Another Whistleblower — is Anyone Listening?
The plight of whistleblowers – those employees who sound the alarm about anything from dangerous conditions in the workplace to missed or ignored intelligence regarding our nation’s security – is a story that seems to grow stronger and with more frequency every day. My guess is that those stories have always been there; I suspect I am just paying closer attention to them now.
You see, I joined the “ranks” of whistleblowers more than one year ago when, on December 2, 2003, a major newspaper printed a story in which I confirmed for them what many of us already knew – we, the members of the United States Park Police, could no longer provide the level of service that citizens and visitors had grown to expect in our parks and on our parkways in Washington, D.C., New York City, and San Francisco. The world changed for all of us on September 11, 2001, and the expectations of police agencies across the country grew exponentially overnight. As the Chief of the United States Park Police, an organization responsible for some of America’s most valued and тренажер для пресса Запорожье recognizable symbols of freedom, I knew it was my duty, as chiefs of police across the country do every day, to inform the community of the realities of the situation.
For being candid — for being “honest” — while still being supportive of my superiors, I was, without warning, stripped of my law enforcement authority, badge, and firearm, and escorted from the Department of Nokia 6500 Slide the Interior by armed special agents of another Federal law logan utah homes enforcement entity in December of 2003. Seven months later, the Department of the Interior terminated me.
Frighteningly, the issues I brought to light about our citizens’ and visitors’ safety and security and the future of these American icons have not been addressed — other than to silence me. In fact, there are fewer United States Park Police Officers today than there were Аксессуар к мбт купить more than one year ago when I was sent home for daring to say that we weren’t able to properly meet our commitments with existing resources. Other security concerns I raised internally have also gone un-addressed.
Imagine the outcry if I had previously stayed silent and if one of those symbolic monuments or memorials had been destroyed or the loss of life had occurred to someone visiting one of those locations. I did not want to be standing with my superiors among the ruins of one of these icons or in front of a Nokia 7900 Congressional committee trying to explain why we hadn’t asked for help.
Despite the serious First Amendment and security implications of my case for each American, there has been no Congressional intervention, no
Congressional hearings, no demand of accountability by elected officials for those who took action to silence me and who have ignored all warnings about the perils to which I alerted them. Following my termination and the publicity that accompanied it, it is unlikely that any current Federal employee will be willing to speak up with straightforward, accurate information about the realities of any danger we face.
Our legal appeals continue, and some of the administrative charges placed against me have already been thrown out. Through it all, it is becoming clear that Federal employees have little protection for simply telling the truth.
My story is told on a website, www.honestchief.com, established in December 2003 and maintained by my husband so that the American people could “witness” the issues in this case. The website has provided transparency to my situation by making key documents available for viewing, including the transcripts of depositions of top officials and their testimony during a key administrative hearing.
Suppression of information is spreading – gag orders, non disclosures agreements, and the government’s refusal to turn over documents. OST Холм одного дерева In agencies that span Federal service, conscientious public servants are struggling to communicate vital concerns to their true employers – you, the American public. Is anyone listening?
Teresa C. Chambershe plight of whistleblowers – those employees who sound the alarm about anything from dangerous conditions in the workplace to missed or ignored intelligence regarding our nation’s security – is a story that seems to grow stronger and with more frequency every day. My guess is that those stories have always been there; I suspect I am just paying closer attention to them now.
You see, I joined the “ranks” of whistleblowers more than one year ago when, on December 2, 2003, a major newspaper printed a story in which I confirmed for them what many of us already knew – we, Тренажер для ног Чернигов the members of the United States Park Police, could no longer provide the level of service that citizens and visitors had grown to expect in our parks and on our parkways in Washington, D.C., New York City, and San Francisco. The world changed for estate all of us on September 11, 2001, and the expectations of police agencies across the country grew exponentially overnight. As the Chief of the United States Park Police, an organization responsible for some of America’s most valued and recognizable symbols of freedom, I knew it was my duty, as chiefs of police across the country do every day, to inform the community of the realities of the situation.
For being candid — for being “honest” — while still being supportive of my superiors, I was, without warning, stripped of my law enforcement authority, badge, and firearm, and escorted from the Department of the Interior by armed special agents of another Federal law enforcement entity in December of 2003. Seven months later, the Department of the Interior terminated me.
