DC madam "commits suicide"

[Len Colby]

On this note, a frightening new development in the Bush Monstrosity:

The FBI has raided the offices of the independent government agency established to protect federal whistleblowers. On Tuesday, more than a dozen agents made off with computers and documents belonging to Office of Special Counsel head Scott Bloch. Bloch has been accused of obstructing a 2006 inquiry into his conduct. But critics say the FBI could be trying to intimidate Bloch as he leads probes into the Bush administration. Bloch’s investigations have focused on the firing of US attorneys and the alleged use of federal agencies for political ends.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/na...0,1453422.story

So, it seems, even the protector for whistleblowers is subject to the same pressures as those he is there to protect. The level of corruption and 'rough treatment' for those who would dare to play by real ethical rules varies in different societies and fluctuates over time.

From the cited article:

"The Bush administration has been unable to make up its mind whether to ignore him or to act against him," said Tom Devine, legal director for the Government Accountability Project, a whistle-blower advocacy group. "Mr. Bloch is finally being held accountable for the same cover-ups that he is supposed to be policing.

It is a very positive step.

"

[…]

Advocates for whistle-blowers said Tuesday they felt vindicated after years of raising questions about Bloch and his activities.

A week ago, a lawyer representing public interest organizations and employees of the Office of Special Counsel wrote to President Bush asking that Bloch be removed from office because of "his unbroken record of misconduct and malfeasance." The 17-page letter by attorney Debra S. Katz claimed that Bloch had launched high-profile inquiries against the administration to keep himself in the public spotlight and insulate himself from administration efforts to hold him accountable.

Bloch has been controversial since the day Bush appointed him to run the obscure office. He has put top presidential appointees in the glare of his investigations and infuriated government-watchdog and gay-rights groups.

In one of his first official acts, Bloch ordered his staff to remove references to the agency's jurisdiction over "sexual orientation discrimination" from the OSC website and publications. Complaints began to surface from employees that Bloch had used harassment and intimidation against those who balked at his initiatives.

I was a whistleblower at one point, and went to the D.A. in my county for help. He told me right to my face, "Sorry, I work only for the good people of this county!" [meaning those who don't mention that they see the Emperor has no clothes, and keep their silence].

Care to elaborate?

[Len Colby]

I'm not sure about this one perhaps she was bumped off. But I have one question. If she had dirt on powerful people, especially ones tied to the Bush regime why didn't she use it to avoid trial by the federal gov't? She could have let it be know she would make Cheney's romps with man, woman, child and beast public unless charges were dropped.

Whistleblowers frequently end up isolated, poor, unemployable (employers don't trust them) and, not infrequently, dead.

But I’ve seen no evidence she was a whistle blower before she got busted. She seem content to exploit her call girls then lie about it.

[Len Colby]

But I’ve seen no evidence she was a whistle blower before she got busted. She seem content to exploit her call girls then lie about it.

Fine. If you want to get all semantic, then yes, Madam Palfrey probably was extremely happy earning a living from her call girls, and not passing copies of her clientlist and bits of "pillowtalk" to investigative journalists. If that clientlist did include rich and connected people, and if that pillowtalk included "sensitive" information, you can bet everyone from the mob to the Feds to various intelligence agencies were keeping a close (recording) eye on the goings on in her boudoir.

Assuming her clientlist was notable, Palfrey's "suicide" places her in a long line of pimps to the rich and connected like Stephen Ward of Profumo fame.

The idea of her being killed for what she knew seems implausible to me, at least being killed by the Bush regime. If she had dirt on them they would have been unlikely to target her and if some over ambitious prosecutor who was in the dark went after her she could have made a quid pro quo to get charges dropped.

I doubt she really had more dirty little secrets than she already revealed, why wait till after she been convicted to go public? Why not use the info to leverage if not charges being lesen if not dropped completely? If she made a deal and was screwed over why not tell what she knew immediately? She kept dropping hint but so far the most important people were a Senator (years before he was elected) and 2nd - 3rd rung officials in the State Dept, World Bank and Clinton Administration.

And if there were any more VIPS why not sell the info? She seemed to crave attention but there is no evidence beyond her own claims (and she was a xxxx) that influential people beyond those already disclosed were among her customers, but hey you never know!

[Guest David Guyatt]

But I’ve seen no evidence she was a whistle blower before she got busted. She seem content to exploit her call girls then lie about it.

Fine. If you want to get all semantic, then yes, Madam Palfrey probably was extremely happy earning a living from her call girls, and not passing copies of her clientlist and bits of "pillowtalk" to investigative journalists. If that clientlist did include rich and connected people, and if that pillowtalk included "sensitive" information, you can bet everyone from the mob to the Feds to various intelligence agencies were keeping a close (recording) eye on the goings on in her boudoir.

Assuming her clientlist was notable, Palfrey's "suicide" places her in a long line of pimps to the rich and connected like Stephen Ward of Profumo fame.

"Seeing" when one's eyes are professionally attuned to being "wide shut" is one way of disrupting plausibility...

The point to make is that nobody here is defending Madam Palfry's virtue, but are simply noting the apparent unusualness of her passing and asking themselves if there was more to that passing than the resident blind man gives credit for. And whether this fits with other patterns we have seen elsewhere. It seems quite possible that it does and is worth pursuing for that reason alone.