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Talking Iraq on Democracy Now!
I was very pleased to be on Democracy Now! to talk about Iraq. Here’s the segment:
Copyright © 2020. All rights reserved. The views expressed here are solely those of the author(s) in their private capacity.
Democracy Now! McCarthy-like Tactics Disgrace State Department
Of all the institutions in government that should be wary of smear tactics, use of personal attacks to silence critics and falsehoods morphed into fact, it should be the State Department. The Department was decimated in the 1950’s by Senator McCarthy and should not stoop to such actions itself.It thus saddens me to see a once-great institution I served with pride for some 24 years, our first cabinet agency, the Department of State, reduced to crude retaliation against one of its own employees for writing a book and a blog– me. Despite all the huff-puff from State about “regulations,” this is all about free, critical speech that the organization does not like and seeks to squash. When they couldn’t stop my writing, they seek to punish me. Instead of rebutting what I say, they seek to attack me as a person. I always planned on retiring in September, so all this effort is about cutting my career short by only a few months. If that does not show the retaliatory intent of State, I don’t know what does.
Actually, maybe this does. I filed my complaint for retaliation as a whistleblower with the Office of the Special Counsel early in January 2012, about which the State Department was officially put on notice at that time. After sitting on their own report of investigation for three months, it was only days after the Office of the Special Counsel referred my complaint to its investigatory and prosecutorial section, and days before the Counsel’s discovery request, that the Department issued the termination notice. Very curious timing.
Have a look at my interview with Democracy Now! to hear more about this and other issues in chilly Washington, DC:
(If the video is not showing above, please follow this link to watch it)
Copyright © 2020. All rights reserved. The views expressed here are solely those of the author(s) in their private capacity.
TV Interview: Democracy Now!
Democracy Now was kind enough to interview me this morning, about changes in Iraq and the State Department’s future there.
Please have a look at the full ten minute segment online now, or on a later rebroadcast on a local station near you.
Copyright © 2020. All rights reserved. The views expressed here are solely those of the author(s) in their private capacity.
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