tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37616733278609418602024-03-17T01:22:38.223-07:00WNCSOSRVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06749051376836219238noreply@blogger.comBlogger384125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3761673327860941860.post-85793429458784918602016-05-16T15:17:00.000-07:002016-05-16T15:17:40.457-07:00Priests Molesting Children Payment Plan<br />
<br />
Some readers of <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/5/6/1524013/-Child-Molestation-is-a-Catholic-Custom"><em>Child Molestation is a Common Catholic Habit</em></a> took exception with the title and said that priests preying on children
is an exceptional not an ordinary pastime. The Altoona-Johnstown jury would not agree with this assessment nor would the other U. S. grand juries that have been convened to examine the subject of miscreant priests.<br />
<br />
In addition to legal inquiries the press has long exposed wayward priests so it is difficult to maintain that child molestation is not a common Catholic habit. Here are some examples.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2012/04/14/for-jesuits-long-road-accountability/FG0IkXq2vO9EsyjSW3RRTJ/story.html"> <em>For the Jesuits, a long road to accountability </em></a> [Rev. Bradley M. Schaeffer] <em>Boston Globe</em> 2012<br />
Jesuits <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/jesuit-sex-abuse-claims-reach-166-million-1.1100855"> pay record $166.1 million </a> in child abuse case CBC News [sexual abuse of Native American children]<br />
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/29/us/29jesuit.html?_r=0"> <em>Suit Says Jesuits Ignored Warnings About Priest </em></a> [Fr. Donald J. McGuire] NYT 2011<br />
<br />
Wherever there are priests there are some behaving badly and according to the Altoona-Johnstown grand jury some bishops have provided cover for their subordinates' criminal acts. The evidence of their culpability is contained in the Altoona-Johnston Grand Jury Report.<br />
<br />
The Grand Jury concludes: <br />
<blockquote>
The Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown was a location rampant with child molestation for decades. The widespread abuse of children was assisted by priests and bishops to whom the children looked for guidance and protection were also in an ideal position to victimize them. <br />
<br />
....the Grand Jury observed; Bishops and priests who used the cover of their authority to hide the truth from the public. The offending priests knew there was no risk of exposure because Bishop James Hogan and Bishop Joseph Adamec were covering it up. By hiding their conduct rather than exposing it, the Bishops enabled child sexual abuse. p.130 </blockquote>
From the Report: Father Dan O'Neil testified in July 2015 "that it was common knowledge that Fr. Thomas Carroll was molesting children." p. 32<br />
<br />
The Grand Jury notes "the culture that the Diocese created. An active priest (Father Kovach), groomed and engaged in sexual intercourse with a 16-year-old boy and never expected anyone to report it. Father Kovach was unconscionably accurate. Business as usual in the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown continued on." p.71<br />
<br />
When testifying before the Grand Jury on November 18, 2014, Monsignor Philip Saylor testified that "under Bishop Hogan the threat to children within the diocese was so well known and institutionalized that there was both open discussion and procedure for the occurrence." p.75<br />
<br />
There is evidence that two priests, Father Martin McCamley and Father James Bunn, sexually abused the same child.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sexual Abuse Compensation Plan </span><br />
<br />
Bishop Joseph Adamec created a compensation fund to pay victims for their sexual attacks. The church would pay $10,000-$25,000 for genital fondling outside of clothing, $15,000-$40,000 for fondling under clothes and masturbation, $25,000-$75,000 for oral sex and $50,000-$175,000 for sodomy.<br />
<br />
Minimum/maximum payout amounts were affected by the number of times a child was molested, how long the abuse occurred, the age of child and whether the priest drugged the child with medication and or alcohol. To secure secrecy the church required the victims to sign confidentiality agreements and liability waivers. p. 120<br />
<br />
Ii is not known whether sexual abuse compensation plans were standard operating procedure in other<br />
dioceses. <br />
<br />
Those reading international news reports would also be of the opinion that child molestation is a prevalent Catholic practice. Common does not mean that every priest is engaged in aberrant behavior but it does indicate that Catholic pastors have an unholy fetish of global proportions.
