[LINK] Malcolm Turnbull on Julian Assange and wikileaks

[Jan Whitaker]

At 09:09 AM 8/12/2010, Marghanita da Cruz wrote:
> > The breach of security is almost beyond 
> belief. If news reports are right, it is 
> alleged that a 23 year old Private in US Army 
> Intelligence had access to all this material, 
> copied it and gave it to Mr Assange? If this is 
> so, it beggars belief that American 
> intelligence security is so lax when you 
> consider the trillions of dollars spent on 
> security and counter-terrorism measures.
><http://www.malcolmturnbull.com.au/blogs/julian-assange-and-wikileaks/>
>--

"The impact on individuals identified as 
assisting the Americans may be terminally severe. 
The responsibility for any lives lost as a result 
of these disclosures will be with Mr Assange – 
whether his committed a crime or not, his moral 
culpability will be beyond question because it is 
open to him to ensure that nothing is published 
which puts any individual in harm’s way. "

Uh, isn't that what the Australian media bodies 
have been arguing to cover their own backside? 
Roger, help me out here. I think what Assange has 
done is expose in a way that is going to full 
transparency, something the press has been 
clamoring for, and governments of various colours have been promising.

I also note that Malcolm used a defence in the 
case he was involved with that the government was 
offered a blue pencil review. According to 
reports from Wikileaks, that same offer was made 
to the US Govt and was knocked back. How is this different?

This is going to be one of the prime case studies 
of the magnification of information access and 
dissemination, both dangers and opportunities. 
The question is to whose danger and whose 
opportunity? The public right to know what its 
government(s) are doing in their name (at least 
in democracies) or the interests of those who have been given that power?

Jan


Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
jwhit at janwhitaker.com
blog: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/
business: http://www.janwhitaker.com

Our truest response to the irrationality of the 
world is to paint or sing or write, for only in such response do we find truth.
~Madeline L'Engle, writer

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