Pandora's Box

We live in interesting times as the Chinese curse goes. Orwell was all too prophetic. “We have met the enemy and it is us.” Pogo declared. The newest twister of fate is a slight, white haired, deep voiced Australian. Julian Assange has shown us the emperor has no clothes.

He has -with the assistance of fellow rebels, opened pandora’s box to uncover the world’s love affair with secrecy. He has incurred the wrath of our government by undoing the carefully crafted image of the USA as a champion of free speech and democracy. He has done it without having an affair with a head of state, firing a shot or taking control of a third world country.

There are claims about Wikileaks being dangerous, treasonous, endangering lives and undermining politics. So far they haven’t exposed anything that hasn’t been revealed before but what’s difference this time is that it’s not a respected insider or nervy investigative reporter who has uncovered the misdeeds. No, it’s a self styled whistle blower and eccentric hacker dumping the information in the middle of the street for all to see.

It’s not the information Wikileaks has leaked that’s a danger to the status quo but how the powers that be have reacted to the threat of disclosure that will bring about their downfall. That may have been Assange’s intention all along; to reveal the monster behind the diplomatic facade.

“If their behavior is revealed to the public, [governments] have one of two choices: one is to reform in such a way that they can be proud of their endeavors, and proud to display them to the public. Or the other is to lock down internally and to balkanize, and as a result, of course, cease to be as efficient as they were. To me, that is a very good outcome, because organizations can either be efficient, open and honest, or they can be closed, conspiratorial and inefficient." Julian Assange noted in Time Magazine.

The angry response of government officials crying foul even as they try to dismiss the dirty underwear as nothing note worthy grabs ones attention. As the old cliché goes “Me thinks the lady doth protest too much”.

We are see governments that claim to protect free speech censoring it. We see the US which protested China blocking the internet doing the same thing. We see the Saudis, British, and Israelis- among others, playing both ends of the field in an attempt to sow discord and cover their ass at the same time.

Julian Assange is not a terrorist, he is a holy fool holding up a mirror to our dark side and like the kings of the past it would be wise to listen to his warning of power’s corrupting influence instead of trying to silence him.