|
Post by wolfgangravenna on Nov 28, 2010 20:06:19 GMT -5
Drawing on what Fred said, Wikilinks IS probably better than Media, mainly because it simply draws on first person sources without an intermediary. It's really interesting...
|
|
|
Post by MaybeNever on Nov 28, 2010 20:44:18 GMT -5
I can't read German, but there are enough cognates there that I can make out a few of the captions. I especially like the caption for Silvio Berlusconi (the Italian PM). Wild parties? This is what they've got on him? I like to imagine the tense backroom deals made in smoke-filled parlors lit by a single bare bulb regarding who's going to bring the keg and who's going to bring the strippers. Wild parties it is. Silvio is Italian, which means wine, not beer, and his taste for girls young enough to be his granddaughter is well known. Nothing new here. Actually, that's the reason people in his own Party (political, that is) is starting to have second thoughts about the man. I guess I could see that in a place like Italy (or the United States *cough*), but unless "young enough to be his grand-daughter" means "below the age of consent" or something, I don't personally have a problem with it. Does the caption for Kim Jong-Il say that he's epileptic? Because I suspect that there are darker secrets about him that need to be revealed than "is prone to seizures".
|
|
|
Post by Tiger on Nov 28, 2010 21:59:24 GMT -5
Does the caption for Kim Jong-Il say that he's epileptic? Because I suspect that there are darker secrets about him that need to be revealed than "is prone to seizures". He injects himself with the blood of virgins and sent all the short people in Pyongyang to uninhabited islands. But those probably weren't mentioned in diplomatic cables.
|
|
|
Post by Jedi Knight on Nov 28, 2010 22:00:37 GMT -5
his own Party (political, that is) Well, this says it all. He's one of the few guys in mainstream politics to actually blur the two meanings. That said, surely his media ownership or his ties with Blair are more concerning. Of course, but this is "Der Spiegel!" Don't expect too much from them. I guess I could see that in a place like Italy (or the United States *cough*), but unless "young enough to be his grand-daughter" means "below the age of consent" or something, I don't personally have a problem with it. Does the caption for Kim Jong-Il say that he's epileptic? Because I suspect that there are darker secrets about him that need to be revealed than "is prone to seizures". The girls are of age. See CtraK's post for a valid point. And yes, it says Kim Jong-Il has epileptic seizures. As I said, this is gossip, not real news. Actually, we know next to nothing about the man. One of the most frequent words in his Wikipedia entry is "rumors".
|
|
|
Post by Sigmaleph on Nov 28, 2010 22:04:11 GMT -5
Does the caption for Kim Jong-Il say that he's epileptic? Because I suspect that there are darker secrets about him that need to be revealed than "is prone to seizures". He injects himself with the blood of virgins and sent all the short people in Pyongyang to uninhabited islands. But those probably weren't mentioned in diplomatic cables. That sounds somewhat dubious. Particularly the "blood of virgins" part.
|
|
|
Post by Tiger on Nov 28, 2010 22:26:38 GMT -5
He injects himself with the blood of virgins and sent all the short people in Pyongyang to uninhabited islands. But those probably weren't mentioned in diplomatic cables. That sounds somewhat dubious. Particularly the "blood of virgins" part. I was pretty sure that at least the short people part came from a reliable source, but I can't find it. So skepticism is warranted.
|
|
|
Post by clubmed on Nov 29, 2010 5:03:04 GMT -5
Sorry but it has to be said: the massive amounts of butthurt this is causing is enouh to justify the leak. I keep wondering what will happen in regard to this. It will probably not be the governments who will be angry about what's in the leak, but mostly the public who didn't know what their government was doing. Saudi king gets a lot of criticism because he allows heathens to stay in the holy lands, now he wants the heathens to attack other muslims...food for al-qaeda propaganda.
I'd like to know what else Assange got. Especially what's in the insurance file.
|
|
|
Post by georgebullocks on Nov 29, 2010 5:13:49 GMT -5
This is just great. Employees of the US government, liberally pilfer classified documents and hand them over to a bunch of foreigners, so they can post our dirty deeds all over the internet and make rest of the world hate us more. Just fabulous. Imagine how we'd fare when faced with actual espionage.
|
|
|
Post by The_L on Nov 29, 2010 5:40:40 GMT -5
This is just great. Employees of the US government, liberally pilfer classified documents and hand them over to a bunch of foreigners, so they can post our dirty deeds all over the internet and make rest of the world hate us more. Just fabulous. Imagine how we'd fare when faced with actual espionage. I dont know if you'd noticed, but our reputation's already in the shitter thanks to W. I really don't think there's much we can do to make it worse.
