WikiLeaks largest classified military leak

[Earnie Shavers]

Gotcha (and likely agreed, from what I could gather from that post.)

On topic - one thing that is decidedly not cool, I think, is trying to score domestic political points over the contents of the cables. Starting to happen in Australia over some Aust-US vs China related leaks. To the opposition: leave it alone.

[mama cass]

Originally Posted by Moonlit_Angel

Very scary indeed. Even if you disagree with what he's doing (and some valid arguments as to why he shouldn't be doing this, at least not to the extent he is), what good is the current reaction from the anti-Assange crowd going to do, really? If it's shown that he has indeed breached certain laws in relation to this issue, then let the proper authorities bring him to court and let them deal with him as necessary. Screaming at him and calling him names doesn't really solve anything.



That is indeed very interesting. I may have to poke around on the Internet to see for myself the type of coverage this is getting, I'm curious to see what all others out there outside the U.S. have to say.

I could see some of our allies, like France, perhaps starting to side with us, since some of this information is likely to affect them in potentially negative ways down the line, too. And just 'cause they're our allies, as well.



Pretty hefty assumption to make, don't you think? There couldn't possibly be any reasonable, logical arguments they could be making about this issue?



Very rarely? I dunno, seems in the past couple years when I check out the news there's an awful lot of stories/articles/essays about people, both Republican and Democrat, who are disillusioned with the Obama administration because they promised transparency and aren't always providing it. And then of course there were the numerous complaints about it during the Bush administration-most of which were from the left, yes, but rare they certainly were not. LOADS of people have been demanding that the government be more open for decades now, this isn't a new phenomenon.



Usually, but not always. Some people are conspiracy-obsessed, yes, but there's others who just want some honest information about smaller matters, who understand the need for secrecy, but also understand the need for the public to know what's going on at least some of the time.



Well, as you've said in the other part I quote down below, some of the information is about other countries, too, it isn't just us that get talked about in those leaks. Self-righteous prick, well, that's personal opinion-I've no doubt he's definitely very arrogant. You'd kind of have to be, at least a little, to concoct something like this. But people could call those who are railing against this the very same thing-getting so outraged over something which may have some importance/necessity to it that we should know about.

(Also, if he's not an American, then the "traitor"/"treason" accusation's pretty well null and void, to those who've brought it up in this thread, right?)

Certainly some people will see this and be even more incensed against the U.S., but most who hold anti-American sentiment would hold it with or without these leaks. Unfortunately, not everyone will like us. It sucks, but this is something we need to learn to deal with.



Because they were just peachy before this, right? If Iran didn't know before these leaks that other parts of the world, areas near them included, weren't thrilled about the possibility of them becoming nuclear, then they're incredibly naive, if not altogether stupid. Which I don't think they are. I doubt that news was any sort of big secret, and if it was, if it didn't get exposed this way, I guarantee you it would've been exposed in some other form eventually.

If anything, the release of such information will, like you said, be reassuring for us, because now that we know for sure there's areas in the Middle East that we could possibly get to side with us on that issue, we can begin to work with them and put more pressure on Iran to back off the idea. And it'd be concrete proof to some that not everyone in that part of the world is excited about the idea of blowing us up as well, which, if we're going to work on improving our relations with that part of the world, which God knows we need to do, that's a very good place to start.

But to say this will only worsen the situation there, well, quite frankly, I fail to see how it could truly get much worse than it already is.

Headache does also raise an excellent point about the U.S. government failing in their security measures. How ironic that since 9/11 our mantra's been, "More security, more security!!!!", only for the government to...lack it when needed. If anything, I'd say that's probably the most unsettling revelation thus far about this whole mess, that our government, as well as other countries' governments, don't know how to properly protect the stuff that needs to be protected.

Angela

whoa moonlit_angel! that's freaky - i didn't make those last four comments you quoted me as saying there in your last post - it comes across as though i have some kind of split personality! ROFL

[Bad Ronald]

Originally Posted by coolian2

sorry, that probably did need context. if i remember correctly (and i hope i do), the poster i was replying to said in another thread he was thinking of or about to move to australia. i meant that his...manner really would be enjoyed in australia. as in he'd be wise to not book a one-way flight.

yeh cuz aussies are all close minded simpletons who think like you..bit too much inbreeding on that little island over there methinks

don't worry.....me n the boys will be there when the muslims come for auckland

as if

[AliEnvy]

Originally Posted by CrashedCarDriver

[solemole]

[mama cass]

Originally Posted by solemole

brilliant!!!

[hiphop]

Originally Posted by AliEnvy

thanks for blowing my cover. btw, who are you?

