WhistleblowerSupporter

Support Your Local “Occupy Your Town/City” Movement

I received an email today from someone who did not understand why I was not actively supporting the “Occupy” efforts across the country.  I’ve been watching news of these activities with interest. (The real news, not corporate owned media outlets who are NOT reporting it for the most part, and not accurately reporting it for the rest.)   A week or so ago I intended to go down and find out for myself what was going on, but work and several family disasters delayed my expedition down there.  Probably the same excuse, many of you have for not actively helping in some way or another.  

 

When you consider that the Occupy efforts appear to be a collaboration of committed individuals who have various concerns and complaints, many of which are caused by corporations, politicians, bureaucracy, greedy examples of those with more than most, etc.  The problems are social, economic, and political.  I can see my reader’s point

 

These are the same people who are helping to enable corporations and various hands and arms of government that are causing the very situations that are creating whistleblowers.  Greed, power mongering, cronyism, influence pedaling, unethical and criminal contracting activities, fraud, waste, abuse, and a host of other ills are examples.  Honorable people when confronted by this try to change it, report it, fix it and usually get the stuffing kicked out of them for their efforts in the climate we are dealing with in this country today. 

 

I agree that I should help promote the support of those who have the courage, determination and commitment to go be an active part of peaceful protest in events being staged across the nation.  Even if you cannot take part in the sign holding and waving, stop by and talk, find out why these people are down there and what they need to stay well and comfortable.  This is especially true in parts of the country that are now turning cold, wet and inhospitable.  My reader suggested donating supplies that are so critically needed like, warm coats, gloves, hats, food, especially things that can be cooked or heated under outdoor camping conditions.  Waterproof plastic storage boxes, tents, sleeping bags, cooking utensils, first aid supplies, those hand warmer sticks you can buy at sporting goods stores, and anything else that will keep up the volunteer’s spirits and energy.  

 

My reader reported that the Occupy Tacoma (in Washington State, south of Seattle, in a park on Pacific Avenue, downtown, at the cross street with the new bridge across the Puyallup River) is a neat and orderly effort showing a positively motivated cooperative of young and old that demonstrates a stellar example of the best of human effort.  They, who are giving the best they can to make a difference and to help the majority of us break out of our complacency and paralyzed condition, deserve our support and help. 

 

When those  with wealth and political control,  who continue to take and take and manipulate things to the detriment of the majority (working class and poor)  in this country are taken to task, and our society balances and rights itself again, we will also be reducing the number of whistleblowers, because there will be less crap and corruption to report,  and to fight against in our work places. 

 

Please take time this week or weekend and do what you can for your local “Occupy ____________” effort.  If you can report on your local Occupy activities, please comment here on this site; you are welcome to voice your observations and opinions. 

 

As for me, I am going to the coat closet, storage room and pantry right now! 

GFS

 

 

New International Association of Whistleblowers Caucus (IAW) to join Gap and others at National Whistleblower Conference starting September 18 in Washington DC.

 

Here is the website for the IAW.  All Whistleblowers, those who were whistleblowers, or those who may become whistleblowers are enthusiastically invited to join. 

Our website explains what we, the IAW, are about:

http://internationalwhistleblower.org/

 

 

Opening day of the conference is Sunday, September 18, 2011.  The IAW Caucus will be conducting activities at the DC Public Library – Martin Luther King Jr. Branch, Room A-5, 901 G Street, NW, Washington DC 20001

 

Some of the activities will include a welcome by co-chairs Mike McCray Esq. And James Murtaugh, MD.

 

This will be followed by:

 

-         The Atlanta Whistleblower plenary panel, “Have Georgia Judges Gone Wild?”

-         Tapping the Power of the Media:  “How can we use the power of story, and new internet media, to promote social justice?”

-         Whistleblower support fund – plenary panel, “How can we save priceless documents from the legendary cases of whistleblowers like Ernie Fitzgerald?”

