As a self-described repeat offender, there is a particular passion to be a support for the whistleblower. Consider a list of names that to varying degrees would fit the title of whistleblower: Julian Assange, William Binney, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Smedley Butler, Thomas Drake, Daniel Ellsberg, Fritz Erbe, LaVoy Finicum, Daniel Hale, Michael Hastings, Robert Hoogland, Barry Jennings, John Kiriakou, Pvt. Manning, Kary Mullis, Seth Rich, William Rodriguez, Michael Scheuer, Edward Snowden, Aaron Swartz, Russell Tice, Gary Webb, Richard Wurmbrand, Harry Wu, and me.

To various degrees they were persecuted, abandoned, tortured, imprisoned, or assassinated.

What you find in this list is a common trait of men who have character flaws. They did stupid things before, during, or after their saga. But what they did was probably not wrong, but rather a very good thing. I contend we must walk with them, not abandon them.

But there are others in this list. They are those down the street or the other side of town that will not make the news. What they exposed may be trifle or significant, but they did it, and may be paying the cost.

There are others that are in the future. Perhaps we can keep them safer?

There are so many things I probably disagree with them on, but I want to stand with them. Do you?