FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE- January 16, 2006
Contact: Sibel Edmonds, National Security Whistleblowers Coalition, sedmonds@nswbc.org
NSWBC Lauds the Recent Nonpartisan
Speech by Al Gore & Calls for New Whistleblower Legislation
The
National Security Whistleblowers Coalition applauds Mr. Gore for his
nonpartisan speech, which very eloquently and sincerely expresses our core
American values based on the notions of liberty and justice. This speech can by
no means be characterized as ‘Liberal’ or ‘Conservative’, 'Democrat’ or
‘Republican’, but only as ‘Truly American.’
As stated by Mr. Gore, without whistleblowers the public would never know of
the many abuses of constitutional rights by the government. Whistleblowers, Truth Tellers, are
responsible for the disclosure that President George W. Bush ordered
unconstitutional surveillance of American citizens. These constitutional lifeguards take their patriotic oaths to
heart and soul: rather than complying with classification and secrecy orders
designed to protect officials engaging in criminal conduct, whistleblowers
choose to risk their livelihoods and the wrath of their agencies to get the
truth out.
Today, in his specific recommendations,
Mr. Gore advocated that “new whistleblower protections should immediately be
established for members of the Executive Branch who report evidence of
wrongdoing -- especially where it involves the abuse of Executive Branch
authority in the sensitive areas of national security.” This statement is also in accord with Mr.
Barr’s recent agreement in various media forums that national security
whistleblower protection is desperately needed.
Sibel
Edmonds, Founder & Director of NSWBC, stated: “We applaud the call by
Liberty Coalition & Al Gore for congress to enact new legislation that
would provide meaningful whistleblower protections, especially for those
patriots who report abuses of
Executive Branch authority in the sensitive areas of national security.
Hundreds of national security whistleblowers, patriotic government employees,
have brought to the public’s attention cases of agency wrongdoing only to find
themselves fired, stripped of their security clearance, and/or deprived of
meaningful work, simply because they were courageous and patriotic enough to
place the security of our nation above their own career security and interests.
Why should government employees have to choose between their livelihood and
career, and fulfilling their highest duty of all: protecting the public’s
interest? The answer is very simple, because our legislative branch has failed
to provide these patriots with any protection.” Ms. Edmonds added: “Whistleblowers
have served as a constant and valuable check on the federal government.
Considering the fact that to perform its legislative & oversight functions,
congress must depend on information from the executive branch, why is it that
the congress refuses to provide a safe & protected channel to those who can
provide the congress with information, thus enabling it to exercise its
oversight responsibility?”
The NSWBC
drafted model legislation on whistleblower protection that is currently being
worked up for submission by several senate offices. The legislation will scrap the ineffective, cumbersome, and
narrow Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989, and replace it with an act that
provides substantial protections for whistleblowers in all areas of
government. Presently, whistleblowers
in law enforcement and intelligence agencies are excluded from even the meager
protections of the WPA. The NSWBC model
bill would criminalize retaliation for whistleblowing, provide for civil
liability for adverse employment decisions made for protected disclosures,
remove perverse incentives for the executive branch to assert secrecy
privileges to defeat whistleblower litigation, and require a truly independent
body to investigate whistleblower claims and rectify executive branch abuses.
Congress is
currently considering two bills (HR1317 and S494) that allege to provide and
extend protection to whistleblowers, but these bills are irretrievably flawed
and will do more damage than good if passed.
Most importantly, neither bill provides protection for law enforcement
and intelligence employees. The very
type of whistleblower who can save the country and its citizens from great harm
by executive branch malfeasance, incompetence, fraud, and abuse are the same
employees excluded from any whistleblower protection. These bills should not pass.
Professor
William Weaver, NSWBC Senior Advisor said: “We praise Mr. Gore’s and Mr. Barr’s
sentiments and statements and hope that those in Congress will see the wisdom
of their former colleagues’ positions.
When politicians as diverse in their views as Mr. Gore and Mr. Barr,
come together on common ground and agreement to action, then we all must take
note. Now is the time to act to provide
substantial whistleblower protection so that executive branch activities remain
accountable to the Congress and the public.”
About National Security Whistleblowers Coalition
National Security Whistleblowers Coalition (NSWBC), founded in
August 2004, is an independent and nonpartisan alliance of whistleblowers who
have come forward to address our nation’s security weaknesses; to inform
authorities of security vulnerabilities in our intelligence agencies, at
nuclear power plants and weapon facilities, in airports, and at our nation’s
borders and ports; to uncover government waste, fraud, abuse, and in some cases
criminal conduct. The NSWBC is dedicated to aiding national security
whistleblowers through a variety of methods, including advocacy of governmental
and legal reform, educating the public concerning whistleblowing activity,
provision of comfort and fellowship to national security whistleblowers
suffering retaliation and other harms, and working with other public interest
organizations to affect goals defined in the NSWBC mission statement. For
more on NSWBC visit www.nswbc.org