Veterans Administration Whistleblower Joins the Chorus

03-29-2014 • http://www.unz.com, By Kelley Vlahos

For whistleblowers who put everything on the line, being “right” can be strange territory.

On one hand it is vindicating, to have the world know your claims were real. Nevertheless, when those claims reveal a gross abuse of government, or the neglect and suffering of others, being right means at the very least, most of the world would have preferred you were wrong.

Truth-telling can be an awkward business.

But nearly everyday someone is risking their job and reputation because they feel it is the right thing to do. Sometimes, they get their comeuppance and better yet, something good comes out of it.

“They’re exposing the truth and holding powerful agencies accountable and there are always significant repercussions afterwards. These are not easy decisions to make,” said filmmaker Robert Greenwald, who directed and produced The War on Whistleblowers: Free Press and the National Security State, in 2013.

“But when the very foundation of one’s freedom is at stake,” he shared with The Unz Review, “ that often overrules personal concerns about safety and security.”