Lying is Not Patriotic
WikiLeaks’ release of classified information has generated a lot of attention world-wide in the past few weeks.
The hysterical reaction makes one wonder if this is not an example of killing the messenger for the bad news.
Despite what is claimed, information so far released, though classified, has caused no known harm to any individual, but it has caused plenty of embarrassment to our government. Losing a grip on our empire is not welcomed by the neoconservatives in charge.
There is now more information confirming that Saudi Arabia is a principle supporter and financier of al-Qaeda and this should set off alarm bells since we guarantee its Sharia-run government.
This emphasizes even more the fact that no al-Qaeda existed in Iraq before 9/11, and yet we went to war against Iraq based on the lie that it did.
It has been charged, by self-proclaimed experts, that Julian Assange, the internet publisher of this information, has committed a heinous crime deserving prosecution for treason and execution or even assassination.
But should we not at least ask how the U.S. government can charge an Australian citizen with treason for publishing U.S. secret information, that he did not steal?
And if WikiLeaks is to be prosecuted for publishing classified documents, why shouldn’t the Washington Post, New York Times, and others that have also published these documents be prosecuted? Actually, some in Congress are threatening this as well.
The New York Times, as a result of a Supreme Court ruling, was not found guilty in 1971 for the publication of the Pentagon Papers. Daniel Ellsberg never served a day in prison for his role in obtaining these secret documents.
The Pentagon Papers were also inserted into the Congressional Record by Senator Mike Gravel with no charges being made of breaking any National Security laws.
Yet the release of this classified information was considered illegal by many, and those who lied us into the Vietnam War and argued for its prolongation were outraged. But the truth gained from the Pentagon Papers revealed that lies were told about the Gulf of Tonkin attack which perpetuated a sad and tragic episode in our history.
Just as with the Vietnam War, the Iraq War was based on lies. We were never threatened by Weapons of Mass Destruction or al-Qaeda-in-Iraq, though the attack on Iraq was based on this false information.
Any information that challenges the official propaganda for the war in the Middle East is unwelcome by the administration and supporters of these unnecessary wars. Few are interested in understanding the relationship of our foreign policy and our presence in the Middle East to the threat of terrorism. Revealing the real nature and goal for our presence in so many Muslim countries is a threat to our empire and any revelation of this truth is highly resented by those in charge.
Questions to consider:
1. Do the American people deserve to know the truth regarding the ongoing war in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Yemen?
2. Could a larger question be: how can an Army Private gain access to so much secret material?
3. Why is the hostility mostly directed at Assange, the publisher, and not our government’s failure to protect classified information?
4. Are we getting our money’s worth from the $80 billion per year we spend on our intelligence agencies?
5. Which has resulted in the greatest number of deaths: lying us into war, or WikiLeaks’ revelations or the release of the Pentagon Papers?
6. If Assange can be convicted of a crime for publishing information, that he did not steal, what does this say about the future of the First Amendment and the independence of the internet?
7. Could it be that the real reason for the near universal attacks on WikiLeaks is more about secretly maintaining a seriously flawed foreign policy of empire than it is about national security?
8. Is there not a huge difference between releasing secret information to help the enemy in the time of a declared war — which is treason — and the releasing of information to expose our government lies that promote secret wars, death, and corruption?
9. Was it not once considered patriotic to stand up to our government when it’s wrong?
Thomas Jefferson had it right when he advised: "Let the eyes of vigilance never be closed."
Read more by Rep. Ron Paul
- On Indefinite Detention: The Tyranny Continues – May 21st, 2012
- Dangerous Legislation – May 17th, 2012
- Bad for America, Bad for Israel, Bad for the World – May 9th, 2012
- Enduring Commitments Abroad – May 7th, 2012
- We Were Right About the Costs of War – April 30th, 2012
Kenny B
December 9th, 2010 at 10:26 pm
Ron Paul ftw!
JNagarya
December 9th, 2010 at 11:39 pm
Ron Paul should tell his son that lying is not patriotic — even when only done in order to win an election based upon the vote of an extremist minority ignorant of and opposed to the Constitution where it doesn't suit their anti-American delusions.
Oh, right: he was only absoluely opposed to "earmarks" before he was elected, three minutes after which he was absolutely for them. Nothing unpatriotic about preaching against taxation — which is established in the Constitution — when the taxes are used to buy favor with the electorate.
"Libertarian": If your wallet was stolen, it's your own damned fault for having had a wallet.
AlfreðGA
December 10th, 2010 at 10:03 am
I truly cannot believe that this man is considered by many to be "fringe" while the mainstream presidential candidates are calling for Assange to be executed…My mind hurts when thinking about it.
RickR30
December 10th, 2010 at 12:17 pm
Wonderful article.
