In our nation of ‘national security’, where everything is re-defined and justified by the notion of ‘fighting terrorism’, it would be only appropriate to revisit and examine the term ‘terrorism,’ and then go a few steps further and look into its implications.

Almost everyone thinks that they know what ‘terrorism’ is or what constitutes terrorism. There are hundreds of definitions for terrorism varied by cultural, sub-cultural, national, linguistic, political, historical, and numerous other interpretations, perceptions, factors and circumstances. I am going to use the general definition of terrorism under U.S. Law: Premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by sub-national groups or clandestine agents.

There is another type of ‘terrorism’ with a slightly different definition which was not commonly used until recently, when our nation’s status changed to a ‘national security’ state: State Sponsored Terrorism. In general state sponsored terrorism refers to acts of terrorism conducted by a state against a foreign state or people. It can also refer to widespread acts of violence by a state against its own people. In February 2011 I wrote a commentary on the Supreme Court decision which upheld the broad application of a federal law making it a crime to provide “material support” to designated “foreign terrorist organizations” (FTOs), and I wrote:

Based on this definition and based on what the puppet court recently ruled on what constitutes ‘material support’ to terrorism, our government, those who have sanctioned US Foreign Aid to dictators inflicting violence against their own people, should be brought to trial. I am talking about Egypt. I am talking about Uzbekistan. I am talking about Jordan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Israel …To be more accurate, I am talking about Billions of dollars being continuously provided to dictators for half a century who in turn are terrorizing their own people. Egypt and where our tax dollars, US Foreign Aid, went is only one example. All you have to do is line check dozens of our foreign aid recipients against their established human rights (terrorism) record.

Many rational readers agreed with the above assessment- the fact that our government supports terrorist dictators and provides them with financial and other material support. That makes us a state that provides material support to terrorists.

Considering the escalating rate of our government’s undeclared and covert wars around the world, taking into account the tens of thousands of innocent lives lost as a result of these wars, and adding to that our intelligence agencies’ established record on rendition, torture and assassination, I believe some would agree with me on our nation’s terrorizing practices, thus its status as a terrorist state. I know some already do.

Now here comes a term that I have not seen used, written or talked about. This may be due to needed denial for a self-perceived need for national pride. This may be due to the severity of the realistic implications that only a few are capable of handling once understood and digested. This is possibly caused by externalization of already acknowledged truths of the atrocities and inhumanities that have been committed by our nation, and are still being committed.

The term I am talking about here is: Nation’s Civilians Sponsored Terrorism. You see it is too vague and abstract when we attribute the atrocious overt and covert wars, inhumane and wide-spread practices of kidnapping, rendition, torture and assassination, to an entity called a government. I believe it is self-preserving, self-serving and convenient to externalize the atrocious practices constituting terrorism to some broad entity called ‘our government.’ It is shrugging off our key role, participation and responsibility when we express our disgust with our government’s atrocities and its terrorization of people around the world.

We may say, ‘…but I don’t agree with these wars. I am against torture. I don’t approve of what my government is doing…’ We may say all that, but the facts say otherwise.

We pay our government. It is called taxes. Our government uses the money given to them by us to pay for bombs and drones that are used to kill, burn and handicap people, many if not most who are innocent civilians. Our government spends the money given to them by us to recruit and train assassins, kidnappers and torturers and send them around the globe to inflict terror. Thus, we the people provide direct financial-material support for all the terrorism inflicted by our nation around the world. Our dollars enable and sustain these terrorism practices. Period.

We may say, ‘…they collect these taxes by force and I have no choice but let them take them otherwise I’d be jailed…I don’t want my dollars to go to these terror practices…’ We may cry innocent and helpless, but again, we have no logical-rational-legal ground to stand on. Here is why:

We believe we have a representative government and a democracy. We believe we make choices when we vote. We believe we elect individuals and give them the power and the right to make decisions in our behalf and implement those decisions in our behalf. Well, ‘our’ representatives, those we have willingly given our representation to, are doing just that when they decide on and sanction overt and covert wars, rendition and torture, in short, all those terror practices. They are deciding, as ‘our’ representatives, in ‘our’ behalf to inflict terror. ‘Our’ representatives decide in ‘our’ behalf how much money to collect from us, and what to spend our dollars on. Period.