-         “Empty Chair” ceremony honoring whistleblowers who cannot be present due to retaliatory imprisonment  or untimely death.  Statements will be read on behalf of:

o       Martin Salazar, former Dept. of energy employee

o       Bradley Birkenfeld, former UBS banker

o       Mordechai Vanunu, former Israeli nuclear technician

o       Karen Silkwood, Kerr-McGee technician, deceased

-         Waste of Funding within Federal Government Procurement Panel

-         Medical Whistleblower plenary panel, “Can the Patient Quality Care Project Bring Integrity Back to Medicine?” This will include VA whistleblower panelists as well as medical doctors.

 

For those of you interested in joining the IAW, work sessions will take up the rest of the afternoon on matters concerning planning, charting IAW’s organizational directions, viewing of whistleblower authored books, and continued videotaping of whistleblower story videos for publication on U-Tube.  You will meet a lot of dynamic, creative, and determined people.  It will be well worth your time and effort to get here.

 

All of this will be followed by an informal participant dinner at the Dubliner at the Phoenix Park Hotel. 

 

The rest of the week will continue with events and presentations by various whistleblowers, whistleblower organizations and others.  This will be an exciting and informative week where you will learn a lot and make all kinds of good contacts and build up your supportive networks. 

 

GFS

 

 

Whistleblowers Wanted: New International Whistleblower Association Invites You to Participate

Friends,

Please send this everywhere and ask everyone to join the IAW caucus.
We are of the whistleblower, by and for the whistleblower. We want the
largest diversity of whistleblowers possible. We want everyone regardless of
affiliation.

Please circulate the following news item:
http://www.opednews.com/articles/5th-Annual-Whistleblower-C-by-James-Murtagh
-110831-261.html

Our website explains what we are about:

http://internationalwhistleblower.org/

We are expanding our membership, and we are international in scope.
Our articles are appearing today in Scoop magazine NZ and around the world.
We want all whistleblowers to join, and the greater the diversity, the
better. Our signature issues are judicial accountability and medical
whistleblowing, but we are joining with defense and financial
whistleblowers, veterans, environmental. Our focus is to network and mentor.

We also ask all members to register for the entire conference at:

http://makeitsafecampaign.org/news/?page_id=2146

Please ask all members to write articles for OEN. We are running a series of
articles about the conference. I urge every panel to write an article about
their issue. Everyday I would like to run an additional article about each
individual event for the meeting. We are going to U-tube as much of the
conference as possible, and post on OEN and on the IAW website.

We work hard for this conference every year. This year, we can get even more
out of the conference with planning. I challenge every person to get an
article out about their issue. We will work with them, help them with
editing, and get their issue into the press.

We want participation from every single member. By delegating, we can get
everyone involved, and everyone can be heard.

Please send this out, and we will have another article tomorrow.
Ginger, if you have an article about the overall conference, please send it
and we will post it. OpEdNews has a tremendous circulation, and we will get
more attendees if we post articles now. Members still can reserve discounted
airfares.

So, to all MISC members and fans, now is the time. Write and post your
articles! None of us can do this alone, but together we can!

http://www.opednews.com/articles/5th-Annual-Whistleblower-C-by-James-Murtagh
-110831-261.html

ATTENTION! SEC ADOPTS NEW WHISTLEBLOWER RULES

I attended one of these sessions recently.  You do not have to be an attorney to attend.  I recommend that you all attend and read Mr. Kohn's new book.  It is written to make the complexities understandable even for people who are not attorney's.    Your fee includes a copy of Mr. Kohn's new book and handouts.  He was very open to answering participant questions.  GFS

 

 *******

 

On May 25th, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted whistleblower rules that fundamentally changed and enhanced the right of employees to obtain legal protection and large financial rewards (see Washington Post article).  The National Whistleblowers Center and its legal staff were extensively involved in this process, providing the SEC with nine formal rulemaking submissions and personally meeting one-on-one with each of the five SEC commissioners.  Many of the NWC's proposals were adopted by the SEC, and the Final Rules cited to NWC formal comments forty-four times.  The new regulations will prove an invaluable asset in the representation of corporate whistleblowers, and the new regulations if properly utilized will prove to be an invaluable asset in successfully representing employees and preventing corporate fraud.

