WhistleblowerSupporter

Whistleblowers (2011) claims DOD official is incompetent and tyrannical rings a sympathetic chord with DSS’s problems (2012)

 I ran across this story from August 29, 2011 (in my mail box, sent to me by a reader), which is remarkably like what I am being told is going on in DSS (Defense Security Service). 

 

Note similarities, those of you familiar with the problems DSS seems to be propagating at an alarming rate: 

 

Managers pushing out senior employees who have the knowledge, training and experience to do the job in order to make room for often unprepared, untrained, equally incompetent cronies from another work environment.  Cronyism can be hiring relatives, or can be hiring members of a same church, college class, club, or military service branch etc.  It does seem like DSS is having more than its share of such problems. 

 

It seems like within DSS, as in this story, some crony seeking managers like people around who can spy on other employees for them, and be loyal to the manager in charge, even if they aren’t capable of doing the job they ostensibly were hired to do.  In the case of DSS, how is this helping DSS protect our technology and oversee government contracts?  (Answer:  It’s not! But it may well be meeting the goals of certain defense contractors who don’t want any oversight anyway.)  GFS

 

 

 

See original article:

 

Whistleblowers:  DOD official incompetent, wasteful , ‘tyrannical’

 

Link to original:

 

http://thehill.com/news-by-subject/defense-homeland-security/178639-whistleblowers-charge-dod-official-with-incompetence-wasteful-spending-tyrannical-leadership

 

 

Got a DOD crony story?  Report it here – http://gflorencescott.wordpress.com

DSS and Boeing Continue Retribution Against DSS Security Specialist Despite DOD OIG Report

Thanks Old Navy Man for sending this.  It is a good follow up in one of the continuing stories I had been observing.  The Defense Security Service has truly reached the point of no salvation in this whistleblower supporter's opinion.  It just gets worse and worse.  I have a lot more I've been told or have been able to find out during my family emergency trips back east.  I'll be unrolling more stuff from this point forward.   Please do go to this link.  I see that POGO's Nick Schwellenbach included links to the DOD OIG's report concerning Mr. Conley's case from 2002-2008, where the DOD OIG validated and upheld Mr. Conley's concerns and that he has been fiercely retaliated against by DSS managers and it appears the director.  Mr. Conley has been on the receiving end of a vendetta for doing his job lawfully and trying to make sure a particular case was not covered up and would be prosecuted.  But because of the demonstrated actions of the defense contractor involved (Boeing) and the conflict of interest relationships certain managers in DSS have personally and professionally with Boeing,  and as it was discovered later, Boeing's relationships with other government managers and  defense agencies or activities, it has been a brutal uphill battle to assure integrity in the oversight process.  Start with reading all of this.  I will be publishing more later.    GFS

 

 

G Florence:
 
Please read this article    http://getinvolved.pogo.org/site/PageNavigator/dss_boeing_whistleblower.html

I just stumbled across this link to a very disturbing whistleblower article.  I did not see it posted at your site so I am forwarding it to you.  Please take the time read it.  I hope you will consider posting it with your comments.  This recent article is from the Project On Government Oversight.  As an old navy man I am incensed that the two government workers identified in this article have been persecuted by the Marine Corps, my Navy and the Defense Security Service for trying to do their jobs.  More people need to know what is going on in our government!
 
An Old Navy Man

And the Corruption Goes On and On and On....

I'm back. This seems to be my time for family matters that require me to be away from home. I have not given up. I have heard some more interesting things while away. There seems to be an increasing amount of corruption coming into the light. Some of it is in the news media. Some of it is not yet.

If any of you have something to report or bring public attention to, please let me know. I believe not "going quietly into the good night" is a key to prevailing.

GFS

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 [email protected] or Associate

         Seminar Director Philip Barrett at [email protected] 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: [email protected] or [email protected].  

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