Whistleblower Week in D.C. Cspan 3 at 10.30am

[malaise]

At 10:30AM ET, Joan Claybrook, Public Citizen, delivers a speech on the recently passed Whistleblower bill.

http://www.c-span.org/

[malaise]

1. Kick n/t

[lonestarnot]

2. And they ain't whistl'n Dixie people!

[midnight]

28. Hi lonestarnot. I wonder if they ought to be whisl'n

Dixie instead.....I have my fingers crossed and hope that the winds of blow just as hard this week. But part of me thinks that all the hot air will be blowing excuses for these crimes.

[lonestarnot]

32. Facts haven't brought the house down yet, why should they now?

[L. Coyote]

3. TOM DEVINE, Government Accountability Project, Legal Director ON NOW

C-SPAN 3

Schedule being discussed at the moment.

[malaise]

5. Watching this and CSpan 1

Thanks.

[Philosoraptor]

4. !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[malaise]

6. Claybrook on now n/t

[L. Coyote]

7. JOAN CLAYBROOK, President, Public Citizen on now.

Make it Safe organized this ground-breaking event.

"we have to strenghten whistleblowers protection from the miserable state they are in today..."

"our government should work for us"

"the imperial perogatives of the President have been taken to new lows"

http://www.citizen.org/congress/

Whistleblower Week

More than 40 public interest groups and hundreds of whistleblowers from around the country are rallying support for whistleblowers. When courageous people risk their careers to bring about a more honest and accountable government, they should be protected. Please join us in supporting the brave men and women protecting all Americans from government and corporate abuses during Whistleblower Week, May 13-19.

=============================

On Edit. Found her speech transcript online:

Whistleblower Week Kickoff
Keynote by Joan Claybrook, Public Citizen President
May 14, 2007
http://www.citizen.org/congress/govtaccount/articles.cfm?ID=16616

I want to express my deep thanks to the Make It Safe Coalition for organizing this first-of-a-kind national Whistleblower Week here in Washington. This is truly a ground-breaking event. We are grateful for the many whistleblowers who have come here from across the nation to share their experiences with us and with lawmakers.

We are here to let Congress know, in no uncertain terms, that we need to strengthen whistleblower protections from the miserable state they are in today. I will make three points today briefly about the absolutely critical – and risky – role of whistleblowers in keeping our democracy healthy.

First, democracy needs an open and accountable government.

[L. Coyote]

8. Whistleblower Week, LINKS

http://action.citizen.org/content.jsp?content_KEY=2641

*Public Citizen President Joan Claybrook to Keynote Whistleblower Week Kickoff http://www.citizen.org/congress/govtaccount/articles.cfm?ID=16559
*All about Whistleblower Week http://action.citizen.org/content.jsp?content_KEY=2654
*Read about Public Citizen Whistleblower Richard Ceballos http://www.citizen.org/congress/govtaccount/articles.cfm?ID=16615
*Whistleblower Coalition Letter to Congress http://whistle-week-in-dc.org/LettertoCongress.htm

If you can't attend Whistleblower Week, you can still stand up for the rights of whistleblowers by contacting your senators. TAKE ACTION!

[malaise]

9. Thanks n/t

[L. Coyote]

10. Washington Whistleblower Week - Agenda for Monday, May 14

Washington Whistleblower Week - Agenda for Monday, May 14
http://www.citizen.org/congress/govtaccount/articles.cfm?ID=16559

Sponsored by:
the Government Accountablity Project – www.whistleblower.org
Unionof Concerned Scientists – www.ucsusa.org
and the Make It Safe Coalition – www.makeitsafecampaign.org

***10:30am – 11:30am: Whistleblower Protection Legislation – The Need for Reform
Russell Senate Office Building Caucus Room, SR 325

A series of court rulings since 1994 has made it impossible for whistleblowers to protect themselves ....

