this post was submitted on 19 May 2024
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[–] chaogomu@kbin.social 193 points 9 months ago (4 children)

Yes, it was a suicide, because his testimony wasn't part of anything related to whistleblowing, he was appealing a loss of the wrongful termination lawsuit against Boeing.

The idiots who never bothered to learn more than the man's name think "big company killed whistleblower" are showing just how little they understand things.

To recap, all the evidence from his whistleblowing was submitted to authorities 7 years ago. He had no bombshells to drop, no story that hadn't been told, just a lawsuit over how Boeing retaliated against him for Whistleblowing 7 years ago, forcing him to "retire".

A few days before he killed himself, he was on the stand in front of the appeals judges, and from all accounts, they did not seem like they were going to overturn his loss. He was then called back for another round of testimony, but was already dead by then.

Can you imagine a 7-year legal battle over being fired for having integrity? The stress this man must have felt?

Boeing killed John Barnett, but they didn't pull the trigger, he did. Don't cheapen that with lies about some sort of conspiracy. Just know that Boeing is one of dozens of companies who have worked for decades to weaken labor protections.

[–] Vendul@feddit.de 58 points 9 months ago (2 children)
[–] inb4_FoundTheVegan@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago (2 children)

You sound like qAnon, no matter what is said, you can always just say it's deepstate trickery.

[–] unreasonabro@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago

how to unfind

[–] Donebrach@lemmy.world 1 points 9 months ago

Nice try, Boeing

[–] mino@lemmy.ml -1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Did you bother to read past the first paragraph?

[–] Vendul@feddit.de 10 points 9 months ago

Boeing got you fooled too? 👁️👄👁️

[–] SmackemWittadic@lemmy.world 10 points 9 months ago (1 children)

You're absolutely right. I can't imagine the stress and depression they might have felt just by seeing how the system was completely against them. Labor protection laws in the US really need to change.

[–] Zerush@lemmy.ml 3 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Also ruining someone's life in endless lawsuits against a company behind a squad of lawyers and walls of papers in a legal system in favor of power, is another form of killing someone.

[–] pop@lemmy.ml 4 points 9 months ago (1 children)

The idiots who never bothered to learn more than the man's name think "big company killed whistleblower" are showing just how little they understand things

And you have supernatural powers to understand all things? Don't act like you've got it all figured out, big guy.

[–] chaogomu@kbin.social -1 points 9 months ago

And yet, the comments here are sort of proving that point.

[–] henfredemars@infosec.pub 66 points 9 months ago

How totally unexpected.

[–] YtA4QCam2A9j7EfTgHrH@infosec.pub 60 points 9 months ago (2 children)

I wonder what kind of yacht the police investigators are going to buy with the donations from the representative of the Boeing Corporation.

[–] Kalkaline@leminal.space 25 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (2 children)

Yacht? They're getting themselves an Apache. You can't recklessly gun down ~~minorities~~ suspects with a yacht.

[–] Zehzin@lemmy.world 7 points 9 months ago

Not with that attitude

[–] The_Che_Banana@beehaw.org 3 points 9 months ago

APC, however it is marketed to the town as an "A Peace Carrier" to standing ovations

[–] retrospectology@lemmy.world 12 points 9 months ago (1 children)

They probably don't actually get much. Fascists kind of instinctively back eachother up.

[–] YtA4QCam2A9j7EfTgHrH@infosec.pub 0 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Yeah. I was being hyperbolic. They didn’t get anything I’m sure, because cops serve power and even if they didn’t, they are bad at solving crime because they are dipshits. And their function isn’t to solve crime.

[–] RizzRustbolt@lemmy.world 55 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

"What about this note that says, 'If I die, it wasn't suicide'?"

"That's still technically a suicide note."

i mean, to be fair, i would've done the same fucking thing ngl. Fuck boeing.

[–] Zerush@lemmy.ml 45 points 9 months ago

Same as most other whistleblowers are die because of suicide, accident or a sudden and strange illness, by system.

[–] Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.works 42 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I read the article and I have one outstanding question. Is this the same guy who stated he is not suicidal days before?

[–] Mangoholic@lemmy.ml 40 points 9 months ago (1 children)

So its either presured into suicide by lawsuit from Boeing or murdered and made to look like suicide. Either way its fucked up.

[–] Crikeste@lemm.ee 7 points 9 months ago

America is a very grim place.

[–] ramenshaman@lemmy.world 31 points 9 months ago

Let me guess, he shot himself in the back 6 times?

[–] MehBlah@lemmy.world 30 points 9 months ago

Just like those people who shoot themselves in the back of cop cars with their hands cuffed behind them.

[–] qwertilliopasd@lemmy.world 20 points 9 months ago

in other news, Charelston PD announces their new MH-139A helicopter

[–] Retrograde@lemmy.world 19 points 9 months ago
[–] SpaceNeuro@lemmy.world 18 points 9 months ago (1 children)

“Open and shut case Johnson. Sprinkle some crack on him and let’s get out of here.”

[–] Riccosuave@lemmy.world 11 points 9 months ago (1 children)
[–] Petter1@lemm.ee 4 points 9 months ago (2 children)

How do you upload gifs in lemmy comments? 😮 mine got converted in a pic

[–] Riccosuave@lemmy.world 3 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

You just use the image link format like this:

![](your-image-url)

[–] ulterno@lemmy.kde.social 2 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

If yours got converted, then the server you're using, doesn't support drag and drop gifs.
Instead of drag and drop, upload the gif to some other server, that allows such stuff and use that link in the ![alt_text_here](image-url) format as given by @Riccosuave@lemmy.world.

For instance, the above comment has its GIF stored on tenor.com, which is less probably the default provider (for when you drag and drop) given by lemmy.world

[–] JoMiran@lemmy.ml 18 points 9 months ago
[–] Ballistic_86@lemmy.world 10 points 9 months ago (1 children)

The bullet that killed him matched the gun in his hand, like okay that’s fair. But they use that as the justification for suicide. Like, of course if you want someone to look like they killed themselves you would use a gun and place it in their hand. Didn’t we learn about this kind of basic subterfuge in our teenage years watching TV/Movies.

Whistleblowers risk their entire reputations and careers in the pursuit of doing the right thing and stopping corporations from committing crimes. Isn’t that the opposite of wanting to kill yourself? Courage in the face of tremendous opposition??

[–] ChonkyOwlbear@lemmy.world 4 points 9 months ago

Also in spite of what we learn on TV, matching a bullet to a gun is mostly junk science.

[–] butsbutts@lemmy.ml 8 points 9 months ago

well thats weird

[–] CompostMaterial@lemmy.world 8 points 9 months ago
[–] unreasonabro@lemmy.world 1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Well I certainly hope all those pigs don't do the same thing, but they always have a high tolerance for shame