This sort of thing has been going on since prehistory, so I consider this article to be in the nature of a status report. The report is highly negative, and rightly so. I suppose there may be some government agencies which have not been severely corrupted in the last few years, but I doubt any of them are in the US government.

All organizations are corrupt and incompetent to some degree, but because these represent internal costs none can tolerate more than a certain degree of corruption and incompetence without serious risk. Once these long-term costs exceed the short-term advantages the organization goes into decline, and eventually fails. History is replete with examples, and acquires more all the time.

The problem with the Bush administration is that it has openly adopted corruption as one of its main tools, knowing that those who cheat to win have an edge over those who don't, and those who cheat most tend to prevail over those who cheat less, at least in the short term. It's a very simple calculation. Incompetence naturally requires corruption to preserve itself, but more than that, corruption invites incompetence, and causes it. Incompetence is always seen in the company of corruption, and a corrupt organization cannot remain competent for long. There is a little honor among thieves, but not much.

This administration is as incompetent as it is corrupt, and it is determinedly corrupt, so it is hardly any wonder that it embraces stupidity, and it was bound to fail. But it remains to be seen whether this corruption and incompetence will bring down the rest of us with them. And how far down, and when.

In some respects, whistle-blowing represents an effort to correct the deficiencies of an organization. An organization that cannot address its problems honestly cannot correct its deficiencies either. Corruption and incompetence are destructive on many levels, but it's always possible to get away with it, which only makes it destructive to the victims, and not the perpetrators. The perpetrators profit, and that is always the motive.

For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

John 3:20

The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth becomes the greatest enemy of the State."

Josef Goebbels

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Isaiah 5:20

As the Special Counsel of the United States Office of Special Counsel (OSC), I am charged by law with protecting especially those who have blown the whistle and are reprised against. I take special pride in this job and am very pleased to have protected many whistleblowers and others in government in my nearly four years in office.

The problem is that we see corruption increasing, in business, in the people, and especially in the federal government under Bush. We also know that the tools of the corrupt against whistle-blowers are powerful, and we know they are usually effective.

Possibly, all that you say is true. There is no reason for us to disbelieve that you do protect whistle-blowers and fight corruption. What you don't say is how effective you suppose your efforts really are, and we can suppose from the evidence that they're not effective enough. Not that this is any fault of yours, because you can only do only so much, and are therefore falling behind.

Good luck to you, and do what you can. You can appreciate yourself, even if others won't.

If you'd like to learn more about how whistleblowers inside the Office of Special Counsel filed a complaint against Special Counsel Scott Bloch (from a few letter posts back) which is now under investigation, documents and information from that are posted here: http://www.pogo.org/p/government/OSCcompendium.html

As many of you have pointed out, blowing the whistle anonymously is the safest and most effective route. There's even a book about that which you can order, see: http://www.pogo.org/p/government/ga-021101-whistleblower.html

Or send a tip here: http://www.pogo.org/p/x/exposecorruption.html

BIG SURPRISE, OUR CURRENT CONGRESS, WHO, ONLY PRETENDS TO REPRESENT U.S. CITIZENS, DO ALL THEY CAN TO TEAR DOWN AMERICA.

WORST CONGRESS IN HISTORY. BIG EGOS, DEALS BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, SNEAKY GROUP, WHO LIES ABOUT WHAT IS ACTUALLY IN THEIR BILLS, ANTI-AMERICAN, RUDE, FINGER POINTING, INVESTIGATION ON INVESTIGATION (ON TAX PAYERS DIME), UNCIVIL, HATES TO HEAR FROM THEIR CITIZENS, POUT, RANT & RAVE, ETC.. SUCH POOR EXAMPLES OF REFINEMENT, HONOR, REASON, AND LOGIC. THEY JUST DO WHATEVER THEY CAN GET AWAY WITH WITHOUT ANY CONCERN FOR THE AMERICAN CITIZENS. "JUST STICK IT TO THE TAXPAYERS" POLICY. THEY ARE SUCH PARASITES ON ECONOMY AND FREE MARKET SYSTEM.

AND, THIS "FINE" GROUP, VOTED FOR THEIR OWN PAY RAISE. THAT, IN ITSELF, SHOULD BE ILLEGAL. TOTAL JERKS, MOST OF THEM, WHO HAVE NEVER HAD A REAL JOB, IN THEIR LIFETIME. JUST RUN ABOUT POINTING FINGERS & TRYING TO DESTROY THE ORIGINAL U.S. WITH SOCIALISM.

Ah Yes, the Nazi-Fascist Fascist-Nazi Fuhrer CHIMPya W. Bush HURTS when the TRUTH, VERITAS LIGHTS UP THE CORRUPTION, WASTE, MISMANAGEMENT, SHEER INCOMPETENCE of him and his "appointees," WHO ARE CHOSEN FOR THEIR IDEOLOGICAL BELIEFS and UNSWAYING LOYALTY to the Fuhrer Bush, Reichsfuhrer Cheney and Bushland Uber Allies, INSTEAD OF THEIR ABILITIES OR FITNESS FOR THE POSITION THEY WILL BE OCCUPYING. SMALL WONDER that whistleblowers ARE TREATED ROTTENLY and RETALIATED AGAINST, for THEY ARE DOING THEIR JOBS PROPERLY AS SERVANTS OF THE AMERICAN PUBLIC. WE ARE THEIR BOSSES, BUT CHIMPya, Cheney and Bushland Uber Allies SEEM TO THINK THEY ARE THE BOSSES-----WRONG!!!!! CHIMPya, Cheney and Bushland Uber Allies BETTER REALIZE THIS FACT FAST OR THEY WILL ALL BE HANGING AT THE END OF A NOOSE, TURNING SLOWLY IN THE WIND, LITERALLY! AS A MATTER OF FACT, CAN I VOLUNTEER TO PULL THE TRAPDOOR TO SEND THEM ON THEIR WAY TO A REUNION WITH THEIR FRIEND Saddam Hussein IN HELL?