Tougher act sought for whistleblowers

[seemslikeadream]

By Carl Prine
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, May 1, 2005


....

"While Congress has provided whistleblower rights to those who protect shareholders, it's failed miserably to provide whistleblower rights to workers who protect 280 million American citizens. Instead, these modern-day Paul Reveres who do the right thing and report homeland and national security flaws get fired. They're blackballed from getting other jobs. They go broke. Their lives are ruined."

Shortly after news leaked that she had tried in vain to warn FBI bosses about the imminent threat of al-Qaida operatives in the United States before the Sept. 11 attacks, Colleen Rowley was flooded with desperate calls from other agents charged with monitoring nuclear, chemical and intelligence operations.

"I got all these calls to me. I don't even know how many calls I received," said Rowley. "All these other federal employees who had spotted concerns and issues, sometimes even illegalities. I was put into this horrible dilemma of having to try to tell them what to do. And unfortunately, it's really hard to paint a rosy picture of trying to proceed and do the right thing, to uphold your constitutional role and serve the public in these kinds of situations."

She has joined 53 current and former federal workers to form the National Security Whistleblowers Coalition. She spent last week stumping in congressional offices for legislative help. Now retired from the FBI, she wants federal workers to have the right to sue agencies who blacklist, fire or harass employees who expose wrongdoing and ongoing security deficiencies and believes Congress should criminalize retaliation against "modern-day Paul Reveres."
more
http://pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/trib/regional/s_329824.html

[whistle]

1. There are now over 297 million Americans and by 2010....

...that number is expected to reach 308 million. We need protection alright, but the Bush administration only believes in exploitation.

<link to propulation projections>

http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/usinterimproj/natprojtab02a.xls

[Wilms]

2. kick n/t

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.