Whats your view on Wikileaks & US action against it so far?

1. 71

   Rishy Richposted 13 years ago

   & what do you think about Julian Assange? Do you appreciate what he is doing or is it the opposite? Is he the main man or just another pawn, playing the role of a show man? I did not knw much about him until recently & I personally felt that the rape charges were side effects of his actions regarding wikileaks.
   
   
   The website was temporarily shut down due to massive cyber attacks. US was known for its freedom of information act. Did wikileaks violate that? or is it US now violating its law by forcing the site to shut down?

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      Brenda Durhamposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Assange is a traitor and the soldier who's fed him the information is a traitor.  It's that simple.  Assange should've been arrested 6 years ago when he started the carp.
      
      If U.S. citizens want to employ the Freedom of Information Act, they should be asking for the recordings or minutes of the meetings Obama and his puppets held behind closed doors to get the "Healthcare" Bill in effect,  and bug Obama's quarters to find out if he's really even a patriot instead of a spy.

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         Evan G Rogersposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         He's a hero. If "telling people how their money is being spent" is in any way a bad thing, then our government is truly a tyrannical monster.

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            Longhunterposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Assange is a terrorist and should be dealt with accordingly and I don't mean a cell in Gitmo.

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               Shadesbreathposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               Accidents happen. 

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               Evan G Rogersposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               Define terrorist, and you'll see how tyrannical our government has become.

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                  Longhunterposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                  Under the NObama administration, you couldn't be more right. Now, I can't wait for all the war and Haliburton talking points so bring them on.
                  
                  God, you guys are so predictable. Let me guess, it's all Bush's fault. Same crap. Different day.

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                  1. 61

                     Evan G Rogersposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                     umm...
                     
                     ... what? I'm an Anarchist... but thanks for trying. Bush was a satan-incarnate, and Obama is his predecessor in evil.
                     
                     Assange is bringing the idiocy and incompetence of government to the public, and for that he should be applauded.

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                        Longhunterposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                        Even if it gets people killed?

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                           Texasbetaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                           Get's us killed? That is moronic. How about the made up war and how many Americans lost their lives in that one? Your Nobama nation bs is childish and ridiculous.

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                              C.J. Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                              Which made up war? He's a pawn. Probably. Certainly the charges regarding sexual assault that have suddenly been leveled indicate that he's being "played" by the worlds intel agencies.
                              Make no mistake this guy is dangerous. Yes what he has released and will release will end up getting people killed. Don't be niave.

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                              Longhunterposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                              Beta,
                              
                              The question was "Even if it gets people killed?" There was no reference to you, me, or Americans. What's "moronic" is your tendency to automatically use insults and child-like name calling when you can't get a point across. There were people named from America and abroad in these leaks that are now in danger of being killed as well as their families. Does that make Assange responsible for their deaths?
                              
                              I have a suspicion you're smarter than you're letting on but those suspicions are dwindling with each one of your posts I've read so far. Come on, beta. Please prove me wrong.

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                     2. 61

                        uncorrectedvisionposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                        Really? Anarchy? Really?  Have you actually considered what anarchy means?  Anarchy presents as intractable a difficulty as tyranny.  Let's consider the idea of no government what so ever, no law, no order.  If I am armed and amoral and you are unarmed(by the way your morality doesn't matter - at all.) Doesn't my personal power and authority entitle me to take anything I want from you or anyone else sufficiently weak and helpless?  Anarchy?  Really?  As incomprehensible a position to me as advocating totalitarianism because it results in the same thing.  Tyranny arises from disorder more surely than from order.

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      2. 60

         Paul Wingertposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         First of all Assange is not a traitor because he's not a U.S. citizen. The soldier who fed him the info is another story and he's being dealt with. As with making everything single thing our government, or any other government, public record is not going to happen. National secuity is number one. Of course they're going to be closed doors sessions, that's part of the game. They'll tell the public on a need to know basis. Governments, companies, clubs and families all have secrets and there's a reason for keeping them. It would be nice to know what goes on behind closed doors, but it's never going to happen.

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   2. 61

      tony0724posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I really like what Assange is doing. Now all the power hungry across the globe and their dirty tricks are being exposed and the slime we call international relations is showing it's true colors. We obviously cannot count on the United States media to do their job. So in my mind Assange is the only real journalist out there. Do you think a real reporter would be invited to a White House press dinner ? And although I cannot say conclusively I am almost certain the rape charge was a setup

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      patmadriposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I have cut up my master card & visa ( I have photos), I have closed my face book account and my twitter account-´I want and like FREEDOM OF SPEECH- we live in a WORLD OF BIG BROTHER- WHY?
      Most people are good, why should we suffer??

