Vanity Fair Profiles Sibel Edmonds

The September edition of Vanity Fair hits the news stands today in New York and Los Angeles. Although the media buzz centers on a cover story concerning Jennifer Aniston’s break up with Brad Pitt, deeper inside the magazine is an article more worthy of the public’s attention. Rumor has it that an article by reporter David Rose offers a groundbreaking description of disturbing events at the FBI’s translation unit as observed by former translator Sibel Edmonds. Rose’s sources appear to be among the many authorities to which Edmonds has appealed for help in her journey as a whistleblower. Of greatest concern is the article’s reporting that an FBI counterintelligence investigation into “attempts to bribe elected members of Congress, both Democrat and Republican” was redirected to focus instead on appointed officials.

The article also features other members of the newly formed National Security Whistleblowers Coalition, including Russ Tice and Mike German.

The ACLU filed a petition for cert with the U.S. Supreme Court today in attempt to overturn the most recent ruling affirming that the federal government can use the State Secrets privilege to deny Edmonds her day in court.

Comments

[Larry Tolbert]

This blog posting was of great use in learning new information and also in exchanging our views. Thank you.

Larry Tolbert

http://www.edmondscenter.com

[Andrea Jasperson]

This blog posting is great. Your views are very true. Everyone should start thinking as you are doing.

Andrea Jasperson
http://www.edmondscenter.com

[Mary Anne Martin]

Thanks for this great post. You've got some really good info in your blog. If you get a chance, you can check out my blog on {edmonds} at http://www.edmondscenter.com.

Mary Anne Martin
http://www.edmondscenter.com

POGO what's the latest on this issue? Is there more information to come?

It was great seeing that bully Novak showing the world who he really is. Now if only he would admit to being a puppet of the administration he could finally rest easy.

[TomB]

Here is an article that gives some background on Sibel Edmonds along with a picture and about 50 links to various articles about her or by her:

http://www.pnar.org/edmonds.htm

[Proud Primate]

I don't blame VF for trying to protect a spectacular scoop — I support them. They, along with the New Yorker, have been a couple of the strongest lights in this dark new America over the recent past. Whatever guarantees their health is good by me. (Glad I read it, though, but mostly glad it's coming out. Did you hear/see Novak Wormtongue take his tumble today? The castle of Saruman is crumbling — Hoom! Hom!)

Thanks to Dr. Vargas for his enlightening contribution.

[CW]

I don't know. This Sibel Edmonds woman makes me uneasy. The Vanity Fair article makes her out to be a saint and those kind of people often have something to hide or jerks or both. The FBI is obviously screwed up and have their heads up their you know whats. We do need to reform the Bureau. But, I'm witholding judgement until all the results are in.

[Phil Vargas]

I thought you'd like to see what I think about whistleblowing, and little on the article on Sibel Edmonds. I hope it isn't too long.

This, in my view, is another article about another tragic whistleblower. I say this becausae as former federal whistleblower that took on the system directly, was fired, blackballed, and then lost everything, I know a little about the matter. The sad thing is that whistleblowers are the pariahs of the federal system. Even criminals fare beter. The main reason is that being labeled a whisteblower is to be fingered as a troublemaer. That label is the most destructive you can have in this highly political milieu of our nation's capital city. Here it is sycophants and team-players, i.e., asskissers, who are valued and who thrive not those who stand up and fight for the truth. The federal governmental system is a vast bureaucracy, basically corrupt in that it thrives on secrecy. It can't stand the truth because it conflicts with the vested interests of those who run and control our govenment and who manipulate the American people. What better example than the Iraq war disaster!

In this country whistleblowers are "not incarcerated in Gulags but the price they pay for challenging the political orthodoxy or exposing corrupton is similar to that of their counterparts in authoritatrian regimes." Here whistleblowers are not considered dissidents. They gradually become social outcasts and personas non grata living in their own archipelagos isolated and and largely ignored by everyone. In my case, I'm still either feared or hated, or both -- but really, nobody gives a s... but me, and I don't care what they think of me!

As I said, I took on the system, won a lawsuit against the US govenment (I had been fired illegelly), but that didn't count for anything. I still lost everything. And the fact aht I have two post-graduate degrees (Ph.D., and J.D.) and am a veteran of the Koren War count for nothing. But I remain unrepetant and proud of what I did and I would do what I did again, and again. My dignity and self-respect are still in tact and that's a big deal to me. But it is a big, big step to go up against the system, because they'll kill you with innuendo. Check out: www.giraffe.org/giraffe_heroes/philip_vargas.html

As for Edmonds, she is taking on the sacred FBI during the tenure of a highly ruthless and secretive administration that will retaliate and close all the doors to her. Edmonds has a very uphill battle both legally and otherwise. But then the sitauton if the whistleblower is always a precarious one and the stigma lasts a long, long time in this small southern city. She's just making a lot of noise through the media and that most likely won't lead to anything of any consequence. It certainly will not motivate insiders to come forward -- it is too big a step with nothing but pain in front.

Thanks for reading my contribution to your blog.

Dr. Phil Vargas

[Glendale Chick]

The ANCA has a clean colorful copy of the first page of the article....Http://www.ANCA.org

[dz]

i've posted a few video links of sibel edmonds on my blog in this thread for anyone interested in seeing her in action:
http://www.911blogger.com/2005/08/aclu-article-on-sibel-edmonds-with.html

Proud Primate don't admitt you printed it out or the goons at Vanity "Unfair" will come after you for their $6. Now Google is a good company. Thank God for them. They understand the web.

[Proud Primate]

I'm sure glad I have a "Google Alert for: sibel edmonds"! I might have missed it. As it is, I only printed it — shoulda saved it to the HD.

My other Google Alert is for ["john perkins" economic hit] — another blockbuster in the wings.

I can't believe Vanity Unfair made little POGO take the article down. Do they know how small you guys are? Did they even see how you had it up? The version was dirt. You could hardly read it. Vanity Unfair lost more profit having a lawyer call POGO than the $10 they will make by a few extra people buying the magazine on the newstand. No wonder Bush is presidnet with this kind of mentality.

I thought the whole point of the internet was free access to information. Vanity Fair sucks! They do a great article and then they deny access? They are seriously delusional if they think people outside of urban areas are going to run down to their "news stand" and buy a copy. Why did they only release it in New York and Los Angeles in the first place? Something is going on and it stinks! The people need to read this important article. POGO why didn't you stand up to them and refuse? Evil prevails when good people do nothing. That is the heart of the article and here Vanity Fair is doing it to the people. I think someone has gotten to them.

Name withheld so those who are corrupt and in power don't come after me

[Beth Daley]

Vanity Fair called and asked us to take the article down.

[MDS]

Why did you take down the PDF of the article?

[gethky]

Hope you don't mind that I copied your post in my "Sampler" blog where I have collected other great works from such serious, high-minded bloggers as yourself.

[Allen A.]

The inabilaty for honest people to disclose corruption is why we as a country are where we are today. If this problem is not corrected, this country will go the way of the Roman Empire in a far shorter period of time.

This is a story that needs to be told. Thanks to POGO and VF for getting the word out. My only question is why isn't this in the Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, . . . . This is a really homeland security crisis, not Iraq.

[isobel]

Sibel Edmonds is a very brave young woman and
she should be supported for her stand against
these corrupt officials -- our security depends on it

[dz]

thanks a bunch for posting this.