Bit Off Topic:
Whistle Blowers Week on Capitol Hill

Scandals set to explode next week on Capitol Hill

http://www.dailykos.com

Next week, an avalanche of scandals will descend on Capitol Hill as dozens, and possibly hundreds, of government whistleblowers simultaneously deliver to Congress disclosures of government waste, fraud and abuse, including many that have never been told publicly. The mass disclosure of wrongoing is unprecendented and sure to create consternation among administration officials.

Whistleblowers are coming from all over the country to Washington, D.C., to take part in the Congressional tribunal, and other activities, both public and private. DKos readers who live in the DC area, will have a rare opportunity to support their your local whistleblowers, including DKos own Jesselyn Radack), at a book signing scheduled for Monday evening (May 14). New and familiar faces are among those participating in discussion panels to be broadcast Monday on CSPAN. The familiar faces include Jeffrey Wigand, the "Insider," and Coleen Rowley, TIME Magazine's Person of the Year.

Deep Harm's diary :: :: http://www.dailykos.com

Authors scheduled to appear at the book signing include whistleblowers Jesselyn Radack ("Canary in the Coalmine"), Mike German ("Think Like a Terrorist") Darlene  Fitzgerald ("BorderGate") and Arthuretta Martin ("Speaking on Success"). Authors of books on whistleblowing also will be present, including Steve Kohn :"Concepts and Procedures in Whistleblower Law," Tom Devine (The Whistleblower's Survival Guide") and Scott Harrington ("Pharmacology and the Nursing Process," which includes a chapter on whistleblowing).  Often, whistleblowers suffer economic losses from reporting official wrongdoing.  Buying their books is one way citizens can express support for those who display integrity in serving the public.

The activities are part of "Whistleblower Week in Washington," (see here and here) which has the support of members of the Make It Safe Coalition, a coalition of nonprofit organizations and individual whistleblowers that are working to convince Congress to pass stronger whistleblower protections.

AGENDA - MONDAY, MAY 14

10:30am - 11:30am
Whistleblower Protection Legislation
Russell Senate Caucus Room, SR 325
Tom Devine, GAP Legal Director
Joan Claybrook, President, Public Citizen
Staff, Senate Homeland Security
Staff, Office of Repr Todd Platts
Bogdan Dzakovic, Former FAA
Darlene Fitzgerald, U.S. Customs Whistleblower

11:30am - 12:30pm
Congressional Oversight of the FBI
Russell Senate Office Building Caucus Room, SR 325

Steve Kohn, President, National Whistleblower Center
Senator Charles Grassley
Coleen Rowley, TIME Person of the Year, former FBI
Michael German, ACLU, Former FBI

12:30pm - 2:00pm
Luncheon Panel on Scientific Integrity
Russell Senate Office Building Caucus Room, SR 325
Mark Cohen, GAP Food and Drug Safety Director
Jeffrey Wigand, "The Insider"
Susan Wood, former Dir, FDA Women's Health
Rick Piltz, former U.S. Climate Change Office
Francesca Grifo, Union of Concerned Scientists

2:00pm - 3:00pm:
False Claims Act: Successes & Challenges Ahead
Dirksen Senate Office Building Room 342

Joseph E.B. White, TAF
Stephen D. Altman, former DOJ
Janet Chandler, Ph.D., U.S. Supreme Court Victor
Robert L. Vogel, False Claims Act Qui Tam Attorney

3:00pm - 4:00pm
Oversight of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel
Dirksen Senate Office Building Room 342

Adam Miles, GAP Legislative Representative
Debbie Katz, Katz, Marshal and Banks
Natresha Dawson, Office of Special Counsel (OSC) whistleblower

Gabe Bruno, Former FAA Manager
Beth Daley, Director of Investigations, Project on Government Oversight
Representative from OSC (invited)

5:00pm - 6:00pm
Book-Signing
The Warehouse Arts Center
1017 7th Street NW
Washington, DC (across from the Convention Center)

The Congressional tribunal takes place Tuesday morniing, 9 am to 12 noon.  

Uh, yes. This would be a very strange move for Blum otherwise. DeFazio is out, Kitzhaber doesn't want to move to DC...it's a pretty sad state of affairs, considering how vulnerable Smith is. Novick's a fighter, and he'd be good against Smith, but I think Blum is tossing his hat in the race.

Well, actually, Congressman Blumenauer has had an internet strategist working with him since sometime in late 2001.  

Me.  Well, my company - Mandate Media.  Earl has been one of our longest-standing clients.

We're very excited that Jonathan is on board.  He'll be invaluable in helping Blumenauer for Congress expand its outreach efforts -- more important now than ever, because we're now in the majority; and it's possible to actually pass legislation and do other great things.

Keep in mind that a decision to run for the US Senate is an intensely personal decision.  It's a commitment to up-end your life, commit thousands of hours to a risky venture, and - if you lose - you lose your job.  

At this point, the only person who knows definitively if Earl Blumenauer is running, is Earl Blumenauer.  And probably not even him.

David Sirota did not work for Sherrod Brown, but I did, and you probably didn't like that either (even though I did disclose it).

So I guess you're making the same assumption many of us are.

Of course, Earl vacated his City Council seat - and so there was a special primary election for that seat, and then special regular.

If I remember right, Erik Sten was the big winner in that situation.  He came in third in the regular primary for the other regularly open Council seat, and while the top two were battling it out in the general, Erik was able to win Earl's seat in the special primary.

And of course the whole thing was kicked off by Packwood's resignation, which meant a special primary and special general for the Senate seat.

From November 1995 to November 1996, residents of Portland voted on six or seven different election days.