[lbo-talk] Wikileaks, again

[Chuck Grimes]

The records cover civilian and military Iraqi deaths, widespread prisoner 
abuse, torture, and systemic use by Iraqi police, along with reprisals for 
anybody who talks about what they know.

This morning I found a link to the Wikileaks News Conference in London held 
on Saturday:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJagiesGTes

To see the full conference, click on 1,239 videos. A menu selection will 
appear with each of the twelve minute parts. Parts 3,4,5,6 are the Q and A, 
from UK press, with some from French, Italian, and German press.

The best question was why is the press willing to document atrocities in say 
Africa, but not Iraq. Phil Shiner, head of the legal team in the UK, 
answered the question, in a word, colonialism, i.e. the culture of 
colonialism where the people under this system are completely de-humanized. 
This de-humanization system works on both sides in the relationship and 
leaves its psychological marks. I got to see a little of this by working 
with a former ARVIN soldier, turned mechanic.

The conference makes somewhat clear another dimension to posting this 
material, which is to present a research tool to document the basis for law 
suits.

CG