US Politics Mega-thread - Page 8551

On August 26 2017 02:14 Nyxisto wrote:
I still don't understand why globalist is an insult. Globalism is pretty great

On August 26 2017 02:14 Nyxisto wrote:
I still don't understand why globalist is an insult. Globalism is pretty great

The health insurer Aetna is facing criticism for revealing the HIV status of potentially thousands of customers after it sent out a mailer in which information about ordering prescription HIV drugs was clearly visible through the envelope's clear window.

For example, in a letter sent to a customer in Brooklyn, N.Y., the window revealed considerably more than the address. It also showed the beginning of a letter advising the customer about options "when filling prescriptions for HIV Medic ... "

Aetna says approximately 12,000 customers were sent the mailer on July 28 that potentially revealed private medical information, though the company says it isn't clear exactly how many were affected, because it depends on how the letter was positioned in the envelope.

"We sincerely apologize to those affected by a mailing issue that inadvertently exposed the personal health information of some Aetna members," the company said in a statement. "This type of mistake is unacceptable, and we are undertaking a full review of our processes to ensure something like this never happens again."

The Legal Action Center in New York City and the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania sent a cease-and-desist letter to Aetna, stating that the privacy breach caused "incalculable harm to Aetna beneficiaries." The groups say they received complaints from individuals in Arizona, California, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.

"Aetna's privacy violation devastated people whose neighbors and family learned their intimate health information," Sally Friedman, legal director of the Legal Action Center, said in a statement. "They also were shocked that their health insurer would utterly disregard their privacy rights."

The groups also called for "corrective measures to ensure that this gross breach of privacy and confidentiality never reoccurs."

They say the people who received the letters "are currently taking medications for HIV treatment as well as for Pre-exposure Phophylaxis (PrEP), a regimen that helps prevent a person from acquiring HIV."

In a letter notifying customers of the privacy breach, a copy of which was obtained by NPR, Aetna says it learned on July 31 that personal information may have been exposed through the envelope window.

The letter states that upon investigating, Aetna "confirmed that the vendor handling the mailing had used a window envelope, and, in some cases, the letter could have shifted within the envelope in a way that allowed personal health information to be viewable through the window."

It adds: "Regardless of how this error occurred, it affects our members and it is our responsibility to do out best to make things right."

The Legal Action Center and the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania say they are considering further legal action.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper have entertained the idea of forming a unity presidential ticket to run for the White House in 2020, a source involved the discussions tells CNN.

Under this scenario, Kasich, a Republican, and Hickenlooper, a Democrat, would run as independents with Kasich at the top of the ticket, said the source, who cautioned it has only been casually talked about.

On August 26 2017 01:00 Plansix wrote:

They also don't get any credit for downplaying them and it would be seen as irresponsible. Texas is supposed to get 24 inches of rain in some areas. Sounds dangerous for the area it is hitting.

On August 26 2017 02:50 Mohdoo wrote:


They certainly run the risk of just being a shitty version of a a democrat ticket. But I think this is way too rough at this point to say anything.

On August 26 2017 03:06 mahrgell wrote:

Or they run the chance of being voted by those who simply wish for this eternal trench war to somehow end.

‘Political Correctness Gone Overboard’: ESPN Broadcaster Livid After Being Fired


Former tennis pro Doug Adler lost his long-time gig as an ESPN broadcaster after a match featuring Venus Williams at the 2017 Australian Open. After Williams won an impressive point, Adler made an observation that resulted in a mixed reaction of outrage and indifference, depending on how his words were interpreted. Adler insists that what he said while describing Williams’ play was, “You’re gonna see Venus move in and put the guerrilla effect on, charging.” Many viewers thought he said “gorilla,” and felt it was a racially charged comment about a black athlete. ESPN made Adler apologize and then fired him.

Adler has been livid ever since, claiming that he did nothing wrong and used a perfectly valid tennis expression for Williams’ unorthodox tactics. The phrase “guerrilla tennis” had been used in a Nike ad campaign in 1995, featuring white Americans Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, and was the headline of a 2004 New York Times article. On Friday, he appeared on NBC’s “Today Show” to talk about the incident, and his ongoing lawsuit against ESPN in Los Angeles Superior Court.

“It just makes me absolutely sick,” Adler said about the allegations of racism. “It’s not true. It couldn’t be further from the truth, and I don’t quite understand nor accept how something like that can happen to me.”

The now-former broadcaster says that he didn’t notice any reaction to what he said the day after. Even Williams herself didn’t seem upset by it. When asked about it at a press conference days later, Williams said, “I pay attention and address situations that are noteworthy,” clearly not deeming the issue worthy of a response. Adler interpreted this as Williams acknowledging that this was a non-issue. That didn’t keep ESPN from firing him.

“The irony is that Adler called everything correctly and in a professional manner, whereas ESPN did not – they recklessly made the wrong call,” Adler’s attorney, David Ring, said in a statement in February. “It was not only political correctness gone overboard, but also a cowardly move that ruined a good man’s career.”

Former New York City Mayor David Dinkins, who is black and a big tennis fan, has come to Adler’s defense about claims that Adler’s remark was racist. Dinkins told NBC’s Matt Lauer, “It should not have been taken that way by anybody.”

Adler said his lawsuit against the company was necessary because of the damage their decision did to his career. “They killed me, they made me unemployable,” he said. “They ended my career, they killed my reputation, my good name, what else was I supposed to do?”

ESPN defends their decision.”Adler made an inappropriate reference to Venus Williams for which he felt no apology was necessary,” they said in a statement to LawNewz.com. “We disagree and stand 100% behind our decision to remove him from the 2017 Australian Open.”

On August 26 2017 03:23 Wulfey_LA wrote:
Alright, as much as I think the community college SJW kids don't matter; damn what is up with [Disney]-ESPN? These guys need to get some perspective on what is a big deal and what isn't.

On August 26 2017 03:27 Plansix wrote:
I swear that half of the people writing these articles lived in an alternate reality growing up. I’ve watched people get fired for liking black people as monkeys, apes and guerrilla’s since the 80s and 90s. In any number of contexts, accidental, harmless and intentional. This is nothing new and not political correctness being out of control.