Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
MWF, 11am
41 comments:
Anonymous
said...
Ah yes,wikileaks.It shouldn't come as a surprise that the powers that be are squirming.After all wasn't Al"scarface" Capone convicted of tax evasion? Then ther was the case of the teflon don in NYC also nailed for tax evasion.If the goverment of the U.S. is being truthful when they say justice is blind,then how many big wigs are going to have to answer for the crime of tax evasion? Very possible that not a one will.While I agree that we as a people have aright to know,some information needs to be gaurded. However, when it comes to personal finance and the Swiss Banking sytem the whole idea is secretcy. Otherwise a good amount of people are going to have to account for their fortunes.All this not withstanding, the real concern here is the continuing battle between the haves and the have nots and the plot by the have to abolish the socio-economic phenomenom known as the middle class.Alan Lopez
The existence of wikileaks is one I cherish, not even so much for the information it provides, but more so for its idealistic intention. It aims to make the government accountable for its actions by reemphasizing that the government is ruled by the people and not the other way around. This is a way of reminding us of that Lincoln promise during the Gettysburg address. What I’m surprised at is not that this case has a history, but more so at the fact no one is talking about why we pay taxes. Federal income taxes are meant for companies and there is no law that states individuals (meaning that you trade your time for a wage) are required to pay such a tax. Everything else is already accounted for. This also should spark some interest in H.R. 25, the FairTax bill. 60,000 pages of federal code against 132 pages in the FairTax bill would, drastically downsize the IRS, help people truly understand where their money goes, make the government accountable and allow for transparency. With this bill in action, the tax base would broaden helping keep health care and social security available and also tax evasion itself would reduce since the taxes would be collected mainly from business and not from individuals.
I agree that politicians should absolutely be held accountable for their criminal actions. If tax evasion, embezzlement, bribes, or any crime that politicians are often involved in are being carried out, then that should definitely be brought to light, but wikileaks is one of the biggest threats to America. The assumption that wikileaks is anything but an anti-American news orginization that is constantly putting the civilians of our country and the troops over seas in grave risk is ridiculous. They may report white collar crimes such as the ones mentioned in the blog, but they also leak out secret military operations that whether wrong or right as percieved by any civilian, is something we have no business knowing. The audacity of an individual to put our military secrets out there for the world to see is a crime that should be punishable by death. Unfortunately the creator of wikileaks has said that if he is killed, then everything that him and his team have compiled will be released. As a libertarian myself, I am all about a government for the people and by the people. When it comes to legislation on health care, social matters, and electing our leaders, that should be up to us completely, but when it comes to military, that is all up to who we elected. So once again, although I do agree that politicians must be held accountable for their actions... when it comes to military, civilians just don't know enough about anything going on in that field, nor should we, to decide if what is seemingly wrong and immoral should or shouldn't be carried out. So this is why I believe wikileaks is one of the biggest threats to America
There is clearly not one person associated with this scandal that leaves innocent. The Swiss bank executive for leaking the confidential information, the account owners for evading taxes, and Julian Assange for making the information public. Although the politicians, businessmen, entrepreneurs, and others using the Swiss bank accounts are completely in the wrong, they aren’t breaking the law, in Switzerland of course. The mastermind behind this scandal and others mentioned in the blog is clearly Assange. Even though he has the right to exercise his freedom of press, I question his motives behind his actions. He could care less what happens to the U.S., for example when he leaked information to our enemies in Afghanistan which could have potentially harmed our soldiers. With that being said, he uses Wikileaks to expose all confidential information at his reach, not for anyone’s best interest but for his own foul satisfaction.
America is getting more lazy by the minute, so the fact that some of still think we shouldn't know certain things about our government is alarming. Civilian, veteran, we should be informed regardless... and hopefully smart enough to understand the information presented.
Allowing other people to do all the thinking for you is just the start. Soon you'll be wondering how you got to the slaughter house killing floor.
Transparency in our government is, I think, a necessity. Yes, it is great to know of the things going on in the world around us. But what difference will this specific information make in our lives? I personally do not see how this information makes a significant difference in my life, my mother’s life, or my brother’s. These hot shot millionaires are evading their hefty taxes, what is the big deal? Celebrities do it constantly..of course not technically the same way. Celebs donate chunks of their salary to charity, yes it is a generous but it is their loop hole. Donating to charity is one of the many ways to lower the amount of taxes a person has to pay. It is the legal loop hole of evading taxes. But celebrities’ tax cuts aren’t being blown up on Wikileaks, when in reality it is the same concept. They are just going about doing the same thing in a different way. If I had millions of dollars to my name, I definitely wouldn’t want to be obligated to giving the government any of my hard earned money.
When I think of the way so much of our governments are run, the first thing that comes to mind is “life really isn’t just”, but at last comes Wikileaks to even things out a bit. Our political system is loaded with flaws, lies, and greed but that’s no secret, what has been on the other hand are the details. I’m sure these latest documents are just the tip of a large iceberg of deceit, and that’s the great thing about Wikileaks. It begins to show the true colors of people that have been going through life with selfish and careless intentions, the same people we trust to represent us and make good decisions for our well being. It’s probably the greatest addition we could possibly add to our system of checks and balances, because if people can’t show integrity in their actions on their own, maybe a little uneasy fear will generate some better choices. After all why should wealthy business men and politicians pay any less of a percentage than the people just struggling to put food on their tables? Wikileaks may generate some anger and fear and I’m obviously not for it challenging our safety, but as long as it’s only inconveniencing the ones who hurt themselves, I say let it be. It’s a necessity for us to be part of our government here in America, after all some nations aren’t even given that privilege/right, it’s not something we can afford to be ignorant about, and so far Wikileaks has been a great tool for the common man to become better informed of what’s going on behind closed doors. -Patrick Crowley
With all the attention on WikiLeaks and then the secrecy of Swiss Bank accounts being revealed and those big corporate names in trouble for tax evasion, we come to question which of these are the lesser of two evils. WikiLeaks disclosed private information of about overseas banks which dictated illicit banking. Tax evasion is a very serious crime and no matter where you stand in society, you do the crime, you pay the time, but in that can we say that WikiLeaks had a right to post private financial documents for the world to see? As WikiLeaks is protected by the second Amendment, where can we truly cross the line? The public should have the right to know what is truly going on within the confines of our government and the people influence it, how can we say one is worse than the other. Do we punish the child who was stealing cookies in the kitchen, or do we punish the dog that was not suppose to be in the house at all that alarmed you of the child in the kitchen?
The case of Wikileaks has been one to plague the news for months now. Our government,one meant to protect and have our well being in mind, is one full of lies and deceit. Most might say it was built on the lies ingeniously disguised as a righteous way to run a country. Wikileaks has not only shined light on the crimes undergoing in our government but also letting the citizens of America know when they’re right is being put at risk. The new reports Wikileaks has made public shines a light of the crimes happening in our country. Tax evasion is a crime regardless of who commits it,if so does it not make sense one pays the consequences? Wikileaks publicises the truth kept in secret by those head of our country. And we as it’s citizens have a right to know,after all this country is run by the people,for the people.
If you believe that Wikileaks (or Julian Assange) is exposing U.S. Military secrets to our enemies then you might just be a brainwashed, fox news watching, drone. People don't understand that Wikileaks doesn't negatively affect the domestic scene. It gives us access to the truth of how our tax payer money is being spent. Rest assured that the information leaked from Afghanistan was released three months after its occurrence--thus Wikileaks is not jeopardizing the secrecy of military operations. Instead it's forthcoming with information on such things as wealthy felons evading taxes and impetuous government corruption. In Tunisia Wikileaks cables exposed how the president and his family were leading a “quasi-mafia” and stealing from its people. Several protests later the Tunisian people were successfully able to overthrow the president (which had ruled for 23 years) and sway much of the majority towards the opposition party. In these instances, Wikileaks aids us in the proper prosecution and repercussions of said felons. Wikileaks renders data that would be typically sold off from public domain. Data that every law abiding citizen has the right to know about.
