An Anti-Whistleblower Culture

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http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/12/20/us/politics/AP-US-Pentagon-Whistleblower-Retaliation.html

A Marine Corps whistleblower says military officials are trying to force him from his job for exposing failures to deliver lifesaving equipment to troops in Iraq.

Franz Gayl, a senior civilian employee, alleges a series of punitive actions that underscore the challenges President Barack Obama faces in fulfilling a campaign pledge to treat federal whistleblowers as patriots instead of pariahs.

Public interest groups cheered Obama's promise. But Gayl's case points to the difficulty of transforming a culture, particularly within the military, where whistleblowers often are viewed with contempt.

''That is going to be hard to change,'' said Patrice McDermott, director of OpenTheGovernment.org. ''But the reality is, whistleblowers will have an improved situation over what they've had for the last eight years.''

(snip)
Months before turning over the study to Biden, Gayl had been telling Biden's office and other lawmakers, including Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., about what he said were serious flaws in the acquisition system that kept needed gear from getting to the troops.

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