2006 Letter to DOJ Gonzales - DOT Mineta - DHS Chertoff
April 12, 2006
The Honorable Alberto R. Gonzales
United States Attorney General
U.S. Department of Justice
9500 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20530
The Honorable Norman Y. Mineta
U.S. Department of Transportation
400 7th Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20590
The Honorable Michael J. Chertoff
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Washington, D.C. 20528
SUBJ: WHISTLE BLOWING UNITED PILOTS’ ASSOCIATION
Gentlemen,
I shouldn’t have to waste our time writing this letter to you, but
I chose to do so out of courtesy and desperation. I am a 57-year old, medically disabled United
Airlines B-777 Captain who attempted to whistle blow on security frailties and
possible criminal wrongdoing in the post-9/11 flight environment. I contend that I was gagged and was medically
grounded directly as a result of my honest actions.
It is my assertion that possibly federal aviation laws and RICO
statutes (attempted union-busting) were violated in this stifling process. I have witnesses available who would
willingly provide sworn testimony, as well as supporting evidence in the form
of incriminating correspondence, reports, and digitally recorded phone
conversations between myself and United Airlines and the Air Line Pilots
Association (ALPA) management to back my claims of federal criminal wrongdoings.
It is herein that I openly state my honest intent to provide this
and other evidence currently being amassed by the subject association to a
federal prosecutor for further investigation by federal authorities. I believe that you will all agree that
failure to act on our part would be a
crime in, and of, itself.
Currently, within the
active employee and retiree ranks of United Airlines (and the other major
airlines), there is a legal, collusive attempt by an army of dedicated
employees (independent of any union) to funnel critical pieces of legal
evidence to appropriate legal channels and the media for analysis and
publication.
To date, I personally have recently submitted (electronically) a
report of these matters to the Federal Aviation Administration via the FAA
Whistle Blower Protection Program and am awaiting a response. Additionally, I have forwarded the same
information to the Atlanta office of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
for their perusal. Hopefully, we will be
able to legally press forward with class-action litigation on behalf of all
airline employees nationwide. Finally,
my situation has drawn the attention the U.S. print media, attorneys, and other
concerned politicians. We didn’t make this a political issue, Bush did. His game, we’re just playing along with his
game… by our legal rules.
I have tried in vain for several years since 9/11 to keep these
matters out of the public domain. I no
longer care; the information is already out there. I personally feel that there are other
airline employees in the system that have similarly been gagged and have a
story to tell. We need a legal outlet and subpoena
power. We’re going to get it.
There has been absolutely NO White House support for the commercial airline employees
since 9/11 other than Bush photo-opping in between United and American jets at
O’Hare shortly after that horrific event trying to convince the traveling
public to climb back onboard airplanes because the “system is safe”. The
mythical post-9/11 ATSB loan guarantees were carrots dangled before employees
of financially distressed (unionized) air carriers in a blatant ploy by this
administration, in collusion with the banks and airline management, to extract
massive wage and contract concessions from employees and ultimately drive
carriers into Chapter 11 bankruptcy where unions had no leverage thereby
enabling the distress-termination of defined-benefit pension plans. It was (and still is) union busting through
what appears to be the collusive efforts of the White House, financial
institutions, and airline management.
There are federal laws that preclude this type of activity and we intend
to prove in a federal court of law that they were violated.
There was $10-billion
in ATSB loan guarantees authorized under the post-9/11 program. Only $1.2-billion was let. Any ideas here… anyone? .
In essence, these unlawful, immoral acts bailed the airline
industry out on the financial backs of the very honest, hard working, and
courageous aircrew members (who willingly climbed back onboard jets in the
unsafe post-9/11 flight environment) and other airline employees.
These acts against workers were unconscionable and the truth must be
brought to public attention by any and all means available. It shall.
Many aircrew members agree that the U.S. commercial airline
security system, under the Department of Homeland Security, is grossly under
funded and a farce; it’s mainly used as window dressing to keep the system
going. For security reasons, I will not
address the obvious. The illegal Iraq
invasion increased the security threat to U.S. commercial jet aircraft. (The
only reasonable alternative explanation for our careless and reckless ignorance
of blatant security frailties is if 9/11 didn’t really go down as the American
public was made to believe, but I’m not a proponent of conspiracy theories, so
I’ll dismiss this spooky, politically motivated notion).
President Bush, Karl Rove, and the GOP have publicly announced
that they are collectively going to embrace ‘security’ as the cornerstone of
the GOP political platform in the upcoming midterm congressional elections. In
light of the aforementioned sorry state of aviation security systems, this
political ploy would be laughable if it weren’t so damned pathetic! Since
the events of 9/11 have been wrongfully and immorally employed for political
and financial advantage by this White House and the GOP in bankruptcy court to destroy unionism,
contracts, and pensions, there are many airline employees who intend to
preclude this administration from using ‘security’ as a political reelection
issue. Your boss may have played
politics with other peoples’ lives with this issue in the past…not this time.
