US embassy cables leak sparks global diplomatic crisis

Wow A new world record. He just managed to piss off almost every goverment in the world, wonder how much time will be spent trying to find who ever takes him out..

Treason. Shoot him.

+100

I think he's a Danish citizen.




Nope Aussie so it's not treason.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_Assange

Our soldier released the data. Start therem, SBD.

Yeah.. I think he's up for court martial for that clip of the Apache taking out the Reuters reporters.

Sunlight is the best disinfectant....

It's not nearly as treasonous as Cheney & Rove outing a covert CIA agent as political retribution.

Indeed. Anyone attempting to hide the truth is far more questionable to me than someone that tells me truth that I don't want to hear.

Thank God for whistleblowers.

I agree but there are limits, guess my neighbors could record everything thats being said on our block then pass out copys to everyone.

Being ignorant of the super secret Squirrel clandestin­e activities of our government may be bliss but doesn't our ignorance in some ways passively enable our government to do whatever the he/she/it feels like doing without check or restraint?

On the flip side, if the expectatio­n of privacy is taken away from these people, the unintended consequence this type of leak will likely have is candid state communications coming to a screeching halt....

edit...until the federal government can figure out a privacy solution they can tax us billions for.

Yes poor analogy but my point is people talk about people it's human nature. It would be only fair now for WikiLeaks to release some info on what other nations are saying about us behind our backs and you can bet they are.

I'm sure the only thing they can agree on right now is how to shut him up.

I have a HUGE issue with someone violating their security clearance. I would certainly hate to see one individual harmed because of the release of this data. I don't mean their feelings or pride. I mean them being tortured, maimed, or killed.

I'm not going to read every page, but if someone dies because of this soldier's leak, charge him with it.

Then again, I guess some folks don't see it as a big issue.

As is true with so many things it's a matter of degree. I think almost anything that does not affect national security should be subject to sunlight. But some of this stuff was private conversations about matters that do affect national security. That, to me, is over the line.

Judging by the age and breadth of the leaked documents, I doubt the soldier from Iraq was the source. More likely someone inside the state department, or maybe even a number of various sources collected over a period of time.

I take it that you're perfectly fine with our government making secret deals with with other countries and large corporations?

This has nothing to do with national security. It has everything to do with making our government transparent. Every American has a right to know what the government is doing and why. Last time I checked we live in a democracy (kind of), not a totalitarian government.

Fear the military-industrial-complex.

What I believe is that some things need to be secret. I.e. if we learn the identity of a spy we do not need to tell the world. To do so would not be in our best interests. Do you think Ike should have publicized the detail of the D Day invasion? If not, exactly where do you draw the line?

Do I think confidentiality has been abused to cover up political misdeeds, of course, but that does not mean nothing should ever be confidential.