Wikileaks - has the line been crossed ???

[supermario]

As we all know, there has been alot in the news about what has been leaked through the Wikileaks website.

The most recent (and involving Australia directly) is a conversation between (at the time) Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and their thoughts on China.

http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sec...205-18lf2.html

now, while i believe there should be freedom of information that is in the well being of the country and it's citizens, is there a necessity for this information on polititians thoughts on other countries in private and confidential comminiques to be released???

I have highlighted the above article due to the relation it has to China. Considering the chinese are a Strong trade partner, would this have major economic effects on australia???

Are the leaks of these documents potential firestorms to foreign policy????

[melon....]

Did Kev refer to them as Rat ****ers?

What a moron this guy turned out to be. Some even predicted his arse clowning.

[Guest]

We need 20 more sites just like wikileaks!

I am so sick of information being hidden from me because some faceless arsehole decides I don't need to know or shouldn't know about that information. I am a voter of a supposedly democratic country and I have a right to know ALL the details about decisions made on my behalf and by the very people I voted into power.

I know I am in the minority about this, but I for one am sick to farking death of being treated like a child when it comes to so called "sensitive" information. Just like the media who only tell us what they think we should know. I don't want to know about Lindsay Lohan or farking Justin Beiber, unlike the majority of brain dead morons in this country.

I want to know the truth about the war on terror and the decisions that lead to it. I want to know how many civilains died, how many homes did we destroy and how many terrorists we killed.

The mere fact the pursuit of Assange is political motivated and has fark all to do anything else means he is doing what they dread, revealling their bullshit. We need more of it.

Chook.

[supermario]

I don't think it is unreasonable to want freedom of information Chook, i think we all want to know the reason behind Bush and Howard sending troops to a war that is considered the new vietnam.

[Guest]

I don't think it is unreasonable to want freedom of information Chook, i think we all want to know the reason behind Bush and Howard sending troops to a war that is considered the new vietnam.

100% agree Muz, my issue is without sites like Wikileaks we would never find out or worse we would be left with the idiotic ramblings of conspiracy thoerists like the 9/11 Truthers, Fox News, The Australian newspaper and Andrew Bolt. Quite frankly it is organisations like News limited/Corp that have the most to lose from a site like Wikileaks. We won't need News Limited/Corp and their army of propagandourous spin lemmings when we can get the facts fom the source.

Chook.

[Kingbilly]

Chook, I think you have hit a bigger issue than the "Sensitive" information issue and thats the truth in reporting issue.
Journalism all over the world is not interested in the "truth" they are only interested in sensationalising and opinionising information. Whether its international trade, the war in wherever or the bust of some idiot selling dope, I would like the facts and only the facts.

[Guest]

Chook, I think you have hit a bigger issue than the "Sensitive" information issue and thats the truth in reporting issue.
Journalism all over the world is not interested in the "truth" they are only interested in sensationalising and opinionising information. Whether its international trade, the war in wherever or the bust of some idiot selling dope, I would like the facts and only the facts.

Spot on KB. I don't want to read some twits "version" of the facts, or their editor's opinion, just give me the facts, as ugly as they are, and let me make my own mind up. I thought that was the point of being in democracy?

It's interesting when I think back to when the Soviet Union collapsed, I remember reading a snippet from Gorbachev who said that the only difference he could see between the propaganda they fed the Soviet people for decades through the state run news and the so called democratic news of the west, was that the people of the Soviet Union knew they were being fed propaganda. He said the people of the west were also being fed propaganda they just didn’t know it. That still rings true today, even more so imo.

Chook.

[trewhella]

funny, I viewed "the Green Zone" the other night.....

I think that is worth a look.

[Guest]

This wiki leaks will embarass a lot of officials and make countries a bit more guarded towards each other but is that a good thing and how long will it last? We will never live a world where everything is above board and governments talk honestly to each other. I know I don't live in that world on a personal level, although not to that degree (obviously).

If we all had the chance to run the country would we all agree on a common view point? No chance. Fundamentaly there might be a consensus but the details and steps would vary greatly.

I think the wiki leaks site can do a lot of damage and some things should not be made public.

[stephenj]

i agree not eve4rything needs to be made public, but then not everything needs to be top secret either, hiding behind such secrets only promotes apathetic attitudes at the top?

[The Prowler]

Wikileaks will be used to justify the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq (and Iran in future), vindicate the decisions of Bush, Blair, Howard et al. to engage in these illegal wars and hang a few scapegoats out to dry.

It will also lead to calls for restriction of internet freedom and censorship and shutdown legitimate opposition to the main stream media.

It is a psyop, another avenue for propaganda.

Spot on KB. I don't want to read some twits "version" of the facts, or their editor's opinion, just give me the facts, as ugly as they are, and let me make my own mind up. I thought that was the point of being in democracy?

It's interesting when I think back to when the Soviet Union collapsed, I remember reading a snippet from Gorbachev who said that the only difference he could see between the propaganda they fed the Soviet people for decades through the state run news and the so called democratic news of the west, was that the people of the Soviet Union knew they were being fed propaganda. He said the people of the west were also being fed propaganda they just didn’t know it. That still rings true today, even more so imo.

Chook.

oh the irony.....

[Guest]

Research Daniel Ellsberg and what he did.

if not for him, there would be no All The Presidents Men and Frost/Nixon.

[melon....]

We need 20 more sites just like wikileaks!

I am so sick of information being hidden from me because some faceless arsehole decides I don't need to know or shouldn't know about that information. I am a voter of a supposedly democratic country and I have a right to know ALL the details about decisions made on my behalf and by the very people I voted into power.

I know I am in the minority about this, but I for one am sick to farking death of being treated like a child when it comes to so called "sensitive" information. Just like the media who only tell us what they think we should know. I don't want to know about Lindsay Lohan or farking Justin Beiber, unlike the majority of brain dead morons in this country.

I want to know the truth about the war on terror and the decisions that lead to it. I want to know how many civilains died, how many homes did we destroy and how many terrorists we killed.

The mere fact the pursuit of Assange is political motivated and has fark all to do anything else means he is doing what they dread, revealling their bullshit. We need more of it.

Chook.

Do you think Senator Conjob's internet filter will allow you access to these Wikileaks sites?

You wont be able to read any of this stuff when Red Juliar gets her way with her billion dollar NBN Filter.

[Guest]

Do you think Senator Conjob's internet filter will allow you access to these Wikileaks sites?

Yep.

You wont be able to read any of this stuff when Red Juliar gets her way with her billion dollar NBN Filter.

The filter and the NBN are separate things melon. One's an internet filter while the other is a fibre optic network. You really need to stop listening to Ray "I'm a big mouthed know nothing farkwit" Hadley for your NBN facts dude seriously.

Chook.

[melon....]

Yep.



The filter and the NBN are separate things melon. One's an internet filter while the other is a fibre optic network. You really need to stop listening to Ray "I'm a big mouthed know nothing farkwit" Hadley for your NBN facts dude seriously.

Chook.

Here are some facts seeing you want to explore those Chook. The NBN will cost Australian tax payer's more than twice its billed $43Billion. Oh and currently we dont have the resource to get it finished (in the time frame alotted) by the way.

The internet filter will never be allowed as a stand alone offering. Its already been rejected under the realization that it cuts against the very free speech you are reveling in at the moment. But they will sneak it in bundled in the NBN rollout.

Fiber to every home. unlikely. Not with 4G here. Fiber = white elephant. For the home at least thats true.

Its not Conroy's or the government's responsibility to protect people from the internet. Its yours and mine. At least in a free world it is.