Bush Gestapo in action - 2............
- From: "ZenIsWhen" <onehand@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 13 Feb 2006 06:59:39 -0500
http://www.aclu.org/freespeech/gen/24043prs20060131.html
ACLU of New Mexico Defends VA Employee Accused of 'Sedition' Over Criticism
of Bush Administration (1/31/2006)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ALBUQUERQUE -The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico today demanded
an explanation from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for
investigating a federal employee who published an editorial critical of the
Bush administration in a local newspaper.
In her letter to the weekly Alibi, Laura Berg, a clinical nurse specialist,
criticized the Bush administration's handling of Hurricane Katrina and the
Iraq War, noting that, "as a VA nurse working with returning.vets, I know
the public has no sense of the additional devastating human and financial
costs of post-traumatic stress disorder." She urged readers to "act
forcefully to remove a government administration playing games of smoke and
mirrors and vicious deceit."
In September 2005, VA Information Security employees seized Berg's office
computer because they claimed "government equipment was used
inappropriately.during government time for drafting an editorial letter."
No evidence was recovered to support that belief.
"The VA had no reason to suspect Laura Berg used government resources to
produce her editorial," said ACLU of New Mexico Executive Director Peter
Simonson. "She signed the letter as a private individual. From all
appearances, the seizure of her work computer was an act of retaliation and
a hardball attempt to scare Laura into silence."
In a November 9th memorandum to Berg, Mel Hooker, Chief of Human Resource
Management Service at the VA, conceded that no evidence was found
implicating the use of Berg's work computer in the writing of the editorial.
However, he justified the investigation by saying "the Agency is bound by
law to investigate and pursue any act which potentially represents
sedition."
Simonson added: "The reference to 'sedition' is shocking. Even if Laura had
used the office computer it would change nothing. None of her actions --
her criticism of the government, or her appeal for a change in the heads of
government -- approach an act of unlawful insurrection. Is this government
so jealous of its power, so fearful of dissent, that it needs to threaten
people who openly oppose its policies with charges of 'sedition'?"
ACLU attorneys George Bach and Larry Kronen plan to submit a request under
the Freedom of Information Act for all documents related to the VA's actions
towards Berg. They have asked Hooker for a public apology "to remedy the
unconstitutional chilling effect on the speech of VA employees that has
resulted from these intimidating tactics."
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