Amazon Boots WikiLeaks Off Its Cloud Computing Servers

[Brother Rick]

So it's safe to say that all of you think what this man did was OK? Posting stolen intel documents on the internet?

Not for a second, brother.

The 9/11 of American Diplomacy

by Pat Buchanan
December 10, 2010

Not since Leon Trotsky began publishing the secrets of the Romanov archives in 1918 has there been a more devastating leak of diplomatic documents than this week's WikiLeaks dump. The Romanov files contained the secret treaties the imperial Allies had signed to carve up the Hohenzollern, Habsburg and Ottoman empires after a war fought "to make the world safe for democracy."

It was to counter cynicism after revelation of these "secret treaties" that Woodrow Wilson called for "open covenants, openly arrived at."

In 1898, a leaked document inflamed America and infuriated President McKinley, who had not wanted to go to war with Spain.

The Spanish minister in Washington, Enrique Dupuy De Lome, had written an indiscreet letter that was stolen by a sympathizer of the Cuban revolution and leaked to William Randolph Hearst's warmongering New York Journal. In the De Lome letter, the minister had said of McKinley that he is "weak, and a bidder for the admiration of the crowd, besides being a ... politician who tries to leave a door open behind himself while keeping on good terms with the jingoes of his party."

Six days later, the battleship Maine blew up in Havana harbor. Hearst's Journal screamed Spanish "treachery." And the war was on.

On Jan. 16, 1917, the German Foreign Secretary Zimmermann had cabled his envoy in Mexico City to convey an offer. If Mexico would join Germany in a war against the United States, Mexico's reward would be Texas, New Mexico and Arizona.

Written in code, the Zimmermann telegram was intercepted and deciphered by the British, who happily turned it over to the Americans.

The U.S. reaction was even more explosive than it had been to news that Germany had declared open season for U-boats on all ships carrying cargo to Allied ports, including American ships.

Within weeks, America was at war with Germany.

The WikiLeaks dump comes in an age where diplomatic insults are common. Hence, nothing so dramatic as war is likely to result.

Still, this is a diplomatic disaster of the first order.

For what it reveals is that the world's last superpower cannot be trusted with diplomatic confidences or secrets. Try to help the Americans, and what you tell them may wind up on page one of their tabloid press.

From what has spilled out already, the Iranians know exactly who in the Arab world is goading us to attack their country.

That list includes Persian Gulf sheiks, the king of Saudi Arabia and young Prime Minister Saad Hariri of Lebanon, whose father, former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, was assassinated five years ago, allegedly by HezOBollah, Iran's ally.

All these Arab friends of America, especially Hariri, have now been put at risk of reprisal and possible assassination. Our diplomats in whom those rulers put their trust have been compromised.

The press has not yet revealed our confidential sources, but foreign intelligence agencies by now have the unedited documents and can figure out who is talking to the Americans and who is not a friend.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai, a prickly ally, but one on whom we have to depend in a war that has cost 1,400 American lives, now has confirmation of what we think of him. If he is thinking of cutting a deal at America's expense, who can blame him?

Secretary of State Clinton, who has made a favorable impression on foreign leaders, comes off as mildly paranoid with her instructions to have U.S. diplomats spy on and steal credit card numbers of allied diplomats at the United Nations.

Because of these leaks, many U.S. diplomats, who were candid about leaders in the capitals where they represent our country, will see their usefulness diminished or destroyed.

As these documents have apparently come out of Pentagon files, what does that tell us about the U.S. military's ability to keep a secret? Are U.S. battle and war plans also unprotected?

How is it that, thus far, only PFC Bradley Manning has been apprehended?

Who vetted Manning? Is it possible one 22-year-old with a computer and disks can get access to, download and transfer to anti-Americans the entire correspondence of the Department of State with U.S. embassies?

Some 250,000 documents -- thousands classified as confidential, secret and "no foreign" distribution -- were thieved.

Who was in charge of securing those secrets? Why have heads not rolled? What has happened to the idea of accountability?

A few years ago, a leak of the name of a single CIA analyst, Valerie Plame, had the national press in an uproar, with a grand jury impaneled and a special prosecutor, Patrick Fitzgerald, named to investigate the leak right up to and into the Oval Office, if necessary.

Vice President Cheney's aide, Scooter Libby, was prosecuted for lying about the leak. Karl Rove was hauled repeatedly before a grand jury.

Why is the OBama White House getting a pass when this national humiliation and diplomatic Pearl Harbor occurred on its watch?

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=40356

[Kubel]

All the focus seems to be on Assange and WikiLeaks. But that is not acceptable since their position is that of a free press. Some people are saying focus the blame on the individual(s) that leaked the info. That's a turn in a better direction (after all, how does an Army private gain access to so much information?), but it's still not looking into the root of the prOBlem. The root of the prOBlem is a government that is too involved in the affairs of foreign countries. And when those affairs come to light, the government is ashamed. But instead of looking into what it is that they are ashamed about, the govenrment is calling for the arrest (and some are calling for the assassination) of Assange, it's placing pressure on corporations to attempt to snuff out this free press, and they will quickly realize the people will not stand for that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentagon_Papers

Anyone recognize that? The New York Times was found NOT GUILTY in 1971 for the publication of the Pentagon Papers. The release of this information to the public told us the TRUTH about Vietnam and the lies that led us to the war. How is WikiLeaks any different?

"Only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose deception in government. And paramount among the responsibilities of a free press is the duty to prevent any part of the government from deceiving the people and sending them off to distant lands to die of foreign fevers and foreign shot and shell."
—Justice Black, 1971

[JerryNumbers]

All the focus seems to be on Assange and WikiLeaks. But that is not acceptable since their position is that of a free press. Some people are saying focus the blame on the individual(s) that leaked the info. That's a turn in a better direction (after all, how does an Army private gain access to so much information?), but it's still not looking into the root of the prOBlem. The root of the prOBlem is a government that is too involved in the affairs of foreign countries. And when those affairs come to light, the government is ashamed. But instead of looking into what it is that they are ashamed about, the govenrment is calling for the arrest (and some are calling for the assassination) of Assange, it's placing pressure on corporations to attempt to snuff out this free press, and they will quickly realize the people will not stand for that.

http://en.wikipedia....Pentagon_Papers

Anyone recognize that? The New York Times was found NOT GUILTY in 1971 for the publication of the Pentagon Papers. The release of this information to the public told us the TRUTH about Vietnam and the lies that led us to the war. How is WikiLeaks any different?

"Only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose deception in government. And paramount among the responsibilities of a free press is the duty to prevent any part of the government from deceiving the people and sending them off to distant lands to die of foreign fevers and foreign shot and shell."
—Justice Black, 1971

Fox news judge brought that out a day or two ago.

I agree, our politicians spnds to much time in the affairs of other countries. And it seems they feel they can assassinate, murder, whoever they please in foreign land.

[JerryNumbers]

Letter From Canada: Why Is America So Furious About Wikileaks?


WikiLeaks: The X-Ray Glasses to an Opaque U.S. Foreign Policy

Of course this is a big embarrassment to our politicians and of course they want to strike back at the one who is causing their embarrassment If only we had a transparent government, yet our elected officials knows that would be bad for them, they love to operate behind closed doors.