[insert shock over the details from the state department cables] [insert outrage at U.S. government] [insert praise for WikiLeaks] [insert criticism of the New York Times and the US media for their lackluster analysis of the leaked cables and their complicity in U.S. war crimes] [insert flattering comments directed to European publications for clear, unrestrained analysis of the cables] [insert a quote by famous whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg about why government transparency is so important in a democracy] [insert insults at neocons and stupid congressmen for demanding Assange's head]
Okay, in all seriousness, I'm glad that the WikiLeaks data dump has re-energized public debate about the societal benefits and ills that spring from government secrecy. I think it's safe to say that the forces behind the national security state who contest the public's right to know have lost the battle. The American people want a free and open society, they desire to know the truth about the full extent of their government's crimes, and their political leaders can't do anything to mitigate that very deep desire.
But we don't need WikiLeaks to understand the full truth about U.S. criminality in the war on terror. Facts that reveal U.S. illegal actions worldwide since 2001 have been available to the public and the press. Why do we need public confirmations from criminals that their actions are criminal? Do we really need government leaks to feel confident about our personal assessments of government criminality? All the truth that we need is in front of our eyes, in plain sight. They are obvious truths. For example, there is bulletproof evidence that implicates high-level U.S. government officials in the September 11, 2001 attacks. This evidence has been in the public domain for several years, and a lot if it emerged quickly after the attacks happened. People are free to talk about it, but it is too scary to talk about such facts. Members of the press can shed light on the evidence, but they choose not to because they think it belongs in the realm of "conspiracy theories."
Those that continually dismiss scientific evidence that contradicts the official 9/11 story and irrationally insist that the U.S. government had nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks are making a huge mistake. The U.S. government is more than capable of attacking its own citizens and lying to the world about it since it was hijacked upon the assassination of John F. Kennedy by the evil powers behind the CIA-Military-National Security State. They are cold-blooded murderers who only care about power and control. Read Jim Fetzer's "JFK: What We Know Now" to learn more details of the Kennedy murder. Also, watch William Pepper's lecture about his 2003 book "An Act of State: The Execution of Martin Luther King." Pepper was the attorney who represented the King family in court back in late 1999. In front of a Memphis jury he successfully proved the case that King's death was the result of a government conspiracy; that the official version was untrue. Pepper's book has been censored in the mainstream media, along with the 1999 trial, which was one of the most important trials in American history.
The Guardian, the New York Times, and Der Spiegel are free to review Pepper's book, and report the findings of the 1999 trial eleven years later. They can put behind their shameful past. Their scandalous censorship about the government assassinations of Kennedy and King can end today if they actually cared about the truth, government transparency, and accountability. But, sadly, they don't. Their satisfied with the official story because it is easy to digest, and it doesn't bring up any disturbing questions about who really controls the American government.
But I'm not complaining, or mad. We don't need the New York Times or WikiLeaks to tell us that the U.S. empire is controlled by war criminals and traitors who murdered two of the greatest American leaders, and killed innocent people on 9/11. It is an open secret. Even former President Bush couldn't keep his inner hostility towards the American people a secret. In one of his famous Bushisms he said: "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." That was a slip, no doubt, but don't be fooled, deep down, he meant it.
A sociopathic empire, which is what America is today, has to be led by equally sociopathic personalities like Bush. Of course, most of the bottom-level functionaries are clueless and sincere individuals who are ignorant of the fact that 9/11 was done by America's shadow state. Maybe this is true for top level cabinet members too. But that doesn't take away from the fact that the Empire is totally criminal and immoral.
If only the global press treated the revelations discovered by William Pepper, The International Center for 9/11 Studies, and Architects Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth in the same way as it treated the revelations discovered by WikiLeaks. It's probably the case that journalists believe there is more drama and intrigue surrounding a massive and quick leak of secret government information than in the slow but constant drainage of truth that's been leaking since 9/11/01.
What's disheartening is the idea that without off-the-record statements by officials in Washington that point to crimes and cover-ups we would be in the dark when that is far from the truth. Those who look with open eyes know full well that Washington is ran by evil crooks. Only those who worship government authority can't see the obvious lies and crimes. And something can be done. The American people are not powerless, and they don't need WikiLeaks to hold their criminal government accountable. Besides, there is nothing seriously damaging to the U.S. that we've learned from the WikiLeaks cables release. The reputation of the U.S. government was already very poor, and these revelations are hardly earth-shattering. That the American government is spying on U.N. officials is less damaging to American democracy than the fact that the Israeli government is spying on U.S. officials, or the fact that the American government is spying on U.S. citizens, which we've known about for several years.
America needs a free press more than it needs WikiLeaks. As stated before, many facts that incriminate the U.S. government are already in the public domain, journalists just need to learn to treat them like facts and report them to the public, instead of viewing them through the government-endorsed "conspiracy theories" lens.
