Wiki Leaks and Freedom of Information

[Gaumer]

I think you give the American government far too much credit if you don't think they would and have committed the same sort of crimes against citizens.

But again, I'm what a lot of people call a "conspiracy nutjob". But those folks just want to make me look stupid   I wasn't paranoid until they were all out to get me either

[Larry King]

I wonder if this action against wikileaks and Assange should spawn people who will use him as a virtual martyr to lift the veil on the covert this worlds goverments due their best to bury in the dark. I think the goverments keep too many secrets for "our own good" already, so let some out in the world, and see what will happen.

[Fizzy]

I think you give the American government far too much credit if you don't think they would and have committed the same sort of crimes against citizens.

But again, I'm what a lot of people call a "conspiracy nutjob". But those folks just want to make me look stupid   I wasn't paranoid until they were all out to get me either

I dont doubt it. You only have to look at extraordinary rendition of terrorist suspects to countries where they could be tortured. But Assang is too high profile at this stage. They should have nipped it in the bud, the genie is out of the bottle now.

I agree with you too Larry on the whole "for your own good" thing. Im still not sure how the war in Afghanistan is "for my own good", but its probably for my own good that I dont know. : )

[Larry King]

I was eating lunch and MSNBC happend to be on and the broke with news that Scotland Yard was going to get Assange, and that he, and or via his lawyer stated that if he is arrested or killed a virtual nuclear bomb of info will be released that will be poison the worlds goverments. Which if I was being hunted like a fox, I'd probably set up the same thing. I for one want to see what he has got hidden.

The US military has forbid any soldiers to look at wikileaks, even if they had security clearance to look at the leaked political cables, and the have also forewarned all potential goverment job seekers coming from college to not partake in wikileaks for it may harm their chances of finding employment with the US goverment. Are you kidding me?

[Navarre]

Secrets are built on fear. When the secrets come spilling out, the fear becomes evident.

[Larry King]

Secrets are built on fear. When the secrets come spilling out, the fear becomes evident.

It seems as if the whole world is built atop fear, and that these wikileaks are going to crumble the foundation.

[Navarre]

It might. I'm okay with that. If all secrets were gone no one could be "protected" or hurt by them. The world would have to deal from a standpoint of greater honesty for everyone. But that's just idealistic thinking, not reality.

[greyman24]

Anyone up for some...Setec Astronomy?
 

[Navarre]

The latest from Yahoo News: Julian Assange arrested.

[Larry King]

I wonder if his "information attack" will occur now. He did warn the world, even if it seemed like something a supervillain would do, I was thinking Doctor Doom.

By the way, I'm probably the only one who thought this, but while site was down, for a second I thought it was because we are talking about wikileaks. I guess my paranoia is growing.

[Navarre]

LOL I would be pretty surprised if the secret government cabal shut the forum down because of this thread...but if Stephen or Rodrigo mysteriously turns up missing over the next few days...

[Gibralter]

Okay look I'm all for the freedom of information. Wikileaks is publishing military secrets. Troop movements, supply lines, defence plans. There is no good reason what so ever for any of that to be public knowedge.  Mr. Assange obviously doesn't like the United States, like a lot of people in the world community these days. Why? because to tell you quite frankly it's because the U.S.A. is the big boy on the block. Everyone wants to by our friend when times are good but when times are bad it's our fault. Yes we have far reaching ties and sometimes as a goverment we have to deal with people we would rather not. But we have to because the world demands it. A war breaks out, America can't you stop it? Natural disaster, America can't you fix it? In fiscal year 2007, the U.S. government allocated $41.9 billion in economic and military assistance world wide. Did we recieve any? Not one dime. (Yes, we did recieve aid for hurricane katrina in '05 then the UK called us racist for it.) As a nation the world is always watching us and if blood hits the water the sharks come out in droves. Mr. Assange is putting blood in the water, putting our soliders and civilains in danger. At best he is naive about what he is doing. At worst it is espionage on a grand scale.

Sorry to go off on a tangant but Mr. Assange is trying to justify his actions on a morale high ground he doesn't own.

[Navarre]

So the U.S. has stepped in to save all these people in other countries again and again but we're hated for it only because we had the power to do so?

I suppose you believe we are in the current war because we are really trying to free the world from terrorism too?

Let us see the documents and they will speak for themselves. Everyone owns the right to the truth, me and Assange included.

[Gaumer]

I don't share your feelings about the U.S. in general. I feel the government of the United States and its allies only provides aide if the ends justify solidifying its own interests. So many times horrible things around the world are ignored while we fight made-up injustices elsewhere.

I have the utmost respect for our troops in the field, but its a much bigger injustice to send or continue to keep those troops in harms way over a lie or series of lies. And if the truth of those lies comes out maybe we can bring the troops out of the horrible situation they have been put in.

The documents show we have not just been kept in the dark about very important things but lied to about things. Things I think would do enough to sway public and political opinion that we could pull our troops from an unending set of conflicts.

It sounds like more of the arrogance that has seeped into America and this misguided sense of being better than everyone else in the world.

[Gibralter]

So the U.S. has stepped in to save all these people in other countries again and again but we're hated for it only because we had the power to do so?

I suppose you believe we are in the current war because we are really trying to free the world from terrorism too?

Let us see the documents and they will speak for themselves. Everyone owns the right to the truth, me and Assange included.

I'm not naive. This war is about econotics. Mr. Assange is publishing infomation that A) is secret. B) Doesn't belong to him in anyway. He saying that he is doing this because the world deserves the truth about what america is doing. Okay fine, after that how about he puts the UK's dirty secrets on his site. how about France they got alot of skeletons in their closet. Why stop with goverments how about putting that book his neibour was writing up on his site because that a secret or how about the pictures some celebrity thats having an affair because is a secret and the fans deserve to know. See how slippery a slope this is?