The Wiki has Gonorrhea

[miles]

And yet I heard on the radio today that the contents of the cables amount to some embarrassment for diplomats and nothing more.

What? So you're saying there's a chance that Assange talked a big game but won't deliver? Incredible, he just doesn't seem the type.

[Arachno-capitalist]

And yet I heard on the radio today that the contents of the cables amount to some embarrassment for diplomats and nothing more.

Yes and no. None of this information was Top Secret or Secret. It was just meant to be confidential. So its embarrassing, but not like "HERES WHERE WE KEEP THE BOMB AND HOW TO LAUNCH IT" secret. 

[Doc]

On the one hand this would probably be less of a big deal if there was more obvious editorial control over what was being released, I think many are people are freaked because wikileaks seems like such a wild card and it makes Assange easier to persecute (and prosecute) because he lacks credibility.
On the other my understanding of journalist protecting type laws makes me think Assange being prosecuted would be a bad thing.

What I think we should ALL agree on is that Assange basically looks like a Bond villain.

[Arachno-capitalist]

An Australian Bond villain? that'll be the day. Its hard to make an exciting movie about a villain who gets around by traveling in a Kangaroo pouch.

[Doc]

"Whack another Bond on the barbie"?

[wombat]

Yes and no. None of this information was Top Secret or Secret. It was just meant to be confidential. So its embarrassing, but not like "HERES WHERE WE KEEP THE BOMB AND HOW TO LAUNCH IT" secret. 

Well, not quite, but this is what someone said on NPR this morning.

One of the cables that has been very controversial was this list of many sites that the U.S. deemed critical to its national security, that if they were attacked by terrorists, that the United States would be in a lot of trouble. We're talking about power plants, bridges, tunnels, medical research facilities all around the world. And there was a lot of criticism and that's why the United States said it bolstered its case against Wikileaks because this is not the greater good trying to expose some kind of wrongdoing. This is giving a roadmap to terrorists how to attack the United States.

http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2010-12-10/news-roundup-hour-2/transcript

[Arachno-capitalist]

I wouldn't exactly call that a secret. I'd call it obvious that bridges, tunnels, and power plants are important to a country.

[wombat]

Well I didn't go and research beyond that quote because despite how much I have posted in this thread I really am trying not to get sucked into spending a lot of time following this story, but I am assuming they mean particular facilities of those sorts that would be the most problematic.

[JorgeFabregas]

What? So you're saying there's a chance that Assange talked a big game but won't deliver? Incredible, he just doesn't seem the type.

No, jeebus, I'm saying the (often contradictory) media spin is BS. There are some very bad things revealed in there, but they are not getting much attention. Bad as in there were bad things going on that were revealed (not that it was bad that they were revealed).

Example:
http://harpers.org/archive/2010/11/hbc-90007831

[Arachno-capitalist]

The thing just got more complicated, wikileaks has a leak. Former wikileakers are leaking on Openleaks: http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/1964902/openleaks_project_started_by_former_wikileaks_staff/

[Toaster]

It's leaks all the way down.

[miles]

[miles]

No, jeebus, I'm saying the (often contradictory) media spin is BS. There are some very bad things revealed in there, but they are not getting much attention. Bad as in there were bad things going on that were revealed (not that it was bad that they were revealed).

Example:
http://harpers.org/archive/2010/11/hbc-90007831

Somehow I missed this a month and a half ago. OK, I totally misread you. I had just recently read an article (that I now can't find) about how he talks a lot of trash had that on my mind.