Hold on, fellow Americans, we are now out of the hands of responsible leadership and in the hands one that creates heroes out of computer hackers. In the news in the last few days is Wikileaks that appears in the headline from FoxNews.com August 1, 2010: “Gates: WikiLeaks Morally ‘Guilty’ Over Release of Afghan War Documents.”  From the article: “WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has vigorously defended his decision to release the documents and provide information about them ahead of time to three major publications. He said last week that the documents’ contents appear to show evidence of war crimes.”  For starters, this guy commits and gets convicted of crimes but has little to show that he would know what is or what is not a war crime juxtaposed to defense of freedom.  He would put those defending freedom in harm’s way.  Now, that, to me is a war crime.

Who is this guy?   According to Wikipedia In the Bio section I find an interesting statement: “In the past, Assange did not publish his exact age only stating that he was born in the 1970s.”  Yet, he has no problem leaking what may or may not be highly sensitive information?

The issue here is more than putting young men in uniform at risk or a misguided person but about leadership by the media.  The media, it seems, has become a willing accomplice to our enemies, to showcasing such leaks as here present as if it was somehow rightfully communicated en masse and “effective communication from the ‘top’.”  Please note that the “top” that divulges this kind of information is not active military leadership or honorable retired military.  It is from the bottom feeders at best, temporarily led by Assange.

This story made the headlines under whose leadership?

A few starter questions to answer:
•    Where do a citizen’s right to know end for the sake of the greater good?
•    Where was the leadership that could have stopped this?
•    In this virtual world, should we not be a bit hesitant to call a “I-don’t-have-a-life-but-I-know-how-to-get-the world’s-attention-and-fast-regardless-of-who-it-hurts-sub-human a “whistleblower”?
•    Where is self-control to validate before being seduced by a “scoop.”?
•    How do you check facts when everyone presents the same “authority” online – no more crudely made missives even from the crudely motivated.
•    A picture may or may not be authentic if you know how to use Photoshop.
•    Why is there a willing media to promote leaking from “Mr Assange, 39, [who]relies on donations and the hospitality of wellwishers as he travels the globe avoiding the attentions of the intelligence organisations he believes are out to get him.”~Telegraph.co.uk  A leaker who is paranoid but now a media darling?