Sunday, May 19, 2013

Posted: 18 May 2013 08:46 PM PDT

This is a disturbing story on a number of issues. One, how any medical facility and their subcontractors can be trusted with medical information. And two, the government can access your medical records without warrant or even anything approaching problem cause.

Of course, we should now realize that IRS is charged with administering Obamacare and is likely to be charged with reducing fraud, waste, and abuse … a chilling proposition given the alleged hyper-politicization of the IRS and the targeting of specific individuals and organizations.

IRS sued for seizing 60 million medical records
A healthcare provider has sued the Internal Revenue Service and 15 of its agents, charging they wrongfully seized 60 million medical records from 10 million Americans
The name of the provider is not yet known, United Press International said. But Courthouse News Service said the suit claims the agency violated the Fourth Amendment in 2011, when agents executed a search warrant for financial data on one employee – and that led to the seizure of information on 10 million, including state judges.
The search warrant did not specify that the IRS could take medical information, UPI said. And information technology officials warned the IRS about the potential to violate medical privacy laws before agents executed the warrant, the complaint said, as reported byUPI.
“Despite knowing that these medical records were not within the scope of the warrant, defendants threatened to ‘rip’ the servers containing the medical data out of the building if IT personnel would not voluntarily hand them over,” the complaint states, UPI reported.
The suit also says IRS agents seized workers’ phones and telephone data – more violations of the warrant, UPI reported. The complaint alleges the IRS was “invasive and unlawful” and stole access to intimate medical records that included patients’ treatment plans and therapies, UPI said.
The suit seeks $25,000 in compensatory damages, per violation. The records’ seizure could impact up to one in 25 Americans, UPI said. Source: IRS sued for seizing 60 million medical records - Washington Times

Bottom line …

It is that simple for one rogue government agency to seize a computer containing YOUR medical records without a warrant … and then delay the return of that information in court while the data is transferred to other computers – to be accessed by potentially rogue employees. Enough said.

-- steve

ARE DOCTORS AND PSYCHOLOGISTS MISDIAGNOSING CHILDREN TO ASSUME CONTROL OVER THEIR LIVES OR GENERATE MONEY?

Posted: 18 May 2013 08:34 PM PDT

Something is wrong here …

There must be something corrupt and drastically wrong if one-in-five children have a mental disorder. My suspicion is that it has to do with the self-interests of those who diagnose, treat, or profit from dealing with maladjusted children. Of course, we have seen the feminists and socialist pursue a course of pussifying young boys to make them easier to control in social environments.

CDC: 1 In 5 US Children May Have Mental Disorder Nearly 1 in 5 children in the U.S. suffers from a mental disorder, and this number has been rising for more than a decade.
According to a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up to 20 percent of American children are suffering from mental disorders such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety, depression and autism.
The CDC’s first study of mental disorders among children aged 3 to 17 also found that the cost of medical bills for treatment of such disorders is up to $247 billion each year.
“This is a deliberate effort by CDC to show mental health is a health issue. As with any health concern, the more attention we give to it, the better. It’s parents becoming aware of the facts and talking to a health-care provider about how their child is learning, behaving and playing with other kids,” said Dr. Ruth Perou, the study’s lead author.
The CDC data was collected between 1994 and 2011, and it shows that the number of children being diagnosed with mental disorders has been steadily growing. The study did not conclude exactly why the numbers are increasing. More research is needed to determine the specific causes of mental disorders, said Dr. Perou, and that greater awareness could lead to an uptick in diagnoses. A host of environmental factors, including chemical exposure and poverty, also can affect a child’s mental health, she said.
The study also found that girls were more prone to depression and alcohol abuse than boys, and that 6.8 percent of U.S. children are affected by attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Source: CDC: 1 In 5 US Children May Have Mental Disorder « CBS Atlanta

Even worse …

There is some anecdotal and some statistical evidence that suggests that psychotropic drugs given to children induces violent behavior and a lessening of personal impulse control – possibly leading to greater numbers of suicides or heinous acts.

With $247 billion in play, I suspect someone is profiting from profiling children and turning them into drug-addled lame brains.

-- steve

Google: Are insiders with the "keys to the kingdom" a threat to your data in the cloud?

Posted: 18 May 2013 08:23 PM PDT

It is one thing for a whistle-blower to steal information from his employer to redress a personal grievance in a public forum, but it is far worse to believe that some ideologue or person with a grudge against you or your company can destroy your company with a release of your personal and/or proprietary information stored in the cloud.

