Australians especially are feeling a certain frisson as the furor over Wikileaks unfolds. Aussies know about underdogs, the bullying of the state, and the necessity for collective action. An Irish taint, the Eureka Stockade and our memories of a strong and socially sympathetic union movement testify to that.
For most observers it was merely interesting when Wikileaks revealed climategate emails, embarrassments to North Korea or the depredations of a violent African dictator. The world press gobbled it up.
But opening the Pandora’s box of American hypocrisy about its wars, economy, and climate change is a bridge too far for the US and its great obliger, OZ. There is a head to point to, and it must roll, to preserve the status quo at all costs.
Assange, of course, is just the messenger. He is also at the sharp end of the redefinition of journalism , and a benchmark in the Wiki/open source/literally distributed information and intelligence model. In effect, the flip side of Al Quaeda. That’s a common enough observation. We are seeing the precursor of yet to be invented forms of democratic global governance, if the gods of the internet remain willing.
What’s at stake right now is my right to be part of that emergent system. At this moment, I can neither access Wikileaks nor locate a way to donate to them.
And that really pisses me off, because it removes my possibility of participation in this battle. Although the cyberattacks on financial institutions that are trying to cut off funding for Wikileaks are illegal and destructive, the principle and momentum of radical transparency is unstoppable.
What could be more cut and dry illegal, not to mention a violation of democratic free speech principles, than companies cutting off services to a group that has not been charged, is not breaking any law, and is acting on democratic principles?
The bad guys might win this one, it ain’t gonna end here. We’re living a thriller, and we’ve all got characters to unfold.
As Stephen Colbert pointed out: you can donate to the Klu Klux Klan.
Bob Ellis is another good guy. He has told it like it is:
http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/41952.htm
The outpourings of support for Assange, including the cyberattacks on financial institutions that shut him off, indicate a frontier where a new new rule of law is being forged. The TV series ‘Deadwood’, which was inspired by the struggle to impose order on the Wild West in the US. Not so long ago, either.
For those who love reading history, Elizabeth Eisenstein on the impact of the printing press on early modern Europe reveals the attempts to stop the spread of literacy among the rabble.
But today is not the Middle Ages nor the Wild West. I suspect that you already know the secret, Julian, now that you have made a martyr of yourself for all the right reasons. The movement without a head can become the distributed, and collective brain. We must all learn that lesson, as Napster did and Amazon did, and become the Long Tail and whip end of democracy.
Solidarity forever!
But first I need to donate – can anyone help me on that?
Give the man a medal.
The hypocrisy of the Loony, Left on this is amazing.
Compere the way Dillard & her type spoke out about John Howard for abandoning David Hicks to their own record on Julian Assange.
Comment by formersnag — December 11, 2010 @ 4:12 am
http://wikileaks.outcast.no/reldate/2010-12-04_0.html was working a minute ago.
My latest take:
Julia Gillard must be wondering why cyber history is repeating itself, as her government’s reaction to WikiLeaks stirs widespread and vocal resentment.
WikiWobbles: What is Julia Gillard Thinking?
Comment by Kevin Rennie — December 11, 2010 @ 6:46 am
You can post a donation via good old fashion postal mail to:
WikiLeaks
(or any suitable name likely to avoid interception in your country)
BOX 4080
Australia Post Office – University of Melbourne Branch
Victoria 3052
Australia
http://wikileaks.infinium.org.uk/support.html
Comment by david — December 11, 2010 @ 3:10 pm
The wikileaks page is still being hosted, it’s just the DNS that is being nobbled. The IP addy is http://213.251.145.96/.
Comment by Craig — December 11, 2010 @ 7:43 pm
thanks!
Comment by Ronda Jambe — December 12, 2010 @ 8:27 am
The massive campaign of intimidation against WikiLeaks is sending a chill through free press advocates everywhere and you may find the following interesting and a way to help.
Legal experts say WikiLeaks has likely broken no laws. Yet top US politicians have called it a terrorist group and commentators have urged assassination of its staff. The organization has come under massive government and corporate attack, but WikiLeaks is only publishing information provided by a whistleblower. And it has partnered with the world’s leading newspapers (NYT, Guardian, Spiegel etc) to carefully vet the information it publishes.
The massive extra-judicial intimidation of WikiLeaks is an attack on democracy. We urgently need a public outcry for freedom of the press and expression. Sign the petition to stop the crackdown and forward this email to everyone — let’s get to 1 million voices and take out full page ads in US newspapers this week!
http://www.avaaz.org/en/wikileaks_petition/97.php
WikiLeaks isn’t acting alone — it’s partnered with the top newspapers in the world (New York Times, The Guardian, Der Spiegel, etc) to carefully review 250,000 US diplomatic cables and remove any information that it is irresponsible to publish. Only 800 cables have been published so far. Past WikiLeaks publications have exposed government-backed torture, the murder of innocent civilians in Iraq and Afgha nistan, and corporate corruption.
The US government is currently pursuing all legal avenues it has to stop WikiLeaks from publishing more cables, but the laws of democracies protect freedom of the press. The US and other governments may not like the laws that protect our freedom of expression, but that’s exactly why it’s so important that we have them, and why only a democratic process can change them.
Reasonable people can disagree on whether WikiLeaks and the leading newspapers it’s partnered with are releasing more information than the public should see. Whether the releases undermine diplomatic confidentiality and whether that’s a good thing. Whether WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has the personal character of a hero or a villain. But none of this justifies a vicious campaign of intimidation to silence a legal media outlet by governments and corporations. Click below to join the call to stop the crackdown:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/wikileaks_petition/97.php
Ever wonder why the media so rarely gives the full story of what happens behind the scenes? This is why – because when they do, governments can be vicious in their response. And when that happens, it’s up to the public to stand up for our democratic rights to a free press and freedom of expression. Never has there been a more vital time for us to do so.
With hope,
Ricken, Emma, Alex, Alice, Maria Paz and the rest of the Avaaz team.
SOURCES:
Law experts say WikiLeaks in the clear (ABC)
http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2010/s3086781.htm
WikiLeaks are a bunch of terrorists, says leading U.S. congressman (Mail Online)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1333879/WikiLeaks-terrorists-says-leading-US-congressman-Peter-King.html
Cyber guerrillas can help US (Financial Times)
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d3dd7c40-ff15-11df-956b-00144feab49a.html#axzz17QvQ4Ht5
Amazon drops WikiLeaks under political pressure (Yahoo)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101201/tc_afp/usdiplomacyinternetwikileakscongressamazon
“WikiLeaks avenged by hacktivists” (PC World):
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/212701/operation_payback_wikileaks_avenged_by_hacktivists.html
US Gov shows true control over Internet with WikiLeaks containment (Tippett.org)
http://www.tippett.org/2010/12/us-gov-shows-true-control-over-internet-with-wikileaks-containment/
US embassy cables culprit should be executed, says Mike Huckabee (The Guardian)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/01/us-embassy-cables-executed-mike-huckabee
WikiLeaks ditched by MasterCard, Visa. Who’s next? (The Christian Science Monitor)
http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/Horizons/2010/1207/WikiLeaks-ditched-by-MasterCard-Visa.-Who-s-next
Assange’s Interpol Warrant Is for Having Sex Without a Condom (The Slatest)
http://slatest.slate.com/id/2276690/
Comment by Richard Pinsent — December 13, 2010 @ 3:38 am