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With Whistleblowers Jesselyn Radack and Tom Drake
I am very proud to call these two people friends:
— Jesselyn Radack, who blew the whistle on Department of Justice malfeasance in the handling of the “American Taliban” John Walker Lindh. Jess went on to become a key part of Edward Snowden’s defense team (full disclosure: Jess was also one of my lawyers in my own whistleblower struggle with the State Department.)
— Tom Drake, who blew the whistle on NSA domestic spying in the years right after 9/11, and who is cited by Edward Snowden as an important example as he decided whether or not to further expose the unconstitutional acts of the National Security Agency. In return for his truth telling, Tom was rewarded by being prosecuted under the Espionage Act, a tactic the Obama administration has now used seven times against intelligence whistleblowers, more than all previous administrations combined.
We had a terrific lunch, and if only the walls could talk…
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rich bauer said...
1All of US are proud to call you our friend.
Saudi Arabia apparently doesn’t know the meaning of the word:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/16/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-warns-ofeconomic-fallout-if-congress-passes-9-11-bill.html?_r=0
We did go to war to protect these jerks, right?
04/16/16 7:42 AM | Comment Link
rich bauer said...
2http://11oclocknews.typepad.com/the_11_oclock_news/2016/04/saudi-arabia-threatens-to-destroy-us-over-9-11again-.html
04/16/16 8:29 AM | Comment Link
John Poole said...
3Don’t worry Peter. The NSA will release the transcript of your little gathering eventually. The walls can and do talk or should I say ceiling. You probably heard the quiet hum of that mini drone a few feet above the restaurant’s roof capturing all audio at your table.
04/16/16 9:23 AM | Comment Link
wemeantwell said...
4That’s great to hear, because as I was leaving the restaurant some guy bumped into me, and later I couldn’t find my notebook.
04/16/16 9:28 AM | Comment Link
b. traven said...
5A gathering of brave souls. Our democracy is stronger because of this group.
04/16/16 11:57 AM | Comment Link
John Poole said...
6Peter, Hillary now has that notebook. See you in the Susan MacDougal work camp. I promise to share my gruel.
04/16/16 4:13 PM | Comment Link
Kyzl Orda said...
7A heartfelt thank you for the work the three of you have done — and demonstrating, yes there are limits to what manipulators of power can do. Harper Lee was right, courage is not a man with gun in the hand.
John,
As to the quiet hum heard overhead — it could be the NSA but if so, the information probably has been warehoused somewhere in Utah along with all the other trillions of transcripts taken via similar means and yet to be processed, if ever.
Meanwhile, they will continue to miss the real bad guys, the next 9/11ers, because NSA and friends are too addicted to acquisition – especially acquisition of fine drink, women, furs, large homes, expensive gadgets and big bank accounts
04/16/16 6:13 PM | Comment Link
.@Thomas_Drake1 “who blew the whistle on NSA… and who is cited by… | Roy Schestowitz - API Key Placeholder said...
8[…] .@Thomas_Drake1 "who blew the whistle on NSA… and who is cited by Edward @Snowden as an important example" https://wemeantwell.com/blog/2016/04/16/with-whistleblowers-jesselyn-radack-and-tom-drake/ […]
04/17/16 3:48 AM | Comment Link