The Llano Ledger


Newsletter Text V46

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*************June 26, 2000*************

A copy of the following letter to the Open Records Division was received June 20 from Fletcher H. Brown of Davis & Wilkerson:

Davis & Wilkerson
Attorneys At Law
P.O. Box 2283
Austin, Tx. 78768-2283

June 19, 2000

Office of the Attorney General
Open Records Division
P.O. Box 12548
Austin, Texas 78711-2548

Re: Request for Open Records Decision ID # 138046

Gentlemen:

Please allow this letter to serve as notice that Llano Memorial Hospital Authority is withdrawing its request for an Open Records decision as contained in my earlier correspondence of June 12, 2000.

Additionally, Mr. Chorney has received written notice that the documents responsive to his request will be made available for his review and inspection at the administrative offices of Llano Memorial Hospital Authority.

Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter and should you have any further questions or comments, please feel free to contact me at your convenience.

Very truly yours,
Fletcher H. Brown
cc: Tim Chorney

Mr. Brown's second paragraph is blatantly false: "Additionally, Mr. Chorney has received written notice that the documents responsive to his request will be made available for his review and inspection at the administrative offices of Llano Memorial Hospital Authority."

Germane to Mr. Brown's false assertion, readers are reminded LMHS Administrator/CEO Ernie Parisi in his open records response of June 14, 2000 balked on the donor records of Llano Bay Healthcare, Inc., i.e. the Marble Falls Community Hospital. Interesting, isn't it? LMHS and legal counsel are apparently attempting to pull a fast one regarding the existence of the requested documents. Filing a request for exception ruling and then conveniently withdrawing it after the Administrator disingenuously balked in his open records response of June 14 is another glaring display of the Aryan arrogance of our bumbling bureaucrats.

A complaint has indeed been filed with the Open Records Division. Parisi's earlier letter of June 14 can be found in the June 19, 2000 Newsletter. Should the Open Records Division take no action, it will be time to consider filing a complaint against LMHS counsel with the State Bar of Texas. After all, Mr. Brown has apparently knowingly and willingly participated in the ruse. Regarding the June 15, 2000 open records request, the following letter from LMHS Administrator Ernie Parisi was received June 21:

LMHS
Llano Memorial Healthcare System
200 West Ollie
Llano, Tx. 78643

June 20, 2000

Mr. Lance Center
Treasurer
Llano Memorial Hospital Foundation
209 W. Sandstone
Llano, TX 78643

Re: Request for Information under the Open Records Act

Dear Mr. Center:

I am forwarding you the request for information under the Public Information Act for "All Donor Records of the Llano Memorial Hospital Foundation". See Attached request from Tim Chorney, Publisher of "The Llano Ledger".

Sincerely,
Ernie Parisi
Administrator/CEO

Attachment
cc: Tim Chorney, Publisher
The Llano Ledger

Readers are reminded Mr. Center is one of several Llano City officials who allegedly brought unethical pressure to bear last year on the Llano Chamber of Commerce to merge with the Hill Country Wildlife Museum. -- Small world, isn't it? Several earlier Newsletter editions in fact were devoted to this fiasco and can be found elsewhere on this website.

On Friday, June 23, access to two of the three items requested in the May 25, 2000 open records request to LMHS was provided by LMHS Executive Secretary Karen Kinard. Upon completion of the records inspection, the following open records request, prepared earlier, was handed to the Executive Secretary:

Ernie Parisi, Administrator
LMHS
103 West Lampasas
Llano, Tx. 78643

Tim Chorney, Publisher
The Llano Ledger
http://maxpages.com/llanoledger
Rt 2 Box 464A
Buchanan Dam, Tx. 78609

Re: Open Records Request

June 23, 2000

Dear Mr. Parisi:

This is a request for information under the Public Information Act, Ch.552, Gov't Code, Public Information. Access to following documents is respectfully requested:

1. Fletcher H. Brown of Davis & Wilkerson Request for Open Records Decision ID #138046 dated June 12, 2000.

2. Minutes of Llano Bay Healthcare Board for calendar year 2000.

3. All O'Connell, Robertson & Associates-Hospital correspondence, faxes, memos, and e-mails regarding construction of the Marble Falls Community Hospital.

Sincerely,
Tim Chorney, Publisher
The Llano Ledger
cc: File

The Law Gibb Group Engineering Study as well as the Survey were allegedly commissioned to determine the suitability of the now defunct first site chosen for the proposed Marble Falls Community Hospital. Carefully consider the following quote from the Study:

"The subject tract is located to the west of U.S. 281 in Marble Falls, Texas. The tract is being evaluated as a potential site for a new hospital facility as indicated by the attached Figure 1. The site is located just north and west of the J.M. Huber Corporation's Michael mine. Currently the Michael mine blasting is a concern since it may have significant detrimental effects to hospital equipment, as well as the proposed hospital building. Of particular concern is the magnetic resonance imaging machine."

Continuing further, the Engineering Study asserted: ... "This would place future potential blasting points within close proximity of a future building site."

Commenting further: ... "The J.M. Huber Corporation's future mining plans will bring the explosions extremely close to the proposed hospital site."

