WikiLeaks 'a Clear and Present Danger,' Says WaPo

bedmison writes "In an op-ed in the Washington Post titled 'WikiLeaks must be stopped,' Marc A. Thiessen writes that 'WikiLeaks represents a clear and present danger to the national security of the United States,' and that the US has the authority to arrest its spokesman, Julian Assange, even if it has to contravene international law to do so. Thiessen also suggests that the new USCYBERCOM be unleashed to destroy WikiLeaks as an internet presence." Reader praps tips an interview with another WikiLeaks spokesman, Daniel Schmitt, who says they have no regrets about releasing the Afghanistan documents, and says WikiLeaks is "changing the game." Several other readers have pointed out that WikiLeaks posted a mysterious, encrypted "insurance" file on Thursday, which sent the media into a speculative frenzy over what it could possibly contain.

please oh please

[anthonyclark]

please let the insurance file be the result of "dd if=/dev/urandom ..."

Clear and present danger?

[gearsmithy]

Sounds like a job for CIA Analyst Jack Ryan.

Snowball's chance in hell...

[TheMidnight]

that the U.S. would actually "arrest" this guy. If we have laws that keep us from assassinating leaders of countries we don't like, such as Fidel Castro, Kim Song Il, and so on, I seriously doubt we would have the legal authority to arrest a non-political person (i.e. private citizen) that has no ties to the U.S. whatsoever. I don't think the U.S. would try to do it, either, even under Bush. If the guy was dumb enough to wander into Iraq or Afghanistan maybe we'd have some ground to classify him as an enemy combatant or something. This op-ed is ridiculous, though. Even if he were brought to the U.S. by some covert operation, how long before a U.S. judge ruled everything they did illegal and make them let him go?

Re:Arrest WHO?

[bsDaemon]

Mr Universe, is that you?

"Clear and Present Danger"

[Anonymous Coward]

Isn't "Clear and Present Danger" the terminology used to justify Executive Orders to assassinate someone Without Remorse? The Washington Post is playing Patriot Games. I think we owe Wikileaks a Debt of Honor.

Re:srsly govt?

[Mongoose Disciple]

Somehow, leaking the uncomfortable truth sounds so unglamorous when you put it that way.

Re:Summary is Wrong

[SpongeBob Hitler]

Thiessen is a right-winger from the American Enterprise Institute

And here I was, thinking it was some kind of Star Trek fandom institute in the US.

Re:too late

[ciggieposeur]

Presumably that encrypted file would contain information that the government would want to remain secret more than they would want wikileaks in general silenced.

So obviously the file must contain highly sensitive copyrighted works like the music for next year's Disney pop star lineup. The economic damage from piracy of that magnitude could destroy the world economy 300 times over.

Brilliant move on Wikileak's part. Who in the US government will care about our minor military secrets when the RIAA's profits are at risk?

Re:I love it

[afabbro]

To be pro-wikileaks now is like being pro-assignation

I am utterly opposed to assignation because people use it to assign me tasks to do. However, if you mean a meeting between lovers, that's OK, as long as I'm one of them.

Re:Well Regarded Warmonger

[Myopic]

the ancient and decrepit Helms

Jeez, you make it sound as if he helped build the pyramids or something. That's absurd. He wasn't born until almost a thousand years after the pyramids were built.

Re:HAHAH!

[Anonymous Coward]

RG! You're back! Good to see you again