I know 99% of this board is American. The latest Wikilieaks have presented the USA in a bad light. IMO the posts denouncing Assange have been a gut reaction in defence of your own country.
Question 1. Had an American citizen published the leaks (ie diplomatic cables), would you be as vehement in your hatred?
In a couple of posts I have seen Assange equated/conflated with Rupert Murdoch. Personally I find this ludicrous. To those who make the comparison, have you ever read the history of Murdoch? He is a man who financially supports whichever political party that will bend laws to accommodate his media empire. He renouced Australian citizenship 25 years ago. Laws concerning media ownership were more lax in the US, hence Murdoch's successful application for US citizenship. Sorry guys, he's officially one of yours now, not our problem.
Question 2. In the grand scheme of things, do you consider Julian Assange to be a greater threat than Rupert Murdoch?
I am an ordinary, bog-standard, tax paying citizen. I also happen to be informed and like - no, demand - to know what my goverment is doing and saying in my name. I happen to believe that only Americans have got their knickers in a twist about these cables because they, in the main, reflect badly on American diplomacy.
Question 3. Should clumsy and inept American diplomatic efforts be exposed?
Given all the above, I ask you to position youself historically. Take note of the fact that you are around when, for the first time when previously classified (secret) documents were released.
Question 4. Do you approve of government and TPTB using any way possible to prevent and more importantly PUNISH the leak of documents.
Assange only leaks stuff that has been volunteered to him. He has positioned himself in such a way that he can make documents public without revealing source. Totally coincidental to the issue is the fact that Bradly Manning 'outed' himself.
Question 6. Punish the messenger?
Those here who condemn Assange need to re-examine their philosophies on the transparencies of life and government in general. You forget your own powers as a taxpayer and a voter and it is time to reclaim both those positions and insist that whatever is done in you name is done in good faith and with total openess and scrutiny.
In closing I refer you to an article written by Associate Professor Ben Saul,co-director of the Sydney Centre for International Law at the University of Sydney and a barrister specialising in security law.
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/dont-cry-over-wikileaks-20101201-18glc.htmlEvidence of crime, however, may lie elsewhere. The malicious denial-of-service attacks on WikiLeaks should be investigated by Australia as possible offences under Australian law, given that the attacks affected access to the website here. Australia could use its new Cyber Security Centre to track down the perpetrators. The US government is an obvious suspect — and a promising place to start.