We have the right to peaceably assemble, and that may mean "sitting in" on a Web site or physically locking arms side by side with others in a large city's downtown intersection.
We have the right to free speech. Researching vulnerabilities and reporting those vulnerabilities is also our right, even if big companies like Oracle Corp., Apache Digital Corp., Microsoft Corp. or Hewlett-Packard Co. get angry and threaten us with lawsuits. That's par for the course.
I would like to see citizens better protected against big business and government. I don't want a huge company with lots of money to snuff out the fire, passion or interests in my life, and I don't want the federal or state government telling me what I can and can't do by broadening their powers via the Patriot Act.
I believe hackers have a lot to offer. They provide a balance of power by virtue of their creativity and technical skills. I think we need to protect and recognize them and find ways of working together.
Yes, I do believe that hacking -- when properly defined -- is an ethical activity. And yes, I do believe that understanding our freedoms and rights and protecting all that's good in our society while preventing all that's bad is the right approach.