Spouting Off About WikiLeaks

OK, so, most of us are wondering, what is the deal with WikiLeaks?  Should we be frightened that some Australian guy seems to be able to dig up the most private and damaging electronic documents ever to be posted on the Internet?  Is this a national security risk?

Should I be outraged, or is Julian Assange a 21st Century Robin Hood?

Notably, WikiLeaks has posted documents pilfered from the Department of State,  detailing Afghan authorities leaving the country with millions in cash, discussions of a reunified Korea, highly enriched Uranium in Pakistan, and pressure the US put on other countries to "relocate" prisoners to Guantanamo Bay.

These revelations apparently came from intercepted cable communications between the US Department of State and Embassies around the World.  While I personally may find it reprehensible that someone essentially "stole" and then published this information…  I have to wonder what was the real harm.

Did I know the US government is involved in some shady deals with respect to foreign "diplomacy"?  Well, can we say "Duh!"?  Does anyone remember the Bay of Pigs?  The Iran Contra Scandal?  Sure, I know there is some very unsavory back-room dealing going on, pretty much 24/7.  But did I really want to know the details?  

SURE!  

It turns out that the US isn't financing drug lords or turning a blind eye to modern slavery here.  Our government isn't selling prisoners or financing despots with abominable human rights records, all of which have in fact been done in the past.

The WikiLeaks document posted from the CIA, barely made a blip in anyone' radar, being almost completely innocuous.  Bet you didn't even remember hearing about that in August, did you?

And so, if WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says he has some major documents exposing something nasty in the US financial market, I believe him.  And I would guess it will be some very serious allegations.  But were we not forewarned that there is trouble afoot by many other sources?

And if these documents are soon revealed, and rock our financial World…  What will be the net result?  Probably not a catastrophe.  In fact, if Assange publishes proof of major corruption and/or illegal activity by major US banks, he will be doing us a favor.

First off, he will be putting a halt to such activity in a much shorter time frame than if our own government had to investigate.  Secondly, he will be pointing investigators in exactly the right direction, saving hundreds if not thousands of man-hours in research and documentation.  

Are his methods suspect?  Most assuredly.  Criminal?  Almost certainly.  But what WikiLeaks has done, in essence, is to take the Freedom of Information Act and apply it to "secret" government documents and business correspondences.  And in some cases, the result has been far preferable to having these documents kept secret.

How are we, as a people, supposed to keep an eye on our government, if they can designate pretty much anything they want to, as a matter of National Security and then keep it under wraps for 50 or more years?  Do we really think there is some process in place to determine what is and is not a matter of National Security, assuring us access to appropriate documents?  PLEASE!

It is absurd to think that Julian Assange could be prosecuted for Treason, in that he is not a US citizen.  Espionage is not out of the question, however if he is considered a member of the press, and is receiving information from people unsolicited, that would be a little hard to swallow, at least ethically speaking.  

And then there is the question of extradition.  Most countries who maintain an extradition treaty with the US, but they are exempted from extraditing anyone whose crimes are viewed as political.  Does this fit the bill here?  It sure seems so.

The more I investigate this WikiLeaks character, the more I really feel he could be the most important watchdog of US law, diplomacy, and foreign policy ever.  He is like an international Woodward and Bernstein.  I have to say, I hope his work continues.