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Whistleblower Protections
Related Resources (government documents and letters)
POGO Files
DC Council Ahead of the Curve on Whistleblower Protections Washington, DC, could soon have some of the strongest whistleblower protections laws in the U.S. After being introduced last year, the District's Whistleblower Protection Amendment Act of 2009 has been passed unanimously by the DC Council, signed by the Mayor, and is projected to become law this week — the only remaining hurdle is the mandated review by Congress.
March 10, 2010
Former SEC Lawyer Running for Congress Dimed Out Whistleblower
January 28, 2010
List of Groups Supporting Comprehensive Whistleblower Rights Grows
January 27, 2010
POGO praises Senator Grassley for raising concerns about integrity of finances at UCSF
December 8, 2009
Anti-Corruption and Whistleblower Advocacy Groups Urge Holder to Review UBS Whistleblower Case
October 22, 2009
POGO joins letter to Attorney General Holder requesting independent review of Bradley Birkenfeld case
October 22, 2009
Whistle-Blower Protections for All Federal Workers
September 17, 2009
Brad Birkenfeld Resource Page
August 25, 2009
POGO Condemns Sentencing of UBS Whistleblower
August 21, 2009
U.S. and Swiss groups protest sentencing of UBS whistleblower
August 20, 2009
Advocates Applaud Progress of Bill to Strengthen Protections for Whistleblowers and Taxpayers
July 29, 2009
Testimony of POGO's Danielle Brian on S. 372: The Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2009
June 11, 2009
Federal Whistleblowers Get Mugged In Final Stimulus Bill
February 11, 2009
Post Editorial Misses Mark on Whistleblowers: Protections in Stimulus Bill Help Workers Hold Government Accountable
February 3, 2009
Groups Hail Bi-Partisan Amendment Which Adds Federal Whistleblower Protections To Economic Stimulus Bill
January 27, 2009
POGO supports legislative fix to provide University of California employees the same whistleblower protections as other state employees
August 12, 2008
Court Rules Against University of California Whistleblowers
August 12, 2008
Oberstar Pushes Stronger FAA Whistleblower Office
July 17, 2008
Terror, Where? The Homecoming
July 14, 2008
The Emerging Era in Whistleblower Rights and the Public's Right to Know -Panel 2: The Special Case of National Security Conference sponsored by Washington College of Law at American University. Moderator: Conrad Martin, Executive Director, Fund for Constitutional Government Panelists: Ann Beeson, Director of U.S. Policy, Open Society Institute; Danielle Brian, Executive Director, Project on Government Oversight; Louis Fisher, Specialist in Constitutional Law, Library of Congress; Mike German, Policy Counsel for National Security, American Civil Liberties Union; Stephen Kohn, Executive Director, National Whistleblower Center. Podcast Duration 01:32:08.
June 26, 2008
Follow the link to listen to the podcast.
