Fox News editorial: WikiLeaks employees should be declared ‘enemy combatants’

So basically the government turns a blind eye to torture, rape and murder, and covers up the deaths of sixty-six thousand innocent civilians... but we shouldn't let that information out, or someone might get hurt. Nice...

Wikileaks is exposing war crimes... more power to them...

Originally posted by spiritualzombie
So basically the government turns a blind eye to torture, rape and murder, and covers up the deaths of sixty-six thousand innocent civilians...

*yawn* This bologna is dry and could use a little sauce.

but we shouldn't let that information out, or someone might get hurt. Nice...

How blinded the young are by the glass wall before them.

Wikileaks is exposing war crimes... more power to them...

No, no they are not.

According to WikiLeaks, the documents include previously undisclosed numbers of Iraqi civilian deaths, over 300 recorded reports of coalition forces committing torture and abuse of detainees, accounts of Iran meddling in the war and information suggesting there were 691 Iraqi civilians killed at U.S. military checkpoints.

Considering this is a release of 391,831 pages of reports - not a whole lot in the way of "war crimes."

Now, let's take a look at what is at stake:

Ryan Crocker, U.S. ambassador to Iraq from 2007-08, said the disclosures would be more worrisome if the U.S. were still fully engaged in combat in Iraq -- but he still sees it as a major problem.

"I'd really be worried if -- as looks to be the case -- you have Iraqi political figures named in a context or a connection that can make them politically and physically vulnerable to their adversaries," he told a conference Friday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

"That has an utterly chilling effect on the willingness of political figures to talk to us -- not just in Iraq but anywhere in the world," he said.

As I said - blinded by the glass wall.

There is a reason the reports were classified. You cannot do anything about checkpoint policies, cases of abuse/torture, etc. The chain of command can - and did - which is what these reports are about - analyzing the situation and recommending better policies and solutions.

You (the general public), and even me (military not involved in making policy decisions), do not have a need to know. Period.

Wikileaks releases a lot of data that is not related to the function of "whistle-blowing" - it is, in effect, a data-dump for illicitly distributed classified material.

That's a problem. You think it's all well and cool because you are under the delusion it implicates the U.S. in some massive torture spree. But it's not so cool when Iraq's present government collapses due to the release of information contained in these documents and other nations are distancing themselves from us because they'd rather not have their e-mails to their staff leaked for the world to read over.

It won't be too cool when leaked documents disrupt trade agreements between the U.S. and other nations. It'd also be a gahootin' holler when people in industry (say, someone who worked on your operating system) leaks a bunch of known security vulnerabilities.

Wikileaks revealed a massive violation in International Law by the U.S.

U.S. signs UN Convention Against Torture on April 18, 1988

Article 2

1. Each State Party shall take effective legislative, administrative, judicial or other measures to prevent acts of torture in any territory under its jurisdiction.
2. No exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat or war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification of torture.
3. An order from a superior officer or a public authority may not be invoked as a justification of torture.

Article 3

1. No State Party shall expel, return or extradite a person to another State where there are substantial grounds for believing that he would be in danger of being subjected to torture.
2. For the purpose of determining whether there are such grounds, the competent authorities shall take into account all relevant considerations including, where applicable, the existence in the State concerned of a consistent pattern of gross, flagrant or mass violations of human rights.

reply to post by ExPostFacto
Agreed ExPostFacto,The reason the MSM is not covering the other side of this story is simple:If the media actually did their job and really gave a hard look at these documents they would lose their access to the government in essence they would receive the kiss of death.Imagine a news network with no way to interview any government officials? think the advertisers would stick around?

reply to post by NoHierarchy


Yet again we see the main stream US media claiming that the rights of individuals are not as important as the right of the US government to walk all over freedom and human rights. I mean it was a Muslim and a foreign one at that which had his head cut off for killing the US officer that rapped his sister!

Only a hundred thousand civilians murdered a ratio of 4:1 that is 4 civilians for every supposed enemy they killed in Iraq 4:1 and then we had US officlas saying the Iraq war was the first time a nation has ever spent so much time and effort to protect innocent civilian lives.

I know they think we will buy anything they say, but that is just taking the pee pee.

Under the genvea convention soldiers are required to refuse to follow orders they know to be against the convention or at least question them. America though feels this hampers their efforts to murder, rape and pillage their way through the middle east so has stated they are exempt.

Come on people, we know they want us to rebel but we are getting to the point where if we do not do something peacefully NOW there will be no other choice but for an uprising, which is the worst possible thing for the American people to do!

Everyone keeps saying don't worry this will all pass over that is exactly what they said in 1936 Germany!!!

Only this time the JEWS are all of us posting on these forums and anyone that thinks America should follow it's constitution! have minimal government, and strong control of corporation that screw over the people and a military whose sole purpose is to protect the border of the USA!

The only reason we have soldiers in south America is to protect the DRUGS and maintain control of the transit corridors.

reply to post by Aim64C


There would not be any torture or abuse to report if BUSH and BLAIR had not lied to the world about WMD's in the first place. We all know this war was BS, and ANYTHING that comes from it which negatively affect both our countries can be blamed directly on BUSH and BLAIR!

If anyone should be made "Enemy of the State" it is those two !!!!!!!!