NWC hosts international visitors
On November 19, 2010, the National Whistleblowers Center (NWC) hosted a visit by Middle Eastern officials as part of the State Department's Transparency in Government project for the Near East. The program offered a view of the role of citizens, media and private non-profit advocacy in fostering transparency and accountability in government. Visitors learned about the uneven patchwork of whistleblower protections here in the United States, and our perspective about which laws work best and why.
Pictured here (not in order) are Dr. Amr Hashem Ahmed Abdel-Megid-Rabee of Egypt's Center for Political and Strategic Studies (Al Ahram Foundation), Mr. Khaled A.A.M. Malek of the Administration of Kuwait Customs - Privatization Project, Mr. Sidi Mohamed Boyde, Mauritania's Deputy Inspector General, Ms. Mariam Ait Alla of Morocco's Central Authority for the Prevention of Corruption (ICPC), Mr. Nassar Fakih Lanjri, Vice President of Morocco's Urban Commune of Tetouan, Mr. Mustapha Labbassi, Tetouan Bureau Chief of Al Ahdath Al Maghrebiya, Mr. Daoud S.M. Darawi, Judge of the Palestinian Authority's Supreme Judicial Council, Mr. Mugren Ibrahim M. Binmugren, Judge of Saudi Arabia's Administrative Court in Riyadh, and Mr. Marwan Ahmed Qasem Dammag, Secretary General of Yemen's Press Syndicate. With them are Mr. Stephen M. Kohn, Executive Director of NWC, Ms. Estelle Kohn, Deputy Director of NWC, and NWC interns Saki, Juliana, Leigh, Nobuya, Breann and Liz.
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Wild Idea FootNote #1 - for retirees: An opportunity exists here for the private sector, specifically, as our population of retirees grows larger. As we as a country realize that retirees in many case are retiring with a high level of experience in many disciplines that are turned out to pasture and almost totally under utilized for their expertise. We should be creative enough to find a way to continue to benefit from their expertise. Potentially, at an even greater level than while they were employed.
Could we create a certification level for WHISTLEBLOWER CONSULTANTS who become licensed like bounty hunters, in their areas of expertise, with specific bounties earned for each violation. They could be prevented from visiting their any of their previous employers, but could use their experience in identical or similar venues.
As a retiree, I envision such individuals, most of which are no longer chasing fame or fortune, but are eager to make a difference in the quality of life for their children and more particularly their grand children, as very idealistically motivated individuals wonderfully suited to this role.
Wild Idea FootNote #2 - for “The Media”: In as much as there is such a perceived hunger of the masses for TV programing content that is exciting, here is a program content idea which could full fill these perceptions and have redeeming social value. Spinning off from related TV successes which seek to idealize heroic or do-gooders such as:
HEROS; REPOMAN; DOG THE BOUNTY HUNTER; UNDERCOVER BOSS;
NANNY; 60 MINS (expose featurettes); DATELINE; AMERICA’S MOST WANTED
Program Topic: WHISTLEBLOWERS in action!
John Q. Citizen-Consumer (G. J. J. Green, gjjgreen37@hotmail.com)
There is no need to establish a "certification level" for "whistleblower consultant." Under the First Amendment, you are already free to share what you know with anyone who wants to listen to you. For whistleblower cases before the U.S. Department of Labor, non-lawyers are allowed to represent whistleblowers (although I still recommend that whistleblowers get a lawyer, and not just any lawyer, but a lawyer with experience and training in employment retaliation cases).
I would love to see a TV show that looks seriously at the experiences of whistleblowers. If anyone makes one, we can post it here on this blog.