I apologise if I was reading you in an overly literal way. I can be dense like that.

Right. Because Mohammed Akbar* in Pakistan is going to be covered by CNN when the Taliban guns him down. Are you serious?

* Fictitious, obviously.

If the documents only harmed the $evil_guys_in_power, that would be one thing. But a mass release of diplomatic cables damages far more than just those at the top. It risks exposing confidential sources to those who would kill them. Ironic, considering Wikileaks' own reliance on confidential sources, and the need to protect sources from harm, don't you think?

In the case of China, the US, and North Korea, it could further destabilize a situation that is tenuous at best. North Korea has something like 10,000 mortars (which it apparently has no qualms about using) aimed at the heart of Seoul and its 12 million people. Can you imagine the carnage and suffering on both sides if things go from bad to worse? Assange and his supporters can say whatever they want, but the fact is that they have no way of knowing how much bad shit could happen because of the release. They are fucking with things beyond their knowledge and control, and are in over their heads.

You know what? If Assange had a cable that said "Hey, I just personally blew the head off a civilian I suspected of terrorism, signed, GW Bush" and published it, I'd be okay with that. Find some true evil and expose it. That's what Wikileaks is all about, right? Instead, he released information that isn't a big pile of $evidence_of_evil, it's just a collection of stuff that some other guy (with an anti-US-govt bias) stole. If what I read in the news is correct, it doesn't even have a big "US is teh evil" smoking gun. Of course, it does make it harder for our diplomats to do their jobs, because now the guys who talk to China, the Saudis, and others around the world have to convince them that their private chat won't end up on the front page.

Ironically, the lack of transparency in Wikileaks' own internal dealings that make it near impossible to tell whether or not they have (but are withholding) non-US dirt. It would be funny if someone within the WIkileaks organization leaked that info though ... but who would they leak it to?

As Sunni Arabs, they have a long history of trouble with their Shi'ite Persian neighbors, and as a large, rich, vulnerable nation with no nuclear weapons, they have a huge interest in making sure that Iran doesn't get nukes. Naturally, however, they would prefer to have the blood be on our hands or on Israel's.

Regardless of which way the press slants, the fact is that provocative headlines draw in readers. I'd sooner believe that was the reason for the chosen wording than any anti-Assange bias in the press. Heck, the press must love the guy, after what he's done for them.

Actually, yes. I expect that they (and every non-US government in the world) are combing through the documents to find a) embarrassing information about the US, and b) to discover if anyone they know passed along any sensitive information about them. Despite what you may think about Afghanis, they are more than capable of using the same technology you and I do.

You've never visited Nannychusetts, have you? State motto: "We're not happy until you're not happy."

Anthropomorphising the situation is part of the problem. The dog chases and retrieves the stick not because it has a stick fetish, or because I told it to, but because there is some element of play involved. If you ask an intelligent person "Hey, do you wanna play a game," and then throw them a frisbee, you will probably get a positive response from virtually the identical situation.

Also, for what it's worth, I'd consider play itself to be an indication of intelligence. So, if you're saying that a cat is smarter because it won't play, I'd say you're way wrong.

That being said, a cat will play stupid games with you - just not dog games. If I drag a cat toy across the floor on a string, the average cat will chase it.

Flying at altitude with a gut full of gas sucks. With less air pressure outside your skin, it feels like there is that much more pressure inside your intestines.

Did you ever see that Southwest Air reality show where they asked a guy to go wash in the airport bathroom before getting on the plane? I think they found a new shirt for him, too. The guy smelled so bad waiting by the gate that people complained before they got on the plane.

Everyone's doing this wrong. the TSA will never stop their pat-downs while the public is afraid of being groped, and this anti-screening day supposedly set for tomorrow (sort of a carbon-based DDOS) isn't the solution either. You want to stop the intrusive behavior? Simple.

Grind on the screener's hands while moaning loudly and gyrating your hips. It may not change the official policy, but it will eventually make all the screeners quit.

Well, except maybe the pervy ones.

Its existence is not secret. Its function, and how it accomplishes that, are.

First, 2.2lbs = 1 kg. Second, don't confuse weight with mass.

Um, in Soviet Russia, satellite launches you?

Imagine the new screening process if the next failed airline bomb attempt comes in the form of a rectally carried device.