KBR Whistleblower Comes Forward
June 17, 2008
112 Organizations Endorse Quick Action to Restore Comprehensive Federal Worker Whistleblower Rights
June 5, 2008
Internal Boeing Documents Support Whistleblower's Allegations: Aircraft Quality Control Problems Cited
May 8, 2008
Criminal Charges Against Boeing Whistleblower Set Dangerous Precedent: Jurors Disagreed on Earlier Charges Resulting in a Mistrial
April 28, 2008
The Federal Graveyard of Whistleblower Cases
April 1, 2008
Coast Guard Blogger Fired
March 19, 2008
Testimony of POGO's Nick Schwellenbach
February 13, 2007
POGO's Application and Amicus Brief Filed before the Supreme Court of California Supporting Stronger Whistleblower Protection Laws
December 15, 2006
Department of Homeland Security Violates Whistleblower Protection Laws: TSA Fired Air Marshal for Exposing Operational Plan that Endangered Public Safety
October 30, 2006
Leave Sharon Stone Look at Home: Govt Sexism Investigator
September 7, 2006
Subpoena to Rumsfeld from House Government Reform Committee – Answers Demanded re: Abu Ghraib
July 5, 2006
POGO Letter to Congressional Committees that have jurisdiction over whistleblower protection issues
May 23, 2006
Testimony of POGO's Beth Daley, Sr. Investigator, Before the House Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations
February 14, 2006
POGO Testifies before Congress: Without Protections Against Retaliation, Whistleblowers Will Leak to News Media
February 13, 2006
Manager Censors Analyst at Congressional Research Service
January 25, 2006
Bureau of Prisons Retaliates – Puts Whistleblower in Danger: FBI Arrests Individual Who Threatens Whistleblower
December 14, 2005
Another Kind of Prison Torture
December 8, 2005
Republicans Embrace Whistleblower Protections for Contractors; Baggage Screeners, National Security Whistleblowers Left Behind
September 29, 2005
National Security Whistleblowers Criticize Legislative Markup As Pentagon Blocks Able Danger Testimony
September 21, 2005
Homeland and National Security Whistleblower Protections: The Unfinished Agenda The 9/11 attacks spawned a movement of national security whistleblowers who came forward to expose the weaknesses in America’s defenses. Despite their patriotic motivations, many government security professionals have been systematically ignored and targeted by bureaucrats who would rather cover up their failure to properly secure America’s aviation system, ports, intelligence community, borders and nuclear facilities. In this comprehensive report, POGO details weaknesses in the whistleblower protection system and offers numerous ways to strengthen those protections and our national security.
April 28, 2005
Government Fails to Protect Employees Who Blow the Whistle on National and Homeland Security Weaknesses
April 26, 2005
FBI to Investigate Whistleblower Protection Agency New Complaint Charges Partisanship in Enforcement of Hatch Act
March 31, 2005
Special Counsel Tags Interns to Close Out Whistleblower Cases; Staff Resignations Leave Agency Short-Handed
March 9, 2005
Whistleblower Staff Blow the Whistle on Special Counsel OSC Staff Want Independent Investigation of Illegal Personnel Practices
March 3, 2005
DHS Closes the Door on Accessing FOIA-able Information
January 25, 2005
Gonzales Record on Government Secrecy
November 16, 2004
U.S. Special Counsel Issues Gag Order to His Own Employees
April 15, 2004
Joint POGO, PEER & GAP Letter to Office of Special Counsel, Scott Bloch, regarding gag order on career staff of the OSC
April 15, 2004
S. 1358 and H.R. 3281 Will Strengthen Protections for Whistleblowers
October 16, 2003
Robert MacLean v. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
July 29, 2003
Letter to Department of Interior Employees The increasingly stringent restrictions on what information government employees can share with the American public has severely compromised citizens' ability to participate in their own government. The Project On Government Oversight, Campaign for America's Lands, Government Accountability Project, and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility joined together to circulate a letter to the employees of the Department of the Interior to provide them with outlets through which they can expose wrong-doing.
