Julian Assange has struck a plea deal that will see him go free. 

To enable his freedom, Assange had to plead guilty to conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information, which now sets a dangerous precedent. The US security state has succeeded in criminalising journalism and extending its purview to non-citizens. 

The alternative would have been most likely death in prison as Assange battles heart problems.

President John F. Kennedy, ‘Address: The President and the Press’ April 27, 1961, spoke of the dangers of a world in which censorship and concealment would be seized upon.   

“The very word ‘secrecy’ is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths and to secret proceedings. We decided long ago that the dangers of excessive and unwarranted concealment of pertinent facts far outweighed the dangers which are cited to justify it. 

“Even today, there is little value in opposing the threat of a closed society by imitating its arbitrary restrictions. Even today, there is little value in insuring the survival of our nation if our traditions do not survive with it. And there is very grave danger that an announced need for increased security will be seized upon by those anxious to expand its meaning to the very limits of official censorship and concealment.”

The only panacea for the darkness is the light. Enjoy your freedom, Assange.