Now, we either have to come out and say we Americans do NOT have a representative government, we Americans have no freedom or democracy, or, we have to readily claim our role and responsibility and say: we Americans are this representative government’s governed people who decide on, sanction, finance and implement terrorism.

We cannot have it both ways. And there is no other way than the two. We either come out, set aside our nationalistic pride, and say that we do not have a representative government or democracy of any form when it comes to our nation’s governance, or, we proudly pretend our democratic status, and shoulder responsibility for all the terrorism being inflicted in our name. I have yet to see or hear anyone who has come out and recognized his or her status as a terrorist. It simply never happens. As they say, one group or nation’s terrorist is another’s freedom fighter. When you look at it from the other side, in fact, when you look at it from a logical and rational side, we sponsor and sanction our government’s terror practices, and doesn’t that make the terrorists us?

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Last weekend at the farmers Market I bumped in to an author, activist and a fairly popular blog-ist friend. I asked what he had been up to lately, and he said he was working with a group on bringing more pressure on Bush-Rumsfeld-Cheney from the international community, and possibly getting them banned from entering certain countries. I asked him about his plans for our current president, his undeclared wars and black operations, and his still-in-the-making trail of civilian casualties-the babies and grandmothers and all…He sincerely answered my question without any hesitation, ‘Oh, no plans for that yet. Not yet… Maybe after we are done with Bush… Obama certainly deserves being banned, but right now we are busy with our current project targeting Bush and his evil entourage.’

It seems like every time I look around I see these activists/writers/blog-ists who are extremely busy with chasing that long-gone evil president, or maybe his ghost. The guy had eight years in the White House when he was engaged in planning and executing orders for atrocious practices, and neither Congress nor the media lifted a finger to do anything about it. Even though they could; in theory, that is. Despite all our activism and whistleblowing the man came out of it without a scratch; really.

Look, I am not saying the pursuit of George W. Bush is totally futile and a waste of time. I certainly don’t disagree with those who believe the previous administration should be held accountable. After all, what do people think when they hear the name Sibel Edmonds? The FBI linguist who was retaliated against and fired by Bush’s FBI, silenced and gagged by Bush’s Justice Department, and basically, slammed and quashed and attacked nonstop by the Bush Administration (while the US Congress and the media watched detachedly without a blink). So, no, I have justifiably more reasons than many to despise the Bush Administration and seek accountability and justice.

Then, what is it I am disagreeing with here? Or more accurately, what is bugging me about the few sample examples of many more examples I cited above? Allow me to provide you with a fictional example to illustrate the point of this commentary:

Once upon a time there was a man who lived happily with his wife. Then, one day, while on the way home from work, his wife was raped. Despite all attempts by the local police and all the evidence they were able to gather, the perpetuator was never caught. After a while the police quit and declared the case ‘cold.’ However, the husband who adored his wife would not give up. He set up his own little office down in the basement where he worked on the case, the evidence, possible leads…He could not let that horrible criminal, that rapist, just get away, and roam the streets free, and very possibly commit even more rapes. He would not.

The man made this his mission, and he took this mission very seriously. He was going to do all it took to find that rapist and deliver what he believed was justice. When he worked downstairs, those late night hours after work, neither his wife nor his son would dare to distract or bother him. He worked as if in a trance, intensely and with passion. Sometimes he’d imagine holding down that rapist and make him beg for his life…Months went by, then one late evening, while he was in the basement working intensely on his ‘catch that rapist and make him pay’ project, a masked man broke into his house. As his wife screamed ‘rape, rapist, help me…,’ as she was beaten, brutalized, and raped repeatedly, the man worked downstairs…despite hearing the bangs and screams…He was determined. He was going to catch that rapist who had raped his wife three years back…

I don’t think I need to spell out my point here. Do I really? We had a horrible president who did truly horrible things…for eight years. Then, he was replaced…three years ago. In the last three years we have been getting raped every single day: being raped in airports, being raped on the phone and in e-mails, being raped of our hard-earned dollars given to crooks …Every Single Day. As I am typing this commentary, as you are reading this piece, we are being raped. Right now. Right at this moment.

