Why don't whistle blowers post at DU?

[BuyingThyme]

You'd think it would be an easy solution to big problems. One could perhaps go to an internet cafe and just dump something on us in an effort to protect us from an out-of-control executive.

Why have I never heard of something like this happening? What keeps would-be NSA or CIA whistle blowers from using this forum to protect our freedoms?

[NanceGreggs]

1. Good thought ...

... and while they're at it, 'dump' their information simultaneously on all Dem, Liberal and progressive websites ... the more it's out there, the more attention it gets.

[rzemanfl]

2. An anonymous post to DU, where people use Sponge Bob

Squarepants avatars (not that there is anything wrong with that, despite his sexual orientation) is not going to shake things up. When the New York Times sits on stories for 14 months to accomodate the Administration, where does one whistle to if they have something to whistle about?

[stop the bleeding]

4. see this link from bradblog.com -sorry was try to post to original

Sibel Edmonds Calls for National Security Officials to Step Forward as Whistleblowers

...Now is the time to come forward, not to reveal legitimately classified information, but to make yourselves available as witnesses and to serve the true supervisor of us all: the Constitution. Ordinarily one would expect the congress to be the guardian of our freedom by living up to its storied role as a check and balance to the President and the Executive Branch. But for four years, members of our Congress in supposed oversight committees were aware of illegal spying on American citizens. Co-opted by an unscrupulous commitment to secrecy and the state, intelligence oversight committees in Congress must step out of the way for a People’s hearing on the matter of presidentially ordered illegal surveillance. Congress must engage in a broad, public hearing of these matters.

Accountability, in the end, always comes down to the public’s right to know, the right to have the most basic knowledge about what its servants are doing with its money and its authority. Ambassador Maxwell Taylor, when asked what he thought about the public’s right to know of what the government is doing on its behalf, infamously responded the he did not “believe in that as a general rule.” Fortunately, that is not a general rule that comports with our system of government. Citizens cannot make informed choices if they do not have the facts. Public servants should not be forced to choose between career and conscience, between commitment to oath and commitment to colleagues, and if we live by our words, laws, and principles they will not have to. Protecting all employees of the People are that:



Their higher loyalty is to the Constitution and the rule of law;


Information may never be classified as secret merely because it is embarrassing or incriminating, or to cover up criminal and unlawful conduct;


more here:

http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00002211.htm

Give Mommy a Kiss....."

[BuyingThyme]

5. This is what prompted me to ask.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

24. Past the graveyard.... sorry :)

[stop the bleeding]

3. You guys are forgetting about the "Illegal wiretaps and data mining"

Jeeezzzeee Laaaawwweeeezzzzeeee

just kidding...

:eyes: I really don't why people wouldn't, who knows there could be one lurking :tinfoilhat: right now:hide:


Wake up America time to IMPEACH!

[0007]

6. How do you know they don't?

[BuyingThyme]

8. I'm talking about

the kind of stuff we would all be familiar with. News-making stuff.

[LittleClarkie]

11. The problem with the internets

is that anyone can say they are anyone, and the rest of us are free to say "yeah, right, sure you are".

That's probably why.

[BuyingThyme]

14. But if you really had the goods, you could probably make the case.

For instance, if one knew Robert Novak's story, s/he could probably put it to words in a way that DUers could sink their teeth into.

It think it's more about the details than about the source.

You're right; if somebody says they're CIA or NSA, nobody's gonna bite unless there's much more to it.

[QuettaKid]

33. you got that right...I read one the other day

from a woman who "works at the NSA"......from what I could gather, she seemed to be a legit poster with a history, a trusted member of the board. but really, if you worked there, would you post it online? btw, she said that the rank and file worker bees at the NSA were LIVID about the bush spying and said it was way, way worse than what we have heard. obviously.

[0007]

12. Richard A. Clarke is doing it through fiction.

His new book, "The Scorpion's Gate"

Sometimes yu can tell more truth through fiction.

[rosesaylavee]

7. Here is someone who posted on DU this afternoon...

not sure what qualifies as a whistle blower - I think this Brit was just interested in the information getting out into the world and not suppressed by Blair-bots. I think he posted to DU first and then Kos and Brad Blog...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=5711124

[BuyingThyme]

9. Right on. I know nothing about this, but

...right on.

[rosesaylavee]

10. I was impressed too. This is some place we got ourselves here. n/t

[Cleita]

13. That poster has been posting interesting stuff for a long

time at DU.

[BuyingThyme]

15. Got any good links?

[Cleita]

16. No, I don't keep much unless it's really an item I want.

Do a search. You should bring up his threads.

[stop the bleeding]

17. try this

www.chris-floyd.com

beter link here:

http://www.chris-floyd.com/telegrams/feed /

dutchdemocrat is the webmaster for this site and they do an amazing amount of work - I highly reccomend adding it to your favorites.


Give Mommy a Kiss....."

