Menu

Medical Whistleblower Advocacy Network

Human Rights Defenders

“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”

 Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Article 1

Visitors

2295896

“Police officers are gaining a renewed understanding of their role  as victim advocates. As victim advocates, police officers are an  integral part of community efforts to prevent crime,

 reduce fear, and support victims.”

Chief (ret.) Drew Diamond, Senior Research Associate,

Police Executive, Research Forum

Every police officer when sworn into office, commits to upholding the nation’s prime guarantor of rights, the U.S. Constitution.   To be effective, a police department and its individual officers must be seen primarily as protectors of civil rights. The effectiveness of police in their varied missions— from law enforcement to community service—depends on the trust and confidence of the community. Public trust and confidence are severely reduced when individuals’ civil rights are compromised.   Leaders in Law Enforcement must clearly convey a simultaneous commitment to effective law enforcement against criminal behavior within the medical community and civil rights protection for both patients and their advocates (Medical Whistleblowers).  Without this protection the medical community will lose its trust in law enforcement and all cooperation and potential partnership with the police to meet common goals will be undermined.

 

 “I discovered long ago that among the most effective advocates I have seen are the survivors, those who have channeled their pain and anger into activism to achieve lasting reforms.”

Attorney General, Janet Reno,

August 15, 1996

Here at Medical Whistleblower we encourage our Registered Medical Whistleblowers to cooperate and collaborate effectively with our Law Enforcement partners.  The community policing philosophy emphasizes the importance of problem-solving partnerships.  Law enforcement professionals have shown over and over again that crime and disorder problems are most efficiently and effectively solved when all the stake-holders are represented in the solution.  Medical Whistleblowers represent dedicated advocates for the victims of medical fraud, patient abuse and patient neglect caused by a failure to protect the vulnerable in our society.  Patient abuse can be physical, financial, emotional, psychological or sexual abuse.  Medical Whistleblowers represent significant sources of intelligence about criminal activity and violation of patients rights within the medical community due to their unique access to information not readily available to law enforcement. 

 

 

 

"Everybody is entitled to their own opinions,

but not their own facts."

Senator Patrick Moynahan

 

Medical Whistleblowers often do not know how to report and adequately interface with law enforcement.  Medical Whistleblowers often have too little information about police procedure and what happens during the initial response to and subsequent investigation of a crime.  Interaction with a Medical Whistleblower by the field police officer should include an educational component designed to increase understanding and facilitate the Whistleblower’s active participation in problem-solving.   It is necessary to be proactive in efforts to provide necessary support and advocacy for the Medical Whistleblowers in order to build collaborative problem solving relationships, so that Law Enforcement can effectively combat criminal activity within the medical community.

“Crime victims’ rights laws strive to give victims’ standing

in the criminal justice  system, which is all about them,

but has traditionally been without them.”

State Senator William, Van Regenmorter,

Chairman of the Judiciary Committee

 

“Very often a victim’s first view of the criminal justice system is

the law enforcement officer who responds to the scene of the crime.

It is critical that this officer be well trained and informed about victims’ rights and services.

 If this officer does not refer the victim to appropriate assistance and compensation programs, that victim may never receive the help needed to heal.”

Joe Brann, Director of Community Oriented

Policing Services Office,

U.S. Department of Justice

Bullying And Workplace Violence

“Police officers are gaining a renewed understanding of their role  as victim advocates. As victim advocates, police officers are an  integral part of community efforts to prevent crime,

 reduce fear, and support victims.”

Chief (ret.) Drew Diamond, Senior Research Associate,

Police Executive, Research Forum

Law Enforcement and Medical Professionals Should Collaborate to Protect Patients

Anyone with access to information related to medical fraud, abuse and neglect can be a Medical Whistleblower. Surprisingly Medical Whistleblowers can come from many different professional disciples and although they can be doctors, nurses, pharmacists, therapists, researchers, and even patient and their families, they can also come from the ranks of police officers, federal law enforcement agents, certified public accountants, attorneys, judges, prosecutors, active military, and veterans.

There are many ways in which Medical Whistleblowers and law enforcement officers interact. Some are positive collaborations in regards to investigations within the medical community and some are negative interactions leading to retraumatization of an already threatened and intimidated witness to criminal activity within the medical community.