I personally believe WikiLeaks is amazing and should be looked into more before making a quick comment about it revealing a country's secrets. Our country is based on freedom and rights, and we have a right to know what's going on in our country. If you simply don't care about the information then just don't read it. Although technically some of the news that might be provided can be used against a certain country or individual, we have a right to read it. Anyways, if you don't want it used against you, you simply should not have done the wrong.
If you think about what was done, it can be potrayed good or bad but it is depending on which side you stand on. Tax evasion is a serious crime but it is supported if you look at the case. Wikileaks is basically the batman of modern day. The way Wikileaks get there sources is not politically correct but the inforamtion obtained is illegal as well. So what is right or wrong? The answer is whatever the government see's what is "right" is correct. The government around the world see Wikileaks as a threat against their secrecy and call it "terrorism". The press is no longer what it use to be and it is now restricted and controlled. Therefore, Wikileaks has to be controlled. In the case against Wikileaks having classified information of the BJB bank, the jugde tried to have their site shut them down. It was then token to the supreme court because it went against our second ammendment. Do you not find it odd that our government or "judge" that should know our amendment would try to shut down the only site giving real information of what the public should know? I think Wikileaks is doing the job that our government should and should be supported by us the people.
If you think about what was done, it can be potrayed good or bad but it is depending on which side you stand on. Tax evasion is a serious crime but it is supported if you look at the case. Wikileaks is basically the batman of modern day. The way Wikileaks get there sources is not politically correct but the inforamtion obtained is illegal as well. So what is right or wrong? The answer is whatever the government see's what is "right" is correct. The government around the world see Wikileaks as a threat against their secrecy and call it "terrorism". The press is no longer what it use to be and it is now restricted and controlled. Therefore, Wikileaks has to be controlled. In the case against Wikileaks having classified information of the BJB bank, the jugde tried to have their site shut them down. It was then token to the supreme court because it went against our second ammendment. Do you not find it odd that our government or "judge" that should know our amendment would try to shut down the only site giving real information of what the public should know? I think Wikileaks is doing the job that our government should and should be supported by us the people.
An ideal government system is such which provides complete transparency to its public; however government has failed to do that. Wikileaks is an eye opener. It seeks to answer those questions which the government fails to answer and has put the government to heels. In 2007, wikileaks posted a video on the incident when Iraqi civilians were killed by United States forces and after that they released the Afghan war diary which was a compilation of documents and was available for the public. This helped in locating the people who died during the incident. Wikileaks with the help of Swiss Bank Executive is now revealing about the prominent individuals and companies who are evading tax. Swiss banks seek to maintain complete secrecy and the upcoming information would be against its principles. But one also cannot forget the fact that not paying taxes is a crime too. When such wealthy people are thinking of ways to cut down on taxes, how does this motivates the middle class to pay taxes regularly? I perceive that wikileaks is doing a good job in exposing the secrets; after all we live in democracy and are entitled to information about what our government is actually doing with people like these.
The fact of the matter is, Wikileaks opened our eyes to something that we were blindfolded on. It is claimed that Wikileaks is an act of terrorism and a counter-intelligence threat but with all due respect, they have not yet released co-ordinates on the next "big attack" location for the war we are currently in. Our current military tactics or locations for attacks aren't released. If this were the case, then I'd understand the desire to silence Wikileaks. Yet we all know this has not happened, the information leaked has consistently exposed government corruption, and tax evasion by politicians and those high in society. The media doesn't care about what is going on with Wikileaks anymore because it doesn't generate enough viewer ratings, if hundreds of people die in a tragic attack most news stations would rather report on why celebrities have committed adultery and whatnot. The media cleans up all things going on during the war and give us a Disney version of it. Wikileaks are doing exactly what we in the American press have failed to do for so many years, expose the truth of the corrupt and guilty and speak freely for justice rather be hushed in fear. We should be more at outraged at the cover up than the exposure of the cables. Anthony DeCollibus
I, personally, do not like to comment on anything that has to do with politics due to my Christian faith, but I do believe that our country is based on democracy which portrays freedom of speech. Wiki leaks are an eye opener for the public when it comes to what the government is really about. Things that the government is hiding are revealed by Wiki leaks. They may have gotten their informations illegally, which isn’t ethical but at least they are letting us know what is going on in our government. Tax Invasions is something that usually has its own consequences because it is considered a crime. So, it’s a good thing that it informs us of the secrecy of Swiss Bank accounts being revealed and those big corporate names in trouble for tax evasion so we can see what measure the government will take with those people. It is just too odd for me to see how they are trying to shut Wiki leaks down simply for the fact that it’s revealing the truth and we, as the public, are entirely entitled to know.
I believe, everyone knew the policy, or no-policy Swiss banks have; no questions asked as long as you deposit the money. That’s why most third world country politicians deviate their fortunes to their banks, since they have no obligations to give reasons for them earning that money...It’s a safe way to keep your name and your fortune intact. But, when a site like Wikileaks, exposes confidential information about accounts, individuals and companies, then it’s a big ticking bomb waiting to explode; so these influential “business people, politicians, people who have made their living in the arts and multinational conglomerates — from both sides of the Atlantic”, will try to do whatever is in their power in order to keep themselves and their secrets as invisible as possible. This is the case of the Julius Baer & Co Bank, trying to close Weakileaks, in order to keep its name as clean as possible. I believe in this case, judge White should have ordered to investigate the information Weakileaks was offering in their web site, and find out if it was reliable or if it was, in fact, as the bank claims: “confidential information about the bank and its customers.” But ordering the site to be locked and disabled...I don’t find that to be a great way to defend the freedom of press democracies should offer...Who knows, maybe there are more people involved in this, than those we may think...Jeronimo Gilardoni.
Shutting wikileaks would have upset a lot of people. If government will choose to lie to the public,who will give the truth. Shut down a website just because it throw out the truth, that's ridiculous. The only reason why government would lie, is because the messed and now they have to maintain order. They wouldn't mess up if they came across dumb decisions. The country is always getting involve with other countries for war, just so money can passage through for military purposes. If wikileaks would have been banned it would have cause issues with the people.
Wikileaks should have kept their faces underground, and stay completely anonymous, without any leaders, as is in this case, Julian Assange. But maybe that was only marketing trick just to popularize Wikileaks, or maybe not? All those people, who are saying that Wikileaks and all the cables, war logs and etc. they have posted, are putting US government and military in threat, they are totally wrong. The whole idea is to open the eyes of the people, who are blind and don't see what is happening in the world and especially in US. Looking from outside whole thing is almost the identical situation as in the allegory of the cave. Wikileaks is like the man who came back to the cave to tell more about the world up there, and outside of the cave, and the majority of the people are those prisoners who are trying to put Wikileaks, or the man, to death. As of the last scandal, that is going on with the tax evasion, government official should be punished the hardest. It is because, if one goes to the government, he/she swears that he/she will be doing only good for the nation and its people, and etc. How you would expect that the rest of the population will fallow the rules, if the people, who are chosen to represent and guide you, are doing opposite? Further more, the US doesn't really have a free marker anymore, because of the government official in Washington allow companies to merge until there are just a few mega companies. Having a company so large that they are "too big to fail" or that mom & pop stores can't compete with. It shows, that US has open their eyes, and see the rest of the world is not staying in one place, and adore our nation. That we should conclude that if we won't change any time soon, our United States of America will be the next big empire that crumbled apart and became a gray spot on the map, as were with Mesopotamia, Roman, China, Soviet and etc. empires.
