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The Forum > Article Comments > And the ABC’s Drum beats: shoot the Wikileaks messenger > Comments

And the ABC’s Drum beats: shoot the Wikileaks messenger : Comments

By Jennifer Wilson, published 14/12/2010

Exactly what narrative is the ABC working to produce about Wikileaks? Shooting messengers is a tawdry and unintelligent occupation.

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Spindoc,

It should be obvious that there are significant political ramifications for the US and its allies from these leaks. An indelicate remark, made in private, perhaps even in jest, can derail the career of even the most promising of politicians. This is a sad fact of the 24 hour news cycle. Substance has been replaced by volume as a measure of news significance.

The American gov’t will be embarrassed by many of the things that wikileaks reveals. But the level of embarrassment is NOT a measure of the public interest. Exposed lies would be in the public interest. But how is exposing cables which describe Silvio Berlusconi as vain and feckless in the public interest? Especially when you could find such an opinion in just about any reputable broadsheet. The real effect is to sabotage the relationship between the US and the host country.

You say “What if those who know they are on flaky ground, have possibly, dare I say it “misled” the public,”

Firstly, all of the wikileaks cables will come out. Thats undeniable. So the idea that they are reacting ,in any manner ,in order to suppress the leaks is specious,.

Secondly there has not yet been such an example that I am aware of. No one here seems to be posting these purported “lies”. And I simply cannot believe that Assange wouldn’t lead with the best material.

The suggestion that the ABC is working to a single right wing narrative is also preposterous and smacks of paranoia. The ABC has a decidedly leftist lean even if it is not as pronounced as it used to be.
Posted by PaulL, Wednesday, 15 December 2010 6:41:08 PM
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Briar Rose,

“The State is a condition, a certain relationship between human beings, a mode of behavior; we DESTROY it by contracting other relationships,”

Your claim that Landauer is not calling for the Abolition of the state is fallacious. He is calling for the “destruction” of the state as we know it, to reorder it in an anarchist image. Thats anarchism. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_Landauer

Regime change, as I’m sure your aware, is part of the popular lexicon and is usually used in place of coup or revolution. Working towards the removal of a political organisation which Assange does not approve of (even a democratic one) is regime change and is a political act. Assange has a political agenda that makes a mockery of the claims that he is encouraging greater transparency.

You say “ Assange's position is internal to the structure of the global politic.” What?? So if Ahmedinejhad tells us that Israel is not complying with UN resolutions, he’s a whistleblower too? Nonsense. Manning might conceivably be a whistleblower as he was actually within the system he exposed, but he is a disturbed individual and his motivations are clearly personal.

Sadly, what the left is missing is that these leaks are going to hurt Obama way more than the Republicans. They can simply ignore the fallout or even use it against him. It is clear that these leaks may do enough damage to the President politically that the Republicans are able to repeal Obama’s medicare reforms.
Posted by PaulL, Wednesday, 15 December 2010 6:43:08 PM
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PaulL - Landauer may indeed be calling for anarchy but Assange is not. He is calling for transparent government. This is of course a "political agenda."

Sometimes I quote Freud or Karl Marx - and I'm neither a Freudian nor a Marxist.

Some times I've quoted Jesus and I'm not a Christian.

The thing about all interesting and long lasting texts is that they contain profound comments that are not confined by the overall ideology they espouse.

Assange isn't a country's leader telling somebody something about another power - he's a media player,releasing a quarter of a million cables passed to him by the man who downloaded them.

I have yet to see proof that Assange is working towards the removal of any government. I see evidence so far that his agenda is transparency. I think he is savvy enough to know that all governments are secretive, and I don't think he's interested in replacing one secretive regime with another.

It's too soon for me to decide about Assange's deepest motives - I prefer to see what unfolds.

I have thought at times over the last few days that people are perhaps attributing far too many and too complex motives to him. We shall see.

These leaks have nothing at all to do with the possible repeal of Obama's health reforms. That was on the cards long before Wikileaks.

Neither does Wikileaks have the slightest thing to do with the pressure on Obama to continue tax cuts for the wealthy.
Posted by briar rose, Wednesday, 15 December 2010 7:22:25 PM
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Briar Rose,

two quotes

" let us consider two closely balanced and broadly conspiratorial power groupings, the US Democratic and Republican parties. Consider what would happen if one of these parties gave up their mobile phones, fax and email correspondence — let alone the computer systems which manage their subscribes, donors, budgets, polling, call centres and direct mail campaigns? They would immediately fall into an organizational stupor and lose to the other. ... An authoritarian conspiracy that cannot think is powerless to preserve itself against the opponents it induces .. "

"To deal with powerful conspiratorial actions we must think ahead and attack the process that leads to them sincethe actions themselves can not be dealt with.We can deceive or blind a conspiracy by distorting or restricting the informationavailable to it."
http://cryptome.org/0002/ja-conspiracies.pdf

Julian Assange in his own words is telling you that the Democratic and Republican parties are conspiracies which we need to defeat. Assange doesn't want to promote freedom of information within the current system. He wants to overthrow the current system.
Posted by PaulL, Wednesday, 15 December 2010 9:52:42 PM
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PaulL,

One quote (Assange - Time Magazine):

"....Since 2006 we have been working along this philosophy: organisations which are abusive...need to be in the public eye. They then have one of two choices: One is to reform in such a way that they can be proud of their endeavours and proud to display them to the public. The other is to lock down internally and to balkanise and as a result cease to be as efficient as they were. To me that is a very good outcome, because organisations can either be efficient, open and honest, or they can be closed, conspiratorial and inefficient."
Posted by Poirot, Wednesday, 15 December 2010 10:07:32 PM
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PaulL
Overthrowing the current system does not equate with anarchy.

If this is the case, the Coalition of the Willing undertook anarchist action when they invaded Iraq and overthrew Saddam.

Call me unimaginative, but I just don't get Bush Howard and Blair as anarchists.

Anarchy calls for the abolition of all systems of government and state control, and advocates individual responsibility instead.
Posted by briar rose, Thursday, 16 December 2010 5:45:55 AM
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