Prosecutors Can Examine Limbaugh Records

Yahoo/AP ^

[Howlin]

And since Rush's "regular" doctors stopped prescribing for him in 1999, you could be exactly right.

It sounded just like Mark Geragos wrote the entire thing. Another good point you had -- why bring up the "blackmail" during that hearing?

[Bluntpoint]

Don't expect this group to be marching in front of Rush's home unless they are are carrying torchs.

[Peach]

I believe it's a state's issue and some states have, or used to have, stronger confidentiality agreements than others.

As well, a law was passed recently that changed all the old rules.http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/903181/posts

[Catspaw]

why bring up the "blackmail" during that hearing?

An attempt to impeach the witnesses (the maid & her hubby) without Rush testifying--that's my guess. Along with the statements about the severity of his back pain/bone cancer, Black seems to be opening more doors than shutting them.

[Howlin]

There is no confidentiality if a crime has been suspected.

I'm glad you said that; I was sitting here wondering what I was missing; I am a court reporter and I've sat through 20 years of doctors thumbing through patient records and reading them into the record; heck, I've got 100s of copies of VIDEOS of them doing just that downstairs in the office!

Most of those are personal injury, but if those can be subpoenaed, then surely they can be for a criminal case.

[GB]

You're right, but the tin-foil hat brigade who think Hillary Clinton is behind all this is too fired up to listen.

I love Rush, I hope he beats his problem, I hope he works out an acceptable deal with the state to make this go away as much as it can go away (which IMHO was going to be the endgame of this anyway) and I hope he's on the air taking names and kicking butt for years to come.

But he opened the door to this with his actions. He's accepted responsibility; he also must accept the consequences. Frankly, I always thought that was the conservative way.

[Peach]

Sorry to disagree with you, but the AMA website might make it more clear:

http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/4610.html

[jmc813]

WOD Ping

[ladyinred]

Rush is discussing this on the air. I think he is angry and is going to appeal this.

[alrea]

Mr. Limbaugh is hiring private DA's to examine the prosecutors.

[Howlin]

What?

[Howlin]

In the first paragraph of your link:

...unless required to disclose the information by law.

[alrea]

The RAT party is doing what they do best. If they ever get back into real power we may have to AGAIN rally around the immortal words of Patrick Henry.....

Clintonism has soiled the core of our society.

Make that socialism. And Free Republic ain't even free of it.

[Peach]

By law, by state.

[Catspaw]

Mr. Limbaugh is hiring private DA's to examine the prosecutors.

Huh? Don't you mean Rush is hiring private investigators to investigate the prosecutors? There ain't no such thing as "private DA's."

[rbessenger]

This is going to happen. If the prosecutor makes the content of the files a part of the criminal case, the proceedings are public and they will be made public.

I just can't imagine what might be in there that he would want private.

I know we all want our private business private as a rule but what could be harmful???? I mean any more harmful then waht Rush has already admitted to.

I read last night that his lawyer is trying to cut a deal. I wish they'd do this and get on with it. I can't imagine jail time and this is a distraction. Since he has been back he has been KICKING BUTT!!! He's better now then before.

[GB]

Uh, in the link you posted, under the definition of "breach of confidentiality" it mentioned the release to a third party of someone's medical information "without a patient's consent or a court order." Seems to me "court order" would be pretty applicable here.

Look, what's going on here is everybody is busting a gut and shooting all the messengers and blindly defending Rush because they can't see this in any other context except the war between left and right in this country, plus you also have the libertarians coming out of the woodwork again railing about privacy rights.

I'm not going to be naive and deny that folks on the other side are laughing and having a field day at this. But at it's heart this is a matter of criminal law that transcends political matters. And all of you look me in the eye, as best you can through cyberspace, and deny before God and everyone that if the situation was reversed and this were Hillary Clinton, you wouldn't be screaming "BURN THE WITCH!" But of course, that would be the OTHER side getting its big ox gored, so it would be OK.

As far as right to privacy, has that ever really existed? As an example, a relative of mine just got out of the military after 20 years, won't say which branch except that his job description was "intelligence chemist" and he made a couple of trips to Iraq following Gulf War I as part of an investigative delegation. He once told me not to type one syllable onto my computer keyboard and send it out into cyberspace unless I was unafraid for it to be read by somebody else. He wasn't smiling and he's not the kind of guy to lie about something like that.

In other words, Big Brother is watching us all right now at this very moment.

[ContemptofCourt]

Just what part of the AMA website says anything different?

[monkeyshine]

This is just rediculous. They already know the details -- 2,000 pain killers by 4 doctors. Why do they need his files? His medical files should be protected.

Who would've thought that Tommy Chong and Rush Limbaugh would both become victims of the WOD?

[Hemingway's Ghost]

This is going to get real interesting and in a damn quick way!!!!!!