Idaho’s legislators will be shocked to learn that in spite of the Idaho Public Records Law, some public officials still try to hide information from the public. Maybe they learned the finer points of concealment from their cohorts in Washington State. Here’s an article titled Pieces of Sunshine explaining how they do it just over the border. The article was written by Tim Connor, formerly of Camas Magazine and now working for the Center for Justice in Spokane.
June 21, 2008
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Amazing journalism. Great information.
…per Chuck Cole:
“Don’t be satisfied with official explanations, he insisted, find and write the truth.”
Words to live by.
Comment by Stebbijo — June 21, 2008 @ 7:55 pm
It’s neat that Tim Connor is now working for the Center for Justice. It will be much more difficult for the Cowles family and its newspaper to marginalize him. He is a “docs man”, the person who slogs through document after tedious document in public records to uncover the facts the Spokane gang thought would be forever hidden from public view. He is the analyst who puts the information together and writes it in language we can understand.
Comment by Bill — June 22, 2008 @ 4:46 pm
Idaho citizens will be shocked that our state government is releasing into the public domain SSN’s of individuals. They released mine and my daughters.
Comment by Stebbijo — June 23, 2008 @ 4:31 pm
Bill:
Since SSN’s were released through the Idaho H&W, I want you to know that I talked with A “Kristin” today and she said it was their “policy” and they could do that. Somehow it is all skewed and I asked her for the rule ect. and she said it was not a rule but was on the internet/Idaho H&W on their site, but she was not exactly sure where it was and could not send it to me. However, she said I needed to send them what I had so they could update their policies because she was “intrigued” with my analysis.
So – I went a ‘searching’ and I came up with this. I definitely think this is a’Whitecaps’ thing and maybe you can find somewhere in this mess how they can legally release SSN’s? In the meantime I am also trying to digest it. Thank you.
This link goes to and you can print it out: Divison of Health Institutional Review Board – Investigator Handbook – July 2007
http://healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/desktopmodules/documentssortable/documentssrtview.aspx?tabID=0&ItemID=8060&MId=10572&wversion=Staging
Thanks
Comment by Stebbijo — June 24, 2008 @ 5:34 pm
Oversight. Some elected official has oversight over every government agency. They cannot act unless authorized by law. in your quest to stop this abuse, discover who the elected official is and do a public records request asking them to cite the law that authorized them to give out your Social Security Number. If they are not authorized to do it, then they legally cannot do it. Despite what many elected officials believe, they just cannot make up the rules as they go along.
Comment by Dan — June 24, 2008 @ 6:18 pm
My head just aches thinking about this crap. I guess Broadsword or Lodge might be worth a public record’s request to cite a law or maybe the Governor?
Here are the folks on the Senate H&W Committee:
After all Patti Lodge and is related to a federal judge like as in WIFE to the federal judge Edward Lodge. She should know, you think? I could go into more detail but it has already been written.
Here is the House:
Maybe I will just send it to all of them.
Comment by Stebbijo — June 24, 2008 @ 6:45 pm
Stebbijo,
Were you and your daughter involved in some research, because that’s the type of activity the Investigator Handbook covers? Did you sign any kind of consent forms? Have you gone personally to the H & W office in Coeur d’Alene and asked to discuss your concern with someone who might explain what happened and how it happened? Probably the best that office could do would be to follow up and determine how and under what authority the department released your personal information. Even if the department had the authority to release your SSANs, it should not have done that without some very compelling reason. That reason should have been documented. Merely having the authority to release personal information from research subjects is not a good excuse to do it; there needed to be a valid reason. If the release of information happened within the past 180 days, you should file a formal complaint.
Comment by Bill — June 24, 2008 @ 9:52 pm
If I am “research material” I don’t know anything about it.
I called Joyce Broadsword. She is on the committee and I am going to send her all of the PUBLIC documents that were exposed with Health and Welfare all over it so she can be the custodian of their screw ups SSN’s and all. I told her I wanted the law that said they can do that.
The reason I have had to be quiet about this for almost 15 years is because I had to get certain documents sealed that were open to the public for the last 15 years. I could not risk anymore emabarrasment concerning my children. I have been begging for help to get this done for YEARS. Then I found the public records law that would provide me for release and correction of certain material and that is when Bonner County decided to get off their butts and do something – because they cannot produce the records that are stated as part of the “court record.” That is my lawsuit. That is where Karen Baringer, the Trial Court Admininstrator has been very instrumental in helping after I contacted Vicki Howard who said the stuff that was public should be sealed and I should demand that. I was told it was via an affidavit of the clerk in Bonner but when I went to look at it – more copies were embedded in the public file that needed to be sealed. It was done without an order from the court even though the prosecuter’s reply says I must have an order of the court as well as the clerk and my actions are frivolous. So I have already won that part of the case. Still working on the botch job they did to me – false medical records – made public. ALso, waiting for the Order of the Court.
Now, I can release their names (the professionals) properly with certain material blacked out that does not invade mine or my children’s any longer.
She said, “I can only do so much” which means we are paying her for nothing. Of course by then I was not very happy and not very cordial. These idiots make me livid and with good reason. They are worthless.
I will file the formal complaint as well but I doubt if it will do any good. There is no such thing as being nice to these folks to get something done – it does not work. You have to SCREAM your lungs out to get their attention and file a lawsuit.
Comment by Stebbijo — June 25, 2008 @ 8:56 am