If there’s anyone that should win the Pulitzer, Nobel Peace Prize, Oscar, and Caldecott Medal, it’s Julian Assange. He’s the 39 year old editor-in-chief and de facto spokesperson for Wikileaks, calling out the governing bodies for the shit they pull, assuming that no one will ever be the wiser. But how does this information being released affect our troops that are currently stationed over there?
Still a baby, Wikileaks has only been around for a little over three years, and has a database boasting millions of formerly unreleased documents and records. Making major headlines in April 2010, for their “Collateral Murder” video, which showcased the US Army’s uncanny ability to kill innocent people in cold blood. Turns out, they’re really good at it!
Just a few days ago, Wikileaks busted through Beiber Fever and other boring news, by releasing over 92,000 documents from the Afghanistan War. Touching base on just about everything you can think of, from the murder of children, to the Taliban having potential chemical weapons. Oh, and surprise, the US buys good press! Who would have thought?
One of the most unsurprising revelations is that US troops are getting high on Afghani heroin, and the US (via the CIA and other special operation task forces) is helping to export it out to Hong Kong, Canada, and–surprise–into the US. Sometimes it’s concealed in garbage and money, while at other times it’s shoved inside Tickle Me Elmo.
How do I know all of this, you ask? Well, besides most of it being public information, someone very dear to me is currently in Afghanistan, and is stationed at an undisclosed special ops base.
When asked about the heroin intake by US soldiers, he said that he has never seen anyone doing it, but knows that it happens. When asked about the government cracking down on the issue, he said “They aren’t trying. Pretty much, it’s unstoppable at this point. They do random drug testing, and that’s it.”
As far as how the Wikileaks’ leaks are affecting operations, he said that, “Any time this sort of thing happens; troop movements leaked, etc., people start freaking out. The Taliban looks at everything; Facebook, Twitter, and so on, looking to collect information on our bases and movements. Ambushes and more accurate rocket/mortar attacks will follow. I agree that things need to be released to the public, but those Wikileaks people are putting us all in danger over here.”
Apparently, the people in Afghanistan (citizens and government alike) expect many more casualties over the next few months, and have ceased night operations at certain bases.
Unsurprisingly, there are things that “don’t exist” that actually do, and there are things that “do exist” that actually don’t. This is what the government does, and it’s like some real MKULTRA shit, on a whole ‘nother level.
My source (who doesn’t want to be named, because he wants to “come home in one piece, alive, with my brains working correctly”) likens the whole thing to First Blood, with John Rambo saying, “guuu, I’m jus’ passin’ through, offica.”
To see photos from a government lackey’s POV go here
Cake cuttin’ by mjb_leo
Good post Kari – well said.
Wikileaks is hard to figure out, because like you said, sure the public needs to know the truth, but now that it's out, what is the effect (affect? Dammit! I have no idea) on the troops?
Also: "I don't think you understand. I didn't come to rescue Rambo from you. I came here to rescue you from him."
USA the country of extremes:
from fucked up over controlled news media that will make everyone believe that the country is at war to save poor oppressed middle Easterns, and also that a war makes no blood because everything is under control, and us soldiers are the best ever [...]
to over leaking independent media that will even release strategical data about the soldiers progress ….
The very fucked up thing is that your country is at war for a bunch of years already, I don't see one single individual here being affected by it. We hear about a recession yet astronomical amount is spent on war; we hear about historical ecological accidents, yet astronomical amount is spent on weapons; we hear about a change in the health plan that would make you guys be communists, YET astronomical amount is spent every single day…….. The day I heard Obama pronouncing the three words "weapons of mass destruction" I lost faith in it……
I dunno how I feel about Assange (he said, as if his opinion was vital). I meet guys like him all the time in the circles I roll with and wether they turn out to be a "White Hat", "Grey Hat" or "Black Hat" always seems to depend on how they interpreted Atlas Shrugged the last time they read it.
As much as I'd like to iconify him as an underdog littleguy, heroically exposing the evils of government, I suspect that the whole thing is just a convenient dance-step for whatever obsession drives him.
Under a different set of circumstances, would he be posting the medical records of thousands of senior citizens to some freaky corner of the 'net all the while laughing like a maniac and wearing a Guy Fawkes mask? My spidey sense says yes.
When Wikileaks published the documents, they put at risk the lives of the people of Afghanistan who had dared to help the United States. The names of those people were spelled out in the released documents. Many of these people saved American lives by tipping off U.S. and allied forces to IED's, revealed Taliban commanders in their village, warned of Taliban movements. The scum who runs Wikileaks tried to paper over the results of his actions during an interview tonight on the news. That trash is just out to make a name for himself and if he gets courageous people killed in the process, I guess that is just collateral damage on the way to the Internet Hall of Fame. He is self righteous horse manure. He is young enough that the U.S. Army will allow him to enlist. If you are out there used toilet paper, why not volunteer and do something useful with yourself? If not, why don't you go live in Afghanistan if the Taliban take it over again?