Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Wikileaks and their affect on media, governement, and events
It seems to me that everywhere you look today from TV, internet, and articles, the name Wikileaks seems to come up to spark some type of conversation. I believe that there are two sides to this issue. One side supports the organization and says that they fully follow their tradition of open access for all governments when the organization was created. The other side believes that Wikileaks is nothing more than a group that supports espionage activities and is willing to divulge deleterious information which can affect various governments around the globe. In this article, I hope to present an objective view on the events that are occurring in the present involving Wikileaks. I will inform the reader about the origins of this organization, what the organization has leaked (by whom), how the media has covered the story, and the reaction of the United States government on the issue.
The organization Wikileaks, launched on October 4th, 2006 by creator Julian Assange, a native Australian. It is an international organization that specializes in the publishing of classified sources and documents from news sources as well as individuals while being at all times anonymous. According to the Wikileaks website, http://web.archive.org/web/20080216000537/http://www.wikileaks.org/wiki/Wikileaks:About#Wikileaks_has_1.2_million_documents.3F
"The primary interest is in exposing oppressive regimes in Asia, the former Soviet bloc, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, but we also expect to be of assistance to people of all regions who wish to reveal unethical behavior in governments and corporations."
This organization is fully committed to revealing documents that many governments are keeping disclosed that may affect events on a larger scale such as wars around the world, especially in the Middle East. I believe that it is vital to understand what Wikileaks is as well as how it operates. Wikileaks is successful because it combines two basic components that are very vital for the survival and prosperity of a corporation, security, and easy-use. It is simple for a “whistleblower” to post untraceable mass documents to an interface that is simple to use. It is important for an organization such as this to have security because; those who provide leaked information may face severe risks, whether of political repercussions, legal sanctions or physical violence. http://web.archive.org/web/20080216000537/http://www.wikileaks.org/wiki/Wikileaks:About#Wikileaks_has_1.2_million_documents.3F Wikileaks operates in many countries where it is illegal as well as treasonous to divulge secrets to an outside source. Wikileaks is particularly protective of the people they get their information from and do all they can to assure the anonymity of the individual. “Once a document is leaked it is essentially impossible to censor.” http://web.archive.org/web/20080216000537/http://www.wikileaks.org/wiki/Wikileaks:About#Wikileaks_has_1.2_million_documents.3F
I personally believe that leaking classified documents is unethical if it has to deal with endangering the lives of our military men and women. These people must ask themselves if what they are doing will cost the lives of others just to get a story broken. Wikileaks believes that, “Each person is an arbiter of justice in their own conscious.” I believe that this statement is very broad as well as being dangerous. This organization does not believe that leaking is unethical because people are the ones that determine what is right or wrong although it very much could be wrong. In other words the answer is not laid out in absolutes, just shades of grey.
The question that we have to ask now is, “What information did Wikileaks leak out and by whom?” The person who has been accused of divulging United States military intelligence is Pfc. Bradley Manning, a 22 year old dual U.S. and British citizen. Currently, Pfc. Manning is being held “in pre-trial confinement at a maximum security brig in Quantico, VA” according to Justin Fishel of Fox News.com. Manning was arrested in May 2010 2 months after Wikileaks released a video entitled “Collateral Murder”, which U.S. forces in Apache helicopters during patrol on July 12, 2007 firing and killing a group of suspected Iraqi insurgents who were reportedly journalists for Reuters. As of now the United States Military has reported that their actions were sound because the group was carrying AK 47s and RPGs. According to Fox News, Manning was in contact with Adrian Leno, a notorious online hacker and told him that it was indeed him who released the “Collateral Murder” video. Leno also noted that Manning was the one that was responsible for releasing hundreds of thousands of sensitive diplomatic cables. The question is how could Manning, a low ranked soldier, steal highly sensitive information without alleviating any type of alarms? Manning was assigned as an intelligence analyst supporting a battalion with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division. It is of no surprise then that he could easily acquire information without anyone feeling suspicious. On July 5th, 2010, Pfc. Manning was charged with the following according to Justin Fishel,
"four specifications under Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice for violating Army Regulation 25-2 (Information Assurance Policy), and eight specifications under Article 134 for violating federal statutes related to the receipt of classified information (18 U.S.C. 793) and wrongful access of government computer (18 U.S.C. 1030)."
