Wikileaks, Manning and the #WLVoteYes vote

Sgt. Bradley Manning committed treason, that is assuming he is the person responsible as currently charged. Bradley Manning violated the oaths he took in his office as a soldier to this country and will pay the legal consequences of that. I believe that our government has a responsibility to execute criminal prosecution against Sgt. Manning, those involved with him in this theft, and those participating in similar acts of sedition and treason against the intelligence of this country. So it may surprise you, being that I support the governments prosecution against Sgt Manning that when I think about Wikileaks and their journalistic work, I believe it exists as a great testament to the US Constitution. Having journalist that are using their freedom to challenge the actions of government are as important to the governance of this nation as the prosecutors compiling their case against Sgt. Manning.

So you may be thinking that perhaps I should have written this blog a few months when the story broke, rather than now months later. I admit that you are perhaps right. I have actually sat down to write a blog like this several times, but knowing that my opinion will alienate people on every side of the discussion, I have deleted these drafts and left my blog unpublished. Discussion about this is so charged with passionate energy. This means for me that my support of the US Government's case against Sgt. Manning and my support of Wikileaks opens me up to being a target by both sides of that passionate energy.

However tonight as of one hour ago Wikileaks asked the world a question.

Global vote: should WikiLeaks release all US cables in searchable form? tweet #WLVoteYes or #WLVoteNo Why:

This got me to thinking that I wanted to answer that question. It can not for me be answered in 255 characters.

My tweet response to this question is #WLVoteYes. I do believe that Wikileaks should publicly release the full unredacted text of the entire database in a publicly searchable format. There is no longer anything to protect. Those parties with a malicious intent already have the full database at this point, and so all that remains is for this information to be used by the people of United States to hold their government and it's agents accountable for actions that do not promote the amazing ideals of the American experiment.

I do understand that Sgt. Manning's actions will put U.S. interests and personnel in danger, however that damage is done no matter the outcome of such a vote. This is a question of availability for those who wish to protect the actual ideas of the Declaration of Independence. This is no longer about the overt sedition and treason of Mr. Manning. This is about the back room manipulation and abuse of power by those charged with protecting the American ideal. This is about the sedition against the American people by the government officials and corporate power brokers who stand at interest of their own profiteering over the interests of "We the People." This is about a form of treason that can not be prosecuted, but can still be exposed and stripped of it's influence.

Wikileaks should make this information public, as an act of patriotism, and protectors of liberty, as those who believe this is America; land of the free with justice for all.