Why we need whistleblowers, and how Obama is terrorizing them

"As recently reported by the McClatchy Newspapers, the Obama administration views whistleblowing and leaks as a species of terrorism. According toMcClatchy: "President Obama's unprecedented initiative, known as the Insider Threat Program, is sweeping in its reach. It has received scant public attention even though it extends beyond the U.S. national security bureaucracies to most federal departments and agencies nationwide, including the Peace Corps, the Social Security Administration and the Education and Agriculture departments. It emphasizes leaks of classified material, but catchall definitions of 'insider threat' give agencies latitude to pursue and penalize a range of other conduct. ... Leaks to the media are equated with espionage."

The Peace Corps? The Department of Agriculture? Really? There's irony in this, given President Obama's famous 2009 pledge to make transparency a "touchstone" in his administration. "For a long time," he said, "there's been too much secrecy in this city." His views on this subject seem to have evolved. Now, like many officeholders, he wants to control information to avoid embarrassment.

But that's a mistake. Because while leaks can bring embarrassment, leaks -- or at least their possibility -- also bring legitimacy.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2013/07/01/glenn-harlan-reynolds-on-snowden/2477569/