Federal Whistleblower Investigator Fired After Blowing the Whistle on Own Agency (opens in new tab)

(nbcbayarea.com)

198 pointswcbeard1010y ago21 comments

21 comments

And meanwhile the government is saying that Edward Snowden should have used official whistleblowing avenues instead of going public.

probablyfiction10y ago

While completely ignoring that contractors like Snowden have absolutely no whistleblower protections at all.

cryoshon10y ago

Yeah Hillary brought up the chestnut of seeking whistleblower protections in the most recent debate... nobody called her out on it.

1 more reply

logfromblammo10y ago

So the agency responsible for investigating claims regarding workplace health and safety matters, under the OSHA organizational umbrella, fired an employee for making claims regarding unethical work policies, which are now under investigation by a different agency, the Office of Special Counsel.

The umpire has reviewed the play: it is not irony. I repeat: it is not irony.

DiabloD310y ago

Under the original definition, it is not irony. Under the modern definition, it is rain on your wedding day.

nostromo10y ago

Irony is in the eye of the beholder since it hinges on the reader's expectations.

imglorp10y ago

Thanks, Alanis.

coldcode10y ago

Those responsible for sacking the people who have just been sacked, have been sacked.

code_sterling10y ago

It is indeed irony.

"a state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often amusing as a result."

I find it ironic that you didn't bother to check what irony means before becoming an irony umpire.

logfromblammo10y ago

Perhaps you would like to lodge a formal complaint against the Irony Assessment Office? It would, of course, have your full name and employee identification number on the form, so that we can be extra certain that we all know exactly who the rabble-rouser is that needs to be fired. Er, not fired, persecuted. Sorry. What I meant to say was "protected". Ignore those scare quotes.

It was a joke. Don't worry, I'll keep my day job (by knowing when to keep my mouth shut).

1 more reply

ccvannorman10y ago

Oh HN, you make my morning.

TeMPOraL10y ago

I'm going to just assume OSC is accurately portrayed by Person of Interest - they already know, and they'll shoot you if they find out you know too.

kbenson10y ago

Is this just re-reporting a past event? They even include a clip of Jon Stewart on the Daily Show talking about this specific event in the past. Is there any new information here, or is this just blogspam from a news channel in an actual TV news segment?

Synthpixel10y ago

Now he has been fired. The included Daily Show blurb consisted of him saying he'd probably be fired.

threatofrain10y ago

I think it's pretty obvious that protection can only go so far in whistleblowing. If you upset your superiors, they will not resist their humanity to keep you on. A law that says "you can't terminate that person" would be useless because employers can always find a reason to terminate.

What protection can be offered would be something like protection from prosecution. Protection from government nuisance. Protection from lawsuit.

Ygg210y ago

There is more to humanity than base impulse.

threatofrain10y ago

I agree that there sometimes exists philosopher kings and executives. But I also think it's a dice roll very much against the whistleblower's favor.

Animats10y ago

Some managers at OSHA need to be fired. Now. Names need to be named by the press.

We need much tougher labor law enforcement.

kelvin010y ago

This is so meta ...

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

21 comments

PaulAJ10y ago

And meanwhile the government is saying that Edward Snowden should have used official whistleblowing avenues instead of going public.

probablyfiction10y ago

While completely ignoring that contractors like Snowden have absolutely no whistleblower protections at all.

cryoshon10y ago

Yeah Hillary brought up the chestnut of seeking whistleblower protections in the most recent debate... nobody called her out on it.

1 more reply

logfromblammo10y ago

The umpire has reviewed the play: it is not irony. I repeat: it is not irony.

DiabloD310y ago

Under the original definition, it is not irony. Under the modern definition, it is rain on your wedding day.

nostromo10y ago

Irony is in the eye of the beholder since it hinges on the reader's expectations.

imglorp10y ago

Thanks, Alanis.

coldcode10y ago

Those responsible for sacking the people who have just been sacked, have been sacked.

code_sterling10y ago

It is indeed irony.

"a state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often amusing as a result."

I find it ironic that you didn't bother to check what irony means before becoming an irony umpire.

logfromblammo10y ago

It was a joke. Don't worry, I'll keep my day job (by knowing when to keep my mouth shut).

1 more reply

ccvannorman10y ago

Oh HN, you make my morning.

TeMPOraL10y ago

I'm going to just assume OSC is accurately portrayed by Person of Interest - they already know, and they'll shoot you if they find out you know too.

kbenson10y ago

Synthpixel10y ago

Now he has been fired. The included Daily Show blurb consisted of him saying he'd probably be fired.

threatofrain10y ago

What protection can be offered would be something like protection from prosecution. Protection from government nuisance. Protection from lawsuit.

Ygg210y ago

There is more to humanity than base impulse.

threatofrain10y ago

I agree that there sometimes exists philosopher kings and executives. But I also think it's a dice roll very much against the whistleblower's favor.

Animats10y ago

Some managers at OSHA need to be fired. Now. Names need to be named by the press.

We need much tougher labor law enforcement.

kelvin010y ago

This is so meta ...

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse