Medical Privacy Isn’t

As usual with the federal government, doublespeak prevails. The newfederal medical-records “privacy” regulation is really anti-privacy.You may be denied health care, pay heavy fines or even go to prison ifyou refuse to authorize your health care providers to disclose yourmedical records to federal bureaucrats.

The regulation, which has the effect of law, gives enormousenforcement powers to the secretary of the Department of Health andHuman Services, who can impose severe penalties on anyone refusing todisclose medical information to the federal government.

Those penalties may be applied to all providers of health servicesincluding physicians, dentists, hospitals, clinics, nursing homes,pharmacies, home-care services and health-insurance plans. They couldface fines of as much as $250,000 and prison terms up to 10 years(Public Law 104-191, section 1176).

If you do not consent to your personal medical records beingdisclosed, your physician may refuse to give you medical care or youmay be denied coverage by a health-insurance plan. More information isat http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2001/4/24/93614.shtml

Bill Holmes

Carlsbad, CA

Rather Hang Out than Pray

I just read Wes Howard-Brook letter criticizing you for making fun ofChristianity. Give me a break. I’d rather hang out with Henry Milleror Arthur Rimbaud than Gandhi or Dr. King.

I find it so trite that people believe in this stuff which makesastrology look profound. I am not even a communist but Marx said itbest... “Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart ofa heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is theopium of the people.”

Ooh the Sloth [via email]

American for Freedom in Palestine

Throughout the occupied territories, Israel has stationed militarycheckpoints to obstruct Palestinians from traveling from onePalestinian town to another. Palestinians have no choice but to passthrough these checkpoints in order to reach their work, study, andworship, to receive medical care and basic goods and services, and tovisit family and friends.

These checkpoints do not protect Israeli security. Rather, they arethe source of inconveniences and delays that make it exhausting if notimpossible for Palestinians to carry out the tasks of daily life.

Moreover, they have been the sites of Israeli soldiers’ arbitrary usesof power, ranging from the confiscation of car keys to the firing oflive ammunition at unarmed civilians.

On Saturday 9 June, the faculty and staff of Birzeit University in theWest Bank held a non-violent protest against the Israeli militarycheckpoint that impedes movement between the village of Birzeit andneighboring Palestinian cities and towns. For the past week thischeckpoint has brought the functioning of the university to a completehalt.

As an American citizen, I feel fortunate to have participated in thisbrave demonstration in defense of freedom of movement and education.Only recognition of Palestinians’ inalienable rights to live withdignity in their own state will bring peace to the Middle East.

Wendy Pearlman

Birzeit, Palestine