Science 2.0 Links

Interesting lesson in the world of international diplomacy there, Hank. Thanks for that inside look. Of course that doesn't necessarily mean there was a disregard for science and I am not sure that is what you were implying. One can accept the evidence of global warming and still use strong arm tactics to try to have your way in the world of international diplomacy. The two are not mutually exclusive. The Wikileaks certain show that in the arena of international self-interest the US is as Machiavellian as any of the other nations, or even more so. I am not sure that should surprise anyone. Still it is interesting to read some of the details.

Why is it that criticism, the expectation of proof and verification is acceptable when discussing science, but is considered almost heretical when applied to politics?

According to Wikipedia in his blog Julian Assange wrote, "the more secretive or unjust an organisation is, the more leaks induce fear and paranoia in its leadership and planning coterie. ... Since unjust systems, by their nature induce opponents, and in many places barely have the upper hand, mass leaking leaves them exquisitely vulnerable to those who seek to replace them with more open forms of governance”.

“Assange says that Wikileaks has released more classified documents than the rest of the world press combined: "That's not something I say as a way of saying how successful we are – rather, that shows you the parlous state of the rest of the media. How is it that a team of five people has managed to release to the public more suppressed information, at that level, than the rest of the world press combined? It's disgraceful”.

“Assange advocates a "transparent" and "scientific" approach to journalism, saying that "you can't publish a paper on physics without the full experimental data and results; that should be the standard in journalism." In 2006, CounterPunch called him "Australia's most infamous former computer hacker." The Age has called him "one of the most intriguing people in the world" and "internet's freedom fighter." Assange has called himself "extremely cynical".”

“On 28 November 2010, WikiLeaks began releasing more than 251,000 American diplomatic cables, mostly unclassified but including many labelled "Confidential" or "Secret". The following day, the Attorney-General of Australia, Robert McClelland, told the press that Australia would inquire into Assange's activities and WikiLeaks. He said that "from Australia's point of view, we think there are potentially a number of criminal laws that could have been breached by the release of this information. The Australian Federal Police are looking at that".”

“Greg Barns, director of the Australian Lawyers Alliance, wrote "Mr. McClelland’s decision amounts to little more than posturing. This is because Mr. Assange would appear to have committed no crime under Australia’s suite of laws on disclosure of sensitive state information".Almost 200 public figures wrote an open letter to Julia Gillard, the Australian Prime Minister, calling on her to protect Assange. The United States launched a criminal investigation related to the leak of US government information by Assange and WikiLeaks on 29 November.US prosecutors are reportedly preparing charges against Assange under the Espionage Act.”

I don’t like to think that people’s lives are being endangered by the release of secret information showing that they are Government informants for example, however I do think that the freedom of the press is very important and must be protected. If a Government organization has a right to secrecy then it needs to ensure that its secret data is kept secret, I don’t think it is right to shoot the messenger or journalist who feels he has a moral or professional obligation to deliver or share this secret information if it becomes available. There is a petition to ‘Stop the WikiLeaks Crackdown’ at http://www.avaaz.org/en/wikileaks_petition/?rc=fb