ASSANGE: HERO OR VILLAIN??

 I was reading David Brooks' op-ed on Julian Assange today Here and while reading his article, I thought about Sue Myrick.  That's odd, you might be thinking.  But it isn't odd.  Why Sue Myrick?  There is a correlation.

Way back when, as George Bush was rolling out the Patriot Act, people were up in arms about the insulting idea that wire tapping of U.S. citizens would take place by the U.S. Government.  "UNCONSTITUTIONAL" was the outcry!  How dare he?  Well, he dared.  And Sue Myrick, our Republican House Representative, came out with this apologetic for the wire-tapping, "If you're not doing anything wrong, what's your problem?"  Yes, indeedy.  That is exactly what she said.

How does that relate to Julian Assange?  The tables are turned.  It is the government(s) being exposed now.   Soon, possibly, banks.  Michele Malkin often states that "Sunlight is the best disinfectant." I would like to say back to Sue Myrick and Hillary Clinton and others who are exposed in the Wikileaks flood of documents, "If you're not doing anything wrong, what's your problem?"

Brooks seems to think that Assange is a wannabe journalist.  I don't see him that way exactly.  I do see him as an anarchist probably, with no allegiance to nation or belief in systems.  And Brooks points that out, too.  I think I see him as a muckraker.  And muckrakers have a place in this world.  Does he have his fingers on the pulse of our current unrest and disbelief as we watch corrupt government leaders who are manipulating our lives?  If he lives, will he turn his leaks toward China or Russia, or maybe their information security is more leak-proof than ours?

I am not a fan of Assange's release on our military.  I draw the line at defense of our nation.  That being said, over the last few years I am seeing our military being used for all kinds of missions that I question as necessary or helpful to our security.  In spite of that, I don't think our soldiers are to be used as fodder for Assange's mission...if we can guess what that is.  And we can only guess.

But when it comes to the executive powers, the State Department, and even the banks, I agree with Michele Malkin.  Sunlight is the best disinfectant and Assange is throwing light in dark rooms of secrecy.  The world powers go on and on about the glowing attributes of democracy, yet at the same time, keep the people ignorant of what they are actually doing.  Democracy to them is only as good as the spin, not truth and reality.  Then comedians on TV do 'man on the street' interviews and everyone guffaws and laments at how stupid the people are.  The underlying sad premise of that is this: it bolsters the power brokers confidence to believe they can do anything they want while people are just flabbergasted and stupid.  Well, if you keep people stupid, then you can do whatever you want with them and to them.  Right?

So is Assange providing sunlight?  Is he a hero or a villain?  Interpol is after him.  His life won't end well, I suspect.  He messed with some really dangerous, powerful, global power brokers. By design, I might add.  If you try to go to Wikileaks.org it is blocked.  No access.

Twitter has the following this morning: Canadian Harper advisor calls for the assassination of Julian Assange http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqtIafdoH_g

And this: Chinese government issues censorship order for WikiLeaks http://is.gd/hZlNO help us fight: http://is.gd/hZlW4

For every action there is a reaction, so people who use the internet will pay a heavy price for Assange's revelations.  Likely the FCC will move forward with control of the internet.  I believe they will use Assange / Wikileaks as an excuse for more control.  Our government will monitor every word and every discussion and every post.  (not at all sure that isn't already the case)  Obama and his Czars don't believe in freedom of speech except their own. 

Cyber-security is the next thing on the agenda....so we'll all be safe, you know.  

Meanwhile, Julian Assange has added a gift to our discussions.  I suggest he is a hero of sorts, at least to those who want sunlight on the dark crevices in secret rooms where there are powerful people manipulating our world.  He certainly does not deserve assassination.  But you don't go up against Hillary Clinton without that possibility arising.  

What do you think?

 

Another take below:

"Given the animosity from all areas of the United States government, the global community, Interpol, and commentators and politicians on both political aisles, the central Wikileaks question– whose side is Julian Assange on?– remains unsolved. His work has amounted to the most concrete evidence of WMDs in Iraq during the Saddam Hussein era than anyone else has mustered up, and reinforced the belief on the right that global warming is a farce. The latest leak is particularly damning to Iran, showing international support for American intervention there and ties to the increasingly belligerent North Korean regime. Yet many right-wing American pundits– though not all– are calling for everything from his arrest to his execution. Sarah Palin even wrote a tweet against Wikileaks, taking the gloves off and ruthlessly comparing the website to, uh, Gawker. His only unambiguous ally seems to be the nation of Ecuador, which has offered him citizenship “no questions asked,” and even that may be compromised if the nation’s arm is sufficiently twisted by the international community."

(On that one, I completely disagree with Sarah Palin)

Another thoughtful article on Assange Here