Facebook Abuse, Computer Hacking Of Medical Info Rampant

New form of denunciation considered de rigeur among right-wing activists

In the middle of the road, Is trying to find me.
I'm standing in the middle of life with my pains behind me.

The company that provides Facebook to the nation's internet geeks acknowledged some applications have improperly shared identifying information about users.

In some cases, web tracking companies have furnished information on users and their “friends” to advertisers and others who find the personal information useful.

According to an article that appeared in “The Wall Street Journal,” operators are passing the user identification to outside companies in violation of their agreement with Facebook.

It may be because of consumers' inexperience and lack of understanding of the transaction between themselves and Facebook.

"When you sign up for Facebook, you enter into a bargain. You share personal informatioin with the site, and Facebook agrees to obey your wishes when it comes to who can see what you post,"according to a recent article that appeared in "The New York Times."

The outfit has vowed to do all it can do to stop the alleged abuse.

It makes one wonder if there is not a nationwide movement afoot to use such tactics in political denunciations of certain parties - or, perhaps, a movement to denounce members of certain parties.

Still sounds right, as Brother Dave Gardner of Irondale, Alabama, used to say in his act.

Indications that this is true have already surfaced locally.

Former Army captain Mike Hoover, a Republican activist and Pro-Life operative, “defriended” The Legendary after supplying information about my medical diagnosis, medication, physician and other details on a Facebook page.

Certain “links” he supplied in reply to a question about congressional voting records as rated by the Pro-Life movement were politely returned by Facebook with the message that they were reported as “abusive” by Facebook users.

Here's what Captain Hoover posted:

"Re: Pro-Abortion Texas Rep. Chet Edwards Potential Dark Horse Obama Pick
Hey Jim,

"You're a sick puppy...get help.

"Go back to the VA Hospital where you manipulated the system to get your lump
sum payment from the government for your contrived bipolar disorder. I have
to hand it to you. You were able to leverage your relationship with Rep.
Chet Edwards and Dr. Paterson at the VA so that you could receive a windfall
"lottery ticket-like" payment for the mental problems that you had since
birth. Creativity is definitely one of your strengths!

"The problem is that you have no sense of reality.

"Adios, amigo!

"PS. Did I forget to de-friend you? Apparently so...time to take out the
trash!"

A reality check with the Veterans Administration Patient Advocate and Congressman Chet Edwards' staff assured me that Mr. Hoover is out of line, that he has no privilege to share the information in any way, much less on Facebook.

How did all this come up? He contacted me and requested that I come to Bill Flores' congressional campaign headquarters on Lake Air Drive in Waco. He said he wanted to help me get in touch with others through the use of Facebook and expressed amazement that I had not already made use of this phenomenal social networking resource.

I replied that it's best to keep it simple, but relented and gave him all the information he requested, all of which he quickly noted on his laptop.

I had a pretty good idea where all this was headed. After all, you know, Bill Flores' campaign headquarters is located in an office suite formerly occupied by Mr. Chuck Wilson's campaign headquarters.

Captain Hoover works for a "training and development" company with extensive Army contracts. He recently assisted Mr. Duke Machado, sales manager for Gloff Ford at Clifton, to produce a survey of Hispanic voters upon their exposure to demographic facts supplied by Governor Rick Perry's staff and the Republican Party of
Texas. These demographics indicate that soon Hispanics will be the majority ethnic type in Texas.

Mr. Wilson is a former CIA agent of some considerable fame. While stationed in The Sudan, he exposed Carlos The Jackal, a famous Venezuelan terrorist who now languishes in Le Santé Prison in Paris, serving a life sentence for murder and other unlovely acts.

Thank you, Chuck. I sleep much better knowing where ol' Carlos resides these days.

While there, I was introduced to the file clerk who processed my application for a government ID card provided to certain pensioners who collect compensation-pension for service-connected disabilities. This gentleman is of Hispanic-American extraction.

At the time he processed my application for the ID card, he was a Hospital Corpsman serving at the Naval Reserve Center on New Road. He regaled me with sea stories about his checkered career in the Navy, how he was court-martialled on charges proffered by a “loony tunes” Sergeant in the Marine Corps, and other startling details of his military experiences.

Been there. Done that. Got the t-shirt to prove it.

But I assure you of this. I am not dumb enough to wear it to the polling place. Yesterday morning, I wore a basic Wal-Mart pocket T, a gray number knitted in China with nothing printed on it other than its 4XL size label inside the back of the collar.

What shade of gray?

Oh, it's just a touch of gray.

Houston narcs. That shade of gray.

What did you say your driver's license number is?

Oh, you have a new one? Splendid! Let's make a note of that.

But I've got a smile
for everyone I meet...

If it's a tight, dry, polite, cruel smile - well, how are things in your town?