Moments ago on the Rachel Maddow Show, liberal filmmaker Michael Moore stated:
Every woman who claims to have been sexually assaulted has to be -- must be -- taken seriously.Moore also said that Assange must answer to the charges against him. He avoided providing a straight answer to Maddow's question about why he posted Assange's bail, however. Our Twitter account provided some live updates as the interview aired.
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Michael Moore has been the subject of many negative Twitter posts lately for his recent comments on MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann. While one would normally expect that moderates and conservatives are the ones tweeting against the liberal filmmaker responsible for Sicko or Fahrenheit 9-11, it turns out that this time, Moore is so out of line that he's under fire from people all over the political spectrum.
What did Moore do that could anger his far-left base? He called the rape allegations against WikiLeaks' Julian Assange "all a bunch of hooey," ignoring the fact that Assange is accused of having sexually assaulted two women. The Report previously blogged about the topic, with the message that if Assange did not actually commit a rape, then he should be released. This was based on a Reuters report that indicated no actual rape occurred and that the entire thing was over getting Assange tested for sexually transmitted disease/infection. The Reuters report was taken in the context of being definitive and true. It was noted, however, that if Assange actually did rape the women in question, then he should face "arrest, prosecution, and imprisonment for life so that he never has the chance to rape another woman again."
It now appears, however, that Assange is a rapist and there are more to the charges. One woman said that she and Assange "had begun a sexual encounter using a condom, but that Mr. Assange did not comply with her appeals to stop when it was no longer in use." This would be a rape. Another woman said Assange "ignored her appeals to stop." This would also be rape.
Unlike Michael Moore, The Report takes the position that Julian Assange needs to be put on trial and the case heard so that justice can be served. The media reports are conflicting. Further, you can't find someone guilty through reading blogs and newspapers. These are serious allegations, as are any rape allegations, and must be properly investigated and tried. If Assange raped two women (or even one woman), and it can be proven in court, then he should be jailed for it. If it cannot be proven that he committed a crime, he should be released. This isn't about WikiLeaks, it is about ensuring that justice is served. Julian Assange is not a victim in this situation. While he deserves the right to be considered innocent until proven guilty, the victims here are the two women that he is accused of raping.
The #MooreAndMe hash tag on Twitter was created in order to bring awareness and protest Michael Moore and Keith Olbermann's lack of understanding of the facts and their failure to recognize that the victim in this case isn't Julian Assange. Repeated calls have been made for Moore and Olbermann to set the facts straight, but they have failed to do so. Media Bistro has more about the issue.
Per his own Twitter, @MMFlint, Michael Moore is on Maddow tonight on MSNBC at 9:00 PM Eastern Time. Hopefully, some sense will come to him and he'll apologize and set the record straight. Otherwise, expect the #MooreAndMe campaign to continue.
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