I don't see why Ali's been dragged into this tbh.

Dana, what is your take on the whole Wiki thing? From UK point of view.

*thinks*

I have some mixed feelings about this. My instinct is generally to support the whistleblower. My general view of wikileaks is that the people involved are performing a necessary and important civil act.

That said: I also believe that ambassadorial and diplomatic communiques are a special case. The channels of communication between various governments really need to stay open and viable for the good of all.

So... some of the stuff that's been published I think is very valuable and shines a light onto practices and attitudes amongst our governing elites which require fundamental change. Other stuff, and quite a lot of this recent material just stirs the pot unnecessarily and without adding to the public good. At the same time it introduces an element of mistrust in those channels of communication and potentially an element of mistrust between the different parties themselves.

Maybe she has that notification thing monnie was talking about in another thread. Remember that? Like if someone is calling you an asshole, you get an email.
There is no reason Dana. Not a valid or good one anyway.

No, see, that doesn't work: Henry showed up not because of some miraculous email notification system or ESP. He came around when I told him what an ass you are. He just couldn't help himself. :lol2:

(You know WAY better, you just like to pretend and cry.)

I get the feeling that most people have no idea what Wikileaks is or who it is.

Julian Assange is on the board and has become the spokesman for Wikileaks as director (and appears to be taking the majority of the heat), but he isn't alone in the decision making. Other members of the board include:

Phillip Adams - Australian film producer, writer, broadcaster

Wang Youcai - one of the student leaders in the Tiananmen Square protests

Ben Laurie - creator of The Apache Software (encryption)

Wang Dan - another leader of the Tiananmen Square protests and leader of the Chinese Democracy Movement

Chico Whitaker - an exiled Brazilian social activist who also has served on the advisory board of UNESCO

Wikileaks has revealed much in the way of governmental and industry corruption, as well civil rights violations. They have won several awards. The list of documents/reports they have released is long and varied.

WikiLeaks states that its "Whether or not I agree with the release of the Iran war documents or the US diplomatic cables, I personally believe that the only way to minimize corruption and civil rights violations is to have a way for the truth to be told. I do not agree with hiding or supressing facts. The truth has nothing to fear.

Yes, I'm aware that this position will be unpopular here. Please keep your guns holstered.

Thanks for the board member links Stormie.

I started research yesterday and only got as far as manning, so I appreciate the work there.

Yeh I know monnie was full of shit when she made that claim and I was pretty sure you cried to ole henry about what a dick I was being.
Thanks for confirming that monnie lied. Not that I needed it nor any validation from you.

You thought she was serious? Wow, you are not the sharpest tool in the shed by a long shot, are you?

An email notification when your name gets mentioned. Bwaahahahahaaa...yeah, you thought that was real. Just like your feigned innocence (one trick: two ponies) of why Henry showed up.

Man, you pots call kettles "liars" and "off the rockers" an awful lot, don't you?

Oh, I didn't cry to Henry. I merely laughed at what a dickhead you are, and he responded because he was in complete agreement over your dickheadedness (though his words were for sure more eloquent and encompassing than mine.) We had quite a chuckle over the steam rising out of your ears and your sputtering and flailing.

Not to mention your admission of your various stalking activities. Creepy. *shudder* You look worse by the minute!

:lol2:

I agree with you for the most part. but, I dunno how to say this - I want the truth/facts to be told as well, but where do you draw the line or don't you. I mean to what benefit is it knowing that one delegate thinks another country's leader is a jerk. Or that privately one country is trying to support what it thinks is best for the region while not trying to damage its relationship with another... I dunno maybe I'm having difficulty writing what I'm thinking because it doesn't make sense. :eyebrow:

It's just like a personal relationship. While open communication is preferred and best in most cases, there are just some things that are best kept to oneself for the relationship's sake.

The more I read, and correlate it my head, the more it seems my initial anger at this insult was disproportionate to the actual damage done.

However, I'm still offended by this foreigners insult to the US, and if I ever meet him, he's in deep shit.;)

And....something useful may come of this:

Whistleblower Bill

Great analogy.
This is apparently on the tip of the iceberg there is more coming. Just sit and stew on it for a bit.
That'd be nice. I wonder if they pay as well :cool:

Michael Yon's piece was reposted today.
I think there is a lot of validity in what Sec'y Gates has to say.


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