WHY I AM DONATING $50,000 TO WIKILEAKS’ DEFENSE FUND
Let’s get something straight: Julian Assange is a journalist.You can argue that he is not practicing journalism the way you think it should be practiced—releasing classified U.S. State Department documents—but he’s a journalist nonetheless. And for many of us he’s a hero.
I’m sick and tired of the politicians and political pundits treating this man as if he were a criminal. If Wiki Leaks had existed in 2003 when George W. Bush was ginningup the war in Iraq, America might not be in the horrendous situation it is today, with our troops fighting in three countries(counting Pakistan) and the consequent cost in blood and dollars.
Here’s what I know about censorship: The free flow ofinformation is ultimately less harmful than the impeded flow of information. A democracy cannot exist without totalaccess to the facts.What’s wrong is that a concerned outsider—anAustralian publisher, not our own vaunted mainstreampress—exposed the secret documents. For that, Assange has been hit with dubious criminal charges because hiscondom failed during a sexual encounter. Give me a break. Julian Assange should not face a prison sentence. We should have a ticker tape parade for him.
Tags: Julian Assange, Wiki Leaks
April 14th, 2011 at 3:29 pm
Addendum:
would it help to say that I am rememberearth from the Randi Rhodes Message Board and Randi’s number one fan?
sorry and much love,
Steph
April 16th, 2011 at 5:35 pm
Larry Flynt rocks! If you want to get a good education, read Hustler religiously!
April 17th, 2011 at 1:56 am
God I love you Larry. I think you are the only normal person left. You do so many good things and fight for truth and for what is right. You are my hero.
April 19th, 2011 at 10:32 pm
First I would like to thank Larry Flynt for maintaining his integrity over the past few decades. I worked for Mr. Flynt when he lived in Columbus, Ohio. I was a freelance photographer for the Ohio Magazine. I had nothing but respect for him then and even more today.
We need to also remember Army Specialist Bradley Manning who has been held in solitary confinement and subjected to incredible torture by our government for leaking information.
What has the government been hiding that these individuals, or Patriots, are being tortured by our government. What could be so terrible that the government has to hide it from us. We are supposed to be the government. And we wonder why Americans are so hated in the Middle Eastern countries.
We need more people like these two who will open our eyes to what our government is doing and hiding. There is too much going on that is being withheld from us.
If you have seen the movies Green Zone you will have a great example of the lies and deceit that the US practices on a daily basis.
April 20th, 2011 at 9:48 pm
Old retired Liberal here and I agree with what you do and what you say. In the old days you were the only guy speaking the truth and I love you for that. I support Julian Assange and what he’s trying to do for all of us.
April 21st, 2011 at 4:06 pm
the whole wiki thing is just another spectacle,to distract us from the horrors ofwhat’s being done in our names.cant wait to catch you on tavis.free bradley manning!my adopted daughter studies journalism in chicago.one of her recent projects was on yr case.(next one was on noam chomsky).anyway,good to see a ky boy do good.thanx.
April 21st, 2011 at 5:08 pm
Brilliant and spot on.
April 28th, 2011 at 12:01 am
I like your no bullshit straight shooting to the point attitude larry has id love to see or hear your thoughts on goverment ignored .lobbyist bought corupt heath care and covered up cures in our healthcare in america for bigger profits and if you know of any websites or movements moving to expose them I have a wife with bad cancer and have had my eyes opened to just how ?ucked our country has become keep seeking truth guys .. great job
April 28th, 2011 at 5:21 pm
Dear Larry,
Years ago my friend James Zane of Zane and Rudosky Law firm represented some case for you. Jimmy has since died but I was wondering…did he represent you well? I say this because I was young and didn’t have an interest in Jimmy’s business but Jimmy did not seem the type to be a good lawyer for you as he was highly offended by your colorful language. (and oh the hypocrite that Jimmy was since he had me ‘get his girls’)
Jimmy would say that and I quote “Flynt is so vulgar” . And then took your money! What a sad state of affairs.
I thought then in 1975 or 76 and am reminded again after his death last year, how could someone provide good legal representation if indeed they did not ‘like’ that person? I hope he served you well.
Bravo to you for your donation to Wikileaks. I, in my small way, stood up for the right to free speech when after opening an Ebay account, I was forced to open Paypal in order to receive payments for my stuff! I tried to override it but to no avail. So on my first listing I explained this to my prospective buyers, how Paypal would not honor the Wikileaks account and how they (paypal) were clearly in bed with the Govenment etc. etc.
I close with this, Power to the People.
I hope this message finds you Mr Flynt in good spirits and happy!
Long may you Live and Prosper!