Here are some examples— The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commission_to_Inquire_into_Child_Abuse">'09 Ryan Commission </a> established by the <strong>Irish government</strong> found that: <br />
<blockquote>
Sexual abuse was endemic in Catholic boys’ institutions. The schools investigated revealed a substantial level of sexual abuse of boys in care that extended over a range from improper touching and fondling to rape with violence. Perpetrators of abuse were able to operate undetected for long periods at the core of institutions. When confronted with evidence of sexual abuse, the response of the religious authorities was to transfer the offender to another location where, in many instances, he was free to abuse again. The safety of children in general was not a consideration. The situation in girls’ institutions was different. Although girls were subjected to predatory sexual abuse by male employees or visitors or in outside placements, sexual abuse was not systemic in girls’ schools</blockquote>
<br />
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/19/world/europe/report-details-sexual-abuse-of-children-by-german-priests.html?_r=0"> <em><strong>German Priests Carried Out Sexual Abuse for Years </strong></em></a> NYT 2013<br />
<br />
Significant cases of sex abuse were<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_sexual_abuse_cases_in_Australia"> exposed </a> within Australia Archdioceses by the Royal Commission.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/02/29/top-vatican-cardinal-says-handling-of-sex-abuse-that-rocked-australia-was-absolutely-scandalous/"><em><strong>Top Vatican cardinal grilled about ‘absolutely scandalous’ sex abuse by priests that rocked Australia</strong></em></a><em><strong> </strong></em>The Washington Post 2016
<br />
<br />
<em><strong><a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-34940985"> El Salvador Church suspends Father Delgado over sexual abuse </a></strong></em> BBC News 2015
<br />
<br />
Every time the media broadcasts child abuse the pope and his sycophants promise to do better but these are vacuous words. Women are the victims best defenders but they are denied authority and until they are elevated and are on par with men children will remain Catholic pawns. It is true and shameful that children are abused by parents and in almost every venue but the Catholic Church has a moral obligation to be better than the others.<br />
<br />
For interested parties BishopAccountability.org provides a state by state <a href="http://bishop-accountability.org/priestdb/PriestDBbydiocese.html"> database </a> of publicly accused U.S. priests.<br />
<br />RVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06749051376836219238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3761673327860941860.post-6482016464073868642016-05-06T15:53:00.000-07:002016-05-06T15:53:56.246-07:00Child Molestation is a Catholic Custom<br />
<br />
The 2016 <a href="https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/uploadedFiles/MainSite/Content/Related_Content/PressReleases/GJ%20Diocese%20Report.pdf"> Altoona-Johnstown Grand Jury Report </a> coupled with numerous others conducted after <em>The Boston Globe </em>2002 investigation regarding priests sexually harming children is damning: The jury's summary (p. 6 ) is as follows: <br />
<blockquote>
Over many years hundreds of children have fallen victim to child predators wrapped in authority and integrity of an honorable faith. As wolves disguised as the shepherds themselves—these men stole the innocence of children by sexually preying upon the most innocent and vulnerable members of our society and of the Catholic faith.</blockquote>
Each new grand jury revelation elicits an apology from the Pope and his legal counselors but it is likely that child molestation has been a priestly predilection since the founding of the church. Of course back then there were no media outlets and grand juries to advise so it is just a guess but there are substantive hints.<br />
<br />
