Can someone explain why diplomatic cables should be free and open?
Assange himself does a reasonably good job of explaining his point of view in http://cryptome.org/0002/ja-conspiracies.pdf
Wikileaks Is Running Out Of Cash
51–60 of 132 posts
Re: Wikileaks Is Running Out Of Cash
#52Earlier quoted context omitted.
> I am not going to donate to Julian Assange's defense, as i think he's destroyed Wikileaks' credibility and capability to continue operating. I completely missed any recent news regarding Assange... do you mind expanding on your reasons? I'm really interested.
The problem that I have with Assange is that he doesn't practice what he preaches. Wikileaks is an organization that promotes government transparency. Assange, on the other hand, does not seem interested in just providing sources. Wikileaks, under what I assume was his direction, has turned into more of an editorial service, cherry picking information that they present to make certain parties look even worse than the…
> he doesn't practice what he preaches.
Re: Wikileaks Is Running Out Of Cash
#53Can someone explain why diplomatic cables should be free and open?
They shouldn't. Everyone seems to be ignoring that, so you get my upvote. We should be aware that wikileaks actions are indeed crimes. That said, some cables put it crystal clear, some politicians are really corrupt and are using their privileged position to their own advantage. Do the goals justify the means?
Provided that the goals are:
1) Exposing corrupt politicians. 2) Stop politicians from screwing millions of people over and over again.
And the downsides are: 1) Some politician loses his/her reputation, and the people of his/her country know who he/she really is. 2) Some frictions between countries, for example when an embassador is just a mean for creating a corporations' lobby.
I'd say yes, the means are well justified in this case. Truth can never be a bad thing.
Re: Wikileaks Is Running Out Of Cash
#54Can someone explain why diplomatic cables should be free and open?
I think the better question would be is why do 100% of the diplomatic cables need to be classified? The real mystery is why millions of people in the government and military have access to these documents but they are "classified". Makes no sense...
Our government has increasingly classified or made secret more and more documents in recent years and... The more the government tries to hide things the more the people become less trusting of said government.
Re: Wikileaks Is Running Out Of Cash
#55Earlier quoted context omitted.
Presumably the part where he is was at best a complete douchebag to several women, and at worst raped someone.
It's widely accepted that this was a smear campaign to detract from the release of a massive amount of diplomatic cables. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/23/julian-assange-wiki...
For very narrow values of "wide". FWIW, you're linking to Assanges own assertion that it's a smear campaign.
If this was a smear campaign orchestrated by the top echelons of the US intelligence/military complex, they would have done it better. If they're out there twisting arms and making up charges, why not make it a proper rape, not this "well, strictly he should have known she didn't really approve even though she didn't say anything at the time"-business.
Re: Wikileaks Is Running Out Of Cash
#56Earlier quoted context omitted.
Before jumping in quick judgement you guys should be aware that giving away such information will simply generate a lot of attack vectors by those who want to take down wikileaks. I'm not even saying I agree or disagree with wikileaks itself, but heck, considering the amount of pressure they get from everywhere, giving away information about how they spend their money would be plain stupid and would take them down in…
"you guys should be aware that giving away such information will simply generate a lot of attack vectors by those who want to take down wikileaks" Same as governments, then.
Aha.. but does Wikileaks affect your life if they hide that information from the you?
Indeed, this is a strawman argument. Governments shouldn't hide information from people. That's the point.
Re: Wikileaks Is Running Out Of Cash
#57Earlier quoted context omitted.
Before jumping in quick judgement you guys should be aware that giving away such information will simply generate a lot of attack vectors by those who want to take down wikileaks. I'm not even saying I agree or disagree with wikileaks itself, but heck, considering the amount of pressure they get from everywhere, giving away information about how they spend their money would be plain stupid and would take them down in…
"you guys should be aware that giving away such information will simply generate a lot of attack vectors by those who want to take down wikileaks" Same as governments, then.
The key difference of course is that they are not a government. If you knew the slightest about Assange you would realize that he has always been a campion of individual privacy, while he at the same Itime attacks the privacy of nations and nation sized organizations.
It takes some seriously warped logic to see hypocrisy in this, but hell, americas seem to think corporations are people, so I guess I shouldn't be that suprised.
Re: Wikileaks Is Running Out Of Cash
#58Earlier quoted context omitted.
> I am not going to donate to Julian Assange's defense, as i think he's destroyed Wikileaks' credibility and capability to continue operating. I completely missed any recent news regarding Assange... do you mind expanding on your reasons? I'm really interested.
The problem that I have with Assange is that he doesn't practice what he preaches. Wikileaks is an organization that promotes government transparency. Assange, on the other hand, does not seem interested in just providing sources. Wikileaks, under what I assume was his direction, has turned into more of an editorial service, cherry picking information that they present to make certain parties look even worse than the…
Wikileaks preaches transparancy in the ruling oligarchical class: governments, corporations, other organizations, and people who have acted and/or ruled with impunity.
While it's a slightly slippery argument, Wikileaks has argued that:
1: It is not of the ruling oligarchy. 2: Its own organizational requirements require a certain lack of transparency.
I can sympathize with both arguments, though a pledge, say, to release information at a time when it is no longer harmful to Wikileaks' operations, might be a class act.
As with other movements, I suspect Wikileaks is rather smaller at its core than many people realize. Assange and a few close lieutenants (some no longer quite so close).
Re: Wikileaks Is Running Out Of Cash
#59Can someone explain why diplomatic cables should be free and open?
can you explain why they shouldn't be? i can't think of any reason why a government should expect a right to privacy from their own citizens.
the government should work for the people, and they should have a responsibility to provide full disclosure to their citizens. the only reason the government should want to keep things secret from their own people is if they aren't working in our best interests.
Re: Wikileaks Is Running Out Of Cash
#60Earlier quoted context omitted.
Before jumping in quick judgement you guys should be aware that giving away such information will simply generate a lot of attack vectors by those who want to take down wikileaks. I'm not even saying I agree or disagree with wikileaks itself, but heck, considering the amount of pressure they get from everywhere, giving away information about how they spend their money would be plain stupid and would take them down in…
"you guys should be aware that giving away such information will simply generate a lot of attack vectors by those who want to take down wikileaks" Same as governments, then.
Most insightful comment on the thread.
This is exactly the same rationale for why the U.S. government doesn't want their secret diplomatic cables published.