"Information is the currency of democracy" -Thomas Jefferson
This might put me on the watch list, but when it comes to patriotism and the safety of our men and women in harm's way, the bravest and most noble warriors on earth, nothing is more serious. It seems members of Congress are more disturbed by these document's release because it reveals just how inept one governing body can actually become. They also reveal the massive growth of "State Secrets" and the chasm between our Government and the people it represents. If a leaked document represents a clear and present danger to this nation, its people, or its defenders, then obviously, hang the traitors that release them. But when released documents, easily stolen by low-level analyst, Private Bradley Manning, who, according to the Associated Press, was able to defeat Pentagon security systems using little more than a Lady Gaga CD and a portable computer memory stick, are posted to an Internet site, it seems to me that besides a crime being committed, a gift with a big red bow has been handed to the people of America. Are such "secrets" that easily stolen from the Pentagon? A Lady GaGa CD and a memory stick is hardly Mission Impossible espionage. Hell, we've all seen Spies Like Us, where two dim witted analysts penetrate deep within Communist Russia and ultimately save the world by redirecting a nuclear missile headed to US soil. Can stealing secrets detrimental to our safety and national security be so poorly protected that a private can steal them? Thankfully, as of November 28, no death can be attributed to the leaked documents, mainly because there wasn't dangeroulsy sensitive information leaked. Instead, there was a story of America's Arab Allies' obvious concerns regarding Iran and its nuclear program and their encouragement for the US to disarm them by any means necessary. Besides that, there was revealing that the Saudi King has a blond girlfriend, and that the Chancellor of Germany and the President of France don't get along. Then, there's my personal favorite, the King of Saudi Arabia saying prisoners released from Guantanamo ought to have tracking chips implanted. Are these State Secrets, because not one of those so-called secrets would surprise anyone that's been alive for the past five years. I've never heard secrets less secretive.
There are many people around the globe that despise America. Maybe Private Manning is one of them, maybe the face of WikiLeaks is another, but when it comes to the true enemies of America's liberty, there are much graver threats. What's wrong with government transparency? What's wrong with the protection of the 1st Amendment? What's wrong with, as Obama promised during his campaign, reducing the amount of "State Secrets" and having a more open and transparent government. This barrage of leaked documents stand to improve America, not destroy it. Like many Americans, Republican and Democrat alike, I'm disgusted by the ineptitude, the apathy, the arrogance and the misrepresentation of our Government and its leaders. I'm saddened by our citizens that condemn our nation's ambitions to free others from enslavement and tryanny. I'm saddened by the inability of our nation's people to value accountability and demand it from our elected officials. Anything that can strip the power from multi-term Senators, corrupt, law-breaking members of the House, and Presidents that ignore the wishes of the people, the more our country shifts the power back to its people. Then, for the first time in more than 230 years, the American people will feel the enormous power and reap the benefits of liberty.
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