"what we're doing here is suddenly making one site the moral arbitrator of what's true or not or right or wrong"
Who's doing this? Or what makes you think this? I'm genuinely interested.
( Prequal This is serious business. Very serious., Thu 16 Dec 2010, 13:50, 1 reply)

see above
The problem is that people take wikileaks as gospel (actually the same, massive problem, is true of wikipedia). Therefore Assange (I know it's not just him, but you get the point) is choosing what the internet community believe simply by what he leaks, true or not. And who put him in the position to judge? He knows about as much about the reality of politics and economics and social behaviour as I do.

(this sentence has nothing to do with my argument, but as 50% /talk resident I feel obliged to sling some abuse) Less, in fact, because I'm not clearly a socially ill-equipped shut-in with a serious chip on my shoulder because I was bullied by an authority figure as a child.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Thu 16 Dec 2010, 17:09, closed)

Fortunately the majority of the information released has been diplomatic gossip
but let's imagine a situation in which Wikileaks has evidence that Israel plans to bomb Iran immenently; would the release of this information be "in the public interest"? Yes, in that the public would be interested. No, in that the release of such information would no doubt precipitate a reaction from both parties. I don't trust Assange to be the arbiter any more than I would trust my cat.
( wotofco pissing in your swimming pool, Thu 16 Dec 2010, 17:30, closed)

Quite.
And the reaction to the rape thing sickens me. He might or might not be guilty, of course. But we have people (I'm especially liooking at you, Tatchell) that in any other situation would be screaming blue murder because of the amount of effort that goes into getting a decent level of rape convictions who suddenly think this man should not face questioning because "it's clearly a trumped-up charge to get him in the hands of the US" Fuck's sake. Since Swedish law prohibits publishing of details of alleged crimes or evidence, we have no idea - any of us - what he might or might not have supposedly done, and Sweden complicit with the US in bringing down someone on a free speech issue? Seriously? Go outside, bang your head on a wall, and come back in when you've seen sense.

How does a load of celebrities and the public get to decide guilt and innocence in crime? This isn't I'm a fucking celebrity or Britain must be stopped.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Thu 16 Dec 2010, 17:42, closed)

It's all grist to the mill
of those who credit the US administration with more influence and ability than they've ever demonstrated. Let's not forget, they singularly failed to predict (let alone bring about) the collapse of communism, they fucked up the invasion of Iraq something chronic and they can't even prevent the leaking of some pretty inocuous diplomatic cables. If I was that way inclined, I'd start thinking they've got some sort of conspiracy of inability going on...
( wotofco pissing in your swimming pool, Thu 16 Dec 2010, 18:27, closed)