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What do Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden have in common? The answer depends on who you are, but most people would say "whistle-blowers", "truth-tellers" or "very necessary". These brave men and woman knew that what they did would turn them into refugees wanted by the most powerful government on the face of the earth, but still did what they knew was the right thing to do: expose that government as the criminals they are.

Why are there so few whistle-blowers? There are millions of employees who know of some shady business their employer, be it a state or a large corporation, is involved in who never blow the whistle because they know this is a sure way to not only lose their job, but to never be hired again. Just search Google on "whistle-blowers who lost their jobs" and you'll find a slew of articles about how those brave men and women lost their jobs and worse:

Whistleblowers don't just face prosecution and losing their jobs—they're often pushed to unemployability, bankruptcy, and depression. If you're a whistleblower, Thomas Drake says the state is trying "to destroy you."
_{source: Vice}

The same article that's linked above also mentions a poll that shows how citizens can hold two contradicting opinions about Edward Snowden: just one-third of Americans believe Edward Snowden did the right thing when he revealed the vast domestic surveillance apparatus, while at the same time a slim majority believe that "Americans have a right to know about the surveillance programs he revealed." That's not exclusive to America; I kid you not when I say that whistle-blowers are often seen as traitors all over the world. This I can not understand. I do understand why people don't blow the whistle themselves, as their lifes will likely be destroyed, but why the hostility towards those who do take the courageous step of sharing information about the wrongdoings of the state or big-business? I would like to ask them if they even understand what "democracy" is.

Anyhow, I'd like you all to read the full Vice article that's linked above, and if you have the chance, watch the 2014 documentary "Silenced" about whistle-blowers who have been prosecuted under the Espionage Act, a century-old relic of a law designed to prosecute World War I dissidents; in 2012, the Obama administration had charged six whistle-blowers, including Chelsea Manning, with violating the Espionage Act—a charge that labels them enemies of the state—more than all other administrations combined. And Edward Snowden was number seven, when there have only ever been 11 persons in total who have been prosecuted under that law since its inception in 1917. Also watch the interview linked above with some of the whistle-blowers who are in that documentary. So... What's that ad I mention in the title? Well, it's linked below; just watch it ;-) Free Assange!

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