US gov to Canadian gov: "Please don't look at Wikileaks"

[TimeLady Victorious]

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/11/24/wikileaks-ottawa.html

The U.S. government has notified Ottawa that the WikiLeaks website is preparing to release sensitive U.S. diplomatic files that could damage U.S. relations with allies around the world.

U.S. officials say the documents may contain accounts of compromising conversations with political dissidents and friendly politicians and could result in the expulsion of U.S. diplomats from foreign postings.
David Jacobson, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, has phoned Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon to inform him of the pending release by WikiLeaks of sensitive U.S. diplomatic files David Jacobson, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, has phoned Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon to inform him of the pending release by WikiLeaks of sensitive U.S. diplomatic files (CBC)

A Foreign Affairs spokeswoman said the U.S. ambassador to Canada, David Jacobson, has phoned Minister of Foreign Affairs Lawrence Cannon to inform him of the matter.

Melissa Lantsman said the Canadian Embassy in Washington is "currently engaging" with the U.S. State Department on the matter.

A State Department spokesman said Wednesday the release of confidential communications about foreign governments probably will erode trust in the United States as a diplomatic partner.

U.S. diplomatic outposts around the world have begun notifying other governments that WikiLeaks may release the documents in the next few days.

So if they're looking at your shit it should be okay because you should have nothing to hide, but when the US gov does shady shit you shouldn't care because they're the government and they're here to help.

[dalebert]

So if they're looking at your shit it should be okay because you should have nothing to hide, but when the US gov does shady shit you shouldn't care because they're the government and they're here to help.

Well, sure.  That's the essence of statism-- the "necessary" exemption from common-sense codes of behavior for authority figures.  Once you've justified violence against innocent people by those authority figures, it's no more than a variation on the theme.  They've been justifying keeping "ordinary people" in the dark for a long time on the basis of security.

[Disaster Monkey]

There's no such thing as secrets anymore! Nor should there be, where governments are concerned.

Don't want your tax victims to know what their money is being spent on? Pack up, go home and get an honest job!

[TimeLady Victorious]

So if they're looking at your shit it should be okay because you should have nothing to hide, but when the US gov does shady shit you shouldn't care because they're the government and they're here to help.

Well, sure.  That's the essence of statism-- the "necessary" exemption from common-sense codes of behavior for authority figures.  Once you've justified violence against innocent people by those authority figures, it's no more than a variation on the theme.  They've been justifying keeping "ordinary people" in the dark for a long time on the basis of security.

The Scandinavian countries are very statist, but no one expects the ones in authority to be beyond the law. That's why there are ombudsmen.