FDA whistleblowers treated like skunks at a picnic
A lawsuit filed against the FDA for targeting whistleblowers reveals the extent to which the FDA goes to protect its secrets. In a strong letter to the FDA U.S. Senator Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) said whistleblowers are “often treated like skunks at a picnic”.
Health officials in the FDA know know, that, unless they like being thrown under the bus for blowing the whistle, the threat of persecution has created a climate of fear so profound that many would rather keep their mouth shut than face the sh*t-storm should they go public.
The creepy case involving the FDA’s illegal practice of spying on employees recently revealed that “targeted monitoring” has a devastating chilling effect on all public employees, strangling the ability of the American public and Congress to learn about misconduct and corruption in the federal government. The FDA is accused of unconstitutionally targeting one group of employees simply because they had the guts to speak up about misconduct within the FDA.
“Who would have thought that they would have the nerve to be monitoring my communications to Congress?” said Robert C. Smith, one of the plaintiffs in the suit, a former radiology professor at Yale and Cornell University who worked as a device reviewer at the FDA “How dare they?”. Indeed.
Senator Grassley, the Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and a highly respected advocate of government oversight launched an investigation in response to a lawsuit filed by six FDA whistleblowers. Documents released by the National Whistleblowers Center that show the FDA targeted whistleblowers for special monitoring and intercepted personal communications to Congress, including emails to Senator Grassley’s staff.
Many whistleblowers turn to the private sector for support after their food safety concerns were dismissed by agency management. A common report is that the agency backs industry when there is a dispute. Whistleblower disclosures suggest that agencies behave as if they are accountable to the industries they are supposed to be regulating rather than the public. This phenomenon is often referred to as “regulatory capture.” This may be due to out-and-out corruption or to intensive industry lobbying. As often as not, it is the infamous “revolving door” between industry and agency at work.
Whistleblowers, both private and public, often discover that there is little the FDA, USDA, or other agencies can do to help. Not only are agencies limited by their oversight functions, they are also limited in their ability to adequately prevent and efficiently react to contamination and outbreaks. The FDA, which is responsible for regulating almost 80 percent of the food supply, neither has authority nor resources to punish or deter corporate bad actors who refuse to comply with food safety regulations.
SOURCES:
For Public Health Service officers, no protection for whistleblowing, Washington Post; March 13, 2012
FDA Complaint, Whistleblowers.org; January 25, 2012
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4 Comments
Susan Dossett
Thank you for being so kind …and truthfully, now I understand how the humor kind of lightens the dark load you have. I do really enjoy read-
ing your “crap” …you are good.
Mollie Morrissette
No, you are very kind.
But seriously, it’s a good thing I don’t drink or own a gun, because when you spend 10-12 hours a day, 7 days a week reading about and seeing the images of the atrocities humans are capable of inflicting on defenseless creatures – it’s enough to make you want to blow your brains out or drive like a crazed maniac to find the sick freak who broke his puppy’s legs with a hammer and blow his brains out.
The dark side is a place you don’t want to spend too much time in unless you want to come out a raving lunatic with a fondness for vodka and automatic weapons.
Susan Dossett
I am sorry to make a negative comment but…I could read these articles better without the “funny” pictures. I don’t want to print copies of these articles to pass out, forward articles to my elected officials or congressmen, post on facebook or for that matter forward anywhere because of the photos. I want to be pro-active and I want to pass this information on to as many folks as I can.. The articles are great and so very informative and I appreciate them because these are serious issues but the photos take away from the importance of the issues. I don’t want to be negative and it is..just my opinion.
Sorry,
Susan
Mollie Morrissette
No apology necessary! You make a really good point. If the story is about animal abuse or illness – I never put in “funny” pics – because that would be insensitive and in very poor taste.
But, when the Senator made the comment about “skunks at a picnic” – I couldn’t resist. I have this dual personality – deadly serious, I mean really deadly, as in who in their right mind would want to listen to me and my crap…then there is the other side of me that has to find humor where I can. The work I do is so dark, so horrific, the things I see and read about day in day out is enough to drive any sane person over the edge.
Alternatively, I always include the sources for my articles – in this case the Washington Post and the Government Accountability Project. If you want serious – you are welcome go to those sources. Maybe WordPress has a text only option that I could offer as another alternative. I will look into that.
Thank you for your feedback Susan! I will consider your suggestions carefully.