Tuesday, November 30, 2010

WIKILEAKS

Well. The infamous WikiLeaks about the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are being rolled out. As promised.

What have we learned? Not much. Mostly details; mostly minutia, actually. Frankly, I think it's pretty pretty boring, but the bellophiles (people who love war and all its details) may find it fascinating.

The US got into a couple of wars for reasons not entirely clear. And it's stuck in its position — holding a Tiger by the tail.

There's not much difference between the "good guys" and the "bad guys." The primary difference is that the "good guys" will at least talk to us. But even they have their own plans, which may (or may not) correspond to the plans of the US, its invasion colleagues, and/or NATO.

The US military reports seem to indicate that American soldiers have cause a lot more deaths than they're letting on. Killing the people you're supposed to be helping is just so "not on." Very quick way to lose friends and influence.

I imagine this stuff is going to keep rolling out for a while. You can pour over it if you want; I'm going to try to hibernate. Let me know what happened when I wake up in the spring.

9 comments:

Nancy said...

I think Wikileaks is a good idea - maybe if there are no more secrets then there will be no more illicit wars, banks, corporations, pharmaceuticals, etc. It's all the stuff that goes on behind the scenes that causes all the rest of us to have to live with it - whether we like it or not.

Rosaria Williams said...

Yeah, lots of stupid things, not worth all the fuss.

potsoc said...

Diplomacy comes from the Greek "duplos"=double and "mathein"=to lie. So a diplomat (and politician) is a double liar. These leaks should not surprise us all that much and everyone of them luminaries is already running for cover and exploring new and safer ways to con everybody.

Exmoorjane said...

I'm so with you on hibernation - bring it on! jx

Gutsy Living said...

@potsoc, that was too funny. In Belize they call laywers, liars, and that made me laugh, since my husband is a liar, I mean lawyer. Rob, I believe that just as in life, not everything should be disclosed.

Kim said...

I have to admit the news this week makes me want to hibernate too. That and the snow headed our way. Oh to be a bear!

French Fancy... said...

Thanks for all the good wishes and kind email, Rob. You're a very lovely bear

Anonymous said...

I guess I'm a hibernator where caring is concerned. I just wait for whatever it is to affect me personally, then I just re-tuck my blankets, suck it up and go on.

Being depressed can be a good thing, since not too many things can upset me more than I already am.

Rob-bear said...

Well, the WikiLeaks have been "interesting." As I suspected, not a lot of news there; mostly confirmation of the things we already knew.

® Nancy: All the "behind the scene stuff" that causes havoc for our lives. Sad, but true.

® lakeviewer: Right; not worth the fuss. Mostly.

® potsoc: Diplomacy: war by other means?

® ExmoorJane: I just wish I could get into hibernation mode.

® GW: Too much exposure isn't good. Yet, without reasonably full disclosure, how do we know what is going on, and what we can do about it?

® Kim: Thanks for dropping by. Hibernation is fun, if you can actually get around to doing it.

® FF: Good to be in touch, Julie.

® Dana: You've got a white dog we can see, and and black one we can't. Pretty stark contrast, that.