Thousands of people outside our country have been getting, and are getting, raped too: raped of life in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, Somalia, Yemen…every single say. Right now. Thousands have been, and are being, injured-handicapped and raped of living normal lives. Tens of thousands have been, and are being, raped of having parent(s)-family. Right now, as I am typing, as you are reading, our government is killing, injuring, and creating orphans. Right now.

This is now. Right now we are all being raped as a nation. And right now there are people in other parts of the world who are getting raped by our nation. Right now. Right at this moment. Our current President, our current Commander in Chief, our current administration in power, our current government, is raping us and others in the world. Do you want to chase the ghost of the previous rapist? Or, should you be doing something to stop this current, this ongoing rape? The one happening right now-right at this moment…

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Yesterday, as I was walking among grocery shelves, I passed by thousands of packaged hotdogs, hundreds of cases of beer, and mounds of hamburger buns displayed  in special Fourth of July promotions. I kept walking without pausing. Then I noticed a rectangular sheet cake with white icing topped with strawberries and blueberries depicting the stars and stripes – to be appreciated and eaten during the upcoming celebration of our nation’s Independence Day. That gave me pause. I stopped and stared at it for more than a few seconds; then I continued on.  An hour later, after I arrived home and as if some kind of sign, the first image popping up on my computer screen when I logged in was the Fourth of July Flag Sheet Cake. This time I put everything aside, pulled out the text of our Declaration of Independence, the US Citizenship Oath, and the Oath of Office. I knew exactly what I was looking for, and I did not find it. It was what I didn’t find that made me sit and write this for my readers as my way to wish you a Happy Independence Day.

During this celebratory holiday please take a few minutes; it shouldn’t take more than five, to read our Declaration of Independence, US Citizenship Oath and Oath of Office. Please do it.

You will not find the word ‘Flag.’

You will not see the word ‘Borders.’

What you will see is the word ‘Constitution.’

What you will find is the obligation to defend, not the ‘flag,’  ‘borders’ or ‘government’, but the United States Constitution, and defend it against foreign and domestic enemies.

The shalwar-wearing bearded men holding rakes and pitchforks in the caves of Afghanistan have never been and will never be a threat to our Constitution.

The terrorists from south of the border will never present any danger to our Constitution – meant to guarantee our freedoms.

The made-to-be-enemy dictators of foreign nations across the ocean have never and will never be able to touch our Constitution.

When it comes down to it there has never been a clear and present danger to our Constitution from any foreign entity or power. I suspect there never will be. No bomb attack, no pitchfork, no fatwa or jihad can even come close to destroying the United States Constitution.

The only enemies that have ever targeted our Constitution, the only entities that have ever launched an assault against our freedom, the only institution capable of destroying our Bill of Rights, the only power that has done so, and has been doing so, and if left untouched and unchallenged will continue to do so until nothing is left of the Constitution entrusted to us by our founding fathers, are the domestic enemies among us, or more accurately, ‘above’ us from where they rule.

My dear friends, I don’t intend to spoil your festivities and celebration. I want you to go ahead and enjoy that cold beer, those hot dogs, and the fireworks. All I’m asking of you is this: when the time comes for the dessert, while you are slicing that white sheet cake with the red and blue depicting the stars and stripes, think about the irony of it and how our domestic enemies have been slicing up and tearing apart the one thing that represents being an American – Our Constitution. Happy Independence Day.

“That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness… when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security…”- Declaration of Independence, July 1776

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Have you ever pulled over your car on a highway shoulder to be a Good Samaritan and help a driver of a broken car desperately in need of assistance? Have you done it despite the heavy traffic, and a remaining long commute to get home after an exhausting long shift at work? Do you remember thinking ‘hope someone, some day, will do the same for me or my loved one’?