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      Don Wposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      If publishing the cables is considered an act of espionage, then the Guardian, New York Times, Der Spiegel, the Sunday Times, Le Monde and El Pais newspapers are all guilty of espionage too. Will the US government be prosecuting them? Will the US government be "encouraging" businesses to disassociate themselves with those publications? I very much doubt it.
      
      Also, why are the actions of Julian Assange (who didn't instigate the leak but only published documents sent to him) "wrong", but the actions of the US intelligence services (who instigated the espionage operation against UN delegates) "right" ? The US government have no moral high ground here.
      
      If anyone does it's Assange. I understand he wrote to the US government giving them the opportunity to redact information from the cables that would be a security risk before publication but the US government refused.
      
      The US government has been made to look very foolish indeed here. And throwing its weight around only makes Assange look more like David to its Goliath. I'm sure some people are rooting for Assange on that basis alone, regardless of what they think about the actual cables.

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2. 68

   SparklingJewelposted 13 years ago

   I think it is equally important for people to focus on the content of the leaks as much on whether the leaking was the main problem...Americans need to see the "seedier" side of politicians and the corruption therefrom...we need to know that our government personnel are not working ethically and morally

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3. 78

   kirstenblogposted 13 years ago

   I am thinking that if they don't like corruption being exposed maybe they should try being less corrupt. Just a thought

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      Rishy Richposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Its an ethical suggestion but I think it would be convenient for them to shut down wikileaks or kill assange

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   jokeapptvposted 13 years ago

   i think theres some funny stuff in there . But i think many dont realize that putting classified stuff online will hurt us in the end. if people like thev web and want to keep it. we dont want troubles being made destroying our country... then there will be no fun internet or anything else. i think alot people dont really realize how bad things are in the world or in the use. the jobs are not coming back. only a few on tv will tell you that. i will tell the truth and i wish the media would. not stopping "wrong" is what has aloud all the corrupt activities and tells the next generation that its ok to forget the laws. Its sad that this current generation has lost its way. america Is greaT! We can fix all the problems! Look at all the great people in America, We Gotta Just Stop The fighting and Get Back To america 1st And Get Our people To wake up to there potential and We Dont get That From Our Goverment-
   In years. This wiki leaks is just another hole in the USA Boat and it will sink if we dont get a strong Pro america congress going and Start Working together. And saying WRONGS wrong! And rights Right! Our messages to college ages and younger is destroying us by saying its ok. We shut down Napster but not wijki leaks? thaTS WRONG.!!! iF THEY want to be online fine but with non classified docs.  lets make good role models for our kids.

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5. 64

   Ralph Deedsposted 13 years ago

   I'm not sure. Perhaps the best focus is to see what can be learned from the WikiLeaks. Here's a link to an interesting article on some of the revelations.
   
   http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/05/weeki … er.html?hp
   
   "Richard N. Haass, the president of the Council on Foreign Relations, who served under two presidents named Bush, said Mr. Obama’s team seemed to understand from the start that “engagement isn’t an on-off switch, it’s a rheostat, and they knew how to turn it up quickly.” But he noted that “what the cables don’t tell you is how far he’s willing to keep turning it up, especially in the hard cases like Iran.”
   
   "In fact, Iran is perhaps the best example of the benefits, limits and unknowns of Mr. Obama’s engagement style.
   
   "Mr. Obama reached out to Iran early, with little response. Even as that dance was playing out, the cables show that Mr. Obama’s aides were drawing Arab states into an informal regional alliance that gradually closed off Tehran’s access to banks and ports. Missile defense sites sprang up around the Persian Gulf, continuing a process that started under President Bush. Dennis Ross, the Middle East envoy, asked the Saudis to supply China with oil — in hopes that China will be willing to enforce sanctions on Iran if it can get oil elsewhere.
   
   "Meanwhile, the administration deflected secret calls for far stronger action from some Arab leaders, like King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, whose advice was to “cut off the head of the snake.”
   
   "Unmentioned in the cables is the accelerating covert program against Iran’s nuclear facilities. (To end a conversation with an administration official quickly, just ask about the Stuxnet computer worm of mysterious origin; Iran admitted last week that malicious software had struck its uranium-enrichment centrifuges.)"
   
   
   
   http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/05/weeki … er.html?hp

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6. 68

   SparklingJewelposted 13 years ago

   from the PatriotPost:
   
   "...Nevertheless, several tough questions are raised by these WikiLeaks incidents. For example, why does the U.S. government feel that it must lie to the American people about so many international events and foreign relations, when the real world demonstrates an obvious and opposite truth? Second, whatever happened to "need-to-know," wherein no one is allowed access to classified information unless they have a need for it? How does Pfc. Bradley Manning, a poster child for "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," have "need-to-know" access to, literally, hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of documents covering who-knows-how-many topics? And why do (alleged) American news outlets such as The New York Times treasonously support WikiLeaks and undermine U.S. interests? (Oddly enough, the Times chose not to run the Climategate emails last year.)..."

