OMNI NEWSLETTER #7,
JUNE 24, 2013, ON WHISTLEBLOWERS, FOR A CULTURE OF PEACE AND JUSTICE. Compiled by Dick Bennett for a Culture of
Peace and Justice (#1 Oct. 21, 2011; #2 Dec. 12, 2011; #3 January 31,
2012; #4 Sept. 12, 2012; $5, March 29, 2013; #6, May 22, 2013). “A people who mean to be their own Governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.” James Madison. OMNI’s endowed fund at UA’s Mullins Library for the purchase of books and films on Victims includes books and films on corporations and on resistance to
My blog: The War Department and Peacemaking
Newsletters:
Index:
See: Wikileaks, Assange, and Manning
Newsletters.#3 AND #4 ARE BELOW. For 1 and 2 see newsletter url just above.
Contents
of #5
Wikipedia Whistleblowers
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Glenn Greenwald | On Whistleblowers and
Government Threats of Investigation
Glenn Greenwald, GuardianUK , June 8, 2013, Reader Supported News
Greenwald writes: "No healthy democracy can endure when the most consequential acts of those in power remain secret and unaccountable."
READ MORE http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/424-national-security/17832-on-whistleblowers-and-government-threats-of-investigation
Glenn Greenwald, Guardian
Greenwald writes: "No healthy democracy can endure when the most consequential acts of those in power remain secret and unaccountable."
READ MORE http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/424-national-security/17832-on-whistleblowers-and-government-threats-of-investigation
EDWARD
SNOWDEN
Edward
Snowden comes forward as source of NSA leaks.
Washington Post
A stunning
revelation
Current and former U.S.
intelligence officials said the revelation of Snowden’s role in the leaks will
lead to a sweeping reexamination of security measures at the CIA and the NSA,
and they described his decision to come forward as a stunning conclusion to a
week of disclosures that rattled the intelligence community.
Timeline of surveillance
A timeline of surveillance in the United States from 2001 to 2013:
from the Patriot Act to the PRISM program.
Special Report
Who is Edward Snowden?
The NSA contractor “wanted
to expose the “surveillance state.”
Hong Kong seen as unlikely refuge for ex-NSA contractor
behind leaks
Justice Department could
request extradition of self-declared leaker, according to treaty.
From obscurity to notoriety, Snowden took an unusual path
Daniel Ellsberg praises
NSA leaker while others condemn him for revealing surveillance programs.
What you need to know about Booz Allen Hamilton
An employee at the center
of the NSA leak controversy casts spotlight on government mega-contractor.
“This is
significant on a number of fronts: the scope, the range. It’s major, it’s
major,” said John Rizzo, a former general counsel of the CIA who worked at the
agency for decades. “And then to have him out himself . . . I can’t think of any previous leak
case involving a CIA officer where the officer raised his
hand and said, ‘I’m the guy.’ ” MORE:
SIGN
THANKS TO EDWARD SNOWDEN
House Speaker John Boehner calls Edward Snowden a
"traitor." We certainly disagree.
More than 40,000 have already signed our petition! If you're one of them, please forward this to at least five friends. If you haven't signed yet please Thank Edward Snowden Now. And then forward this to your friends.
Our country is in the midst of a
struggle between the growing surveillance state and our precious civil
liberties. Now a
whistleblower has boldly stepped forward to expose the National Security
Agency’s vast spying on our phone records and online communications.[1]
To sign a petition thanking NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, and to see a video of him, click here. Any employee of the surveillance state who helps the public understand the magnitude of the spying has been targeted for vengeful punishment. Edward Snowden’s bravery is demonstrated not only by risking so much to expose the growth of Big Brother -- he has also chosen to publicly identify himself as the whistleblower. Explaining his actions, the 29-year-old computer expert said: “I can't in good conscience allow the Let Edward Snowden know that we thank him for acting so courageously in the public interest. We’ll send the petition of thanks, including comments, directly to him. To stand with this brave young man, please forward this email far and wide. -- The RootsAction.org team P.S. RootsAction is an independent online force endorsed by Jim Hightower, Barbara Ehrenreich, Cornel West, Daniel Ellsberg, Glenn Greenwald, Naomi Klein, Bill Fletcher Jr., Laura Flanders, former U.S. Senator James Abourezk, Coleen Rowley, Frances Fox Piven, and many others. Footnotes: 1. NSA Collecting Phone Records of Millions; NSA Prism Program Taps in to User Data, Guardian, June 6. 2. Edward Snowden: The Whistleblower, Guardian, June 9. |
Co-Creating Our World: The way we co-create is to
support people who have come forward from within the system to challenge the
paradigm in power in order to make positive change. We support these
whistleblowers by words, actions and financially. By supporting the
whistleblowers we help them to make their point as well as emotional
sustenance. Additionally, by supporting whistleblowers, we create an
environment that is more conducive & supportive for more potential people
to speak truth to power. This is the way that we can make reform.
