Truthfully I feel like the United States is just making a mountain out of a mole hill. So far none of the information leaked on the website has proved to be any threat to the nation as a whole. I feel that the US is just sore that their security is not as tight as they want it to be.
Personally I believe that the people have the right to know more about what their government is spending tax payer dollars on, but on the other hand, I feel that government has the right to keep some information away from the public. Sometimes ignorance is a bliss.
How do you guys feel about this whole situation? Should nations stay open and honest about every activity they partake in, or should they be allowed to keep secrets?
3 comments:
I think Aaron brought up a good point in his last question.
I think there is only one answer to that question. Governments should be allowed to keep secrets. First of all, no nation in this world can be honest about every activity they are involved in. It's infeasible and stupid. Like regular citizens, governments have the right to privacy. I still believe in the American government in that they will do what is best for the majority of the people.
P.S.: Since this questions is so extreme ("every activity"), I have a definite answer. But if other conditions were explicitly stated such as, "Should nations stay open and be honest about certain important activities they partake in?" then......I wouldn't be so sure.
I do agree with LuShuang that the government should be allowed to to keep information from the people. But I am not too sure it is a given right. The government is built upon the people. I think the people have the right to know what the government is doing if one is so moved to find out. I'm sure the government has their reasons to not publicly announce certain things but I think the people who want know should have the ability to find out for themselves.
WikiLeaks has had an ever increasing presence in our news source. This site can have major influence in later policy making and what is actually written down for history in the future. Usually the American government will release certain information to the public. This allows future generations to see what really happened in the war. When dealing with wars, I feel the US government should be allowed to withhold some information. It is not that they should be allowed to abuse their rights, but sometimes when the government gives away too much, it hurts us, the people. One word of note in the last couple of WikiLeaks there was very sensitive information about our potential "CIA" bases and operators in Afghanistan and Iraq. There was even some possibility of a blown cover for some of our agents. Is it right to subject our agents to death because someone leaked their names to Al Qeada? In addition, we must also consider the aspect of the civilians on the ground. At the time of release, the United States government was forced to hand many civilians different names and identities due to their identity being revealed. How we can we subject innocent civilians who are paid for their efforts to a death? I feel WikiLeaks should consult the government or at least a third party organization before releasing everything. Even though, they crossed a lot of information out many of the civilians information was untouched, it would also be beneficial for WikiLeaks to ask the people in the documents if they would like it released. Accountability is important, but war is always very similar. I do not feel that every minute detail needs to be exposed. I feel accountability is always important, but wait until after at least 3 years and until those bases are gone.
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