 

As a result, the National Whistleblowers Center is conducting a series of nationwide seminars that will focus on the new SEC regulations, and the historic whistleblower protections contained in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.  The seminars will explain the new anti-retaliation rules governing corporate employees and the financial reward provisions.  These rules require the SEC to pay large financial awards to qualified whistleblowers for which there is no cap and can result in multiple millions of dollars in recoveries.

 

 

 

 

Dodd-Frank Act

3-hour CLE Seminar

NEW Corporate Whistleblower Protections and Reward Provisions

 

 

On July 21, 2010, Congress enacted the Dodd-Frank Act. Corporate whistleblowing was forever changed. The Act established the right of whistleblowers to obtain multi-million dollar rewards for reporting violations of Securities and Commodities Exchange Acts. These "qui tam" provisions were modeled on the False Claims Act -- a law that already has resulted in whistleblowers obtaining over $2.7 billion dollars in rewards for reporting federal contracting and procurement violations to the Justice Department. Dodd-Frank also enhanced employment protections available to whistleblowers. Retaliatory discharge cases can now be filed directly in federal court, with the right to a jury trial. Under Dodd-Frank, mandatory arbitration agreements cannot be enforced.

$150 ATTORNEY REFERRAL SERVICE MEMBERS

($95 For Early Bird Special!)

 

$295 ATTORNEYS

($150 For Early Bird Special!)

 

$75 WHISTLEBLOWERS

 

Call (202) 342-1903 for Early Sign-up or ARS Discount Codes

 

To REGISTER visit our UPCOMING EVENTS page

Locations:

 

Washington, DC -- June 10th, 2011 (Teleconference Available)

         National Whistleblowers Center

         3238 P Street NW

         Washington, DC 20007

 

         Register on or before June 7th for Early Bird Special

 

         Contact Seminar Director Estelle Kohn at ek@whistleblowers.org or Associate

         Seminar Director Philip Barrett at whistle@whistleblowers.org or call

         (202) 342-1903 to register

 

Denver, CO -- June 23rd, 2011

         The Browne Palace Hotel & Spa

         321 17th Street

         Denver, CO 80202

 

         Register on or before June 10th for Early Bird Special

 

San Francisco, CA -- June 27th, 2011

         TURN-The Utility Reform Network

         115 Sansome Street, Suite 900

         San Francisco, CA 94104

 

         Register on or before June 10th for Early Bird Special

 

Los Angeles, CA -- June 28th, 2011

         Carlsmith Ball LLP

         444 South Flower Street, 9th Floor

         Los Angeles, CA 90071-2901

 

         Register on or before June 10th for Early Bird Special

 

New York, NY -- July 25th, 2011

         New York Marriott Downtown

         85 West Street at Albany Street

         New York, NY 10006

 

         Register on or before July 15th for Early Bird Special

 

CURRICULUM:

Learn how to use the new corporate whistleblower laws and regulations to effectively represent employees, combat fraud and qualify for large whistleblower rewards. Gain insight into how whistleblower protections laws can be integrated into your law practice as powerful legal tools for maximizing your client's ability to have their case heard before a jury and obtain entitlement to large monetary damage awards and rewards.

 

FACULTY:

Stephen M. Kohn, Esq. is the Executive Director of the National Whistleblowers Center and one of the nations leading advocates on whistleblower law.  Mr. Kohn will present this unique seminar on the latest whistleblower laws and rewards provisions. Mr. Kohn has represented numerous high profile whistleblowers for over 27 years. He has authored seven books on whistleblower law, including the recently published The Whistleblower's Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Doing What's Right and Protecting Yourself (Lyons Press, 2011). Mr. Kohn was the principal author of the NWC's rulemaking petitions and personally met with all five SEC Commissioners and the responsible Commission staff.

