an interesting npr interview with founders of twitter.

This interview mentions the leaks story and their response to it.http://www.npr.org/2011/02/16/133775340/twitters-biz-stone-on-starting-a-revolution

Some interesting information regarding pre 911 Events

This article suggests that the 911 attack was not such a surprise after all.  There were any number of pager messages from key federal agencies, large corporations, digital pagers, etc.

FHere is the url site:  http://mirror.wikileaks.info/wiki/Egads__Confidential_9_11_Pager_Messages_Disclosed/

What are the hidden implications of the recent WikiLeaks Story: Fact and Fiction

I am following with great interest the WikiLeaks story.  Much information has been dispersed regarding the situation.  In addition to being charged with creating a terrorist web site he is additionally being accused of sexual misconduct described as rape with at least two women in Sweden.  Assange is presently fighting extradition charges after turning himself in to a British court.  He has been refused bail because the judge concluded that he is essentially a flight risk.  His defenders have said much that these charges are politically motivated.  In other words, Assange and his defenders claim that the various governments are attacking his reputation thus suggesting that the cables and information he is dispersing should be considered suspect.  Clearly, this is a straw dog tactic executed by those in power who stand to lose the most by the release of documents.   I cannot say whether sexual misconduct charges are true or false.  However, the two charges of aiding terrorist organizations and sexual misconduct seem to come at a convenient time.

What is one to make of this situation?  The answer is not all that easy.  From an objective standpoint, however, these events demonstrate the power and influence media of all sorts has on both culture and the individuals within those cultures.   Also, as Noam Chomsky and other dissidents point out there is a reasonable concern that the information distributed by Assange should be distributed to the public because it has a direct connection on the individual understanding the ways in which present legal and diplomatic entities are withholding the actual facts regarding their activity and the myth that they create via various medias.

Recently, WikiLeaks has lost much of its support.  For instance, Pay Pal has cut their connection with this site.  In an attempt to reach this site on-line I discovered that it has been essentially disconnected.   This raises significant concerns regarding the freedom of speech that Noam Chomsky appropriately traces back to the Pentagon Papers. 

Sometime after 911 I delivered a paper that expressed concern about the public’s willingness to give up personal freedoms guaranteed by our Bill of Rights.  Essentially, the public seemed all too willing to tolerate secret courts that issues warrants to legal entities without having to inform the suspects of the content of those warrants.  In fact, individuals and organizations did not know that these warrants existed.  This leads to wire taps and other such methodologies simply by the mere suggestion of terrorist activity.  I then suggested that a serious look into the history of Hitler’s dismantling of the Weimar  constitution bolstered much by a public paranoia of alien cultures, a failing e economy, and a desire to reestablish cultural pride was in some ways paralleled the 911 activity.  This paper was met with mixed emotions.  Some thoughtful individuals at least considered the case that was made not as a suggestion that American politics was akin to Nazi government.  Rather they understood that if we fail to learn from history we are destined to repeat the same mistakes.  Others resisted the argument stating that I was inferring that American government was no better or worse than the Nazis.  The paper was to be a three-part presentation.  I was inform3ed after the first part that I was persona non grata.  In effect, I was shut down. 

This blog wants to take a serious look at just how far the public is performing the proper sort of critical analysis of the ‘information’  distributed by the media and to carefully contemplate notions of ‘disinformation’ that may or may not be present in such controversial  subjects as wiki leaks.

Finally, I maintain that not only the news media should be considered in this light but also the so-called entertainment media that I believe creates as much public opinion, understanding and misunderstanding as the news media.  What sort of messages are we sending to our youth when we glorify acts of vengeance and violence as justifiable?  For that matter what sort of messages are we delivering to the adults?  The issue seems to me about separating the fantasy of music, videos. movies and other media from the reality.  It is certainly a question worth considering despite the difficulty of reaching a tautological response. 

I would urge the reader of this blog to resist killing the messenger because he or she doesn’t like the message.  Rather consider the question in a proactive rather than reactive fashion.