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7. 0

   Toby Hansenposted 13 years ago

   Firstly, Assange is an Australian citizen.
   Secondly, Assange is a hero.
   
   How typical of the world's largest terrorist organisation to sit there in their Washington HQ, sucking up the backsides of the very people that they have been caught insulting and backstabbing, trying to bully them into acting to arrest a foreign national who has the courage to stand up to them and unmask these terrorist for what they are.
   
   
   Any self respecting country should stand up for themselves - despite the threat/inevitability  of US invasion for doing so - and expel the US spies to their country.
   
   Any who could call Assange a traitor deserve to be grouped with the same baby killing, nation invading terrorists hiding out on Capitol Hill.

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      china manposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      This is about right - how is exposing murderers and politicians who lie to their own people worse than the act itself ?

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      Shadesbreathposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Assange is not a traitor, per se.  The person inside the U.S. that signed a contract and took an oath to keep the secrets of government is the traitor.  They need to find THOSE people and execute them, for they are the traitors. Assange is just a guy looking to make a name for himself in the liberal ranks, and more likely to make money for himself.  While arguments can be made that he is a traitor, I would say he is more an enemy of the U.S. than an actual traitor.  Hopefully the CIA will handle it quickly and discretely before that idiot puts more people at risk.

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         Toby Hansenposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         There is only one reason that the US has enemies. And that is the US government.

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            Shadesbreathposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            We could have just sat on our hands and done nothing anywhere over the last century, just stayed at home and not made anyone mad, not made any mistakes, not let any of the flawed humans that are part of our nation do stupid crap abroad.  We could have just minded our own business, said nothing and let the chips fall where they may in Europe, Asia, South America and the Middle East.  Then we wouldn't have any enemies.
            
            Oh wait, yes we would.  Because everyone would be pissed off at us for not helping.
            
            Which means, your claim is both true and meaningless at the same time.

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            wildernessposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Tell that to the jihadists.  Not a muslim = enemy.  Or should the US government require all citizens to be muslim?
            
            Or tell it to nearly any third world citizen.  American citizenry works hard, makes great country but does not force other countries to do the same thing OR simply give everything away.  This makes Americans evil and therefore enemies.

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8. 77

   lovemychrisposted 13 years ago

   Gotta kind of agree with you Toby...
   
   We are in total ignorance as to what people do in our name.
   
   good article:
   "Who's Killing Iran's Scientists?"
   by Reza Aslan

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      Druid Dudeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      The Feds oughtta take Assangel out and show him what we do to blackgaurds and revolutionaries. Loose lips can cost a loota lives, and the highway to hell is paved with solid gold intentions.

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         Rishy Richposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         What about Freedom of speech then?

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9. 60

   princess gposted 13 years ago

   The whole thing is obviously a huge farce.

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   1. 77

      lovemychrisposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Wikileaks: A Big Dangerous US Government Con Job
      
      by F. William Engdahl
      
      Global Research, December 10, 201
      
      "The story on the surface makes for a script for a new Oliver Stone Hollywood thriller. A 39-year old Australian hacker holds the President of the United States and his State Department hostage to a gigantic cyber “leak,” unless the President leaves Julian Assange and his Wikileaks free to release hundreds of thousands of pages of sensitive US Government memos. A closer look at the details, so far carefully leaked by the most ultra-establishment of international media such as the New York Times, reveals a clear agenda. That agenda coincidentally serves to buttress the agenda of US geopolitics around the world from Iran to Russia to North Korea. The Wikileaks is a big and dangerous US intelligence Con Job which will likely be used to police the Internet."
      
      Yeah--you have people from right to left wanting him killed. They'll agree to the internet policing just like they did the Patriot Act.

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         lovemychrisposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         "Wayne Madsen Reports has also learned that Assange and some of his Wikileaks
         team of ex-computer hackers had been hired as consultants by
         the Pentagon to stop Chinese hacking into Defense Department
         computer systems. During this operation, Wikileaks personnel
         had direct access to the State Department cables.
         WMR has learned that it was a cell within the U.S.
         government that downloaded and copied the cables for the
         operation that would be used as an excuse to place
         restrictive and overarching government controls on the
         Internet."
         
         Wayne Madsen Reports: Sweden used by CIA/Pentagon to launder Wikileaks releases
         Posted by James H. Fetzer on December 30, 2010 at 2:00am

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10. 60

    biosynthposted 13 years ago

    freedom of speech does not apply to espianage assange is a spy and he endangers peoples lives and damages international relations which is the first and most important step to prevent wars

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11. 67

    Flightkeeperposted 13 years ago

    I think Assange and his cohorts are terrorists.  And they should be tried as terrorists.  They have attacked and continue to attack various sites if he is not released so they should also be tried for blackmail.

