it doesnt matter what's the nature of a leak - transparency, is transparency.
That's stupid, what about publishing the security arrangement of some nuclear missile silo with a description of the way to launch the missile at a chosen target? transparency is transparency...
The system needs some privacy, for internal communication. Not for decisions, but for communication.
Are you also happy that, for example, DPRK knows that PRC were discussing uniting Korea? I'm not an expert on DPRK, but it seems possible the leak of this information might even lead to a war.
Not every publication of classified information is whistle-blowing.
If it's bad for Wikileaks to operate without transparency, it's also bad for the US government and corporations to operate without transparency. Wikileaks is a partial solution to the latter problem. The former problem is quite easily solved. If you have information that Wikileaks won't publish, there's no shortage of ways of getting data on the internet anonymously.
If there is no shortage of ways getting data on the internet anonymously, how is wikileaks a solution to anything? Why is it needed?
Now I'd agree that Assange is on an ego-trip, but who in international politics is not?
What does Assange do in international politics? Who does he represent? I thought he was only passively allowing publication of information...
I have no idea what do you mean by "Free, Ethically Correct Democracy", and why would you disallow "losers" (or which are those losers) to vote, but Since you asked for a logical and healthy debate, I'll suggest an idea of how to fix the system.
The way I see it, the main problems with modern democracies are campaigns and voters' ignorance. There are other (for example, the election mechanism), but this are the fundamental ones. I don't think this can be solved as long as elections are on a national level , so I would suggest this: divide the country to about 200-500 parts, each will elect one representative, but the representative will be elected by a governing body of 200-500 people, supported by a similar subdivision. So with 3-4 layers you can get at the bottom groups of this size. (500^3 = 12.5M, 200^4=1.6G) As a result you get a system where everyone only elects a representative to the layer above, each time he chooses from 200-500 people he personally knows (neighbours on the bottom, associates above). Thus, campaigns are impossible (that is, mass media campaigns), because of the number of races, in any race there are only a few hundred voters. Voter ignorance is also mostly removed, because you know the candidates...
The first obvious problem, by the way, huge number of elected positions, that have little actual work due to no requirements... But maybe this is already the case.
The idea that no one ignored "the masses" since the French revolution is simply ignorant. You can see all sorts of riots since then, including in the US, which ended in nothing at all, or sometimes small compromises by the government. You simply don't understand the level of unrest required for a revolution, IP will never be enough, an economic collapse that will cause lack of food supplies might do it...
Oh, and stop romanticising the revolution, they beheaded not only the king, but tens of thousands, most of which were not part of the previous government. Thomas Paine was sentenced to the guillotine. It's not a coincidence they call (part of) it "The Reign of Terror".
The difference is that deciding not to buy from a store is legal, as is advising your friend not to buy a game. Surprisingly, you are allowed to cause harm to other people in many legal ways, even physical harm might be legal in some cases. However, copyright violation is illegal. You see, copyright violation is a crime with a victim, whereas protesting against Wallmart, trying to convince people not to buy there just outside the store, is a non-crime with a victim. Now, you might argue copyright laws should be changed, but that's a different argument.
I'm an Israeli, and therefore unfamiliar with domestic flights, but I can't see how this is relevant. The only difference I see is that you don't go through passport control, and passport control have nothing to do with security...
Whenever I take a flight out of Israel it takes me about 30 minutes to get from the airport entrance to the gate, I don't believe domestic flights require shorter passage.
He has not acquired a fortune; the fortune has acquired him. -- Bion