Post the Wikileak reactions of your friends and relatives here:

[The Backlash Cometh]

Here's my anecdote:

My friend repeated the talking points, calling Assange a terrorist because he was trying to embarrass America.

He said, "I mean, we already knew (in our guts) that this stuff goes on, so what's the point of posting it, if not to embarrass the USA?"

I said, "You knew that Pakistan was stoking the Taliban?"

He said, "Well, they embarrassed Hillary Clinton because she told the Diplomats to spy. I mean, we probably already knew it was happening, but now it's out there."

I said, "So they outed Hillary Clinton. I think in the long run, we'll be better off because we'll use more effective measures to gather information.

He said, "Can't they just shut the guy down?"

I said, "I think they're trying to, but it's not working." And then I say, frustrated, "Look, you went into Iraq when everybody told you not to because you didn't have enough information. And now the people who made those mistakes are trying to rewrite history. Did you not see it coming that someone would get pissed off enough to retaliate with the truth?"

He said, "Well, Saddaam lied about the WMD."

I said, "He was bluffing and we were suppose to have experts that should have understood the customs enough to understand that. I mean, we took down the one guy that was acting as a stopper against Iran, because Saddam was not exactly a cleric leader."

He said, "Our intelligence wasn't good."

I said, "We didn't trust our experts. Hans Blix kept telling Bush that there were none there. He should have listened to Hans."

He said, "Well, there are photos where they bombed the Kurds."

I said, "We knew about those WMD, because we had the sales receipt for the weapons, since we gave it to them."

He said, "I guess, that was back when they were more of an allie."

Then he goes on a tangent

He said, "What do you think about Barbara Walters?"

I said, "In what context?"

He said, "Well, she's a Liberal."

I said, "So...?"

He said, "Well, she asked Obama what he thought about being a one term president?"

I said, "So...,?"

He said, "Well, don't you think that was kind of nasty and disrespectful?"

I said, "Well, we gave Bush a hard time, why would we do any different to Obama if we see him making the same mistakes?"

And then I go into a diatribe about how it's not enough to vote someone in and walk away, leaving it to faith that the guy in power will do the right thing because absolute power corrupts absolutely, and eventually, we all pay for their mistakes, one way, or another.

[zigzagzed]

1. The Coworker and the Talking Points

A coworker of mine had obviously been listening to the talking points of the “legal experts” on FOX News. She decried what WikiLeaks did as treason.

I went to my computer, pulled up the United States Code, and went to the statute on treason (18 USC 2381). I showed her it clearly doesn’t meet the elements of treason.

Then she called it espionage.

I went to the statute on espionage (18 USC 793, 794). I showed her it clearly doesn’t meet the elements of espionage.

Then she called it terrorism.

I went to the statute on terrorism (18 USC 2331). I showed her it clearly doesn’t meet the elements of terrorism.

Then she said “it’s un-American and immoral.”

I pointed out the Mr. Assange is not a US citizen and doesn’t reside in an area under the jurisdiction of US law.

She got flustered and left.

[The Backlash Cometh]

8. Slam dunk!

[NightWatcher]

2. I saw my relatives before they went to church last weekend, so I didnt hear the talking points

as disseminated from the pulpit.

[NRaleighLiberal]

3. Quick reactions from my two closest friends -

One is a southern Dem (native), but compared to me, more of a centrist (social liberal, fiscal conservative) - he and his family used to work in the newspaper business. He doesn't like 60 minutes, doesn't like gotcha journalism, and couldn't fathom any riff raff with the 2000 or 2004 elections (can't fathom any sort of conspiracy or fraud - his tendency to trust authorities). He is very negative on Wikileaks - sees it as potentially very harmful.

Other friend - midwest Dem, more of a centrist - fiscal and social liberal leaning to Libertarian. He was in the service during Viet Nam, essentially in an NSA type of role. Oddly, he is another that can't fathom anything like voter fraud, tampering with elections (his view - he doesn't believe people are smart or secretive enough to pull off any sort of fraud or conspiracy) - and, though not as negative as my first friend above, is not favorable to the Wikileaks work.

The two friends actually think that I am quite the fringe left-winger (I think I amuse them more than anything else)

[The Backlash Cometh]

9. Being informed is used as a benchmark for left-wing thinking.

That says a lot.

I'm hearing from the other side, how they don't like nastiness or questions that make the interviewee uncomfortable. We have to find our way around this, somehow, because it's part of the their mental block in processing information.

[AndrewP]

4. Most of my co-workers....

Co-Workers: "What is that? I don't like to read. Anyway, did you watch the Vikings game this weekend?"

[KharmaTrain]

10. WikiLeaks?

Is that a site for people with bad plumbing? :sarcasm:

In the real world I live in not a person I spoke with mentioned this "bombshell". If its not part of their immediate world, it doesn't exist. On DU, it was Fitzmas all over again.

[The Backlash Cometh]

11. You've got it worse than most.

[Brickbat]

5. My bizarre libertarian anarchist friend is thrilled. My Canadian journalist friend is appalled.

[Ghost in the Machine]

6. It's been unanimous with my friends and family....

:shrug:

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

7. My wife has a crush on Julian Assange.