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How do you feel about general whistleblowers like Peter Van Buren[1] and Gregory Hicks[2]? Neither have been prosecuted, but it's hard to deny they have been persecuted for their positions.

[1] http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/01/obama-whistleblo...

[2] http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3460_162-57582929/official-we-kn...

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I'm not clear on how Hicks claims to have been persecuted. Van Buren was fired after writing a tell-all book (which got him demoted to a work-from-home position) and maintaining a blog that linked to Wikileaks documents. I'm ambivalent about the prospect of being fired from a job for detracting from your government employer. On the one hand, you'd lose that same job at any private company where you did the same; on the other hand, in the public sector, detracting from your employer can be a public service. I guess I'd have to think about it on a case-by-case basis.

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