Have you ever found a wallet or a cell phone, and then taken the time and effort to locate and contact the owner? Have you done it despite a hectic schedule, having a long to-do list, and in the midst of daily crisis and demands? Do you recall thinking ‘hope someday, someone, will do the same for me?’

Have you ever been before a federal court judge, with your rights being taken away one by one, your entire biographical existence being classified one after another, and during all this, your entire legal team and advisors being removed from the court room in order to make the screwing of your Constitutional rights completely secret and unobserved? I have:

A federal court in Washington yesterday took the rare step of closing an entire oral argument to the public in the case of a former FBI translator who says she was fired for complaining about security breaches. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit announced that today’s 30-minute argument in the case of Sibel Edmonds, a Middle Eastern language specialist fired in 2002, will be conducted behind closed doors. The court gave no reason for its decision.

…

The unsettling story of whistleblower Sibel Edmonds took another twist on Thursday, as the government continued its seemingly endless machinations to shut her up. The U.S. Court of Appeals here denied pleas to open the former FBI translator’s First Amendment case to the public, a day after taking the extraordinary step of ordering a secret hearing. 

…

I am not going to recount that incredibly awful experience as far as the butchering of our Constitution and liberties goes. Instead I want to briefly recount a minor detail with a major effect on me.

As always on that rainy April day in court there weren’t many mainstream media, or even alternatives to speak of. Of course I had a few family members and supporters who had become my close friends. However, among those few people in front of the court stood a young man who walked up to me and said: ‘I truly appreciate and support your efforts, and I am here in solidarity.’ I asked if he was with one of the DC coalitions or organizations. He said ‘No,’ and added, ‘I drove all night last night to get here. I live in Kentucky, and after reading about the upcoming trial I decided to drive to DC and be here for you. I know the addition of one person is not much help, but still, better than none…’

He was right. But he was also wrong. He was right in what he believed and put in action. But he was wrong about the addition of one person not being of much help. It helped me tremendously. It had a major effect on my resolve to keep pushing. It had a long-lasting impact on believing in the power of one. It turned my battle from one’s battle to one’s cause. And much more.

I was thinking of all this yesterday when I started reading about the protests and demonstrations for whistleblowers rights and transparency being organized around the Grand Jury investigations of Wikileaks and Bradley Manning.

Human rights defenders are presently heading to an Alexandria, Virginia courthouse to protest United States human rights violations of whistleblowers, targeted individuals persecuted for opposing government corruption, illegal wars, and unjust foreign policies. The Bradley Manning Support Network’s founding member David House, ordered to testify today, Wednesday, June 15, before a federal Grand Jury in the WikiLeaks investigation, will be met by some of America’s strongest rights defenders plus others demonstrating outside the courthouse at 9:30am ET before House enters the courthouse at 10:30am.

 Human rights advocates defending the rights of whistleblowers will also be demonstrating at 6:00 ET today in Boston, House’s city of residence.

…

 “By conducting the people’s business in secret and persecuting transparency advocates, government decision-makers have abandoned core American values.” (Emphasis added)

 According to the Bradley Manning’s Support Network, the protests are designed for supporting David House, opposing the grand jury investigation of WikiLeaks, and gaining attention to the ongoing pretrial confinement of PFC Bradley Manning, the U.S. Army intelligence analyst who stands accused of blowing the whistle on illegal and unjust foreign policies.

…

And I wanted to tell these protesters, organizers, and you, that what they do counts; no matter what the results or documentable success by various measures. I wanted to say that every single person’s participation makes a difference. I wanted to emphasize that every single action and participation, however small, is never too small or insignificant.

I know how easy it is for people to shrug off the importance of one signature, one participation, or any one action item. I know how often we disregard an opportunity to participate or contribute, and justify it to ourselves as ‘one signature won’t make any difference,’ or ‘one additional body in a demonstration won’t be noticed or felt,’…Please resists that tendency. Please overcome that defeatist pull. Please. Because for every one of these:

The Washington Post yesterday reported that a widespread FBI investigation has been invading the privacy of various groups of political activists, prompting objections from many civil libertarians on First Amendment grounds. This particular probe included “subpoenas to 23 people and raids of seven homes last fall.”