Not everything the government does should be shared with the people. It is for the safety and mind set of the people not know. However, I am not saying nothing should be shared but some things should be kept quite. If the civilians know everything about the government and how corrupt it real is nothing would be ran the same. Companies would follow ax rules nor employment rules. Why should they if the people telling them to follow these rules are not even following them. Either way I do think that the government and the politics that broke the laws and who evaded taxes should be held accountable for what they did and take full responsibility. Because at the end of the day how are we suppose to follow the laws on paying taxes and everything else if the government that makes the laws do not even follow them themselves. -Alex Pino
The results that are provided by wikileaks are detrimental to the advancement of America as a nation. The very persons we elect as officials to represent us are the ones undermining the laws they help put in place. These officials who are exposed for tax evasion are sadly the majority of those who can actually sustainable pay their taxes without financial strain. Demonstrations of greed like this shows the blatant disrespect to the citizens by the government officials and other financially comfortable people and organizations. Although government officials are the ones who are held to the highest accountability in these matters I don’t feel that it is a direct reflection on the American government, but rather the individual greedy needs of Americans to always want more. I feel that the officials caught in this ongoing scandal should be punished for their actions, more so than an ordinary citizen. However , I think it is poor business ethic for the Swiss banking official to give up that information , even though the people listed were breaking American law.
The following blog shared by Prof. Triff on Wikileaks comes to show how the advances in cyberspace free press obtains “confidential information” (which is classified as information that nobody has to have access to nowadays is just not so confidential). The name itself tells us what the content of their website is all about, “leaks” something leaked, something that wasn’t supposed to be known. Wikileaks is a website that absolutely everyone in world has access to, and in fact, from reading different articles I can see that they have in their power information that many governments, organizations, and political figures would never had wanted the world to know about. Wikileaks exposes all of the information or “secrets” that many of the individuals with power would not want to reveal. The fact that this Swiss banker, Rudolf M. Elmer provided Wikileaks with this confidential information leads all of those involved to find a way getting out of the blame. This puts them in a predicament. As for worldwide leaks and even American information that has been leaked shows the compromising information and how they can’t get out of what has already been done. When it comes to organizations with so much power and so much economic and political influences, this only shows that the world we live in is only full of corruptive individuals, that just because they have power, they feel that they can go their way and somehow prevent us from knowing the truth. Why? Because the same way we elect these individuals to represent us as a nation the same way we can bring them down. I understand that as a source of information, Wikileaks is considered to have just a little bit too much information, but in the end I believe that it somehow lets us know what those in power are capable of doing and lets us see the world how it really is.
I personally do believe in the organization so called Wikileaks. This organization has rocked many governments such as Venezuela's exposing delicate information making the public become aware of many unknown or hidden facts. There is an old saying that says that 'there is no such thing hidden between heaven and land'. Sooner or later the truth always goes public. Wikileaks, to my eyes, has been focusing mainly on political manners, therefore causing controversy between governments and important figures such as Chavez, Swiss Banks, etc. Conveying information that should be learned by everyone is something a democrat country offers. Therefore; thumbs up for Wikileaks.
Wiki-leaks I believe is perhaps one of the most reliable and accurate sources of information the U.S citizens have access to when one considers the questionable reactions from various officials and organizations alike. The most recent information “leaked” by the infamous website has revealed that over 1000 top government officials and so called “Pillars of society” have decided to dodge a duty that all American citizens have to their country and that is paying taxes. Well I say good for them, with America being a so called “democratic nation” there is a strong need for accountability amongst all American citizens. Wiki-leaks does just that. It is shedding light in to the dark and corrupt world of the corporate fat cats, CEO’s and government officials forcing them to clean up their act and give their fellow Americans answers. Wiki-leaks, in my opinion, is only scrapping the tip of the iceberg made up of scandals, lies and deceit and is on a great track to returning justice as well as accountability to all American citizens- not to just those who can’t afford to avoid it. -Christopher Jitta
Truth is what this government and other nations lack to tell its people about. The lies and dishonesty are what the government feeds us nowadays, brainwashing us into thinking everything will be okay and to “trust” the government and its officials. Claiming that they “know” what they are doing and that they are not hiding any information from us. None of us could ever see the light with all the lies blinding us from the truth. However, Wiki leaks was able to find a way out, showing the people all around the world of the deceits and injustice committed by governmental officials and huge companies. Wiki leaks is not bad, nor is it to scare or provoke panic to people but more as an eye opener. People have the right to know the truth and this is what wiki leaks is doing for us. Shutting it down would not only upset people but also show that we are deprived of our freedom and the right to know about what our government is hiding from us. One way or another, the truth will come out. All the people want to know is the truth, like in the words of John Lennon: “All I want is the truth, Just Gimme some truth”
I am completely on board with what Wikileaks is doing and the statement they are trying to make. We should be aware of what is going on among our government and the politicians running it. Information such as the kind Wikileaks provides should be available to all of us, as a means for us to grasp on to what’s really going on. It exposes the corruption and secrecy of our government and those who claim high status. Often those who form conspiracies against the government are thought to be paranoid or exaggerative, but this website brings a justification for such paranoia. It leaks the sort of information these people pay millions of dollars, or conceive millions of lies, to keep hidden from the public. This is the sort of information that we should have access to. How can we possibly put our trust, and our dollars, in a government or political representative who will go to extreme lengths just to keep us in the dark. Wikileaks seeks to change this, it seeks, I believe, to give the public the upper hand when it comes to the knowledge that is acquired. It reveals that the government really can be as corrupt as some of us have speculated. If the rest of us have to face the consequences of our actions, especially of those regarding such crimes as tax evasion, then why shouldn’t they. What Wikileaks is attempting to do is cause those who believe they are above the law to take responsibility for their actions.
Wikileaks states that is" primary interest is in exposing oppresive regime in Asia, the former Soviet bloc, Sub-saharan Africa and Middle East, but we also expect to be of assistance to people of all regions who wish to reveal unethical behavior in their governments and corporations. Yes, it is great to know what is going on in the world. But what differences will this information make in our lives. The tax evasion is a very serious crime and no matter what, but can we say that Wikileaks had the right to post private documents for the world to see? It is quite clear that people privacy must be respected. As a result, whoever failed it must pay the price. The main priority of wikileaks is to keep information secret as it reveals all the secret informations they failed from their purpose. I feel that the officials caught in this ongoing scandal should be punished for their actions.
It wasn’t until recently that I truly found out what wikileaks actually was. In my opinion what this website originally intended to do and succeeded in, was a great idea. Informing the masses about information that they were not supposed to know, such as exposing oppressive regimes that governments are planning on imposing upon their people. This is great given that politicians are always “beating around the bush” when direct questions are asked, just to keep information only at their dispense. At the same time I believe that wikileaks should have some sort of check system, to prevent any mass chaos or jeopardize the safety and security of the population, I believe that the government should keep their people informed about their current situation or future plans for the society. I recently heard that the government what to shut down wikileaks because of what they are doing. I think that it’s not what wikileaks is doing that is incorrect; instead the government wants them out so that they don’t have to worry about covering themselves. Should the government be allowed to put them out of the picture for self gain? I think not.
The buzz over Wikileaks is understandable. The ethically and moral credibility of many individuals, some prominent, is open for all to see. While the ethically and moral credibility of Rudolf M. Elmer is set aside in the shadows. So when is it okay to abandon an oath one willingly took knowing what he or she may encounter things they may disfavor. Can it just be that the “code” of ethics is one that is interchangeable when one sees suited? Some may see him as doing the right thing and others as just a disgruntled employee. Whether he did it out of spite or some form of political justice, Elmer is just as discreditable as those he’s helped hang out to dry. -Joanne Apollon
This blog shows how important it is for citizens to be informed and inquire knowledge. I condone wikileaks agendas to investigate and inform public whether good or bad the doings of others. I believe we should always be actively informed and involved social issue, rather than blindly retaining information. A Wiki leak is not only reminding us to practice our first amendment rights, but to think for ourselves. Often we take for granted the importants of exercising our voices and minds because we guaranteed this right. However, other part of the equator rights such as freedom of speech is non exist right to citizens. We should not take this issue lightly because it is destroy the fundamental of democracy. Steve Coll argues this same sentiment as well. Coll believes we losing are voices in shuffle of other economic forces. My final thoughts is we need to open are eyes to what is happen in our economic in order to hath its growth and fix it.
