal office, "if a family member of an Air Force employee accesses WikiLeaks on a home computer, the family member may be subject to prosecution for espionage under U.S. Code Title 18 Section 793. The Air Force member would have an obligation to safeguard the information under the general guidance to safeguard classified information." It was unclear whether RawStory.com, or other websites which have carried information related to WikiLeaks' US State Dept. documents, were currently being blocked on military networks. The Air Force legal office decision could pave the way for prosecutors in the US to file espionage charges against Assange. The WikiLeaks founder's attorney has argued that if he is extradited to Sweden he'll be sent to the US where he may end up in Guantanamo Bay or even dead by assassination or capital punishment. It remained unclear whether the US could prosecute WikiLeaks for doing essentially what other mainstream news publications do on a regular basis. In fact, newspapers like The Guardian and The New York Times published almost as many of the US diplomatic documents as WikiLeaks, so an argument could be made that if one is prosecuted others may be too. That argument was not lost on New York Times Executive Editor Bill Keller, who said during a recent Colombia University panel that he didn't believe Assange deserved to be prosecuted. “It’s very hard to conceive of a prosecution of Julian Assange that wouldn’t stretch the law in a way that would be applicable to us,” he said. “Whatever one thinks of Julian Assange, certainly American journalists, and other journalists, should feel a sense of alarm at any legal action that tends to punish Assange for doing essentially what journalists do. That is to say, any use of the law to criminalize the publication of secrets.” No charges have been filed against any members of the military of their families, with the exception of Pvt. Bradley Manning, who was charged with delivering massive caches of documents to WikiLeaks. There was some speculation weeks ago that the US may try to accuse Assange of coaxing Manning into the intelligence leak, but he has denied even hearing Manning's name until after it became a news item.
Air Force legal office: All of our members’ families can be prosecuted for reading WikiLeaks
Almost anyone in the United States, and especially soldiers or the families of US Air Force members, could be under the threat of prosecution by the military, according to a recent "guidance" document issued by the Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) public affairs office.
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#1. To: HAPPY2BME-4UM (#0)
deleted
========================================== US Servicemen are prohibited by law from suing the DoD.
Military people have no rights, except maybe the last rites.
==================================== They are protected only by the UCMJ, which actually takes precedent over the USC. Their families and dependents however still have their Constitutional Rights of Freedom of Speech, Assembly, etc. Imagine the degree of eavesdropping going on in military family housing units at military installations across the world. What a great laboratory for the New World Order!
The military has NO rights. Judge Roy Bean would be proud of UCMJ. Military legal people are the scum of the shyster scam.
The decision to do this passed all the way through the DoD legal review process up to the White House and back down again. This is a direct conflict with the USC for military wives and dependents. It won't stand, at least not for the dependents. There are millions of DoD employees and military dependents. How are they going to monitor this?
Why do you think we now have cameras running 24/7/365 all over the damned country ... and the technology for our gov't to take over the internet ... and the request of Big Snitch Bitch to, "See something, say something"? Buckwheat/The handlers have designed/given military go ahead to introduce the "law/order" ... it will be perfected before introducing to the masses.
========================================= Again, the focus should not be on the military service members, but on their DEPENDENTS. This will go directly to the USSC. Hundreds of thousands of military dependent wives and husbands still have Constitutional rights. These fools are about to find this out.
#16. To: HAPPY2BME-4UM (#11)
I fully expect it will go to the Supreme Court, if challenged. Once there, I hope the libs and the conservative members of that judicial court find a conscience and get rid of such practice. However, given the lack of challenges to what we have heretofore seen take place, i.e., the cameras, etc., I won't be surprised if it goes unchallenged. That, unfortunately, would be a travesty, but those affected don't have the pocketbooks to afford such lengthy litigation.
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#2. To: Eric Stratton (#1)
Then if they refused, I'd sue 'em.
#4. To: HAPPY2BME-4UM (#2)
#5. To: Cynicom (#4)
Military people have no rights, except maybe the last rites.
#7. To: HAPPY2BME-4UM (#5)
They are protected only by the UCMJ, which actually takes precedent over the USC.
#8. To: Cynicom (#7)
#10. To: HAPPY2BME-4UM (#8)
There are millions of DoD employees and military dependents. How are they going to monitor this?
#11. To: Phant2000 (#10)
.. it will be perfected before introducing to the masses.
Replies to Comment # 11. This will go directly to the USSC.
End Trace Mode for Comment # 11.