Mike’s Musings: Assange finally freed, but more accountability needed

One could not escape all the clutter on the airwaves and internet concerning the debate between Biden and Trump this past week. The subject was pontificated on at length, everywhere. How badly did Biden, lose, everyone asked. Will he pull out of the race, many questioned.
That was the week that was, but unfortunately another important news story, got nary a mention. Julian Assange, the man who through his Wikileaks platform, leaked thousands of government documents, and has been sitting in solitary confinement for doing so for five years, was released.
The U.S. and British government consider Assange a traitor. He leaked documents that they felt ordinary citizens had no right to know about. He has an insider, Chelsea Manning, who sent the documents to him, and then he posted them on his platform. By the way Manning walked away without any consequence, but the journalist, Assange was hounded by authorities for nearly 10 years.
This is apparently what happens when you are a whistleblower on the wrong side of the government. Just ask Ed Snowden? He leaked information as to how the government was spying on individuals and was chased all over the globe. He has ended up living in Russia where he is protected from the long arms of the U.S. However, he will never be able to return home.
Assange ended up pleading guilty so he could be freed. He must pass along any government or Democratic National Committee documents he has to the authorities. He must also remain in his native Australia and not return to the United States.
If you read me often you know I have been a strong proponent of releasing Assange. I believe our government keeps damaging information from its citizens that should be released. Assange only did what most reputable journalists would have done. He had a source that offered damaging information about the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars as well as Hillary Clinton’s campaign for president. He provided us with those documents. God Bless him for doing so.
Taxpayers have a right to know where and how their dollars are being spent. Our government, the people we put in charge, have a duty to let us know about their successes and failures. And whistleblowers/journalists like Assange and Snowden ought to be heralded for bringing to light some of the untoward acts of our government.
Instead both have paid dearly for their posts. I fear the government through their heavy hand has stopped any other whistleblowers from coming forward. In a previous column I reported there are millions of classified documents, hundreds of thousands classified each year. Most of them are ridiculously miniscule in nature and shouldn’t be considered classified. Our government needs to stop the practice of stamping most everything classified, and for certain eyes only. The public has a right to know.
Freeing Assange is a step forward, but it isn’t the end all. We desperately need more government accountability. We as citizens need to know what our bureaucrats are up to, and we need to quit classifying every document that is written. The only way more accountability will be reached is if more whistleblowers come forward. Lets hope they do.