Conservative magazine makes the case for supporting WikiLeaks

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Another well-known conservative is coming to the defense of secrets outlet WikiLeaks.

In a recent essay, Jack Hunter at The American Conservative magazine argued that fellow conservatives should consider supporting WikiLeaks because limiting and challenging government power was the founders' intent and "these have always been core conservative principles."

At the end of November, WikiLeaks began publishing over 250,000 secret US State Department embassy cables. Though the world's media has been consumed with reporting on the trove of new data, approximately 1 percent has been released thus far, and most of it by professional news outlets.

Conservative public figures like Sen. Mitch McConnell, Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin, and Rep. Peter King have compared WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to a terrorist.

Just a question to the members that consider themselves conservative. How do you stand on the wiki contraversy?

Are you a neocon conservative like Palin, Rush and Beck or a constitutional adherent? There does seem to be a meeting of grounds on this issue between libs and conservatives in that "Govt. secrecy is a bad thing" at least according to this publication.

I hope that supporting govt. transparency dosen't get me labled a conservative even though I do support many conservative ideals.

I have been watching a fairly disturbing trend going on in the media lately

It seems the right is trying to turn wikileaks into some sort of retarded partisan issue...the right is starting to come together and collectively demand wikileaks and what they do is some sort of terrorist organization, meanwhile the left is slowly starting to unite in a pro-leaks stance.

This is not a good thing. I am glad when people like Ron Paul and this mag come forward and buck their side, supporting this.

Some issues are partisan...they are fun being partisan also..the nation would be perhaps a bit less amusing if everyone agreed and held hands on every issue...but the freedom of information should be a bipartisan desire.

Or am I just showing my liberal? To me, this is a no brainer.

I also think that the military, if they want to keep secrets, need to tighten up their security alot more. make it a pain in the arse to keep things secret..that way, only things truely deemed important to national security is kept secret verses a plethora of obvious bull#$%^.

Interesting question.

I personally have read that the new hackers/cyber geeks/ net whistleblowers , etc. are the 'new right'. And as a moderate conservative , I view them as such based on their move to basically force transparency into governments.

Interestingly, It could probably even be argued that Assange( as the clear figurehead and face of wikileaks) himself is even somewhat the 'anti-Obama'---the representation of the ultimate nerdy white guy striking out ...primarily at a leftist leaning US admin led by a black man. Although , of course, it is clearly not just the US these 'leaks' concern.

But that's a bit off topic, just food for thought.

Anyway, I support a transparent government and wikileaks move to accomplish that, in principle at least.

However, I also support transparency in any group that wishes to 'expose' others, therefore I really can't see much more than hypocrisy in the matter. Let Assange and his associates drop the hiding, sneaking ,covert actions and present the world stage directly with any true accusations they may have...complete with exactly where this information is coming from and exactly why they even care. Reveal the motives or you become the very thing you supposedly are fighting against.

Until that happens, count this conservative as very skeptical and leery. I am just too damned old and cynical to buy that 'for the good of humanity' line that wikileaks/Assange try to push.

My opinion.

reply to post by whaaa


I see Congress' reaction against wikileaks as a serious threat to freedom of speech and the freedom of the press. I have advocated for them to stop their over-reactive, anti-constitutional actions. They should go after the leaker and work to improve the system that permitted improper access to secrets. They should not go after those who publish and read about released secrets.

I do not want to see a double standard for those who publish classified information on the lnternet versus those who publish classified information at the New York Times.

I would also like to see the Americans discern between heros who publish secrets important to the public versus zeros who publish information that could get soldiers and others murdered. Not all intentions in secret publishing are harmless to human life. When secret publishers get Americans killed, I despise them. When they expose what our government is up to - information that should not be kept secret to voters to begin with, I applaud them.

reply to post by SaturnFX


You raise some good points.

Frankly, the whole thing has seemed agenda driven from the start in my opinion. And while it may in fact NOT be a partisan movement, it is certainly an idealogical one.

It is what it is at the end of the day, and each of us will assign whatever we wish to it solely because the actual motivations behind the releases are obscure. All we do know is that it is absolutely forcing, or at least revealing, an insight into government that all of us probably suspected anyway. Therefore, transparency.

The question is really why this particular group cares and what they hope to be accomplished by releasing these leaks. Reality has taught me that no one---ever--- does anything for nothing.

I am not a Conservative...but it is my opinion that all governments have the need for some secrecy.

I don't support 100% transparency nor do I support this random transparency that wikileaks is providing. There is no oversight to what wikileaks is doing...most likely they just want to get the biggest headlines they can get.

It is surprising to me to see "Americans" cheer for a non-American releasing secrets about our government that may or may not have a negative impact on our country. Assange isn't doing this because he loves America and is concerned about the "freedom" of information...he is doing it for his own personal gain.

This is my opinion at least.

As I recall, it was always the conservatives that said when the Patriot act was implemented "hey, if you don't have anything to hide; what's the big deal?"

Now that the shoe is on the other foot and corruption and embarrassing secrets are being uncovered; the old "national security" flag is being unfurled to cover the crimes.

A cleansing is in order for our Government. I don't care where it comes from.

R.I.P Wikileaks... With the neo nazis erm.. neocons endorsing it they just killed any hope of transparency in the u.s ..