May 19, 2003
Good Governments Groups Hail Tentative Approval of State of the Art Nuclear Safety Whistleblower Protection
April 2, 2003
Whistleblower Groups Challenge DOE Officials' Optimism That Employees Who Raise Concerns Will Be Protected
February 5, 2003
How-to Guide for Public Employees Exposing Problems - Support Groups Warn: Anonymous Whistleblowing Safer
November 14, 2002
Good Government Groups Hail Historic Whistleblower Accord As Legal Revolution For Corporate Freedom Of Speech
July 24, 2002
Whistleblower Protection Act Petition
July 1, 2002
The Paul Revere Forum: National Security Whistleblowers Speak; Prepared Remarks of Senator Chuck Grassley
February 27, 2002
The Paul Revere Forum: National Security Whistleblowers Speak; remarks by Constance Morella
February 27, 2002
The Paul Revere Forum: National Security Whistleblowers Speak;
February 27, 2002
The Paul Revere Forum: National Security Whistleblowers Speak; Bogdan John Dzakovic
February 27, 2002
The Paul Revere Forum: National Security Whistleblowers Speak; Statement of Congressman Steve Israel
February 27, 2002
The Paul Revere Forum: National Security Whistleblowers Speak; Ron Timm
February 27, 2002
The Paul Revere Forum: National Security Whistleblowers Speak; Remarks by Frank Serpico, retired New York City Police Detective
February 27, 2002
The Paul Revere Forum: National Security Whistleblowers Speak; Remarks by Rep. Edward Markey
February 27, 2002
Nuclear Whistleblowers Fighting Terrorism Face Retaliation
January 1, 2002
Whistleblowers Propose "10 Commandments" For Reducing Vulnerabilities of Nuclear Power Plants and Weapons Facilities to Terrorist Attack
November 29, 2001
Whistleblowers Are Modern Paul Reveres Against Terrorism
September 19, 2001
Media Briefer: Whistleblower Protection Act
July 7, 2001
Related Resources
182 Public Interest Organizations Support Swift Action to Restore Strong, Comprehensive Whistleblower Rights
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September 8, 2008
In a Letter to POGO, Zenia Helbig shares her experience as a terminated member of the Army’s Human Terrain Systes (HTS) team of Anthropologists
By Zenia Helbig ,
March 28, 2008
Good Government Coalition and Consumer Groups Support Whistleblower Rights / Product Safety Reform
Good Government Coalition and Consumer Groups,
October 29, 2007
Minerals Management Service: False Claims Act Allegations
Earl E. Devaney, Inspector General, United States Department of the Interior
September 17, 2007
Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2007
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March 14, 2007
Freedom of Information Act Amendments of 2007
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March 14, 2007
Whistleblower Groups on Legislation Passed in Senate
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June 15, 2006
Rep. Howard Berman's Press Release re: Subrata Ghoshroy's letter and GAO's report on Boeing and TRW missile defense system
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April 2, 2006
National Security Whistleblowers
by Louis Fisher, Congressional Research Service
December 30, 2005
Subrata Ghoshroy's letter to Rep. Howard Berman re: GAO's report on Boeing and TRW missile defense system
Subrata Ghoshroy,
December 19, 2005
Department of Homeland Security Non-Disclosure Agreement
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November 8, 2004
DOE denial of Ron Timm's Appeal for Whistleblower Protections
George Breznay, Department of Energy
March 15, 2002
Randy Robarge, Nuclear Power Plant Security, Testimony at Paul Revere Forum
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February 27, 2002
Senator Charles Grassley, Testimony at Paul Revere Forum
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February 27, 2002
Representative Steve Israel, Testimony at Paul Revere Forum
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February 27, 2002
Statements from POGO, Government Accountability Project, and National Whistleblower Center, Paul Revere Forum
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February 27, 2002