Every police officer when sworn into office agrees to upholding the U.S. Constitution and to work to guarantee the civil and human rights of persons here in the US. To be effective, a police department and its individual officers must be seen primarily as protectors of civil rights and also human rights. The effectiveness of police depends on the trust and confidence of the community. Public trust and confidence are severely reduced when individuals' civil rights are compromised. Leaders in Law Enforcement must clearly convey a simultaneous commitment to effective law enforcement against criminal behavior within the medical community and civil rights protection for both patients and their advocates (Medical Whistleblowers). Without this protection the medical community will lose its trust in law enforcement and all cooperation and potential partnership with the police to meet common goals will be undermined.

Law enforcement professionals have shown over and over again that crime and disorder problems are most efficiently and effectively solved when all the stakeholders are represented in the solution. Medical Professionals are often unaware of their vulnerability to organized crime and have a strained relationship with law enforcement over drug enforcement. Medical professionals must not only understand the commonly held beliefs and assumptions of the medical community but need to acquire understanding of the professional cultures of those other agencies and individuals they need to interact with. Often medical professionals have professional biases which place limitations on their ability to understand and respond to law enforcement, legislators and attorneys. All medical professionals might benefit from learning more about the role of law enforcement and opening a more meaningful communication on areas of common interest.

Cross training between law enforcement and the medical community would reap benefits to both, and add to the overall understanding of how to address prevention, detection, and response to medical fraud, abuse and neglect. Medical professionals are often unaware of their vulnerability to organized crime and have a strained relationship with law enforcement over drug enforcement. Increased reporting and response might benefit both the medical and law enforcement communities.

Medical Whistleblowers represent significant sources of intelligence about criminal activity and violation of patient's rights within the medical community due to their unique access to information not readily available to law enforcement. Medical Whistleblowers often do not know how to report and adequately interface with law enforcement. Medical Whistleblowers often have too little information about police procedure and what happens during the initial response to and subsequent investigation of a crime. Interaction with a Medical Whistleblower by the field police officer should be designed to increase understanding and facilitate the Whistleblower's active participation in problem-solving. It is necessary to be pro-active in efforts to provide necessary support and advocacy for the Medical Whistleblowers in order to build collaborative problem solving relationships, so that Law Enforcement can effectively combat criminal activity within the medical community.

Because of their efforts to "Tell Truth to Power" Medical Whistleblowers often become themselves victims of crime. Medical Whistleblowers are often retaliated against by those whose criminal wrongdoings the Whistleblower is exposing. The types of crimes Medical Whistleblowers can be victims of include: bullying in the workplace, witness intimidation and obstruction of justice, physical assault, sexual assault, sexual harassment, stalking, privacy violations, illegal break and entry, criminal conspiracy to violate Civil Rights, and many others. Medical Whistleblowers need to get adequate protection so that they can "Tell Truth to Power" without intimidation by those who are criminally involved. Law Enforcement officials need to act pro-actively to prevent repeat victimization of Medical Whistleblowers. The risk of re-victimization increases with each victimization. Criminal cases are lost because of the inevitable loss of physical evidence and the loss of testimony of witnesses due to intimidation.

Many Medical Whistleblowers are unable to withstand the onslaught of the oppressive retaliation that includes threats to remove their medical licenses, which then proceeds without due process to a kangaroo court (Bad Faith Peer Review) and a loss of their medical license and right to practice their chosen profession. The grueling nature of being a victim of this kind of workplace psychological violence has often driven Medical Whistleblowers to desperation and poverty. Some Medical Whistleblowers who have exposed millions of dollars of Medical Fraud have even faced homelessness in spite of their professional credentials and competence. Others have even been so distraught about their inability to get Due Process and Protection under the Law that they have resorted to the act of suicide. The most fundamental principle of ethical behavior is "Do No Harm," this is true in the law enforcement field as well as the medical field. By working to prevent repeat victimization, police can prevent serious negative effects on the Whistleblower, reduce the occurrence of crime and enhance individual and community safety.



