Wikileaks and the USA diplomatic cables

[everythingafter]

If I were South Korea I'm not so sure I'd be ready to welcome back the North Koreans.

It's a bit like welcoming home a bunch of family members who were away with a cult.

Yeah no kidding. I believe Hitchens called it a necrocracy with a deadman, Kim Il Sung, as the "eternal" president of state. His post mortem reign isn't any better, for obvious reasons, than his real reign.

[Mishka]

Releasing classified documents that name cooperating Aghans and Iraqis sound like espionage to me.

[Autumnlicious]

Alrighty then, I see your unsupported claim and I raise you this:

Only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose deception in government. And paramount among the responsibilities of a free press is the duty to prevent any part of the government from deceiving the people and sending them off to distant lands to die of foreign fevers and foreign shot and shell.

REF: http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/ge...&invol=713

Hear that? That's the sound of you failing. Nothing like using previous legal rulings to make a point about the first amendment.

Oh, and while I'm at it, under what ethical and moral code is it permissible to hide the wholesale slaughter of civilians and yet be livid when collaborators and spies are revealed?

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

Assange has broken no laws, at least relating to WikiLeaks.

Really . According to whom?


In my country there are two laws covering Mr Assages' actions (relating to Australian information) (1)The Crimes Act and (2) The Official Secrets Act. Both severely restrict what government information may be legally made public and under what circumstances. Information need not even be classified . I've assumed other countries, such as the UK,US and Russia have similar laws.


On the limited information available,it seems likely to me that there is prima facie evidence that he has broken the laws of at least one country.Until he is actually charged and convicted, no one can actually say with certainty.

PS: I didn't say he's an arsehole because of his behaviour.I think his behvaiour is at least criminally irresponsible AND he's an arsehole.

[Autumnlicious]

In my country there are two laws covering Mr Assages' actions (relating to Australian information) (1)The Crimes Act and (2) The Official Secrets Act. Both severely restrict what government information may be legally made public and under what circumstances. Information need not even be classified . I've assumed other countries, such as the UK,US and Russia have similar laws.

The force behind harassing Julian Assange is the United States. Not Australia. The US.

The sources on Wikipedia are very thorough for all WikiLeaks related leaks - there is ample evidence that points to US senators "advising" companies to not do business with WikiLeaks, the Obama Administration making formal requests that to other countries to bring criminal charges against WikiLeaks, etc,.

Of course, I'd like to point out that Australia has a terrible history considering censorship and abuse of power through state secrets, if one is to argue seriously for their side. The Internet Blacklist is one example, where analysis of the leaked lists revealed that there were numerous "legitimate businesses and Web sites [that] have been banned including two bus companies, online poker sites, multiple Wikipedia entries, Google and Yahoo group pages, a dental surgery and a tour operator."

Why yes, tell me all about Australia and it's system of laws and their excellent case for state secrets.

In any case, the US has no right to be doing what it is doing - asking for criminal sanctions on a foreign citizen when by the laws of its [the US] own declare such publishing of leaks to be legal as a first amendment right.

Put simply, I cannot demand you be punished for something that you did to me when I am fully free to take the same action myself and be protected.

Certainly Australia has a right to prosecute it's own, however unfair or unsuccessful their efforts are. But due to influence by the US, as evidence released by WikiLeaks (diplomatic cables) proves that it (the US) will unduly influence other countries to get it's way, I make the point that the entire investigation and potential charges that are brought against Assange in an Australian court are noticeably tainted.

In a US court, such a case would immediately follow a similar path to that of the Pentagon papers (the government also unduly attempted to influence key witnesses and experts) - in the favor of the free press.

[lilyannerose]

MasterCard is now under cyber attack and experiencing "technical difficulties." I'm thinking we're seeing history unfold in that I would consider this the first truly dedicated battle on the fairly new battleground of cyberspace.

I read that the group "Anonymous" who went after the Scientologists are behind some of these cyber attacks. If I recall when they were going after the Scientologists that they talked a big game and delivered nothing.

[Tiberius]

If I recall when they were going after the Scientologists that they talked a big game and delivered nothing.

That was because Wise Beard Man advised them to do things legally.

[Ashendant]

Also anonymous has a short attention span even trough they continue to do protests

[Skipper]

I haven't read the whole thread but I just want to say it is bullshit how this site, it's assets and way of functioning are systematically being shut down by various countries and large organisations. Also extremely worrying that this is the way people in power react when the people are told the truth. I wish the site all the luck in the world and hope it continues to hold governments the world over accountable to the people for it's actions.

[Ashendant]

I haven't read the whole thread but I just want to say it is bullshit how this site, it's assets and way of functioning are systematically being shut down by various countries and large organisations. Also extremely worrying that this is the way people in power react when the people are told the truth. I wish the site all the luck in the world and hope it continues to hold governments the world over accountable to the people for it's actions.

Visa and mastercard are getting sued for cancelling it