Wikileaks-releasing classified documents tonight

[george]

http://cablegate.wikileaks.org/


The site is known for releasing classified documents, most recently the Iraq War Logs. Tonight they will release more, supposedly a big big amount.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap...bZMr2A?docId=6b51fb022dd04c22a744b1fefef3b90f
http://www.boingboing.net/2010/11/28/wikileaks-massive-le.html


the site is down right now http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2010/11/2010112814501580716.html
but the content is still expected to be released either there or somewhere else.

Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing this.

 

[aesthyrian]

This is information that we should all know and read. A lot of crazy shit in those Iraq leaks, and while this may put soldiers in danger.. it's a war and it's already dangerous. Unnecessary as well, so lets use these leaks as reinforcement to END this profit machine some call war.

 

[lwien]

As a vet, I have mixed feelings about this. When I was in the Air Force, I was in intelligence and held a top secret cryptographic clearance. I know for a fact that if some of the things that I knew became public, then as well as today, it woud put the safety of our country in danger. So..........it's not just putting our soldiers in danger but the general populace as well.

On the other hand, there are also things that the general public SHOULD know about that are not made public for political reasons. But again, upsetting the world political balance is fraught with possible dangers.

So from an idealistic point of view, it would seem beneficial for us to know these things, the big question is, which of those things could be made public without causing us potential harm, and what things shouldn't we all know about, and believe me, there are things that we as a country need to keep close to our vest.

So when you say, "This is information that we should all know and read." without knowing what information is about to be leaked, I think is a dangerous assumption.

 

[george]

So when you say, "This is information that we should all know and read." without knowing what information is about to be leaked, I think is a dangerous assumption.

great point lwien. I look forward to seeing what kind of information is actually being released.

I believe there are quite a few things that the public should know which are being kept secret, i don't know exactly what but i feel that it's out there.

 

[lwien]

"The information blitz from WikiLeaks is expected to offer a glimpse into the worldwide communications of the State Department and its 297 embassies, consulates and missions through what are commonly referred to as "cables.----cnn

And THIS is exactly what I'm concerned about because it could put into jeopardy our intelligence gathering efforts as well as put our agents and the agents of our friends in danger. It has the potential, be it short term or long term, to damage our worldwide relationships, that under the surface, may very well be extremely important to the well being of us all.

If one doesn't have these concerns, than I think, in my opinion, it is a very myopic view on world politics.

 

[Pappy]

My eyeballs are popping out, not that I'm shocked, but what a stunning read! Like lwein I have mixed feelings regarding the disposition of this info although I believe sunlight is the best disinfectant. I might add I'm extremely pissed and disillusioned by the performance of the Obama administration, a bitter pill because I was an enthusiastic supporter.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/29/world/29cables.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&src=me

 

[Beezleb]

I think it is hilarious this one person can do this. How does America expect to navigate all the stuff we are in when they cannot handle one person hehe.

 

[george]

http://cablegate.wikileaks.org/

Well some stuff is up now. They'll be releasing more as time goes on.

 

[Pappy]

I think the Obama Administration busted Willie Nelson as a diversion to the WikiLeaks Brouhaha!

 

[fidget]

Condoleezza and Hilary.
Both naaaaaasty

 

[lwien]

I think it is hilarious this one person can do this. How does America expect to navigate all the stuff we are in when they cannot handle one person hehe.

Hilarious and scary. When I was in the Air Force working at the NSA, everyone was on a strict need-to-know basis. It boggles my mind how one low ranking NCO can get his hands on all this info and be able to copy it and get it out. Talk about a breach of security.

Out of all the things that were leaked, the absolute BIGGEST surprise was how this was able to happen in the first place.

 

[momofthegoons]

I find it to be one more example of the unraveling of our country. It seems the US is just spiraling out of control. I'm a firm believer that there are things that happen in war that the general populace does not need to know. Now, I'm sure there are many of you out there that feel differently. But war is an ugly thing; things happen that offend most people's sensitivities. My feeling is that if we knew everything going on with our soldiers, and all the people from them up the ladder of authority, we'd never support any of the actions taken. And that just wouldn't work. There's a fine balance in what we need to know, and what we want to know. And an upset of that balance could be very costly.

 

[OO]

I find it to be one more example of the unraveling of our country. It seems the US is just spiraling out of control. I'm a firm believer that there are things that happen in war that the general populace does not need to know. Now, I'm sure there are many of you out there that feel differently. But war is an ugly thing; things happen that offend most people's sensitivities. My feeling is that if we knew everything going on with our soldiers, and all the people from them up the ladder of authority, we'd never support any of the actions taken. And that just wouldn't work. There's a fine balance in what we need to know, and what we want to know. And an upset of that balance could be very costly.

i think the reason why some feel the need to know this information is that they feel that everyone should be accountable for their actions.

 

[lwien]

A lot of this has nothing to do with accountability. Check out the following:

(CNN) -- WikiLeaks has published a secret U.S. diplomatic cable listing locations abroad that the U.S. considers vital to its national security, prompting criticism that the website is inviting terrorist attacks on American interests.
The list is part of a lengthy cable the State Department sent in February 2009 to its posts around the world. The cable asked American diplomats to identify key resources, facilities and installations outside the United States "whose loss could critically impact the public health, economic security, and/or national and homeland security of the United States."
The diplomats identified dozens of places on every continent, including mines, manufacturing complexes, ports and research establishments. CNN is not publishing specific details from the list, which refers to pipelines and undersea telecommunications cables as well as the location of minerals or chemicals critical to U.S. industry.
The list also mentions dams close to the U.S. border and a telecommunications hub whose destruction might seriously disrupt global communications. Diplomats also identified sites of strategic importance for supplying U.S. forces and interests abroad...........

