HEROES-Julian Assange

Julian Assange is the founder and chief editor of WikiLeaks, a website that angers governments and corporations by publishing leaked documents, videos, and other info from whistleblowers and insiders. Assange does this at great personal cost since many governments would like to "talk" to Mr. Assange about his activities. Needless to say, Julian keeps a low profile and no fixed address. He is almost certainly on someone's hit list.

Assange is a rare individual. He has courage. He believes in what he calls "scientific journalism." He puts the documents out there and lets you make up your own mind. But he is also an activist. People criticize him for this because they expect him to take a neutral stance on all things journalistic. I think this is impossible. But unlike other journalistic outfits, Assange does publish his source material.

Julian has a unique background. According to Wikipedia, he is Australian, has been in various schools in his youth, is an autodidact, and got into trouble in his younger days for hacking. Assange is an ethical hacker, and those skills are what enable him to run WikiLeaks.

I admire Assange for being antiwar and having the courage to expose to the world what governments do. This makes him a hero in my book, and you get the feeling that he will inevitably be a martyr for his cause. I can only hope that he can find some refuge in Iceland and keep doing what he is doing. The world needs more people like Julian Assange.

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