“I went all the way up the channels.”

August 21, 2013 7:44 AM

"President Obama, in his news conference this month, said that Edward Snowden was wrong to go public with revelations about secret surveillance programs because 'there were other avenues available for somebody whose conscience was stirred and thought that they needed to question government actions.' This is a common refrain among administration officials and some lawmakers: If only Snowden had made his concerns known through the proper internal channels, everything would have turned out well. But it’s a load of nonsense. Ask Gina Gray."
posted by Rory Marinich (4 comments total)

This nation consists of its people, and is here for the benefit of its people, not its government. Thus preventing the government from lying to its people cannot make one a traitor. This administration's punishment of whistleblowers is abhorrent.
posted by Aversion Therapy at 7:50 AM on August 21, 2013 [3 favorites]

If the Obama administration wants whistleblowers to take the “proper” route, it needs to protect them when they do.

or pay for the lawyer and give her a pack of back-pats. Should I ask Gina or Dana?

To draw a comparison to this "scandal" at Arlington with snowden is like the daughters of the confederacy bitching about how general Lees' nice house was turned into a cemetary.

anyone have a back story. I mean was Gina/Dana helped by anyone, did she really make the proper moves because scandal with war dead is scandalous thus one would expect it to recive a huge amount of coverage and outrage.
posted by clavdivs at 7:56 AM on August 21, 2013

Government is like HR: it exists to serve the company, not the individual. Never go to HR with your problem. In HR, YOU are the problem.

There are two methods for creating social change: practical & revolutionary. Practical is to climb the ladder until you are at the top, and can then dictate policy. However the relationships and obligations you made to get to the top will bind your hands. Revolutionary is to tear down the wall and take by force. If you're successful, you're on the winning side of history, if you're not successful, you're a nuisance who disturbed social order for no good reason.

Snowden was a brave dude. The US acting like they did just proves how insecure they feel.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 7:57 AM on August 21, 2013 [1 favorite]

So let me get this straight: Gina Gray goes through "the correct channels" and is then fired. She takes legal action, but has to drop the case because she can't afford the legal fees. She was trying to expose "wrongdoing at Arlington National Cemetery — misplaced graves, mishandled remains and financial mismanagement " which is something that seems like both parties would want exposed.

from the link:

Obama came into office pledging transparency and professing admiration for government workers who expose abuses. But his administration has pursued more cases under the 1917 Espionage Act than all previous administrations combined (including the prosecution of National Security Agency workers who tried to register their objections through “proper” channels).


This might be my biggest complaint about the president, although there are certainly other ways I feel let down.
posted by dubold at 7:59 AM on August 21, 2013 [1 favorite]