| Author |
Message |
daniel (63.159.136.25)
| | Posted on Friday, April 09, 2004 - 12:46 pm: | |
As have I indicated many times on this website, I have been unsucessful in finding a lawyer because it costs about three hundred dollars an hour in my case with Peace Corps.
I was wondering, if you or anybody in the Peace Corps community with a legal background could provide me with "a little information". Since the Peace Corps holds twelve pages under laws I stated above and their stance on my case and witholding information is bogus perhaps someone out their "anonymously could help me out with some legal research". "Look at as and legal quiz for you law experts". Here are the laws Peace Corps quoted to me why they can't release these documents with my name on it.
Administrative Services: 10 Pages under the following Freedom of information Act (5 U.S.C. 552(b)(5), Privacy Act (U.S.C. 552a (d)(5) and Peace Corps regulation (22 C.F.R. 303.5 (C).
Office of the Inspector General: 2 Pages: Freedom of information Act (5 U.S.C. 552(b)(5), Privacy Act (U.S.C. 552a (d)(5) and Peace Corps regulation (22 C.F.R. 303.5 (C).
Since Lexis Nexis costs a great deal and I am at a disadvantage in geting acess to this information through Lexis Nexis or the laws in the keys. Could someone please assistant me with some legal research. I know what these laws mean and have that printed out. However, I don't have case law on individuals, institutions or business who have been sucessful in petitioning the government and been sucessful in overcoming these obstructions or an alternative to being able to view the documents. Such as being to view them with a camera at Agency headquarters.
You would certainly being helping me over Peace Corps denial of documents under FYOI to me and further to my family.
DDN, your lawyer had to have quoted case law or petitioned in court on certain grounds, could you provide me with any of that legal assistance. If not what court did you file in?
Some of you former General Counsel people at Peace Corps could certainly help or Congressmen or their staff. I would appreciate it. We would appreciate your assistance.
978-462-3868
Look at it as serving the third goal. Or doing your good deed for the day. This is why we need a lawyer working for us as former volunteers.
Daniel |
daniel (63.159.136.67)
| | Posted on Sunday, April 11, 2004 - 8:30 pm: | |
Thanks for your help. |
Nancy Tongue (cache-mtc-aa07.proxy.aol.com - 64.12.116.11)
| | Posted on Monday, April 12, 2004 - 3:19 am: | |
Daniel, Is this by chance in relation to a PCV illness or injury? A few of us have just begun a listserv to address this issue. Here's the info: Do you have a chronic illness or disability related to your Peace
Corps service? Are you dealing with OWCP to obtain medical benefits
or disability payments? If so, the following group may be of
interest to you:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/owcp
A group of RPCVs with OWCP claims are banding together in an attempt
to get better service from OWCP, PC Medical Office, etc. Please
feel free to join us!
Nancy Tongue
Chile 1980-82 |
daniel (0-1pool136-99.nas12.somerville1.ma.us.da.qwest.net - 63.159.136.99)
| | Posted on Monday, April 12, 2004 - 8:56 pm: | |
Thanks Nancy,
We did our best behind the scenes in the hearing process. There is language in the new bill being proposed which may help some separated veterans.
I will check out your group.
No the above has to do Peace Corps covering up twelve pages with my name on it. I will get those documents. I am getting some good advice now.
Thanks again Nancy, I will email you directly.
Daniel |
RPCV (0-1pool136-46.nas12.somerville1.ma.us.da.qwest.net - 63.159.136.46)
| | Posted on Saturday, April 17, 2004 - 11:02 am: | |
For the people who have sent personal messages thank you.
What I find fasicinating is that RPCV's can be critical thinkers and can critize very easily, but when it comes to solving a problem, overcoming a situation or challenge they back off when it comes to assisting volunteers who have been separated wrongfully at Peace Corps. Especially when it comes to the National Peace Corps Association.
Also, Peace Corps Volunteers are for justice and peace. The Legal field is part of finding peace between institutions and people. What I find puzzling is that the Dayton Daily News needed to go to court for the information on their report for safety and security on their FYOI request.
Many volunteers are now lawyers and know the legal process in getting information regarding FYOI, especially if the Peace Corps turns you down due to their perspective of National Security. It is not a national security issue when it comes to Peace Corps issues.
