I realize this is a highly politically charged issue and Assange is a hero to most people (and me) but there is merit to these charges, which will never get cleared up in a court room because of US shenanigans with backdoor rendition hanging like a dark cloud over the whole thing. I can appreciate his work and not his character, just like I can appreciate the Unabomber manifesto argument without endorsing his personal actions.
I have personally met one of the Unabomber victims. I saw him before and after. I can't appreciate the Unabomber manifesto at all. When someone's opinions lead them to deliberately maim and kill people, I can't read their opinions without remembering their actions.
