Is there not one honest Congressman?

Wondering why the public confidence in our Congress has plunged to less than 20%? Here’s a prime example:

Sibel Edmonds, the ex-FBI translator turned whistleblower who has been subjected to an ongoing Ashcroft gag order could provide a major insight into how certain elements of our government, including elected officials of both major political parties, distort US foreign policy and enrich themselves at the same time.

According to the ACLU, there has been no case of an American citizen who has had so many gag orders issued on her. Those of us who are truly concerned about corruption in government and the distortion of foreign policy have been waiting over FIVE YEARS for hearings to be held about her case. No gag order can prevent her from providing information to Congress during a hearing.

I don’t want to hear about the recent Whistleblower Protection Act that was passed. I know all about that already. It does absolutely nothing to allow Sibel Edmonds to tell anyone the truth about what she learned as an FBI translator. It does not negate the State Secrets Privilege nor the Ashcroft gag orders. Keeping Sibel Edmonds gagged and unable to demand justice and accountability is tantamount to aiding and abetting a criminal enterprise that stretches from within Congress all the way to the drugs and arms traffickers and beyond.

15,000 citizens signed a petition that was put together by over 30 bipartisan organizations demanding that the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Chairman Henry Waxman, hold hearings on the Sibel Edmonds case, and that petition was delivered to Chairman Waxman’s office in March 2007. Based on his office’s own report, tens of thousands of people have called to say, “well, when are you going to hold a hearing?”

But we have received no response and we don’t know why. None of these organizations know why. Waxman’s office has all the facts, they have all the confirmation, they have the OIG report, they have the executive branch’s own report saying she’s credible and her allegations have been supported by other witnesses and documents. We are not talking about allegations or conspiracy theories. We are talking about facts, documented, witnessed, and confirmed (by the OIG) facts.

This case has to do with those who have been elected and given authority - on BOTH sides of the aisle - betraying the citizens who elected them. Chairman Waxman, Sen. Grassley, and Sen. Leahy have all been briefed behind closed doors on the Sibel Edmonds case. They have seen the documents and the OIG’s confirmation that Sibel Edmonds is credible. So why not let the public hear what she has to say?

If there is nothing to this case, then there’s no reason to keep Sibel Edmonds under a record number of gag orders, is there?

Want to restore some of the public’s confidence in Congress? Then let Sibel Edmonds speak.

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External Links:

* [JustACitizen.com] - Home page of Sibel Edmonds
* [NSWBC.org] - National Security Whistleblowers Coalition (founder and president: Sibel Edmonds)
* [DemocracyNow.com] - ‘Did Speaker Hastert Accept Turkish Bribes to Deny Armenian Genocide and Approve Weapons Sales?’ (transcript: Sibel Edmonds and David Rose interviewed by Amy Goodman, August 10, 2005)
* [Download MP3] - MP3 stream of [[Scott Horton]] interview with Sibel Edmonds (August 13, 2005)
* [Download MP3] - MP3 stream of Scott Horton interview with Sibel Edmonds (January 22, 2005)
* [Download MP3] - MP3 stream of Scott Horton interview with Sibel Edmonds and Dr. Frederic Whitehurst (October 23, 2004)
*[Downloadable audio interview] with Scott Horton
* [Transcript] - ‘The Stakes Are Too High for Us to Stop Fighting Now’ - Chris Deliso’s interview with Sibel Edmonds (August 15, 2005)
* [Transcript] - Chris Deliso’s interview with Sibel Edmonds (July 1, 2004)
* [Antiwar.com] - One of Sibel Edmond’s article archives
* [Vanity Fair] - An Inconvenient Patriot, David Rose (September, 2005)
* [Frog Style Biscuit] - Judge With Secret Financials In Charge of Bush-Linked Court Cases
* [wotisitgood4.blogspot] ‘Sibel Edmonds, Brewster Jennings, Edelman and Grossman’
* [JustACitizen.com] - ‘Gagged, But Not Dead’, Sibel Edmonds (May 14, 2005)
* [JustACitizen.com] - ‘FBI & 9/11′, Sibel Edmonds (June 20, 2005)
* [Rising-hegemon.blogspot] - ‘Let Sibel Edmonds Speak’
* [SimplyAppalling.blogspot] - ‘The whistleblower and the kangaroo court’ (April 26, 2005)
* [USNews.com] - ‘National Security Watch: FBI whistle-blower petitions high court’, US News and World Report (August 5, 2005)
* (Apr 17, 2004), (July 10, 2004), (Feb 26, 2005), (Jan 22, 2005) - This is Hell radio interviews.
* [SirDave.com] - This page has tons of external links for Sibel Edmonds.

* [RAWStory] - Former FBI whistleblower files against judge in Libby trial over secrecy issues
* [Kill The Messenger] - Web site for documentary on Sibel Edmonds and her whistleblowers coalition
* [YouTube Trailer] for “Kill The Messenger”, a documentary on state secrets privilege and U.S. whistleblowers
* [Interview] with Hairenik TV (May 2007)

and, last but not least: Henry Waxman finally speaks out on Sibel Edmonds Case! (not)