Report: Two fired from Undersea Warfare Center [Rare instance of government accountability]

AP via Navy Times ^ | 5/24/02 | AP Staff

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

MIDDLETOWN, R.I.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Accountability for government employees? Wow, there's a radical concept! < /sarcasm >

[AdA$tra]

If you misuse "personal time" you are OUT. If you download nuclear secrets to your home computer and steal hard drives you are a victim of racial profiling.

[Kermit]

They throw some low-level schmucks to the wolves once in a while. If you're high up enough, you're immune. Nothing new here.

[NautiNurse]

Any possibility of a connection between this event and FBI: Possible SCUBA diver Attacks?

[Lloyd227]

"If you misuse "personal time" you are OUT. If you download nuclear secrets ..."

Correction, I read this as "If you misuse "personal time" for religious purposes you are OUT."

Anyone else see that?

[NewHampshireDuo]

"Jeurgen G. Keil and John E. Sirmalis abused personal time that was taken for reported religious reasons."

Apparently, they may have used religion as a ruse to take personal time (???)

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Actually, these two were pretty high. Being a department director means that you're a GS-14 or -15 (you're right at the bird Colonel level) and making right around $100,000 a year.

I don't think that we're seeing the whole story. A person in senior management getting fired for a single instance of "abusing personal time" doesn't figure. A worker bee caught doing this would face a reprimand, possible suspension, and be charged leave for what work they missed. A civilian department director would probably be charged regular leave and be told to not let it happen again.

Something else is going on here. Maybe they were only spending 3 hours a day at work and were seriously derelict in their duties and the one instance cited was the final nail in the coffin. They probably were into something else and the reason given to fire them was probably to avoid a scandal.

[jackbill]

She would not say whether the removals were permanent.

Accountability??? They are probably on paid leave and will be back to work as soon as this blows over. That's how the government works. Get over it.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

I read that they were fired, but it wouldn't surprise me if they were re-hired somewhere else. This instance of accountability is probably a smokescreen.

[DennisR]

Did they lose their jobs or not? It says they were "replaced." Then later is says they "left their posts." It seems that those who get into trouble in government usually just get reassigned. This article does not say they were fired or dismissed. But maybe it's just PC language.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

You're right, the article is using soft language like "replaced" and "removal". They'll probably get moved to another base to run some other organization. Hell, they'll probably be promoted to new positions.

[DennisR]

Probably. Do you remember the story about the two government "scientists" who planted the lynx hair in an area they were "studying?" As it turned out, the DNA from the lynx hair matched that of a lynx in captivity. Whoops! Anyway, I believe they just got "reprimanded" (Probably went something like this: "Bad boys...don't do that again, okay?") and were then reassigned to somewhere else within government. If I had done something as stupid as that where I work, I would expect nothing less than being sent packing. And deservedly so.

[lodwick]

Prolly too much freeping time. bttt

[Dr. Eckleburg]

any connection?

Way too much for comfort these days.

It would be interesting to know what these two gentlemen do now.

[CyberAnt]

Hmmmm? Good connection? Probably not connected though!