Editor,
Our beautiful, resourced-blessed country has proved itself capable of many things. Unfortunately, among our activities is the constant, worldwide application of violence. Those who are forced to project this violence – our servicemen and women – are declared to be heroes.
But there are other heroes among us. These are the whistle-blowers – those who are literally willing to sacrifice their lives to show us how our corporate, political system really works – the Journalists/Publishers. Julian Assange is one prominent example of these heroes. He hacked nothing. He stole nothing. He only published information sent to him, showing how our wealthy ruling elite actually operate.
To destroy his life does not help us (the working people) in any way. It only serves to frighten and suppress the transparency we so desperately need to recapture our democracy. The ruling class elite of the American Empire are never imprisoned for their torture and killing of innocents. Never for the intervention and destruction of country after country. Never for the creation of an immense number of desperate refugees, through coups, sanctions and CIA intervention.
Yet Julian Assange is imprisoned and tortured for telling us the truth about this horrendous situation. WikiLeaks is the only publisher who has never had to retract any information because it was untrue. Even George Orwell could not make up the situation that we find ourselves in today. Free Assange. Cut our war budget by 50% and begin to “hammer our guns into plowshares.”
Then immediately get on with confronting our “Sixth Great Extinction” the devastating onslaught of Global Warming and environmental destruction. Some names to assist you on your search for understanding: Noam Chomsky, William Binney and David Harvey.
Rand Cullen, Viet Nam vet