News from Congressman Constance Morella regarding Paul Revere Forum
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February 27, 2002
Ron Timm, Nuclear Weapons Security, Testimony at Paul Revere Forum
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February 27, 2002
Frank Serpico, legendary New York City police detective, Testimony at Paul Revere Forum
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February 27, 2002
Bogdan Dzakovic, Aviation Security, Testimony at Paul Revere Forum
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February 27, 2002
Darlene Catalan, Border Security, Testimony at Paul Revere Forum
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February 27, 2002
Mathew Zipoli, Nuclear Weapons Security, Testimony at Paul Revere Forum
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February 27, 2002
Representative Edward Markey, Testimony at Paul Revere Forum
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February 27, 2002
Senate Bill S.995
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June 7, 2001
Congressional Record, June 7, 2001
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June 7, 2001
POGO in the News
Whistle-blowers' rights get second look, By Peter Eisler, USA Today, March 15, 2010
Long Island Congressional Candidate Cited for Giving Up JP Morgan Whistleblower, By Michael Smallberg & Adam Zagorin, Politics Daily, January 28, 2010
Thinking about telling on your boss? Whistle blowers face many retaliatory perils, By Kimberly Dvorak, Diego County Political Buzz Examiner , January 19, 2010
Whistleblower Web Site Goes Dark, Seeks Funding, By Joshua Rhett Miller, FoxNews.com, January 6, 2010
'Don't wait until the bombs have fallen', By Jen DiMascio , Politico Click, October 29, 2009
Whistle-Blower Protections for All Federal Workers, By Danielle Brian, Special to Roll Call, September 17, 2009
UC Whistleblower Protection Bill Sent to Governor, California Political Desk , California Chronicle, August 27, 2009
FBI whistleblower shields likely to stay: White House shifts FBI plan, By Tom LoBianaco, The Washington Times, August 20, 2009
Good News for the Whistleblowers, By Joe Davidson, The Washington Post, July 30, 2009
Whistleblower Bill Advances in the Senate, By Justin Grant and Yuliya Talanova, ABC News with Brian Ross , July 30, 2009
Committee okays expanded whistleblower protections, By Richard Lardner, Associated Press, San Francisco Chronicle, July 29, 2009
Committee Approves Bill to Protect UC Whistleblowers, , The California Chronicle, June 25, 2009
Obama backs whistle-blowers but not in intell, By Alice Lipowicz, Federal Computer Week, May 14, 2009
Responders without a clue, By Charlie Peters, Washington Monthly/Tilting at Windmills, May 1, 2009
Speaking Scientifically Without Fear or Favor, By Shawn Zeller, Congressional Quarterly; CQ Today Online News, April 13, 2009
Obama Finds That Washington’s Habits of Secrecy Die Hard, By Sheryl Gay Stolberg, New York Times, April 4, 2009
Groups criticize whistleblower policies, , United Press International, April 1, 2009
Groups Challenge Obama on whistleblower policy, By Betsy King, The Hill, April 1, 2009
Groups Urge Obama to Strengthen Whistleblower Rights, By Joe Davidson, The Washington Post, Federal Diary, April 1, 2009
Obama Urged To Back New Whistleblower Act, By Ed O’Keefe, The Federal Eye, Washington Post, April 1, 2009
Obama gets mixed reviews on government ‘openness’, By Alexandra Marks, Christian Science Monitor, March 19, 2009
Federal Whistleblowers NOT Protected in Stimulus Bill, By Daphne Eviator, The Washington Independent, February 11, 2009
Whistleblowers need more protection, Oped By Danielle Brian, Kennebec Journal, February 11, 2009
Collins Strips Stim Bill Of Whistleblower Protections, By Zachary Roth , TPMMuckraker , February 11, 2009
Congress Learns Lessons From Katrina, Iraq -- But Not All, By Daphne Eviatar, Washington Independent, February 3, 2009
Whistleblowers seek protection, By Audrey Hudson, Washington Times, February 2, 2009
House amendment offers more protection for whistleblowers , By Elise Castelli , Federal Times, January 30, 2009
