Wednesday, December 1, 2010

ASSANGE: HERO OR VILLAIN??


 I was reading David Brooks' op-ed on Julian Assange today Here and while reading his article, I thought about Sue Myrick.  That's odd, you might be thinking.  But it isn't odd.  Why Sue Myrick?  There is a correlation.

Way back when, as George Bush was rolling out the Patriot Act, people were up in arms about the insulting idea that wire tapping of U.S. citizens would take place by the U.S. Government.  "UNCONSTITUTIONAL" was the outcry!  How dare he?  Well, he dared.  And Sue Myrick, our Republican House Representative, came out with this apologetic for the wire-tapping, "If you're not doing anything wrong, what's your problem?"  Yes, indeedy.  That is exactly what she said.

How does that relate to Julian Assange?  The tables are turned.  It is the government(s) being exposed now.   Soon, possibly, banks.  Michele Malkin often states that "Sunlight is the best disinfectant." I would like to say back to Sue Myrick and Hillary Clinton and others who are exposed in the Wikileaks flood of documents, "If you're not doing anything wrong, what's your problem?"

Brooks seems to think that Assange is a wannabe journalist.  I don't see him that way exactly.  I do see him as an anarchist probably, with no allegiance to nation or belief in systems.  And Brooks points that out, too.  I think I see him as a muckraker.  And muckrakers have a place in this world.  Does he have his fingers on the pulse of our current unrest and disbelief as we watch corrupt government leaders who are manipulating our lives?  If he lives, will he turn his leaks toward China or Russia, or maybe their information security is more leak-proof than ours?

I am not a fan of Assange's release on our military.  I draw the line at defense of our nation.  That being said, over the last few years I am seeing our military being used for all kinds of missions that I question as necessary or helpful to our security.  In spite of that, I don't think our soldiers are to be used as fodder for Assange's mission...if we can guess what that is.  And we can only guess.

But when it comes to the executive powers, the State Department, and even the banks, I agree with Michele Malkin.  Sunlight is the best disinfectant and Assange is throwing light in dark rooms of secrecy.  The world powers go on and on about the glowing attributes of democracy, yet at the same time, keep the people ignorant of what they are actually doing.  Democracy to them is only as good as the spin, not truth and reality.  Then comedians on TV do 'man on the street' interviews and everyone guffaws and laments at how stupid the people are.  The underlying sad premise of that is this: it bolsters the power brokers confidence to believe they can do anything they want while people are just flabbergasted and stupid.  Well, if you keep people stupid, then you can do whatever you want with them and to them.  Right?

So is Assange providing sunlight?  Is he a hero or a villain?  Interpol is after him.  His life won't end well, I suspect.  He messed with some really dangerous, powerful, global power brokers. By design, I might add.  If you try to go to Wikileaks.org it is blocked.  No access.

Twitter has the following this morning: Canadian Harper advisor calls for the assassination of Julian Assange http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqtIafdoH_g
And this: Chinese government issues censorship order for WikiLeaks http://is.gd/hZlNO help us fight: http://is.gd/hZlW4

For every action there is a reaction, so people who use the internet will pay a heavy price for Assange's revelations.  Likely the FCC will move forward with control of the internet.  I believe they will use Assange / Wikileaks as an excuse for more control.  Our government will monitor every word and every discussion and every post.  (not at all sure that isn't already the case)  Obama and his Czars don't believe in freedom of speech except their own. 

Cyber-security is the next thing on the agenda....so we'll all be safe, you know.  

Meanwhile, Julian Assange has added a gift to our discussions.  I suggest he is a hero of sorts, at least to those who want sunlight on the dark crevices in secret rooms where there are powerful people manipulating our world.  He certainly does not deserve assassination.  But you don't go up against Hillary Clinton without that possibility arising.  

What do you think?
 
"Given the animosity from all areas of the United States government, the global community, Interpol, and commentators and politicians on both political aisles, the central Wikileaks question– whose side is Julian Assange on?– remains unsolved. His work has amounted to the most concrete evidence of WMDs in Iraq during the Saddam Hussein era than anyone else has mustered up, and reinforced the belief on the right that global warming is a farce. The latest leak is particularly damning to Iran, showing international support for American intervention there and ties to the increasingly belligerent North Korean regime. Yet many right-wing American pundits– though not allare calling for everything from his arrest to his execution. Sarah Palin even wrote a tweet against Wikileaks, taking the gloves off and ruthlessly comparing the website to, uh, Gawker. His only unambiguous ally seems to be the nation of Ecuador, which has offered him citizenship “no questions asked,” and even that may be compromised if the nation’s arm is sufficiently twisted by the international community."

