Um, I Think It's Time for a Thread on WikiLeaks

So what differentiates this dude from the usual garden variety anarchist? Aside from his platform and prominence?

http://www.interpol.int/public/data/wanted/notices/data/2010/86/2010_52486.asp

The central goal of WikiLeaks is to prevent the world's most powerful factions -- including the sprawling, imperial U.S. Government -- from continuing to operate in the dark and without restraints. Most of the institutions which are supposed to perform that function -- beginning with the U.S. Congress and the American media -- not only fail to do so, but are active participants in maintaining the veil of secrecy. WikiLeaks, whatever its flaws, is one of the very few entities shining a vitally needed light on all of this. It's hardly surprising, then, that those factions -- and their hordes of spokespeople, followers and enablers -- see WikiLeaks as a force for evil. That's evidence of how much good they are doing.

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/11/30/wikileaks?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+salon/greenwald+(Glenn+Greenwald)

On a gut level my problem with this kind of thing is the seeming asymmetry of it. Unless you're going to have equal-sized disclosures for every government in the world, you're sort of single out the United States for the kind of secrecy every modern nation practices. If there's information that's especially damning like the Pentagon Papers I'm all for releasing it. But I don't see the benefit in getting behind-the-scenes diplomatic communications and opinions otherwise, unless we're going to get the same from all sides.

Unless you're going to have equal-sized disclosures for every government in the world,

Well US is proportionately always gonna be of more global interest than, what, 97% of other countries?

So you think the right has a point -- that the leaks acquire validity if, say, Chinese and North Korean "secrets" emerged too?

(no sarcasm intended)

who me? got no other opinion, certainly no informed one, tbh

Julian Assange is great
for me to leak on

no -- Hurting

phew

From the comments section in this article

You have to admire someone who can seriously annoy just about every government on the planet. On the other hand I feel sorry for his parents.

On a gut level my problem with this kind of thing is the seeming asymmetry of it.

The only way asymmetry arguments hold up, IMO, is if Assange declined to leak from China/Russia/etc. - which seems unlikely, since some of the current leaks are pretty damning of Russia and China themselves.

Older but very interesting piece on the potential criminal liability of Wikileaks.

http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2010/09/public_class.html

http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/activate-reston5

― first as tragedy, then as favre (goole), Tuesday, November 30, 2010 11:52 AM (Yesterday) Bookmark

lol

ladies and gentlemen, last night we came under attack by means of a direct denial of service attack. we had no choice but to *emperor assange removes his glasses, rubs his eyes... for a moment you are reminded that he is human... like us* we had to activate Reston5. may god forgive me.

people who claim that wikileaks is politically neutral forget the existence of collateral murder

Just had my first look at the actual leaks, seems like these cables are gold for "unusual details" stuff; here's from Astana:

¶10. (C) HOW TO ORDER LAMB. Idenov insisted the Ambassador order a bottle of wine for their dinner but then never touched his first glass. Instead, he gulped three cans of Coca-Cola while inhaling his food. When both he and the Ambassador ordered lamb chops, Idenov advised, “Well done, never rare -- this is Astana, not London!”

(Fun fact: the (C) at the start means that this paragraph is merely "Confidential", as opposed to (S) "Secret", which is the overall classification of that particular msg.)

Interpol puts Assange on most-wanted list

Shameless attention-grab from washed up indie-rockers.

Assange's mother, Christine, said her son sees himself as "fighting baddies," but added she was afraid he had gotten "too smart for himself."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqtIafdoH_g

The US has the largest diplomatic, intelligence (perhaps not internal intelligence, mind) and military apparatuses in the history of the world - there's simply going to be more to leak there.

and the database from which the latest documents were leaked is accessible by over three million people. It is astonishing that more from here has not been leaked already.

Anyway, it was interesting to see David Milliband and Foreign Office officials colluding with the USA in the misleading of the UK's parliament on cluster bombs.

this is also interesting

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/01/wikileaks-cables-cyprus-rendition-torture

Controversial choice for Dead Pool 2011.

rendition shit is so so disgusting & humiliating

In the future, when historians look at this time, rendition is something that "the west" will rightly be absolutely crucified for. Not that that helps it's victims. It is a fucking disgrace.

Also, UK govts since 1965 must be the weakest, supine, spineless bunch of lamers the modern world has ever known. It is absolutely pathetic and makes me ashamed of my nationality.

In the future, when historians look at this time,

http://i53.tinypic.com/2lvmjvc.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/JkzS3.jpg

Man, that was the most nonsense comics page ever in a long history of nonsense comics.

doom is crying because he wishes hed thought of it

the po' faced absurdity of Marvel Supervillains.

Because even the worst of us, however scarred, are still human. Still feel. Still mourn the random* death of innocents.

* Except when they're the ones doing the random killing.

They should have had Galactus on that page too

i think it's time for a neversayrandomagain tumblr or something

doom is crying because he wishes hed thought of it

― max, Thursday, December 2, 2010 2:58 PM

they're pretty much all like "welp i can't compete with this"

"spent all this money and all i needed was a couple guys and boxcutters??"

omg I never noticed Kingpin and Juggernaut in that comic until just now

like either of them would even care

I can get Kingpin caring more than Doom or Magneto (maybe he has some kind of "no one abuses NYC unless it's me" thing going on)

current Magneto at least makes some sense to be there

Doom being there is fucking ludicrous

Yeah doom would def. be on board with it.

Doom would just be sad that it would be difficult to outdo in terms of spectacle.

http://onlinejournalismblog.com/files/2010/01/Flickr_JulianAssange-klein.jpg

^ magneto

Kingpin I'd give a pass to (blowing up the WTC = bad for business) but the rest of those dudes? lol

Juggernaut would only show up to loot

what the hell are you all talking about?

click on some images

Sweden: We want Assange.

http://biznews.files.wordpress.com/2007/02/assvertise.jpg
http://cooking.savvy-cafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/burgers.jpg

damn guys I'm hungry

ASSange getting FLAMED/GRILLED
ASS BURGERS

so many levels

wish this thread had an embedded audioclip of Shepard Smith saying "Julian Asssssahnge"

Assflange? Come on, you guys. DISAPPOINTED.

can't tell from all the comic-book horseshit if you've noticed that Joementum is censoring the internet:

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/12/01/lieberman/index.html