 The search was part of a mysterious, ongoing nationwide terrorism investigation with an unusual target: prominent peace activists and politically active labor organizers.

 …The apparent targets, all vocal and visible critics of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and South America, deny any ties to terrorism. They say the government, using its post-9/11 focus on terrorism as a pretext, is targeting them for their political views.

They are “public non-violent activists with long, distinguished careers in public service, including teachers, union organizers and antiwar and community leaders,” said Michael Deutsch, a Chicago lawyer and part of a legal team defending those who believe they are being targeted by the investigation.

Add this to the multi-year FBI effort to investigate self-described anarchist and political activist Scott Crow who has been deemed a domestic terrorist and arrested a dozen times, despite having never been convicted of anything. They tracked his phone calls and emails, infiltrated his community of activists with undercover informants, sat outside his house in unmarked cars surveying his activities and visitors, went through his trash to find his personal finance documents, colluded with the IRS in a failed attempt grab him for tax evasion, and installed cameras along street poles outside his home, among other things. Mr. Crow filed a Freedom of Information Act request and got about 440 semi-redacted pages of the 1200 total pages of FBI documents on him.

  We need to have more of these:

 The following petition was co-written by Coleen Rowley and me, and has been backed by more than 25 government whistleblowers and over 20 organizations. Awarding the worst president in US history when it comes to government whistleblowers with a Transparency Award is a huge insult. Presenting a president who has dramatically increased government secrecy with an Anti-Secrecy Award is ridiculous. Rewarding one of the worst US presidents when it comes to invocation of unconstitutional state secrets privilege is ludicrous. This award is a major insult to all liberty-loving Americans. This award is a slap to all freedom-liberty seeking activists. This award is dumb, highly damaging, and extremely dangerous by what it says it represents. Please stand up and say ‘NO’ to this award by signing this petition. I urge you to demand that this award be taken back immediately. I implore you to not let them get away with this in your name. I am asking you to sign this petition and encourage everyone you know to do the same. Don’t let them mock our nation, our people and our values: Take Obama’s Transparency Award Back Now.

 Today, when I was having one of those defeatist and negative moments, I reached out to two friends. They helped pick me up, and this is what one of them sent me:

 “The only kinds of fights worth fighting are those you are going to lose, because somebody has to fight them and lose and lose and lose until someday, somebody who believes as you do wins. In order for somebody to win an important, major fight 100 years hence, a lot of other people have got to be willing—for the sheer fun and joy of it— to go right ahead and fight, knowing you’re going to lose. You mustn’t feel like a martyr. You’ve got to enjoy it.” —I. F. STONE

 Two days ago we started our petition campaign Take Obama’s Transparency Award Back. The organizations that awarded this awful president are not hearing you. They are not acknowledging you. So far, they are refusing to take their award back, with an added insult. Maybe we are not screaming loud enough. Maybe not enough people are resisting the negative pull. Please overcome that. Please shout louder, or at least take a few seconds and sign the petition here:

Take Obama’s Transparency Award Back

And or tell these organizations that you count:

Tel: (202) 347-1122

Blog Site: http://pogoblog.typepad.com

Please help us accomplish this and then move to our next campaign: Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize.

Sibel Edmonds

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By Julia Davis

In response to the petition from numerous groups and whistleblowers, Danielle Brian of the Project on Government Oversight (POGO) authored a blog on POGO’s website. While POGO’s response doesn’t contain any earth-shattering revelations, some of the attempts to justify the “Transparency Award” recently given to President Obama warrant a response.

POGO recently pondered whether they should buy a 30-second video spot on the CBS videotron in Times Square. They asked whistleblowers for feedback about the billboard. Unfortunately, they didn’t ask for feedback when it really mattered – prior to bestowing a Transparency Award upon President Obama. Now, in light of the mounting pressure to rescind this award, POGO dismissively refers to our opposition as a mere “distraction”.

