Slashdot Mirror
Wiretap Whistleblower, a Life in Limbo?
Newsweek has an interesting report on Thomas M. Tamm, the individual who blew the whistle on the Federal Government's warrantless wiretaps. The piece takes a look at some of the circumstances leading up to the disclosure and what has happened since. "After the raid, Justice Department prosecutors encouraged Tamm to plead guilty to a felony for disclosing classified information — an offer he refused. More recently, Agent Lawless, a former prosecutor from Tennessee, has been methodically tracking down Tamm's friends and former colleagues. The agent and a partner have asked questions about Tamm's associates and political meetings he might have attended, apparently looking for clues about his motivations for going to the press, according to three of those interviewed."
Indeed. We have to have more public oversight and judgement on what exactly are "matters of national security".
We also need stronger anonymous protection of whistleblowers and journalists who choose to let their sources remain anonymous so long as the whistleblower had reason to believe that the goverment(or corporation etc.) was involved in illegal activity.
Ideally, we should disband our intelligence services and rebuild them with much more oversight(as for the Department of "Homeland Security", we should tear it down and leave it that way). The FBI are pissing away astonishing amounts of money and resources for what is essentially a "takes a crook to catch a crook" racket which is stinking drunk from its own unchecked power. If they want to question the whistleblower with a lawyer present, fine...but they shouldn't be threatening his friends and family busting down doors while decked out in combat gear.
Thankfully, with Obama in charge things may or may not change for the better, but at least they won't get any worse. Shame on those of you who voted for the senile puppet McCain and his Brunette Barbie doll Sarah Palin.