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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Road Walker who wrote (205492)	10/6/2004 2:34:58 PM
From: Alighieri	Respond to of 1577191

Like this guy below...this will keep him busy for at least a month talking about his rights being violated. Al ================================================= Court: Limbaugh Records Properly Seized 47 minutes ago Entertainment - AP Gossip/Celebrity By JILL BARTON, Associated Press Writer WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Rush Limbaugh's medical records were properly seized by investigators seeking information on alleged illegal drug use, an appeals court ruled Wednesday. State investigators had raided the offices of Limbaugh's doctors seeking information on whether the conservative radio commentator illegally "doctor shopped" to obtain pain pills from multiple doctors. Limbaugh, 53, has not been charged with a crime and the investigation had been at a standstill pending a decision on the medical records. The court rejected Limbaugh's arguments that his privacy rights trumped investigators' power to seize his records and said prosecutors did not have to notify him of search warrants or give him an opportunity to challenge them. "The state's authority to seize such records by a validly issued search warrant is not affected by any right of privacy in such records," a three-judge panel of the 4th District Court of Appeal ruled. Prosecutors went after Limbaugh's medical records after learning that he received about 2,000 painkillers, prescribed by four doctors in six months, at a pharmacy near his Palm Beach mansion. Limbaugh admitted his addiction to pain medication last October, saying it stemmed from severe back pain. He took a five-week leave from his radio show to enter a rehabilitation program. "This was a fishing expedition from the outset to see if there was anything they could find to charge me with," Limbaugh said on his Wednesday afternoon radio show. "There was no doctor shopping but it was my contention all along that I shouldn't have to give up my right to privacy to prove my innocence. That's not the way it works in this country." Limbaugh could ask all 12 members of the 4th District to rehear the case or he could appeal to the Florida Supreme Court (news - web sites). State Attorney Barry Krischer, a Democrat who's been accused by Limbaugh of having political motivations in the case, said the appellate ruling validates the investigation and will allow the case to move forward. "This office did not violate any of Mr. Limbaugh's rights, constitutional or statutory, but to the contrary acted in accord with Florida law," Krischer said. Limbaugh's attorney argued before the appellate court in April that investigators should have provided some notice they were going to seize records containing private information, instead of using search warrants and giving Limbaugh no chance to challenge the seizure. "The Legislature said you can't do a wholesale seizure and hope to find evidence of a crime," attorney Roy Black said at the April hearing. "You'd have to stand privacy on its head." But prosecutors insisted that giving notice would have compromised their investigation. Limbaugh said he was encouraged by the partial dissent by Judge Melanie G. May, who said the case should be returned to the trial court. Limbaugh referred to her statement that the other two judges kept their "eyes wide shut" to some privacy concerns. "She clearly recognized that the state cannot trump a patient's right to privacy in medical matters," Limbaugh said. "The issue here goes beyond me actually. It goes to the privacy of everyone's medical records." Court: Limbaugh Records Properly Seized 47 minutes ago Entertainment - AP Gossip/Celebrity By JILL BARTON, Associated Press Writer WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Rush Limbaugh's medical records were properly seized by investigators seeking information on alleged illegal drug use, an appeals court ruled Wednesday. AP Photo State investigators had raided the offices of Limbaugh's doctors seeking information on whether the conservative radio commentator illegally "doctor shopped" to obtain pain pills from multiple doctors. Limbaugh, 53, has not been charged with a crime and the investigation had been at a standstill pending a decision on the medical records. The court rejected Limbaugh's arguments that his privacy rights trumped investigators' power to seize his records and said prosecutors did not have to notify him of search warrants or give him an opportunity to challenge them. "The state's authority to seize such records by a validly issued search warrant is not affected by any right of privacy in such records," a three-judge panel of the 4th District Court of Appeal ruled. Prosecutors went after Limbaugh's medical records after learning that he received about 2,000 painkillers, prescribed by four doctors in six months, at a pharmacy near his Palm Beach mansion. Limbaugh admitted his addiction to pain medication last October, saying it stemmed from severe back pain. He took a five-week leave from his radio show to enter a rehabilitation program. "This was a fishing expedition from the outset to see if there was anything they could find to charge me with," Limbaugh said on his Wednesday afternoon radio show. "There was no doctor shopping but it was my contention all along that I shouldn't have to give up my right to privacy to prove my innocence. That's not the way it works in this country." Limbaugh could ask all 12 members of the 4th District to rehear the case or he could appeal to the Florida Supreme Court (news - web sites). State Attorney Barry Krischer, a Democrat who's been accused by Limbaugh of having political motivations in the case, said the appellate ruling validates the investigation and will allow the case to move forward. "This office did not violate any of Mr. Limbaugh's rights, constitutional or statutory, but to the contrary acted in accord with Florida law," Krischer said. Limbaugh's attorney argued before the appellate court in April that investigators should have provided some notice they were going to seize records containing private information, instead of using search warrants and giving Limbaugh no chance to challenge the seizure. "The Legislature said you can't do a wholesale seizure and hope to find evidence of a crime," attorney Roy Black said at the April hearing. "You'd have to stand privacy on its head." But prosecutors insisted that giving notice would have compromised their investigation. Limbaugh said he was encouraged by the partial dissent by Judge Melanie G. May, who said the case should be returned to the trial court. Limbaugh referred to her statement that the other two judges kept their "eyes wide shut" to some privacy concerns. "She clearly recognized that the state cannot trump a patient's right to privacy in medical matters," Limbaugh said. "The issue here goes beyond me actually. It goes to the privacy of everyone's medical records."