***11:30am – 12:30pm: Congressional Oversight of the FBI
Russell Senate Office Building Caucus Room, SR 325

Whistleblowers have long played an important role in Congressional oversight of the FBI. .....
Keynote: Senator Charles Grassley

***12:30pm – 2:00pm: Luncheon Panel on Scientific Integrity & Individual Conscience
Russell Senate Office Building Caucus Room, SR 325

Thousands of scientists, including numerous Nobel laureates and senior scientists, who have advised Republican and Democratic presidents dating back fifty years, have signed a statement condemning political interference in science

***2:00pm – 3:00pm: False Claims Act: Successes & Challenges Ahead
Dirksen Senate Office Building Room 342

Since the False Claims Act (FCA) was amended nearly twenty years ago, whistleblowers have played a pivotal role in returning nearly $20 billion in stolen funds to the U.S.Treasury. ....

***3:00pm – 4:00pm: Oversight of the U.S.Office of Special Counsel
Dirksen Senate Office Building Room 342

The Office of Special Counsel (OSC) recently announced it is conducting a wide-ranging investigation into possible improper political activity by members of the White House, including Karl Rove. .....

***5:00pm – 6:00pm: Reception and Book-Signing
The Warehouse Theate - 1017 7th Street NW (across from the Convention Center)
Please join us for a reception honoring the achievements of whistleblowers....

***6:00pm – 9:00pm: Screening of The Insider featuring Jeff Wigand
The Warehouse Theater - 1017 7th Street NW (across from the Convention Center)
Based on a true story, The Insider chronicles the events that led former tobacco executive Jeff Wigand to appear in a “60 Minutes” exposé


An RSVP is not required to attend these events, but we encourage you to contact Adam Miles at [phone], ext. 132 or [e-mail] if you plan to attend so we can plan accordingly.

[malaise]

11. Welcome to the banana republic of the

US. Damn!

[L. Coyote]

12. Keynote by Joan Claybrook, Public Citizen President

Keynote by Joan Claybrook, Public Citizen President
http://www.citizen.org/congress/govtaccount/articles.cfm?ID=16616

............

In the Bush administration, the imperial prerogatives of the president have been taken to new lows. Decisions are far too frequently made to serve corporate lobbyists and partisan ends. The rules on safety and health are written far too frequently by the special interests being regulated, and the result often undercuts safety and the state of the republic.

Whether in the still-unfolding scandals regarding the firing of now 10 attorneys general for largely partisan reasons, the attempts at suppression of scientific findings showing an alarming trend in global warming by NASA scientists, or the Medicare official threatened with dismissal for telling the truth about the cost of the Administration’s proposed Medicare prescription drug program, this Administration will do, it appears, whatever it takes to get its way.

My second point is that our best line of defense against crass self-dealing and official misinformation campaigns are the informed insiders who blow the whistle, often at great personal peril. These are the people who say – enough is enough. These are the truth-tellers, people who believe so strongly in the importance of accountable and honest government that they are willing to put their careers and professional standing on the line to assure that the truth gets out. These heroes of democracy are far too often ill protected by the law, despite their vital function.

.......................

[pberq]

13. Talking about TSA and how security is worse now than it was before 9-11

[pberq]

16. nightmare story by this whistleblower

Bogdan Dzakovic, Former FAA Red Team leader, aviation security whistleblower

http://www.whistleblower.org/content/press_detail.cfm?press_id=1001

[L. Coyote]

14. Public Citizen Press Release: Bush Nominee for Product Safety Agency Was Top Lobbyist

Press Release: http://www.citizen.org/pressroom/release.cfm?ID=2430

(5/8/07 ) Bush Nominee for Product Safety Agency Was Top Lobbyist for Industry Group That Pressed to Weaken Key Safeguards

Bush Nominee for Product Safety Agency Was Top Lobbyist for Industry Group That Pressed to Weaken Key Safeguards

More Than 80 Percent of Safety Fines Were Imposed Under Rules CPSC Weakened With Support of Baroody’s Association; His Members, Partners Paid More Than Half

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Michael Baroody, President Bush’s nominee to chair the nation’s consumer safety watchdog agency, was the top lobbyist for the country’s most powerful industry trade association when the group supported weakening guidelines for reporting information about dangerous products.

According to a report released today by Public Citizen, the requirements that the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and its allies sought to weaken had been responsible for more than 80 percent of the fines issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) over the past decade. NAM’s members and its coalition partners were responsible for paying more than half of those fines. The report’s findings underscore the inappropriateness of Bush’s choice of Baroody, a career lobbyist for the manufacturing industry, to chair the agency that is charged with protecting consumers from unsafe products.