In order to address the deeply rooted problems within the medical community we need to understand how to initiate change in the system, most importantly cultural change. While government and medical community leaders say that they are open to the issues of change, few are able to translate that understanding into successful action. Knowledge is power. The greater the Truth, the more psychological obstacles, people and organizations may have to overcome, before accepting it. This highlights the need to strengthen free speech protections for those who raise alarms. It is a sad fact that sounding the alarm has usually resulted in punishment, not reward for Medical Whistle-blowers. This reaction to unwelcome truths persists even when the urgent concerns are discretely expressed through proper channels. It is important to our nation's public health that we not let restrictive measures weaken the already tenuous free speech protections of Medical Whistleblowers who have the critical access to field knowledge. They must be acknowledged as being our first line of contact for gathering information about criminal activity, medical malpractice, human rights violations and even terrorist threats.

Please see the following free educational materials by Medical Whistleblower.

 

Medical Whistleblower Brochures:

 

Partners with Law Enforcement

 

Who We Are

Effects of Whistleblower Retaliation

Retraumatization

"At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love."

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Preventing Re-Victimization of Medical Whistleblowers

Because of their efforts to ―Tell Truth to Power Medical Whistleblowers often become themselves victims of crime.   Medical Whistleblowers are often retaliated against by those whose criminal wrongdoings the Whistleblower is exposing.  The types of crimes Medical Whistleblowers can be victims of include: bullying in the workplace, witness intimidation and obstruction of justice, physical assault, sexual assault, sexual harassment, stalking, privacy violations, illegal break and entry, criminal conspiracy to violate Civil Rights, and many others.   Medical Whistleblowers need to get adequate protection so that they can ―Tell Truth to Power without intimidation by those who are criminally involved.   Law Enforcement officials need to act pro-actively to prevent repeat victimization of Medical Whistleblowers.  The risk of re-victimization increases with each victimization.   Criminal cases are lost because of the inevitable loss of physical evidence and the loss of testimony of witnesses due to intimidation.  Many Medical Whistleblowers are unable to withstand the onslaught of the oppressive retaliation that includes threats to remove their medical licenses, which then proceeds without due process to a kangaroo court (Bad Faith Peer Review) and a loss of their medical license and right to practice their chosen profession.  The grueling nature of being a victim of this kind of workplace psychological violence has often driven Medical Whistleblowers to desperation and poverty.  Some Medical Whistleblowers who have exposed millions of dollars of Medical Fraud have even faced homelessness in spite of their professional credentials and competence.  Others have even been so distraught about their inability to get Due Process and Protection under the Law, that they have re-sorted to the act of suicide.  The most fundamental principle of ethical behavior is ―Do No Harm, this is true in the law enforcement field as well as the medical field.

“Very often a victim’s first view of the criminal justice system is the law enforcement officer who responds to the scene of the crime.

It is critical that this officer be well trained and informed about victims’ rights and services. 

 If this officer does not refer the victim to appropriate assistanceand compensation programs, that victim may never receive the help needed to heal.”

Joe Brann, Director of Community Oriented

Policing Services Office,

U.S. Department of Justice

 

By working to prevent repeat victimization, police can prevent serious negative effects on the Whistleblower, reduce the occurrence of crime and enhance individual and community safety.  Medical Whistleblower as an organization is willing to work with Law Enforcement agencies in order to address the safety issues of Registered Medical Whistleblowers to develop strategies to maximize the Medical Whistleblower’s safety and security through safety planning.

 

“Victims should be treated with compassion and respect for their dignity. 

They are entitled to access to the mechanisms of justice and to prompt redress,

as provided for by national legislation for the harm they have suffered.”

U.N. Victims Declaration, 1985, paragraph four

 

Who is a Victim?

Article 1 UN Victim’s Declaration 1985 defines a victim under International Law as: “Victim of crime is any person, or group of persons, that individually or collectively,has suffered harm, including physical or mental injury, emotional suffering, economic loss or substantial impairment of fundamental rights, through acts or omissions that are in violation of criminal laws operative within Member States, including those laws proscribing criminal abuse of power.”

 

What about indirect victims?  UN Basic Principles and Guidelines (2005)

“Persons who individually or collectively suffered harm, including physical or mental injury, emotional suffering, economic loss or substantial impairment of their fundamental rights, through acts or omissions that constitute gross violations of international human rights law, or serious violations of international humanitarian law.   Where appropriate, and in accordance with domestic law, the term ‘victim’ also includes the immediate family or dependants of the direct victim and persons who have suffered harm in intervening to assist victims in distress or to prevent victimization.”