Wikileaks helps us open our eyes to the world from secrets. Yes, Wikileaks information may come illegal sometimes but if the information is something that the public must know, is it illegal? Tax evasion is a serious crime and what the Swiss bank is taking to do to cover up is no joke. Our government tries to hide and do a lot of cloak-and-dagger operations to hide the truth from the public. That is why they try to chase Wikileaks out and shut them down to keep them quiet. If Wikileaks is a threat to the government then it must be because they are trying to hide something and do not want anyone to know about it. Look at the examples like the Iraq war logs and diaries. It has information about what is going on with our military that Wikileaks tries to tell us and no one else does. To me Wikileaks is a site that cares about the public.
I for one have never heard of Wiki-Leaks till recently and I don't know really what type of information is being leaked but I have to say that I have nothing against it. The government hides so much information from us, the people who employ them. The government is suppose to be for the people, by the people yet I see little proof that holds that to be true. We are the ones supplying the funds for whatever they do, We have the right to know everything that goes on within our country and how this money is being spent. It doesn't matter what the content of the information is but it should be available to us. One might argue " what about enemy countries?", What about them?. Really, this type of information is being leaked out to enemy shores whether it is being publicly presented to us or not. Someone is making a profit of knowing these so called secrets.
I am the type of person that do not like to comment when it comes to political outstanding but I do agree because if you made any type of crime you should be known for society or convicted for their crime. Therefore, these types of situation also happen in many countries. I am really sure that most of the country I am not saying every country but the majority of them do make these type of crime when they are trying to get elective or re-elective. In the other hand I think that they might be a lot of them that do not want to get caught for the reason that might have important position in their job and might come with a lot of trouble if they lead the names show to the news. Sincerely, governments never play right; always have something hide in the left hand.
The first amendment establishes the fact that Congress would make no law abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble. And beyond what the constitution entails we naturally have free will and the choice to make our own decisions. Wikileaks has the right to inform the public of confidential messages, but where I disagree with wikileaks is the way they go about reporting their information. Such findings as government/corporate wrongdoing or tax evasion are totally legitimate; but, hacking into Sarah Palin's personal account and 9/11 pager messages I believe are going past the limit. The political world can be a world full of ruthless politicains, but I don't think reporting personal information is a journalistic tool that should be used, neither do I think it's humane or should be taken lightly.
From my knowledge, WikiLeaks is a non-profit organization that informs civilians by revealing to the public, secret or unbeknownst to the public, information from various sources, that the government would otherwise deem classified. With respect to everyone’s opinion, I do, believe that our government is corrupt, and if it takes an organization like Wikileaks to keep people in the loop and open our eyes so that we become aware of what our government and politicians are up to, than more power to WikiLeaks. Though I do I question some of the information that is released which may be hazardous to national security, can be detrimental to not only the economy and society, because I don’t feel that all information exposed will be received and handled properly by the public. I don’t feel that the website should be closed down, and if it is, I fear of an epidemic uproar throughout the nations.
I believe that wiki leaks are doing their job. They are exposing wrong doing done by both government and corporations. If people are evading taxes they should be exposed because it’s not fair to ordinary citizens who have to pay them and these people can get away from them. It’s not fair that some people can get away with everything. I praise wiki leaks for what they are doing because if governments and corporations were doing their job right then they shouldn’t feel threatened by wiki leaks at all. But at the same time I do believe that wiki leaks expose information that shouldn’t be exposed at all. Some secrets should just remain secrets; because it can create controversy and war can strike out if certain secrets are exposed to the public. I also believe that wiki leaks are doing the jobs that the press isn’t doing correctly themselves. But it seems like news companies these days are under the influence of politicians and other corporations and wouldn’t expose them; even if it was vital for the public to hear. For example, Fox news caters to Republicans and MSNBC caters to Democrats. There’s a lot of corruption in the world and it’s good that wiki leaks is exposing them as they come along.
I think that this story, the same as many other stories, has two sides. From one point of view, it is great to have such company as Wiki Leaks that helps people to know about different things done by well-known and influential people. But what do we get from this information? Does it help us, civilians, with something? Who cares what some politicians do with their money? Does it mean that those that were not discovered are better? News about frauds and illegal activities are everywhere. They always were, are and will be the top news. What scares the most is the fact that this organization releases confidential information that harms national security. I agree that free press is a part of democracy, but when it comes to our security I do not think that this kind of information is a good thing. Everything has to be done within limits. Every single person on the Earth has its own secret. Does it mean that if Wiki Leaks will release relevant information about influential people, frauds and crimes will stop? I don’t think so. Eugeniu Timofti
Julian Assange is somebody who deserves to have an act of recognition from us for having the courage of releasing all the controversy information he is leaking through Wikileaks.org. Every time he makes public fraudulent information about a particular government, institution or individual, somebody gets seriously affected by the disclosure, and normally very powerful individuals, who could perfectly take revenge by hurting or even killing him. He is risking his life with every information leakage. And that’s something not every journalist either journal or any kind of media do today. Even though we’re told we live in a democracy, we know we’re not. A huge amount of information is controlled by government, multinational companies and everyone who has the power and the money to manage information in their benefits. So why not to pay attention to Wikileaks? Maybe they‘re saying things people don’t want to hear it or that in their opinions are going to weaken their securities, but at least it is telling us something nobody has told us before. Wikileaks is showing us the other face of the coin. Wikileaks is giving us the opportunity to formulate our opinion and not just absorb what the regular media tell us, which can be truth or just other manipulated news. Society should be very happy to have this new kind of press. An applause for Wikileaks.org!!
The phenomenon Wiki leaks is just the result of certain way of globalization in terms of communications, it’s also considered a new independent journalism whose founder, Julian Assage publishes information that we don’t see in the regular press. Now the question could be: How good or bad is that information? Only the time will tell us the result. Meanwhile Wiki Leaks is getting more oxygen by obtaining new and compromising data. Should we be interested? Well, information given by Wiki Leaks exposes government and corporate wrongdoing so, I thing its good in that way, we the people should know about those things. But I also wonder if that information will accelerate new conflicts in some countries by revealing information that is supposed to be secret. I think it was about time that somebody started telling us the true about some political issues of the last decade.
Wikileaks is definitely going to change the way governments handle internal affairs and the way they view technological advances. Like the Nazis burned their records of horror, contemporary governments are going to have to figure out a way to dispose of their wrongdoings. Wikilieaks has opened a Pandora's box which will never be closed again. It has sneaked into the intimate corners of those who commit embarrassing deeds. Wikileaks is like “Big Brother” watching. But instead of watching civilians, he takes the role of exposing what is meant to remain unexposed. There is no secret bank account in Switzerland, or clean war actions. Wikileaks marked a precedent in new age communications, and I believe that even if its silenced new variations of it will come along. It opened a window into the truth of, “well-kept secrets”, and this new generation will surely take advantage of it.
WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange is in the right here. its just not cool to be bashing wikileaks for fulfilling their right as journalists. feeding the world with information regardless of whet the outcome or consequence is their right. Whether they think that outcome is positive or negetive is their decision. War journalists from past wars risk there lives for the mire feeding of information and data to be documented and passed on. the documentation drives these peoples existence. and yes, maybe this swiss bank executive is ruining a bunch of "criminals",he feels the need to go for it and take this chance it be a hero. his superman moment is real. and Julian Assange is batman.
