(a remembrance of the folks who were smeared and punished for crossing the Bush admin.)
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/6226What Fate Awaits NSA Spying Whistleblower
Submitted by davidswanson on Sun, 2006-01-01 12:59. By David Swanson
Can there be any doubt that if the White House finds out who leaked the story of its illegal spying, fierce retribution will follow?
<snip>
And let us recall what became of General Eric Shinseki, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, who dared to accurately predict how many troops would be needed to occupy Iraq. Defense Department officials leaked the name of his replacement 14 months before his retirement, rendering him a lame duck commander and embarrassing and neutralizing the Army's top officer.
We should also bring back to mind the fate of Major General John Riggs. He told the Baltimore Sun that the Army needed at least another 10,000 soldiers because it was being stretched too thin between Iraq and Afghanistan. General George W. Casey told Riggs to "stay in your lane" and not discuss the troops. Riggs
retired and was denied his full rank, officially for "minor infractions."
<snip>
We can't forget former Secretary of the Treasury Paul O'Neill. He was punished twice by the Bush Administration, once for opposing Bush's tax policy, for which he was forced to resign in January 2003, and later for providing a first hand account of the Administration's decision-making process in the lead up to the Iraq war. The Administration sought to discredit him by launching an investigation into his use of classified documents and whether he shared them with 60 Minutes in his interviews. The investigation did not uncover any improprieties. The White House also sought to discredit O'Neill through numerous anonymous comments in the press.
..many more..