The Dictator > Massive leak of classified Afghan war docs.

[Inder]

Wowza.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/series/ ... e-war-logs
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/world/war-logs.html

[Dr. Medulla]

Plus an interview with Assange: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/07/26-0

The money quote:

We all only live once. So we are obligated to make good use of the time that we have, and to do something that is meaningful and satisfying. This is something that I find meaningful and satisfying. That is my temperament. I enjoy creating systems on a grand scale, and I enjoy helping people who are vulnerable. And I enjoy crushing bastards. So it is enjoyable work.

As for the publication of these documents, I'm skeptical that it will amount to much because the mainstream media is much different than it was in the 1970s. These documents also cover only the Bush years, so they won't be seen as potent with him out of office. Good for historians, but probably dick all in terms of moving policy because the media won't push it.

[Flex]

Great work, and more proof that the WikiLeaks folks are doing real honest-to-god vital stuff, but shit will come of it.

Can't cancel those shipments of predator drones to Pakistan, god forbid!

[Dr. Medulla]

Richard Cohen, Friedman of the Post, downplays the revelations, but still carries water for the state:

The Obama administration will go through the motions of hunting down the leaker and denouncing the leaks, as it should. (Government is entitled to some secrets; it needs them to protect us.)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 03587.html

[eumaas]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/ju ... gon-papers
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn ... index.html
http://powerofnarrative.blogspot.com/20 ... leaks.html

Also, the band Podunk Shrimpbucket is playing a Deep Purple tribute show at the Lazy Eye in Bumfuck, Mississippi. That reminds me of the time I was gang raped in prison. Good times!

[eumaas]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100729/ts_ ... nistan_usa
"U.S. says WikiLeaks may have blood on its hands"

That's fucking rich.

[Dr. Medulla]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100729/ts_nm/us_afghanistan_usa
"U.S. says WikiLeaks may have blood on its hands"

That's fucking rich.

Predictable response, but no less breathtaking in its chutzpah.

[Dr. Medulla]

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/0 ... ance-file/

This has the makings of a spy novel.

[eumaas]

"This thing should be charged with TREASON and all his partners are nothing more than a group of Quizlings: a fifth column group out to overthrow the US Government."

[Wolter]

"This thing should be charged with TREASON and all his partners are nothing more than a group of Quizlings: a fifth column group out to overthrow the US Government."

Quislings would actually be people who worked for an illicit occupation government...

[Dr. Medulla]

"This thing should be charged with TREASON and all his partners are nothing more than a group of Quizlings: a fifth column group out to overthrow the US Government."

Is this an argument for or against Wikileaks?

[Flex]

The only legitimate criticism of WikiLeaks is that they should have been more careful about redacting informant names. But just how big an issue that actually is has been overstated by the media/government (lots of the non-redacted names are old/out of date/already in wide circulation).

Everything else in nonsense.

[Flex]

For shits and giggles, here's Thiesen's totally deranged take:

Let's be clear: WikiLeaks is not a news organization; it is a criminal enterprise. Its reason for existence is to obtain classified national security information and disseminate it as widely as possible -- including to the United States' enemies. These actions are likely a violation of the Espionage Act, and they arguably constitute material support for terrorism. The Web site must be shut down and prevented from releasing more documents -- and its leadership brought to justice. WikiLeaks' founder, Julian Assange, proudly claims to have exposed more classified information than all the rest of the world press combined. He recently told the New Yorker he understands that innocent people may be hurt by his disclosures ("collateral damage" he called them) and that WikiLeaks might get "blood on our hands."

With appropriate diplomatic pressure, these governments may cooperate in bringing Assange to justice. But if they refuse, the United States can arrest Assange on their territory without their knowledge or approval. In 1989, the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel issued a memorandum entitled "Authority of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to Override International Law in Extraterritorial Law Enforcement Activities."

This memorandum declares that "the FBI may use its statutory authority to investigate and arrest individuals for violating United States law, even if the FBI's actions contravene customary international law" and that an "arrest that is inconsistent with international or foreign law does not violate the Fourth Amendment." In other words, we do not need permission to apprehend Assange or his co-conspirators anywhere in the world.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... inionsbox1

[Dr. Medulla]

The only legitimate criticism of WikiLeaks is that they should have been more careful about redacting informant names. But just how big an issue that actually is has been overstated by the media/government (lots of the non-redacted names are old/out of date/already in wide circulation).

Everything else in nonsense.

Funny story about shit like that. In Greensboro, I RA'd for a guy who was writing a biography on Bayard Rustin, a key figure in the Civil Rights movement who was also homosexual, something that was used against him and the CR leaders. Rustin was also a pacifist who spent WWII in prison as a conscientious objector. And while in prison, he got in trouble for homosexual acts. It was my job to type in selected passages from documents for my boss. In one transcript, a "victim" of Rustin in prison had his name blacked out throughout the document … except for one time. Oops.

(Kind of like a few years ago, Bush state department officials did some half-assed job of releasing pdf's with redacted names and locations that could be revealed by highlighting with your cursor the blackened passage—that revealed the text underneath.)

[eumaas]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100729/ts_nm/us_afghanistan_usa
"U.S. says WikiLeaks may have blood on its hands"

That's fucking rich.

Predictable response, but no less breathtaking in its chutzpah.

Check this out:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38530360/ns ... tral_asia/
Not to do with leaks, but seems like an obvious observation.