41 comments:
Ah yes,wikileaks.It shouldn't come as a surprise that the powers that be are squirming.After all wasn't Al"scarface" Capone convicted of tax evasion? Then ther was the case of the teflon don in NYC also nailed for tax evasion.If the goverment of the U.S. is being truthful when they say justice is blind,then how many big wigs are going to have to answer for the crime of tax evasion? Very possible that not a one will.While I agree that we as a people have aright to know,some information needs to be gaurded. However, when it comes to personal finance and the Swiss Banking sytem the whole idea is secretcy. Otherwise a good amount of people are going to have to account for their fortunes.All this not withstanding, the real concern here is the continuing battle between the haves and the have nots and the plot by the have to abolish the socio-economic phenomenom known as the middle class.Alan Lopez
The existence of wikileaks is one I cherish, not even so much for the information it provides, but more so for its idealistic intention. It aims to make the government accountable for its actions by reemphasizing that the government is ruled by the people and not the other way around. This is a way of reminding us of that Lincoln promise during the Gettysburg address. What I’m surprised at is not that this case has a history, but more so at the fact no one is talking about why we pay taxes. Federal income taxes are meant for companies and there is no law that states individuals (meaning that you trade your time for a wage) are required to pay such a tax. Everything else is already accounted for. This also should spark some interest in H.R. 25, the FairTax bill. 60,000 pages of federal code against 132 pages in the FairTax bill would, drastically downsize the IRS, help people truly understand where their money goes, make the government accountable and allow for transparency. With this bill in action, the tax base would broaden helping keep health care and social security available and also tax evasion itself would reduce since the taxes would be collected mainly from business and not from individuals.
Fairtax.org
Check it out!
- Rene Gonzalez
I agree that politicians should absolutely be held accountable for their criminal actions. If tax evasion, embezzlement, bribes, or any crime that politicians are often involved in are being carried out, then that should definitely be brought to light, but wikileaks is one of the biggest threats to America. The assumption that wikileaks is anything but an anti-American news orginization that is constantly putting the civilians of our country and the troops over seas in grave risk is ridiculous. They may report white collar crimes such as the ones mentioned in the blog, but they also leak out secret military operations that whether wrong or right as percieved by any civilian, is something we have no business knowing. The audacity of an individual to put our military secrets out there for the world to see is a crime that should be punishable by death. Unfortunately the creator of wikileaks has said that if he is killed, then everything that him and his team have compiled will be released. As a libertarian myself, I am all about a government for the people and by the people. When it comes to legislation on health care, social matters, and electing our leaders, that should be up to us completely, but when it comes to military, that is all up to who we elected. So once again, although I do agree that politicians must be held accountable for their actions... when it comes to military, civilians just don't know enough about anything going on in that field, nor should we, to decide if what is seemingly wrong and immoral should or shouldn't be carried out. So this is why I believe wikileaks is one of the biggest threats to America
There is clearly not one person associated with this scandal that leaves innocent. The Swiss bank executive for leaking the confidential information, the account owners for evading taxes, and Julian Assange for making the information public. Although the politicians, businessmen, entrepreneurs, and others using the Swiss bank accounts are completely in the wrong, they aren’t breaking the law, in Switzerland of course. The mastermind behind this scandal and others mentioned in the blog is clearly Assange. Even though he has the right to exercise his freedom of press, I question his motives behind his actions. He could care less what happens to the U.S., for example when he leaked information to our enemies in Afghanistan which could have potentially harmed our soldiers. With that being said, he uses Wikileaks to expose all confidential information at his reach, not for anyone’s best interest but for his own foul satisfaction.
--- Laura Galindo
America is getting more lazy by the minute, so the fact that some of still think we shouldn't know certain things about our government is alarming. Civilian, veteran, we should be informed regardless... and hopefully smart enough to understand the information presented.
Allowing other people to do all the thinking for you is just the start. Soon you'll be wondering how you got to the slaughter house killing floor.
"Turn on, Tune in, Drop out"
Transparency in our government is, I think, a necessity. Yes, it is great to know of the things going on in the world around us. But what difference will this specific information make in our lives? I personally do not see how this information makes a significant difference in my life, my mother’s life, or my brother’s. These hot shot millionaires are evading their hefty taxes, what is the big deal? Celebrities do it constantly..of course not technically the same way. Celebs donate chunks of their salary to charity, yes it is a generous but it is their loop hole. Donating to charity is one of the many ways to lower the amount of taxes a person has to pay. It is the legal loop hole of evading taxes. But celebrities’ tax cuts aren’t being blown up on Wikileaks, when in reality it is the same concept. They are just going about doing the same thing in a different way. If I had millions of dollars to my name, I definitely wouldn’t want to be obligated to giving the government any of my hard earned money.
-Adrianna Garcia
When I think of the way so much of our governments are run, the first thing that comes to mind is “life really isn’t just”, but at last comes Wikileaks to even things out a bit. Our political system is loaded with flaws, lies, and greed but that’s no secret, what has been on the other hand are the details. I’m sure these latest documents are just the tip of a large iceberg of deceit, and that’s the great thing about Wikileaks. It begins to show the true colors of people that have been going through life with selfish and careless intentions, the same people we trust to represent us and make good decisions for our well being. It’s probably the greatest addition we could possibly add to our system of checks and balances, because if people can’t show integrity in their actions on their own, maybe a little uneasy fear will generate some better choices. After all why should wealthy business men and politicians pay any less of a percentage than the people just struggling to put food on their tables? Wikileaks may generate some anger and fear and I’m obviously not for it challenging our safety, but as long as it’s only inconveniencing the ones who hurt themselves, I say let it be. It’s a necessity for us to be part of our government here in America, after all some nations aren’t even given that privilege/right, it’s not something we can afford to be ignorant about, and so far Wikileaks has been a great tool for the common man to become better informed of what’s going on behind closed doors.
-Patrick Crowley
With all the attention on WikiLeaks and then the secrecy of Swiss Bank accounts being revealed and those big corporate names in trouble for tax evasion, we come to question which of these are the lesser of two evils. WikiLeaks disclosed private information of about overseas banks which dictated illicit banking. Tax evasion is a very serious crime and no matter where you stand in society, you do the crime, you pay the time, but in that can we say that WikiLeaks had a right to post private financial documents for the world to see? As WikiLeaks is protected by the second Amendment, where can we truly cross the line? The public should have the right to know what is truly going on within the confines of our government and the people influence it, how can we say one is worse than the other. Do we punish the child who was stealing cookies in the kitchen, or do we punish the dog that was not suppose to be in the house at all that alarmed you of the child in the kitchen?
-Rachel Dorvil
The case of Wikileaks has been one to plague the news for months now. Our government,one meant to protect and have our well being in mind, is one full of lies and deceit. Most might say it was built on the lies ingeniously disguised as a righteous way to run a country. Wikileaks has not only shined light on the crimes undergoing in our government but also letting the citizens of America know when they’re right is being put at risk. The new reports Wikileaks has made public shines a light of the crimes happening in our country. Tax evasion is a crime regardless of who commits it,if so does it not make sense one pays the consequences? Wikileaks publicises the truth kept in secret by those head of our country. And we as it’s citizens have a right to know,after all this country is run by the people,for the people.
-Vanessa Quiroz
If you believe that Wikileaks (or Julian Assange) is exposing U.S. Military secrets to our enemies then you might just be a brainwashed, fox news watching, drone. People don't understand that Wikileaks doesn't negatively affect the domestic scene. It gives us access to the truth of how our tax payer money is being spent. Rest assured that the information leaked from Afghanistan was released three months after its occurrence--thus Wikileaks is not jeopardizing the secrecy of military operations. Instead it's forthcoming with information on such things as wealthy felons evading taxes and impetuous government corruption. In Tunisia Wikileaks cables exposed how the president and his family were leading a “quasi-mafia” and stealing from its people. Several protests later the Tunisian people were successfully able to overthrow the president (which had ruled for 23 years) and sway much of the majority towards the opposition party. In these instances, Wikileaks aids us in the proper prosecution and repercussions of said felons. Wikileaks renders data that would be typically sold off from public domain. Data that every law abiding citizen has the right to know about.