The CPSC is tasked with protecting the public – and especially children – from serious injury or death ...........

[malaise]

29. The foxes are guarding then

hen house.

[Norquist Nemesis]

15. K&R ...Watching now!

Bogdan Dzakovic now speaking.
:popcorn:


http://www.globalsecurity.org/security/library/congress/9-11_commission/030522-dzakovic.htm

[pberq]

17. U.S. Custons whstleblower - Customs were facilitating narcotics smuggling

Darlene Fitzgerald, U.S. Customs whistleblower - mentioned Carl Lam

[L. Coyote]

19. Darlene Fitzgerald, Former Special Agent and Author of “BorderGate

http://www.bordergate.net/additionalinformation.html

Darlene Fitzgerald, Former Special Agent and Author of “BorderGate, the story the government doesn’t want you to read,” will be a guest on the internationally syndicated talk radio show, “The Frank Pastore Show.” The show will be aired Monday night, May 7th, at 6:00 p.m. Pacific time, from Los Angeles during the peak drive-time commute - which is also the number one time spot for talk radio on the west coast. Darlene will be talking about her true whistleblower story, the recent arrest of fellow Whistleblower John Carman, the Whistleblower Protection Act, and the Whistleblower Week scheduled for May 13th through the 19th in Washington D.C.

==========================================
"There is a cancer growing on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The best and brightest agents we have are being systematically harassed out of DHS. This is a story of bureaucracy run amok at the expense of our national security. We are less safe now than before “9-11”, even though billions of taxpayer dollars have been spent. Why?"

[nebenaube]

31. no shit...

where do you think the stuff comes from? Renegade hippies?

[L. Coyote]

18. Government Accountablity Project - Current Program Highlights

Government Accountablity Project – www.whistleblower.org

Mission: The Government Accountability Project (GAP) is a 29-year-old nonprofit public interest group that promotes government and corporate accountability by advancing occupational free speech, defending whistleblowers, and empowering citizen activists. We pursue this mission through our Nuclear Safety, International Reform, Corporate Accountability, Food & Drug Safety, and Federal Employee/National Security programs. GAP is the nation's leading whistleblower protection organization.

Current Program Highlights
5/10/2007
Washington Whistleblower Week Starts Today

Today, GAP along with 45 national public interest groups, and hundreds of whistleblowers from across the country, will kick off Washington Whistleblower Week, running until May 18. The week’s events are designed to highlight contributions whistleblowers have made in society and to promote protections for whistleblowers who risk their careers to challenge abuses of the public trust. ...........

GAP's press release, detailing the Monday events and panels http://www.whistleblower.org/content/press_detail.cfm?press_id=1001
Profiles of prominent whistleblowers who will be involved in Monday's events http://www.whistleblower.org/doc/2007/WWWAttendees.pdf

[L. Coyote]

20. JENNIFER TYREE

Jennifer Tyree, counsel for the Senate Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on International Security, Proliferation and Federal Services

[L. Coyote]

21. GRASSLEY: "I'm cynical, but we stil have to strenghten those laws."

No coincidence, Judiciary Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight & the Courts.

This is very close to the DoJ investigation track. Much og his oversight is FBI.

[malaise]

22. This man hid all those Bushco lies and

supports whistleblowers? I'm cynical too!

[L. Coyote]

24. He has questioned the Bush regime on Medicare fraud settlements

which surprised me. I did not expect any R to be doing that.

I have to mention here, how Nixon was ousted, not by impeachment per se, but by a group of Rs "walking" to the White House and telling him it was the end.

We must not encircle all these guys in a single corral with a broad brush. It is important that they be able to take a "walk" when necessary.

[malaise]

25. Valid points

Thanks.

[pberq]

23. Coleen Rowley speaking

importance of open government

[L. Coyote]

26. Claybrook's address was great? Transcript link ??? Anyone. n/t

[malaise]

27. CSpan will have it later

Whistle blowing linked to Bushco and scientists now.

[Sancho]

30. I couldn't watch the whole thing, but what I saw

was inspiring. Cspan is great to put this on...

[seemslikeadream]

33. watching the rerun now

:wow: