Wikileaks: What To Do; What Not To Do

Dos

#1. Investigate and Prosecute. We have no way of knowing if the leaks began and end with PFC Manning. Hopefully, the U.S. government knows more. Job #1 is to put the investigation into overdrive, identify any and all parties subject to U.S. law who are responsible for these leaks, and prosecute them to the max. Where warranted, the culprits should be charged with treason, with prosecutors seeking the death penalty. Set the example to warn others.

#2. Be a Band of Brothers. The United States should press friends and allies to prosecute, to the maximum extent allowed under their laws, any of their citizens associated with WikiLeaks. We are all in this together.

#3 Shame WikiLeaks. The WikiLeaks homepage cites the story of George Washington proclaiming that he could not tell a lie as authority to justify its revelation of state secrets. This demonstrates how detached from reality the outfit is. WikiLeaks extrapolates the principle of freedom of expression to a chaotic extreme–one that shows complete disregard for putting well-meaning individuals at risk of death. It is a direct challenge to ordered liberty, and the free peoples of this world should turn their backs to WikiLeaks. The administration should miss no opportunity to shame a sanctimonious organization that truly serves an enemy of freedom.

#4. Act Responsibly. A theft of data this massive demonstrates once again that the American government is “cyber-screwed.” Washington needs to get its act together.

Don’ts

#1. No Cyber War. Once the material is out there, it’s out there. Attacking WikiLeaks makes little sense.

#2. No Label as a Terrorist group. Clearly Assange is an enemy of America. He hates us. He is more interested in hurting America than seeking truth and promoting freedom. On the other hand, to label Assange as a terrorist is to cheapen the word. Let’s find other ways to bring him down.

#3. Never Stop Sharing Information. The value of sharing information with friends and allies (and among internal security organizations) is far more important than the vulnerabilities of sharing. It would be stupid to hamstring ourselves because of WikiLeaks.

#4. Never Lose Your Focus. There is a war to be won. WikiLeaks could become a powerful distraction, but only if we let it. It would be a huge mistake to play a “whack-a-mole,” responding to news about the leaks, when the U.S. needs to show real leadership in the world. The president needs to stop apologizing for America and negotiating from a penitent’s position, and start standing up for America.