When I few years ago on the Bonn Christmas market shopping for the holidays wanted to do, two smartly dressed young men with fine manners were targeted to march on me. They introduced themselves as missionaries politely to one of the hard-working American sects in Utah, and asked the polite tone showing what religion I belong then. Well, you know this scene may itself would I now, very honest answer, "Roman Catholic", well, I could purchase the afternoon abschminken with discussions about God and the world and why I prefer not Mormon or that it should be something .
I could now also commit errors with the banal "I'm an atheist " answer to the two men as possible quickly get rid of. But then I could not just an afternoon, but abschminken like the whole rest of the week because the missionaries would be really under way, to the apparently occupied by the devil to bring man back to the path of the only true masters back. So I spontaneously remembered my affinity to Eastern religions, and answered a moment ': "I am Buddhist ".
The success was resounding as I had expected. The two friendly gentlemen looked at only briefly, and took their leave, with no further comments, and especially now, with known politeness. What was going to happen? Well, because two things were crucial. First, the most important, the missionaries recognized "is a believer, that is quite ok first and second," whose religion is something different from ours, because we ran not come to us babbles all afternoon with his philosophical fuss because we are wasting our valuable mission time. ". Ergo a typical win-win situation where both get halfway to what they wanted. Both had maintained their rough picture of the world, and both parties did not need to waste unnecessary time.
Well, in politics it is no different. No matter what party you, the main thing that you ever go to vote. No matter whether right, left or the popular center, where nobody knows exactly where is actually says that is already political Buddhism. Even as a communist or a fascist you go through some degree, although you certainly mission experiments are exposed, but woe, woe to make you say the banal error, please be Anarchist . As an atheist, you are then immediately the offspring of the devil, the representative of chaos, hedonism and licentiousness, the image of hell on earth.
is a case so naturally Julian Assange, colloquially new German "Internet-anarchist". As such, it is now, consequently, on the black list of most-wanted-persons of the U.S., but certainly not only , security authorities. Following the publication of thousands and thousands of secret documents of the U.S. military and U.S. diplomacy is likely to question the intelligence services, whom it because would prefer underground, Osama bin Laden or Julian Assange , be sure to answer the majority with second name. Because Osama is useful as a live enemy than a dead martyr, and actually more dangerous than the vast number of his followers, he is also not really dangerous for the power issue, however, is Assange and his (still) the organization Wikileaks . His basic ideas summarizes Wikipedia: "Assange is close to ideas of the crypto-anarchism. On the basis of libertarian ideology is the crypto-anarchism laid an information asymmetry between government and citizens. While a State is able to control large parts of the communications of its citizens, while he tries to keep much information secret from them. The technical innovations of the Internet would offer the opportunity now to reverse the observed asymmetry. On the one hand, all private information is protected by cryptographic means. This would have a far-reaching restrictions on state influence and control options to follow. This stage could the other also be achieved by following the publication of rule knowledge. The publicizing of rule knowledge would lead authorities to reduce their communication flows, which would be a reduction of the function of the overall system mean state. This Assange: "Leaking is an inherently anti-authoritarian action. It is an anarchistic action. "
The essential idea behind Wikileaks is, therefore, the Spies flip easily between government and citizens. In fact, the Datensammelei of the state in the last two decades has increased concern. Varies by state, is the classic democratic phone and privacy of correspondence, the right to free speech, journalistic rights to report freely and the protection of whistleblowers, the right to personal data, etc. pp. been increasingly undermined. The public databases, especially the U.S. sources, almost across from seemingly harmless or useful information on allegedly dangerous citizens, but also politicians of all nations and their human and technical hazards, such as the recent controversial and Wikileaks made public, diplomat Peschen end.
The recently published diplomatic mails were not only the barrel Wikileaks finally overrun, they also showed the weaknesses of such Datensammelei only too clearly. So had about 2.5 million official persons in the United States free access to the research database. That one little "leak test" is of course difficult to avoid. The already responded is now exactly what was intended Assange: Access to this data was clearly limited. And with each release, the Datensammelei is limited in practice, because the only data available are not really are finally safe from theft. The medium-term consequence is then less data access, but particularly less data collection.
latter in particular is of course a supposedly important instrument of power that now threatens to become shaky. The U.S. Attorney General recently brought it to the point: leaks "U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has said that he has Authorised investigations into the Possibility of prosecuting those responsible for the Wikileaks Cable Gate. Speaking today (6 December), Holder said: "I personally authorized a number of things last week and that's an indication of the seriousness with Which We take this matter and the highest level of involvement at the Department of Justice."
