Leaked Pentagon documents have revealed extensive American spying on American allies. They also include several important revelations about the war in Ukraine, ranging from the presence of a small American force on the ground to Ukrainian President Zelensky's intention to use long-range missiles to strike targets within Russia.

Authorities have already arrested a suspect—21 year old National Guard Airman Jack Teixeira. At present, his motives for leaking the documents are unclear. The Discord group where he allegedly originally posted the documents was for gun enthusiasts. This and some other claims floating around in initial reports may suggest that Teixeira holds right-wing beliefs. On the other hand, the New York Times reports that, whatever his motives, "outrage about wrongdoing or government policies does not appear to have been a factor."

Personally, I don't care what his motives were or whether his ideological convictions bear any resemblance to my own. If he's "guilty" of leaking these documents, Airman Teixeira was performing a public service

Citizens in a democracy should be able to make informed decisions about their country's foreign policy—and that principle is more important than ever in the context of a potentially catastrophic conflict between the United States and Russia.

The Washington Post responded to the rise of Donald Trump by adopting the noble slogan "Democracy Dies in Darkness." The slogan appears at the top of their website and their online shop sells "Democracies Dies in Darkness" shirts in various shapes and sizes. You might assume, then, that the Post would be thrilled to see vital information about matters of war and peace see the light of day so they can become the subject of democratic discussion and debate. Instead, their Editorial Board is frettting about the "damaging" nature of the leak and the possibility of the information "falling into the wrong hands."