Congressman Davis,

There hangs on my wall a document, signed by President Ronald Reagan, in
which the President of the United States of America, reposing special trust
in my honesty, prudence, integrity and ability, with the advice and consent
of Congress, appointed me a Foreign Service Officer. In accepting that
expression of my nation’s trust, I swore an oath to protect my country
against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and to bear true faith and
allegiance to the United States of America. For a quarter of a century, in
ten overseas postings to some of the most dangerous places on earth, I have
honored my oath. Several years ago, I  reported fraud and mismanagement in
the office directly responsible for protecting my agency from fraud and
mismanagement. As a result, I have had my integrity questioned, not by the
President, nor by the country I serve, but by a person who never met me and
knows only that my revelations caused my agency inconvenience.  I have had
my security clearance suspended, I have lost my life’s savings, I have lost
my family home in Florida to which I had hoped, one day, to retire. And I
would do it again, because my loyalty is to my country, and not to the
convenience of some Agency official.

The president at that time was a Democrat. And my revelations were not made
for political purposes, but because it was my duty to report such matters. 
And my arguments were not bogus. In the end, although I suffered
consequences, the issues I criticized were quietly corrected. They were
corrected quietly, without any admission that they had ever been flawed, and
I was left in limbo, not because I was wrong, but because admitting that I
was right would have been embarrassing.  And now I am under attack again,
not because I was wrong, but because you, Mr. Davis, are more concerned
about short-term partisan issues than you are about good governance.

I am outraged! And frankly, I am perplexed. I can think of no possible
reason that would justify your vitriol. At a time when our country’s
security requires more than ever that our security and foreign affairs
agencies function properly, at a time when the consequences of inefficiency
and incompetence have never meant more to our nation’s security, why would
anyone stand up in Congress violently sputtering in defense of inefficiency?
In defense of incompetence? Why would anyone elected to public office so
strongly oppose improving the accountability of our government agencies, or
enabling public employees to identify areas where things could work better?
Do none of your Virginia constituents work for the agencies affected? Do
none of them remember the attack on the Pentagon? Would none of them be
affected if a flaw that went unreported resulted in a similar attack on our
country and people? Or is your allegiance to something other than our
country, and the people who you were elected to serve? I can only say that
your opposition to acts which would protect employees who act to protect our
nation appears to be a bogus act for political purposes, that quite frankly,
I am unable to understand.

Shame on you. Shame on you for betraying the people who elected you. Shame
on you for betraying the country you were elected to serve. And shame on you
for putting your convenience ahead of the security and well-being of our
nation.

Daniel M. Hirsch
Member NSWBC