For instance canon law demands that each parish hide clerical misbehavior. By keeping damaging information under lock and key and by shuffling suspect priests from parish to parish bishops have been able to sidestep law enforcement and protect deviant priests from prosecution. This modus operandi is described in other grand jury reports. The canon law reference cited by the A-J Grand Jury is as follows: <br />
<blockquote>
Can 489 § 2<br />
Each year documents of criminal cases in matter of morals, in which the accused parties have died or ten years have elapsed from the condemnatory sentence are to be destroyed. p.10<br />
<br />
Can. 490 § 1 Only the bishop is to have the key to the secret archive.</blockquote>
The other way the Catholic Church has been able to avoid detection is by closing the ministry to women. Women may not be perfect supervisors but they would not tolerate the sexual injury done to children. <br />
<br />
The Grand Jury noted that two prominent bishops were responsible for transferring molesting priests from parish to parish. They are James Hogan and Joseph Adamec. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_John_Hogan"> Bishop James Hogan </a> served from '66-86 and was succeeded by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Victor_Adamec"> Bishop Joseph Adamec </a> who presided from '87 to 2011.<br />
<br />
According to the Grand Jury hundreds of children within the diocese were subjected to genital fondling, were obliged to watch or allow masturbation, were compelled to perform or receive oral sex on or from priests and were anally raped. These violations were performed by more than 50 priests, most of whom were never punished because of statute of limitations.<br />
<br />
The never ending question is when will Catholics demand change? Pope Francis says he sorry for the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church_sexual_abuse_cases">injuries </a>and will institute reforms but words are meaningless without action and so far the pope has been immobile.<br />
<br />
Only when women are elevated to positions of authority will children receive the protection they deserve.<br />
<br />RVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06749051376836219238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3761673327860941860.post-68671310146279604482016-04-25T16:11:00.000-07:002016-04-25T16:11:37.960-07:00Religious Liberty Claims are Nonsensical<br />
<br />
The Little Sisters of the Poor vocations director, Constance Veit, explained in her NYT's March editorial, "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/19/opinion/obamacaresbirth-control-exemption-still-tramples-on-rights.html?_r=0"> Why We're Suing Obamacare </a>, " that she and her order oppose the birth control insurance mandate required in the Affordable Care Act because all methods of contraception be it pharmaceutical or surgical are forbidden under Catholic doctrine. <br />
<br />
Under the pretext of religious freedom deprivations, certain closely-held companies i.e. Hobby Lobby (<a href="http://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/sebelius-v-hobby-lobby-stores-inc/"> Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, Inc.</a>), and Catholic organizations i.e. Little Sisters of the Poor (<a href="http://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/zubik-v-burwell/"> Zubik v. Burwell </a> ) maintain that their beliefs were sullied by The Affordable Care Act. It was elastic reasoning that led the highest court to accept these claims for review because religious belief should play no role in state affairs. This prohibition—separation of church and state—is guaranteed by the constitution's establishment clause as interpreted by the Supreme Court.
The five to four decision put forth by Chief Justice Roberts and Associates Alito, Thomas, Scalia (deceased), and Kennedy ( all Catholics ) in favor of the Hobby Lobby owners, damaged precedent, opened the door for more concessions and prompted religious liberty bills to flourish in regressive legislatures.
