WikiLeaks about to hit the fan

Sure he is but what will be the consequences JT? Do you see it not leading to threats to civil liberties, extensions of state power and various mechanisms of coercion. If it can't be allowed to happen again then there will be a retreat to even more secure compounds.

And what have we learned so far that is of any real interest? What insights have you derived from what has been publicised, as opposed to what hasn't, that have changed you ways of thinking?

Do you want to bring down the system?

can lead to a good faith investigation and analysis of the facts and the law which may, in turn, lead to a good faith prosecution of an individual or organization.

can lead to a good faith investigation and analysis of the facts and the law which may, in turn, lead to a good faith prosecution of an individual or organization.

If he had the noble goal of exposing war criminals and government crimes, why didn't he take care not to endanger lives. He indiscriminately collected and dumped any information he could get his hands on.

The letter from the US state department's legal advisor Harold Koh was a response to correspondence from Mr Assange, who had written to the US ambassador to Britain, Louis Susman.

Mr Assange had asked which individuals would be put at risk by the leak, the state department said.

A senior American official told the BBC that Mr Assange was offering to negotiate over limited redactions.

In response, Mr Koh demanded that Wikileaks return official documents to the US government.

"We will not engage in a negotiation regarding the further release or dissemination of illegally obtained US government classified materials," Mr Koh stated in the letter.

Mr Koh's letter adds that the publication of the documents would endanger the lives of "countless" individuals - from journalists to human rights activists and bloggers - and put US military operations at risk.

Correspondents say the letter is a rare move for the US administration, and reflects the government's concern about the implications of the possible leak.

U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell called Assange "a high-tech terrorist." He told NBC's "Meet the Press" he hopes Assange will be prosecuted for the "enormous damage" the disclosures have done to the country and to its relationship with its allies.

very interesting.

If he had the noble goal of exposing war criminals and government crimes, why didn't he take care not to endanger lives. He indiscriminately collected and dumped any information he could get his hands on.

Assange made the point in a Guardian online interview that censorship only tightens when vested economic powers feel threatened - I think your Bank of America postulation may be very right.

Some very interesting reading in today's letters to the editor/s columns

"There is every prospect that national security-sensitive information will be published that will actually prejudice the safety of individuals."

But Mr McClelland says Ms Bishop is giving WikiLeaks the credibility it does not deserve.

Noticing any differences between the Murdoch and Fairfax stables Olgs?

On Insiders yesterday the whole panel was united against McLelland's outburst - rigthly so, fancy talking about revoking passports and exile before a charge has been determined, let alone laid. Sadly neither Bolt or Akkerman were on so who knows what the loony right think.

BILL O'REILLY: Whoever leaked all those State Department documents to the WikiLeaks website is a traitor and should be executed and put in prison for life.

MIKE HUCKABEE: Whoever in our Government leaked that information is guilty of treason and I think anything less than execution is too kind a penalty.

BARRIE CASSIDY: He was a presidential candidate.

Yeah, well if you saw the Bill O'Reilly grab on Insiders you now know what Rupert thinks.