Looking Forward, Moving Backward

POGO disingenuously claims that the Bush administration is at fault for the ongoing investigations and prosecutions against whistleblowers, undertaken by the current administration. In POGO’s blog describing the conversation with President Obama on the day when he received a “Transparency Award”, Danielle Brian wrote: 

“I noted, however, that the current aggressive prosecution of national security whistleblowers is undermining this legacy… The President shifted in his seat and leaned forward. He said he wanted to engage on this topic because this may be where we have some differences.“

POGO claims that the ongoing prosecutions of whistleblowers simply happened to “ripen” just in time to be pursued by this administration. Such an assertion rings hollow in light of this administration’s decision not to file charges against the Bush regime under the guise of “looking forward and not backwards”, stating that this is “a time for reflection, not retribution“. Apparently, this serene forgiveness applies to those responsible for war crimes, torture, and illegal spying, but not to the whistleblowers.

Contrary to POGO’s deeply flawed arguments, it is within this administration’s discretion to decide who gets prosecuted. These decisions have been chilling so far. Lucy Dalglish, Executive Director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, said:  ”The whole point of the prosecution is to have a chilling effect on reporters and sources, and it will.” While such prosecutions are ongoing, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, OpenTheGovernment.org, Project on Government Oversight, OMB Watch and the National Security Archive saw it fit to endorse these actions through a Transparency Award. By definition, an award is something that was earned, is deserved and encourages more of the same. That is hardly the message our supposed transparency advocates should be sending. 

Rewarding Speeches – Not Deeds

The same organizations who chose to give an award to the President see many problems in the level of transparency encouraged by the current administration. POGO’s Danielle Brian writes, “there are many things to bemoan in the Obama Administration’s implementation of its open government goals.” When there are many problems with the implementation of stated goals, what matters more – stated goals or the results? Actions speak louder than words and this administration’s actions against transparency are very alarming. 

The Price of Face Time

If giving an award is the only way these NGO’s can get an audience at the White House, why aren’t they going public with this revelation? Why is this issue such a low priority for our elected officials, especially after whistleblowers were promised adequate protection? 

POGO’s Danielle Brian writes, “So no, I do not regret taking the opportunity to meet with the President and get him to discuss the prosecutions of national security whistleblowers, and I am not going to withdraw our support for the award.” It seems to be the height of hypocrisy to discuss the ongoing prosecutions of national security whistleblowers, while presenting a Transparency Award at the same time! Will they hand out an award every time a whistleblower is prosecuted and they would like to discuss it? What kind of a message does that convey?

The Sight of Goals

POGO is urging everyone not to lose sight of our common goals. What are they, incidentally? Do the political favors, donations and grants take precedence over the welfare of whistleblowers?

POGO states that petitions are useless, stating in relevant part: “Come join us. Do something concrete to force government to open up. Don’t just carp and blog and petition. Petitions are not going to change the iron law of bureaucracy that all governments will default to secrecy to protect their turf, no matter what“.

This position contradicts POGO’s tendency to circulate petitions, seeking support from whistleblowers and the public. It’s apparent that this statement was designed to call our petition a useless distraction, since it doesn’t agree with the course of action taken by POGO and other NGO’s in issuing an unwarranted “Transparency Award”. Handing out an award implies that the goals of transparency and anti-secrecy have been met with sterling precision. Nothing could be further from the truth in the current situation, while the war on whistleblowers continues to intensify.

Through our petition, whistleblowers are blowing the whistle on those who falsely claimed to act on our behalf. 

Whistleblowers have spoken. Our voices deserve to be heard. The Transparency Award should be rescinded for the sake of achieving true government transparency.

Julia Davis

Department of Homeland Security Whistleblower

*** This article represents the views of this author and not any organization, group or individual.

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 In a very wordy, hollow words that is, public response, Danielle Brian of Project on Government Oversight (POGO) not only adamantly declines to rescind Obama’s Transparency Award given to him in secrecy, but she actually praises the President as one who has achieved more openness than any other US president, thus deserving of an award given to him in a secret ceremony. Further, Ms. Brian considers this petition and signatories’ efforts a waste of time and a distraction. Here are a few excerpts from POGO’s public response to the petition and all signatories:

It’s undeniable that the Obama administration has achieved more openness than any other recent president.

