The biggest challenge facing any campaigner comes not from the people who think you’re wrong, but from the people who’d rather you shut up so they don’t have to think at all.
Here’s an interesting post from John Pilger on why it isn’t the clandestine world of USA “justice” that’s the biggest threat facing Julian Assange right now; it’s the liberals who were prepared to support him only until things got a bit messy and who then couldn’t back away fast enough. The clandestine world of USA justice is scary though…
Personally, I suspect Julian Assange of deliberately making himself a target to deflect attention from others more crucial to the running of the site. I don’t know whether he constructed his unusual persona to assist with that or merely accepted that it made him the best person for the job, but it’s what I would have done if I were in his position. I doubt he expected many of those who pledged undying allegiance in the good times to stick by him when the going got rough, but I bet it’s crossed his mind that it would have been nice if just a few more of them had.
If you want to create real change, it helps to be a bit of a masochist!