-Margarita Meshini
I personally believe WikiLeaks is amazing and should be looked into more before making a quick comment about it revealing a country's secrets. Our country is based on freedom and rights, and we have a right to know what's going on in our country. If you simply don't care about the information then just don't read it. Although technically some of the news that might be provided can be used against a certain country or individual, we have a right to read it. Anyways, if you don't want it used against you, you simply should not have done the wrong.
-Kenneth Bermudez
If you think about what was done, it can be potrayed good or bad but it is depending on which side you stand on. Tax evasion is a serious crime but it is supported if you look at the case. Wikileaks is basically the batman of modern day. The way Wikileaks get there sources is not politically correct but the inforamtion obtained is illegal as well. So what is right or wrong? The answer is whatever the government see's what is "right" is correct. The government around the world see Wikileaks as a threat against their secrecy and call it "terrorism". The press is no longer what it use to be and it is now restricted and controlled. Therefore, Wikileaks has to be controlled. In the case against Wikileaks having classified information of the BJB bank, the jugde tried to have their site shut them down. It was then token to the supreme court because it went against our second ammendment. Do you not find it odd that our government or "judge" that should know our amendment would try to shut down the only site giving real information of what the public should know? I think Wikileaks is doing the job that our government should and should be supported by us the people.
---Marcos V. Fermin
If you think about what was done, it can be potrayed good or bad but it is depending on which side you stand on. Tax evasion is a serious crime but it is supported if you look at the case. Wikileaks is basically the batman of modern day. The way Wikileaks get there sources is not politically correct but the inforamtion obtained is illegal as well. So what is right or wrong? The answer is whatever the government see's what is "right" is correct. The government around the world see Wikileaks as a threat against their secrecy and call it "terrorism". The press is no longer what it use to be and it is now restricted and controlled. Therefore, Wikileaks has to be controlled. In the case against Wikileaks having classified information of the BJB bank, the jugde tried to have their site shut them down. It was then token to the supreme court because it went against our second ammendment. Do you not find it odd that our government or "judge" that should know our amendment would try to shut down the only site giving real information of what the public should know? I think Wikileaks is doing the job that our government should and should be supported by us the people.
---Marcos V. Fermin
An ideal government system is such which provides complete transparency to its public; however government has failed to do that. Wikileaks is an eye opener. It seeks to answer those questions which the government fails to answer and has put the government to heels. In 2007, wikileaks posted a video on the incident when Iraqi civilians were killed by United States forces and after that they released the Afghan war diary which was a compilation of documents and was available for the public. This helped in locating the people who died during the incident. Wikileaks with the help of Swiss Bank Executive is now revealing about the prominent individuals and companies who are evading tax. Swiss banks seek to maintain complete secrecy and the upcoming information would be against its principles. But one also cannot forget the fact that not paying taxes is a crime too. When such wealthy people are thinking of ways to cut down on taxes, how does this motivates the middle class to pay taxes regularly? I perceive that wikileaks is doing a good job in exposing the secrets; after all we live in democracy and are entitled to information about what our government is actually doing with people like these.
The fact of the matter is, Wikileaks opened our eyes to something that we were blindfolded on. It is claimed that Wikileaks is an act of terrorism and a counter-intelligence threat but with all due respect, they have not yet released co-ordinates on the next "big attack" location for the war we are currently in. Our current military tactics or locations for attacks aren't released. If this were the case, then I'd understand the desire to silence Wikileaks. Yet we all know this has not happened, the information leaked has consistently exposed government corruption, and tax evasion by politicians and those high in society.
The media doesn't care about what is going on with Wikileaks anymore because it doesn't generate enough viewer ratings, if hundreds of people die in a tragic attack most news stations would rather report on why celebrities have committed adultery and whatnot. The media cleans up all things going on during the war and give us a Disney version of it. Wikileaks are doing exactly what we in the American press have failed to do for so many years, expose the truth of the corrupt and guilty and speak freely for justice rather be hushed in fear. We should be more at outraged at the cover up than the exposure of the cables.
Anthony DeCollibus
I, personally, do not like to comment on anything that has to do with politics due to my Christian faith, but I do believe that our country is based on democracy which portrays freedom of speech. Wiki leaks are an eye opener for the public when it comes to what the government is really about. Things that the government is hiding are revealed by Wiki leaks. They may have gotten their informations illegally, which isn’t ethical but at least they are letting us know what is going on in our government. Tax Invasions is something that usually has its own consequences because it is considered a crime. So, it’s a good thing that it informs us of the secrecy of Swiss Bank accounts being revealed and those big corporate names in trouble for tax evasion so we can see what measure the government will take with those people. It is just too odd for me to see how they are trying to shut Wiki leaks down simply for the fact that it’s revealing the truth and we, as the public, are entirely entitled to know.
Fenza Fleurgin
I believe, everyone knew the policy, or no-policy Swiss banks have; no questions asked as long as you deposit the money. That’s why most third world country politicians deviate their fortunes to their banks, since they have no obligations to give reasons for them earning that money...It’s a safe way to keep your name and your fortune intact. But, when a site like Wikileaks, exposes confidential information about accounts, individuals and companies, then it’s a big ticking bomb waiting to explode; so these influential “business people, politicians, people who have made their living in the arts and multinational conglomerates — from both sides of the Atlantic”, will try to do whatever is in their power in order to keep themselves and their secrets as invisible as possible. This is the case of the Julius Baer & Co Bank, trying to close Weakileaks, in order to keep its name as clean as possible. I believe in this case, judge White should have ordered to investigate the information Weakileaks was offering in their web site, and find out if it was reliable or if it was, in fact, as the bank claims: “confidential information about the bank and its customers.” But ordering the site to be locked and disabled...I don’t find that to be a great way to defend the freedom of press democracies should offer...Who knows, maybe there are more people involved in this, than those we may think...Jeronimo Gilardoni.
Shutting wikileaks would have upset a lot of people. If government will choose to lie to the public,who will give the truth. Shut down a website just because it throw out the truth, that's ridiculous. The only reason why government would lie, is because the messed and now they have to maintain order. They wouldn't mess up if they came across dumb decisions. The country is always getting involve with other countries for war, just so money can passage through for military purposes. If wikileaks would have been banned it would have cause issues with the people.
Wikileaks should have kept their faces underground, and stay completely anonymous, without any leaders, as is in this case, Julian Assange. But maybe that was only marketing trick just to popularize Wikileaks, or maybe not?
All those people, who are saying that Wikileaks and all the cables, war logs and etc. they have posted, are putting US government and military in threat, they are totally wrong. The whole idea is to open the eyes of the people, who are blind and don't see what is happening in the world and especially in US. Looking from outside whole thing is almost the identical situation as in the allegory of the cave. Wikileaks is like the man who came back to the cave to tell more about the world up there, and outside of the cave, and the majority of the people are those prisoners who are trying to put Wikileaks, or the man, to death.
As of the last scandal, that is going on with the tax evasion, government official should be punished the hardest. It is because, if one goes to the government, he/she swears that he/she will be doing only good for the nation and its people, and etc. How you would expect that the rest of the population will fallow the rules, if the people, who are chosen to represent and guide you, are doing opposite?
Further more, the US doesn't really have a free marker anymore, because of the government official in Washington allow companies to merge until there are just a few mega companies. Having a company so large that they are "too big to fail" or that mom & pop stores can't compete with. It shows, that US has open their eyes, and see the rest of the world is not staying in one place, and adore our nation. That we should conclude that if we won't change any time soon, our United States of America will be the next big empire that crumbled apart and became a gray spot on the map, as were with Mesopotamia, Roman, China, Soviet and etc. empires.
Rokas Zickevicius
Not everything the government does should be shared with the people. It is for the safety and mind set of the people not know. However, I am not saying nothing should be shared but some things should be kept quite. If the civilians know everything about the government and how corrupt it real is nothing would be ran the same. Companies would follow ax rules nor employment rules. Why should they if the people telling them to follow these rules are not even following them. Either way I do think that the government and the politics that broke the laws and who evaded taxes should be held accountable for what they did and take full responsibility. Because at the end of the day how are we suppose to follow the laws on paying taxes and everything else if the government that makes the laws do not even follow them themselves.
