WARNING: There is a link in the article that goes to the Wikileaks page. I've removed it from this article, but follow the link to the BBC page to get to Wikileaks if you dare. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11923766 So there's way more in the leaked documents than just how awful America is and how Bush is worse than Hitler. This is real national security stuff here and it is, in my opinion, time for the CIA to start busting caps in asses. I don't think that Bradley Manning realizes just how bad of a situation he is in. He may really think the war is wrong and all of that, and being the true believer he may simply have thought he was going to give the administration an anonymous black eye. I don't think he ever thought he'd get caught, even after opening his mouth, and he probably figured even if he did he'd get a slap on the wrist. He may swing for treason over this shit. I also don't think Assange ever thought this through. What did he think the most powerful governments in the world were going to do when this shit came out, just say oops? I do hope he realizes he's a walking dead man.
I'm not seeing how it threatens anything. The "this gives the terrorists more targets" line doesn't really wash here, since there are already hundreds, if not thousands of potential targets the terrorists aren't hitting to begin with. These guys aren't fighting a real war, they're playing a game. They're more interested in killing people in Iraq and Afghanistan or blowing themselves up on airplanes, not in taking out infrastructure. That one guy wanted to set off a car bomb next to a Christmas tree. No one's getting any virgins for blowing up an insulin plant. Agreed. I don't personally think he deserves it, but I do agree he's completely fucked.
That's easy to say. He probably reconsider his position when he's looking down the barrel of a gun held by a CIA/MI6/Mossad/FSB agent looking to ventilate his skull. Of course by then he won't have long to worry about it.
Yeah, but it isn't just terrorists that can do real harm. There are a number of governments that can use the same information, and who can use that information in planning military strikes or supporting commando raids. There's home grown loonies like ELF that might use the infomration in the leaks or Unibomber II.
Why does the U.S. have facilities in foreign nations that are vital to our national security? Isn't that like putting the control panel to your burglar alarm in your ex-felon neighbor's house? And wasn't there a quote somewhere about it being crucial that this country avoid "foreign entanglements" for this and many other good reasons?
They're not facilities owned by the US. You're basically asking "why does the US depend on anyone else for anything?"
If you dare? What's that supposed to mean? Has your government threatened anyone who even accesses the site now? Also, Bradley Manning has nothing to do with these leaks. At least get your facts right.
Well I am sure that those of us who work for the government would probably not be looked too kindly on by looking at the website. Though it really isn't that hard to not click a link.
Well, he hasn't been convicted of it. There's an awful lot of suspicion and an awful lot of damning evidence, in his own words, to support the charge, though.
Bradley Manning is suspected of being the source for one of the war logs leaks, not the diplomatic cables leak.
Oh, I see. Thanks for the clearing that up for me. In my defense, though, I'm not really catching the distinction between one enemy of the U.S. and another.
People who work for the US government and have security clearances risk their jobs if they go to Wikileaks. I'm not advocating, I'm just pointing the way. As far as that Manning kid goes, in for a penny, in for a pound. He's up to his tits in all of this and he's going to swing for it, and rightfully so.
See, when Skin was a kid, "waterboarding" was something you did in a fast-flowing canal with an old front door lashed to the steel railing over the canal on six or nine feet of rope. Only pussies need boats to go waterskiing.
I keep hearing about this guy and wikileaks as being enemies of the state etcetera. This confuses my simple cave man intellect, as I thought we (WF)were into transparent government and such. Just on principle, anyone and anything pulling the curtain back should be protected, else that same government will continue to tell us what we can and can't say... I'm not gonna bother reading stuff that I have no interest in, but unless they've posted troop strength or something, I don't see what the problem is other than the government doesn't wnat you to know what its up to...
Meh. I'm OK with Australia and Denmark, though I'd have plenty of reservations about Denmark if this were the 1930s and they still had a fascist southern neighbor bent on invading them. The Congo is shakier, but then, cobalt mines tend to be where cobalt is, and there's not a lot we can do to control that.
Meh. As plenty of people have pointed out during the wikileaks saga, there's nothing being released that every other government with any sort of spy program wouldn't already have access to. I mean, if a private was able to access it....
Skin's on board with this. On the other hand, according to Gizmodo, WikiLeaks also just released a list of critical American infrastructure sites. Now when it came to pantsing the diplo-weenies, that's all in good fun -- but a list of exactly where to drive the fertilizer bombs to, even Skin is gonna call EotS on that one.
Yeah I think this is where the line was crossed and it went from being a case of busting the governments balls and turned into an attack on its national interests.
Like any halfway competent terrorist couldn't have figured it out on his own. It's not like the existence of anything secret was revealed.
Which is why Skin's now a lot more willing to lump Wikileaks into the category of "any halfway decent terrorist." Secrets that might incidentally hurt our governments image are one thing -- but even "not so secret" information that saves actively hostile militants time, effort and resources is something else entirely. Sure, Maboob Al-al-al-al-al-al Fuzziwuzzi probably could have figured that list out -- but Wikileaks just gave him a great big helping hand.
The way I see it, if someone releases info that gets Senator Takesabribe caught with his hand in the cookie jar, way to go. Something that shows Representative Dirtybird has a mistress is fine. Something that shows the backroom shenanigans that results in shitty legislation needs exposed. But... Cables that undermine our diplomatic efforts around the world isn't something that needs released to the public until after it's all said and done. Diplomatic information, military information, troop strengths, who is working for us, what we're doing in the shadows, all of that stuff is going to get people killed and potentially can cause us to lose wars. It's like an ongoing criminal investigation; those who need to know do know. The rest of us are on the sidelines until the case is finished. What Wikileaks is doing is nice for people that hate America, but it's making the efforts of those who's job it is to protect us that much harder. So long as Assagne is holding it over our heads with these unreleased files, he's still a real threat and should be at the top of the CIA's to do list. IF he has anything on the Russians you can bet the FSB is looking for him. For all his bluster about being a martyr, I don't think Assagne or anyone working with him really understand the forces looking for them and when they are found it isn't going to be a slap on the wrist, a fine, and community service. It's going to be a bullet to the head. Shit, they're safer turning them selves in and giving up everything.
Upon further checking, it seems he's the suspected source for the "Collateral Murder" video and the diplomatic cables, but not the war logs. Looks like it's me who needs to check facts better.
Showing that in fact global diplomacy is something at the level of silly 7 year olds arguing in a sandpit is a good thing imHo. The more we blow apart this world and show what its really about the better. I hope they do the UK next, especially the diplomatic and civil service stuff
But none of this changes the fact that Delaware is a mincing little faggot. Skin just thought he'd remind us all not to lose sight of that.
