To the editor:
About two months ago I was made aware of an incident that occurred at DFAS, located on the old Loring AFB complex. The circumstances surrounding the incident left me completely baffled and frustrated.
An American citizen, Janis Davis Christiansen, who was employed at DFAS for many years, but who married a Canadian citizen and is therefore living in Canada, was dismissed from her job at DFAS because she was deemed to be a security risk to America by the Department of Labor (DOL).
What is especially interesting is that while at DFAS, Janis received many awards and commendations for her outstanding job performance and attitude. What is also interesting is that Janis remained employed at DFAS for close to 10 years after 9-11 and was never thought to be a security risk until now. I have known Janis and her parents all of my life and I have watched her grow into a beautiful and responsible lady. Her father retired from the United States Military, served three tours in Vietnam and is perhaps one of the most patriotic people I know.
What a terrible insult to the parents and family! I realized then that Osama Bin Laden had won the war on terrorism with America. Bin Laden accomplished exactly what he set out to do, to create distrust, unrest and paranoia within our own United States and among our own citizens.
When American citizens would become suspect and distrusted by their own government, their lives and livelihood disrupted and their patriotism questioned with absolutely no recourse, something has gone radically wrong. As a state representative, I intervened on her behalf along with Senator Susan Collins. We were not so much as even given the courtesy of a response. The government agency, the DOL, that made the decision to dismiss Janis appears to operate with complete impunity and is not accountable to anyone.
Although Janis was officially dismissed from her job about two weeks ago, I do not intend to let this egregious matter rest until I am able to get an answer. I am truly concerned that this may be only the beginning of the problems that will confront many American citizens in the future.
Rep. Bernard L.A. Ayotte
(R-Caswell)