In Stimulus, Can Lawmakers Spend Billions Without Wasting Billions?, By Amanda Ruggeri , U.S. News & World Report, January 28, 2009
Whistleblowers May Have a Friend in the Oval Office, By Joe Davidson, The Washington Post, December 11, 2008
Groups Seek Whistle-Blower Protection in Bailout Legislation, By Joe Davidson, The Washington Post, September 24, 2008
Reid wants to expand whistle-blowers' rights , By Alan Maimon, The Las Vegas Review-Journal, August 17, 2008
Anthropologists At War, By Bill Stamets, In These Times, June 19, 2008
Sibel Edmonds vs the Nuclear Terrorists, , Pakistan Daily, June 9, 2008
Pressing for Stronger Protections for Whistle-Blowers, By Stephen Barr, The Washington Post, June 6, 2008
Watchdog Group Seeks Deal on Whistleblower Protections, By Dan Friedman, Government Executive, June 6, 2008
Pressing for Stronger Protections for Whistle-Blowers, By Stephen Barr, Washington Post, June 6, 2008
Watchdog Group Seeks Deal on Whistleblower Protections, By Dan Friedman, Government Executive, June 6, 2008
Case implicates free speech, Op-Ed by POGO's Nick Schwellenbach, SPI Seattle.com, May 7, 2008
Former D.C. Workers Say Law Doesn't Prevent Retaliation, By Yolanda Woodlee, Washington Post, April 28, 2008
Human Terrain's 'Catch-22,', By Sharon Weinberger, Wired Blog, April 17, 2008
Previous Post on Whistleblower Protection Warrants Clarification, by Rep. John Dingell (D-MI), The Hill's Congress Blog, March 3, 2008
Whistleblower cited for courage. "COURAGE: Doing the Right Thing,", By Kathleen McGowan, Psychology Today - March/April 2008 Issue, February 25, 2008
Julius Baer's court order springs a leak, By Elana Schor, Guardian.co.uk, February 20, 2008
Late addition of funds boosts Special Counsel probe of White House briefings, By Dan Friedman, Congress Daily, January 7, 2008
NRC Strengthening Whistle Blower Protections, , Power Market Today (by Intelligence Press) , November 15, 2007
CPSC's Ethics-Review Process For Travel Criticized by Experts, by Elizabeth Williamson, Washington Post, November 6, 2007
Sucking the air from the whistle, with Steve Henn, NPR Marketplace, November 2, 2007
POGO -The Project on Government Oversight Needs More Support and Awareness-as do federal whistle-blowers, by Kevin Stoda, OpEdNews.com, September 23, 2007
Those who blow whistle on contractor fraud in Iraq face penalties, by Deborah Hastings, Associated Press, August 23, 2007
In departure from Rumsfeld era, Pentagon aims to toughen whistleblower protections, by Roxana Tiron, The Hill, August 1, 2007
Pentagon whistleblower still paying the price for telling the truth, by Lyndsey Layton, Charleston Daily Mail, (from Washington Post ), July 8, 2007
Transpartisan Coalition Calls for Whistleblower Hearings: Petition with strong left-right support headed to Capitol Hill, , , March 7, 2007
Speaking up for the whistle-blowers, By Stephen Barr, The Washington Post, February 14, 2007
Lawmakers re-introduce whistleblower, ethics measures, By Jenny Mandel, GovExec.com, February 13, 2007
Rep. Murphy fires aide who made accusations, By David Brown, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, November 10, 2006
Air marshal's firing prompts whistleblower suit, By Stephen Losey, Federal Times, November 7, 2006
Air marshal's firing prompts whistleblower suit , By Stephen Losey, Federal Times, November 7, 2006
A Published Dress Code Is Dressed Down in Furor: Office of Special Counsel Retreats From Sartorial Rules, By Elizabeth Williamson, The Washington Post, September 7, 2006
On YouTube, Charges of Security Flaws: Ex-Lockheed Worker Takes Concerns Over Coast Guard Ships to the Web, By Griff Witte, The Washington Post, August 29, 2006
Charges of Security Flaws Posted on YouTube by Michael De Kort, By Michael De Kort, YouTube, August 29, 2006
Accountability Office Finds Itself Accused , By William Broad, The New York Times, April 2, 2006
Senator Lautenberg Introduces Sweeping Whistleblower Legislation, , , February 14, 2006
Hill mulls new whistleblower protections, By Pamela Hess, United Press International, February 14, 2006
