WikiLeaks and Security

Firstly, I want to say I do not know how WikiLeaks procured hundreds of thousands of U.S. government documents, but if you think it is in the interest of democracy to publish these documents you need to seriously think again.

The publication of unlawfully obtained government documents (classified or not) is not a reality television show; this is not a social networking event, but an attack on the U.S. It is an attack on the U.S. that might threaten the peace and security of the nation. Whether the attack arose from insiders, external sources or combination of the two, this is an attack on the U.S. government and should be treated as such. For those of you suffering from the delusion that electronic strip searches and pat-downs are going to protect you from terrorists, the publication of these unlawfully obtained documents is the equivalent of giving away the farm.

It is about intelligence, it has always been about intelligence and investigation. WikiLeaks and other newspaper publishing outlets have published the intelligence that every terrorist or want-to-be terrorist could use to gain insight into the inner workings of the U.S. government. This is potentially far more explosive than a printer-cartridge bomb or bomb-making material hidden in underclothes. Friends, allies, enemies now have access to the protocols, procedures, policies, strategies, and essentially the mindset of the U.S. government and its relationships with other countries.

This is significantly more than just an "embarrassment" to the U.S. and the Obama Administration. This could harm U.S. intelligence; endanger military personnel and confidential sources, damage U.S. relationships with other countries, and hand intelligence to would-be terrorists, which Americans claim to fear to such an extent that we traded our liberty for a bit of security. All in the name of transparency, democracy? I do not think so. We are too steep in our own ignorance and misunderstandings of how government works, to care about democracy and transparency.

The protestation, "I don't have anything to hide," is not only false but also detrimental to self and society. For example, someone accessed your computer without your authorization and stole your bank information. Using your identity, withdrew all of the money from your accounts. Does the thief have the right to publish your personal information (social security number, birthday, address etc -- ) on Web sites and in newspapers across the world in the name of transparency and democracy? If the bank reimbursed you for the stolen money, who do you think pays for that? Want to know why banks try to find every possible way to charge fees for services? This is one of the reasons why.

The U.S. was attacked by its own words, thoughts, and actions. In the digital age, information could be more explosive than bombs.