Consider this story and the implications it may have on your future …

Google insider exposes ‘immoral’ tax scam --Former Google executive Barney Jones has a cache of 100,000 emails and documents
A FORMER Google executive has blown the whistle on a massive and “immoral” tax avoidance scheme that has “cheated” British taxpayers out of hundreds of millions of pounds over the past decade. Barney Jones, 34, who worked for the internet search giant between 2002 and 2006, has lifted the lid on an elaborate structure which diverts British profits through Ireland to the Bermuda tax haven.
Although Google’s London sales staff would negotiate and sign contracts with British customers, and cash was paid into a UK bank account, deals were technically booked through its Dublin office to minimise its liabilities here. Jones, a devout Christian and father of four, is ready to hand over a cache of more than 100,000 emails and documents to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), detailing the “concocted scheme”. He has already provided testimony to the Commons public accounts committee (PAC) which led to the combative questioning of Matt Brittin, a Google vice-president, last week.
“The real victims are ordinary taxpayers in Britain who are being cheated by Google,” said Jones. “They don’t have the means to hire accountants to pretend they make their money in Ireland, Bermuda or the British Virgin Islands. What Google is doing is immoral.” Source: Google insider exposes ‘immoral’ tax scam | The Sunday Times

Bottom line …

Can you trust data stored in the cloud? Especially data stored beyond the reach of United States’ courts? All it takes is one disgruntled or disaffected employee with the passwords and keys to the kingdom to destroy or disadvantage you or your company.

Even worse, under those unilateral user agreements, the compromised vendors have little or no responsibilities for the financial consequences of their accidents – even if negligence can be proved. Would you be satisfied with a rebate for a month’s worth of service for the total destruction of your personal or professional life?

-- steve

AP PHONE RECORDS SCANDAL: IS ERIC HOLDER CORRUPT, INCOMPETENT, OR SLOPPY?

Posted: 18 May 2013 07:40 PM PDT

In a previous blog entry, “Forget the sinister political implications of the Associated Press -- DOJ Leak Investigation. Holder might be guilty of stonewalling -- but not on this issue,” I was willing to give United States Attorney General Eric Holder a pass due to the nature of the national security claim underlying the subpoena of the AP telephone records. However, now I am not so sure.

The government was going to release the same information the next day …

It appears that the Obama Administration was going to go public with the story the day after the published AP report on an al Qaeda mole – so their claim of national security seems suspicious to say the least. It also appears that the Obama Administration may have taken vindictive action to punish the AP for stepping on a sorely-needed announcement to boost the Administration’s flagging public approval. I can still see the national security implications in the story, but it appears that the AP held the original story at the government’s request and only released it after assurances that no harm would result.

Even worse, Attorney General Eric Holder claimed, in sworn testimony that he knew relatively nothing of the Associated Press affair because he had recused himself from the process. Here is the Department of Justice announcement on the assignment to investigate the “possible unauthorized disclosure of classified information.”

Statement of Attorney General Eric Holder on the Assignment of U.S. Attorneys to Lead Investigations of Possible Unauthorized Disclosures of Classified Information
Attorney General Eric Holder issued the following statement today on the assignment of U.S. Attorneys to lead investigations of possible unauthorized disclosures of classified information:

“Today, I assigned U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Ronald C. Machen Jr. and U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein to lead criminal investigations into recent instances of possible unauthorized disclosures of classified information.
“These two highly-respected and experienced prosecutors will be directing separate investigations currently being conducted by the FBI. I have every confidence in their abilities to doggedly follow the facts and the evidence in the pursuit of justice wherever it leads.
“In carrying out their assignments, U.S. Attorneys Machen and Rosenstein are fully authorized to prosecute criminal violations discovered as a result of their investigations and matters related to those violations, consult with members of the Intelligence Community and follow all appropriate investigative leads within the Executive and Legislative branches of government.
“I have notified members of Congress and plan to provide more information, as appropriate, to members of the Judiciary and Intelligence Committees.
“The unauthorized disclosure of classified information can compromise the security of this country and all Americans, and it will not be tolerated. The Justice Department takes seriously cases in which government employees and contractors entrusted with classified information are suspected of willfully disclosing such classified information to those not entitled to it, and we will do so in these cases as well.” Source: USDOJ: Statement of Attorney General Eric Holder on the Assignment of U.S. Attorneys to Lead Investigations of Possible Unauthorized Disclosures of Classified Information

But, not is all well with Attorney General Holder’s recusal …

In sworn testimony before House Judiciary Committee, Eric Holder could not remember when he recused himself. Explaining to Representative Spencer Bachus (R-AL) that “I’m not sure, I think it was toward the beginning of the matter, I don’t know exactly when but it was toward the beginning of the matter,” Adding that the recusal was not in writing. Responding to Representative Tom Marino (R-PA)who asked, “Are you saying that there was no paper trail here?” “I don’t think there is,” Holder replied.

It is incredible that the American public is being asked to believe that in a serious matter in which the Attorney General has a political conflict of interest, he would not document his recusal. But, then again, that is symptomatic of the shifting landscape of ethics and legality in the Obama Administration.

Bottom line …

There is now a preponderance of suspicion and some evidence that Eric Holder is a hyper-partisan ideologue with a history of dubious legal actions going back years. There is also little or no doubt in my mind that his sole purpose is to protect Obama’s ass much in the same way that other notorious democrat Attorney General, Janet Reno, protected Bill Clinton.

It is time for Eric Holder to be thrown under the bus by Barack Obama.

-- steve