 

To Register or For More Information:

Please visit our UPCOMING EVENTS page or contact Estelle Kohn or Philip Barrett by phone: (202) 342-1903 or email: ek@whistleblowers.org or whistle@whistleblowers.org.  

If you cannot make the seminar, you can purchase the course materials, The Whistleblower's Handbook, online for $16.95 plus shipping. 

Where in the World is Kathleen Watson, Part 2

Here is a follow up on an earlier post this week.  Follow the link to see the contract.  Ms Watson was formerly a lawyer with the CIA, in human resources I believe.  Her recent area of interest has appeared to be intel.  -GFS

 

G. Florence,
 
Where in the world is Kathleen Watson?
 
G Florence you are sailing on course.  McNeil Technologies was awarded a $500 million dollar defense contract in September 2010.  The U.S. Special Operations Command five year linguist support services contract award is public knowledge.
 
http://www.defense.gov/contracts/contract.aspx?contractid=4366
 
How is Kathleen Watson and the Defense Security Service connected?  Stay tuned.
 
The Old Navy Man

 

For those who want a quick view of the announcement:

Found on defense.gov on March 30, 2011 by GFS as advised by Old Navy Man on 3/29/11.

 

CONTRACTS

U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND

                McNeil Technologies, Inc., Springfield, Va., has been awarded a $500,000,000 maximum value, five-year indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity linguist support services contract by U.S. Special Operations Command.  The contractor will provide all personnel, equipment, tools, materials, supervision/management, and other items and services necessary to provide foreign language interpretation, transcription, reporting, and translation services to support overseas contingency operations.  The initial obligation amount is $50,000,000 for the first task order.  The contract number is H92222-10-D-0007.

 

 

Where in the World is Former DSS Director, Kathleen Watson?

Former DSS Director, Kathleen Watson, accepts job with McNeil Technologies, Virgina

The word on the street is that she has quick as a bunny, hopped right over to a defense contractor and is now in their employ.  Doesn’t anyone have to adhere anymore to the six months to a year wait period before leaving a government oversight job and jumping right into a contract with a defense contractor?  I hear that a lucrative contract was awarded by the government the very same day Watson signed her new contract with the contractor. 

 

Check out her new digs at McNeil Technologies in Virginia:

 

http://www.mcneiltech.com/

 

 

 

Defense Logistics Agency Audits Found Lacking: They want to combine DSS with this one?

A contributor sent this in today.  Thanks!  I appreciate contributions from my readers.  It seems like I have heard nothing good about DSS for a very long time, other than the management has seemingly been successful at pulling the wool over any number of politicians eyes.  It is one long progression of bad decision after bad decision from this observer's perspective.  GFS

 

G. Florence-

Rumors on the contracting street back here in the beltway are that the Defense Security Service and its industrial security mission will be handed back to the Defense Logistics Agency.  Some agency employees have shared,  that the employee pay and benefits program has already been given back to the Defense Logistics Agency.  Handing a failing agency back to another failing agency doesn't seem like a very good idea to this old navy man.  Isn't it time for the agencies who actually own the programs to take back ownership of their programs?

 The Old Navy Man 

 

The Washington Post

Report criticizes defense agency’s auditing

By Robert O'Harrow Jr., Sunday, March 20, 6:54 PM

 

It is supposed to be an A Team that keeps a close eye on the Defense Logistics Agency, the $41 billion-a-year operation that supplies Meals Ready-to-Eat, uniforms, spare parts and just about everything else to troops around the world.

But the agency’s accountability office does F-grade work when it comes to conducting audits, according to a recent report by the Pentagon’s Inspector General.

Many of the audits are improperly performed. Investigators often do not have enough auditing experience and don’t follow generally accepted government auditing standards. In six of eight offices reviewed, planning was found to be deficient, according to the report.

 

“As a result of the significant deficiencies described . . . we are issuing a fail opinion on the DLA audit organization’s system of quality control,” said Randolph R. Stone, deputy inspector general for policy and oversight.