Below are petitions for Edward Snowden and articles about Snowden & the NSA
Files.
~Sue
Pardon Edward
Snowden https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/pardon-edward-snowden/Dp03vGYD Created: Jun 09, 2013
Edward Snowden is a national hero
and should be immediately issued a a full, free, and absolute pardon for any
crimes he has committed or may have committed related to blowing the whistle on
secret NSA surveillance programs.
Daniel
Ellsberg On Edward Snowden: 'He Made The Right Choice' (VIDEO) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/13/daniel-ellsberg-edward-snowden_n_3438431.html Also see the PRISM Town
Hall meeting (link in this article)
Edward Snowden: A Modern-Day Daniel
Ellsberg, Except for One Key Difference
NSA puts Tea Party at ease: “We just like to watch” http://www.chicagonow.com/fluffington-post/2013/06/nsa-spying-program-tea-party-333/ Fluffington Post
Edward
Snowden, NSA files source: 'If they want to get you, in time they will'
Source for the Guardian's NSA files on
why he carried out the biggest intelligence leak in a generation – and what
comes next
'Tip
of the Iceberg': Senators Warn Far More Data May Not Be Safe
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/06/13-0
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/06/13-0
Chris
Pyle, Whistleblower on Domestic Spying in 70s, Says Be Wary of Attacks on NSA’s
Critics
http://www.commondreams.org/video/2013/06/13
http://www.commondreams.org/video/2013/06/13
Christopher
H. Pyle: Edward Snowden and the Real Issues
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/06/13-4
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/06/13-4
****************************************************
Views...
Norman
Solomon: Clarity from Edward Snowden and Murky Response from Progressive
Leaders in Congress
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/06/13
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/06/13
Amy
Goodman: Terror Bytes: Edward Snowden and the Architecture of Oppression
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/06/13-3
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/06/13-3
Robert
Shetterly:Edward Snowden: The Asymmetry of Courage
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/06/13-6
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/06/13-6
News
& Views | 06.12.13
Featured...
Subhankar
Banerjee: Edward Snowden, Resistance and Inverted Totalitarianism
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/06/12
Headlines...
Snowden
Claims
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/06/12-1
NSA
Surveillance Played Little Role in Foiling Terror Plots, Experts Say
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/06/12-6
****************************************************
Video...
Edward
Snowden and the NSA Leaks: A Debate With Chris Hedges & Law Scholar
Geoffrey Stone
http://www.commondreams.org/video/2013/06/12
****************************************************
Allison
Kilkenny: Protesters Worldwide Rally to Support Whistleblower Edward Snowden
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/06/12-10
Thomas
Drake: Snowden Saw What I Saw: Surveillance Criminally Subverting the
Constitution
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/06/12-11 |
|
Breaking News & Views for the Progressive
Community.
Independent, non-profit newscenter since 1997. Our www.commondreams.org |
|
GOOGLE SEARCH, JUNE 23, 2013.
1.
News for Edward Snowden leaker
whistleblower
1.
Whistleblower Edward
Snowden flies to
Moscow
Telegraph.co.uk - by Malcolm Moore - 2 hours agoEdward Snowden has left Hong Kong and
flown to Moscow on a commercial flight on the ... Whistleblower Edward
Snowden flies to Moscow .
2.
Feds file espionage charges against NSA whistle-blower Edward
SnowdenNew York Daily News - 1 day ago
Daily Mail - 2 days ago
2.
Edward Snowden NSA: Guardian Reveals Identity Of Whistleblower ...
Jun 9, 2013 – The whistleblower responsible for
providing The Guardian with ... The Guardian wrote that
it was publishing Edward Snowden's identity at his request: ... as the administration
has done to an unprecedented number of leakers.
3.
Edward Snowden, NSA Whistleblower, Says He Acted Out Of ...
Jun 10, 2013 – Edward Snowden, NSA Whistleblower, Reveals Himself As LeakBehind Prism Documents. Edward Snowden, a former technical worker
at the ...Is NSA Leaker Edward Snowden a True Whistleblower? - US News ...
6 days ago – Is the NSA leaker a whistleblower or a political activist?
4.
Analysis: Why Edward Snowden isn't a whistleblower, legally ...
5 days ago – Ever since Edward Snowden revealed himself as the leaker of classified... For starters, the
general whistleblower laws apply to
government ...
5.
NSA Leaker Edward Snowden: Is He a 'Whistle-Blower?' - ABC Newsabcnews.go.com › US
Jun 11, 2013 – Before he was labeled a
"hero" or a "traitor," Ed Snowden, the intelligence contractor
who leaked the details of a secret
domestic data mining ...
6.
Edward Snowden: 'Leaker,'
'source' or 'whistleblower'?
www.washingtonpost.com/.../edward-snowden-leaker-source-or-whistleblo...
