If it will damage your freedom, then, by definition, you don't have freedom.

The effect this might have, if any, is to show who pretends to have/give freedom and who really has/gives it.

This right on. Reading a lot of the comments here, I think people have already given up that freedom and just hope that no one makes them see what they've done. This discussion has certainly opened my eyes in regards to this. One freedom is always to go to a country which has different laws. Another freedom is to develop computers, OSes and networking protocols that better provide freedom. It seems that many are so used to building on frameworks that have inherent issues that they forget their are choices, basic choices, that still have to be made every day.

I get your point, and it's a valid one. I just hope that Lulz pick their targets wisely, because an all out war on the system will result in system lock-down, which will affect a lot of good people in negative ways, and will also fuel the governments belief that they should be exerting more control ...

Not that this at all the same, or that I support what Lolzsec is doing, but I think there were a lot of African Americans at the start of the Civil Rights movement who didn't want people to speak up for fear of there being harsh consequences.

You're dead right, it's not at all the same ...