Until Manning’s health evaluation is complete which is suspected to be in February 2011, and then a trial date can be set. According to the charges, Manning may face 52 years in prison, a forfeit of all pay, and a dishonorable discharge from the Army. Many believe that Manning is a hero who should be celebrated for protecting 1st Amendment rights as well as leaking material that needed to be discovered. The other side believes that Pfc. Manning is an outright traitor to the United States whose crime of stealing secret military files that may put troops in harms ways. Ultimately, the files that Manning stole could have detrimental effects to our country for years to come.
We have seen that Pfc. Bradley Manning, an intelligence analyst for the United States Army was charged with being responsible for leaking many hundreds of thousands of sensitive cable as well as the “Collateral Murder” video. Wikileaks has gotten a hold of this information and has released it to the public.
What does a member of the United States House of Representatives believe about how the United States government should go about handling Wikileaks and Pfc. Manning? According to a report by Jennifer Epstein from Politico, Representative Peter T. King, a Republican from New York, wants to prosecute Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. Congressman King, whom I’ve respected for many years as an intern for the summer of 2009 & 2010 is the ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee and will become the incoming Chairman. Congressman King spoke to a New York radio station asking Attorney General Eric Holder to take action against Wikileaks, “I am calling on the attorney general and supporting his efforts to fully prosecute Wikileaks and its founder for violating the Espionage Act.” http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=97F9F561-A95E-60AB-BC49D899D2B7F5FF Congressman King has also called on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to declare if at all possible that Wikileaks may be classified as a terrorist organization saying, “to seize their funds and go after anyone who provides them with any help or contributions or assistance whatsoever.” King has confidence that he will have the backing of Congress once the new session of Congress once the new session commences in January 2011 and that the new release of documents are, “worse even than a physical attack on Americans: it’s worse than a military attack.”
The 4oD documentary entitled “Wikileaks Killing Iraq” on Youtube.com is a one sided account that degrades United States involvement in Iraq. The documentary shows that U.S. forces in Iraq knew what was occurring, (i.e. the Abu Gahrib affair) and did not do anything to keep the problem from occurring again. Wikileaks is mentioned in great detail in the video for releasing documents that reflected that more civilians than terrorists were killed at checkpoints. In Baghdad, the reports show that U.S. and British forces from 2004-2009 have killed 823 people. Out of this number, 681 were civilians. Many reports and videos were shown to have either covered up reports in after-action reports or have mistakenly killed civilians they mistook for insurgent fighters. This documentary said that the July 2007 footage “proves the point” that coalition forces knew full well what they were doing. The media believes that the Americans knew what was going on behind the scenes but neglected to do anything about it. They believed that the insurgency was the result of American actions. I believe that this documentary was meant to put American forces in a very bad light and erase the truth that the United States along with coalition forces, removed the oppressive dictator Saddam Hussein from power who was aiding and embedding terrorists.
This blog article was written to bring about what the organization Wikileaks truly is. I began by researching the origins of Wikileaks and showed what this organization has leaked out and by whom (creator Julian Assange, and Pfc. Bradley Manning). I also covered about how the media through the Fox News Network and Politico has covered the story as well as the reaction of the government of the United States.