Jun 10, 2013 – More: “Snowden will go down in history
as one of America 's
most consequential whistleblowers, alongside Daniel
Ellsberg and Bradley ...
7.
NSA whistle-blower revealed as Edward Snowden, 29-year-old ex ...news.yahoo.com/.../snowden-nsa-leak-whistleblower-cia-20424...
Jun 9, 2013 – From the blog The
Ticket: The source of the intelligence leaks that revealed the National
Security Agency's massive domestic surveillance ...
8.
NSA whistleblower
Snowden's extradition
could be lengthy legal ...
www.nydailynews.com/.../extradition-nsa-whistleblower-years-experts-artic...
23 hours ago – NSA whistleblower Edward
Snowden, who is reportedly in hiding ...Edward Snowden, a former contract
employee at the NSA who leaked top ...
9.
Transcript: Today's Live Q&A With NSA Leaker, Edward Snowden ...
6 days ago – The NSA leaker, Edward Snowden, pictured in a
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BRIDGING
THE GAP (sUMMER 2013). “eXECUTIVE
dIRECTOR’S cORNER: a nOTE FROM bEA eDWARDS.”
Describes
attacks on whistleblowers during the past year and appeals for a democratic
balance of citizen privacy, corporate money, the courts, and government
secrecy.--Dick
GOVERNMENT
ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT
Protecting Corporate,
Government & International Whistleblowers since 1977
GAP Files Supreme Court Amicus as Detained, Tortured
Whistleblowers take on Rumsfeld
by Melissa Koven on April 02, 2013 ( The
Whistleblogger / 2013
) [A version of this article
appeared in Bridging the Gap (Summer
2013). It adds this important
sentence: “The case. . .may be the
greatest chance to hold [Rumsfeld] accountable for steps taken during the Iraq
War. –Dick]
On March 11, 2013,
GAP filed an amicus brief in support of a petition for certiorari to the Supreme Court in the case of Vance v. Rumsfeld.
Petitioners Donald Vance and Nathan Ertel are U.S.
citizens who worked as private security contractors in Iraq . Beginning in 2005, they
witnessed corruption by U.S.
and Iraqi officials and, from October 2005 until April 2006, reported these
abuses to the FBI. When U.S.
officials learned in April 2006 that Vance and Ertel had blown the whistle, the
two were arrested and held at a U.S.
military prison in Iraq .
Vance was imprisoned
for more than
three months, and Ertel for six weeks. During that time, the U.S. military detained them incommunicado
in solitary confinement and subjected to enhanced interrogation techniques (aka torture), which then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld had approved for use
against detainees. Specifically, Vance and Ertel were not permitted to
sleep, kept in extremely cold cells, forced to listen to loud music, deprived
of food and water, denied medical care, hooded, slammed into walls, and
threatened. After their torture and detention for months at hands of our
government, the military eventually released them without charge. Vance and
Ertel brought a lawsuit for damages against the officials responsible for their
torture.
In November 2012, the
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit dismissed the suit
holding that U.S.
citizens are not entitled to bring constitutional damages claims against
military officials. On Feb. 5, 2013, Loevy & Loevy, a Chicago-based civil
rights law firm representing Vance and Ertel, submitted a petition for certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court.
GAP submitted an amicus brief – prepared in conjunction with the Emory Law
School Supreme Court Advocacy Project and signed by seven other organizations –
urging the high Court to grant the petition.
The brief points out the dangers in refusing to permit
individual-capacity actions. Primarily, it argues that the Seventh Circuit
decision leaves U.S.
citizens – working abroad or at home – with no means of redress if the
government tortures them, thereby granting the military absolute immunity.
Given other federal statutes in place, the Seventh Circuit’s decision also
means that U.S.
citizens who are tortured would have less access to judicial review than
non-citizens. The brief warns that if civilians are not afforded adequate
judicial protections, they may choose not to serve their country abroad as
military contractors. It notes that the United States relies heavily upon
contractors and cannot afford to create such a disincentive. Finally, GAP’s
brief argues that overturning the
Seventh’s Circuit decision will reinforce the military’s adherence to the
Constitution and ensure military discipline.
Melissa Koven is National
Security & Human Rights Counsel for the Government Accountability Project,
the nation's leading whistleblower protection and advocacy
organization
Contents of #3 Jan. 31, 2012
GAP: Government Accountability Project
Employment Law Group
FDA Illegal Surveillance of Whistleblowers
Contents of #4
GAP: Government Accountability Project
Sirota: Executive Branch War on Whistleblowers
John Kiriakou
Kiriakou’s Book, Reluctant Spy
Pentagon Fails Its Whistleblowers
Hedges: Obama versus Whistleblowers
Public Citizen
NSA
Misc. via Google
Here is the link to all OMNI
newsletters: http://www.omnicenter.org/newsletter-archive/
END WHISTLEBLOWERS NEWSLETTER #7
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