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    KFlippinposted 13 years ago

    The United States of America has been weak, we should have shut him down months and months ago.  Now, we have idiots in California trying to put a crown on the little imbecile who Theoretically provided all this info to Wikileaks.  If you believe that weasel accomplished all that, provided all this inside information, and out of the goodness of his heart.........eat more chicken and buy some ocean front property in Colorado. 

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13. 58

    C.J. Wrightposted 13 years ago

    First he's a thief and he's an oportunist. Second, I've heard a lot said about the "Soldier" whos supposidly responsible. Do you really believe a low ranking enlisted guy is responsible for all these leaks?  If you do, you probably believe that Asange is a Rapist. Both may be true, but I doubt it.  I would bet that there were many people responsible for the leaks. There were also probably several penetrations into State Department Computer Systems without any inside help. It's pretty clear by the shear volume of information that's been leaked its not simply a data spillage/leakage. It's aggressive hacking and spying and a Federal Office with lax cyber security posture.

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14. 81

    Tom Cornettposted 13 years ago

    If Assange was such a threat...he would have been terminated long before now. He could be just another pawn on the chessboard of the Global Corporate Kingdom.
    He has been allowed to continue for a reason....a reason that is anybodies guess?  One can put bitter poison in food...the hungry will gorge themselves before they taste it....too late.

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       C.J. Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Realy? I think he's been emboldened by the weakness displayed on the world stage by the current US Administration. However, once Rusia and China realize we have lost our nerve, they probably will off the guy.

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15. 59

    richtwfposted 13 years ago

    'It's dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.' Voltaire
    
    When an individual poses a serious threat to a government then the latter will do whatever they can to discredit the person. Once discredited most of the spoon fed public will believe the claims made against an individual (or just sit on the fence) and the government's smokescreen/damage limitation exercise is done and dusted. We see this time and time again in the movies when the good guy is discredited and he has to prove his innocence. I personally believe that this is the case with Assange.

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16. 71

    IntimatEvolutionposted 13 years ago

    I haven't read all the posts in this thread yet.  So sorry if this has already been discussed, but, is the site gone?  Who took it down?

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    1. 74

       Kangaroo_Jaseposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Amazon,
       
       At one time, Wikileaks was hosted on Amazon servers, then later, on a bunch of servers hosted by a French computer company (name escapes me at the moment).
       
       Now, I believe it is not being hosted, therefore not available generally on the the internet and only back-ups of information are held in Sweden.

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          IntimatEvolutionposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          So......, you can't get to it?  I mean I've tried, but, it seems to be gone.  Is this a recent thing?

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             Kangaroo_Jaseposted 13 years agoin reply to this

             Yes, very recent, I have been unable to find it (on a new host) for the past few days.

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17. 62

    TMMasonposted 13 years ago

    As for the soldier who leaked it. Traitors are hung, always have been, always will be. Pretty simple. And Assange is an enemy of the state and as such the CIA should eleminate him.

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       lovemychrisposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       No they're not.
       Richard Perle was caught spying for Israel and nothing happened to him. In fact, he went on to be a major player in Bush's White House.
       One of that admn outed a CIA agent, which Bush sr said was treason, and he got pardoned.
       And Jane Harmann also helped Israel with secret information in exchange for keeping her position (?-something like that) Please--it's a hornet's nest of traitors. You just pick and choose which ones you like.

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       Kangaroo_Jaseposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       TMMason,
       
       Question - Does it also stand to reason that ASIO should eliminate the US Soldier that provided the documentation of leaks to Assange as he is guilty by association and deed? This is also irrespective of Australia & the US being 'strong' allies.

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18. 59

    Petra Vlahposted 13 years ago

    Killing the messanger seems to be an effective way to cover up (once again!!!) what the government is doing. We are not supposed to know and even less to question the "wisdom" of the elected ones.

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19. 82

    lovetherainposted 13 years ago

    Like I've said a hundred times, the whole thing is a made-up circus for the masses

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20. 48

    Catherine29posted 13 years ago

    “You know, this whole WikilLeaks incident really makes us think hard about the role of IT security in business and government. In this case, it appears that just one person was able to violate organizational policies and leak such vast amounts of information. By the way, speaking of this, I came across a very thought provoking blog titled Identity, Security and Access Blog. It is apparently written by a Microsoft security expert, and it raises some very thought provoking points which get to the essence of the incident. It is definitely worth a read and I’d highly recommend it. By the way, just in case the link doesn’t work, you can find it over at http://www.identitysecurityandaccessblog.com. Anyway, let’s hope something like this doesn’t happen again.

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       Jennifer Hughesposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       The link given above is quite pertinent to the whole wikileaks issue and national security. It is actually very threatening to see how the people from your enterprise itself leak your confidential information. Well we can only raise our voice against the whole incident which is happening.

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