Wikileaks urges Time death-list spot for Assange

Wikileaks is calling for supporters to vote for its founder Julian Assange as Time magazine's "Person of the Year™". In terms of news coverage generated in the last 12 months, he's certainly a contender. The Afghanistan and Iraq documents got global exposure, as did the fate of their alleged leaker, Private Bradley Manning. …

[Anonymous Coward]

And another thing

I don't think that FDR, Truman or Nixon were ever targets of a credible assassination conspiracy. George H. Bush was targeted in Kuwait by Saddam Hussein, during a visit after Bush left the Presidency, but not while he was in office.

I don't think that Stalin was ever a serious assassination target, but I would approve of it if he were.

More black helicopters, because the UN's New World Airforce is everywhere. However, if you pull down the flaps of your tinfoil helmet, it shuts out the rotor noise.

[Chris Williams]

Re: And another thing

For Stalin see "Operation Zeppelin". Disastrous failure, but serious in intent.

The attempt on Truman by Puerto Rican separatists was absolutely credible. One of his protection officers was killed.

I think it's hard to argue the attempt on FDR wasn't credible. Five people were shot next to him. http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1516.html

Samuel Byck didn't get far in his attempt on Nixon, but it was credible enough that authorities covered up the reason he hijacked the plane.

[Anonymous Coward]

Covering my back

"This is bad news for us all. In 2006, inspired by Web 2.0 hype, Time declared that "You" were the Person of the Year™, so watch your back."

I'd just like to point out that I think Web 2.0 is a load of bilge and have nothing to do with it....

There... safe now.

[Rob Moir]

But "Web 2.0" is useful

It's a reliable fool detector. If someone starts banging on about it like it's actually something that matters then you know that they're a dangerous lunatic and you shouldn't go anywhere near them.

[Anonymous Coward]

Gaga

If Lady Gaga gets Person of the Year award can we have a Gaga icon please? :3

Paris because she'll do for now

[Anonymous Coward]

Great idea, Wikileaks!!!

After all, Adolf Hitler and John F. Kennedy were past Men/Persons of the Year, and that kept them from dying violentl....wait a second......

Black helicopters--because the rendition team is roping down out of them right now at the Assande residence.

[Anonymous Coward]

Meaningless

'was voted forty first best donkey masseur once, which seemed initially flattering, but it was just a meaningless honorific.

Anywho, I thought Wikileaks were trying to pull back on Assange so that the CIA/NSA can distribute the mud and filth around the rest of the team... you'd almost thinking they wanted to paint a target on the man's back.

[Far Canal]

Not sure about that

So ... startling revelation - the government lies ... and that makes him man of the year contender?

The bar must be pretty low these days (making it easier for me to reach thankfully)

[David 105]

Re The Bar

I think the fact that Lady GaGa is not just on the list but second shows you how pretty low the bar is.

And as we've established that people of the year tend to be targets for assassination do you really want to reach it?

That said, if history repeats itself and gaga does get "disappeared" maybe we can start to tactically vote for POTY, to ensure that humaity's lowest form of parasite gets the gong (and the subsequent bullet in the back of the head)?

Grenade, because there is no sniper icon

[Evil Auditor]

No assassination, please

But someone please stop this poser before his hyperinflated ego collapses into a blackhole and sucks in all the good things he had created.

What's next? When is he going to demand the Nobel prize?

[Steven Knox]

No.

"It's surely fair to say on this evidence that, if anything, being a Time Person of the Year™ makes individuals much, much more likely to be assassinated, not less*."

No, it is not. You've presented anecdotal evidence only. Please go back and document:

1. How many people have been named Time Person of the Year,

2. How many of those people have been assassinated, (calculate as a percentage of the total, please), and

3. The assassination rate of the general population.

That's a good start. However to be sure, you'll also have to compensate for confounding variables, such as the possibility that the selection of Person of the Year is biased towards people likely to be assassinated by dint of their position, power, wealth, etc.

Then, if the numbers pass rigorous statistical examination, I may consider it fair to say that.

[Anonymous Coward]

Causation?

http://xkcd.com/552/

[Iamfanboy]

then would it be more fair to say that...

perhaps, being chosen as Person of the Year(tm) is an indicator of how likely someone is to attempt an assassination, regardless of whether or not it succeeds?

After all, 14/83 isn't exactly typical populace odds on being assassinated, or having attempts made on your life - or 18/83, if you include the Korean Fighting Man from 1950, the American Soldier from 2003, the Whistleblowers from 2002, and the Peacemakers from 1996. More than a few of those were 'assassinated' in various ways.

Future candidates, or possibly current ones, for assassination attempts successful or no - Vladimir Putin (be surprised if he weren't on a few people's 'Better Dead' lists), George W. Bush (for making it on the list twice when he didn't deserve to be on it once, thanks for ruining the Republican party with your cronies and your bosses but at least all the nutjobs are migrating to the Tea Partiers now), and Barack Obama (mostly because nutjobs are everywhere, especially racist ones).

[Pascal Monett]

Person of the Year ?

Certainly not.

Asshole of the year, maybe, but person ? No way.

[Mike Hawk]

POTY Time 2010

It's cool there's a patch for Call of Duty: Black Ops that replaces the kill Castro mission with an Assange one.

[Andrew the Invertebrate]

Stuff POTY

what we really want to know is who will be PMOTY

[Anonymous Coward]

I would comment on this thread

But I see the article has already 'Godwinned' itself.

At which point, exactly, was Hitler Time's Person of the Year? I can only hope that this was very early on in the 1930s, rather than, say, 1941, or later.

[bugalugs]

Hitler was Time POTY in 1938

post-Olympics and pre-Prague !

Some other ne'er-do-wells also listed here

http://history1900s.about.com/od/people/a/Man-Of-The-Year.htm

[Anonymous Coward]

Avoid Extradition?

"Dear Mr. Assange, please come to New York to collect your Person of the Year prize!"

"Oh, OK , then... I'll just hop on a plane..."

[Mat]

Why?

Cool! - I nominate Ant + Dec as 'Person' of the year!