The two worlds of
snitches
Commentary
by PAT MURPHY
They’re
known variously as whistleblowers, snitches, canaries, finks or tattlers,
and usually share a common fate: they’re treated as outcasts for
squealing on wrongdoing.
That is,
except when we really need them.
The FBI is
now offering up to $5 million in reward for the capture of each of 22
terrorists now on the "most wanted" roster — meaning, the
nation will lavish millions on snitches.
But the
federal government isn’t so generous or appreciative with those who blow
the whistle on errant behavior at home.
Time and
again, whistleblowers who have exposed fraud and mismanagement in
government either have lost their jobs, been unceremoniously demoted,
brusquely forced into retirement or otherwise ostracized as social
wretches.
Many,
however, regained their reputations and some semblance of compensation
after taking their bosses to court.
Comes now
the case of 54-year-old Yellowstone National Park ranger Bob Jackson, who’s
been ordered to shut up or else.
Jackson’s
crime? He publicly criticized hunting guides for placing salt lick just
south the park’s southern boundary line in Wyoming to lure elk outside
where they can be legally shot.
Once again,
a whistleblower is being treated like a leper, rather than praised.
Sworn as he
is to protect wildlife inside Yellowstone Park, Jackson has revealed a
scurrilous technique for shooting elk, one that true sportsmen should
abhor.
But instead
of condemning the subterfuge of baiting elk, Jackson’s bosses seem to
prefer silence.
Jackson has
been a seasonal backcountry ranger for 23 years, and now wonders whether
he will even have a job next year.
•
The
craziness of 21st century life:
New York
Mayor Rudy Giuliani angrily returned a $10 million donation to the city’s
relief fund from a Saudi prince because he criticized Israel’s treatment
of Palestinians (which the State Department also criticizes). But the
mayor hasn’t refused the $90 million in taxes the prince pays to New
York on U.S. business interests (such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Four
Seasons hotels).
•
If
California is a trendsetter for the rest of the nation, note this new law:
Before
developers of major projects get approval from cities or counties for
construction, water resource agencies must certify that there’s adequate
water available for at least 20 years for new residents in projects.
Legislators
enacted the law after officials discovered no new water reservoirs had
been built since the 1970s — yet California had added 10 million new
residents.