Accordingly harsh (highest level of involvement) are now the response from the U.S., where all the levers be set in motion the Wikileaks spook to end as quickly as possible. Since one is when you look at the publicly available look into it, pronounced by a pitch and sulfur-smelling witch trial rape allegation from Sweden who wanted Flupp only after repeated exchange the competent public prosecutors really. Schaunmermal what it actually comes around. Clearly, however, of course, are the rows of influences on well-known companies like ebay, amazon, paypal, MasterCard, internet provider, avoid URL-address assignment, etc., etc. to Wikileaks financial and technical platform. The other side, meanwhile, is sleeping well, however. On the one hand Wikileaks tried everything possible to its technical and financial to save basis. Thus, the necessary data transferred to other servers, creating new URLs, etc. This will certainly not rich, so now the counter-attack came to the company, giving in to pressure from above: with DoS attacks (denial of service: an Internet overload server with service requests) were already a few websites shut down. In particular, such as credit card companies is a serious danger, because if the server is not running this business quickly, then millions of customers can not use their cards at this time at the supermarket terminal. This is violently into the money and renown.
such Web attacks but only work when you bring together several thousand supporters for putting on a so-called "ion gun" download and operate. As an example of this was now the first gunners arrested in the Netherlands. That this is a minor as the one that is especially enthusiastic about the distribution policy suspended and frustrated young people in such projects, and on the other hand, the judicious choice of the Dutch authorities, with the arrest of only a 16-year-old adolescents maximum uncertainty in the supposed Teenager band "Anonymous" to stir.
The front of the young and educated people is also in the United States long ago put up. For example, the Columbia University ihre Studenten eindrücklich gewarnt : „We received a call today from a SIPA alumnus who is working at the State Department. He asked us to pass along the following information to anyone who will be applying for jobs in the federal government, since all would require a background investigation and in some instances a security clearance. The documents released during the past few months through Wikileaks are still considered classified documents. He recommends that you DO NOT post links to these documents nor make comments on social media sites such as Facebook or through Twitter. Engaging in these activities would call into question your ability to deal with confidential information, which is part of most positions with the federal government.” In plain words: Who is in Wikileaks and their data, the public gets no job. For many law students, of course, an absolute killer argument. Because it can prevent might see the career, if only its own IP address is displayed on the log of the Wikileaks providers and lurks in the future in one of the many databases of American security authorities for inclined use.
So much the current war coverage. The question is, how everything with the heart of the Democrats to assess. And, of course, suffers a corresponding blockage of the coronary vessels. The entire process Wikileaks reveal about Assange and another, more ominous, symptom of the global crisis of the capitalist democratic world. It's the same pattern as we know it from the destruction of so many world and empires. In ancient Rome it was just as well, just for example, in the French Revolution , which marked the beginning of modern modern times a little over 200 years. First you ruined the finances, which is associated in particular with a total displacement of the right to GDP in the hands of the few privateers. It immediately follows the loss of equity and social cohesion, and thus the start of the anomie, the state of missing or weak social norms, rules and order. In particular, the actual looting of the middle class will eventually lead to internal disintegration, no later than the leads, financial need of the state not only to bullying taxes but also to the loss of supply and protection (internal security) of the state towards its citizens. Moreover, the ruined state finances one in every sense of the word, and externally devastating effect: The loss of external security and the enforcement of vital interests, as the financing of the instruments of power, including the military, is being undermined.
This is the situation in which we now find ourselves once again. to a real financial, asset and distribution reform, as it would be essential to the democratic state is obviously not able to. Not even to recognize the need for it at all in the necessary width. The question now is whether and how one can bring the Western democracies to the direction full speed ahead on the Iceberg, modify. What is even more legitimate, relevant and promising, which is however only destructive? The answer from history has been performing regularly, the last one: finanzkapitulierende system finally disintegrated socially and militarily to the final waste and subversion.
In this large context, we must now consider the role of Julian Assange. Is his approach in the broadest sense, nor a legitimate, appropriate and promising? Does it help us at last to save democracy from the feared destruction of the top down? Or it helps involuntarily unknown third parties who lie in wait for the establishment of a fresh dictatorship? Not an easy question with certainly no easy answers.
