Julian Assange, Hero or Criminal: My Reasons for Supporting Him

n the past weeks Julian Assange has been seen as everything from a folk hero to a traitor who according to one local anonymous resident “deserves to be hanged.” Sadly, with very few exceptions people are misunderstanding the idea behind what he has done and the backlash it has created.
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First and foremost nothing he disclosed has threatened a single American soldier’s life or given radical terrorists any more of a target than we as the aggressor (nation) have not already done for ourselves. Secondly, for those of you who are bent on assigning him traitor status you should remember your oaths as military men, and if you are not or have never been military you really need a refresher on the Constitution.

The military man has an oath that starts with this line, “I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic…” I will give you the definition of enemy, “One that is antagonistic to another; especially: one seeking to injure, overthrow, or confound an opponent…” The question must now be asked, if by initiating force against a sovereign nation our government creates peril for the people of this nation are they not by default a "domestic" enemy?

Now let’s quickly look at the Constitution again, the First Amendment says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Now it has been argued for over 200 years that the first amendment should not protect people who speak against the Government of the United States, and yet, that was the VERY intent of the founders in forging this PRIMARY Amendment, to assure the people have a VOICE when their government goes too far! If we the people actually looked at what our founders thought we would soon see that our current system of government is neither Constitutional, nor is it beneficial to any liberty other than state granted.

Both Jefferson and Paine knew and understood the dangers of a government that held secrets and disallowed its citizens verbal or printed input. All of the founders understood the need for a FREE press and FREE speech, and even though Assange is not a US citizen what he has printed SHOULD not be made illegal or banned in the United States.

"There are rights which it is useless to surrender to the government and which governments have yet always been found to invade. These are the rights of thinking and publishing our thoughts by speaking or writing; the right of free commerce; the right of personal freedom. There are instruments for administering the government so peculiarly trustworthy that we should never leave the legislature at liberty to change them. The new Constitution has secured these in the executive and legislative department, but not in the judiciary. It should have established trials by the people themselves, that is to say, by jury. There are instruments so dangerous to the rights of the nation and which place them so totally at the mercy of their governors that those governors, whether legislative or executive, should be restrained from keeping such instruments on foot but in well-defined cases. Such an instrument is a standing army." --Thomas Jefferson to David Humphreys, 1789. ME 7:323

"An avidity to punish is always dangerous to liberty. It leads men to stretch, to misinterpret, and to misapply even the best of laws. He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself." --Thomas Paine, First Principles of Government, 1795

The pursuit of liberty and freedom requires at times actions that are seen by those who worship at the alter of big government as wrong, this pursuit requires that people be slapped in the face and forced to view their own sins, it requires that our governments illegal actions be laid bare so that all may see. In this case, these documents show the evil wrought upon the innocents of Iraq and Afghanistan for the purpose of securing financial gains by both Bush and Obama. So hate Assange for what he has done, but don’t tell me about this unless you enjoy washing your hands in the innocent blood of 200,000+ thousand civilians…

I for one will continue to support true liberty at the whatever cost, for my pursuit of liberty, regardless of my "enemies" view of that is a good one, the true evil here being the support of a government or organization whose sole goal is the oppression of thought and speech.

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