[BuyingThyme]

18. Maybe we need a whistle blowers' forum.

It will sit empty, just waiting for the right person to come along. It can be accessed via it's own little icon atop every DU page.

It will act as an open invitation, encouraging action from those who wish to do the right thing. People will come to know DU as the place to come to get it done.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

19. I wish we had an official whistleblowers thread... I really do. I could

do some whistling myself.

[BuyingThyme]

20. So, how do we

make it so?

[HysteryDiagnosis]

23. Ask the mods to start a forum called Generally Disgusted rather

than General Discussion and we can air our dirty laundry there....

[rman]

28. well, we do have a whistleblowers forum:

Sibel Edmonds and other Whistleblowers Group
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=344

[HysteryDiagnosis]

35. I guess I didn't know.... thanks!

[sniffa]

21. my neighbor is steaLing cabLe

[BuyingThyme]

22. Now we're getting somewhere.

[BuyingThyme]

25. ..

[NorthELiberal]

26. Given the type of discourse that goes on on message boards...

in general......... it could hurt their credibility..... although I think their could be/are some notable exceptions

[rman]

27. Actually i think some do

But blowing the whistle on an internet forum -where anyone can post anything- would not be very effective because of lack of credibility.

[Buns_of_Fire]

29. Indeed. After all, I am the Queen of England and I know these things.

Like it or not, we are beholden to the published journalists with credentials and other verified news items.

I am the Queen of England,
I like to sing and dance
And if you don't believe me,
I'll punch you in your pants

Convinced yet? Good. Then I've got a really juicy tidbit about Charles and Camilla...

[alcibiades_mystery]

30. Because they want to be taken seriously?

:shrug:

[BuyingThyme]

31. Where do the serious ones go?

(The ones who fear the government and don't trust the CM.)

[alcibiades_mystery]

32. Wherever they go, it's certainly not here

I mean, seriously. This board is fun and all, and a good resource for certain things, but it is the last place I'd go if I was a whistleblower and wanted to retain even a shred of credibility. You must know that, right?

[BuyingThyme]

34. Where on the internet would you go to post

data and evidence?

I'm not trying to make a case for DU, I'm just wondering.

[crispini]

36. You wouldn't.

You'd take it to the best legit journo you could think of (I know, ha ha), and/or to the DA or some prosecutorial type.

[rman]

37. except that they sometimes do:

UK Secrecy Act Muffled Torture Docs Sent to DU'er - HERE
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=5711124&mesg_id=5711124

[Taxloss]

38. Because no one would pay any attention.

It couldn't be verified. The entire point of whistleblowing is that it isn't anonymous on a certain level - someone, usually a journalist, knows that you're genuine. So you get listened to. Sure, you could create a DU account from an internet cafe and spill your secrets, but all you'd get would be a bunch of posts saying "Amazing!" and "Damn Shrub!" and "K&R!" and nothing else.

[cascadiance]

39. Right now they can count on a number of us seeing stuff in google searches

... to post them here immediately here now. They're best trying to get their news out with appropriate keywords in news releases, etc. like "whistleblower", "Sibel Edmonds", etc. so that many of us will find it and immediately post. They get the proper attribution that way, and they get their message out, and don't have to worry about somone spying on them using DU in the process. I wouldn't be surprised if many of them have accounts where they keep a low profile, and primarily do searching here to see what gets put out here.

Their biggest challenge isn't getting interested folks here informed, it is trying to get the masses informed, many of which don't have internet access. I still would like to see someone get "news kiosks" with a decent news search engine/navigation tool that would provide more "complete" news and a decent user rating system to places like Starbucks where you'd reach that many more people that we wouldn't reach otherwise. We need more creative ideas on how to find ways like that to help folks like whistleblowers to get their message out unimpeded by corporate media gateways in the coming year. Maybe we should start a separate "idea hunting" thread like that. We can't compete effectively with the increasingly consolidated corporate media head on, but there's got to be a way to find other means of touching average Americans' attention during the day somehow.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

41. you might get something else

I've noticed posts in here that appear to be presented only to make DUers and Democrats as a whole look bad. It seems they present themselves as Democrats only to shoot down pleas for activism and American values so that they can refer others to the site and prove their propaganda. Am I just paranoid or have others noticed these kinds of posts?

[bpilgrim]

40. They would be Tin Foil Hatters ;->

and NO ONE would believe them.

they need a way to protect their identity as well with the neoCONs on their trail.

peace

[Jeffersons Ghost]

42. okay

Now I'm REALLY confused! I thought they were called "freepers." I've seen the term "tin foil hatters" but have no idea what it means... I DID love discovering the terms King George, King George Bush = KGB and chimp... They're self-explainitory... well not quite... does chimp refer to a trained chip like in circuses?

[BuyingThyme]

43. Tinfoilers are people who believe in Martians and the like.

They receive messages from aliens via their tinfoil hats/antennas.

Freepers are fascist Republicans.