 

The DLA did not respond to requests for comment.

The IG report raises questions about the Pentagon’s ability to properly oversee contractors vital to its far-flung operations.

 

For years, Congress has heard testimony that the Pentagon’s logistics operations are hampered by questionable practices, poor planning and overpriced goods and services. The DLA’s accountability office contributes to the problem by failing in its oversight role, the findings conclude.

 

“The report confirms the alarming trend we are seeing where Pentagon management has relegated audits of contracts and internal controls to a back seat,” said Danielle Brian, executive director of the Project On Government Oversight, a private nonpartisan oversight organization that tracks Pentagon spending. “Despite rhetoric to the contrary, senior DOD leadership has been on a tear to reduce or even eliminate any type of audit oversight, whether related to contractors or DOD’s own internal controls.”

The DLA faces a mammoth task. Its 27,000 employees provide support to nearly 1,900 weapons systems and eight supply chains moving 5 million items. The wars in the Middle East have added to the strain.

 

The accountability office was formed in early 2008 to focus investigators and auditors on improving “efficiency, accountability and warfighter support.”

 

The IG criticism deals with the quality control of audits, which are crucial to identifying theft, fraud and other abuses. The IG report found an “absence of official quality control policies and procedures” and a lack of independence among auditors.

 

The report notes that only “one quality assurance auditor position” was established, in late 2009, but that person has not conducted “any reviews of DLA audit work and therefore could not provide any evidence of quality assurance monitoring.”

The IG made nine recommendations, including calling for revisions of the audit policies. The DLA agreed with all nine, the report said.

 

“We determined that the DLA audit organization did not exercise professional judgment due to the vast array of noncompliances,” the report said. “The DLA Accountability Office, Audit Division, and the DLA Disposition Services audit offices did not have a clear understanding of what constituted an audit.”

 

Link to original: 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/report-criticizes-defense-agencys-auditing/2011/03/18/AB4kT02_story.html

 

Reader Comment: Censorship and Corruption Regarding Cancer Research

I received a comment from a Mr. Edward A. Greenhalgh asking for help in reaching readers who are interested in problems with freedom of information and research in the area of cancer treatment.  I have looked to be sure the site is about cancer research issues.  I have put the link he gave below for your convenience.  This is just another area where it appears censorship of scientific research is occurring.  GFS

 

 

 

Edward A.Greenhalgh said:

 

I would like help in my fight exposing government corruption.

 

You must read www.cancerfraudbadbiotech.com -  the 2011 updates and the material being sent to President Obama .

 

From the index choose C Main Letter : Corruption.  Read the whole letter as you will be upset what has been blocked, but more importantly the dangers being withheld from the public.

 

Noam Chomsky has said my theories could be of phenomenal importance to mankind's survival

 

Former US Surgeon General Dr.Jocelyn Elders has regretted my treatment, plus others you can see on the website. Long story short, this website exposes powerful business interests which have bought off American government official in order to cover up felony fraud.

 

Corruption on this magnitude cannot be over come unless it is exposed to the public. You can help by asking people to read the material: that is the least you can do. The result is you may help many people’s lives.

 

Thank you,

 

.Edward A.Greenhalgh

 

 

Site that Mr. Greenhaigh wishes everyone to view:  www.cancerfraudbadbiotech.com

 

DoD Auditors Auditing Less.

Here is another article and comment sent from a reader.  Thank you again, Old Navy Man.  And GFS

 

 

G. Florence-

 

Reduce government, and you reduce defense contractor oversight.

 

An Old Navy Man

 

  

WashingtonTechnology

 

DOD auditors raise the limit on what they'll examine

Watchdog group cries foul over what they see as reduced oversight

By Alice Lipowicz

Oct 29, 2010

 

The Defense Department has reduced the scope of contracts audited by the Defense Contract Audit Agency, according to a DCAA memo released today by the Project on Government Oversight, a watchdog group.

