December 12, 2010
By Craig McKee
I can’t help but get the feeling that there’s more to the whole WikiLeaks phenomenon than meets the eye. A lot more.
On the surface of it, this organization and its public face, Julian Assange, seem like the best things to come along since Daniel Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon Papers. Like many people who believe in transparency, and that secrecy is the enemy of democracy, I want very much to believe in WikiLeaks.
But frankly, the whole thing is making me very uneasy. It all seems too good to be true, and you know what they say about things that can be described that way.
I love the fact that the fledgling organization (which seemed to spring from nowhere in 2007) has released literally hundreds of thousands of documents, videos, and diplomatic cables. This material has shone a light on a number of very bad things the American government and other governments around the world have done and are doing. And the rhetoric on their web site is right up my alley.
Take this excerpt from the “about” section of the WikiLeaks site:
“Consider Daniel Ellsberg, working within the US government during the Vietnam War. He comes into contact with the Pentagon Papers, a meticulously kept record of military and Continue reading