Naomi Wolf: Espionage Act: How the Government Can Engage in Serious Aggression Against the People of the United States

Naomi Wolf: Espionage Act: How the Government Can Engage in Serious Aggression Against the People of the United States.

Extraordinarily frightening. Read, learn, inwardly digest and then ACT. If you’re like me and safely outside of the US (although there’s a few examples of where that doesn’t count for much), read, learn, inwardly digest and ACT.

I had  flashback to the 80s after reading this article. Not the boofy haired, shoulder padded kind of 80s. The 80s where people were protesting in the streets and being beaten for it. Where espionage on the behalf of governments was rife. Where we felt like we were on the brink of annihilation.

Okay, maybe we’re not actually on the brink of annihilation now. But there’s something afoot. With our new found freedom of information and expression comes a reaction. The push and pull of forces makes it so.

I need a coffee.

Telling us what we need to know

This week, Wikileaks burst into the news. Bigger and louder than before and bringing forth a full force reaction from the powers that be. What information came out (that made the headlines anyway) from the latest leaks? Apparently important enough information for the US to explode in anger towards Wikileaks and its founder, Julian Assange. Within days, Palin & Huckabee were in a perverted bidding war on how to deal with him. “Track him down like Osama Bin Laden” (what, wait 10 years for nothing to happen?), “assassinate him”? This, from the Land of the Free, where Freedom of Speech is king.  The US Government went into overdrive, looking for payback. Shortly afterwards, Amazon booted Wikileaks off their server and then Paypal stopped donations being paid through them. (Boycott both if you care). The UK snivelled up to their special friend and called for Assange’s blood. So did France and most disappointingly, Australia. How shameful is it that someone who was born in Australia, (and remains a citizen) is threatened by his own government? But not everything went against Assange: A Swiss host has taken Wikileaks onboard and is not inclined in the slightest to bow to pressure to remove it.

This is serious, folks!

There are some who are likening Assange to Che Guevara. I disagree. He’s not advocating a violent overthrowing of the government. He’s enacting what governments all over the world say they espouse – transparency. If Assange is like any other historical figure/s he’s more like Woodward & Bernstein. Journalists tracking down information that’s being withheld from the public.

The ramifications of the reaction to these leaks is world changing. Assange is a public figure now. We know who he is, what he looks like and sadly, that he has a son. Should he be assassinated or thrown in prison to rot will have a major effect on the media – mainstream and social – and I suspect, world politics. Conspiracy theorists will go wild with a world wide “told you so”.  Dictatorships will be heartened by how democracy deals with rogue information.

What came out of the latest leaks

Do I need to know what conversations were had between top diplomats? Do I need to be told that the US thinks Russia is run like the Mafia or that Berlusconi is sex mad? In the case of the latter two, no, we already know that. Rumour, gossip and conspiracy theories will always thrive in the absence of official information. But with so many leaks yet to be published, it’s an indictment on the media as much as the readership that the titillating, gossipy leaks made headlines first.

From the Telegraph’s article of Wikileaks’ 10 greatest stories, you can see that many of the leaks are important. They show us what’s been going on behind the curtain of confidentiality while we go about our daily lives. In another Telegraph article, it’s revealed that some files may contain evidence of war crimes (see article: Afghan war logs: ‘files may contain evidence of war crimes’ ).

Perhaps we don’t need to know everything. The delicate dance of diplomacy requires some level of discretion. But if atrocities are going on each day in the name of freedom, science, government without recourse, then we need to know. No, really, we need to know. Otherwise, it’s all a bit Orwellian, isn’t it? Now that we know just some of it, to not have that information would paint a twist on our pleasant daily lives. Wouldn’t it?  It’s not indecent that Wikileaks leaked the information. It’s indecent that some of these activities went on behind the scenes. It’s indecent that the governments want privacy over what is public. It’s most indecent that some of us would prefer never to know in the first place.

Further reading: Keep informed!

How WikiLeaks altered the way we see the world in just a week

BBC: Wikileaks Revelations

Afghan war logs

Finding Wikileaks – mirror sites are popping up all over the place as many domains falter

http://wikileaks.gonte2.nu/

http://wikileaks.piratenpartei.de/

via Twitter: http://twitter.com/search?q=imwikileaks

Knowing when to walk away

Evidenced by the recent backlash against Labor in the Victorian Elections, it appears that the people want change. Long term Labor Governments are “on the nose”.  Anna Bligh is on the nose, Kristina Keneally & NSW Labor in general are also on the nose. Their next elections don’t bode well for them.

Both Anna and Kristina have come in at the end of a very long period of Labor government. Kristina got the poison chalice and the folk of Queensland appear to be tired so very tired of Labor. But what of Mike Rann? No doubt he believes he has a goal to drive South Australia into the future, following his own grand plan. Feeling as though he was annointed by Saint Don Dunstan (may he rest in peace), nothing will stop him from leading the state forth. But there’s a shelf life for everything and everyone. There comes a time when stepping aside and letting in  someone with fresh ideas. Or is it all about breaking the record set by Bob Carr? Surely not.

Mr Rann is exhibiting such vanity ahead of the both the State’s and Labor’s interests – something akin to Howard in his last years. Instead of trying to break Bob Carr’s record, he should learn from Bob Carr’s actions by stepping aside. In my opinion, he should have stepped down prior to the last election. If arguments by the unions, the press or the electorate don’t change his mind, maybe a tempter of a better life post politics?

A personal appeal to Mike Rann

Imagine, Mr Rann, your retirement in the Italian countryside, writing epistles & tomes at your leisure. How much nicer would that be than being run out of office by an infuriated electorate? And wouldn’t stepping aside to let some fresher minds have a go be better for the party? By fresh, I don’t mean Kevin Foley. He may have been an effective parliamentarian, but his jackboot style and now, ineffective management of the Treasury is more on the nose to the public than you.