Assange and his band of techno freedom fighters are doing something not so different from launching a major startup against a flood of large entrenched competitors. It's very similar in that they need to cross a chasm and seize their audience against many odds. There are many software technology, product development, marketing and PR aspects we can learn from here.
And the cause, well, we may not all agree with the cause but it's a heck a lot more courageous to fight for your ideas than for a pile of cash and equity!
You can be as bummed as you want.
I don't see where you have posted a source for your claim that's more reliable than a Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, or one of Glenn Beck's equally unreliable compatriots at Fox News.
ONLY thing linked NY Times article and aaronbrethorst claim share is founders name.
This NYT story speaks for the overpowering importance of Assange's actions in regards to the war. He might be a shady character, a dictatorial wikileaks leader, or even a rapist but leaking the documents he did leak will undoubtedly be the most important action of his life. You might disagree with the actions of this man but debating over his personal life or the way he manages wikileaks is moot. The important fact here is: he may well have changed the course of a couple of wars and the course of America's relationship with its military. That's what we and the NYT should be talking about.
And the cause, well, we may not all agree with the cause but it's a heck a lot more courageous to fight for your ideas than for a pile of cash and equity!