Re: Focus on the policy, not Wikileaks

When truth becomes treason....

So in WW2, he would have defended a newspaper publishing the D day attack plans?

My point is that the statement is way too broad.  You need to be able to look at
what is leaked and determine the harm and danger the leak represents, and then
determine if it is treason or not.

Though again, the people involved in the US government who supplied the data
have actually broken laws, and I see no compelling 'truth' in the leaks that
give them a pass from the violation of their oaths and agreements.

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf
Of david white
Sent: Monday, December 06, 2010 11:50 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [DADL-OT] Focus on the policy, not Wikileaks

http://paul.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1802:focus-
on-the-policy-not-wikileaks&catid=31:texas-straight-talk

Focus on the policy, not Wikileaks

We may never know the whole story behind the recent publication of sensitive
U.S. government documents by the Wikileaks organization, but we certainly can
draw some important conclusions from the reaction of so many in government and
media.

At its core, the Wikileaks controversy serves as a diversion from the real issue
of what our foreign policy should be.  But the mainstream media, along with
neoconservatives from both political parties, insist on asking the wrong
question.  When presented with embarrassing disclosures about U.S. spying and
meddling, the policy that requires so much spying and meddling is not
questioned.  Instead, the media focus on how so much sensitive information could
have been leaked, or how authorities might prosecute the publishers of such
information.

No one questions the status quo or suggests a wholesale rethinking of our
foreign policy.  No one suggests that the White House or the State Department
should be embarrassed that the U.S. engages in spying and meddling.  The only
embarrassment is that it was made public.  This allows ordinary people to
actually know and talk about what the government does.  But state secrecy is
anathema to a free society.  Why exactly should Americans be prevented from
knowing what their government is doing in their name?

In a free society, we are supposed to know the truth.  In a society where truth
becomes treason, however, we are in big trouble.  The truth is that our foreign
spying, meddling, and outright military intervention in the post- World War II
era has made us less secure, not more.  And we have lost countless lives and
spent trillions of dollars for our trouble.  Too often "official" government
lies have provided justification for endless, illegal wars and hundreds of
thousands of resulting deaths and casualties.

Take the recent hostilities in Korea as only one example.  More than fifty years
after the end of the Korean War, American taxpayers continue to spend billions
for the U.S. military to defend a modern and wealthy South Korea.
The continued presence of the U.S. military places American lives between the
two factions.   The U.S. presence only serves to prolong the conflict,
further drain our empty treasury, and place our military at risk.

The neoconservative ethos, steeped in the teaching of Leo Strauss, cannot abide
an America where individuals simply pursue their own happy, peaceful, prosperous
lives.  It cannot abide an America where society centers around family,
religion, or civic and social institutions rather than an all powerful central
state.  There is always an enemy to slay, whether communist or terrorist.  In
the neoconservative vision, a constant state of alarm must be fostered among the
people to keep them focused on something greater than
themselves-- namely their great protector, the state.  This is why the
neoconservative reaction to the Wikileaks revelations is so
predictable:   “See, we told you the world was a dangerous place,” goes the
story.  They claim we must prosecute- or even assassinate- those responsible for
publishing the leaks.  And we must redouble our efforts to police the world by
spying and meddling better, with no more leaks.

We should view the Wikileaks controversy in the larger context of American
foreign policy.  Rather than worry about the disclosure of embarrassing secrets,
we should focus on our delusional foreign policy.  We are kidding ourselves when
we believe spying, intrigue, and outright military intervention can maintain our
international status as a superpower while our domestic economy crumbles in an
orgy of debt and monetary debasement.

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