PrintFebruary 20, 2011
Apparently Fake doctors notes being handed out at Madison demonstration (updated with exclusive photos)
Under the teacher's collective bargaining agreement, faking an illness can be punishable by dismissal.
I'm sure that school districts across Wisconsin will be interested in the video at Hot Air showing doctors handing out fake notes that excuse teachers for illnesses that don't exist. The video was shot by the MacIver Institute:
"I asked this doctor what he was doing and he told me they were handing out excuses to people who were feeling sick due to emotional, mental or financial distress," said Christian Hartsock. "They never performed an exam-he asked me how I was feeling today and I said I'm from California and I'm not used to the cold, so he handed me a note."Another woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said they were handing out excuses like they were leaflets."I asked if they were handing out doctors' excuses and a guy said yes and asked me if I needed one," she said. "When I told them I needed one for February 16 and 17th, he wondered if I wanted to come back here for the protests next week."What happened next?"I said, ‘sure,' and I received a doctor's note for the 16th through the 25th of February, without a medical exam."
The website Crooks and Liars (emphasis on the latter) doesn't seem to understand the difference between labor negotiations and political activity:
Fox News broke this bulletin about an hour ago. It stems from a video posted by the MacIver Institute Wisconsin alleging that a doctor is signing bogus excuses for teachers protesting in Madison. Because it is illegal for teachers to strike, they called in sick and have been told they will have to produce a valid doctors excuse in order to be excused for their absences.So isn't it interesting that a right-wing organization would produce a news report saying such excuses are fabricated? Usually, the way this works is that part of the final negotiation also forgives the days missed for protests, by the way, so this is ginned up nonsense from the start.
A couple of notes: First, isn't it a little weird to make a big deal out of who is videotaping rock solid evidence of teacher lawbreaking? It's either true or false. In the case of C&L, it's false not because of the facts - which are absolutely indisputable - but because the evidence is being presented by a "right wing" source.
Very weird - and anti-intellectual to boot.
Then there's the zany notion that this kind of thing is forgiven as part of the "final negotiation." This is not a negotiation. It is direct, political action having nothing whatsoever to do with any collective bargaining. The teachers already have a contract. The governor is seeking to alter it via legislative action - a perfectly legal and in the case of Wisconsin, necessary step. How the teacher's actions can be seen in any context other than trying to put political pressure on the legislature is beyond me. Ergo, if they get caught faking illness, they should be canned.
Walker isn't breaking the union. They are breaking themselves with this kind of nonsense.
Update from Thomas Lifson:
The teachers receiving fake notes may not be the only ones to face consequences. A physician who backdates a note, or offers one to anyone who needs one (as one apparent physician did in the above video) may face sanctions from the state medical board.
John Culver has taken original photos of the docs, supplementing the information in the videos.
Dr. Nathan Valentine (?), or someone impersonating him, handing out notes:
The examination room:
Record Keeping:
The teachers receiving fake notes may not be the only ones to face consequences. A physician who backdates a note, or offers one to anyone who needs one (as one apparent physician did in the above video) may face sanctions from the state medical board.
John Culver has taken original photos of the docs, supplementing the information in the videos.
Dr. Nathan Valentine (?), or someone impersonating him, handing out notes:
The examination room:
Record Keeping:
