Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Yet More Leaks

Sorry to keep harping on this. I just find everything that is currently going on with WikiLeaks to be endlessly fascinating. Apparently, early next year WikiLeaks are planning to publish a number of documents from a "major US bank" that demonstrate a widespread culture of corruption and possibly a pattern of behavior that may be linked to our current economic crisis. Bank of America's stock was down today amid speculation that they are the bank in question. Now this is a leak that I am awaiting with baited breath. Banks and their lending practices are at the heart of our recent recession (Are we out of it? By definition, I suppose the answer is yes.) and more information has recently emerged about banks and their possibly fraudulently fast-tracking foreclosure proceedings, so I think a peek into the internal memos of this "major US bank" will be infinitely valuable to our understanding of our current economic condition.

I'm very excited about these leaks. Despite all of the attention the diplomatic cables are receiving, I'm not quite sure what the goal of releasing them was. The goal is more clear in regards to the dumps of Iraq and Afghanistan war documents, they are meant, as were the Pentagon Papers, to highlight the discrepancies between the official government line and the reality on the ground in two disastrous wars. In regards to whichever bank this happens to be, I can really see the public interest in making these documents available. Wall Street and many other major financial institutions may very well be responsible for pillaging billions of dollars from our economy. These pending leaks could really help to shed a light on what has long been a fundamental injustice in our society, steal a few hundred dollars, end up in an over-crowded California prison, steal a few hundred million, end up in Club-Fed, if it's investigated or prosecuted at all.


P.S.
Good-googly-moogly I hope the above makes a modicum of sense. Note to self, don't drink Belgian beer and then post on the internet. But, here goes...

1 comment:

  1. NPR did an interview with Jullian Assange and asked him of his motive to creating WikiLeaks and the act of releasing classified documents. In the blurb I heard on the radio, the interviewer said (and I am paraphrasing here) that Assange created WikiLeaks in an attempt to eliminate the secret, under the table, dealings within politics. So, in essence, he believes that by making information accessible to the public, politicians are forced to be truthful in their delegations and dealings with the public and other governments.

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