After Enron, you will all agree that we ALL deplore white-collar
criminal activity. Our association (The Whistle Blowing United
Pilots’ Assn) feels very strongly that the criminal activity of Enron pales in comparison to what may have occurred
criminally within the post-9/11 airline industry. We aim to prove criminal activity occurred
through the illegal collusive efforts of many, and we WILL, with or without the
assistance of the Departments of Justice, Transportation, and/or Homeland
Security.
As was exemplified by the legal proceedings of Enron, Jack
Abramoff, Randy Cunningham, Tom DeLay, and others, the powers of subpoena and
plea-bargaining brings forth those weak, characterless, disloyal individuals
who helped perpetrate these crimes. Our association intends to rout out the
spineless government and corporate weasels that stooped so low as to exploit
9/11 for political and financial gain.
With truth and justice on our
side, we will be successful. Won’t you
join us in our honest crusade?
You are hereby advised of our plight and our efforts. If DOJ, DOT, and DHS are disinterested in our
investigation, that is acceptable, although not understandable, to us. However,
you must be forewarned, we will be successful in discovering the truth and
serving justice and then will be calling on your good offices to explain your
apathetic behavior towards our just and noble cause.
Very truly yours,
Dan
Dan Hanley
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Please click here for the Department of Justice response to the above.
Please click here for Department of Homeland Security response to the above.
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Whistleblowing United Pilots Association
“Patriotism and Freedom of Speech in Action”
January 25, 2009
Mr. Calvin L. Scovel DOT Inspector General P.O. Box 708 Fredricksburg, Va 22404
SUBJ: FAA WHISTLEBLOWER REPORT SUBMISSION
Dear Mr. Scovel,
On April 9, 2006, I submitted an electronic FAA Whistle Blower Report regarding my alleged unlawful termination as a United Airlines B-777 captain on December 30, 2003. I did not receive any response from the FAA regarding this report. Additionally, because subsequent additional criminal evidence had surfaced that supported these same assertions, as well as other criminal matters, as public spokesperson for a grassroots airline effort called the 'Whistleblowing United Pilots Association', on April 12, 2006 I sent the attached letter to then AG Gonzales, DOT Mineta, and DHS Chertoff petitioning their support of our just and noble quest for justice. Both AG Gonzales' and DHS Chertoff's office staff deferred to DOT in a timely manner. Mr. Mineta's office did not even bother to respond to the letter. (see attached)
On October 18, 2007, I filed for whistle blower protection under the auspices of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which included a sworn affidavit that among other issues, addressed my alleged wrongful termination from the employ of United Airlines as a captain.
On February 14, 2008, I filed a federal complaint (complaint # 2008-9580) with the office of the FBI in Chicago, Illinois pending forthcoming evidence and witness testimony on this and other relevant issues. Additionally, our association had petitioned numerous relevant congressional committee chairs, as well as key staff members within the Department of Justice for assistance in these matters.
Today, the Government Accountability Project office transmitted the attached letter petitioning President Obama to move forward with pending enhanced whistle blower protection legislation. You will note that my name/association appear as signatory toward the bottom of this document. It is because of my past abuse as a whistle blower on numerous counts, as well as the thousands of other unheard informants, that I strongly support passage of this legislation.
When an individual who believes he is protected under federal whistle blower law, musters the courage to speak out on potential federal criminal matters only to discover that the protective covenants he/she believe afforded said protection does not actually exist, then it is too late. Thus was the case with my issues on numerous counts. It isn't right.
My reason for writing to your office is thus. Request is hereby made for the Department of Transportation to provide me with a certified copy of the previously filed FAA Whistle Blower Report transmitted to your office on April 9, 2006 for submission as evidence in a potential federal criminal case in the near future. Although not critically essential due to the availability of witnesses and other supporting evidence, it is hoped that your office might expeditiously accommodate this request due to the past unresponsiveness of the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration concerning this matter. Please be advised that I have witnesses who will attest to the my transmission of said report.
Also, be informed that I am not personally seeking compensatory damages in this case, but to help others uncover potential federal criminality in the airline industry. It has been our desire to keep these legal matters out of the public domain and we intend to continue do so presently. The truth will eventually be told to the travelling public by other means if required.
If you have any further questions regarding this matter, I may be reached at 678-463-4390. My home address is 4204 Lakeside Way, Newnan, Georgia 30265. Your cooperation and assistance in this matter is sincerely appreciated. A certified hard-copy of this letter will be forthcoming via USPS.
Very respectfully submitted,
Dan Hanley
cc: Robert Mueller - FBI Director Robert Grant - Chicago FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Merri Jo Gillette - Chicago SEC Regional Director Tom Devine - Government Accountability Project Legal Director Shanna Devine - Government Accountability Project Legislative Campaign Assistant Members of the Whistleblowing United Pilots Association
