Julian Assange: Hey Australia, Why Aren't You Protecting Me?

Julian Assange himself takes to the pages of the Australian to defend the mission of WikiLeaks—which he defines as "scientific journalism"—to insist that not a single person has been harmed, let alone killed, because of its work, and to complain that his own government is turning its back on him despite direct or veiled threats from abroad. (And yes, he singles out Sarah Palin's comment.)

"Has there been any response from the Australian government to the numerous public threats of violence against me and other WikiLeaks personnel?" he writes. "One might have thought an Australian prime minister would be defending her citizens against such things, but there have only been wholly unsubstantiated claims of illegality." He and WikiLeaks are the "underdogs," he writes, and the Aussie government "is trying to shoot the messenger because it doesn't want the truth revealed, including information about its own diplomatic and political dealings." (More Julian Assange stories.)