April 28th, 2011 at 5:23 pm
Bravo!
May 12th, 2011 at 3:02 pm
Hi Larry,
My name is Dawn, I am with the Patient Care Association in San Diego. I don’t know if you’ve heard whats been going on down here, but the city council has voted in a ban on medical marijuana collectives in San Diego City. If their ban goes into affect, legal marijuana access will be suspended, the black market will be flooded, patients will be forced to go to street drug dealers, and the mexican cartels will grow more powerful.
The Patient Care Association is the trade association of the collectives in San Diego, and we are fighting back. We can win this and we need your help.
Please email me back at citizens4patientsrights@gmail.com.
Hope to hear from you soon,
Dawn
May 26th, 2011 at 4:36 am
Larry, not sure on all the facts because the press doesn’t tell us. I will say however that if he received the documents without bribing anyone just to inform the public then your right there should be no charges. However, if he bribed people then he is no different then the bankers and corporate CEO’s. The ends usually does not justify the means. The man that stole them broke the law and should be put in jail for leaking classified information that could have put American lives at risk. The Military take an oath and they should be held to it, otherwise where is the line drawn?
Thanks
Dennis
June 1st, 2011 at 9:17 pm
I find it interesting what people of the U.S name a “Labeled” Liberal, Democrat, Republican, Independent, and those who dont care because they know their opinon of what they think will never be heard either irrational or just plain out of sight. I’m not a rocket scientist, and I am not a scholar. I am another voice of an updated freedom of speech through technological advancement.
Personally I find it sad that the U.S people elected “George H. W. Bush” , and I find it even harder to capatilize his name when commenting. Even Barak. H. Obama; No Pun intended, but could we try to get another “Hope” speech? Because if “HOPE” does not help us now we sure as hell are up to our nose in Shit!
Bin Laden is Dead, we are still in Afghanistan, and Iraq, yet we find another excuse to pump out Billion’s of dollar’s over sea’s that does not benefit the people of our own country.
Wiki-leak’s is a good idea but I feel that it is chicken shit someone has to do that outside of the U.S and get persecuted like Ritko from the Serbian/Bosnian conflict.
The People just need to face the truth! We raped this world of it’s resource’s while trying to control it?
Any Comment’s???
June 2nd, 2011 at 10:39 pm
Larry,
I met you while you were in the hospital recovering from the gunshot. That was late 1977 or early 1978. I attend a couple of parties at your home after that. My friend was in the room next to yours (he was paralyzed in a car accident) and we shared a dubie. I truly appreciate your support of our first amendment!! Hustler is art! Our government is obscene!! God bless!!!
June 8th, 2011 at 4:08 am
“He who gives up liberty for security deserves neither” This nation was founded “of the people, for the people, by the people” yet our government seems to think that they know what’s best and the people are idiots. Our government grows more and more like the communist and fascist governments of the 40′s. The people need to stand up and fight for their rights. Give me back my liberties and let me worry about my security. Give ‘em hell, Larry.
June 18th, 2011 at 12:58 am
If Rick Perry is elected prez in 2012 will he be the first gay US president?
June 18th, 2011 at 5:07 am
People with guns protect Freedom of Speech. Perhaps you missed that lecture, Larry. But God bless you any way. I support your battle to protect the 1st Amendment. Most Americans do not understand or get it. Thank you.
Mark
June 20th, 2011 at 1:58 pm
Our nation, as laid out in our Constitution, promises our respect and maintanence of free spech, a speedy trial, and what we refer to as the basic human rights. Notice it dosen’t specify AMERICAN rights but HUMAN rights.
I have hailed wikileaks as a great triumph for journalism in our time. Too much over the last several decades have journalists abdicated their sworn duty to the public. That duty is not to entertain but to impartially inform. I was proud to read real journalism and see the truth for a change.
I would like to respectfully add that I am aghast that with our Constitution we would ignore our own laws, torture our own people (or anyone elses), and even run a prison like Gitmo, where all rights and humanity are striped away, in direct defiance of who we are.
Noone said that honoring our Constitution would be easy or that it would always be bright and sunny… guess what? Doing the right thing can be damn hard sometimes but we do it anyway, because it is right. Sometimes we have to let those who we detest speak, defend those we think are guilty, andwalk away when we would rather fight. Why? Because sometimes, no matter how angry we are or how much we want to do something we just do not have the right.
June 29th, 2011 at 11:25 pm
I agree with you, Mr. Flynt. I am still looking for a way to donate to WikiLeaks and/or Mr. Assange; anyone have a working URL or PO box to which I can submit my contribution? In this matter, you have my complete support.