The Real Danger from WikiLeaks

The organization known as WikiLeaks has as its mission the revelation of as much classified government information as possible.  WikiLeaks justifies this as an exercise in ‘transparency’ or freedom of speech.  Of course, all this is quite irrelevant unless WikiLeaks has access to large amounts of significant classified information.  As governments around the world have been discovering for months now, they do.

I could write volumes about the Wikileaks issue - from a legal perspective, from a national security perspective, from a civil rights perspective.  And that’s just about the Wikileaks organization and process itself – not the content which they have released.  I reserve the right to do so in the future. 

Today, I restrict myself to three short comments.  The first two will appear to be contradictory.  Upon reflection, though, the astute and thoughtful citizen will be able to discern the single premise underlying these two seemingly paradoxical statements.  The third comment will present a warning to the people.

Comment #1: 

This information did not just arrive on the doorstep of Wikileaks by itself.  Someone with access to classified material – almost certainly many persons – decided to break the law.  The spies – for that is what they are - intentionally decided to violate the trust placed in them by their government.  Their identities must be uncovered; they must be removed from positions of trust and prosecuted for their betrayal.

Comment #2: 

I believe Abraham Lincoln said it better and more concisely than I could, so I quote him:  "Let the people know the facts and the country will be safe."

Comment #3:

The the greatest danger that may emerge from this is not the embarrassment it will cause to the U.S. State Department or the King of Saudi Arabia or the government of China.  All concerned will do what political damage control they can, and go forward.  The greatest danger is to our civil liberties.  Timothy McNulty, a national security journalist, wrote an insightful editorial which you can read at CNN.com if you choose.*

He wrote:  "The real danger... is not the revelation of assorted classified material but our tendency to overreact... We've become so reactive to security concerns -- and, at the same time, apathetic to threats to our own civil liberties -- that we might, as a result of the WikiLeaks release, allow government agencies to step on the universal reach of the Internet or find ways to create exceptions to First Amendment freedoms."


This historian and intelligence veteran agrees.


Gryphem

* http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/11/30/mcnulty.wikileaks.journalism/index.html?hpt=T1 

 

Disclaimer:

The use of humor is not meant to imply

that the subject matter is not serious.

It just means we want to laugh anyway.