|
|
|
Post by Yla on Nov 29, 2010 10:50:17 GMT -5
This is harmless in comparison, especially since it's largely accurate. These cables just confirm what everyone thought they're thinking/doing. I had a long laugh last night reading the assessment of Vice Chancellor Westerwelle. And Angela "Teflon" Merkel - I think I'm gonna use that nickname. This is just great. Employees of the US government, liberally pilfer classified documents and hand them over to a bunch of foreigners, so they can post our dirty deeds all over the internet and make rest of the world hate us more. Just fabulous. Imagine how we'd fare when faced with actual espionage. I dont know if you'd noticed, but our reputation's already in the shitter thanks to W. I really don't think there's much we can do to make it worse. Yeah, pretty much. The US under Bush invaded another country without provocation, tortured POWs, kidnapped foreign citizens in foreign countries and deported them into secret prisons all over the world, regarded international law as a suggestion at best, treated its allies as vassals and got indignant when they didn't follow, antagonized >50% of the world with their rhetoric... shall I go on? Wild parties it is. Silvio is Italian, which means wine, not beer, and his taste for girls young enough to be his granddaughter is well known. Nothing new here. Actually, that's the reason people in his own Party (political, that is) is starting to have second thoughts about the man. I guess I could see that in a place like Italy (or the United States *cough*), but unless "young enough to be his grand-daughter" means "below the age of consent" or something, I don't personally have a problem with it. Not quite below AoC, but according to latest news, minor and 'liberated' from police custody.
|
|
|
Post by wolfgangravenna on Nov 29, 2010 15:26:17 GMT -5
This is just great. Employees of the US government, liberally pilfer classified documents and hand them over to a bunch of foreigners, so they can post our dirty deeds all over the internet and make rest of the world hate us more. Just fabulous. Imagine how we'd fare when faced with actual espionage. Comrade, NONE of the nations mentioned in the leak are looked on favourably. Besides, there's 200,000 some documents to go. Perhaps something will crop up that shows Canada as in co-conspiracy charges against *shuffles and pulls card* Tajikistan. They say what they have so far is nothing. I'm praying to God they don't release records saying the US orchestrated 9/11, because then I'd have to admit the truthers were right.
|
|
|
Post by Yla on Nov 29, 2010 15:58:24 GMT -5
I'm praying to God they don't release records saying the US orchestrated 9/11, because then I'd have to admit the truthers were right. Now that'd be the kicker.
|
|
|
Post by Sandafluffoid on Nov 29, 2010 16:29:57 GMT -5
This is just great. Employees of the US government, liberally pilfer classified documents and hand them over to a bunch of foreigners, so they can post our dirty deeds all over the internet and make rest of the world hate us more. Just fabulous. Imagine how we'd fare when faced with actual espionage. I dont know if you'd noticed, but our reputation's already in the shitter thanks to W. I really don't think there's much we can do to make it worse. I doubt this would make your reputation any worse, you'd have to be totally incapable of reading people for any of the comments on world leaders and governments to be much of a surprise. Whilst admittedly I was never sure exactly why it's always been pretty obvious that the Obama administration really dislikes the British government (both under Brown and Cameron), the French press are good at showing how thin-skinned Sarko is, the description of Berlusconi might as well go in his autobiography for how obvious it is. The only real thing of any concern is US officials being asked to spy on the UN leadership, but it's not like the US has ever had any love for the UN in the first place.
|
|
|
Post by Kit Walker on Nov 29, 2010 17:00:56 GMT -5
WikiLeaks bothers me a little. Journalists have codes of ethics, editors, publishers, people they are beholden to. WikiLeaks seems to just leak information willy nilly, which in the field of international relations/spying can get people killed. The public has a right to know what its government is up to, but I see in wikileaks just seems like something that is destined to end poorly.
|
|
|
Post by Tiger on Nov 29, 2010 17:33:50 GMT -5
WikiLeaks bothers me a little. Journalists have codes of ethics, editors, publishers, people they are beholden to. WikiLeaks seems to just leak information willy nilly, which in the field of international relations/spying can get people killed. The public has a right to know what its government is up to, but I see in wikileaks just seems like something that is destined to end poorly. Wikileaks offered to work with the U.S. government in managing the last two releases so that the stuff that actually should be secret stayed that way, but the government blew them off. Oh, and the aforementioned "insurance files" (encrypted files that wikileaks puts up on peer to peer sites) are presumably composed of the stuff that even they agree should remain classified.
|
|