Every whistleblower challenges the status quo, the way those in power maintain their power. As we all know, to expose misbehavior and violations of public trust creates distrust of those entities. To attack the status quo, therefore, is a crime, a threat to public order…
Crime against public order are violations that interfere with the normal operations of society. These crimes go against publicly shared values, norms, or customs.
A public order crime does not require an identifiable victim. Individuals can be charged with public order crimes if their conduct or acts are considered “harmful to society.” Public order crimes primarily focus on the offensive conduct.
Perhaps more relevant in 2019…
Fear becomes a controlling mechanism for the maintenance of the social order and any element of non-conformity is construed as a threat.
Let’s review: a ‘Trump hating’ expert on eastern European policy followed proper internal procedures to alert the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community of a probable violation of law. The inspector found the complaint plausible and forwarded it, again as required by law, to the correct oversight officials. Investigations by Congress, and others, documented collaboration of the whistleblower’s allegations.
President Donald Trump – who considers himself the supreme authority over all conduct – harshly criticized the whistleblower, saying, “That person’s a spy in my opinion,” and he has argued that the whistleblower’s claims are inaccurate.
Corporate media, led by Fox News regurgitating conspiracy theories by the World News Daily folks, discredits the whistleblower as a ‘deep state operative,’ another Fifth Columnist working for the secret government in exile of Barrack Obama. Jeanine Pirro on Fox “lamented the unlikelihood that we will “see people go out in cuffs.’”
So, those in power aided by them in the shadow of power decree that the Ukraine whistleblower is a spy, disloyal to our county and our God President. They are a threat to public order. They ought to be arrested after being stripped of their law-enabled anonymity and all in the information in their complaint must be ignored. Likewise, such conduct by others must be forbidden and punished.
Let’s take the obvious next step: simply, Kill All Whistleblowers. File a complaint, face summary execution.
Alas, that is just the last step down a steep mountain. Whistleblowers have never been popular.
For example, I remember 30 years ago when I filed a complaint against my employer who, to me and others, grossly abused federal funds and broke the law. Even though an audit spurred by press coverage proved my allegations I was fired. Ironically, while the State of Missouri held filing a correct complaint was actionable insubordination, they decided I had a First Amendment right to complain (and therefore could get unemployment pay).
As I read current Missouri unemployment rules, in 2019 the accuracy of the complaint is irrelevant. Whistleblowers have no state protection from retaliation. Under the Trump regime their protections in federal law appear moot.
While a person of good conscious may feel the need to expose wrong doing and impropriety, well, better to suffer moral pain than become a threat to public order.
Glenn Koenen