Whistleblower Protection Bill Inadequate (Sibel Edmonds/NSWBC)

[cascadiance]

Here's a press release from Sibel Edmonds and the NSWBC commenting on the lack of protection for security whistleblowers in the broader whistleblower protection bill just passed by House Government Reform Committee.

Article gives some people to call on this topic. I would also add comments while your calling them to make sure that these folks also know that you want Sibel Edmonds' case heard by the Supreme Court too. The more they know this is an issue, the more they'll feel this is an important issue that they need to keep in mind when hearing about the Harriet Mieirs recommendation.

Whistleblower Protection Bill Inadequate
Does not include National Security employees

by National Security Whistleblowers Coalition

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- (OfficialWire) -- 10/19/05 -- On September 29, by a vote of 34–1, the House Government Reform Committee approved H.R. 3097 (formerly H.R. 1317), the Federal Employee Protection of Disclosures Act. The bill is set to strengthen whistleblower protections for federal employees and expand coverage to federal contract employees and airport screeners; however, the bill does not protect employees at intelligence agencies or the FBI.

A proposed amendment to add such protections was struck down, and the bill will go to the full House without this important addition. Committee Chairman Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA) and Rep. Todd Platts (R-PA) led opposition to the amendment, claiming they didn’t know enough about the issue to vote on it. Despite this "lack of knowledge," the National Security Whistleblowers Coalition was repeatedly refused a hearing to explain why national security employees need full whistleblower protections.

Sibel Edmonds, president and founder of the Coalition, has emphasized that the failure to protect national security whistleblowers "damages everyone’s civil liberties because it invites greater repressive action by the government on its employees, which limits effectiveness in the national security area," putting everyone at risk. To learn more, see the Federal Times (October 5, 2005) article and visit the National Security Whistleblowers Coalition website.

...

http://www.cafepress.com/sibel

[texpatriot2004]

1. Sibel is right. n.t