Something to think about with this Wikileaks thing

[Robyn66]

Remember how (justifiably) up in arms we all were about Valerie Plame being outed? Well, what concerns me most about this Wikileaks thing are the informants all over the middle east who have now been outed. Their lives and the lives of their families are in grave danger. I haven't heard anyone express any concern about that.

[patrice]

1. They should be allowed to immigrate. nt

[bemildred]

2. Obvious. nt

[Pamela Troy]

3. Informants exposed?

Which one of the cables released by Wikileaks did this?

[Robyn66]

16. CBS news

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/07/29/karzai-wikileaks.html#ixzz17dVGXLsT

According to the New York Times, some of the roughly 75,000 U.S. military field reports WikiLeaks has released on its website to date contain names or other identifying details about Afghans who have been co-operating with NATO forces, informing on the Taliban or who have been pegged as potential defectors or informants.

The sampling of documents published by the Times and two other media — the Guardian and Der Spiegel — on Monday had names and identifying information redacted.

WikiLeaks said it held back 15,000 of the total 91,000 documents it received in order to remove names and personal information, but the Times said it found documents that did contain such details among the material already posted on the group's site.

Canada in the war logs
Search our database of WikiLeaks documents with Canadian references.

Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, a website devoted to publishing leaked government and other sensitive documents, said if names have been revealed, it was a mistake and something his organization would take seriously.

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/07/29/karzai-wikileaks.html

But he also insisted that if people have been put at risk, it's "because of a misclassification by the U.S. military itself."

The Pentagon is reviewing the documents released by WikiLeaks to see whether any Afghans are at risk of reprisals.

On Thursday, U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates said a criminal investigation into the leak could go beyond the military, and he did not rule out that Assange could be a target.

"The investigation should go wherever it needs to go," Gates said.

He would not be more specific, waving off questions about whether Assange or media outlets that used the WikiLeaks material could be subjects of the criminal probe.

But he noted that he has asked the FBI to help in the investigation "to ensure that it can go wherever it needs to go."


So if the military screwed up the classification does that make it ok?

[Voice for Peace]

4. I've read in many places that the releases are being done carefully with exactly that in mind.

Names & identifying info of anyone at risk being removed before each release.

[librechik]

18. exactly--and followup indicates no one was killed as a result of the leaks

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2010/1201/1224284485743.html

" ... catastrophic? None of the US officials railing against WikiLeaks and its founder Assange have offered convincing evidence that this or previous document dumps, about the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, actually endangered lives."

[GliderGuider]

5. We're not expressing concern because it hasn't happened

RW talking points notwithstanding...

[Goldstein1984]

6. That's a very good point, but...

I think Valerie Plame was outed as a matter of political retribution.

What I'm seeing now, or hope that I'm seeing now, is citizen sheep becoming citizen wolves. Only a few are leading the charge, but I'm hoping that with time the number will grow. I know I'm seeing and hearing it among friends and family that I considered pacified. People are beginning to challenge Power.

At this point, if the governments of the world are successful in stifling the free flow of information and persecuting dissenters, then we'll proceed to a worse version of what we had, with the government reassured of its growing ability to suppress and pacify the people.

In short, I think Valerie Plame was politics, and I think Wikileaks is part of a people's revolt.

[Teaser]

7. so?

prosecute the individual who leaked the information then. That's not wikileaks.
Wikileaks is simply publicizing the information. I would defend them, even if they were used as a tool to out Valerie Plame.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

8. Ironically, Cheney went after Plame to silence a whistle-blower.

Now, the alleged good guys are trying to silence another whistle-blower.

[madmax]

9. Link for outings of vunerable agents per wikkileaks? nt

[Matariki]

10. No one is outing CIA agents. Except perhaps people violating international laws.

Illegally kidnapping citizens of and in foreign countries and taking them to be tortured.

Oh and the political pressure to keep those illegal acts from being punished.

Please try to get some perspective on this.

[GliderGuider]

11. There is one informant who has been outed by Wikileaks

He is is the right-wing Australian senator Mark Arbib.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=4648652&mesg_id=4648652

I doubt he's in danger of assassination or arrest, though...

[Robb]

12. These cables, not so much.

If anything the level of redaction on these is annoying.

Back in July they left a lot of names in those military reports. I believe they've learned their lesson on that.

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Robyn66]

15. Ok, so some life is more valuble than others I get it

This reminds me of this person I used to be friends with who posted on her face book friends that she hoped the CHRISTIANS in Iraq wouldnt be hurt in the bombing. When I told her I hopeed No ONE would be hurt she un-friended me. Informants help the US, they have families too and their lives are just as valuable as anyone and their death is just as much a tragedy.

[Catherina]

17. Informants don't help the US. All of this is hurting the US.

If they're American informants bring them home. The only reason to preach about their safety is so they can stay there, continued informing and getting people killed for imperial hegemony. What are they doing in foreigh countries informing the war machine? If you're so worried about their safety and their families, bring them home where they belong and can turn into productive members of society instead of government lackeys feeding information into a database of death.

[Arctic Dave]

19. +1

If you sell out your country to an occupying force so you can benefit, expect to be hated. Especially by those who's family members were killed because of them.

[lamp_shade]

14. And you won't. Not here. Not now. To express concern would be futile.

[snot]

20. Names have been redacted. Wikileaks has not published anything

unless already redacted and published by The NYT et al.

Not one person is known to have been harmed as a result of any Wikileaks release.