To: Road Walker who wrote (205492)	10/6/2004 2:58:18 PM
From: Alighieri	Respond to of 1577191

More than 180 Former U.S. Ambassadors from Republican and Democratic Administrations Endorse Kerry 10/4/2004 10:38:00 AM To: National Desk Contact: Mark Kitchens of Kerry-Edwards 2004, 202-464-2800 WASHINGTON, Oct. 4 /U.S. Newswire/ -- United by a deep concern about the mounting failures of the Bush administration's foreign policy, more than 180 former United States Ambassadors who have served under Republican and Democratic presidents endorsed John Kerry for president on Monday. At a news conference at the National Press Club, members of Ambassadors for Kerry-Edwards issued a letter stating, "We believe it is imperative to our national security that we change the leadership of the nation we all love and elect John Kerry and John Edwards." The statement criticized President Bush for needlessly squandering the good will and support of the world following the September 11 attacks and undermining our ability to win the war on terror by eroding our strong international alliances. "The war on terror can only be won with the active cooperation of people and governments around the world," said Ambassador Sol Polansky, who represented the United States to Bulgaria, and served as a Foreign Service officer for almost 40 years before his retirement in 1990. "We've spent our careers building that kind of cooperation for the sake of our country's security. But in the last three years, the Bush administration has undermined the strong alliances American leaders worked half a century to build." "Senator Kerry, in whom I am willing to place my trust, has demonstrated that he is courageous, sober, competent, and concerned with fighting the dangers associated with the widening socio-economic gap in this country. I will vote for him enthusiastically," wrote John Eisenhower in an opinion article entitled, "Why I will vote for John Kerry for President" in New Hampshire's Union Leader. "The fact is that today's 'Republican' Party is one with which I am totally unfamiliar. Leadership involves setting a direction and building consensus, not viewing other countries as practically devoid of significance. Recent developments indicate that the current Republican Party leadership has confused confident leadership with hubris and arrogance." Eisenhower, who served as Ambassador to Belgium is a lifelong Republican and the son of Republican President Dwight Eisenhower. This unprecedented show of support from this group of former Ambassadors and national security professionals includes more than 80 career Foreign Service Officers and 100 non-career appointees, who have represented the United States under both Republican and Democratic administrations in postings around the world. "John Kerry has the capacity to renew America's credibility around the world and find solutions to global problems. John Kerry will fight a more effective war on terror, and he has a plan to win the peace in Iraq. He has the strength, experience, and resolve to make America safer and more secure," said Ambassador Pete Peterson, who served as U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam. --- Statement issued by Ambassadors for Kerry Edwards 2004: "We are more than 180 former United States Ambassadors who had the privilege of representing our country around the world under nine presidents, Democratic and Republican - from John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush. Almost half of us were nonpartisan career foreign service officers. We believe it is imperative to our national security that we change the leadership of the nation we all love and elect John Kerry and John Edwards. "After September 11, the world was fully behind us, but George W. Bush has needlessly squandered much of that support and undermined our ability to win the war on terror. He has also seriously eroded the alliances we need to keep our nation safe. Now, we face a loss of respect and trust amongst our allies such as we have never seen. As a result, our troops and taxpayers must bear the risks and costs of building a safer world virtually alone. "The Congress and the American people were misled by an ever- changing rationale for launching a preemptive war in Iraq. We failed to finish the mission in Afghanistan and stood on the sidelines while North Korea and Iran advanced their nuclear programs. George W. Bush's failings have made the threat of terrorism worse, not better. "The Bush administration's go-it-alone polices are making Americans less safe at home and abroad. Even the world's only superpower needs friends and allies, and we are blessed with the challenge of using our position for good. War should be the last resort -- not the first. "John Kerry has the experience, strength and wisdom to lead us in fighting the war on terrorism, winning the peace in Iraq, making America more secure, and restoring America as the beacon of democracy and freedom in the world." ------ usnewswire.com