So, then, to every man his chance -- to every man, regardless of his birth, his shining golden opportunity -- to every man his right to live, to work, to be himself, to become whatever his manhood and his vision can combine to make him -- this, seeker, is the promise of America.
Thomas Wolfe
WikiLeaks: A Mixed Opinion
For the most part, I've kept silent on this matter, although I've signaled disapproval and made a few jokes about it in my humor segments. There are a variety of issues here: first, there's the concept of transparency of government and the issue of whistle-blowing to reveal wrongdoing. I'm always trying to work within the system to address a wrongdoing. Occasionally I've had to escalate issues above my management (during my career in academia).
Second, there's the motive behind revelations and the effects of disclosure. For example, when I've worked on a public sector project, I've had to sign nondisclosure agreements. But there are things I would never disclose to the general public; just to put a hypothetical out there, suppose I became aware of security issues with application systems or databases and for whatever self-serving reason management had not disclosed the information to higher-ups. As a matter of professional ethics, I could never disclose that information to the general public, where an anti-government hacker could use the information to impair government operations. There is no doubt that a hack of a government system could finally force management to address security issues at a high priority, which would be a good thing. But unavailability of the system could affect services to the general public, say, for example, timely processing of social security checks, reporting of national economic statistics, Medicare reimbursements to doctors, etc.
When I've been in a whistleblower situation, it's been more about the integrity of the process, not any personal agenda, e.g., a vendetta against management, publicity, a political statement, an extortion attempt, etc. It was not a fishing expedition, looking for some damaging needle in a haystack. I usually came with compelling evidence and encouraged independent assessment of the data.
Leaks to journalists have played an important role in recent American history, for example, when documents were released during the Vietnam War which contrasted with official word out of Washington. But the general gist I have is that Julian Assange and his collaborators are using transparency like lipstick on a pig. Legitimate journalism does not threaten a doomsday retribution if, say, Assange is charged or convicted. It does not effectively declare economic war on credit card issuers or Amazon for refusing to help Assange get funding for his activities. It doesn't threaten to expose alleged American atrocities with thousands of our soldiers in war zones. It doesn't reveal the identities of foreign nationals with ties to the CIA. There is a feel of intentional anarchy and chaos about the revelations, which undermine diplomatic efforts. It contributes to an atmosphere of mistrust. None of this contributes to genuine reform and transparency; instead, it encourages parties to purge records rather than keep them.
Quick Notes
- Senate Fails to End 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell', i.e., Open Admission for Gay Servicemen: Thumbs Down. The vote was 57-40, 3 shy of defeating the filibuster. It's ironic that the Senate minority is using minority privileges to defeat the constitutional participation of minorities in our Armed Forces.
- House Passes Massive Budget Bill 212-206: Thumbs Down. Although both versions of the budget are slightly less expensive than President Obama's budget, making some modest cuts in dubious projects like high-speed rail, there's been a decisive lack of transparency with 10 out of 12 spending bills collapsed into one not even made public. There have been the usual politically correct budget increases for some popular items, like veteran health care and college student grants. The GOP clearly doesn't want this budget to pass, preferring that the upcoming GOP-controlled House draw up an alternative budget.
- Senate Removes Louisiana Federal Judge Porteous: Thumbs Up. The Clinton-appointed judge was convicted on 4 counts: accepting cash from attorneys, a series of favors (picking up the tab for expensive meals, gassing up the judge's car, taking him on vacation-like trips, etc.) for a bail bondsman doing business with him, a fraudulent bankruptcy, and lying in judicial confirmation committee hearings. Interestingly enough, the second charge almost didn't hold up, because these crimes occurred before he was confirmed for the federal bench, and these weren't crimes but the status quo as far as Louisiana judges go. (I guess if the Senate didn't realize this pattern of behavior at the time of his 1994 confirmation, he got a pass...)
"China is holding about a trillion dollars in U.S. debt. Next time you go for Chinese food and the bill comes, tell them to put it on the tab." - Jay Leno
[Have you noticed how fast a Democratic Congress and President can spend money? It's not just Chinese food we eat an hour later and put on the tab, but over $200B net imports a year. America needs to go on a a more balanced diet...]
"A new study found that American schoolchildren rank 25th in math, 17th in science, and 14th in reading which, according to my calculations, means we’re in third place. We’re still leading in P.E., recess, and shop." - Jimmy Kimmel
[Not to mention unmarried teen mothers; disrespectful behavior and poor study habits; grade inflation; low expectations; indifferent, undemanding parents; bullies; truancy, expulsions and dropouts; finger-pointing among teachers, administrators, policy makers and parents; shortest school year; and ineffective, unqualified, tenured, overpaid, entitled teachers with 3-month vacations.]
Musical Interlude: Holiday Tunes
Gene Autry, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"
