Jullian Assange is an egomaniac, that's pretty clear. He doesn't care who gets hurt, so long as his project gets exposure. By now, the issue of the media collaborating with him is also a dead horse, even if it shouldn't be.
What's depressing about the present round of Wikileaks materials (at least so far) is that large chunks of the discussion is focused on who has been proven right. Partially this may stem from the rather unexpected turn of events where Assange is pouring large amounts of information into the pubic realm which mostly sort of supports the narrative much of the media hasn't been telling. Lee Smith details this well; Andrew Sullivan has been demonstrating it through massive denial and obfuscation. What is largely lacking, unfortunately, is people actually reading the stuff, and deliberating what it means from here forward. I've seen a few of the original cables, and they're fascinating, but I've only had time for a couple quick dips. They differ from media reports in their breadth and depth. If Assange has already stolen the data and given it to the world, perhaps the world should be learning something from it, not only tussling over who's been proven right. I mean, even if no-one was right, there still might be value in now settling down to facing what's in there.
lovely typo - don't you dare correct it ;-)
ReplyDeleteAssange is pouring large amounts of information into the pubic realm
Jack Shafer at Slate and apparently Anne Applebaum think that Hillary Clinton will have to resign because of her leaked cables - I hope that if they cave in an effort to the leaking damage, they at least will make it look like a promotion or have a very good explanation for it.
To have heads rolling in the "west" because of that megalomaniac Assange would be the ultimate victory for the nutter.
Silke
It is so complicated. I can't comment with any intelligence.
ReplyDeleteOn another issue does anyone have access to population numbers in Jerusalem pre-1948 and the number of Jews expelled from Jerusalem or forced to live in "No-Man's Land" after 1948.
I don't have time to google this now, but would appreciate if someone has time to look it up.
Sorry, Yaacov, for exploiting your comments section. But this is a good group, and it isn't too busy around here.
Thank you,
Barbara
Silke -
ReplyDeleteI had to read that sentence about 5 times before I realized it said "pubic" not "public"! LOL!
Nycerbarb
Nycerbarb
ReplyDeleteI only wish I were as good on detecting my own typos as I am on noticing other people's
it is a déformation professionelle
but this one is quite a superior one -
another genuine one that became - at least in Germany - kind of proverbial is LuftHansa (German airline) = AirHansa replaced by LustHansa which doesn't require a translation ;-)
Silke
I think the situation is even worse than Yaacov describes: the focus isn't even on who actually was right (which would involve studiously studying previous assertions with a holistic, thorough reading of the cables), it's on who can most quickly cherry-pick a quote ("cut off the head of the snake" (by citing this quote as an example I'm not meaning to pick on one side or another; it's just a particularly vivid quote ripe for cherry-picking)) that fits into their prefabricated analysis of the Middle East.
ReplyDeleteAssange has already stolen the data
ReplyDeleteAssange didn't steal anything. It was Bradley Manning, a US soldier, who did. That's what I don't get about the criminal investigation against Assange: if reporters can pass along leaks that they've received, why can't he?
Whatever your views, it will be a gift to future historians, so maybe it isn't as bad as people make out?
ReplyDeleteToday Michael Totten also has something valuable to say on it - his is the shortest though topped off by an equally short and true video clip
ReplyDeletehttp://pajamasmedia.com/michaeltotten/2010/11/30/an-engine-of-chaos/
and if you want to learn about all the goodies Assange will bestow on us in the future here is a longuish interview with lots of appeal for many many many of us.
Read it and then compare it to Michael's quote from Assange's blog - in all my history books and novels readings I can't remember a hubris besotted to have boded well for us the people.
Assange doesn’t care. He’s a man who likes to watch the world burn and said as much on his blog: “[C]ast blessings on the profits and prophets of truth, on the liberators and martyrs of truth, on the Voltaires, Galileos, and Principias of truth, on the Gutenburgs, Marconis and Internets of truth, on those serial killers of delusion, those brutal, driven and obsessed miners of reality, smashing, smashing, smashing every rotten edifice until all is ruins and the seeds of the new.”
Silke
oops here's the link to the interview
ReplyDeletehttp://blogs.forbes.com/andygreenberg/2010/11/29/an-interview-with-wikileaks-julian-assange/