Posted on 12/05/2010 7:27:04 AM PST by AndyJackson
... the publication of 250,000 American diplomatic cables by WikiLeaks... demonstrates that it is no longer possible to rely on the confidentiality of any sources, government or otherwise.
...It is interesting that the newspapers that have been most closely involved in the transmission of the WikiLeaks files have been high-minded newspapers of the Left, such as The Guardian and the New York Times.
...The damage to the diplomatic process has been disproportionate to the public benefit.
...For the past 20 years there has been very little regulation of the cyber world....Governments will fight back with new regulations.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
He offers a very thoughtful perspective on this issue, one which I happen to disagree with personally. The other side of this argument is well stated by Stratfor analyst Scott Stewart in WikiLeaks and the Wacky World of Classified Information
Furthermore, the internet is not the reason this information was widely leaked. Government intelligence IT systems enabled the assembly of large volumes of data, allowing someone to burn a CD with all of this. Once one CD is burned its copying and distribution is, literally, child's play.
Where I do agree with him, strongly, and here is where Manning and Assange really deserve to be brought up short, is invasion of privacy issues. I don't think public officials should be immune for scrutiny of their public statements and actions, and I disagree with Rees Mogg about whether the net effect will be harmful or beneficial. Government intelligence about private matters should be altogether off limits.
Thus the Wikileaks is not about other govts finding out what we are doing; it is that the people (not the elites) are considered by the elites to have absolutely no right to this information, and in fact the elites consider it right and proper that the rest of us be kept entirely in the dark.
My view, anyways...
You know, it is so easy to encrypt, that this leak really does seem to be a set up.
“Governments will fight back with new regulations”
Isn’t that the ultimate goal of WIkileaks?
Well put. Exactly how I see it, as well.
The peasants are not smart enough to be privy to the shenanigans of the ruling class.
This is not an Internet issue, it is an espionage issue.
Military, diplomatic, banking, insurance.
Funny how they all seem to be the usual Obama targets.
What people miss, is that governments spy on each other all the time. That a Private in the US military would have access to this info, means that it would be quite easy for a foreign govt that really wanted the info, to get it.
Thus the Wikileaks is not about other govts finding out what we are doing; it is that the people (not the elites) are considered by the elites to have absolutely no right to this information, and in fact the elites consider it right and proper that the rest of us be kept entirely in the dark.
My view, anyways
Funny that, people who are claiming to be “conservative”, are getting the most upset over leaks that have been, for the most part, been embarassing for Obama and other leftists/Globalists
What is your view of the fact that Wikileaks claims to be very careful about tripple checking info and redacting information that is genuinely harmful to national security, and that they have apparently asked the US government itself to redact the cables, which they apparently refused?
Military, diplomatic, banking, insurance.
Funny how they all seem to be the usual Obama targets.
7 posted on Sunday, December 05, 2010 9:39:00 AM by cripplecreek
I think you don’t depend on those committing espionage to filter anything. Mostly those kind of people in the past were in prison or found dead of natural causes.
I’m sure there will be some internal petroleum industry memos before long.
I just want to know where you think the line is. While you claim not to trust the spies to redact this, remember the US government refused to redact and release any of it, though, if you knew of its existence, you could make a FOIA request for exactly this and the government would have to comply (if you had knowledge of the documents you wanted access to).
That is a conspiracy theory that I won't buy. Ever. Government power depends upon having and controlling information, not releasing information that is embarassing to your own administration in such massive quantities that you can state no defense.
People unsophisticated in the ways of the world would no doubt be unable to appreciate the subtleties of high level diplomacy. /sarc.
Your post has two valid points:
1. ‘What people miss, is that governments spy on each other all the time. That a Private in the US military would have access to this info, means that it would be quite easy for a foreign govt that really wanted the info, to get it.’
Inproper vetting of any individual from POTUS to a private and allowing them access to restricted data is a sympton of insanity.
2. ‘Thus the Wikileaks is not about other govts finding out what we are doing; it is that the people (not the elites) are considered by the elites to have absolutely no right to this information, and in fact the elites consider it right and proper that the rest of us be kept entirely in the dark.’
AMC had a fascinating show for a few weeks this year, “Rubicon”. It supposedly was fiction about an super secret intel analysis agency outside of the government that impacted the actions of CIA, NSA, our military and our nation. Apparently, a handful of Super rich elites set up global crisis where they could buy stock and other resources or sell short and make incredible sums of money with their inside/prior knowledge. This small group of insider elites were in the “know” while the rest of us where like mushrooms.
Rubicon was aburptly cancelled this November inspite of having a growing audience and an apparent good base of advertisers. Some fans have wondered if the Rubicon shows were too close to home with the Wiki Leaks oozing out.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubicon_(tv_series)
You are correct. It is so much better having it on the front page of the NYT, or on '60 Minutes'.
Besides, these 'secrets' were only a secret to the American Public.
Our ruling elite knew (they were the ones who said and did these things) and every foreign SPY knew these things, and the people in most other countries KNEW or BELIEVED these things.
Other than stirring up a little saber-rattling by the world's organized crime figures, the 'cables' have been revealing what a bunch of lying scum our LEADERS are. Maybe the rest of the world has a good reason to see us as THE GREAT SATAN, when the only contact they have with us is our LYING SCUM, TWO-FACED, GREEDY politicians.
The TRUTH is there, but it seems we DON'T want the truth.
It would be different if the info on these cables came out, and we doubted the 'source', but we don't. We know they are the truth (at least what truth the ruling elite say behind closed doors).
And yet, it seems American can't wait to have Julian's head removed and put on a platter.
How odd.
Obama himself has done some incredibly embarrassing things on the diplomatic front.
Your post has two valid points:
1. ‘What people miss, is that governments spy on each other all the time. That a Private in the US military would have access to this info, means that it would be quite easy for a foreign govt that really wanted the info, to get it.’
Inproper vetting of any individual from POTUS to a private and allowing them access to restricted data is a sympton of insanity.
2. ‘Thus the Wikileaks is not about other govts finding out what we are doing; it is that the people (not the elites) are considered by the elites to have absolutely no right to this information, and in fact the elites consider it right and proper that the rest of us be kept entirely in the dark.’
AMC had a fascinating show for a few weeks this year, “Rubicon”. It supposedly was fiction about an super secret intel analysis agency outside of the government that impacted the actions of CIA, NSA, our military and our nation. Apparently, a handful of Super rich elites set up global crisis where they could buy stock and other resources or sell short and make incredible sums of money with their inside/prior knowledge. This small group of insider elites were in the “know” while the rest of us where like mushrooms.
Rubicon was aburptly cancelled this November inspite of having a growing audience and an apparent good base of advertisers. Some fans have wondered if the Rubicon shows were too close to home with the Wiki Leaks oozing out.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubicon_(tv_series)
That can’t be a serious question.
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