If we are not a Third World country economically-yet-due to the zionist obsession with war and death, we already are a Third World country when it when it comes to corruption and lawlessness. Who has ever voted for a neo-con? And yet they control policy and budget. The corrupt criminals in Washington keep getting better and better posts that pay more and more instead of rotting in jail. Instead, the innocent are harassed and groped and face phony charges.
bob35983
December 10th, 2010 at 5:26 pm
Recall the olde adage: The test of character is those things you do which you think will never be discovered.
jonathan swift
December 10th, 2010 at 5:57 pm
We need more discussion, as with Ron Paul's comments and questions. Discussion and consideration are direly lacking in the lynch-mob rush to judgment, including from the attorney general's office. Even progressives are confused that somehow what wikileaks is doing is wrong because it goes against a principle of privacy. However, as the Pentagon Papers case show, that principle can be set aside for the greater good if it uncovers wrongdoing by the government. So there are two major questions right now that need more comment: 1) what harm is covered up by this principle of government right to secrecy? 2) what harm is actually being done by the leaks (versus good in terms of discoveries of dangerous government behaviors)? Eisenhower warned of the dangers of a military-industrial complex. If wikileaks is uncovering a sinister shadow government it's doing what needs to be done to set this country back onto a moral and profitable course of action. These are the poles of argument that need investigating versus the ranting and raving and general jabbering.
MvGuy
December 10th, 2010 at 6:29 pm
RickR30, your words are prophetic, perspicacious and a bit poetic….. Great Post!! …. Thank you..
MvGuy
December 10th, 2010 at 10:05 pm
Thank You antiwar.com for posting the Great mans words here for us to read.. Thank You Representative Paul for your words of wisdom………and to show my appreciation of your enlightened commentary, I will answer your questions as well as I am able……
Questions to consider:
1. Do the American people deserve to know the truth regarding the ongoing war in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Yemen? A, Yes, I believe it's best for America and American interests that it's citizens be kept informed of the true nature and purpose of the decisions our leaders make when they are acting in our behalf..
2. Could a larger question be: how can an Army Private gain access to so much secret material?
3. Why is the hostility mostly directed at Assange, the publisher, and not our government’s failure to protect classified information? A , In spite of my sympathy for Julian Assange, and his crusade for more honest government, I can understand .the governments position in this issue; that the victim of a theft should not be blamed because they did not secure their property well enough.
4. Are we getting our money’s worth from the $80 billion per year we spend on our intelligence agencies? A. NO..!!! When the director of NSA, America's No.1 signet intelligence agency on 911 Michael Hayden was soon after promoted to head of the CIA,, I believe it showed, that either he was rewarded for his blindness and deafness on 911, or President Bush chose to reward Mr Hayden in spite of his role as the top man, in the worst intelligence failure since WWII, and perhaps the worst most deadly failure in American history. No one was fired for their 911 mistakes, but many of the seemingly clueless that day were promoted for their failures..!
5. Which has resulted in the greatest number of deaths: lying us into war, or WikiLeaks’ revelations or the release of the Pentagon Papers? A. Though the government has not named even one person that may have died, they hammer this as a talking point because diplomatic embarrassment for double dealing and duplicity does not cause as much stir as dead allies do.. There is also the touchy issue of whose best interests are being pursued, those of the lobbyists and their clients or the best interests of America and Americans..
6. If Assange can be convicted of a crime for publishing information, that he did not steal, what does this say about the future of the First Amendment and the independence of the internet? A. The constitution is under attack from all sides…… The very rule of law has become a three tier system, one for the well connected who get pardoned or escape prosecution altogether, those in the middle who fare largely as the founders intended, and those on the bottom, who cannot defend themselves with competent council because they cannot afford the $350.00 to $750.00 per hour fees required… The justice system is broken… The privatization of prisons has introduced a lobby seeking long sentences for small infractions, and longer sentences for things that have in the past been our rights . The control society has arrived and it in intends to imprison you if you get out of step….
7. Could it be that the real reason for the near universal attacks on WikiLeaks is more about secretly maintaining a seriously flawed foreign policy of empire than it is about national security? A. Yes, I think it's that and also the actual policy of endless war to profit the military industrial complex contractors and their legislative representatives and divert half the federal tax we pay to warfare and defense.
8. Is there not a huge difference between releasing secret information to help the enemy in the time of a declared war — which is treason — and the releasing of information to expose our government lies that promote secret wars, death, and corruption? A. It probably depends on ones position in society.. As America's roads and bridges rust and rut while the national debt grows and grows…. The ruinous and costly futile exercise in Afghanistan that is running on $4OO.OO to $1OOO.OO a gallon fuel, so costly because the Taliban get paid to let the fuel trucks pass…. and use the tribute we pay to buy guns and bombs to kill us… The hopeless folly.that bankrupted the USSR is now America's burden….
9. Was it not once considered patriotic to stand up to our government when it’s wrong? A. Speaking truth to power and the lust of power is the highest duty of every American……of every citizen world wide…. , It is the desire to take from others that which belongs to them that is the root of most of the worlds troubles. Beat your swords into plows. Stop stealing and work, plant and produce……
RickR30
December 11th, 2010 at 10:08 am
Thank you for the kind words.