I am shocked! Shocked, I say!

Not at the posting of the internal memos and e-mails by WikiLeaks, or at the content of them, but at the self righteousness of those in both the government and the media that are condemning Assange for posting them based on claims of damage to U.S. foreign policy and national security.

Not so very long ago these same people ignored, skimmed over and even defended leaking the identity of an undercover C.I.A. officer whose job was tracking, identifying and securing fissionable materials to prevent them falling into the hands of unfriendly governments and terrorist organizations (Valerie Plame-Wilson) in an act of vengeance against her husband (former ambassador Joe Wilson) for exposing a plot by senior members of the Bush administration to make false claims concerning the purchase of nuclear materials by Saddam Hussein to use in creating WMDs.

There was no purchase. The receipts and shipping orders for the nuclear material were forgeries. There were no WMDs.
But the Bushies got their war anyway, and they burned a valuable intelligence asset (and really did damage our national security) to get it.

Now we have a new, honest government, new policies, new and more open relationships with foreign governments and a media unfettered by government pressure that is dedicated to disseminating THE TRUTH to as wide an audience as they can possibly manage, right? RIGHT?

Yeah, right.

 

Noriega was extradited to france to serve out his sentence there when he was released from the U.S.

 

Ooops. Double post.

 

Yes I was aware of that. Did he have a public trial in France? Was anyone able to interview or even talk to him?

 

I don't know for sure. It just happened this year or last year. I can't remember.

 

Leave it to the BBC. He at least got a trial. And at least got to say he was set up by his American CIA Paymasters. And then he got a seven year prison sentence at 76 years old.

But that's more than I've heard out of Manual Noriega in the 20 years since the H W Bush administration grabbed him.

Here's the link:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10542179

 

Wikileaks always do that

 

I recently visited Wiki-leaks, I think it's true, that it is `shut down', they say `maintenance', we might have seen this on other sites.
I am disappointed, I was looking for things about Canada, primarily.

 

I do have to admit that some pretty interesting stuff is coming out of the Department of State leaked Cables.

Here's one that says Ireland started objecting to weapons shipments from the US bound for Israel. I think that's pretty cool of Ireland.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/12/20101224118125377.html

And here's one that has put Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in the position of having to say in so many words; I'm not a crook.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2010/12/20101223545581852.html

 

He fucked up big time when he announced he was going after the banks....

 

I still haven't made up my mind about Julian Assange but I have to admit I find the cable leaks fascinating even though I have yet to see something really surprising.

But otherwise I'm actually rather encouraged that our diplomats are not actually a bunch of asses that cannot see the truth.

Here's what I think is a really good assessment of the Drug War in Mexico.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2010/12/20101231120874202.html

 

I don't know how factual this is and it is an opinion piece, but that being said this is more than I've ever read on the relationship between China and North Korea.

Which is of course a very awkward for the Chinese right now.

http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2010/12/2010122103736133753.html

And here's a frank look at Afghan President Karzai's administration. And while this one is also very awkward because it essentially describes Karzai as crazy, I am at least encouraged to see our diplomats are not blind fools.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2010/12/201012382135306499.html

 

Exactly. National security is one thing...but when you start threatening to cost rich people a lot of money, you'd better start watching your back.

 

I saw that. And I bet its true. You can embarrass the government but not business.

By the way, did you know President Obama is in Afghanistan right now? They say its sort of a visit the troops thing but I kind of doubt that. Especially after US diplomats described the Afghan President as pretty much a mentally unbalanced crook.

And even if it is true it still has to be very awkward.

 

Here's an update. CNN is now reporting there will be a meeting between President Obama and Afghan President Karzai.

I'll bet. I wonder how significant this might be. Probably nothing but it could be just another reason to say good bye and good luck to Crazy Karzai.

 

Opps some frosty relations there alright. President Obama and President Karzai were supposed to meet face to face but it the meeting was called off at the last minute.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/03/obama-afghanistan-trip_n_791598.html

Damn I hope President Karzai doesn't get so mad he just orders all our troops out of his country.

Oh wait ...... I guess I do hope he gets that mad. And we make the quickest total withdrawal in history.

 

You think?

Is that because the charges were withdrawn when the documents were removed from the site? Or because the charges were re-issued and a second victim came forward after the doucments were re submitted in two parts?

 

Next week I hear they're going to charge him with starting the Reichstag Fire.

 

I post elsewhere

I posted this here in another thread but it does apply here.
http://www.alternet.org/story/14905...eady_shutting_down_web_sites_they_don't_like/

Looks like nothing is safe from those with the money and power.
The most damning leak was the one where the two news reporters were killed by a helicopter. The soldier that leaked it is in jail awaiting court-martial.
Kimiko--- I do not think he will make much from a book. There are several laws in the US that do not allow criminals to profit from books or movies about the crime. This goes back to the Charles Manson killings. But I could be wrong and usually I am.

 

:excited:

That was a lot better than you gave yourself credit for.