Obama and Whistleblowers

As for revealing government secrets: from whom were they secrets? The fact that Americans were killing civilians was no secret in Iraq.

Courtesy: criminaljustice.change.org

(RICHMOND, R.I.) - As a presidential candidate, Barack Obama advocated greater protection for whistleblowers. But as President, Obama seems only interested in protecting whistleblowers with whom he agrees.

A woman who revealed illegal practices by the pharmaceutical manufacturer where she worked received an award of $96 million under the federal Whistleblower Law. (See the “60 Minutes” episode of Jan. 2, 2011 at www.cbs.com/primetime/60_minutes/.)

But a young Army private suspected of revealing a terrible war crime has been held in brutal solitary confinement since May 2010 by the Obama administration.

At 22, Pfc. Bradley Manning was suspected of being the whistleblower who gave WikiLeaks a “secret” video of American troops massacring Iraqis. Soldiers in Apache helicopters laughed and cheered as they killed unarmed Iraqi civilians. A wounded journalist who was trying to crawl to safety was shot again. Medical personnel who came to treat the wounded were also killed. Even children were shot (www.collateralmurder.com).

But instead of being outraged at this atrocity, government officials and many in the media directed their wrath at Bradley Manning.

Manning’s crime, if any, was his belief in (1) his oath to ”support and defend the Constitution of the United States” and (2) the principle of individual responsibility established at the Nuremburg trials.

As for revealing government secrets: from whom were they secrets? The fact that Americans were killing civilians was no secret in Iraq.

It was only supposed to be a secret from the American public!

Rod Driver is a former Rhode Island State Representative who lives in Richmond, R.I.