Credible Sources:
1.Wikilinks,http://web.archive.org/web/20080216000537/http://www.wikileaks.org/wiki/Wikileaks:About#Wikileaks_has_1.2_million_documents.3F
2) Fox News Network, Who Is Pfc. Bradley Manning, Justin Fishel, November 29th, 2010, (http://politics.foxnews.com)
3) Politico, King:Prosecute WikiLeaks, Assange, Jennifer Epstein,http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=97F9F561-A95E-60AB-BC49D899D2B7F5FF
4) Wikileaks killing Iraq, 4oD Documentaries,http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BDbWqzoclk
Suporting Material:
1) Face to Face with Julian Assange, April 11th, 2010, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeJy001sweM&feature=related, PressTV
2) Collateral Murder- Wikileaks-Iraq, July 12th, 2007, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rXPrfnU3G0
3) Wikileaks a Terrorist Organization?, Fox News Network, America's Newsroom w/ Bill Hemmer and Martha MacCallum
4) Is Wikileaks Whistleblower a Traitor?, Fox News Network, Follow The Money,
The organization Wikileaks, launched on October 4th, 2006 by creator Julian Assange, a native Australian. It is an international organization that specializes in the publishing of classified sources and documents from news sources as well as individuals while being at all times anonymous. According to the Wikileaks website, http://web.archive.org/web/20080216000537/http://www.wikileaks.org/wiki/Wikileaks:About#Wikileaks_has_1.2_million_documents.3F
"The primary interest is in exposing oppressive regimes in Asia, the former Soviet bloc, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, but we also expect to be of assistance to people of all regions who wish to reveal unethical behavior in governments and corporations."
This organization is fully committed to revealing documents that many governments are keeping disclosed that may affect events on a larger scale such as wars around the world, especially in the Middle East. I believe that it is vital to understand what Wikileaks is as well as how it operates. Wikileaks is successful because it combines two basic components that are very vital for the survival and prosperity of a corporation, security, and easy-use. It is simple for a “whistleblower” to post untraceable mass documents to an interface that is simple to use. It is important for an organization such as this to have security because; those who provide leaked information may face severe risks, whether of political repercussions, legal sanctions or physical violence. http://web.archive.org/web/20080216000537/http://www.wikileaks.org/wiki/Wikileaks:About#Wikileaks_has_1.2_million_documents.3F Wikileaks operates in many countries where it is illegal as well as treasonous to divulge secrets to an outside source. Wikileaks is particularly protective of the people they get their information from and do all they can to assure the anonymity of the individual. “Once a document is leaked it is essentially impossible to censor.” http://web.archive.org/web/20080216000537/http://www.wikileaks.org/wiki/Wikileaks:About#Wikileaks_has_1.2_million_documents.3F
I personally believe that leaking classified documents is unethical if it has to deal with endangering the lives of our military men and women. These people must ask themselves if what they are doing will cost the lives of others just to get a story broken. Wikileaks believes that, “Each person is an arbiter of justice in their own conscious.” I believe that this statement is very broad as well as being dangerous. This organization does not believe that leaking is unethical because people are the ones that determine what is right or wrong although it very much could be wrong. In other words the answer is not laid out in absolutes, just shades of grey.
The question that we have to ask now is, “What information did Wikileaks leak out and by whom?” The person who has been accused of divulging United States military intelligence is Pfc. Bradley Manning, a 22 year old dual U.S. and British citizen. Currently, Pfc. Manning is being held “in pre-trial confinement at a maximum security brig in Quantico, VA” according to Justin Fishel of Fox News.com. Manning was arrested in May 2010 2 months after Wikileaks released a video entitled “Collateral Murder”, which U.S. forces in Apache helicopters during patrol on July 12, 2007 firing and killing a group of suspected Iraqi insurgents who were reportedly journalists for Reuters. As of now the United States Military has reported that their actions were sound because the group was carrying AK 47s and RPGs. According to Fox News, Manning was in contact with Adrian Leno, a notorious online hacker and told him that it was indeed him who released the “Collateral Murder” video. Leno also noted that Manning was the one that was responsible for releasing hundreds of thousands of sensitive diplomatic cables. The question is how could Manning, a low ranked soldier, steal highly sensitive information without alleviating any type of alarms? Manning was assigned as an intelligence analyst supporting a battalion with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division. It is of no surprise then that he could easily acquire information without anyone feeling suspicious. On July 5th, 2010, Pfc. Manning was charged with the following according to Justin Fishel,
"four specifications under Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice for violating Army Regulation 25-2 (Information Assurance Policy), and eight specifications under Article 134 for violating federal statutes related to the receipt of classified information (18 U.S.C. 793) and wrongful access of government computer (18 U.S.C. 1030)."