<br />
<br />
Georgia's <a href="http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/en-US/display/20152016/HB/757" style="color: #326891; text-decoration: underline;"> House Bill 757 </a> is an example of a law that would have allowed businesses and nonprofit companies to discriminate against same-sex, interracial, interfaith, and even unmarried couples. All the protesting party had to say is that certain conduct or social mores offend their conscience. Governor Deal <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/29/opinion/georgias-governor-sets-a-wise-example-for-tolerance.html?_r=1"> vetoed </a> the prejudicial bill
<br />
<br />
It is conscience shocking that Sister Veit and her order say that they are victims of religious injury yet they have done nothing to help stop the perennial problem of priests raping children. The Altoona-Johnston Grand Jury found that hundreds of children were molested by more than 50 priests in a 40 year time span. If the servants of Christ were to express their displeasure to Pope Francis and to the public then pedophilia would become a rare rather than a commonplace occurrence. Little Sisters of the Poor should read the <a href="https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/uploadedFiles/MainSite/Content/Related_Content/PressReleases/GJ%20Diocese%20Report.pdf"> Diocese of Altoona-Johnston Sexual Abuse Report <a href="https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/uploadedFiles/MainSite/Content/Related_Content/PressReleases/GJ%20Diocese%20Report.pdf"> </a> and reflect that their silence has put children in harm's way.RVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06749051376836219238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3761673327860941860.post-675712664900952772016-03-14T15:22:00.001-07:002016-03-14T15:22:19.784-07:00Justina Pelletier and her Parents will have their Day in Court<br />
<br />
The <em>Boston Globe </em>Justina Pelleter "medical child abuse" articles turned the custody case into a cause célèbre. Relentless media questions caused Judge Joseph F. Johnston, Justina's legal advocate, to return her to her parents after separating her from her family for more than sixteen months. Judge Johnston is not named in the malpractice lawsuit but his behavior during the custody proceedings was <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/5/4/1296913/-Judge-Joseph-F-Johnston-s-Very-Concerning-Conduct-in-the-Justina-Pelletier-Custody-Case"> quite concerning </a>. <br />
<br />
The Pelletier family alleges that Boston Children's Hospital and four of its staff violated Justina's civil rights and committed medical malpractice when they challenged Justina's diagnosis and told the Department of Children and Families and Judge Johnston that Justina Pelletier was a victim of medical child abuse perpetuated not by her Tufts physicians but by her parents.
<br />
<br />
BCH employee <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/5/11/1298673/-Dr-Alice-Newton-Medical-Child-Abuse-Justina-Pelletier"> Dr. Alice Newton </a>, one of the defendants, was instrumental in persuading Judge Johnston that Lou and Linda Pelletier were unfit parents because they were medically abusing their daughter. Upon investigation Dr. Newton's abuse allegations were specious.<br />
<br />
It was Dr. Newton who for all intents and purposes kept Justina from her parents for eight months by incarcerating her in the hospital's psychiatric ward. Some physicians, including Dr. Newton, believe that separating <a href="https://jpepsy.oxfordjournals.org/content/26/7/429.full"> somataform patients </a> from their environment and parents will improve their symptoms. This was an extreme plan for a 14 year old child and especially so since there is scant evidence to support the efficacy of this punitive treatment.<br />
<br />
BCH's response to the Pelletier accusations is typical boilerplate:<br />
<blockquote>
Boston Children’s Hospital welcomes the opportunity to vigorously defend the medical care it provided to Justina Pelletier. We are committed to the best interests of our patient’s health and well-being, according to the high standards we follow for every patient placed in our care.</blockquote>
It is likely that Justina Pelletier would still be a ward of the state if not for Lou Pelletier violating Judge Johnston's gag order and revealing the hospital's Kafkaesque practices.<br />
<br />
During its investigation the <em>Globe</em> <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/15/1336698/-Boston-Children-s-Hospital-Threatens-Parents-with-Medical-Child-Abuse"> found </a> disturbing similarities of other parents accused of medical child abuse by Boston Children's Hospital. The modus operandi: have access to critically ill children, the reputation to refute established diagnoses and the power to threaten recalcitrant parents with medical child abuse. <br />
<br />
Why would a prestigious hospital want <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3761673327860941860#editor/target=post;postID=8737921438420045750;onPublishedMenu=posts;onClosedMenu=posts;postNum=21;src=postname">foster children</a> with complex medical conditions? <br />