(On that one, I completely disagree with Sarah Palin)

Another thoughtful article on Assange Here

7 comments:

  1. Hi Cheryl..Thanks for your recient visit to Candela..I have mixed feelings about this one..In a perfect world where people "say what they mean and mean what they say" this should not matter so much... Is the "sunlight" going to benifit us in someway..Is "right" really "might" and do we live in a country anymore of "truth" and justice? Will this discloser change things in the world? Yes, I believe there will be at least one profound event resulting from it that will serve to change world history going forward. For the most part it will serve to deepen secrecy and tighten security and yes..as you say..to infringe on our liberity and freedom once more..Even now free speech is more illusion than reality..

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  2. Carl,
    The more I have thought about this today, the more I fall on the side of Assange. If you read the referenced article above, Assange found the WMD information in Iraq and has blown up the liars of Global Warming, so right there he gets points from me. We are paying for government leaders who are supposed to be representing us. Should we not know what they are doing in our names? If Assange had finally exposed the profit and loss statement of the Federal Reserve, would you think he should be assassinated?
    He has become my favorite outlaw of the day today. He may be personally a scum bag for all I know...but this sunlight is needed.
    Just my opinion.

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  3. Of course I always respect your opinion Cheryl.:) "Favorite Outlaw"? I think you are not alone in this..In priniciple I think he should not have done this..but our world and government is such a mess..socialists,liars, cheats,theives and power mungers. For them I do not care at all..for us.I care..I am only hoping and praying that somehow we are saved..that in someway we can retrieve or at least preserve the Integrity of our culture and our nation.There is a part of me that wonders what help he had doing this..:)
    On a lighter side..If you are interested in "POOP" (other than political POOP) haha and you would like a smile visit my health site..
    http://carlsvilleproject.blogspot.com/
    Everything you always wanted to know about "Poop" and were afraid to ask! :)
    Take good care..never forget to smile..
    Carl

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  4. First, Check out my latest post. S510 may be dead in the water.

    It is hard to know where to draw the line with the government's right to keep some things secret. That they abuse that right is without question in my mind. Your slant has definitely given me food for thought. If you don't mind, I would like to make a post tomorrow suggesting that my readers read your essay. I will advise them to come with an open mind.

    I'm so glad you are on our side, Maybe some day you would consent to doing a guest post at Conservatives On Fire. I would love to show off your work. Think about it. You can contact me at gemgordy at hotmail dot com.

    Cheers!

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  5. Jim, I can hope that S510 is dead due to the Constitutional misstep, however my skeptical side is saying this is the same type of issue we thought would stop the Health Care Bill, i.e. the fees vs. taxes question. Is it a tax or is it a regulatory fee, and what in God's name is the difference anymore? I haven't seen any evidence lately that the Constitution is keeping them from doing anything they want. As Pelosi said, laughing, "Are you serious?" Anyway, I hope you are right and the whole thing implodes in their faces.

    On Wikileaks...he (Assange) has certainly presented us with a full fledged conundrum....how much secrecy is reasonable? Under what circumstances? I need to read more of what he has released in order to decide, but my gut is telling me that when our government is committing us to quid pro quos with other countries, we should know about it.

    I think the Lockerbie terrorist released to Libya is a case in point. I'd like to know more about what on earth made our government agree to that terrible decision. Somebody got greased. BP had something to do with it, Britain allowed it on what basis? And our government just gave it all a pass though Americans died on that plane. Was it a question of Libya giving more oil rights to BP in exchange for the bomber? If you had communiques on that, would it serve the public to know it?? When our government is agreeing to set free a terrorist who killed our citizens for the sake of an oil deal, albeit with Britain pushing the deal, should the public know this? Just asking.

    At the moment we are all playing the game, "Who do you trust." Wikileaks is doing the job our media should be doing, but don't do anymore.

    Military secrets is a different category and you would hope somehow a correct line would be drawn and not blurred on that subject. But, Julian Assange is not an American citizen so we have no grounds to try him on treason. Using Interpol to go after him seems pretty much like a James Bond movie. I fear for his life, but while they chase down Assange, the Lockerbie bomber is living in high cotton in Libya. Go figure.

    On Conservatives On Fire...you are kind to ask me to contribute. I'll email you!!

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  6. Carl, Hi,

    You are so funny. Poop was the last thing on my mind, thankfully. I'll hold my nose and check it / your blog out.

    Am going to see Beck's performance on "Broke" tomorrow evening at a local theatre! Am excited to see it because he is doing his level best to come up with answers to turn us around from the brink. Now he IS a hero and gets my "stones" award for bravely marching forth. He mentioned today that if we do turn this thing around and away from collectivism / socialism, that we will be the first nation in history to pull back from the fate we are facing. Today's show on correlations between the fall of Rome and the U.S. were very educational. GO BECk!!

    Hanging onto threads of hope wherever I can find them.

    Thanks a bunch!

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  7. Thanks for a thought provoking piece. I will have to chew on it for awhile, and that is a good thing.

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