Until Manning’s health evaluation is complete which is suspected to be in February 2011, and then a trial date can be set. According to the charges, Manning may face 52 years in prison, a forfeit of all pay, and a dishonorable discharge from the Army. Many believe that Manning is a hero who should be celebrated for protecting 1st Amendment rights as well as leaking material that needed to be discovered. The other side believes that Pfc. Manning is an outright traitor to the United States whose crime of stealing secret military files that may put troops in harms ways. Ultimately, the files that Manning stole could have detrimental effects to our country for years to come.
We have seen that Pfc. Bradley Manning, an intelligence analyst for the United States Army was charged with being responsible for leaking many hundreds of thousands of sensitive cable as well as the “Collateral Murder” video. Wikileaks has gotten a hold of this information and has released it to the public.
What does a member of the United States House of Representatives believe about how the United States government should go about handling Wikileaks and Pfc. Manning? According to a report by Jennifer Epstein from Politico, Representative Peter T. King, a Republican from New York, wants to prosecute Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. Congressman King, whom I’ve respected for many years as an intern for the summer of 2009 & 2010 is the ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee and will become the incoming Chairman. Congressman King spoke to a New York radio station asking Attorney General Eric Holder to take action against Wikileaks, “I am calling on the attorney general and supporting his efforts to fully prosecute Wikileaks and its founder for violating the Espionage Act.” http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=97F9F561-A95E-60AB-BC49D899D2B7F5FF Congressman King has also called on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to declare if at all possible that Wikileaks may be classified as a terrorist organization saying, “to seize their funds and go after anyone who provides them with any help or contributions or assistance whatsoever.” King has confidence that he will have the backing of Congress once the new session of Congress once the new session commences in January 2011 and that the new release of documents are, “worse even than a physical attack on Americans: it’s worse than a military attack.”
The 4oD documentary entitled “Wikileaks Killing Iraq” on Youtube.com is a one sided account that degrades United States involvement in Iraq. The documentary shows that U.S. forces in Iraq knew what was occurring, (i.e. the Abu Gahrib affair) and did not do anything to keep the problem from occurring again. Wikileaks is mentioned in great detail in the video for releasing documents that reflected that more civilians than terrorists were killed at checkpoints. In Baghdad, the reports show that U.S. and British forces from 2004-2009 have killed 823 people. Out of this number, 681 were civilians. Many reports and videos were shown to have either covered up reports in after-action reports or have mistakenly killed civilians they mistook for insurgent fighters. This documentary said that the July 2007 footage “proves the point” that coalition forces knew full well what they were doing. The media believes that the Americans knew what was going on behind the scenes but neglected to do anything about it. They believed that the insurgency was the result of American actions. I believe that this documentary was meant to put American forces in a very bad light and erase the truth that the United States along with coalition forces, removed the oppressive dictator Saddam Hussein from power who was aiding and embedding terrorists.
This blog article was written to bring about what the organization Wikileaks truly is. I began by researching the origins of Wikileaks and showed what this organization has leaked out and by whom (creator Julian Assange, and Pfc. Bradley Manning). I also covered about how the media through the Fox News Network and Politico has covered the story as well as the reaction of the government of the United States.
Credible Sources:
1.Wikilinks,http://web.archive.org/web/20080216000537/http://www.wikileaks.org/wiki/Wikileaks:About#Wikileaks_has_1.2_million_documents.3F
2) Fox News Network, Who Is Pfc. Bradley Manning, Justin Fishel, November 29th, 2010, (http://politics.foxnews.com)
3) Politico, King:Prosecute WikiLeaks, Assange, Jennifer Epstein,http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=97F9F561-A95E-60AB-BC49D899D2B7F5FF
4) Wikileaks killing Iraq, 4oD Documentaries,http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BDbWqzoclk
Suporting Material:
1) Face to Face with Julian Assange, April 11th, 2010, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeJy001sweM&feature=related, PressTV
2) Collateral Murder- Wikileaks-Iraq, July 12th, 2007, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rXPrfnU3G0
3) Wikileaks a Terrorist Organization?, Fox News Network, America's Newsroom w/ Bill Hemmer and Martha MacCallum
4) Is Wikileaks Whistleblower a Traitor?, Fox News Network, Follow The Money,
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