WikiLeaks threw US diplomacy into chaos when it released more than 250,000 classified State Department cables on November 28, 2010.  An international firestorm was created as American diplomats’ private assessments of foreign leaders and politics were publicly aired.

According to WikiLeaks’ website:

“Our goal is to bring important news and information to the public. One of our most important activities is to publish original source material alongside our news stories so readers and historians alike can see evidence of the truth.”

The controversy not only surrounds the information that has been leaked, but also the moral dilemma of whether or not this type of information should be available for mass consumption. It is believed that some of the leaked documents pertains to sensitive information about operatives abroad, which could put them at risk.

According to Julian Assange, “WikiLeaks has a four-year publishing history. During that time there has been no credible allegation, even by organizations like the Pentagon that even a single person has come to harm as a result of our activities. This is despite much-attempted manipulation and spin trying to lead people to a counter-factual conclusion. We do not expect any change in this regard.”

According to Social Media giant, Mashable, “Various governments and corporations have been putting some pressure on WikiLeaks and Assange over the past several weeks. The site’s DNS service, web servers and even bank accounts have all been shuffled around as high-profile entities such as Amazon, MasterCard and Paypal refused to work with WikiLeaks.”

Today’s global media giants, backed by corporate and partisan government self-interest control the vast majority of information being fed into western households each day. Not surprisingly, as these establishments begin to lose their strangle hold on us, they are crying foul.

In countries like China where there is pervasive censorship, speech still has power and those in power are scared of it. We should always look at censorship as an economic signal that reveals the potential power of speech. “Follow the money trail”, they say.

We might want to heed the sage advice of leading futurist and scientist, Bruce Lipton: “Get out of the way of the corporate dinosaurs as they are collapsing or you will be crushed.”

Those most at risk are actually the WikiLeaks people themselves. Several U.S. conservatives, including Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee, have said Assange should be assassinated or executed. Canada’s own Tom Flanagan, a

[former] senior adviser to Canadian Prime Minister recently stated, “I think Assange should be assassinated … I think Obama should put out a contract … I wouldn’t feel unhappy if Assange does disappear.”

It’s up to the public to stand up for our democratic rights to a free press and freedom of expression. Never has there been a more vital time for us to do so.

Sign Petition to stop the intimidation campaign against Julian Assange.

Thanks to modern technology and people willing to put their own safety at risk, these information brokers can no longer hide behind concepts of national security and privacy. If only we could measure the number of crimes against humanity that have taken place behind this wall of defense.

Modern technology is like a karmic accelerator. It is forcing us not only to watch what we say and write, but also how we act. This is especially true for those in leadership positions. The move toward open, widely available information will continually force us all to act authentically, honestly and with integrity. When we don’t, the world will quickly learn about it.

I for one would rather live in this new world than the world we have been living in for millennium, where others decide what we can and can not know.