In other words, witnesses, dependents of a direct victim, friends and other relatives, non-governmental organizations (juristic persons)

 

“In honouring the victim’s right to benefit from remedies and reparation, the international community keeps faith and human solidarity with victims,  survivors and future human generations, and reaffirms the international  legal principles of accountability, justice and the rule of law.” 

Preamble, E/CN.4/2000/62

Lack of Protection for Mandated Reporter Disclosure by Federal Employees and Whistleblowers


For decades, the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) the very agency which was created to protect whistleblowers - was historically involved in tutoring agency managers on how to get rid of inconvenient, outspoken employees. Many of these brave whistleblowers have lost their jobs and life savings, defending themselves from retaliatory investigations, malicious prosecutions, baseless transfers, unwarranted demotions, suspensions, unjustified terminations and other reprisals by their respective government agencies.

FBI agents and other investigatory agents in federal service  report up the chain of command ultimately to the Director of their respective agencies (ie: the FBI) and ultimately  to the White House.  When there are disagreements on when to close a FBI case or pursue the matter further, the decision is made based on the  hierarchy of U.S. Department of Justice chain of command. When unsatisfied the final decider of FBI whistleblower complaints is the Merit Systems Protection Board and Special Counsel for the Office of Special Counsel.  All whistleblower cases from federal employees would end up eventually for review by the Merit systems Protections Board and then Special Counsel for the OSC, Scott Bloch.  His decision to investigate or close the case and not appeal it at the Merit Systems Protection Board would be final and not subject to further appeal. His was the final decision of the Bush administration Department of Justice.

But there was little chance of any FBI agent being heard when presenting a politically unpalatable whistleblower complaint to the OSC or the Merit Systems Protection Board. So FBI agents and other federal employees who did their ethical and moral duty as federal officers of the US Department of Justice and other investigating federal agencies such as: Health and Human Services, SAMSHA, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Department of Labor would report their whistleblower complaint to the OSC with little hope of a positive outcome. Those dedicated federal employees who were acting as mandated reporters of human rights violations and child abuse, were instead often demoted, stripped of their security clearances, threatened with pension removal and dismissed from their positions as law enforcement officers.

"Those who have known best how to imitate the fox have come off best . . .

Men are so simple . . . that, the deceiver will always find someone ready to be deceived . . .

A prince, therefore, need not necessarily have all the good qualities . . .

but he should certainly appear to have them . . .

if he has these qualities and always behaves accordingly he will find them harmful;

if he only appears to have them they will render him service."

—Machiavelli, The Prince

Every police officer when sworn into office, commits to upholding the nation’s prime guarantor of rights, the U.S. Constitution.   To be effective, a police department and its individual officers must be seen primarily as protectors of civil rights. The effectiveness of police in their varied missions— from law enforcement to community service—depends on the trust and confidence of the community. Public trust and confidence are severely reduced when individuals’ civil rights are compromised.   Leaders in Law Enforcement must clearly convey a simultaneous commitment to effective law enforcement against criminal behavior within the medical community and civil rights protection for both patients and their advocates (Medical Whistleblowers).  Without this protection the medical community will lose its trust in law enforcement and all cooperation and potential partnership with the police to meet common goals will be undermined.

 

 “I discovered long ago that among the most effective advocates

I have seen are the survivors, those who have channeled

their pain and anger into activism to achieve lasting reforms.”

Attorney General, Janet Reno,

August 15, 1996

 

 

"Everybody is entitled to their own opinions, but not their own facts."

Senator Patrick Moynahan

 

Medical Whistleblowers often do not know how to report and adequately interface with law enforcement.  Medical Whistleblowers often have too little information about police procedure and what happens during the initial response to and subsequent investigation of a crime.  Interaction with a Medical Whistleblower by the field police officer should include an educational component designed to increase understanding and facilitate the Whistleblower’s active participation in problem-solving.   It is necessary to be proactive in efforts to provide necessary support and advocacy for the Medical Whistleblowers in order to build collaborative problem solving relationships, so that Law Enforcement can effectively combat criminal activity within the medical community.

