The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 82, No. 79, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 19, 2004 Page: 4 of 16
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Thursday, February 19,2004
Thursday, Feb
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GOV’T OFFICIALS
BAYTOWN SUN MAILBOX
rODAY IN SUN HISTORYl
TODAY IN HISTORY
the
Today’s editorial was written by Wanda Gamer
Cash, editor and publisher of The Baytown Sun, on
behalf of the newspaper’s editorial board.
David Bloom,
Managing Editor
the one in Iraq. I’m speaking
about our domestic problems;
WHERE
DOI
SIGH?
Ramirez
thebuyir
later.
Who knew that the date of
Sept. 11,2001 would be embla-
zoned in our minds forever? I
know that there have been a lot
of prayers recited since the car-
received a patent for his phono-
graph record player.
In 1881, Kansas became the
first state to prohibit all alco-
holic beverages.
In 1942, President Franklin
Roosevelt signed an executive
order giving the military the
authority to relocate and intern
Japanese-Americans as well as
Japanese nationals living in the
United States.
In 1942, about 150 Japanese
warplanes attacked the
Australian city of Darwin.
In 1963, the Soviet Union
informed President Kennedy it
would withdraw “several thou-
sand” of an estimated 17,000
Soviet troops in Cuba.
in movies that is marketed as
“entertainment.” Would that we
all followed her example and
walked out of theaters when the
filth is paraded. Better yet,
The fact that Ms. Claxton is
an accomplished seamstress for
pets does not qualify her to be a
responsible pet owner.
I will continue to support the
Baytown Humane Society as
long as they are selective in
sleazy cause.
I enjoyed reading about her
growing up in the world when
high standards were maintained
Crud
on 0
newyI
estly high]
uted to gl
Advanced
Dedined
Unchanged
Total issues
New Highs
New lows
Volume
ByMK
HIPAA on the Internet:
• www.oag.state.tx.us/opin-
Ions/dr50abbott/ord681.htm
• vtww.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Feb. 19,1945, during
World War II, some 30,000 U.S.
Marines landed on Iwo Jima,
where they began a monthlong
battle to seize control of the
island from Japanese forces.
On this date:
In 1803, Congress voted to
accept Ohio’s borders and
constitution.
In 1807, former Vice
President Aaron Burr was
arrested in Alabama. (He was
subsequently tried for treason
and acquitted.)
In 1846, the Texas state gov-
ernment was formally installed
in Austin.
In 1878, Thomas Edison
Goose Creek CISD
Goose Creek Administration
4544 Interstate 10 East
P.O. Box 30
Baytown, Texas 77522
281-420-4800
Superintendent
Barbara Sultis
Board of Trustees
District 1 - Phelitria Barnes
281-426-4256
District 2 - Rosa Rodriguez
281-420-2550
District 3 - Weston Cotten
281-426-5384
District 4 - James Lewis
281-428-7360
District 5 - Clarence Albus
281-421-5896
District 6 - Jepp Busch
281-422-8898
District 7 - Steve Fischer
281-420-1370
Members serve a three-year
term. Board meets on second
and fourth Mondays of each
month at 6:30 p.m.
Barbers Hill ISD
Barbers Hill Administration
P.O. Box 1108
Mont Belvieu, Texas 77580
281-576-2221
Superintendent
Tim Sonnenberg
Board of Trustees
Position 1 -
Joe Presnail
281-383-2545
Position 2 -
Lyle Malechek
281-383-2369
Position 3 -
George Barrera
281-383-2127
Position 4 -
Benny May,
281-385-2459
Position 5 -
Philip Joines,
281-385-1006
Position 6 -
Jeff Farrell
281-576-5005
Position 7 -
Jamie Harvey,
281-385-5106
NEW YOR
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By JI
The
®lje JBaptoton S>un
Founded 1922
Wanda Gamer Cash,
Editor and Publisher
Fred Hartman, Publisher Emeritus
1950-1974
watchdog Will Hays of the
Motion Picture Association of
America. And what the Hays
Office didn’t enforce, our par-
ents, or Home Office, did.
Melanie Ferguson
Baytown
Our editorial board
The Baytown Sun’s editorial
board meets weekly at 2 p.m.
Wednesday. Individuals are
encouraged to visit the editorial
board to discuss issues affect-
ing the community. To make an
appointment contact Managing
Editor David Bloom by calling
281-422-8302.
Members of the editorial
board include: Wanda Garner
Dash; editor and publisher;
David Bloom, managing editor;
Joseph Lohan, city editor; Dee
Anne Navarre, business manag-
er; Jim Finley, retired Sun man-
aging editor; and Jane Howard
Lee, retired Sun reporter.
