A tangential thought on the Wikileaks thing

[imperator_mei]

The Anonymous group of hackers has never really been my favorite. I mean, they're known for attacking musicians and other organizations who defend the right for musicians to be paid for their work. This doesn't endear them to me

Comments

[xaotica]

i'd agree except that if it was just a random rapist, nothing would happen to him.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/dec/08/wikileaks-rape-allegations-freedom-of-speech

[imperator_mei]

There's a lot to be said about this, but here's the core thing: when you directly attack women who are making serious claims of sexual assault, you're dirt.

What's important here is that nobody is questioning the credibility of the women themselves, and thus not their charges. What is being questioned is why the investigation and arrest are being pursued so doggedly. Even if I accept that the only reason that Scotland Yard is involved is because Hillary Clinton is pissed off: attacking these women, their lawyers, and the prosecutor is nothing more than thuggish and vile.

[imperator_mei]

So here's the "more to say about this" part, the part that goes beyond Anonymous and more to the Guardian et al.

Behind this whole argument lies the explosive notion of the Truth. The Truth - as opposed to the small-T truth - is the grand principle of free flow of accurate information, no matter how embarrassing to whom. A noble idea, and certainly critical to democracy and empowerment of the common person

[xaotica]

that quote was from a letter to the editor, not an employee of the guardian

i didn't take that quote to indicate that there was any relevance to whether the charges were fabricated or not, only that it was awfully convenient to aggressively pursue an alleged attacker in one situation when 98% of the time they get ignored

[imperator_mei]

Clarify "convenient." What are you alleging?

[imperator_mei]

Third reply!

Also, don't get me wrong: I think that people on the far end of the spectrum (e.g. Huckabee's claim that Assange should be "executed") are equally outrageous.

And that's the thing: what I want is to have a solid, practical conversation about the roles of free speech and privacy and the right to know balanced against the right of the diplomatic corps to do a delicate, difficult, and sometimes even dangerous job without having their confidential communications published.

What I want: is for people to stop throwing bombs long enough to get on with governing, and then get on with living. Instead, everyone glories in repeated declarations of war and ideological conquest.