There are two possibilities: the ability to conduct clinical research without parental interference and access to unlimited insurance coverage. Foster children are valuable commodities: Neither they nor their parents are allowed to say no to prospective research projects. Prior to the state<br />
taking permanent custody of Justina in 2013 Justina and her parents asked that she be returned to Tufts for treatment. Judge Johnston said no.<br />
<br />
The <em>Boston Globe</em> has provided the Pelletier attorneys with powerful ammunition. What will the discovery phase reveal?<br />
<br />RVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06749051376836219238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3761673327860941860.post-83504442791488548082016-02-28T09:20:00.001-08:002016-03-04T04:11:54.378-08:00Mitch Mcconnell Speaks Nonsense<br />
<br />
Shortly after Justice Scalia's death Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/02/13/can-republicans-really-block-obamas-supreme-court-nomination-for-a-year-probably/?tid=hybrid_collaborative_3_na"> said </a> "The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice."<br />
<br />
McConnell expounded on his obtuse statement several days later by <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2016/02/24/mitch-mcconnell-adds-the-supreme-court-to-his-path-of-dysfunction/"> explaining </a> that: <br />
<blockquote>
He [the president] has every right to nominate someone. Even if doing so will inevitably plunge our nation into another bitter and avoidable struggle, that is his right. Even if he never expects that nominee to actually be confirmed but rather to wield as an electoral cudgel, that is his right. But he has also has the right to make a different choice. He can let the people decide and make this an actual legacy-building moment rather than just another campaign roadshow.</blockquote>
McConnell and many Republicans refuse to comprehend that more than 69 million voters decided in 2008 to make Obama president. Their disbelief was compounded when almost 66 million voters returned him to the White House in 2012.<br />
<br />
These votes illustrate that the majority of the American electorate trust their elected leader to make all sorts of critical decisions including sending names to the Judiciary Committee for consideration. It is the committee's responsibility to review the President's choices. <br />
<br />
To deny a president this right shows the animus that the Republican party has for a black president. Black lives don't matter and neither do black presidential decisions.
RVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06749051376836219238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3761673327860941860.post-852576061381520092016-02-01T11:06:00.000-08:002016-02-01T11:06:36.168-08:00 Police use Black Citizens for Target Practice<br />
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<strong>August 9, 2014—Ferguson, Missouri—Michael Brown—Eleven Bullets</strong><br />
<br />
After the Michael Brown shooting and subsequent protests F.B.I. Director James Comey
<a href="https://www.fbi.gov/news/speeches/hard-truths-law-enforcement-and-race"> asked </a>
his staff to tell him how many black people are shot and killed by the police every year:<br />
<blockquote>
I wanted to see trends. I wanted to see information. They couldn’t give it to me, and it wasn’t their fault. Demographic data regarding officer-involved shootings is not consistently reported to us through our Uniform Crime Reporting Program. Because reporting is voluntary, our data is incomplete and therefore, in the aggregate, unreliable.</blockquote>
The FBI may not have exact figures but the deaths that are known are horrifying. If black lives matter the number of shooting deaths would be recorded.<br />
<br />
Since Mr. Brown's death Americans have became aware that police officers in varying scenarios are indiscriminately killing black citizens. They know this because of dash-cam videos, citizens' camera phones and media reporting. Regrettably even when videos show "no cause" shootings, grand juries are reluctant to charge law enforcement when officers testify that they believed their lives were in danger.<br />
<br />
For instance Officer Darren Wilson, who shot and killed Michael Brown (no video tape) persuaded the <a href="http://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/opa/press-releases/attachments/2015/03/04/doj_report_on_shooting_of_michael_brown_1.pdf"> Justice Department </a> and the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/11/25/us/evidence-released-in-michael-brown-case.html_r=0"> Ferguson Grand Jury </a> that he killed Mr. Brown because he was afraid that Mr. Brown was going to kill him. If Officer Wilson's testimony is truthful then why did Mr. Brown fight with the officer through the patrol car window without use of a weapon? This question coupled with Mr. Brown's death belies Officer Wilson's telling.<br />
<br />
