the whistle at a government job over some issue, he was told by his friends they would support him, but when it came time to back him up they all backed off and offered no support. My brother was run down by government politics, and was black listed for like 12 years now. They have kept him on the job but don't give him any real reponsibiltities.

Seems that friends rarely support you when you need them. They are too afraid to speak up, they are afraid to lose whatever they think they will lose.. in this case I have learned the same lesson. It's a shame when you find that your friends are two-faced and will abandon you in your hour of need. Then they come to you later and say sorry, but I couldn't risk supporting you as I could lose such and such..