Noam Chomsky- Julian Assange deserves applause rather than denunciation and punishment (video)

http://www.japantoday.com/category/opinions/view/julian-assange-deserves-applause-rather-than-denunciation-and-punishment?utm_campaign=jt_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_source=jt_newsletter_2012-08-26_PM

AUG. 25, 2012

What’s at stake here?

“…At stake is the question of whether the citizens of a country have a right to know what their elected officials are doing. Those who have a lingering affection for an odd notion called “democracy” believe that this is important. To be sure, a state has the right to keep some matters secret. I haven’t read all the WikiLeaks exposures, but I have read quite a few, and I have not seen an example of anything that could legitimately be kept secret, nor, to my knowledge, have the horde of angry critics presented an example. I should say that this is not unusual. Anyone who has spent time studying declassified documents is well aware that overwhelmingly, they are kept secret to protect elected officials from the scrutiny of citizens, not for defense or some other legitimate purpose.

Someone who courageously carries out actions in defense of democratic rights deserves applause, not hysterical denunciation and punishment. We understand that very well with regard to official enemies. Since you bring up the matter of “hypocrisy,” it is the extreme of hypocrisy to refuse to apply the same standards to ourselves…..”

And this is the julian assange show with Noam Chomsky and Tariq Ali discussing activism

http://assange.rt.com/chomsky-ali-episode-ten/

DID YOU HAVE AVE ANY IDEA? with Noam CHOMSKY (video)

“Julian Assange should be congratulated for carrying out the responsibilities of a citizen in democratic societies, where the population should be aware of what their selected representatives are doing and planning.

The Wikileaks revelations have surely advanced such awareness and understanding, and are a valuable contribution for that reason”.

Noam CHOMSKY
December 2011

https://vimeo.com/35941909

August 26, 2012 - Posted by arclight2011 | Resources -audiovicual