WikiLeaks #6

All entries in this Blog relate to US wars--causes, consequences, cures. (It's the War Department.) Secrecy is a chief enabler of wars. Transparency is a friend to democracy and peace. D

WIKILEAKS NEWS #6
Compiled by Dick Bennett, 2-4-11

Contents
Assange
Manning
Wikileaks is Journalism
Wikileaks and NYT
What Tunisian Revolt Reveals and We Need to Know
Greg Harton on Power of Graphic Images
Greg Mitchell’s Favorable Commentary
Reporters Without Borders Supports Wikileaks

ASSANGE
ASSANGE INTERVIEW ON 60 MINUTES
This is a good one other than Steve Kroft trying to play the role of prosecutor. Assange is much smarter than Kroft. His views on journalism and First Amendment are clearly established and worth noting. (Larry W). http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/01/26/60minutes/main7286686.shtml?tag=contentMain;cbsCarousel

US Told to Drop Assange Pursuit
Paola Totaro, The Age AU
Excerpt: "During his speech for the New York Bar Association award, presented for distinction in international law and affairs, Mr. Robertson cautioned the US legal fraternity against 'aiming the blunderbuss of its 1917 Espionage Act, death penalty and all, at a publisher who is a citizen of a friendly nation.'"
READ MORE http://www.readersupportednews.org/

“US Can't Link Manning to Assange,” Jim Miklaszewski, NBC News
The report begins: "US military officials tell NBC News that investigators have been unable to make any direct connection between a jailed army private suspected with leaking secret documents and Julian Assange, founder of the whistleblowing website WikiLeaks." READ MORE https://mail.google.com/mail/?hl=en&shva=1#inbox/12dc116497c8484b




Support Bradley Manning - Take Action Now!
1-27-11
Dear Dick,
Julian Assange has called Bradley Manning “the world's pre-eminent prisoner of conscience.”
Manning is the Army private accused of leaking the documents that WikiLeaks has been publishing with other media outlets. He is now being held in the Marine Brig in Quantico in very abusive conditions. I am writing you to urge you to take action in his defense.
Manning has not been convicted of anything. He has not even gone to trial, yet he is being held in solitary confinement. He has not even been allowed a real pillow or blanket. He is allowed to exercise for one hour a day, but he is in shackles and goes to another small room where he does figure 8’s. He is not allowed to exercise in his 6 by 12 foot cell. He is awakened at 5 every morning and not allowed to sleep during the day.
Last week, the Brig Commander abused his discretion further and put Manning on suicide watch even though the brigs psychiatrist said he did not need it. This meant for two days Manning only had his boxer shorts – not even permitted his glasses – and remained in his cell for 24 hours. It has been reported that a superior in the Marines said the Brig Commander did not have the authority to require suicide watch, that could only be done by a psychiatrist.
A former commander of Quantico has written a letter to the current commander criticizing Manning’s conditions. Indeed, he asks why a member of the Army is even being held in a Marine brig?

Manning is not being treated like a normal prisoner. He is being treated to cruel and unusual punishment. Rather than pre-trial detention, this is pre-trial punishment.

Last week Robert Gibbs was asked about Manning at a White House briefing. He said he had not heard any talk of him but would check. Now, we want you to help us bring this issue to the attention of President Obama and Attorney General Holder. Please send a letter today. Click here to send a letter now.

Some have perceived Manning as a traitor. Even if that were true it does not justify pre-trial torture. Others see Manning as a patriot. He is not accused of giving documents to Iran, China or Russia. He is accused of giving them to the media so Americans can see what U.S. foreign policy is doing. He is not accused of trying to become rich by selling the documents. He gave them for free, allegedly, because he wanted to see a debate on U.S. foreign policy so the United States could live up to its highest expectations. He wanted to make the United States better. That is not treason, it is patriotism.

Thank you for taking action. Manning allegedly leaked these documents for us. We need to stand with Bradley.

Sincerely, Linda Schade, WikileaksIsDemocracy.org
P.S. Please donate to support our efforts to stand up for Julian Assange, Bradley Manning, and others working to uphold democracy.
WikiLeaksisDemocracy.org • 2842 N Calvert St, Baltimore, MD 21218 • 443-708-8360 • Fax 877-637-3335

WIKILEAKS IS JOURNALISM PROTECTED BY FIRST AMENDMENT
Jim Naureckas, “When Journalism Becomes ‘Terrorism.’” Extra! (Feb. 2011). Vicious right wing attacks (“Why wasn’t Assange garroted…?”) are blind or indifferent to these facts: WikiLeaks does not leak but reports leaks just as other news organs do. It provides factual information about matters of public concern again as do news businesses do and should do. The job of journalists is to inform the public, not to protect secrets.