-Alex Pino
The results that are provided by wikileaks are detrimental to the advancement of America as a nation. The very persons we elect as officials to represent us are the ones undermining the laws they help put in place. These officials who are exposed for tax evasion are sadly the majority of those who can actually sustainable pay their taxes without financial strain. Demonstrations of greed like this shows the blatant disrespect to the citizens by the government officials and other financially comfortable people and organizations. Although government officials are the ones who are held to the highest accountability in these matters I don’t feel that it is a direct reflection on the American government, but rather the individual greedy needs of Americans to always want more. I feel that the officials caught in this ongoing scandal should be punished for their actions, more so than an ordinary citizen. However , I think it is poor business ethic for the Swiss banking official to give up that information , even though the people listed were breaking American law.
The following blog shared by Prof. Triff on Wikileaks comes to show how the advances in cyberspace free press obtains “confidential information” (which is classified as information that nobody has to have access to nowadays is just not so confidential). The name itself tells us what the content of their website is all about, “leaks” something leaked, something that wasn’t supposed to be known. Wikileaks is a website that absolutely everyone in world has access to, and in fact, from reading different articles I can see that they have in their power information that many governments, organizations, and political figures would never had wanted the world to know about. Wikileaks exposes all of the information or “secrets” that many of the individuals with power would not want to reveal. The fact that this Swiss banker, Rudolf M. Elmer provided Wikileaks with this confidential information leads all of those involved to find a way getting out of the blame. This puts them in a predicament. As for worldwide leaks and even American information that has been leaked shows the compromising information and how they can’t get out of what has already been done. When it comes to organizations with so much power and so much economic and political influences, this only shows that the world we live in is only full of corruptive individuals, that just because they have power, they feel that they can go their way and somehow prevent us from knowing the truth. Why? Because the same way we elect these individuals to represent us as a nation the same way we can bring them down. I understand that as a source of information, Wikileaks is considered to have just a little bit too much information, but in the end I believe that it somehow lets us know what those in power are capable of doing and lets us see the world how it really is.
Stephanie Chaparro
I personally do believe in the organization so called Wikileaks. This organization has rocked many governments such as Venezuela's exposing delicate information making the public become aware of many unknown or hidden facts. There is an old saying that says that 'there is no such thing hidden between heaven and land'. Sooner or later the truth always goes public. Wikileaks, to my eyes, has been focusing mainly on political manners, therefore causing controversy between governments and important figures such as Chavez, Swiss Banks, etc. Conveying information that should be learned by everyone is something a democrat country offers. Therefore; thumbs up for Wikileaks.
Wiki-leaks I believe is perhaps one of the most reliable and accurate sources of information the U.S citizens have access to when one considers the questionable reactions from various officials and organizations alike. The most recent information “leaked” by the infamous website has revealed that over 1000 top government officials and so called “Pillars of society” have decided to dodge a duty that all American citizens have to their country and that is paying taxes. Well I say good for them, with America being a so called “democratic nation” there is a strong need for accountability amongst all American citizens. Wiki-leaks does just that. It is shedding light in to the dark and corrupt world of the corporate fat cats, CEO’s and government officials forcing them to clean up their act and give their fellow Americans answers. Wiki-leaks, in my opinion, is only scrapping the tip of the iceberg made up of scandals, lies and deceit and is on a great track to returning justice as well as accountability to all American citizens- not to just those who can’t afford to avoid it.
-Christopher Jitta
Truth is what this government and other nations lack to tell its people about. The lies and dishonesty are what the government feeds us nowadays, brainwashing us into thinking everything will be okay and to “trust” the government and its officials. Claiming that they “know” what they are doing and that they are not hiding any information from us. None of us could ever see the light with all the lies blinding us from the truth. However, Wiki leaks was able to find a way out, showing the people all around the world of the deceits and injustice committed by governmental officials and huge companies. Wiki leaks is not bad, nor is it to scare or provoke panic to people but more as an eye opener. People have the right to know the truth and this is what wiki leaks is doing for us. Shutting it down would not only upset people but also show that we are deprived of our freedom and the right to know about what our government is hiding from us. One way or another, the truth will come out. All the people want to know is the truth, like in the words of John Lennon: “All I want is the truth, Just Gimme some truth”
-Daysis Moraga
I am completely on board with what Wikileaks is doing and the statement they are trying to make. We should be aware of what is going on among our government and the politicians running it. Information such as the kind Wikileaks provides should be available to all of us, as a means for us to grasp on to what’s really going on. It exposes the corruption and secrecy of our government and those who claim high status. Often those who form conspiracies against the government are thought to be paranoid or exaggerative, but this website brings a justification for such paranoia. It leaks the sort of information these people pay millions of dollars, or conceive millions of lies, to keep hidden from the public. This is the sort of information that we should have access to. How can we possibly put our trust, and our dollars, in a government or political representative who will go to extreme lengths just to keep us in the dark. Wikileaks seeks to change this, it seeks, I believe, to give the public the upper hand when it comes to the knowledge that is acquired. It reveals that the government really can be as corrupt as some of us have speculated. If the rest of us have to face the consequences of our actions, especially of those regarding such crimes as tax evasion, then why shouldn’t they. What Wikileaks is attempting to do is cause those who believe they are above the law to take responsibility for their actions.
-Vanessa Guiracoche
Wikileaks states that is" primary interest is in exposing oppresive regime in Asia, the former Soviet bloc, Sub-saharan Africa and Middle East, but we also expect to be of assistance to people of all regions who wish to reveal unethical behavior in their governments and corporations. Yes, it is great to know what is going on in the world. But what differences will this information make in our lives. The tax evasion is a very serious crime and no matter what, but can we say that Wikileaks had the right to post private documents for the world to see? It is quite clear that people privacy must be respected. As a result, whoever failed it must pay the price. The main priority of wikileaks is to keep information secret as it reveals all the secret informations they failed from their purpose. I feel that the officials caught in this ongoing scandal should be punished for their actions.
Marie Michelle Leveille
It wasn’t until recently that I truly found out what wikileaks actually was. In my opinion what this website originally intended to do and succeeded in, was a great idea. Informing the masses about information that they were not supposed to know, such as exposing oppressive regimes that governments are planning on imposing upon their people. This is great given that politicians are always “beating around the bush” when direct questions are asked, just to keep information only at their dispense. At the same time I believe that wikileaks should have some sort of check system, to prevent any mass chaos or jeopardize the safety and security of the population, I believe that the government should keep their people informed about their current situation or future plans for the society. I recently heard that the government what to shut down wikileaks because of what they are doing. I think that it’s not what wikileaks is doing that is incorrect; instead the government wants them out so that they don’t have to worry about covering themselves. Should the government be allowed to put them out of the picture for self gain? I think not.
Christopher Lopez
The buzz over Wikileaks is understandable. The ethically and moral credibility of many individuals, some prominent, is open for all to see. While the ethically and moral credibility of Rudolf M. Elmer is set aside in the shadows. So when is it okay to abandon an oath one willingly took knowing what he or she may encounter things they may disfavor. Can it just be that the “code” of ethics is one that is interchangeable when one sees suited? Some may see him as doing the right thing and others as just a disgruntled employee. Whether he did it out of spite or some form of political justice, Elmer is just as discreditable as those he’s helped hang out to dry.