To come closer to an answer, one must also consider that Assange of his most important, its role as an investigative journalist . Because Wikileaks throws a sharp light on the particular role and the rights and obligations of journalism in a democracy. because a democracy without investigative journalism is as unthinkable as a dictatorship with free journalism. We (still) live in a democratic world, we see now, to put it rather cynical, above all, simple to one fact: Julian Assange still lives.
because that's even in some more or less well-functioning democracies, not far from the borders of the FRG, unfortunately not an absolute matter of course. About the democratic post-czarist Russia Assange would be quite likely to already be a dead journalist. Namely die there in a weekly rhythm journalists the machinations Fine circles get too close to a violent death. The same is true for Italy, where not only journalists but even judges and prosecutors , investigative and really well protected from falling profession because of the machinations of influential circles the victim or at least so pressured that they open their mouth rather not . And by real dictators and crooks States, we do prefer to say nothing diplomatically. Investigative journalism is not for nothing called the "fourth" in the state. And like any violence in a social system it is by competing forces with suspicion and more or less fought. In particular, the now withdraw from Wikileaks exemplary approach to observing, that the financial basis, is considered an effective means of effective regulation. As it got to be quick at Wikileaks, this approach is hardly dressed in silk and velvet, but it is organized very direct and flat.
The democratic journalism on the whole was, is and has in part itself, but also removed. Anyone who browses through the dozens of daily online journals noticed very quickly how the same news everywhere. Even beyond the national borders and continents. It is because that can barely afford another expensive full-Gazette own editors, in the even full-time employees investigative reporter, and therefore expensive, journalism operate. In most cases, often verbatim, the available news from press agencies over using cut and paste, and best, some pimped.
Most journalists are not permanent employees more, but live in a precarious employment relationship as a freelancer. Who is there to places far from the window is replaced, may not result jobs longer, and since we like to remain prudent in the preserves. Especially since the writing so everyone else does, and it just can not be wrong. Add to this the fact that a magazine is typically 50% of advertising pages. For without advertising, with newspaper sales alone, not a leaf is to be funded permanently. The dependence on the good pleasure of the noble donors is so elementary, not less dependent than their respective political parties from lobbyists.
about this issue, quoting the Wikipedia communication and Medienwissenschaftler.Prof. Dr. Siegfried Weischenberg: to perceive "[...] the public function, the [journalism] for the highest law, [is] looking [to] become a magnifying glass. In the entire journalism critics increasingly role in non-activity. The crisis of journalism [...] is to rise above his critics function as a crisis, they is obsolete if the distance is lacking and the relevance anyway. This is traditionally the structurally corrupt motor and travel journalism and part of the business journalism. [...] Had paid journalists to keep their ever-tighter labor, because of the audience and the advertising function, as tends to be more oriented to the PR in the mainstream. Independent experts and citizen journalism is investigative. "
Assange, as an investigative journalist, is now exposed on one side violent criticism that accuses him quasi Fatherland betrayal and endangerment. And boisterous on the other subject hero worship. On the one hand it is clear that some of he published secret papers languished close to the edge of journalistic legality, another was long overdue and a failure or even failure of mainstream journalism. In the last such violent resentment causing diplomat end Peschen one must indeed ask whether it is really interesting whether U.S. diplomats allies like Putin , Berlusconi or Karzai under diplomatic stroke vain, corrupt or criminal Gockel Keep in pinstripes or not. For these "secrets" are all politically interested and informed citizens finally before long, and it just missed the U.S. diplomats should be would now surprise really.
But what was really on the table is actually incredible data collection of U.S. diplomacy, as the de facto In 's state security authorities used. Frightening is that, particularly the global spokesman for democracy, while collecting data about and with its citizens and allies in principle, hardly projecting itself better than we assume, of course dictatorships. The difference is less in quantity and type of data than is in the way they used. But also threatens the difference, see the above quote from the Columbia University, on to cover short or long. traitor or a hero of democracy? The historiography will reserve a place for Assange sometime somewhere between these two extremes, depending on what with him and about him ever so happens otherwise. Certainly it is not relevant to the individual standings, a hero , and like every hero ambivalent and ambiguous. This applies to Assange of Arminius, and how will he have undoubtedly paid a high price for his heroics. People like Assange set but at least the standards for the many unsung heroes, such as in the editorial offices of the free press, or at the front in Afghanistan and Iraq, or dependency, in the back rooms of the established power, the future of their acts of destruction or survival of democracy.
Small heroes such as Horst Seehofer, the language regime in defiance of his own government, a smaller pension publicly called for what it is: A pension reduction. Even if he had to mooch into the back room of the power back, it was only out of his mouth is a very important word mark. Or Lance Corporal Bradley Manning, who copied a video that shows how the crew of a U.S. attack helicopter in Iraq in 2007 massacred eleven civilians. For democracy, I wish I very very much Seehofer or Manning, and, a few Assangisten. For all but the great heroes of the benchmarks set for orientation, but provide only the countless unsung heroes, the requirement for a necessary correction or permanent intolerable conditions.
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