 

[wthanna]

This guy is a terrorist in a suit.. pure and simple. I'll bet there are several countries in addition to the US that are hunting him..

 

[momofthegoons]

This guy is a terrorist in a suit.. pure and simple. I'll bet there are several countries in addition to the US that are hunting him..

I couldn't have put it better. What I cannot for the life of me understand is how he is allowed to continue leaking this information. Why are they not shutting him down? And please don't say 1st Amendment, because that just makes me want to puke. I feel this falls under that "we don't need to know" area. Shut the fucker down and don't explain a thing.

 

[Nycdeisel]

I agree^. I mean, I am all for knowing as much information as possible on the things YOU find important(whatever they may be), but this just looks like a bad idea. This guy isnt trying to expose these things for the hell of it. I also would like to think that the person is a "terrorist in a suit"

 

[redheadedeskimo]

I agree^. I mean, I am all for knowing as much information as possible on the things YOU find important(whatever they may be), but this just looks like a bad idea. This guy isnt trying to expose these things for the hell of it. I also would like to think that the person is a "terrorist in a suit"

He is not exposing it just to expose it. If you went to the site, you would know that they blew the lid off of several operations where documents that shouldn't have been were made classified. They released the videos and documents regarding the innocents gunned down in Iraq after their camera equipment was mistaken for deadly weaponry. Here's the video if you haven't seen it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25EWUUBjPMo&feature=channel
It's pretty awful the things this country keeps hidden. I think that Ron Paul put it best when he said "Wikileaks- In a free society, we are supposed to know the truth. In a society where truth becomes treason, we are in big trouble."

This man is no way a "terrorist in a suit." He is simply giving us information we are entitled to.

 

[lwien]

This man is no way a "terrorist in a suit." He is simply giving us information we are entitled to.

Huh? While it can be said that "some" of the things that were released we should have known, how can you possibly state that ALL of the information that he has released, we should have known. Look at my post above and ask yourself, should that be known? There is tons of shit that shouldn't see the light of day and should only be viewed by those that are cleared and have a need to know.

 

[Nycdeisel]

@redheadedeskimo: I DID say that it wasnt for 'no reason'. He did not expose it just to expose it, as I had thought I made clear in my last post.

Im going to side with Lwien on this one. Just because you think one is 'entitled' to know this info, does not mean that its for the good of our society or country as a whole.

 

[Pappy]

I can't wail 'til Assange reveals his so-called doomsday-bomb (which I'm positive will not surprise me in the least!). Then let's tar and feather the MF and club him to death on a 20/20-CNN simucast!

 

[redheadedeskimo]

Huh? While it can be said that "some" of the things that were released we should have known, how can you possibly state that ALL of the information that he has released, we should have known. Look at my post above and ask yourself, should that be known? There is tons of shit that shouldn't see the light of day and should only be viewed by those that are cleared and have a need to know.

In my opinion, an argument can be made for all of the information he has released so far to be published. I cannot comment on the information he hasn't released yet, and neither can anyone who hasn't personally read the documents in question. Every country has secrets that they don't want seeing the light of day. How better to hide them then by declaring the information within "vital to national security," especially with that phrase being so open to interpretation?

@redheadedeskimo: I DID say that it wasnt for 'no reason'. He did not expose it just to expose it, as I had thought I made clear in my last post.

Im going to side with Lwien on this one. Just because you think one is 'entitled' to know this info, does not mean that its for the good of our society or country as a whole.

My bad, I misread your post. The only problem with your thought process is that if we let the government decides what is important for us to know, then we are always going to know the absolute minimum.

 

[lwien]

In my opinion, an argument can be made for all of the information he has released so far to be published.

OK, read post #14 and give me a reason why you feel this information should be published. What are the upsides to publishing this info versus the downsides? Personally, I can't think of one fucking upside, but I can think of some pretty dramatic downsides.

I cannot comment on the information he hasn't released yet, and I suggest you don't either.

I'm not. I'm commenting on what he HAS published.

 

[Purple-Days]

Wthana says,"I'll bet there are several countries in addition to the US that are hunting him.."

Don't fuck with the Russkies. Ask any Somalian Pirate. (or an opposition journalist :/ ) In China they just disappear...

Funny though, I haven't heard anything not already suspected. It's a bunch of bathroom wall stuff we all knew. C'mon, we knew Saudis were funding Al-Q . We all knew various world leaders were fruitcakes. Khadafi gets vote for style. Iran and N. Korea for freaky. What did we expect???

I got a kick outta Hillary, she relayed a world leaders thoughts, "you should hear how we talk about you..." or something similar, they all know what these diplomatic dispatches are, chatter, maybe even high level chatter. But the really high level folks know that's all it is. And that they have the same sort of chatter. I bet our resident intelligence ops folks know this, and also know that today's news cycle just can't stand equlibrium or a dull news day.

 

[redheadedeskimo]

OK, read post #14 and give me a reason why you feel this information should be published. What are the upsides to publishing this info versus the downsides? Personally, I can't think of one fucking upside, but I can think of some pretty dramatic downsides.

I have not personally read any of the cables, nor will I ever read all of them as it's a massive collection of information. The whole topic interests me, but I have been busy lately with finals and everything. I did not realize that some of the cables had already been published (my bad for skimming though the topic too quickly ), which is why I referred to them as such. Last I had checked, the site was down. I can only speak for what Wikileaks has reported in the past. I trust that they are not going to report things to simply stir up trouble, and I don't believe that Julian Assange would put his life on the line just to cause some havoc. I cannot attest as to why the information from your post was released, nor can I really check it out without them giving any specifics as to which cables contain what information.