So WikiLeaks are policing black humour now? Do we need to submit all bad taste jokes in advance to see if they are be approved or not?

Strawman argument! WikiLeaks is providing transparency and some insight into the decisions and discussions made by powerful people that affect all of our lives.

They're not powerful people. I've read a few StratFor articles. They don't publish anything much different from what you would read in The Economist.

These people should be hung.

People who say something you don't like should be lynched? Really? How about what you are doing, advocating for someone's murder?

They didn't advocate murder, only a sentence. It's a way of expressing a preference that something be illegal, and have a particular punishment.

There's a difference between someone who says something, and someone who acts out on it - and when they're in the business of selling weapons or profiting from it - and say something like that, which will lead to action or is inherently acted upon because of the nature of what they're doing (the business they are in) - then it's no longer just a "freedom of speech" thing.

You can say you want to kill someone, or even tell them you're going to kill them - but under law, it's only when you act on it OR have a plan to do so that the scenario becomes illegal - and you'll go to jail if you then kill said person (assuming you get caught) or have a plan to do so. Likewise, them just saying wouldn't be illegal, however I feel them acting out and selling actual weapons to both sides (and perhaps somehow inciting war between two parties to then profit) should IMHO be illegal, stating their intent they would and would love to is not only having a plan stated but perhaps one of the most disturbing disconnected inhumane uncaring violent acts a person could partake in.

I don't generally agree that killing of anyone is right - though perhaps with the only exception of those who actively kill others or lead violence - however that's for a society to determine what is acceptable. Unfortunately many things a society deems unacceptable (even existing laws that are enforced) are happening and go unchanged, though we're moving towards a system that is more in line with general views. There are more basic issues that need to be taken care of first to help alleviate people's worries and stresses, removing fear of survival will solve most, if not lead to solving all problems.

War profiteers, the good guys.

Mean, cynical and snarky remarks are a hanging offense, apparently

To note, my comment is under the assumption they are involved in facilitating this process, and not merely just talking about it.

So you said that people should be hung without having the first clue about why? I love hn on the weekends.

You mistakenly are thinking that I literally meant these specific individuals and not in general those who facilitate this kind of thing.

You don't see any problem with this, a conflict of interest, that might lead to incentivizing said weapons company to be more inclined to help incite a war between two parties - which they'll clearly be happy to profit from?

I believe you mean "hanged".

They probably are.

I think you mean hanged.

I'm assuming that there is some sort of Star Trek universe remake of the scene from Spartacus, but I can't seem to find it. If so, does it have the same set-up (slave gladiators battling for the amusement of the elites)? I'm not entirely sure this makes sense...

There is a Star Trek episode where Kirk is forced to watch as Spock and McCoy fight as gladiators against Roman guards. There aren't any Klingons involved, but it does feature Roman clothing. There is another episode where alien brains want Kirk, Ohura and Checkov to fight as gladiators on their planet for the rest of their lives. There is a third episode in which Spock and Kirk are forced to fight in front of Vulcans as part of a Vulcan trial-by-combat marriage ceremony. Their is also a fourth episode in Voyager which features a gladiatorial combat but in a sci-fi arena that looks like the set of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire." Those are the only references I could find, but let's just say that this idea has seen its fair share of screen time on Star Trek.

References: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bread_and_Circuses_%28Star_Tre... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gamesters_of_Triskelion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amok_Time http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Tsunkatse_%28episode%29

Thanks. None of those quite seem to fit the email though. I'm guessing that the allusion in the email must have just been to general Klingon war-like attitudes.

Its actually a reference to the classic gladiator match up with side order of trek in joke's.

I must be one of the few HN commentator apart form Matt Cuts who has ever studied the classics.

I was wondering if the explicit naming of the weapons was supposed to refer to that exact scene in the Kubrick movie. Which, given it was one of the triggers of the slave rebellion make the original email seem possibly quite weird.