-Joanne Apollon
This blog shows how important it is for citizens to be informed and inquire knowledge. I condone wikileaks agendas to investigate and inform public whether good or bad the doings of others. I believe we should always be actively informed and involved social issue, rather than blindly retaining information. A Wiki leak is not only reminding us to practice our first amendment rights, but to think for ourselves. Often we take for granted the importants of exercising our voices and minds because we guaranteed this right. However, other part of the equator rights such as freedom of speech is non exist right to citizens. We should not take this issue lightly because it is destroy the fundamental of democracy. Steve Coll argues this same sentiment as well. Coll believes we losing are voices in shuffle of other economic forces. My final thoughts is we need to open are eyes to what is happen in our economic in order to hath its growth and fix it.
~ Reyna Barnhart
Wikileaks helps us open our eyes to the world from secrets. Yes, Wikileaks information may come illegal sometimes but if the information is something that the public must know, is it illegal? Tax evasion is a serious crime and what the Swiss bank is taking to do to cover up is no joke. Our government tries to hide and do a lot of cloak-and-dagger operations to hide the truth from the public. That is why they try to chase Wikileaks out and shut them down to keep them quiet. If Wikileaks is a threat to the government then it must be because they are trying to hide something and do not want anyone to know about it. Look at the examples like the Iraq war logs and diaries. It has information about what is going on with our military that Wikileaks tries to tell us and no one else does. To me Wikileaks is a site that cares about the public.
I for one have never heard of Wiki-Leaks till recently and I don't know really what type of information is being leaked but I have to say that I have nothing against it. The government hides so much information from us, the people who employ them. The government is suppose to be for the people, by the people yet I see little proof that holds that to be true. We are the ones supplying the funds for whatever they do, We have the right to know everything that goes on within our country and how this money is being spent. It doesn't matter what the content of the information is but it should be available to us. One might argue " what about enemy countries?", What about them?. Really, this type of information is being leaked out to enemy shores whether it is being publicly presented to us or not. Someone is making a profit of knowing these so called secrets.
I am the type of person that do not like to comment when it comes to political outstanding but I do agree because if you made any type of crime you should be known for society or convicted for their crime. Therefore, these types of situation also happen in many countries. I am really sure that most of the country I am not saying every country but the majority of them do make these type of crime when they are trying to get elective or re-elective. In the other hand I think that they might be a lot of them that do not want to get caught for the reason that might have important position in their job and might come with a lot of trouble if they lead the names show to the news. Sincerely, governments never play right; always have something hide in the left hand.
Kisayra Lagual
The first amendment establishes the fact that Congress would make no law abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble. And beyond what the constitution entails we naturally have free will and the choice to make our own decisions. Wikileaks has the right to inform the public of confidential messages, but where I disagree with wikileaks is the way they go about reporting their information. Such findings as government/corporate wrongdoing or tax evasion are totally legitimate; but, hacking into Sarah Palin's personal account and 9/11 pager messages I believe are going past the limit. The political world can be a world full of ruthless politicains, but I don't think reporting personal information is a journalistic tool that should be used, neither do I think it's humane or should be taken lightly.
From my knowledge, WikiLeaks is a non-profit organization that informs civilians by revealing to the public, secret or unbeknownst to the public, information from various sources, that the government would otherwise deem classified. With respect to everyone’s opinion, I do, believe that our government is corrupt, and if it takes an organization like Wikileaks to keep people in the loop and open our eyes so that we become aware of what our government and politicians are up to, than more power to WikiLeaks. Though I do I question some of the information that is released which may be hazardous to national security, can be detrimental to not only the economy and society, because I don’t feel that all information exposed will be received and handled properly by the public. I don’t feel that the website should be closed down, and if it is, I fear of an epidemic uproar throughout the nations.
~V. Andre
I believe that wiki leaks are doing their job. They are exposing wrong doing done by both government and corporations. If people are evading taxes they should be exposed because it’s not fair to ordinary citizens who have to pay them and these people can get away from them. It’s not fair that some people can get away with everything. I praise wiki leaks for what they are doing because if governments and corporations were doing their job right then they shouldn’t feel threatened by wiki leaks at all. But at the same time I do believe that wiki leaks expose information that shouldn’t be exposed at all. Some secrets should just remain secrets; because it can create controversy and war can strike out if certain secrets are exposed to the public. I also believe that wiki leaks are doing the jobs that the press isn’t doing correctly themselves. But it seems like news companies these days are under the influence of politicians and other corporations and wouldn’t expose them; even if it was vital for the public to hear. For example, Fox news caters to Republicans and MSNBC caters to Democrats. There’s a lot of corruption in the world and it’s good that wiki leaks is exposing them as they come along.
Donald Dominique Jr.
I think that this story, the same as many other stories, has two sides. From one point of view, it is great to have such company as Wiki Leaks that helps people to know about different things done by well-known and influential people. But what do we get from this information? Does it help us, civilians, with something? Who cares what some politicians do with their money? Does it mean that those that were not discovered are better? News about frauds and illegal activities are everywhere. They always were, are and will be the top news. What scares the most is the fact that this organization releases confidential information that harms national security. I agree that free press is a part of democracy, but when it comes to our security I do not think that this kind of information is a good thing. Everything has to be done within limits. Every single person on the Earth has its own secret. Does it mean that if Wiki Leaks will release relevant information about influential people, frauds and crimes will stop? I don’t think so.
Eugeniu Timofti
Julian Assange is somebody who deserves to have an act of recognition from us for having the courage of releasing all the controversy information he is leaking through Wikileaks.org. Every time he makes public fraudulent information about a particular government, institution or individual, somebody gets seriously affected by the disclosure, and normally very powerful individuals, who could perfectly take revenge by hurting or even killing him. He is risking his life with every information leakage. And that’s something not every journalist either journal or any kind of media do today. Even though we’re told we live in a democracy, we know we’re not. A huge amount of information is controlled by government, multinational companies and everyone who has the power and the money to manage information in their benefits. So why not to pay attention to Wikileaks? Maybe they‘re saying things people don’t want to hear it or that in their opinions are going to weaken their securities, but at least it is telling us something nobody has told us before. Wikileaks is showing us the other face of the coin. Wikileaks is giving us the opportunity to formulate our opinion and not just absorb what the regular media tell us, which can be truth or just other manipulated news. Society should be very happy to have this new kind of press. An applause for Wikileaks.org!!
Ana Chaves
The phenomenon Wiki leaks is just the result of certain way of globalization in terms of communications, it’s also considered a new independent journalism whose founder, Julian Assage publishes information that we don’t see in the regular press. Now the question could be: How good or bad is that information? Only the time will tell us the result.
Meanwhile Wiki Leaks is getting more oxygen by obtaining new and compromising data. Should we be interested? Well, information given by Wiki Leaks exposes government and corporate wrongdoing so, I thing its good in that way, we the people should know about those things. But I also wonder if that information will accelerate new conflicts in some countries by revealing information that is supposed to be secret.
I think it was about time that somebody started telling us the true about some political issues of the last decade.
-Joixen Lobo
Wikileaks is definitely going to change the way governments handle internal affairs and the way they view technological advances. Like the Nazis burned their records of horror, contemporary governments are going to have to figure out a way to dispose of their wrongdoings. Wikilieaks has opened a Pandora's box which will never be closed again. It has sneaked into the intimate corners of those who commit embarrassing deeds. Wikileaks is like “Big Brother” watching. But instead of watching civilians, he takes the role of exposing what is meant to remain unexposed. There is no secret bank account in Switzerland, or clean war actions. Wikileaks marked a precedent in new age communications, and I believe that even if its silenced new variations of it will come along. It opened a window into the truth of, “well-kept secrets”, and this new generation will surely take advantage of it.
Laura Vargas
WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange is in the right here. its just not cool to be bashing wikileaks for fulfilling their right as journalists. feeding the world with information regardless of whet the outcome or consequence is their right. Whether they think that outcome is positive or negetive is their decision. War journalists from past wars risk there lives for the mire feeding of information and data to be documented and passed on. the documentation drives these peoples existence. and yes, maybe this swiss bank executive is ruining a bunch of "criminals",he feels the need to go for it and take this chance it be a hero. his superman moment is real. and Julian Assange is batman.
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