While pursuing Mr. Brown on foot Officer Wilson fired his weapon repeatedly, emptying the chamber of eleven bullets. Most of the shots entered the upper torso, the fatal shot Mr. Brown's brain. It is obvious from the bullet strikes that Officer Wilson intended to kill Mr. Brown for there were no shots fired to wound the suspect. A leg shot would have brought the suspect to the ground. For a review of the grand jury
proceedings please read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/THE-THIRTEENTH-JUROR-Investigating-Transcripts/dp/1504960289"> The Thirteenth Juror </a> by Nelda Holder.<br />
<br />
Michael Brown isn't the only case of black target practice across the country. Policemen in many cities have killed black residents under gruesome circumstances. Here are some examples:
<br />
<br />
<strong>November 29, 2012—Cleveland, Ohio—Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams—140 Bullets</strong><br />
<br />
Police <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/12/cleveland-police-russell-williams-reverse-racism-discrimination"> shoot and kill </a> Timothy Russell and his car passenger Malissa Williams. The reason given for stopping Mr. Russell: The failure of the driver to use a turn signal. Because a nearby patrolman thought he heard a gunshot [it was the Russell car backfiring], 62 patrol cars went in hot pursuit. When the Russell car was stopped, 13 policemen fired almost 140 rounds at the car. Certainly after their barrage Mr. Russell and Ms. Williams were dead but in a fit of passion or prejudice, police officer Michael Brelo threw himself on the hood of the car and covered the windshield with a spray of bullets from his Glock 17. Mr. Russell and Ms Williams were unarmed; each were shot more than twenty times. Some of the officers involved in the killing were fired but most not were punished for their behavior.<br />
<br />
<strong>October 20, 2014—Chicago, Illinois—Laquan McDonald—16 Bullets</strong><br />
<br />
Police Officer Jason Van Dyke <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Laquan_McDonald"> shot and killed </a> Laquan McDonald. The police became interested in Mr. McDonald because of reports saying that he was carrying a knife and had been breaking into vehicles. At least eight police cars were on the scene when McDonald was confronted. Officer Van Dyke fired sixteen bullets into Mr. McDonald's body fifteen of then while he was lying on the pavement. None of the other officers on the scene fired their weapons but did corroborate Van Dyke's statement that McDonald had threatened him. The dash-cam video released months after the shooting because of court order showed that Van Dyke and the other officers lied about the events. At no time did McDonald pose a threat to anyone. Immediately after the video release Officer Van Dyke was charged with first degree murder.<br />
<br />
<strong>April 4, 2015—North Charleston, South Carolina—Walter Scott—8 bullets</strong><br />
<br />
Police Officer Michael Slager was <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/apr/08/feidin-santana-bystander-walter-scott-shooting-interview"> charged </a> with murder after shooting Walter Scott in the
back. A passerby used his cell phone to film the altercation and shooting. The video showed that Mr. Scott posed no danger to Police Officer Slager wheras the police said that Mr. Scott had grabbed the officer's stun gun and had attempted to harm to him.<br />
<br />
<br />RVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06749051376836219238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3761673327860941860.post-4400139539856399422015-11-21T17:02:00.000-08:002015-11-21T17:02:43.556-08:00National Lottery needed for Clinical Trial Participants<br />
<br />
Without public discourse or media involvement foster children were placed in experimental research studies twenty six years ago. The practice began at the urging of HHS Secretary Bowen who told state and local welfare agencies in 1989 that they should:
<br />
<blockquote>
create systems to manage the participation of children in foster care in special medical treatment and experimental trials.</blockquote>
(HHS/ASPE, 1989, p. 60).<br />
<br />
The Department of HHS provides limited data on foster children and no information on how many of these state-protected individuals have participated in clinical trials. Across the country, HHS has had access to approximately <a href="http://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/cb/afcarsreport21.pdf"> 400,000 </a> foster children annually.<br />
<br />
When asked how many state wards were engaged in federally sponsored research Dr. Young,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,<a href="http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-109hhrg36660/pdf/CHRG-109hhrg36660.pdf"> told </a> the subcommittee that:<br />
<blockquote>
We know that across the National Institutes of Health (NIH) there are a number of clinical trials ongoing and children participating, but I do not have numbers of children in foster care that might be in that group.</blockquote>
It is unlikely that Dr. Young did not have that information he was reporting on the appropriateness of foster children in clinical trials.<br />
<br />
