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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Some here might recall Julian Assange occasionally posting on ExI twenty or more years ago. A few of us formed an off-list chat group where he posted more frequently but he was always very one-dimensional. He was all about government transparency being the best path to accountability. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Julian wasn’t even identifiably left or right as far as I could tell, didn’t seem to know much about any particular government or ideology. He occasionally posted some detail about Australian government, but in a sense was the classic pure libertarian, way back when many of us were just figuring out what libertarian really is about. Julian’s persistent message was that governments will always be corrupt until there is accountability for their secrecy. He was the one who often said that sunlight is the best disinfectant.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The US government has been at war with itself now for at least a couple years. With today’s comments regarding the FBI by the top guy in the House of Representatives, Julian must be feeling enormous satisfaction as he is holed up in a foreign embassy in Britain: <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:16.5pt;line-height:16.5pt;background:white;vertical-align:baseline'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:#222222'>“Let it all out, get it all out there. Cleanse the organization… I think we should disclose all this stuff. It’s the best disinfectant. Accountability, transparency -- for the sake of the reputation of our institutions.” Paul Ryan<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal>What is striking to me is how similar is this sentiment to that spoken by one of ours twenty years ago. Could it be that the US government’s path to peace with itself is through… transparency? Whooda thunk?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>spike<o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>