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International News Title: Americans Better Off Because of WikiLeaks By now, most Americans know that WikiLeaks has published a bunch of private documents from the U.S. State Department regarding U.S. foreign policy. WikiLeaks is a website run by Julian Assange. The documents were given to WikiLeaks by an Army Private, who is now in jail. Both the left and right are outraged over the affair. Over the last few days almost everyone on Fox News and MSNBC have been screaming for Julian Assange's head. Some are calling for the U.S. government to arrest Julian Assange for espionage. Others have called for more drastic measures, including declaring WikiLeaks a "terrorist organization" and even assassinating Assange. While the left and right are sitting together around the nationalist campfire singing Kumbaya, Justice Andrew Napolitano (Fox Business) is pointing out some very interesting facts. Napolitano correctly points out that this is a free speech issue, which is protected by the First Amendment. He also correctly notes that the Supreme has uniformly ruled that if the information is of public interest, then the public has a right to it. It is certainly in the public interest to know that a Vice President of Afghanistan spirited $52 million of American foreign aid out of the country; that our "ally" Saudi Arabia is both funding al Queda and pressuring us to bomb Iran; and that Hillary Clinton has ordered her staff to dig up dirt on foreign leaders, probably for the purposes of extorting them in the future. We the people need transparency to remain in control. No, we don't need the nuclear launch codes, but we need to understand what our government is doing in our name around world. Now we now. It's not pretty. Oh, but this is a national security threat and people will die as a result. What about that? WikiLeaks went to great extents, working with the Guardian and New York Times, to redact (censor) the articles to remove names of innocent people who might be harmed by the release of the documents. Over 300 names were removed. They even asked for help from the State Department, who declined to help them. If anyone is actually killed because of this, who is really to blame? Yes the Private First Class who leaked the documents is in deep trouble. He should be in deep trouble because he signed a contract agreeing to obey his orders. He didn't. Now he has to suffer the consequences. However, WikiLeaks is a media organization that has every right to publish news that is in the public interest. Their efforts have enabled Americans to better understand what the politicians are doing in our names around the world. We are more informed and therefore better off because of it. A huge problem is the U.S. government classifies too many things. So, it becomes difficult to understand what the real secrets are and how protect them. Libertarians, liberals, and many conservatives understand this. It's been discussed for years. Almost all politicians pay lip service to "transparency" during their campaigns. Unfortunately, almost NO politicians do anything about it once they are in office. WikiLeaks did something about it because our politicians wouldn't. Americans are better off as a result.
Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 12.
#11. To: jwpegler (#0)
Wrong. Its a theft issue, and a receiving stolen property issue.
Not according to the Supreme Court.
#13. To: jwpegler (#12)
We'll see.
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