Common Dreams: The Portrait of a Whistleblower
John Kiriakou was featured in a GAP event last night at Busboys & Poets in Washington DC. As part of the event, a new portrait of the whistleblower (shown in link), painted by artist Robert Shetterly, was unveiled in a moving display of support for his actions. A video of the event will be online soon.
This masthead editorial argues that CIA/Torture whistleblower John Kiriakou should not suffer alone, and that the Obama administration has a long way to go to fulfill the promise of a “new era of open government,” including, among other information, access to the drone-war legal brief.
Releated Articles: Fire Dog Lake, Huffington Post
Reuters: U.S. NTSB Reviewing Whistleblower Claims in 787 Case
An employee at an Arizonan contractor for Boeing 787 parts has come out, saying he was fired six years ago after assessing that manufactured lithium-ion batteries for the aircraft were unfit for shipment. Boeing has been forced to ground fifty of its new 787 airplanes worldwide because of reports of volatile batteries. The National Transportation Safety Board is now revisiting the whistleblower's case after authorities from the US, Japan and France have reported two separate battery failures this month.
Opelika-Auburn News: American Whistleblower Tour Returns to Auburn
GAP's American Whistleblower Tour prepares for a return to Auburn University next Thursday. The stop will feature whistleblowers Jon Oberg, who will speak about fraud in the student loan system and Frank Casey who began the unraveling of the Bernie Madoff ponzi scheme.
Key Quote: Sarah Stanwick, an associate professor in Auburn’s School of Accountancy, said “Whistleblowers highlight the importance of both individual ethics and institutional accountability. As educators of the next generation of accounting experts, we are thrilled to be included in the “Whistleblower Tour,” so our students and faculty can hear firsthand from individuals who have exposed fraud and gain from our combined efforts to promote professional responsibility.”
Food Safety News: Proposal to Label Mechanically Tenderized Meat Remains Under Review at OMB
The USDA's proposed rule (drafted in 2009) to label mechanically tenderized beef products is now under extended review at the White House Office of Management and Budget. GAP and other groups sent a letter to the USDA last year calling on the agency to move forward on the measure, due to safety concerns.
The Iowa Republican: Leahy, Grassley Introduce Legislation to Protect Whistleblowers in Criminal Antitrust Cases
Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt) and Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) introduced bipartisan legislation earlier this week to enhance protections for Department of Justice whistleblowers revealing information about criminal antitrust violations. The legislation comes as an extension to a similar anti-trust related whistleblower statute released by the same senators in 2002.
Jack Davis is Communications Associate for the Government Accountability Project, the nation's leading whistleblower protection and advocacy organization.