Frighteningly, the issues I brought to light about our citizens’ and visitors’ safety and security and the future of these American icons have not been addressed — other than to silence me. In fact, there are fewer United States Park Police Officers today than there were more than one year ago when I was sent home for daring to say that we weren’t able to properly meet our commitments with existing resources. Other security concerns I raised internally have also gone un-addressed.
Imagine the outcry if I had previously stayed silent and if one of those symbolic monuments or memorials had been destroyed or the loss of life had occurred to someone visiting one of those locations. I did not want to be standing with my superiors among the ruins of one of these icons or in front of a Congressional committee trying to explain why we hadn’t asked for help.
Despite the serious First Amendment and security implications of my case for each American, there has been no Congressional intervention, no Congressional hearings, no demand of accountability by elected officials for those who took action to silence me and who have ignored all warnings about the perils to which I alerted them. Following my termination and the publicity that accompanied it, it is unlikely that any current Federal employee Работа Новости will be willing to speak up with straightforward, accurate information about the realities of any danger we face.
Our legal appeals continue, and some of the administrative charges placed against me have already been thrown out. Through it all, it is becoming clear that Federal employees have little protection for simply telling the truth.
My story is told on a website, www.honestchief.com, established in December 2003 and maintained by my husband so that the American people could “witness” the issues in this case. The website has provided transparency to my situation by making key documents available for viewing, including the transcripts of depositions of top officials and their testimony during a key administrative hearing.
Suppression of information is spreading – gag orders, non disclosures agreements, and the government’s refusal to turn over documents. In agencies that span Federal service, conscientious public servants are struggling to communicate vital concerns to their true employers – you, the American public. Is anyone listening?
Teresa C. Chambers
Teresa Chambers devoted nearly 28 years to law enforcement service. Her most recent position was that of Chief of Police of the United States Park Police, headquartered in Washington, D.C. U.S. Park Police employees are responsible for protecting national parks, monuments, and parkways in the Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and New York City areas. They also provide dignitary protection union grove real estate for the President and other officials as well as a variety of law enforcement functions necessitated in the role as one of only a few uniformed Federal law enforcement agencies.
Before being sworn as the Chief of the U.S. Park Police in early 2002, Chambers served as the Chief of Police in Durham, North Carolina. There she was credited with significantly reducing crime while improving morale and retention of employees. Chambers also served more than 21 years in the Prince George’s County, Maryland, Police Department, retiring in 1997 at the rank of major in order to accept the job of Chief of Police in Durham.
Please visit http://www.honestchief.com to learn more about her current situation.
Five Reasons to Come First to the Future Bride’s Homeland Instead of Inviting Her
Dating with a Ukrainian or Russian girl usually begins with cautious correspondence which lasts for a few months and is followed by a man’s visit to Ukraine or Russia. Some men make haste and would prefer to invite the Ukrainian woman to their country at once so that she could see the place where she is supposed to live after the marriage. But the usual practical recommendation for a foreign man is to display curiosity and visit the possible future bride’s country first. Why so? There are several reasons for doing that.
1. You will be able to meet with real estate agent several Ukrainian women and make the best choice
Some our foreign customers feel pangs of conscience that they are corresponding and meeting with several Russian or Ukrainian women simultaneously while they look for serious relationship and want to marry only one woman. Actually, there is nothing bad about meeting with several Ukrainian women during your visit, it is common practice and no girl would expect that you come to Ukraine or Russia to meet with her only.
During a week’s visit to Ukraine, the foreigners usually meet with up to seven beautiful women, and sometimes they decide to stop meeting with others and concentrate their efforts on the Ukrainian or Russian girl they found the most attractive. Some customers have more time and come to Ukraine or Russia for a month or two and meet with a larger number of ladies and then arrange meetings with some of them again.
It would be best to meet with only those Russian or Ukrainian camp walker korea location women with whom you had corresponded for some time, whose photos you liked and who seem to be interested in your personality. When you see several absolutely new women for the first time during a Измельчитель пищевых отходов купить short time-span and know nothing about them, it may be difficult for you to tell about your interests, hobbies, values and expectations for five or six times and you may get confused with the girls’ interests. So, it would also be wise to think of the optimal number of women you plan to meet during your visit to Ukraine or Russia.
2. You will be able to see the real conditions in which girls lived before meeting you
There are a few false stereotypes in minds of numerous customers who come to Ukraine or Russia in search of wives for the first time. One of them is that living conditions in those countries are below poverty level, and another one is that Ukrainian and Russian girls are looking for rich husbands and take great care about how much money a man earns. When foreign men arrive in Kiev or Moscow or even