I recently read an article (linked to after the break) that states in effect, whether or not wikileaks goes down, whether or not Julian Assange goes free after the Cablegate blows over, he has won this round for showing exactly how corrupt governments, esp. the US government, has become. I disagree.
The martyr doesn't win. The repressed don't get justice. The people do not triumph when their cases are unable to be heard.
They only win when confrontation is forced. When reconciliation is acted upon. When agreements are made and forced to be kept, when those in power are good, just people who understand the reach, and therefore the limits, of their power.
We also need a change in infrastructure. No longer can it be said that the people running the internet will use the internet for everyone's good. Just as the use of power is better given out decentralized, the use of knowledge is better given out decentralized. While everyone should be able to learn, nobody should be able to take control of all of the knowledge in the world and even be tempted to keep it for themselves. Backups should be made of backups, knowledge should always be free, and the freedoms of speech, thought, press, and bearing weapons should always be kept to the highest standard. IT's and those responsible for major sources of computing power need to have checked backgrounds and honest lives.
