Gettysburg Vacation and History of The False Claims Act
Hello readers,
I am off on my annual family vacation. I picked my children up from North Carolina and off we went to drive the eastern wilderness of Pennsylvania. There are seven of us, my three children, my niece and nephew, and my wife/partner, Esther Uria LaBovick and yours truly. All seven of us cram into my wife’s SUV. Yes, it is a gas hog. However, traveling with seven people and a ton of luggage, there are limited choices. Think also, about how much fuel we are saving by not flying. As an attorney, who deals with whistleblower issues, trying to free himself from the burdens of work, the pressure of the daily grind, where should I take my family?
We chose Gettysburg. Gettysburg, the famous battleground that changed the momentum of the Civil War. Good history. Good drama. I love it.
It does little to take my mind off my work. Why, you ask? Because anyone who is anyone in the world of whistleblowers knows that the Army of the Potomac won at Gettysburg because President Lincoln had the Federal False Claims Act penned, drafted, signed into law by the time Gettysburg was fought. This saved the Union Army from dealing with empty rifle boxes and having sawdust filled ammunition boxes show up at the battlefield, while the Confederate’s Rebel Yell rained down hellfire upon them. Instead, the Union Army had six shot 35lb sharpshooter rifles to hold off the Confederates with their muskets and swords.
Yes, the whole sawdust filled boxes thing really did happen during the Civil War. I won’t bore you with the historical details, but let’s remember and pay homage to our whistle-blowing roots and realize that part of the reason slavery ended was because the North won the war and part of the reason the North won was because of the False Claims Act.
However, more importantly, why is it an issue today? It is an issue today, because our women and men in Iraq, Afghanistan and other parts of the World do not get the supplies or services they need because of fraud on the government. The Federal Government is not set up to detect fraudulent transactions. We, the citizen taxpayers, count on the courage of whistleblowers to report and prosecute fraud. Oops, I am preaching again. Okay, back to vacation.
I love the history. I am trying to figure out if General Longstreet was actually smarter then the revered General of the Army of Virginia, Robert E. Lee, or if he lost the war by not attacking Culp’s Hill on time because he was sulking after General Lee shot down Longstreet’s revised attack plan. As I said, good drama; and a great vacation spot for kids.
Gettysburg is a beautiful town. From the center of town, you are forty-five minutes from Hershey Park, an hour from Lancaster Pennsylvania and Amish country and about an hour and a half from Philadelphia. We are planning to hit all those areas this week on a whirlwind tour of Americana and American history. I bet my kids feel like vacationing with me is like being trapped in the History Channel. I actually think they are happy to go back to school so they can give their brains a rest.
Enjoy your summer and your kids (if you have them). They grow up as we grow old. Both things happen way too fast!
Signing off from the battlefield!
Brian