': Let us hear
from you
The Baytown Sub welcomes let-
' ters of up to 300 words and
The First Amendment
Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press; or the right of the people
peaceably to assemble, and to petition the
Government for a redress of grievances.
guest columns of up to 500
words on any item of public inter-
est Guest columns should
include a photograph of the writer.
We publish only original material
addressed to The Baytown Sun
bearing the writer’s signature. An
address and phone number not
for publication should be included.
We ask that submissions be limit-
ed to one per month. Ail letters
and guest columns are subject to
editing. The Sun reserves the
right to refuse to publish any sub-
mission.
Please send signed letters to:
Wanda Gamer Cash or David
Bloom, The Baytown Sun, P.O.
Box 90, Baytown, 77522.
Or, fax them to: 281-427-1880.
Or send us an e-mail at sun-
news@baytownsun.com.
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The good old days
of the Hays Office
Thanks to Wanda Orton for
speaking out about the vulgarity their adoption process.
eluded the letter with: “Let’s see
how many blessings we receive
and how many prayers our coun- moving to other countries and a
climbing deficit Now how much
guts does it take to fight and win
the war on our nation’s economic
troubles?
Someone, please tell me, who
I am so looking forward to this a Houston Chronicle article on
year’s presidential election.
Already, the “L” word is in full
use. That word is liberal. I am so
bored by the liberal use of the
word liberal. It’s so cliched. To
me the word liberal means free
— as in free to speak on an
opinion, a voice. (Yes, I know
the real meaning of the “L”
word). It is unbelievable to me
that folks in Baytown still sup-
port the president. Why?
I wrote a letter to The
Baytown Sun published Feb. 6,
2001, regarding the election of
George W. Bush, in which I con- job shortages because of what’s
called outsourcing, theft by large
corporate bosses, companies
BHS critique
undeserved
Ms. Mindy Claxton certainly
gave the Baytown Humane
Society an undeserved black
Hilda Martinez .
Baytown
Lee College
511 S. Whiting
Baytown, Texas 77520
281-427-5611
President (Appointed)
Martha Ellis
Board of Regents
Bill Blake (2006)
281-427-9321
Keith Cobum (2006)
281-422-9451
Don Coffey (2008)
281-422-3232
Wayne Gray (2004)
281-422-8281
Susan Moore-Fontenot (2006)
281-421-1296
Ronald Haddox (2004)
281-422-0555
Mark Hall (2008)
281-428-8769
Mark Hlmsel (2008)
281-427-5189
Jess D. Navarre (2004)
281-422-7052
Members serve a six-year
term. Election is held in each
even numbered year. Board
meets third Thursday of each
month at 6 p.m. in Tucker Hall.
Fi
W'
IPAA probably doesn’t mean much more to
M—I most folks than additional alphabet soup
JL -M. from Washington generating extra mail from
our doctors, pharmacies and insurance companies
advising of us new rights to medical privacy.
Some of us might have encountered HIPPA road-
blocks, though, when we tried to find out the condi-
tion of a friend in the hospital or what happened to
an injured high school football player.
The initials stand for the Federal Health Insurance
Portability and Accountability Act, a cumbersome,
overly broad and impenetrable tangle of rules aimed
at protecting our medical records and other health
information. It took effect last April, setting stan-
dards on how health
plans, doctors, hospi-
tals and other health
care providers handle
that information.
Like so many laws
!'"•.............. that spring from good
intentions, HIPAA was so dense and complicated
U
In 1941, a father and his
daughter were injured during a
gas explosion in a south
Baytown subdivision.
In 1976, Lee High school
graduate Donna Cryer was a
candidate for the Lee College
Board of Regents
In 1991, Lee College official
enrollment numbers for the
spring semester were the high-
est in the college’s history.
In 2003, Mont Belvieu City
Administrator Bryan Easum
began his first day on the job.
His first actions included meet-
ing with city department heads
and passers-by. Easum was
hired from Tulia.
Feb. 8.1 pray they have not died
in vain. (Yes, I know that is how
it is in war.)
I think Bush took a very liber- by the Hays Office, named after
al stance when he justified this
war with such flawed U.S. intelli-
gence. Too, a special panel has
been selected that will investi-
gate the erred intelligence that
drove Bush into such a passion
of “let’s go get ’em” and left a
path of destruction. The destruc-
tion I am referring to is not only Quick IBSDOIISG
r\i\cs in Tt*in T’m cmonVinrr
to complaint
A few weeks ago, I raised the
question of truck route signs for
Bayway Drive and Baker Road
between Bayway and Spur 330
because most trucks were using
Bayway Drive to get to Spur
330, and this route is not a des-
ignated truck route.
I would like to give a big
thank you to the party responsi-
ble for acting quickly on this
matter. New signs were erected
on Bayway Drive and Baker
Road in a matter of a few days.
