Whistle-Blowers

Re “Enron’s Watkins Falls Far Short of Being a Hero,” Commentary, Feb. 27: It’s about time someone called politicians and journalists to account for their profligate use of words like “whistle-blower,” “hero” and “courage.” Americans have long had a facile notion of courage and heroism, applying it to athletes who compete while suffering from stress fractures. But to see the term “whistle-blower” join the company of such overused words is particularly distressing. To be a true whistle-blower is to go public with an ethical conflict, with the public good in mind.

Enron Vice President Sherron Watkins, bless her heart, seems to have been whistling largely for the benefit of herself and her bosses, not the thousands of Enron employees who lost their life savings or the other outsiders whose investments tanked. She’s no Daniel Ellsberg.

Philip Connors

Astoria, N.Y.