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

I've done a 180-degree on WikiLeaks, in part, I gotta confess, because the Beltway media is so united in opposition.

― look at it, pwn3d, made u look at my peen/vadge (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, December 6, 2010 7:51 PM (11 minutes ago) Bookmark

yeah, i feel like i've talked myself into being their #1 fan in the course of the last few days on this thread---a week ago i was pretty squarely on the fence. anyway napolitano otm.

i think what's important to remember here is how security classifications even work. and i'm spitballing from anecdotal evidence (i have a friend with secret clearance, oh noes!), but basically being culpable (LEGALLY) for the revelation of state secrets in the public domain (vs say selling them to the russians) is something you buy into. you fucking sign up for it. which is why manning is going up the river---he was in the army, that's how it works.

If my experience working for the foreign office means much, this is esentially correct - at least it is so in Australia, and I dont imagine it's much different in the US.

The shit you go thru to even have access to "eyes only" and classified stuff is INSANE.

(I'm not prepared to talk much about what I used to do on public record tho, I'm not comfy with the idea)

haha, yeah, trayce, i think a take home lesson here is "DONT DO IT"

Yeah basically!

No one -- anywhere? -- has said Pvt. Manning shouldn't be prosecuted, right?

where is TOMBOT :(

xp nope, alfred, i don't think so. i certainly haven't.

not that i'm aware of. i'm certainly rooting for the defense, tho

Soto: no, I dont think they have, but the question lies with what Assange is culpable of.

And when my PM can't answer the simple(is) question "what law has he broken?" then it's more than a little embarrasing.

I personally am more on WL's side, but in no way in a cult of personality sense.

...except in the fact I think Assange is as hot as fuck, but I've thought that for a long time and I know it's totally WSoS.

Would SwallOw Semen?

o_0

would smash of shame.

lol

iirc most ppl are at least in agreement in a sorta vague way w/r/t the first amendment protections/espionage charges against assange (but not manning)? adam bruneau felt very strongly about some stuff, balls showed up looking for ron paul stans to clown, shakey shook his damn head at assange but didn't really stake out a claim one way or another on whether or not anything should happen to him, history mayne did his routine about how the public should just trust the govt and not ask too many questions, icey dared to dream of a glorious revolution, and max was pithy and funny

i posted waaaaaay too much and bought a ron paul 2012 campaign button

Trayce wanted to smh Assange, I was legalistic, gbx patient.

in other words: we revered to type as usual

glad that pity and funny is my type

have to admit listening to talk radio guys plus prominent repubs calling for his death, bombing of any country that harbors him, further watering down of the term 'terrorist', etc have me reevaluating my position on this dude.

u r pity funny max, its tru

Has this Dan Gillmor column been linked here yet? I'm glad to see at least some old-school J-school types on the ball.

The WikiLeaks releases are a pivotal moment in the future of journalism. They raise any number of ethical and legal issues for journalists, but one is becoming paramount.

As I said last week, and feel obliged to say again today, our government -- and its allies, willing or coerced, in foreign governments and corporations -- are waging a powerful war against freedom of speech.

This is really a key point, imo.

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-bank-that-froze-julian-assanges-bank-account-has-now-been-taken-down-by-hackers-2010-12

^^^this kinda shit is stupid, obv.

In the same way as Anonymous and their ilk, yeah.

It would be interesting if a really big info/cyber war really pitches up tho. Not interesting for any regular shmo, mind you - I have visions of "The Handmaids Tale" dancing in my head.

A friend suggests that WikiLeaks should publish their stuff as books and sell them -- basically dare the government to try to ban them. Would be interesting.

"Julian Assange is engaged in warfare," Mr. Gingrich said, echoing similar words spoken by Ms. Palin and others last week. "Information terrorism, which leads to people getting killed, is terrorism. And Julian Assange is engaged in terrorism. He should be treated as an enemy combatant and WikiLeaks should be closed down permanently and decisively."

Not to be too flip, but for real:

http://www.gifanatics.com/files/Jackson_popcorn.gif

Impressive list of signatories here. Noam Chomsky! Nice.

http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/41914.html

Out of many, many things that are interesting about this, it's fascinating to watch conservative pundits get in over their heads pretty much instantly. There's no beach, no shelf, no sandbars. The second they start talking about this, they've tumbled over a cliff at Big Sur. There's land, and then OMG it's 1000 feet deep.

Newt Gingrich has invented a new thing called "information terrorism," of which of course Assange is guilty.

I do hope that people continue, every hour on the hour, to point out as loudly as possible that Assange is guilty of no crime at all, not under anyone's law. "Information by surprise" is even legal in Sweden.

Mitch minority leader being all "well if assange didn't commit a crime, we need to rewrite the law" is such infuriating bullshit. We call Russia and china on this very same crap all the time.

It's weird how no one is talking about Manning, the real culprit and the person who is going to do hard time.

I imagine most people just think Assange somehow hacked his way into the information.

So far, seems to me, everyone who is in a position to make public statements about this doesn't have a clue about the implications of the issue they're talking about. People who seem to understand the issue itself are not on television at all. Not even people I like. Nobody is getting this.

And to think that less than 900 of the 250,000 cables have actually been released at this point... Fascinating.

But it's not about the cables, or what's in them. It's about how much the government(s) will freak the fuck out and try to shut down the whole internet, and the degree to which they will succeed or, much more likely, fail.

Unless of course the government(s) can easily convince ISPs to roll over and play dead and filter information at the governments whim, at which point I may buy a gun myself, and I'm not much of a gun person. But that will be beyond beyond.

You see what I mean? What's at stake is not just some douchebag from Australia and his bad attitude.

Unless of course the government(s) can easily convince ISPs to roll over and play dead and filter information at the governments whim

Aaaaand welcome to what Australia has been fighting for the last 5 years to prevent happening, in a now-curiously-relevant aside.

Actually our govt planned on wikileaks being on the filter list were it to kick in, in any case (even before all this).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11937110

odd. thought he was going voluntarily.

Impressive list of signatories here. Noam Chomsky! Nice.

http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/41914.html

― manic pixie dream girl phenomenon (Trayce), Tuesday, December 7, 2010 5:47 AM (5 hours ago) Bookmark

ahaha, yerse. maybe do a search on other petitions chomsky has signed...

is it me or does it seem pretty clear that he turned himself in and the media just doesn't want to report that? hard to believe one could be "arrested" "by appointment"... wtf is that? the incompetence of the media is one of the main arguments in support of assange/wikileaks at this point...

Am pretty sure he's been staying at the Frontline Club this whole time.

the bbc website is not the best for facts, it's true

that arrest may just be the kind of arrested you get when you volunteer for questioning by turning up at the police station at the agreed time. it's basically done to give you rights and protect you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXbCwq4ewBU

love the fake american accents!

i didn't realise the frontline club had rooms! maybe he slept on the floor.

Man, I can't wait for the porn parody movie about this. Ass angel, leaks? :-/