…

Of course, the fact that this rescheduled meeting wasn’t on the President’s calendar made it an easy joke. When we discovered this, we described it as “crazy stupid.” But the fact that the meeting wasn’t open to the press didn’t strike me as unusual—I have meetings all the time with policymakers that are not open to the press.

…

So no, I do not regret taking the opportunity to meet with the President and get him to discuss the prosecutions of national security whistleblowers, and I am not going to withdraw our support for the award.

…

Public debate and discourse is often healthy. But there is so much to be done to safeguard our rights and expand openness—our community just doesn’t have the luxury to waste time on distractions.

…

It appears as if the people at POGO didn’t even bother to read the petition and the cited facts. But I believe they know the facts. They know them too well. Yet, despite all these cited facts, despite all the cited actions taken by this President and his administration (yes, last time I checked presidents were held liable for their appointees’ practices!) against transparency and whistleblowers, despite all the measures taken by this President and his administration towards unprecedented levels of secrecy, POGO deemed, and still deems,  this president worthy of a Transparency Award; in a closed secret meeting not even logged in White House Schedule-Records.

Further, maybe even worse, despite repeated appeals, despite more than 25 whistleblowers’ implorations, despite more than 20 pro-transparency and pro-liberties organizations’ requests, despite the outcry from the public and journalist communities, POGO insists on the non-existent merits of this award, and it refuses to acknowledge it as a very dumb mistake; and adamantly refuses to take it back. And finally, POGO considers you, me, and everyone else on this petition a group that has the ‘luxury to waste time,’ and calls this petition a ‘distraction.’

Let me address a few ludicrous claims and positions presented by POGO:

Obama Should Not Be Held Responsible for His Administration’s Practices

POGO shields and defends Obama by asking people to blame and go after the agencies, not the President. They put forth a ludicrous and warped defense by claiming that presidents should not be held liable for the practices of the agencies headed by the president’s handpicked appointees.

First, this is akin to saying Hitler didn’t personally participate in annihilation, internment, torturing and killing; those were practiced by his military and police force, thus, he should not be blamed. This is similar to arguing that Abu-Ghraib practices and scandals were limited to a handful of lower-rank military personnel, and those above them with the authority and responsibility should have been absolved from any accountability. POGO says the awful anti-transparency and anti-whistleblower practices are implemented by the agencies and the bureaucracy, and the President does not have any power over them, so leave the President alone, give him awards, and go chase after his employees.

Secondly, POGO’s ludicrous position in absolving the President from his administration and agencies’ anti-transparency and anti-liberties practices reeks with hypocrisy and double talk. This is the same NGO that consistently (and justifiably) blamed the Bush-Cheney office for atrocious practices implemented by the agencies under them.

And finally, based on POGO’s argument we should not bother electing presidents, since presidents and presidential powers have nothing to do with the executive branch and its practices. POGO has declared presidential authority and responsibility moot.

Words Speak Much Louder than Actions & The Award Was Given Based on Obama’s Words

POGO, with a straight face, is telling the public to disregard Obama’s record and pay attention only to his words. This is like letting a serial rapist pedophile who happens to be an author of books on ‘protecting children against pedophiles’ go free despite damning evidence proving him guilty of raping and molesting children. This is similar to absolving the Catholic priests that were found guilty of child molestation because they spoke the right words on Sunday.

POGO even goes further and engages in double-talk and actions similar to the President himself. It is disingenuous for Danielle Brian to claim on one hand that it’s not Obama’s fault that the whistleblowers are being prosecuted, when she, Brian, in her own blog said that when she brought up anti-whistleblowers practices and  the Drake prosecution during the “Transparency Award” meeting, Obama said straight up that he disagreed with her position.

On one hand POGO asserts that ‘there are many things to bemoan in the Obama administration’s implementation of its open government goals,’ yet, on the other hand, they claim that Obama deserves and had actually earned the transparency award. POGO does not refute the facts and cases cited in our petition on Obama’s record as the worst president on whistleblowers and transparency, yet, they find this completely irrelevant to their decision to present this President with an undeserved mockery transparency award.

