Weary Of Wikileaks (Kittredge | Vermont Public Radio)

[struggle4progress]

... Diplomacy, as defined by Webster's Collegiate Dictionary is: "the art and practice of conducting negotiations between nations" and "skill in handling affairs without arousing hostility: tact" ...

We don't program robots to conduct diplomatic negotiations; robots aren't great at tact and dances of quivering delicacy. Instead, we send into the fray people whom we trust will act on our behalf with grace and integrity. Richard Holbrooke comes quickly to mind. Do they stumble and explode and, off the record - wait, that's not possible anymore is it? But did they let their hair down in private? I hope so.

Believe it or not, there are things I don't want to know ... And I honestly don't care what some Under Secretary quipped about someone.

I want to trust those who try and secure a just and peaceful world, and I'm reluctant to dismiss them for their humanity. Instead, I'm grateful for their efforts to address the current situation by talking with other leaders and endeavoring to affirm tender and volatile relationships both publicly and - yes - in private, too.

http://www.vpr.net/episode/50125/

[Sinistrous]

1. Interesting point. However,

AFAIK, the private-venting tpe of messages are only a small fraction of the Wikileaks trove.

[Voice for Peace]

3. Agree. And it's not a simple matter of things being said off the record.

It is the dishonesty & deception, the abuse of power;
an apparent lack of conscience; disregard for human life,
common sense and the rule of good law.

Not just law for the sake of law, but good law. Righteous.

I love what Wikileaks is doing and has started.
I don't want all the details either.

But I do like to see dishonesty exposed.
People *should* be embarrassed by their own gossip & hypocrisy.
Hypocrisy has nothing to do with diplomacy.

[EFerrari]

2. "I'm grateful for their efforts to address the current situation by talking with other leaders

and by stalking private citizens all over Europe and by holding unconvicted suspects in solitary confinement until their brains turn to mush -- oops, that's one of those things I don't want to know!"

[Tunkamerica]

4. I want to trust! Please let me go back to naivete! Remember the 50's?

When every single thing on the planet was better than now? I do...

Please let me trust everything our government does won't affect me. Who cares if it kills people who don't look like me, or breaks American laws, or is proof of corruption? I just want to close my eyes and trust that everything's beautiful.

[struggle4progress]

6. You might want to learn more about the 50s. Read Howard Fast's "Being Red" or

look up some old issues of IF Stone's Weekly, say

[Tunkamerica]

8. did i really need to put a sarcasm tag on that?

[glinda]

5. All out attack on Wikileaks going on as a concerted effort.

[struggle4progress]

7. Hardly

[wikileaksfan]

9. You could be a libertarian dumbing down the internet!