For once in my life, I’m really not sure what to think about this whole business about Julian Assange and his alleged attempt to bring the whole diplomatic world crashing down around our ears.
Is it just another attempt by the media to create drama to build an audience—like the pre-Thanksgiving hysteria about protests at airports over security measures? (A tempest in a teapot if ever there was one.)
Or was it a reckless act by a sociopath that could have (but for some reason didn’t) cost lives of diplomatic and military personnel?
Clearly, Assange has made one point abundantly clear: Lots and lots of things are secret that really don’t need to be. That in itself should be an embarrassment to the U.S. government, and it’s something the rest of us have a right to know.
Or have quick action and flawless decision making by Amazon, Paypal, and media sources with access the information somehow managed to mitigate the damage that might have been caused by such a huge data dump?
Frankly, if I have to put my faith in one very smart if quirky young man (Assange) or the media and entire international diplomatic juggernaut to do a good, fundamentally right thing, I’d have to put my money on Assange.
Here’s an interesting article on the subject by Matt Zoller Seitz.
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2 comments:
I agree whole-heartedly with your last point about who is more likely to be doing the 'right' thing.
I am very glad these documents have been released as hopefully (sadly, doubtfully) it will open up many peoples eyes to how truly awful and hypocritical many peoples 'favorite' leaders are. It is ironic how on the
Most people have a hard time admitting thier 'hero' is flawed. I am disappointed the msm has not been more active in picking up the part about Obama (from what I understand, illegally, and in violation of our treaties) using political pressures and out-right threats to block certain countries from pursuing investigations/charges of Bush administration officials for torture conducted against Spanish citizens. Directly in contridiction to promises made by Candidate Obama...
Yesterday I learned of one of my best friends, a Marine-reservist, recieving deployment papers for a third tour. He will be gone for about a year. This makes me angry... angry at Bush for starting two wars he had no business starting and angry at Obama for continuing them and further putting my friend and neighbor at greater risk for his (Obama) perpetuation of policies the create more enemies than they eliminate (or supposedly protect us from).
Six, I agree with you completely tely about the horror of war. I am angry, too, at the fact that so many people have been and are being asked to go back to the war zones again and again--virtually assuring that they will suffer serious social and psychological effects, even if they come out without physical injury.
I am angriest, as you know, at Bush, who had no business at all starting the Iraq war and putting
Afghanistan on a back burner for eight years. That country was where our enemies took refuge, and any business we had there should have been concluded years ago.
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