“Crime victims’ rights laws strive to give victims’ standing

in the criminal justice  system, which is all about them,

but has traditionally been without them.”

State Senator William, Van Regenmorter,

Chairman of the Judiciary Committee

 

“The Special Rapporteur wishes to recall that, from a human rights perspective, drug dependence should be treated like any other health care condition. Consequently, he would like to reiterate that denial of medical treatment and/or absence of access to medical care in custodial situations may constitute cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and is therefore prohibited under international human rights law. Equally, subjecting persons to treatment or testing without their consent may constitute a violation of the right to physical integrity. He would also like to stress that, in this regard, States have a positive obligation to ensure the same access to prevention and treatment in places of detention as outside.”
— Manfred Nowak


Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment

(Geneva, January 14, 2009)

Investigation and Allegations Against Attorney Scott Bloch

 
Scott Bloch was the former Special Counsel for the Office of Special Counsel and dismissed hundreds of whistleblower cases without investigation.  Scott J. Bloch was removed from his position in October 2008. During his tenure as head of the Task Force on Faith-based and Community Initiatives Scott Bloch turned a blind eye when Teen Challenge staff were accused of abuse of minors and young adults in their programs based on discrimination against them because of their religious beliefs and their sexual orientations. Scott Bloch while at the OSC had ordered his office to erase all references to workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation, claiming his office lacked the authority to protect gay and lesbian workers.  While at the OSC Scott Bloch was accused of prohibited personnel practices against his own staff as well as Hatch Act violations. 

Scott Bloch, the former Special Counsel for the Office of Special Counsel has many things to explain regarding his tenure as the chief enforcement officer of the OSC for whistleblower protection and for prosecution of Hatch Act violations.  None of these is as perplexing as Scott Bloch’s special treatment of the disgraced school headmaster Alan Hicks. After Alan Hicks was dismissed in disgrace from St. Gregory's, Scott Bloch hired his son’s former Catholic Boarding school headmaster as an expert consultant on a no-bid contract.  Scott Bloch did this in apparent violation of civil service rules, according to documents released by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). Alan Hicks had served previously a short stint as a teacher of philosophy at the University of Kansas, but that did not really quality him as an expert for the OSC.

But why would Scott Bloch preferentially protect the disgraced headmaster of St. Gregory’s Academy? Alan Hicks had left St. Gregory’s Academy in the wake of allegations concerning priests of the Society of St. John sexually preying on young students at St. Gregory's Academy. St. Gregory's, which is owned and operated by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, is a private Catholic high school for boys located in Moscow, Pennsylvania. Scott Bloch’s son had attended this all boys’ Catholic boarding school. Dr. Jeffrey M. Bond, President of the College of St. Justin Martyr, in a June 7, 2002 letter warned the parents of children attending St. Gregory’s  that there was the creation and tolerance of a poorly supervised and unsafe environment for boys at the school.  You can read the entire letter in its entirety here.
http://www.saintjustinmartyr.org/news/LetterWarningToStGregorysParents.html

“It is beyond ironic that Scott Bloch heads the very office that is supposed to enforce the rules against nepotism and favoritism,” stated PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch.

Documents obtained by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility
(PEER) www.peer.org/ under the Freedom of Information Act:

See the pay scale and terms of Alan Hicks consultant appointment
http://www.peer.org/docs/osc/05_12_04_consultant_pay.pdf
View the redacted work product of Alan Hicks
http://www.peer.org/docs/osc/05_12_04_consultant_results.pdf
Read the “Consultant Statement of Work”
http://www.peer.org/docs/osc/05_12_04_consultant_description.pdf
Look at unfolding developments in the troubled tenure of Scott Bloch as Special Counsel
http://www.peer.org/watch/federal_info.php?row_id=23


 
Facing a US Congressional investigation Scott Bloch ordered an outside computer firm to erase all files from his computer and the computers of two of his staff. Scott Bloch in the face of a federal investigation asked Geeks on Call to wipe his computer clean of all digital files thus destroying evidence that the FBI was seeking in the US Congressional investigation.  This made the evidence unavailable to the FBI forensic team. 

