, including the Washington Monument and the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials on the Washington Mall along with many other parks and monuments in the nation's capitol.

On December 2, 2003, Chambers was interviewed by a Washington Post reporter. She spoke candidly of the challenges the Park Service Police faced with stepped up demands for homeland security and declining Park Service budgets. "My greatest fear," she said, "is that harm or death will come to a visitor or employee at one of our parks, or that we're going to miss a key thing at one of our icons."

On December 5, 2003, the National Park Service stripped Teresa Chambers of her gun and badge and placed her on administrative leave for "violating federal rules" regarding the discussion of budgets and for "giving away critical public safety information."

Theresa Chambers decided to fight back. She challenged her dismissal, and as a result, was subjected to a nasty campaign of reprisal by political hacks within the Interior Department. Someone sprayed pepper spray, the noxious chemical weapon used to control violent criminals, into the open door of her office. The harassment included computer break-ins, planting false rumors, leaking misleading portions of confidential reports, and intimidating her supporters from speaking out.

In fact, what has happened to Theresa Chambers is but one example of a "culture of fear" that now exists within the Interior Department. In August, the Interior Department's Office of the Inspector General released an investigative report that included a survey of 25,000 employees. More than one quarter of those who responded said they fear retaliation for reporting problems.

Since the Chambers incident, the Bush administration has clamped down hard on the Park Service, issuing strict talking points to National Park superintendents that amount to enforced propaganda. Superintendents are supposed to mask budget cutbacks by calling them "service level adjustments." Other talking point samples include: "Despite the challenges, NPS has fared well under President Bush..." and "This Administration is very committed to preserving the resources of the National Park System..."

In taking this jack-booted approach to the Park Service, Bush strategists are no doubt remembering the way defunding the National Parks helped to derail the Gingrich Revolution. When Gingrich's thugs in Congress held the federal budget hostage in 1995, National Parks were forced to close. Americans were outraged, as they were outraged by Gingrich's subsequent proposal to privatize National Parks. Fiddling with the parks was one factor in the House leader's drop in popularity.

Another reason for the Bush administration to come down hard on Chambers is the information she shared about the underfunding of Homeland Security. John Kerry has repeatedly stressed the administration's failure to adequately fund security at home, and the hamstringing of the U.S. Park Police is an egregious example.

A new report by the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) on the U.S. Park Police confirms everything that Theresa Chambers told the Washington Post last fall. NAPA finds that despite a large increase in responsibilities assigned to the U.S. Park Police since September 11, 2001, the total number of Park Police officers has fallen.

Theresa Chambers is still fighting for her job and for the safety of the American people. Here is an edited version of her recent letter to supporters:

As Election Day draws near, I thought it was time to update you on a situation that affects all of us-and one that has had a special impact on me and my family.

As the Chief of the United States Park Police, I was aware that there were many shortcomings in our ability to safeguard some of America's symbols of freedom for which we were responsible. For being candid-for being "honest"-while still being supportive of my superiors, I was, without warning, stripped of my law enforcement authority, badge, and firearm, and escorted by armed special agents of the National Park Service from the Department of the Interior last December. Seven months later, the Department of the Interior terminated me. The entire story with all related documents can be seen at a website, www.honestchief.com, established by my husband soon after this ordeal began.

What continues to impact all of us is that the issues I brought to light about your safety and security and the future of these American icons have not been addressed-other than to silence me. In fact, there are fewer United States Park Police Officers today than there were one year ago when I was sent home for daring to say that we weren't able to properly meet our commitments with existing resources. Other security concerns I raised internally have also gone unaddressed.

Imagine the outcry if I had previously stayed silent and if one of those symbolic monuments or memorials had been destroyed or the loss of life had occurred to someone visiting one of those locations. I did not want me or my superiors to be standing among the ruins of one of these icons or in front of a Congressional committee while trying to explain why we hadn't asked for help.

As you talk about important issues affecting all of us, feel free to make mention of this situation and to refer folks to www.honestchief.com. The site is updated regularly and is filled with links to actual news articles and documents so that the reader can decide for himself or herself what the truth of the matter is.

Thank you for your interest. I look forward to your thoughts and emails, and I appreciate the support you and others have provided thus far.

With gratitude,

Teresa Chambers

As we head towards this election, we should also remember that Theresa Chambers is but one of a multitude of public employees whose integrity has been compromised by the Bush administration. From the CIA to the EPA, whistleblowers and anonymous leakers are trying to sound the alarm about corruption in their agencies.

Along with a free press and independent judiciary, an honest civil service is one of the cornerstones of democracy. A second Bush term would force even more of our honest civil servants from their jobs, allowing neoconservatives free reign to wage war, pollute, sell off public resources and trample on our civil rights.

The most important American institution is the honesty and integrity of her people. Let us not lose that.

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Kelpie Wilson is the t r u t h o u t environment editor. A veteran forest protection activist and mechanical engineer, she writes from her solar-powered cabin in the Siskiyou Mountains of southwest Oregon.

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