Re: <nettime> [Fwd: [Goanet-News] *Julian* shouldn't be the item being offered, the leak should be.

[MK Karnak <madame_karnak@yahoo.com>]

Dear Nettimes Denizens,

Mr. Terrason has brought up the most important facet of the net: its
ability to bring information sequestered by those that want to "rule" us to
our doorsteps.  It is the most vital function of the web and the one that
we all should dedicate ourselves to cherish. 


The debate over whether Wikileaks is Israeli-sponsored or not is not all
that important.  What is important is how the young people have reacted to
the idea that they will finally be getting the truth about something.  They
wanted to protect that source and they jumped into the fray.

This is the interpretation about what happened with Wikileaks that we
should embrace.  That means not "embracing" Wikileaks or Assange himself,
but embracing the symbol and the meaning behind it.  I know the Cryptome
site and have been in awe of John's tenacity over the years.  However, like
it or not, Assange brought this subject to a roaring and open boil.
Regardless what kind of person that he is---which is very open to
interpretation--he got media attention for whatever reason.  Even if the
plan was to trot him out and use it to justify the 'POLICING OF THE WEB,"
that plan has backfired badly.  I know more people who think that the seedy
and small-minded discussions found in ambassadorial cables have NOTHING TO
DO WITH NATIONAL SECURITY AND A LOT TO DO WITH WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE WORLD
TODAY than I do people who worry that terrorists will use Wikileaks to harm
the US.

Frankly, there is very little that Wikileaks could do to harm the US's
reputation or standing in the global community that it has not already done
to itself.  The arrogance, the stealing of other people's resources, the
bullying and the obnoxious power grabs have done more to make the US hated
than anything that any truth teller could do.

Ron Paul had it right, too.  He said that the issue was not about whether
Americans should know what their ambassadors were doing, but why didn't
they and why was this information hidden in the first place?

MK

________________________________
From: J.A. Terranson <measl@mfn.org>
To: Nettime <nettime-l@kein.org>
Sent: Mon, December 20, 2010 7:42:03 AM
Subject: Re: <nettime> [Fwd: [Goanet-News] Offtopic: Wikileaks and India]

On Mon, 20 Dec 2010, yonatan reinberg wrote:

<snip>
> But but but... the world loves hero-worshiping. There was more outrage
> about Time Magazine's pick of the year than there were about the
> cables themselves.

 <...>


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