just cleared from e-mail tray
From: H
Sent: Fri, December 3, 2010 3:18:45 AM
Subject: Re: Observations - Week of November 22
re.: co-ordinated state suppression of communication on the internet
has been in train for some time now. numerous states have instituted controls under a number of pretexts (favored pretexts are usually the ones no-one would object to, such as protecting kids from exploitation) to limit access to the internet. Joe Lieberman, who has pushed Amazon to switch off wikileak's alternate server (i would note here the uproar in the political class over wikileaks is because it exposes them and their nefarious schemings, not because any of OUR genuine interests are threatened), is known for introducing the 'kill switch' legislation that allows the US administration to just 'switch the internet off' if it deems there to be a cyber-attack in progress. His argument was quite interesting: 'China can do it, so we should be able to do it too.'
Of course, following this line of thinking one could argue that certain parts of the Patriot Act, such as the ones that suspend the bill of rights and allow the president to declare any person an 'enemy combatant' at his whim and order the secret imprisonment, torture (sorry, 'enhanced interrogation') or termination of such person, is only right and proper. After all, North Korea and Cuba can do it too, right?
Anyway, wikileaks has stirred up a hornet's nest, that's for sure. Study of the leaked material is strongly recommended. Some of it is genuinely interesting and one wonders why it was kept secret at all? Much of it shows us what a bunch of depraved blackguards our dear leaders are and how far removed the interests of the State are from the interests of the average citizen or what we could broadly call society.
On Thu, Dec 2, 2010 at 3:11 AM, S wrote:
I find all this multinational carping about the publishing of the cables rather over-the-top myself -- as such, IMO it has a specious "methinks the lady doth protest too much" character to it
What truly bothers me about this Wikileaks situation is whether the current "event" will be somehow used as a foundational excuse for some type of co-ordinated state suppression of communication on the internet -- which also has me wondering if facilitating/letting the leaks occur is part of a plan
Is that too Orwellian? I don't believe it is. Control the medium and you control the message. Silence opposition to that message and the sheeple never hear the other side of the story
You may now all call me paranoid -- it's not like I haven't heard that label before
On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 7:39 PM, H wrote:
we can not be certain that everything wikileaks publishes is genuine, but we can be certain that every government on the world is lying a great deal of the time and doing things normal citizens would never ever think of doing (in the name of nebulous concepts such as the 'national interest', which usually turn out to be rather sordid interests when examined more closely).
so our standard for judging wikileaks should be: are we, as citizens, better or worse off because it exists? i for one think anything that seriously hampers the State should be welcome to society (i.e., all of us).
The State is historically a creature of conquest and exploitation - elections only marginally improve upon this , they don't retroactively change its genesis or its raison d'etre. Wikileaks is uncomfortable because it reminds everyone how much lying and killing and whatnot is done in our name. That however makes it necessary. It is the modern-day replacement of what used to be the free press - the corporatist media that are too often confusing the dissemination of government propaganda with journalism.
On Thu, Dec 2, 2010 at 12:11 AM, J wrote:
assange now has enough credibility to create any document he wished and cause some folks real problems
and if 99.99% of wikileaks were genuine
0.001% can be placed deliberately by almost anyone with enough credentials, in or outside of wikileaks
From: H
Sent: Thu, December 2, 2010 7:05:09 AM
Subject: Re: Observations - Week of November 22
something on the latest wikileaks disclosures - the establishment is in an uproar (isn't it nice to see them squirm). Joe Lieberman has talked Amazon into taking down wikileaks from its server, and a senior advisor to the Harper govt. calls for Assange's assassination (note how the assembled corporate media 'journalists' find this 'display of manliness' real funny):
talkingpointsmemo.com
On Thu, Dec 2, 2010 at 12:03 AM, J wrote:
i have mixed feelings
(i) ain't democracy great
(ii) the italians have a sense of humor
(iii) how can one blame berlusconi
(iv) what an azzhole
(v) am jealous
(vi) so what's the revelation?
about sums it all up, and oh, nice pic of pick.
From: R
Sent: Wed, December 1, 2010 10:54:37 PM
Subject: Re: Observations - Week of November 22
enjoy....
dailymail.co.uk
On Dec 1, 2010, at 4:27 AM, A wrote:
Assange
Orwell
Big brother
1984
Sex crimes
Assange
Neat circle
youtube.com
good tune
perhaps Assange victim of auto Erotic asphyxiation like David Carradine in Bangkok ?
From: J
Sent: 01 December 2010 03:07
Subject: Re: Observations - Week of November 22
now he can save himself by posting 'smoking gun' interpol doc detailing how he is to be setup
wikileaks is turning into one man against all governments, reminding me of that single fellow who stood in front of the tank in tiananmen
may the force be with assange, even should he turn out to be a sex offender on par with al gore, as long as no children are involved
From: S
Sent: Wed, December 1, 2010 9:58:49 AM
Subject: Re: Observations - Week of November 22
Interpol Issues International Arrest Warrant For Julian Assange For "Sex Crimes"
It doesn't get much more Orwellian than that |