To protect the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) from outside pressure, the agency’s director is appointed for five years and cannot be removed except in cases of illegal misconduct.   But Scott Bloch’s employment as Special Counsel for the Office of Special Counsel ended abruptly on October 23, 2008 during a meeting with White House officials.    On April 27, 2010 Bloch pleaded guilty to criminal contempt of Congress for, according to the U.S. Attorney, "willfully and unlawfully withholding pertinent information from a House committee investigating his decision to have several government computers wiped ...." Bloch was originally slated to be sentenced on July 20, 2010.   On February 2, Magistrate Judge Deborah A. Robinson ruled that Bloch faced a mandatory sentence of at least one month in prison. Now after her final ruling Scott Bloch faces a month in jail for pleading guilty to criminal contempt of the US Congress. The former Bush administration head of the Office of Special Counsel, Bloch had plead guilty of scrubbing his government computer but then when realizing he would be facing mandatory jail time, he tried to withdraw his guilty plea.

Judge Deborah A. Robinson denied Scott Bloch’s motion to reconsider his guilty plea on the criminal contempt of Congress case USA v Scott Bloch.     On March 30, 2011 Scott Bloch was sentenced to one month in prison by a D.C. federal court by DC District Magistrate Judge Deborah A. Robinson.   In addition to the prison time, Bloch was sentenced to one year of unsupervised probation and 200 hours community service.   Scott Bloch’s  attorney indicated that he would be filing a motion for a stay of the decision pending appeal.


Whistleblowers request special prosecutor in Scott Bloch case

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/documents/2011/02/an-open-letter-from-the-community-of-whistleblowers-to-attorney-general-eric-holder.php?page=1

Scott Bloch will spend 1 month in Jail

http://medicalwhistleblower.blogspot.com/2011/03/scott-bloch-will-spend-1-month-in-jail.html

Scott Bloch’s Plea Agreement

http://legaltimes.typepad.com/files/dqu29000.pdf

Judge denies Scott Bloch’s right to appeal sentencing verdict 3-29-11

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/documents/2011/03/judge-denies-scott-blochs-request-to-appeal-sentencing-in-geeks-on-call-case.php?page=1

Judges order is stayed pending appeal in Scott Bloch case March 10, 2011

http://legaltimes.typepad.com/files/robinson_order.pdf 

Bloch’s DOJ press release 4-27-10

http://legaltimes.typepad.com/files/bloch-press-release-4-27-10.


 

Lack of Human Rights Protections in the USA

The US Attorney Scott Bloch at the Office of Special Counsel did not protect whistleblowers from any federal agency. Teen Challenge abused the children and young adults in their care. If you were a convicted criminal and worked at Teen Challenge no one was going to stop you from doing human rights abuses or criminal activity. Teen Challenge staff and Board members did criminal activity and international money laundering.

There was also a complete lack of any Department of Justice protocols to protect human rights defenders, whistleblowers and mandated reporters. This break down in the Department of Justice system meant that we did not have any functioning protections for human rights in the United States of America.

A political strategy furthered by Karl Rove was behind this miscarriage of justice.  Scott Bloch furthered that political agenda with his actions both at the OSC and also at the Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives.  Scott Bloch pled guilty and was sentenced to 1 month in jail by Judge Deborah A. Robinson. pdf


Additional Information about the Office of Special Counsel:

http://www.osc.gov/Intro.htm

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) is an independent federal investigative and prosecutorial agency. Their basic authorities come from four federal statutes: the Civil Service Reform Act, the Whistleblower Protection Act, the Hatch Act, and the Uniformed Services Employment & Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA).

How Should We Address Bulling In The Workplace

“Police officers are gaining a renewed understanding of their role  as victim advocates. As victim advocates, police officers are an  integral part of community efforts to prevent crime,

 reduce fear, and support victims.”

Chief (ret.) Drew Diamond, Senior Research Associate,

Police Executive, Research Forum

In his autobiography, You Can’t be Neutral on a Moving Train, Howard Zinn wrote:

“To be hopeful in bad times is not foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history of not only cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places – and there are so many – where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.”

