Re: Real Example of privacy violation in THE US SENATE

[METRA1001@aol.com]

  8-4
  
  Med-Privacy -
  
  In doing some reading the other night I came across a startling 
  example of a privacy violation in, of all places, Congress. 
  
  In 1989, during the John-Tower-for-Secretary-of-Defence, U.S. 
  Senate hearings, it was disclosed by several people, among 
  them an Air Force sergent, Robert Jackson, that John Tower 
  had been allegedly seen 'drunk' at work on numerous occasions.
  
  In defense of Mr. Tower, a certain Senator from Arizona, who is
  reportedly on the GOP short list for Vice President, in a blistering
  attack on the sergent, allegedly USED HIS MILITARY CONTACTS 
  to obtain Air Force psychiatric files on the sergent, which he
  obtained, AND REPORTEDLY READ ALOUD IN FRONT OF THE 
  U.S. SENATE; therefore the remarks and excerpts of the 
  privileged medical files were made part of the United States 
  Congressional Record, as a part of the personal attack upon 
  the witness. This was apparently done without the knowledge or 
  approval of the Air Force sergent, nor did the sergent 
  allegedly sign any release allowing access to such files. 
  
  This would appear to be a move of questionable ethics,
  a possible violation of the Privacy Act of 1974, and a
  perfect example of the abuse of and misuse of medical 
  files. I would refer anyone who wishes to dispute this 
  allegation to the congressional record of the 1989 
  hearings, before the U.S. Senate. Speaking of moral
  responsibility, ethics, and Personal responsibility, and
  CHARACTER, I cite this example of the ways we, as 
  a nation, so casually abuse our laws and ethical 
  boundaries, for personal or political gain, at the 
  expense of patient privacy and confidentiality.
  
  -AL-