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RT Times reports that Alexanderplatz square in Berlin has become the stage for a provocative art piece which celebrates whistleblowers and encourages ordinary citizens to speak out. "They have lost their freedom for the truth, so they remind us how important it is to know the truth,” says sculptor Davide Dormino. The life-sized statues of the three whistleblowers stand upon three chairs, as if speaking in an impromptu public meeting. Next to them is a fourth, empty chair. "The fourth chair is open to anyone here in Berlin who wants to get up and say anything they want," says the artist. Dormino, who came up with the idea together with the US journalist Charles Glass, specifically chose a classical bronze statue for his depiction – and not an installation or abstract piece – since statues are usually made of establishment figures. According to Domino while men who order others to their deaths get immortalized, those who resist are often forgotten, so “the statue pays homage to three who said no to war, to the lies that lead to war and to the intrusion into private life that helps to perpetuate war.” Activists and members of Germany’s Green party unveiled the life-size bronze statues on May Day.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 03 2015, @06:23PM
Assange does seem occupied with bringing attention to himself to feed his ego. An alternative explanation might be that he understands the idea of a cult of personality, and that by giving his abstract beliefs and ideas a face or embodiment, he might actually bring some attention to them in the sound bite media. I am sure many more people are aware of "Conspiracy as Governance" [cryptome.org](pdf) than they are with Julian Assange.
Not comment on Manning.
Leaking documents to the public has about as much relationship to spying as copyright infringement does to theft, and I think the difference compared to passing weapons secrets to a foreign government [wikipedia.org] is more qualitative than quantitative. But sure, Snowden is the traitor, not the people abusing and breaking their oaths to the Constitution, the supposed foundation and source of their legitimacy. Not sure what loyalty we are supposed to have to usurpers and beguilers, but yes, Snowden is a traitor to them.
Hopefully Snowden and Assange can avoid facing "justice" at least as long as Bush and Blair [wikipedia.org] have.
(Score: 3, Informative) by wantkitteh on Sunday May 03 2015, @06:58PM
The folks framing this as an espionage case are either:
1) Blinkered, bitter and angry (they prefer "Patriotic") that someone could do something so hideous to their beloved 'Murica
2) Playing the PR card of trumping up the offences into something far worse, preferably with a juicy-sounding title that'll get people to prejudge the character of the offenders before they hear any other details of the case