Interesting, isn't it? In addition to $1,299.00 for the Survey, LMHS spent $6,000.00 lining the pockets of an engineering consultant to confirm the obvious. It doesn't take a rocket scientist or an engineer to determine you don't build a hospital next door to a mining operation. -- The noise and dust alone would have been horrendous.

Wonder why your medical bills are outrageously skyrocketing? Ask Mr. Parisi. In fairness to the Administrator, however, the decision to squander $7,300 had to have been a Board-supported decision. Examination of Llano Bay Healthcare Board minutes should confirm this, -- provided the Administrator doesn't balk on the latest open records request as he did on the May 25 one.

Wonder if there have indeed been any kickbacks from the latest Engineering Study and Survey? Good question. With no financial support from the readership, it will be difficult for this publication to determine the truth. The Public Information Act, however, will certainly continue to be used to probe the issue.

Switching gears, the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision against school sponsored prayer at high school football games is right on target. Although the fascist Right deplores the ruling, fortunately there is indeed separation of church and state in this great country. -- Thankfully, the United States is not a theocracy. While extremists argue there is no constitutional basis for the ruling, most have apparently not carefully read the First Amendment.

In addition to guaranteeing freedom of speech, association, and religion, the First Amendment also guaranties freedom FROM religion. -- A most precious right to those not believing or sharing mainstream religious views. After all, the Constitution was designed to protect the rights of the minority against the tyranny of the majority.

Think students and even adults are not cruelly intolerant of others not sharing their fervent beliefs? Had this ruling gone the other way, would the largely Christian majority tolerate a Satanist kid leading a prayer before a high school football game? ... Under the First Amendment, it would have had to have been allowed. Can you imagine the howls of protest? Think the kid wouldn't have the crap beaten out of him -- or worse? ... Or is this what he "deserves"?

Conversely, why should a Moslem, Buddhist, Hindu, or any other non-Christian believer have unwanted views forced on them by fervent, evangelistic zealots? Sadly, in a rush to impose our religious and political views on others, we've lost sight of the rights of those not in agreement. -- Particularly the right to be left the hell alone. Fortunately, the U.S. Supreme Court rose to the occasion and protected those rights.

The fascist Right need not worry, however. The religious rights of the majority have not been trampled by the Court. After all, spectators can still publicly or privately say a prayer at a high school football game, or anywhere else for that matter. -- The only restriction being they won't be able to use school district-owned public address systems to do so. ... Think zealots will bring their own bullhorns in defiance? Should they, it will only provide additional evidence of their true agenda, -- to force their religious and political views on others.

Sadly, there was no response from the readership to a request made in last week's Newsletter for stamps and other badly needed office supplies required to continue correspondence with the Open Records Division and bureaucrats targeted by this publication.

... Not particularly likely in the near future either, -- especially after the last few paragraphs, no? All joking aside, want feel-good fluff? Read another publication. For those unintentionally offended, better consider NOT reading next week's edition. Along with updates regarding our inept, bumbling bureaucrats, another hot-button issue will be addressed, -- the Governor's horrendously gutless handling of the Gary Grahm execution.

Outrageously, the United States is the last supposedly "civilized" country to impose the death penalty. Even our European allies are appalled at the savageness of capital punishment and the willingness of 2/3 of our population to impose it. -- Despite growing doubts regarding effectiveness as deterrent, equitability, adequate legal counsel, outrageously corrupt courts and prosecutors, and even guilt of the condemned. Wouldn't want to confuse the fascist Right with the truth? Why not? Might rattle their cage, no?

To the credit of some, however, a few indeed are waking up. -- Like the Governor of Illinois who recently and courageously ordered a moratorium. Sadly, our illustrious Governor is still asleep. Just as pointedly, the socialist Left is equally comatose. After all, Democratic presidential hopeful Al Gore is highly supportive of capital punishment and has essentially ignored growing problems with the death penalty. -- Despite a few waffling concerns about the guilt of the condemned.

Returning to local matters, the open records battle against LMHS and the School District is far from over, and in fact is only just beginning. No response has been received yet from the General Services Commission regarding the imposition of $1/copy charges for County documents by the County Judge and his cronies on the Commissioners' Court.

Since the point has been finally driven home to readers and the County Judge, the earlier pounding regarding a lack of financial support for this publication is no longer necessary. The truth, however, is still the truth, -- and it isn't very pretty nor will it be muzzled by our self-serving officials. With that in mind, the visitor count stands in excess of 19,400.

Another excellent week. With rare exception, however, this publication receives no financial support from the readership it serves due to greed, gut-wrenching fear, and the continuing intimidation of our abusive officials. Regardless, _The Llano Ledger remains beholden to NO ONE, and will continue to firmly and aggressively hold the feet of our worst offenders to the fire, -- with or without the financial support of the community.

Tim Chorney, Publisher
_The Llano Ledger



Tim Chorney, Publisher
P.O. Box 997
Buchanan Dam Tx. 78609

llanoledger@mailcity.com

Page Updated Tue Oct 9, 2001 1:12pm EDT