Every police officer when sworn into office, commits to upholding the nation’s prime guarantor of rights, the U.S. Constitution.   To be effective, a police department and its individual officers must be seen primarily as protectors of civil rights. The effectiveness of police in their varied missions— from law enforcement to community service—depends on the trust and confidence of the community. Public trust and confidence are severely reduced when individuals’ civil rights are compromised.   Leaders in Law Enforcement must clearly convey a simultaneous commitment to effective law enforcement against criminal behavior within the medical community and civil rights protection for both patients and their advocates (Medical Whistleblowers).  Without this protection the medical community will lose its trust in law enforcement and all cooperation and potential partnership with the police to meet common goals will be undermined.

 “I discovered long ago that among the most effective advocates

I have seen are the survivors, those who have channeled

their pain and anger into activism to achieve lasting reforms.”

Attorney General, Janet Reno,

August 15, 1996

“Crime victims’ rights laws strive to give victims’ standing

in the criminal justice  system, which is all about them,

but has traditionally been without them.”

State Senator William, Van Regenmorter,

Chairman of the Judiciary Committee

“Very often a victim’s first view of the criminal justice system is

the law enforcement officer who responds to the scene of the crime.

It is critical that this officer be well trained and informed about victims’ rights and services.

 If this officer does not refer the victim to appropriate assistance and compensation programs, that victim may never receive the help needed to heal.”

Joe Brann, Director of Community Oriented

Policing Services Office,

U.S. Department of Justice

 

Demand the Attorney General get tough on Medical Fraud

"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act."
— George Orwell

"When a well-packaged web of lies has been sold gradually to the masses over generations, the truth will seem utterly preposterous and its speaker a raving lunatic"~ Dresden James

“The ultimate ignorance is the rejection of something you know nothing about and refuse to investigate.” - Dr. Wayne Dyer 

"Truth and any progressive spirit is opposed by a thousand mediocre minds appointed to guard the past." ~ Maurice Maeterlinck 

"Contempt, prior to complete investigation, enslaves men to ignorance."
- Dr. John Whitman Ray

"In times of change, the Patriot is a scarce man; brave, hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, however, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a Patriot."

-Mark Twain

Who is a victim?

 

“Victims should be treated with compassion and respect for their dignity. 

They are entitled to access to the mechanisms of justice and to prompt redress,

as provided for by national legislation for the harm they have suffered.”

U.N. Victims Declaration, 1985, paragraph four

 

Who is a Victim?

Article 1 UN Victim’s Declaration 1985 defines a victim under International Law as:

“Victim of crime is any person, or group of persons, that individually or collectively,

has suffered harm, including physical or mental injury, emotional suffering,

economic loss or substantial impairment of fundamental rights, through acts or omissions

that are in violation of criminal laws operative within Member States,

including those laws proscribing criminal abuse of power.”

 

What about indirect victims?  UN Basic Principles and Guidelines (2005)

“Persons who individually or collectively suffered harm,

including physical or mental injury, emotional suffering, economic loss or

substantial impairment of their fundamental rights, through acts or omissions

that constitute gross violations of international human rights law,

or serious violations of international humanitarian law. 

Where appropriate, and in accordance with domestic law, the term ‘victim’ also

includes the immediate family or dependants of the direct victim and persons

who have suffered harm in intervening to assist victims in distress or to prevent victimization.”

In other words, witnesses, dependents of a direct victim, friends and other relatives, non-governmental organizations (juristic persons)

 

“In honouring the victim’s right to benefit from remedies and reparation,

the international community keeps faith and human solidarity with victims,

survivors and future human generations, and reaffirms the international

legal principles of accountability, justice and the rule of law.” 

Preamble, E/CN.4/2000/62

 

Victim’s Rights and Needs: Requirements for a Victim’s Rights System

 

  • Compensation
  • Redress
  • Testimony
  • Truth
  • Acknowledgment
  • Memory
  • Reparation
  • Justice
  • Prevention (Never Again!)

JUSTICE

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”
 
― Leo Buscaglia

Medical Whistleblower Advocacy Network

MEDICAL WHISTLEBLOWER ADVOCACY NETWORK

P.O. 42700 

Washington, DC 20015

MedicalWhistleblowers (at) gmail.com

CONTACT

"Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself."  Confucius

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

Theodore Roosevelt- Excerpt from the speech "Citizenship In A Republic", delivered at the Sorbonne, in Paris, France on 23 April, 1910