WIKILEAKS AND NEW YORK TIMES
“Bill Keller Opens Up on His Dealings With Julian Assange”
Bill Keller, The New York Times
An excerpt from New York Times executive editor Bill Keller: "The Guardian suggested - to increase the impact as well as to share the labor of handling such a trove - that The New York Times be invited to share this exclusive bounty. The source agreed. Was I interested? I was interested."
READ MORE http://www.readersupportednews.org/

“The Corruption Game: What the Tunisian Revolution and WikiLeaks Tell Us about American Support for Corrupt Dictatorships in the Muslim World”
http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175346
By Juan Cole, TomDispatch.com, posted January 25

Greg Harton, “Can Graphic Images Change the World?” (NAT 11-15-10). New studies show they can, e.g. one at U of Ark. on smoking. The truth can awaken people. WikiLeaks is revealing the hidden truths of US warmaking. (D: We need also more reporting of the graphic truths of combat. )

GREG MITCHELL
Greg Mitchell reports on WikiLeaks every day: go to
1. The WikiLeaks News & Views Blog for Friday, Day 48 | The Nation
Jan 13, 2011 ... The WikiLeaks News & Views Blog for Friday, Day 48 | The Nation ... Greg Mitchell writes the Media Fix blog for TheNation.com. ...
www.thenation.com/blog/.../wikileaks-news-views-blog-friday-day-48 - Cached
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2. Greg Mitchell and Daniel Ellsberg on the WikiLeaks Document Dump ...
Nov 29, 2010 ... The morning after WikiLeaks began releasing its trove of ...
www.thenation.com/.../greg-mitchell-and-daniel-ellsberg-wikileaks-document-dump - Cached
3. Media Fix | The Nation
Jan 23, 2011 ... Greg Mitchell. Posted on January 13, 2011. An update on ...
www.thenation.com/blogs/media-fix - Cached
4. The WikiLeaks News & Views Blog, Special Weekend Edition! | The Nation
Jan 7, 2011 ... Greg Mitchell marks the important WikiLeaks news for the ...
www.thenation.com/.../wikileaks-news-views-blog-special-weekend-edition - Cached
Show more results from thenation.com
5. Very good Wikileaks run down by Greg Mitchell (The Nation ...
13 posts - 6 authors - Last post: Jan 3
Very good Wikileaks run down by Greg Mitchell (The Nation)
www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az...all... - Cached
6. Media Lens Message Board: "Why WikiLeaks Matters." Greg Mitchell
Jan 14, 2011 ... "Why WikiLeaks Matters." Greg Mitchell ... "Midnight: My piece for The Nation's print issue next week was posted online Thursday afternoon, ...
members5.boardhost.com/medialens/msg/1295002062.html - Cached

REPORTERS WITHOUT BORDERS SUPPORTS WIKILEAKS
1. Wikileaks hounded? - Reporters sans frontières
1 post - Last post: Dec 4, 2010
Reporters Without Borders condemns the blocking, cyber-attacks and political pressure being directed at cablegate.wikileaks.org, the website ...
en.rsf.org/wikileaks-hounded-04-12-2010,38958.html - Cached
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2. Open letter to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange: ''A bad precedent ...
1 post - Last post: Aug 12, 2010
Wikileaks. Dear Mr. Assange,. Reporters Without Borders, an international ...
en.rsf.org/united-states-open-letter-to-wikileaks-founder-12-08-2010,38130.html - Cached
3. Reporters Without Borders to host WikiLeaks mirror site ...
1 post - Last post: Dec 21, 2010
Reporters Without Borders will begin tomorrow to host a mirror website for ...
en.rsf.org/reporters-without-borders-to-host-20-12-2010,39084.html - Cached
Show more results from rsf.org
4. BlogPost - WikiLeaks app dropped by Apple; WikiLeaks picked up by ...
Dec 21, 2010 ... However, WikiLeaks can be found in another location: on the Reporters Without Borders site. The nonprofit organization that works to protect ...
voices.washingtonpost.com/blog.../wikileaks_app_dropped_by_apple.html
5. Reporters Without Borders: WikiLeaks Was Reckless - FoxNews.com
Aug 12, 2010 ... Reporters Without Borders has criticized WikiLeaks, saying the group showed incredible irresponsibility in publishing the secret Afghan war ...
www.foxnews.com/politics/.../reporters-borders-wikileaks-reckless/ - Cached
6. Reporters Without Borders Blasts Wikileaks | Epoch Times
Aug 15, 2010 ... Online information site Wikileaks posted 76908 classified U.S. documents on the war in Afghanistan.
www.theepochtimes.com › Science › Technology & Innovation - Cached
7. Press freedom group joins condemnation of WikiLeaks' war logs ...
Aug 13, 2010 ... Press freedom group accuses WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange of 'incredible irresponsibility' over leaked Afghanistan documents.
www.guardian.co.uk/media/.../wikileaks-reporters-without-borders - Cached
8. Reporters Without Borders: Wikileaks set "a bad precedent" - Boing ...
Aug 12, 2010 ... Reporters Without Borders gave bias, inaccurate, & untrue info about world strictest censorship country. Did not mention that Malaysia is ...
www.boingboing.net/2010/08/12/reporters-without-bo-1.html - Cached
9. Reporters Without Borders announce WikiLeaks mirror site
Dec 23, 2010 ... International press freedom organisation Reporters Without Borders(RWB) announced on Tuesday that they will host a mirror site for ...
www.digitaljournal.com/article/301705 - Cached
10. WikiLeaks Update: Reporters without Borders, Society of ...
25 posts - Last post: Dec 4, 2010
While the world waits to see if WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will be located and taken back to Sweden for questioning in rape and sexual ...
www.stinkyjournalism.org/editordetail.php?id=1035 - Cached