Airplane For Assange?

There is talk that the U.S. is putting together actions to have Mr. Assange, Wikileaks founder, extradited Stateside to be charged with espionage. But could this have a much bigger recoil than anything Mr. Assange is planning to do? Mr. Assange does not operate alone and actually may even be the very first "Internet Mob Boss." He didn't steal the document, he only facilitates their release. Also, he has openly stated that if he faces jail time or is forced to appear in court where he does believe he should, he will release the entire collection of cables to the public sans censorship.

It seems there is no stopping his initial attempt to educate anyone who is willing to learn. While it is the sensitivity of the material being released that is causing an uproar, it is that same sensitivity that drives Assange to meet his goal.

What he is doing may be informational terrorism, but there is a major difference that sets him apart from other "terrorists" - he might have the majority of the population backing him.

Matt Frei - BBC News

If the US starts extradition proceedings against Julian Assange on charges of espionage or the like you will see that yearning inflamed. Mr Assange is already the hero of a student movement that has lost faith in the current government. He embodies anti-establishment defiance. He is Marc Zuckerberg with an insurrectionist edge, made for and by the empowerment of the internet.

And don't think this will be confined to students who have discovered the joys of mounting barricades. The readers of Time Magazine, hardly a bunch of revolutionary "sans-culottes", wanted Assange as Person of the Year. The editor opted for Zuckerberg, arguably a safer choice.

We live in an age of popular insurrection, fuelled by a collapse of trust in the institutions, empowered by the web and social media. It is a rollicking tale with an uncertain outcome, but the latest chapter is about to be opened.

Read the full story at BBC News