In my case, it is about individuals who think they aren't beyond reproach, it doesn't matter if they are staff people who intially made the decision and or the individuals who they are protecting who the Peace Corps thinks, I can not defend myself against. This is not so. There will be a resolution to my case and the information denied will be obtained through the court system or Congress. What is disturbing is the truth in my case remains with me and Peace Corps holds a file littered with lies and did not fully investigate my situation.
Mistakes happen and I understand that. I understand individuals make mistakes and personally I am a forgiving person, after a resolution takes place. However, I will not forgive the institution when it continues to hold information illegally on myself by using the guise of national security to protect individuals who made mistakes.
The Peace Corps (General Counsel) has already admitted to me they made mistakes in my case over the phone to me. What I won't put up with is "stonewalling" as Congressman Marty Meehan has talked about dealing with Peace Corps on safety and security issues.
It is time for Peace in my case. I will get it whether Peace Corps as an instution likes the results or not in court. In my case and in many other volunteer's cases Volunteers were separated wrongfully; especially if they went through a safety issue is beyond FECA benefits. Yes, FECA benefits should be provided.
But, Peace Corps uses the FECA program to fire people and has in the past. They say you are sick and you are not. They say you have not been raped and you have. They say you haven't been attack as a volunteer and you have.
Peace Corps uses FECA as like a "bribe over a volunteer who wants to complete their tour and can't because of their faulty decisions".
They use it as a "bribe" on your career too. In my case, they want to say I have some kind of disability. They want me to shut up about the individuals who came to my site and threatened my safety. They want me to admit the disabilty and take the money and shut up and the people who threatened you were a figment of my imagination.
They want to bribe volunteers with FECA, so the problem will go away without investigation and that you will take the money and not be able to serve again correctly under security clearance or for the government in a responsible manner where you get paid for further education and expereince. This is happening to many volunteers who have gone through these type of situations. Peace Corps has no solutions and keeps recruiting and firing a certain segment of their volunteers in this fashion.
These volunteers end up speaking with Department of Labor people who have never left Washington DC or their local area and are making decision about your expereinces in Africa,The Pacific, Asia, Central Europe, and Latin America. These volunteers are treated rudely and are routinely turned down for benefits.
Federal Employment Compensation is what every volunteer or Federal Employee would get if they had a given illness.
The Firing a certain segment is the disturbing part. The Ombudsman's office is a step in the right direction but it won't help many of us. We need representation in our situations. We will be asking the Massachusetts Bar and I encourage everyone to ask their local firms to take on Peace Corps cases realted to separations on a pro bono basis. Since the Peace Corps community are completely responding to the needs of there colleagues we will have to go private in our pursuits.
What happens when the Peace Corps creates the problem through ineptitude? Here lies the challenge.
The Peace Corps act says omission and neglect only are good for three years in the statues in their laws. In tort cases with the Federal government it is 7 years. What happens when the institution has covered up the wrong doing for a number of years and the volunteer is damaged from their wrongful actions.
Don't you think the agency should be held accountable? Before you answer, think of yourself in your nice house or apartment and all your freedoms as an American. You are a former volunteer and you want to use your skills to work in the government, government contracting under security clearance and or private industry in the same vain. Yet, you can't because you served in the Peace Corps, were a victim of violence and now because the Peace Corps records of your service are bogus you can't serve beyond a certain level in the government because of your bogus service record.
Don't tell me it has nothing to do with your service record in Peace Corps, I know better than that from over 30 incidents when I was either denied a job, turned down because of a background check, denied a Presidential Appointment job because of that record. That is the crime.
What happens when a woman is raped in the Peace Corps and you deny her health care after service and you deny a safety incident took place how does this serve the third goal?
Here are some questions for you folks who like to work on situations that aren't going away until there are resolutions. |
RPCV (0-1pool136-25.nas12.somerville1.ma.us.da.qwest.net - 63.159.136.25)
| | Posted on Monday, April 19, 2004 - 12:46 am: | |
This is why there were hearings. |
daniel (0-1pool136-36.nas12.somerville1.ma.us.da.qwest.net - 63.159.136.36)
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 20, 2004 - 1:25 am: | |
This why the DDN did their piece on safety and security. |
daniel (0-1pool136-35.nas12.somerville1.ma.us.da.qwest.net - 63.159.136.35)
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 27, 2004 - 12:10 pm: | |
You see most volunteer don't encounter this type of treatment from the agency. This is why we are getting our rights.
The ACLU has been talking with us.
Daniel |
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