I Spy ... Mendacity And Hypocrisy All Around

So. The US has been spying heavily on its allies and friends - including us.

No surprise there, eh?

In fact, it's nothing new - everybody spies (at least to some extent) on their friends and allies.

This is as old as the very first meetings between ancient civilizations/nations/empires.

Hence why the US won't apologize for this, all the while regretting nothing - except of course for the fact that their acts of espionage were leaked for all the world to see.

Then again, I remember the indignation and outrage regarding some suburban Russian spies in the US, not so long ago. And what happened consequently.

But no worries - the prosecution and/or deportation of US spies diplomats certainly won't happen here in Canada. Indeed, our own Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon has already reassured us and the Americans that such spying activities won't "change the strong relationship that we have with the United States".

And never mind the previous indignation and outrage at finding out that China has been spying on us ... for quite some time at that. Or that "foreigners" have been influencing Canadian politics, for that matter (and never mind that we do the same elsewhere, even in the US - as this recent instance well illustrates).

In this respect, I also remember the utterly bogus "Canadian spy-loonie affair" - and how it was essentially received with a shrug of "who knows?" on the part of the US.

However, what actually increases the unease in me is the following (emphasis added):

The July 2009 directive to embassies around the world, including the one in Ottawa, asked diplomats to go beyond collecting the usual information of name, title and phone number. Diplomats were also asked to pass along “Internet and intranet ‘handles,’ Internet e-mail addresses, web site identification-URLs, credit card account numbers, frequent flyer account numbers, work schedules and other relevant biographical information.”

Now, what would such information be of use to the US, except as to provide the means for any eventual operation targeting specific ministers (Prime or otherwise, federal or provincial), high officials (civil or military), business leaders, scientific leaders, etc., for "pressuring" (e.g. voting for, or against, something in order to favor US interests) or "removal" (e.g. muckraking in order to leak terribly embarrassing or even criminal information, or performing actual identity theft to socially, politically or even criminally compromise the target)?

Aside from the fact that this the kind of private information that identity thieves actually crave, is there anybody out there that still believe that the US would never-ever-ever do anything like this?

Aside from war crimes, torture, assassinations, renditions, indefinite detentions and indiscriminate drone bombings anywhere they please, that is?

Well as a matter of fact, our fine-fine-fine Minister of Foreign Affairs is not even appalled or troubled by such elevated spying activities on the part of the US. No, he instead finds deplorable that "documents like this are leaked in this fashion (by WikiLeaks)".

So, there.

Because, you know, this is not about what WikiLeaks, well, keeps on leaking, but instead this is all about WikiLeaks itself and the terrible, horrible danger it represents.

Case in point: its past leaks on the Iraq war? Countless - I repeat: countless - lives were put at risk consequently! (except that, no ... not a single life was endangered despite the propaganda run by the US government and a compliant mainstream media to the contrary).

Another case in point: its past leaks on the Afghan war? Again countless - I repeat again: countless - lives were put at risk consequently! (except that, no ... again, not a single life was endangered despite the propaganda run by the US government and a compliant mainstream media to the contrary).

In fact, the only casualties that have resulted in the activities of WikiLeaks are the image of the US as a law-abiding, Geneva convention-following, human rights-protecting, honest and gosh-darn-it-all-around Good Guy, and the misplaced pride of a government-subservient mainstream media.

Hence, why WikiLeaks must not only be stopped, but it must furthermore be deemed as a foreign terrorist organization! They are criminals constituting a criminal syndicate! We have to classify them as enemy combatants!!! How dare they leak Teh Truth of things (such as this, or this disgusting autoritarian crap)?!? This is a veritable attack on the International Community!!! We must hunt them down like the terrorists they are!!! And ... and ... and ...

Ahh, the nauseating, blatant, mendacious, all around hypocrisy of it all.

Again, nothing new here.

At all.

It's all par for the course - take this yet other example to this effect.

Nevertheless, I dare say this: Canadians and Americans - Hypocrisy is thy name.

Rather, Cowardice is.

Or perhaps both.

Yet, I know your complacent, automated, numb retort all too well: "what - me worry?"

Quite right.

Quite right, indeed.

(sigh)