According to the memo, contracting officers' requests for DCAA reviews of contractor cost data must meet a threshold of $10 million for fixed-price proposals and $100 million for cost-type proposals, unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Previously, the threshold was $700,000 for fixed-price proposals and $10 million for cost-type proposals, POGO officials said in a post published on the organization's website.

Approximately $92 billion in annual DOD contracts will be affected by the new thresholds, POGO estimated, calling it a radical reduction in contract oversight by DCAA.

“POGO has long feared contractors and their government allies would block DCAA from exposing contractor ripoffs,” Nick Schwellenbach, POGO’s director of investigations, said today.“Why are billions of dollars being put at risk when [Defense] Secretary [Robert] Gates is demanding cost savings?”

DCAA officials were not immediately available for comment.

 

 http://washingtontechnology.com/articles/2010/10/29/dcaa-audits-contractor.aspx

 

 

 

Oversight of Contracts Worth Billions and Billions is Broken

This is another article sent to me today.  Thank you reader!  GFS

 

G. Florence-

 

The Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) is broken.  The Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) is broken.  And the Defense Security Service (DSS) is broken.  It looks like the entire contracting and security oversight of defense contractors is broken.

 

 

An Old Navy Man

 

 

POGO

Pentagon Radically Reducing Oversight of Contracts Worth Tens of Billions

October 29, 2010  Nick Schwellenbach

The Pentagon has radically decreased the Defense Contract Audit Agency’s (DCAA) review of contracts, according to an October 18 DCAA memo obtained by POGO. DCAA’s job is to protect taxpayers from contractor overbilling.

“POGO has long feared contractors and their government allies would block DCAA from exposing contractor ripoffs,” said Nick Schwellenbach, POGO’s director of investigations.  “Why are billions of dollars being put at risk when Secretary Gates is demanding cost savings?”

According to the memo, contracting guidance “now limits contracting officer requests for audit services to Fixed-price proposals over $10 million and Cost-Type proposals over $100 million, unless there are exceptional circumstances.”

These audit services are reviews of cost data (referred to as “reviews”) and they entail an examination of a contractor’s cost proposal to the government.  In these proposals, contractors estimate how much it will cost them to accomplish work on a contract.

Previously, there was no dollar threshold for reviews on fixed-price contract proposals, but contracting officers would limit requests for DCAA reviews of proposals over a threshold tied to the submission of cost or pricing data, which is currently $700,000. The old threshold for reviews of cost-type proposals was $10 million, but could be lower if the contractor has systemic problems estimating costs.

In FY 2009, a total of at least $92 billion in Defense Department contracts fell between the old thresholds and the new ones, according to USAspending.gov.  The $92 billion figure is a conservative estimate – it reflects awarded and funded contracts, rather than contract proposals, which are often higher than the funded contract award amounts.

The guidance states that cost proposals below the new dollar thresholds for review may be sent instead to the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA). DCMA is typically less thorough than DCAA, according to a 2009 Wartime Contracting Commission report.  The DCMA also does not specialize in examining and verifying cost and pricing data.

The reason for this new restriction is DCAA’s attempt to perfectly comply with Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards (GAGAS). With this standard, which requires meticulous documentation of findings, DCAA is unable to cover as much ground as they used to, thus the need to restrict “audits” as defined by GAGAS.  The number of DCAA reports produced annually has plunged: 33,801 in FY 2007 to 30,352 in FY 2008 to 21,276 reports in FY 2009.

Rather than subjecting reviews of cost or pricing data to GAGAS, DCAA should consider these reviews as financial advisory services, which are not subject to all GAGAS requirements.  This would better protect taxpayers and warfighters by allowing DCAA to review cost data and deliver advice to contracting officers in a timely fashion.

Founded in 1981, the Project On Government Oversight (POGO) is a nonpartisan independent watchdog that champions good government reforms. POGO's investigations into corruption, misconduct, and conflicts of interest achieve a more effective, accountable, open, and ethical federal government.

http://www.pogo.org/pogo-files/alerts/contract-oversight/co-ca-20101029.html