Ralph welcomes Tom Mueller, author of “Crisis of Conscience: Whistleblowers in an Age of Fraud,” where they discuss the heroic stories of the brave men and women, who at great personal cost, have called to account corruption across government and industry. Plus, Ralph answers your questions.
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Tom Mueller is a free-lance writer of non-fiction and fiction, whose work has appeared the New Yorker, National Geographic, New York Times Magazine, Atlantic Monthly, and elsewhere. His first non-fiction book, Extra Virginity, is a New York Times best-selling account of olive oil culture, history, and crime. His latest is Crisis of Conscience: Whistleblowing in an Age of Fraud.
“Bill Binney had the awful irony of having created this structure to surveil foreign targets and winnow out at top speed potential terrorists and seeing his own work… being used against Americans. It was a thing he had sworn every day of his working life not to do… So, he backed away from the agency (NSA) when he felt they were fundamentally violating their mission. And what would Edward Snowden take away from this message? If you follow protocol and you surface your concerns about mass, warrantless surveillance through channels, what happens to you? Well, all he had to do is look at Bill Binney and Tom Drake and see that his only hope of getting the word out was to take another route.”
Tom Mueller, author of Crisis of Conscience: Whistleblowing in an Age of Fraud
“If you look at what Donald Trump is today and his coterie of bandits that he’s put in charge of our government, you can see the price that is paid when you do not pay attention to recidivist white-collar criminality over a generation or more. You get Donald Trump… Donald Trump didn’t come from Mars. He is the logical extension of the corruptions we’ve allowed to creep into our political and social system.”
Tom Mueller, author of Crisis of Conscience: Whistleblowing in an Age of Fraud
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Conversely, these books are to read, by Robert Duncan, who was the architect behind Direct Energy Weapons and enhanced microwave weapons when he was with the CIA, which they use in addition to RNM, Remote Neural Monitoring surveillance: PROJECT:SOUL CATCHER, Vol 2; HOW TO TAME A DEMON; and THE MATRIX DECIPHERED. Also: These two books by Dr. John Hall: “A NEW BREED: SATELLITE TERRORISTS IN AMERICA”, and “GUINEA PIGS.” Both Robert Duncan and John Hall are acquainted with Bill Binney. Google these terms also: “Organized Stalking,” “Gangstalking” and “V2K”, which they work in conjunction with the surveillance. These are good sites for info: http://www.targetedjustice.com; http://www.everydayconcerned.net.
>> Donald Trump didn’t come from Mars. He is the logical extension of the corruptions we’ve allowed to creep into our political and social system.”
well said.
when you have corruption, maybe most of it is about greed, but corruption provides that totally opaque shielded vector right into the heart of the US government by anyone for any reason.
America has passed into this superficial stage of covert application of force and violence such as it can be used, which is 180 degrees anti-whistleblower and tends to terrorize the public. Whistleblowing can be democracy and rule of law in the workplace which is terrifying and unacceptable to illegitimate power-brokers. Or maybe there are just too many whistleblowers for those responsible to prosecute and the fear that the judicial may be corrupted as well along its chain of precedent.
One additional thought to consider could be what is the intersection of corruption and the nuclear industry; and does that necessarily damn the whole industry forever? Especially since we do not have the data to say what is the average level or corruption across all industries.
The US military… Whose role around the world is to conquer, exploit, and steal other countries’ resources for American capitalists. The US military, which is regularly deployed against other countries any time they attempt to escape the icy grip of US capitalism. The US military, the greatest single force of maintaining the global capitalist system in world history. Sorry, but that’s not socialism.
Socialism has a meaningful definition which is rooted in its opposition to the capitalist mode of production. Unlike capitalism, socialism is democratic control of the means of production. It is NOT “whenever the government does anything anywhere at any time”. Look, you don’t have to BE a socialist, but at least know what the heck you’re talking about if you’re going to bring up socialism. It turns out there actually is political thought outside the narrow debate within liberalism of government doing stuff versus government not doing stuff. We who call ourselves socialists do not believe that capitalism is immortal and simply needs managing by some Keynesian or fascistic state to iron out the kinks, we would like to move beyond the capitalist system entirely. That’s what socialism is all about.
Good point. I was also puzzled by Mueller’s reference to US military as an example of socialism. His other examples like bank bailouts and corporate socialism I found more compelling. And I still highly recommend this podcast.
nothing about Julian Assange here. why?
Speaking for myself and not either Tom Mueller or Ralph, I would say that technically Julian Assange is not a whistleblower anymore than the New York Times would be considered a whistleblower for publishing the Pentagon Papers. Daniel Ellsberg is the whistleblower. Edward Snowden is the whistleblower. Wikileaks is the publisher. That’s not to say that Assange is not paying a similar price than the whistleblowers detailed in this show, but he is not the one working for an organization that he is blowing the whistle on.
You may think that the President is corrupt, and I would disagree. His administration has pointed up how bureaucrats have institutionalized corruption. And here in the Detroit area where I live it’s the Democrat officeholders who have suppressed and marginalized any opposition to their grandiose schemes. Whistleblowers around here are inspected, fined, and subjected to additional taxes, not to mention ostracized, when they challenge liberal orthodoxy. Meanwhile, the bureaucracy turns a blind eye to government official wrongdoing and carries out the mechanics of suppression because they benefit financially from the tax exploitation of the working masses.
To Ralph:
This may be a little off subject, but not entirely off the subject of corporate fraud.
Senator Ed Markey and Blumenthal wrote a policy on Safety Not For Sale, and I have asked questions on compliance and reporting for criminal enforcement. (Boeing)
Have you read this policy?
Is it the same policy as the Clinton 2000 Kids Safety Act where NHTSA Susan Bailey successfully blamed the rollovers of the Bronco on tread separations for Ford (Bickerstaff fraud on the court) and wrote the TREAD Act with no enforcement to compliance and reporting. Susan Bailey upon leaving the NHTSA went to work for Ford (revolving door).
Clarence was always keeping me informed (FMVSS 207 seatback collapse 50yr + non defect) on policies and laws, but since his passing I’ve been in the dark.
The question is enforcement in safety not for sale or is it the same corporate interest as the TREAD act?
Stephanie Collins
I have a seatback collapse Facebook page scroll down for the timelines.
Please email me any information you can. I truly miss Clarence.
Deb_steph@hotmail.com