this post was submitted on 19 May 2024
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[–] chaogomu@kbin.social 193 points 2 years 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 2 years ago (2 children)
[–] inb4_FoundTheVegan@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years 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 2 years ago

how to unfind

[–] Donebrach@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago

Nice try, Boeing

[–] mino@lemmy.ml -1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Did you bother to read past the first paragraph?

[–] Vendul@feddit.de 10 points 2 years ago

Boeing got you fooled too? 👁️👄👁️

[–] SmackemWittadic@lemmy.world 10 points 2 years 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 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years 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 2 years 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 2 years ago

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

[–] henfredemars 82 points 2 years ago

How totally unexpected.

[–] YtA4QCam2A9j7EfTgHrH 72 points 2 years 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 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years 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 2 years ago

Not with that attitude

[–] The_Che_Banana@beehaw.org 3 points 2 years ago

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

[–] retrospectology@lemmy.world 12 points 2 years ago (1 children)

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

[–] YtA4QCam2A9j7EfTgHrH 0 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years 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 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years 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 50 points 2 years 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 2 years 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 41 points 2 years 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 2 years ago

America is a very grim place.

[–] ramenshaman@lemmy.world 31 points 2 years ago

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

[–] MehBlah@lemmy.world 30 points 2 years ago

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

[–] JoMiran@lemmy.ml 29 points 2 years ago
[–] ShimmeringKoi@hexbear.net 28 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

At press time, a spokesperson for Boeing remarked that the company expects this to be the end of the matter if the investigators know what's good for them.

[–] qwertilliopasd@lemmy.world 20 points 2 years ago

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

[–] Retrograde@lemmy.world 19 points 2 years ago
[–] SpaceNeuro@lemmy.world 18 points 2 years 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 2 years ago (1 children)
[–] Petter1@lemm.ee 4 points 2 years ago (2 children)

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

[–] Riccosuave@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

You just use the image link format like this:

![](your-image-url)

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

[–] Hello_Kitty_enjoyer@hexbear.net 18 points 2 years ago

yea he committed suicide by flying Boeing

[–] CommunistBear@hexbear.net 16 points 2 years ago
[–] dkr567@hexbear.net 16 points 2 years ago

"Yeah Barnett's head just happened to be in the same direction of couple bullets." - Boeing

[–] Ballistic_86@lemmy.world 10 points 2 years 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 2 years ago

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

[–] CompostMaterial@lemmy.world 8 points 2 years ago
[–] butsbutts@lemmy.ml 8 points 2 years ago

well thats weird

[–] unreasonabro@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

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