Groundhog Day, By Molly Ivins, CNN, January 31, 2006
NSA Whistleblowers Were Allegedly Isolated, Intimidated, By Sherrie Gossett, CNSNews.com, January 26, 2006
National security vs. whistle-blowing: Protections erode for those who allege governmental wrongdoing - especially if going public risks state secrets, By Alexandra Marks, Christian Science Monitor, January 24, 2006
Prison-Worker Transfer Sought After Threats, By Christopher Lee, The Washington Post, December 12, 2005
In federal job: Blow whistle, get boot; workers say broken system doesn't protect them from retaliation, By Rebecca Carr, Austin American Statesman and Cox News Service, December 11, 2005
Whistleblowers meet to share stories, plot strategies, By Chris Strohm, Govexec.com, October 11, 2005
Cicero Workers Warned on Probe, By Brett McNeil and David Jackson, Chicago Tribune, October 11, 2005
Uncharted Terrain , By Rachel Smolkin, American Journalism Review, October 1, 2005
Protecting the Rights of Whistleblowers, By Lauren Robinson, Social Education, October 1, 2005
Panel approves bill strengthening whistleblower protections, By Chris Strohm, Govexec.com, September 29, 2005
Four Years After 9/11, Higher Pressure, Rewards, By Stephen Barr, The Washington Post, September 11, 2005
Don't Fault the Messenger: Bolster Whistleblower Protections, By Danielle Brian and Martin Edwin Andersen, The Washington Times, May 24, 2005
Retribution Turns A Whistleblower’s Life ‘Upside Down’, By Keith Epstein, Tampa Tribune, May 3, 2005
Whistle-Blowers Urge Congress to Get Tougher on Retaliation, By Stephen Barr, The Washington Post, April 29, 2005
National Security Whistleblowers Coalition Event, , Common Dreams, April 28, 2005
Whistle-blowers deserve support, not punishment , By Rhonda Chriss Lokeman , Kansas City Star, April 12, 2005
Federal Whistleblower Office Faces Criticism, By Andrea Seabrook, All Things Considered, NPR, March 10, 2005
Survey: Science, politics at odds; and endangered species are in the middle, By Dan Vergano, USA Today, February 10, 2005
Group Chides Congress on Whistleblowers, By Pauline Jelinek, Associated Press, January 26, 2005
Security Dept. Eases Its Nondisclosure Rule, By John Files, The New York Times, January 18, 2005
Homeland Security Dropping Pledge of Secrecy for Workers, By Christopher Lee, The Washington Post, January 13, 2005
Watchdog group calls for tougher Los Alamos performance standards, By David McGlinchey, Govexec.com, January 12, 2005
Head of Worker Protection Office Is Accused of Retaliatory Transfers, By Christopher Lee, The Washington Post, January 11, 2005
Searches and Gag Orders: Homeland Security's Unprecedented Campaign Cloaks Unclassified Info, By Eileen Sullivan, Federal Times, December 6, 2004
Dangerous Government Secrecy Oaths, By Nick Schwellenbach and Peter Brand, San Diego Union - Tribune, December 2, 2004
Broad Influence for Justice Dept. Choice, By Eric Lichtblau, The New York TImes, November 21, 2004
Whistleblowers: US Intelligence on Shaky Ground with Weak Protection for Workers, By Nick Schwellenbach and Lauren Robinson, Detroit Free Press, November 21, 2004
Nation depends on feds brave enough to tell the truth, By Daniel Ellsberg and Ray McGovern , Federal Times, October 25, 2004
Congress Moves to Protect Federal Whistleblowers, By Robert Pear, The New York Times, October 3, 2004
Truths Worth Telling, by Daniel Ellsberg, The New York Times, September 28, 2004
Special Counsel's Chief Is Assailed: Bloch Accused of Silencing Staff, by Stephen Barr, The Washington Post, April 16, 2004
Whistling in the Dark, By Danielle Brian, TomPaine.com, October 9, 2003
More Help Sought for Those Who Blow Whistle; Stronger Safeguards Against Retaliation Urged, by Bill Miller, The Washington Post, February 28, 2002
Blowing the Whistle: Not for the Fainthearted, By Marci Alboher Nusbaum, The New York Times, February 10, 2002
Blowing the whistle, By Caroline E. Mayer and Amy Joyce, The Washington Post, February 10, 2002
Whistleblowers Deserve Rewards, Not Punishment, Danielle Brian, Federal Times, December 11, 2000