Do As We Say But Don’t Do As We Do!

Interestingly, as an organization funded by millions of dollars from special interest corporations-foundations that engages in issuing hundreds of in words-only cosmetic petition campaigns, POGO considers the petition signed and backed by numerous noted government whistleblowers, organizations, and activists, ‘A Waste of Time,’ and a major (and inconvenient) ‘Distraction.’ Danielle Brian actually stresses that petitions are useless, and tells people not to waste time going after Obama’s transparency award by campaigning with this petition. If POGO truly believes that then why do they spend millions of dollars, and high six-figure salaries for petitions to Congress and agencies, rather than actually supporting government whistleblowers with badly needed legal advice and help?

Further, for a handsomely-funded organization that feigns transparency advocacy, POGO and their primary funders saw no problem with plotting and executing the transparency award in secret, without any consultation with the related community of whistleblowers and activists, and despite the objections from real transparency advocates. Even now, with all the outcry and objections from the real transparency advocates, activists and whistleblowers, they bluntly reject taking back their unearned, undeserved, and unwarranted award. And what does this say? They refuse, while the entire government whistleblowers community, transparency and liberties activists and organizations, the majority of the Americans, even the media, object to this mockery of an award and want to see it taken back.

Here is a well-articulated media response to POGO’s transparency award given to Obama:

It is not hyperbole to say that the Obama administration is waging an all-out war against transparency and whistleblowing (and the transparency groups who obsequiously awarded Obama a transparency award [one accepted in secret] are as disgraceful as the five Norwegians who awarded him the Nobel Peace Prize as he continues to do things like this). The persecution of WikiLeaks — for engaging in the crux of investigative journalism — along with anyone who supports it is one particularly dangerous weapon in that war. And anyone who defies or resists that war deserves, and will need, ample public support.

…

Who is POGO really representing? Who are the ones behind the scene that override the entire transparency advocacy community? For a self-proclaimed transparency advocacy organization POGO surely keeps and protects that answer as a ‘secret.’

And finally, for an organization that claims to be watchdog, advocacy and public action campaign oriented, POGO surely has insulted and attacked all signatories to this petition by openly calling our action a waste of time and futile.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

I can list many other contradictory, hypocrisy-ridden, and illogical points from the ludicrously wordy insult-response issued by POGO. I will not. The facts in the petition, the noted sponsors and signatories, and the number of public signatories, and the action and position of these organizations in opposition are self-explanatory. 

Obviously this petition and the cited facts don’t seem to be getting through their heads (the same heads that equate President Obama with a champion of transparency!). You may want to contact them directly and let them know how and what you feel about their award and fictional transparency champion President and his practices. Here is their contact information:

Tel: (202) 347-1122

Blog Site: http://pogoblog.typepad.com

Media Contact: jnewman@pogo.org

*** This article represents the views of this author and not any organization, group or individual.

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Please Sign the Petition Here:Take Award Back.Com

This site depends exclusively on readers’ support. Please help us continue by contributing directly and or purchasing Boiling Frogs showcased products.

The following petition was co-written by Coleen Rowley and me, and has been backed by more than 25 government whistleblowers and over 20 organizations. Awarding the worst president in US history when it comes to government whistleblowers with a Transparency Award is a huge insult. Presenting a president who has dramatically increased government secrecy with an Anti-Secrecy Award is ridiculous. Rewarding one of the worst US presidents when it comes to invocation of unconstitutional state secrets privilege is ludicrous. This award is a major insult to all liberty-loving Americans. This award is a slap to all freedom-liberty seeking activists. This award is dumb, highly damaging, and extremely dangerous by what it says it represents. Please stand up and say ‘NO’ to this award by signing this petition. I urge you to demand that this award be taken back immediately. I implore you to not let them get away with this in your name. I am asking you to sign this petition and encourage everyone you know to do the same. Don’t let them mock our nation, our people and our values: Take Obama’s Transparency Award Back Now.

Please Sign the Petition Here:Take Award Back.Com