General Discussion

DFab420

(2,466 posts) Wed Nov 28, 2012, 05:11 PM Nov 2012

President Obama signs law protecting federal whistleblowers.

http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2012/11/president-obama-signs-law-upgrading-whistleblower-protections

When it comes to protecting whistleblowers, President Obama's track record has been fairly bleak. In his first term, he trampled over them on his quest to aggressively prosecute government leakers. But Obama's legacy on the issue may have changed on Tuesday when he signed a law called the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act, a far-reaching bill that affords federal whistleblowers a host of new safeguards.

I was curious about this and hadn't seen anyone here talking about it. Sorry if its a repost.

17 replies

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President Obama signs law protecting federal whistleblowers. (Original Post) DFab420 Nov 2012 OP

WOW! Wind Dancer Nov 2012 #1

Why would it get attention when Glenn Beck is dipping things in pee and every other post is about DFab420 Nov 2012 #7

Despite some honest whistle-blower good intentions, it seems reasonable to speculate that patrice Nov 2012 #2

Good. Now he can pardon Bradley Manning Tierra_y_Libertad Nov 2012 #3

I don't think you should hold your breath MineralMan Nov 2012 #4

That would be a good start... Magoo48 Nov 2012 #5

Except leaking classified army documents to online entities is capital offense..not whistleblowing. DFab420 Nov 2012 #9

So? That doesn't prevent Obama from pardoning him. Tierra_y_Libertad Nov 2012 #15

Doesn't cover those employees of businesses that get govt contracts. cpamomfromtexas Nov 2012 #6

Pretty sure there are whistleblowing laws protecting private employees DFab420 Nov 2012 #11

President Signs Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act (WPEA) ProSense Nov 2012 #8

Well of course YOU posted something about it haha DFab420 Nov 2012 #14

Google: Bradley Manning. Fire Walk With Me Nov 2012 #10

Google: Espionage Act of 1917 DFab420 Nov 2012 #12

Or: Article 134 of the UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice) DFab420 Nov 2012 #13

Presidential hypocrisy regarding torture and indefinite detention and whistleblower support promises Fire Walk With Me Nov 2012 #17

I heard that on Democracy Now! upi402 Nov 2012 #16

Wind Dancer

(3,618 posts)

1. WOW!

Reply to DFab420 (Original post)

Wed Nov 28, 2012, 05:26 PM

Nov 2012

This is great news! I'm surprised it's not getting more attention here.

K & R

DFab420

(2,466 posts)

7. Why would it get attention when Glenn Beck is dipping things in pee and every other post is about

Reply to Wind Dancer (Reply #1)

Wed Nov 28, 2012, 08:22 PM

Nov 2012

Susan Rice.

I mean honestly the top GD threads at this moment are:

1. Rice
2. Rice and Benghazi
3. Alan Grayson (YAY)
4. RICE
5. Some bullshit article about Obama capitulating again
6. Matt Taibbi
7. Porn star
8. Gulf of Mexico
9. VA-GOV story
10. RICE
11. Vibrators....

[IMG][/IMG]

patrice

(47,992 posts)

2. Despite some honest whistle-blower good intentions, it seems reasonable to speculate that

Reply to DFab420 (Original post)

Wed Nov 28, 2012, 05:32 PM

Nov 2012

the whole BushCo environment, which PO entered, would have basically been akin to the Wild West, perhaps even with some whistle-blowers stepping on legal conditions of what could have been the productive effects of other whistle-blowers. Step #1 in trying to bring to effective result from anything that might have been good information coming out of all of those "mavericks" would have been to bring the situation into somekind of stasis, discipline, so that authentic government reform would have a chance to honor the good info by sifting it out of the not-so-good info, outright bad info, or even what could be quick-draw whistle-blowers, produced by a de facto un-regulated environment in which there had to have been at least some CYA going on that manifests as whistle-blowing on whistle-blowers, that is, whistle-blowing squared, or even cubed.

Tierra_y_Libertad

(50,414 posts)

3. Good. Now he can pardon Bradley Manning

Reply to DFab420 (Original post)

Wed Nov 28, 2012, 05:33 PM

Nov 2012

MineralMan

(146,318 posts)

4. I don't think you should hold your breath

Reply to Tierra_y_Libertad (Reply #3)

Wed Nov 28, 2012, 05:35 PM

Nov 2012

on that one. Truly.

Magoo48

(4,717 posts)

5. That would be a good start...

Reply to Tierra_y_Libertad (Reply #3)

Wed Nov 28, 2012, 05:46 PM

Nov 2012

DFab420

(2,466 posts)

9. Except leaking classified army documents to online entities is capital offense..not whistleblowing.

Reply to Tierra_y_Libertad (Reply #3)

Wed Nov 28, 2012, 08:30 PM

Nov 2012

I mean in all seriousness what Bradley Manning did was the right thing to do, and the way he's treated is abhorrent but lets not pretend what he did is the same as what people who came forward with facts that tobacco companies knew they were killing people..Because they aren't.

Manning was a soldier in our army and used his position to leak thousands of classified documents to a foreign media outlet..

Do you really think he didn't know he was going to be held and tried?

Tierra_y_Libertad

(50,414 posts)

15. So? That doesn't prevent Obama from pardoning him.

Reply to DFab420 (Reply #9)

Wed Nov 28, 2012, 10:04 PM

Nov 2012

cpamomfromtexas

(1,247 posts)

6. Doesn't cover those employees of businesses that get govt contracts.

Reply to DFab420 (Original post)

Wed Nov 28, 2012, 06:15 PM

Nov 2012

DFab420

(2,466 posts)

11. Pretty sure there are whistleblowing laws protecting private employees

Reply to cpamomfromtexas (Reply #6)

Wed Nov 28, 2012, 08:34 PM

Nov 2012

But I could be wrong

ProSense

(116,464 posts)

8. President Signs Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act (WPEA)

Reply to DFab420 (Original post)

Wed Nov 28, 2012, 08:25 PM

Nov 2012

President Signs Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act (WPEA)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021890422

DFab420

(2,466 posts)

14. Well of course YOU posted something about it haha

Reply to ProSense (Reply #8)

Wed Nov 28, 2012, 08:38 PM

Nov 2012

But it seems no one else cares about the good things again...

Only took a month this time around..

Setting records here.

Fire Walk With Me

(38,893 posts)

10. Google: Bradley Manning.

Reply to DFab420 (Original post)

Wed Nov 28, 2012, 08:32 PM

Nov 2012

DFab420

(2,466 posts)

12. Google: Espionage Act of 1917

Reply to Fire Walk With Me (Reply #10)

Wed Nov 28, 2012, 08:36 PM

Nov 2012

DFab420

(2,466 posts)

13. Or: Article 134 of the UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice)

Reply to Fire Walk With Me (Reply #10)

Wed Nov 28, 2012, 08:37 PM

Nov 2012

Fire Walk With Me

(38,893 posts)

17. Presidential hypocrisy regarding torture and indefinite detention and whistleblower support promises

Reply to DFab420 (Reply #13)

Thu Nov 29, 2012, 12:16 AM

Nov 2012

Hell☠Fawkin☠Bound ?@HellFawker

UN Special Rapporteur on Torture: US violated international law over Manning http://fb.me/2dVTE8e60

This is what he gets for revealing the truth about Bush's war crimes.

upi402

(16,854 posts)

16. I heard that on Democracy Now!

Reply to DFab420 (Original post)

Wed Nov 28, 2012, 10:05 PM

Nov 2012

Maybe Thom Hartmann, not sure - but was very happy to learn of it!!!

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