[AliEnvy]

Now that you've been outted, you ought to disappear.

Run, hiphop, run!

[hiphop]

Originally Posted by AliEnvy

Now that you've been outted, you ought to disappear.

Run, hiphop, run!

lol i already hear the sirens outside.. where´s the ferrari

[AliEnvy]

You do realize what happens to sex offenders in prison, yes?

Maybe one of the cables will reveal that Gitmo isn't really closed...

[hiphop]

Originally Posted by AliEnvy

You do realize what happens to sex offenders in prison, yes?

Maybe one of the cables will reveal that Gitmo isn't really closed...

You know AliEnvy, joking is fun, and you may post pictures here because everyone can easily find those in the interference photo thread, but bringing in the sex offender part (the stuff Assange apparently has been accused of) is going a bit far and offends me.

What are you implying about Gitmo? Did you mean that, according to you, Assange should be tortured or raped in a terrorist prison?

[mobvok]

Originally Posted by Canadiens1131

Now, this is where people (even bleeding heart, free-information lovin', hand-holding, global peace, giant pussies like me start to get a bit worried.

This case starts zeroing in on my opinion of the Wikileaks diplomatic leak so far; while I disagree with some of the apparent motivation, I still end up appreciating the end effect.

In this case it's because of the tension between how unsecured this information was, versus whatever danger might arise. The more "dangerous" Wikileaks' cable releases are, the more absurd it was that they were even accessible to millions of people in the first place. Far more dangerous to have an asymmetrical situation where one side has info the other thinks is private, than an open release.

Again, probably not Assange's direct intention behind the reveal, but I don't see an issue with appreciating contradictory effects.

[hiphop]

PRESS RELEASE
Tue 7 Dec 15.55 GMT

Julian Assange Defense Fund frozen.

The Swiss Bank Post Finance today issues a press release stating that it had frozen Julian Assange's defense fund and personal assets (31K EUR) after reviewing him as a "high profile" individual.

The technicality used to seize the defense fund was that Mr. Assange, as a homeless refugee attempting to gain residency in Switzerland, had used his lawyers address in Geneva for the bank's correspondence.

Late last week, the internet payment giant PayPal, froze 60Keur of donations to the German charity the Wau Holland Foundation, which were targeted to promote the sharing of knowledge via WikiLeaks.

WikiLeaks and Julian have lost 100Keur in assets this week.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the Cablegate exposure is how it is throwing into relief the power dynamics between supposedly independent states like Switzerland, Sweden and Australia.

WikiLeaks also has public bank accounts in Iceland (preferred) and Germany.

[coolian2]

Originally Posted by Bad Ronald

yeh cuz aussies are all close minded simpletons who think like you..bit too much inbreeding on that little island over there methinks

don't worry.....me n the boys will be there when the muslims come for auckland

as if

lol

trackhead

[hiphop]

Interview with Saudi Prince Turki Bin Faisal about the diplomatic fallout, his country's relations with Iran and Israel, and the historical burden his country bears for the Sept. 11 attacks.

SPIEGEL Interview with Saudi Prince Turki bin Faisal: 'America's Credibility Is the Victim of These Leaks' - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International

[financeguy]

Originally Posted by hiphop

Lol I wouldn´t expect such lunatic remarks from a hard headed businessman like you.

Your last popoulist post was just meant to provoke, it had nothing to do with the paragraph you quoted where I wrote about anti-U.S. or European sentiments. Hence my reaction.

Now go find proper medication.

Plenty of 'hard headed businessmen' have been lunatics.

Ted Turner - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

However, I thought my post was entirely valid in the context of the discussion.

The drugs don't work, I already tried them.

[Bad Ronald]

haven't really seen anything all that alarming so far......cept what one poster linked earlier

nothing new really

[mobvok]

So, Why is Wikileaks a Good Thing?

A primer on some of Wikileaks' prior activities. Keep clicking for more facts.

I think these recent examples of companies dissociating from Wikileaks despite the lack of any charges being brought and in a way they'd never do with the NYT is a bit disturbing. The "private" and "government" distinctions can sometimes blur together.

It will be interesting to see if any private actors try and fill the niche in the ecosystem.

[Vlad n U 2]

Originally Posted by coolian2

lol

trackhead

Is it just me or is he confusing New Zealand for Australia?

[KhanadaRhodes]

Originally Posted by Bad Ronald

yeh cuz aussies are all close minded simpletons who think like you..bit too much inbreeding on that little island over there methinks

don't worry.....me n the boys will be there when the muslims come for auckland

as if

personal insults are not tolerated here.

and for the record australia =/= new zealand