July 27, 2010

The Gatecrashers: Can WikiLeaks Bring Down The U.S. Secret Government?

WikiLeaks's Julian Assange says all the right things. He's described U.S. Special Forces units who leave behind the dead remains of innocent victims as "bastards" on Anderson Cooper's show last night. And he said it very bluntly. So it's tough not to like the guy, and respect him. But not everybody believes that he's a freedom information fighter. Some people are suspicious that he is not what he appears to be, like Cryptome's John Young. I don't have the background that Young has to make a judgment like that, and I don't like speculating about people's character, and motives who are not obviously evil like Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, or Netanyahu. I take the line: Ye shall know them by their fruits. And I certainly hope that Assange is a freedom information fighter, because the world needs FIFs to win the modern battle for freedom, truth, peace, and justice.

Assange spoke to Time Magazine about the importance of governments sharing information liberally with citizens, even if it is highly-sensitive:
"It is the communication of information that regulates politics and the legislature, the judiciary and the behavior of the police. It's quite important to have the default assumption that the free exchange of information should not be regulated except in specific and clear circumstances."
WikiLeaks's purpose is noble, and heroic. Any organization that seeks to pull back the curtain on illegal government policies, and projects, and enlighten citizens about what their tax money is being used for is doing good work. But how committed is WikiLeaks to the truth? Assange told the Belfast Telegraph that he is annoyed by talk of 9/11 truth. Maybe his annoyance is a reflection of his personality, and not his research into 9/11. But he is very bright, so what's stopping him from rocking the 9/11 boat? What more information does he need? Is the work of Steven Jones, Niels Harrit, and Richard Gage not enough to convince him to take a second look at 9/11? Are the words of ground-zero eyewitnesses not enough? Anybody who seriously reflects on the official 9/11 story should be suspicious.

The fact that Assange is not questioning the official story is troubling. Maybe he's too busy with other things. That could be it. Or maybe he's too politically shrewd to publicly state his suspicious about 9/11, because then the media would cast him as a total conspiracy theorist who doesn't deserve any attention, and that would be tragic because the work that WikiLeaks is doing is very valuable. So it could be a political calculation on his part. Or I could be just talking bullshit, and he actually believes in the official government story for some reason. I don't know. It's a confusing world, and it's hard not to be suspicious about everybody since the U.S. government is a PSYOPS state. With all their secrecy, and illegality, it is hard to trust anybody except a few trusted sources and organizations. Who can we trust? The fact that question even needs to be asked is reflective of the dark and tyrannical times that were living in. But I don't like being paranoid. And I want to believe that WikiLeaks is an honorable, and sincere organization - so I'll take the leap of faith, and put my trust in it. Plus, I think they deserve it because they have continually released valuable information to the public.

Information is power, and WikiLeaks traffics in secret information, so it has great power. And, as they say, with great power comes great responsibility, and also, great corruption. WikiLeaks has the potential to be a mighty force for good in the world if it fulfills its role as a safe vessel for hidden information. It has the power to destabilize corrupt regimes, and put high-level criminals behind bars. In the Time magazine interview, Assange said that the work WikiLeaks has done over the years has resulted in the removal of the Kenyan government, and the disruption of the government of Tanzania:
Do you feel comfortable that no one's security will be threatened by the publication of this material?

We feel confident; the material is seven months old, we reviewed it extensively; we held back 15,000 documents that we felt needed further review because the type of classifications they had. We've been publishing for four years a range of material that has caused the changing of constitutions and the removal of governments but there's never been a case that we are aware of that has resulted in the personal injury of anyone.

Removal of governments?
The Kenyan government. The suspension of the prime minister of Tanzania.

Tanzania?
We published a corruption report.

WikiLeaks is really in uncharted territory. Its success is amazing. It could be the beacon of freedom in the 21st century. Reestablishing freedom is the lasting legacy of the Internet, and the free access of information. Not porn or free download of music, but the removal of corrupt and illegitimate governments, and the reestablishment of free and open governments.

All governments rightly fear the Internet. Professor Peter Dale Scott has written about "Internet politics," and its potential to transform public debate, and influence public elections. Kenya's government has already seen the power of the Internet, and its child, WikiLeaks. Could WikiLeaks also help remove the U.S. secret government from power?

America is not Kenya, of course, it is a highly advanced deep state, but information is power everywhere around the world, and if a few Whistleblowers in the U.S. government approach WikiLeaks with explosive information that could seriously damage the image of current U.S. political leaders, and government policies, then watch out. A revolution could happen overnight. It is too hard to suppress knowledge in this new age.


Democracy Now: "WikiLeaks Is Not One Person...We Are All the Threat"–Hacker Magazine Editor Says WikiLeaks Is Bigger Than Julian Assange



Update: Arthur Silber's comments on WikiLeaks and Julian Assange are worth reading. He says:
With regard to the particular role he seeks for Wikileaks and, relatedly, in connection with the mechanics of how that role can be made to function with astonishing effectiveness, Assange is nothing less than brilliant. This is a man who understands the system he's up against, and he knows how to jam the gears of that system.