Now if we can only have the
same response from the police
department in enforcing this
issue. Again thank you.
Stephen Turnbull
Baytown
I totally agree with their deci-
sion in denying Ms. Claxton the
privilege of owning one of then-
animals.
A fenced-in backyard is an
important requirement.
Kathleen Victory
Baytown
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that it was misinterpreted even before it became law
and improperly enforced as soon as the ink was dry.
For example, the misunderstandings caused certain
tax-supported hospitals, such as LBJ and Ben Taub
in Houston, to deny clergy access to patient lists.
Football coaches and athletic trainers stopped reveal-
ing player injuries. Police in some cities withheld
medical information about crime and accident vic-
tims— even to the point of not saying whether a vic-
tim died. And police investigators themselves were
styinied by hospitals fearfill of violating the privacy
. rules.
It was a good law gone bad — or at least misunder-
stood. Until last week, when Texas Attorney General
Greg Abbott waded through the ponderous provisions
and translated lawyer-speak into plain English that
even newspaper reporters can understand.
Abbott ruled that the state’s public information law
takes precedence over HIPAA. Basically, any infor-
mation that is considered public record in Texas
’• remains public and available to the public.
“In Texas, government records are presumed open
unless a specific exception applies,” the attorney
. general said. “HIPAA is not an exception to the rule
of openness in the state of Texas.”
Abbott’s legal opinion is the strongest regarding
HIPAA in the country and clearly establishes a
precedent for a state’s right to determine public
access. The attorney general’s open government
division worked closely with federal officials, mak-
ing sure the wording of the Texas ruling could with-
stand possible legal challenges.
• Texans, in particular, and Americans in general,
should be grateful to the Texas Attorney General for
bringing elegant clarity to an ugly piece of federal
law
Anahuac ISD
P.O. Box 369 „
Anahuac, Texas 77514
409-267-6491
Superintendent
Linda Kay Barnhart
Board of Trustees
Position 1 - Clint Fancher
409-267-6188
Position 2 - Gayle Peveto,
Secretary
409-267-3278
Position 3 - Allen Herrington
409-389-3987
Position 4 - Thomas E.
“Gene” Baker, President
409-267-3156
Position S - Eddie Foster
409-267-3701
Position 6 - Jessie D. “Dee”
Leggett, Vice-President
409-252-3201
Position 7 - Kendall L. Barro'
409-267-3156
City of Baytown
City Hall
2401 Market St.
Baytown, Texas 77520
281-422-8281
Cfty Manager
Gary Jackson
281-420-6501
Mayor
Pete Alfaro
281-4206500
City Council
Dlst. 1 - Mercedes Renteria III
281-4209796
District 2 - Scott Sheley
281-422-8008
District 3 - Calvin Mundinger
281-424-9289
District 4 - Don Murray
281-424-2300
District 5 - Ronnie Andersdn
281-427-9084
District 6 - Coleman Godwin
281-422-4733
Members serve a two-year
term. Council meets on second
and fourth Thursdays of each
month at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall.
was
©THE CINCINNATI POST. 2004
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in our sacred free land. How is it
that this country with the reputa-
tion of the finest armed forces
did not protect anyone that fate-
ful day? Isn’t that the usual mes-
sage we get about how our gov-
ernment has to protect us, espe-
cially whenever we go to war.
Who knew that we would be in a
war fighting terrorism? Who
knew that weapons of mass
(testruction have yet to be found?
George W. Bush scared the liv-
ing heck out of me when he
started the war with his use of
words that sounded as if we were
in a religious war? Who handed
him the staff of righteousness?
We must remember that
George W. Bush was never
involved in a war, he was privi-
leged from ever saving in the
Vietnam War, but he was quick
to send our young men and
women to fight to protect us. r ____
More than 500 soldiers have died check out every movie before
in this war, 88 of whom were heading to the theater and con-
under the age of 21, according to tributing your money to its
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try will need to take us through
the next four years. I hope we’re
all ready.” Certainly I could not
foresee the future, and certainly
neither I nor anyone was ready _______,
for what happened seven months is a liberal, and who are these
folks that support our president?
Right now we don’t have a
choice because we have to save
face in the international commu-
nity. But do we really have a
choice? Yes we do; that choice
nage of so many innocent people will be here in the November
election.
Oh yes, liberals are not only
from the East. The victims of the
WTC twin towers were killed by
terrorists who couldn’t care less
whether they were liberal or con-
servative, only that they were
mostly Americans. May those
souls rest in peace whether they
were American or not Let us
continue to pray.
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Cash, Wanda Garner. The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 82, No. 79, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 19, 2004, newspaper, February 19, 2004; Baytown, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1185076/m1/4/: accessed July 12, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Sterling Municipal Library.