Our beloved Brew.

Our beloved Brew.
R.I.P. Big guy.

Friday, August 13, 2010

WikiLeaks Crosses the Line and Sacrifices Lives for Profit

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would one day be siding with Sarah Palin on an issue, given our polar opposite views of many matters of the environment and politics. But at least this once we seem to agree on this issue of military and national security.

A couple of weeks ago, WikiLeaks began publishing about 76,000 secret files regarding covert operations related to the war in Afghanistan that came into its possession. Management at WikiLeaks refuses to name its source, but the US government has detained an intelligence analyst named Bradley Manning who it suspects as the source. I have deliberately chosen not to visit WikiLeaks web site and check out the documents so as to avoid contributing even slightly to the profit they hope to gain from their acts of treason. Other mainstream media has reported that there is indeed a great deal of sensitive information that has been released.

The founder and editor of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, announced during a speech to a London group that he will authorize the release of another 15,000 documents. Like the first batch, these files contain sensitive information including the names of individuals working in clandestine operations and details of plans and events related to the war. Where WikiLeaks has taken the time to black out names and specifics, there is enough surrounding information to put at risk not only our military, but also numerous individuals who work with our troops.

Sarah Palin made a public appeal to Assange and his organization not to release any more files. I couldn't agree more. In fact, I'll go one better and suggest that by his actions, Assange has not only proven to be aiding and abetting the enemy as Palin suggests, but he should now be considered an enemy of the state, and treated like any other enemy combatant. It is one thing to claim the rights of a free press, and quite another to reveal sensitive military information that risks the lives of our military fighting forces, and those persons assisting them in protecting ours and Mr. Assange's freedoms. We are at war, and timing is everything. If wrongdoing exists it should be exposed and consequences should follow. This is not the time to do that.

In what I view as an act of cowardice, Assange chose to deliver his address via Skype, from an undisclosed hiding place because he allegedly fears the US will try to arrest him, or worse, that some shadowy powers will try to have him killed.

What's next? Will we learn that he has taken up residence in a sublet cave somewhere in the mountains of Pakistan? In my eyes, Assange has now clearly declared his allegiance to our enemies in the war, and deserves their same fate.

Want to uncover wrongdoing of this or any other government as part of your journalistic obligation, I'm all for it. Put other lives at risk, and compromise our military efforts while we're actively engaged in war just to sell more ad space, and extend your fifteen minutes of fame, then I say, face the consequences of any common traitor.

I wonder how WikiLeaks would feel if the government made public a list of its employees and they were open to the backlash they deserve for choosing to work somewhere that puts its business objectives ahead of our national interests and security. Americans, it's time express your outrage and boycott WikiLeaks and any firm or organization that supports it. Sarah, on this one, I think you and I are closer than not.