This Week's Ripped from the Headlines

So, in further effort to keep both myself and my dutiful readers informed, I am doing my best to keep abreast of the WikiLeaks nonsense and scandal.

Here's the latest wrinkle in Julian Assange's controversial life.

Now, and most likely because I hear about it nonstop on my drive to and from work, my well thought-out opinion with regards to the leaks of various cables:

Well, transparency is important in a well-run democracy. It's nice to know how and why our government does the things they do, and perhaps more importantly, to know that they had the authority, be it constitutional or otherwise, to do it.

But with foreign policy, especially delicate matters involving things like nuclear proliferation, or Baltic states, I could really care less about how and why our foreign policy gets implemented, as long as we aren't:
1. Bombing the shit out of people without them doing it first.
2. Committing atrocities with regards to Human Rights.
3. Committing some other violations of treaties.

Other than 1-3, if you're a diplomat, and you want to say that Demetry Medvev looks like an ass, go nuts.

And yes, I'm sure there's a lot of sordid little secrets that have been exposed by the recent release. Unfortunately for you readers, I have neither the time or the energy to canvas them all to discern what is truly relevant.

And I guess in some ways, that's my point. In lines with the "no one likes a tattle" logic, I guess I feel like Julian Assange should be crucified or applauded, depending on how you feel about the releases.

I just don't care. Color it blind faith, but I feel like if my government is doing terribly fucked up things, they'll surface one way or another. More to that point, I even acknowledge that my government has done fucked up things and will continue to do fucked up things.

But here's the dirty little secret: I'm just wrote that above sentence, and I can promise you all, especially the reader from whom I'm resuming custody of our small animal, that secret police will not burst through my ceiling and I will not be "disappeared."

The fact that there are countries that continue to have governments that routinely disappear, kill, and murder peaceful dissidents should make anyone appreciative of our government, even if we may have some closed-door policies.

Again, I refuse to label Asange as a champion of individual liberty or as the evil villain that Fox News has labeled him as. Yes, there were some black eyes released, a lot of which are attributed to administrations past (read: Bush); but at the end of the day, this is a process that is not unlike making sausage: you're going to get some snouts and assholes thrown in the grinder.

In sum, I will always be interested to know and hold my government accountable for human rights violations, or for mass exercise of unwarranted power. In my half-retarded analysis, I don't think there's much to prosecute our government here for.

As for Assange, on the other hand, looks like he is looking down the barrel of some pretty serious sex offenses (read link posted above). And of course, being the true defender that I am, I will never, ever, cast anyone as guilty before held to answer through a fair and impartial process governed by due process....






But that fucker be a rapist!


(G'night everyone!)