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Comment by sneak | Hacker News Reader

Rather than handwavey “geopolitical tensions” excuses, I have decided to universally condemn the US’s escalating and heavyhanded assault on the free exercise of journalism in all cases, from Assange to this and anything in between.

If I’m paying for it with my tax money, I should be able to read reporting on what it’s being spent on. This goes doubly so for people doing reporting who have no obligation whatsoever to keep US government secrets.

Security through obscurity is not a sound enough principle that resources should be expended and freedoms curtailed to attempt to preserve it.

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Slight correction there, you are not “paying with your tax money” thus expecting something from it. Paying to buy something assumes you willingly committed to the deal and had the option to back out. You did not have such an option so you may not expect or demand something in return for it.

While I get where you are coming from, realistically speaking we do have to accept the "extortion" that comes with having a governing body. I am happy to hand over my tax Rands (Dollars), provided me and my fellow citizens can benefit from it.

The point here is that is in most cases a "de facto" contract between a citizen and his/her government. As this is a contract, the citizen has rights to oversight on how his/her money is being spent.

Thanks for being understanding. Now like I also mentioned below, there is no true contract in reality. Since you need to have leverage to get your reward. The people don’t have much power in this de-facto contract that you mentioned, thus demanding things from the entity that has all the power sounds childish to me.

I am always justified in expecting and demanding basic human rights to peaceful free expression and reporting, for myself and others.

I’m not (here) saying the USG has a duty to disclose, just that they have a duty to not raid and otherwise persecute journalists. (I also separately think they have a duty to disclose precisely what the tax money is being spent on, but that is a different discussion.)

Sounds like another wish to me. Good to have wishes but the world unfortunately doesn’t run on wishes

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