I am disturbed on so many fronts in relation to every one's reaction to the Wikileaks drama. By everyone I am talking about the media, the government, and the populace. I will explain in as much detail I feel I can muster at this time. For muster I must. This is going to sound harsh so grab some coffee and an enema if you need it.
- The American Mainstream Media's reaction to Wikileaks posting of leaked documents is a disgrace to everything the First Amendment stands for, and I think the very fact that nearly all stories in the press are vicious attacks on Wikileaks, with no discussion on First Amendment rights of the press, shows who's pocket the supposedly free U.S. Media outlets are in.
- The Obamas administration reaction to the Wikileaks affair has been every bit as intolerant and hawkish as their supposed rivals in the more right facing corners of the GOP. While Obama has been losing favor with Independents and Democrats alike (we all know Republicans already hate him), he, for me at least, has now turned the corner into an a truly intolerant and corrupt politician. The bloom is off the rose Obama. (I do contend that if big bad W. was still in power, Assange would have been executed already)
- The fact that so few people and media outlets have drawn any correlation to the precedent set by the Pentagon Papers in relation to the Wikileaks is another level of confirmation at the widespread and pervasive corruption and control over the flow of information, and the cozy relationship between the media and both parties the government. I am fully convinced that the American media is nothing more than propaganda dissemination engines and outlet for the left and right wings power set. No information will be printed by large media organizations that will ever seriously damage the power structure again.
- The fact that no other media outlets, such as the NY Times or The Guardian, who released the exact same leaked information as Wikileaks, have had their hosting and payment methods shut down through government intimidation and influence, and that I cannot find many articles on the web that even calls this fact into light, this again points to the lack of press independence and the collaboration of the press and their government counterparts.
If any government has a problem, it's with the leaker, not the media outlet that publishes the leaks. This goes for our democracy at least, I'm certainly not speaking for Saudi Arabia or countries of that ilk. The leaker signed the agreements, he is not protected by the First Amendment, he is the one you have a beef with.
If you are going to attack, shut down, intimidate and coerce Wikileaks, a media organization publishing information significant to the people's understanding of their government's policy, a right protected by the First Amendment, then you must engage in those same behavior in relation to the NY Times and other media outlets who published the same information. You can't though, because it's illegal, and against everything America stands for, and everything our Founding Father's stood for.
You may say Wikileaks is not an American company, but a Swedish one. Well, Sweden has even more liberal press laws than we do. They have full right to publish anything under Swedish law. There is no legal precedent for the US or Sweden against Wikileaks, that is why the smear campaign and coercion of government-friendly corporations is being engaged in.
There is a new holy trinity for the world. On one stand is the government, on the other is the media, on the 3rd are the corporations that own and control the other two. Why would the same corporation that owns a TV station and donates tons of money to their favorite back pocket politician ever do anything to jeopardize their own interests? The corruption is deep and pervasive, and systemic to the core.
95% of the population has no idea what goes on in the back rooms where politicians and the wealthy elite decide the financial and social fate of rest of humanity. Wikileaks is peeling away the outer part of the onion, allowing you too see the inner workings and corrupt centers of the people who control your lives. The people who will deny you unemployment insurance, so they can buy a Saudi prince prostitutes and liquor, and give suitcases of cash to Pakistani politicians, who themselves are drug lords and criminals.
The system of checks and balances is no longer in place in America. The press no longer has the freedoms given it in the First Amendment. The people in government, even those seemingly nice liberal ones, no longer are operating for the people and by the people. Their interests, not ours, are what they are fighting for.
Sound crazy? Yeah it does to me too. Our rights and privacy have been eroded to the point of absurdity. Even more frightening are people's complacency to the situation. The very foundation of democracy is being threatened and not only are people not complaining about it, they are agreeing with it. Why? Because the level of propaganda and information dissemination has been going on for so long the populace has been lulled into complacency.
If it makes you feel any better after hearing all these terrible things, just tell yourself that I'm an Internet crackpot and it's all in my head. I do sometimes and it helps.
For what it's worth, here are a few of the only articles of people standing up and supporting Wikileaks, or even trying to paint an objective picture of the situation. I applaud Time for some of the best articles on this. Don't expect it from the NY Times.
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