Muzzle the Leakers, Not the Press.

Whether you consider Julian Assange a liberal revolutionary, neoconservative hero or menace to society, detaining and extraditing Assange is an assault on what all free people must be entitled to: transparent government. The accusations Assange: the sexual assault of two Swedish women are an obviously contrived fabrication. After turning himself in when a warrant was issued for his arrest in Britain, governments seem to be having silent auctions to get them in their hands and punish him for what he's done. The secret hearings in Virginia signify this absurdity of holding Assange against makeshift treason charges, and I highly doubt the American people will stand for it. Though the issue is conflicting: revealed intel may compromise our forces and foreign relationships. However, people are already savvy to most of these leaks if they have common sense. For once, I agree with Ron Paul, "In a free society we're supposed to know the truth". Richard Cohen's wise words summarize this up quite nicely: "Punish the Leakers, Spare the Press."

Update: Ryan Christopher just linked me to this gem: a 1971 court case against the New York Times and the Washington Post under the same circumstances; endangering American soldiers and the government's ability to protect itself. Regardless of this valid truism the press serves as a watchdog to help us check overreaches from the government. Though there are dangers involved with the truth, it is a standard we must begin to live by if we would like to hold moral ground as Americans. As it should be, the Washington Post and New York times were the victors in this case, showing the power of the first Amendment. Assange should be vindicated in the same fashion, that is, if he isn't extradited to Russia first.