5 ms·

Whistleblower laws would protect this individual.

jellicle 14y ago
You perhaps think the United States has some sort of generic whistleblower protection laws. This is not the case. What you may be thinking of this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whistleblower_Protection_Act http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whistleblower_Protection_Act which only applies to Federal agency employees.
- pc86 14y ago
  This is an important distinction. To the best of my knowledge, individuals who are not Federal employees that engage in whistleblowing do so with the very real possibility that there will be permanent professional retribution.
  - trhtrsh 14y ago
    "Professional" is bad enough. "Criminal" is far worse.
  - tptacek 14y ago
    It's not quite that simple; many US states have a "public policy" exception to at-will employment that allows you to sue if you're terminated or constructively terminated in retaliation for whistleblowing.
- mweisbrod 14y ago
  in response to pc86: professional retribution is fine. That is like getting fired. Going to jail and being labelled a terrorist is not professional retribution.
Retric 14y ago
The most recent law takes precedence, so this may remove Whistleblower protection.
tedks 14y ago
Whistleblower laws protect no one. For one, there is no such thing as unified "whistleblower laws." There are whistleblower laws in various states covering various domains, forming a legal morass that is near impossible for a human to navigate unaided. But more importantly, abiding by every one of these laws still results in years of legal limbo under attack from the superhumanly powerful entity that you as a moral person managed to piss off, bankrupting you, ending your marriage, and making you a damaged, nervous wreck. No whistleblower says they'd do it again if they had the choice. This is the protection your laws provide. I sadly can't yet link to a source, and am not sure how much I can say about how I know this, but I will say there'll be a great article out in a month or so on this topic in a major print publication.
- uptown 14y ago
  I think you're probably thinking about the NECC case which was profiled on '60 Minutes': http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50142537n http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50142537n

You perhaps think the United States has some sort of generic whistleblower protection laws. This is not the case. What you may be thinking of this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whistleblower_Protection_Act http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whistleblower_Protection_Act which only applies to Federal agency employees.

pc86 14y ago
This is an important distinction. To the best of my knowledge, individuals who are not Federal employees that engage in whistleblowing do so with the very real possibility that there will be permanent professional retribution.
- trhtrsh 14y ago
  "Professional" is bad enough. "Criminal" is far worse.
- tptacek 14y ago
  It's not quite that simple; many US states have a "public policy" exception to at-will employment that allows you to sue if you're terminated or constructively terminated in retaliation for whistleblowing.
mweisbrod 14y ago
in response to pc86: professional retribution is fine. That is like getting fired. Going to jail and being labelled a terrorist is not professional retribution.

Retric 14y ago

The most recent law takes precedence, so this may remove Whistleblower protection.

tedks 14y ago

Whistleblower laws protect no one. For one, there is no such thing as unified "whistleblower laws." There are whistleblower laws in various states covering various domains, forming a legal morass that is near impossible for a human to navigate unaided. But more importantly, abiding by every one of these laws still results in years of legal limbo under attack from the superhumanly powerful entity that you as a moral person managed to piss off, bankrupting you, ending your marriage, and making you a damaged, nervous wreck. No whistleblower says they'd do it again if they had the choice. This is the protection your laws provide. I sadly can't yet link to a source, and am not sure how much I can say about how I know this, but I will say there'll be a great article out in a month or so on this topic in a major print publication.

uptown 14y ago
I think you're probably thinking about the NECC case which was profiled on '60 Minutes': http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50142537n http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50142537n