To avoid scrutiny the government is mute on the question of how many foster children enter research studies but much can be learned from the government's clinical trial website. It is a certainty that parents will not place their healthy children in experimental studies so where is the government getting its test subjects? The answer: from state welfare rolls.<br />
<br />
The following are examples of children in vaccine and infant formula research that provide no favorable outcome to the participants. These children were assuredly selected from state agencies.<br />
<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Clinical trial to assess the safety, tolerance and immunogenic response to <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT01461993?term=children+trials&rank=203#locn">Gardasil (human papilloma virus (HPV)) and rLP2086 vaccine </a> in male and female test subjects, ages 11-17. There were 2,499 participants.</li>
<br />
<li>Evaluation of the safety of <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00113880?term=children%27s+drug+trials&rank=542"> FluMist </a> in children and adults. There were 63,061 enrollees.</li>
<br />
<li>The standard care for children with UTIs is a ten day regime of antibiotics. This <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01595529"> study </a> shortened the treatment period to five days. </li>
<br />
<li>Study to <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00128167?term=children%27s+drug+trials&rank=836">determine</a> the efficacy and safety of CAIV-T compared to TIV. This exercise utilized 8,500 children.</li>
<br />
<li>The <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT00972816?term=children%27s+drug+trials&rank=1410#locn"> Swine flu vaccine </a> safety test involved 1,357 children.</li>
<br />
<li>Investigational <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/results/NCT00806195?term=childrens+drug+trials&rank=3002"> study </a> to determine the safety of MenACWY Conjugate Vaccine when given to healthy children; 2,907 children participated in the study. </li>
<br />
<li>GlaxoSmithKline <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT00729001?term=formula&rank=644&show_locs=Y#locn"> study </a> of two doses of live attenuated HRV vaccines in 529 healthy infants.</li>
<br />
<li>A study to determine the safety of a new measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine. The <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00109278?term=children+vaccine+trials&rank=6"> product </a> was
tested on 1,100, twelve to eighteen month old, children.</li>
<br />
<li>A trial to <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT01461980?term=children+vaccine+trials&rank=128&show_locs=Y#locn"> gauge </a> the safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of MCV4, Tdap vaccine and Bivalent rLP2086 vaccine when administered concomitantly to children ages 10-13. There were 2,677 children in the study.</li>
<br />
<li>An <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00973700">evaluation </a>of the safety and immunogenicity of different combinations of A/H1N1 S-OIV (swine flu) vaccine in 784 healthy children.</li>
<br />
<li>A trial to <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02132663?term=formula+studies&rank=7"> determine </a> if an experimental infant formula provides normal growth. Mead Johnson Nutrition expects to enroll 315 infants.</li>
<br />
<li>A study to <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00977964?term=formula+studies&rank=25"> evaluate </a> the gastrointestinal tolerance of six experimental milk protein-based powered infant formulas in 270 newborns.</li>
<br />
<li>New Starter Formulas and controls were <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01079208?term=formula+studies&rank=30"> tested </a> on 297 infants.</li>
<br />
<li>Hydrolysate Formulas and control products were <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02006992?term=formula+studies&rank=31"> fed </a> to 195 infants.</li>
<br />
<li>Amino Acid Infant Formulas and control products were <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01583673?term=formula+studies&rank=33"> fed </a> to 225 infants</li>
<br />
<li>Control and experimental formulas were<a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT01808105?term=formula+studies&rank=53&show_locs=Y#locn"> fed </a> to 424 newborns.</li>
<br />
<li>Investigational formulas<a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01155414?term=formula+studies&rank=61"> given </a> to 168 infants.</li>
</ul>
<br />
There is no need for government subterfuge. It is agreed that there is insufficient parent participation in clinical trials so foster children have been used to make up the shortfall. It is not fair that foster children like <a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/should-prisoners-be-used-in-medical-experiments/"> prisoners of the past </a> bear the burden and risks of experimental studies. All Americans and their children should have to accept the promise and dangers of research by registering to be test subjects. Once on the registry, names would be drawn and those chosen would be placed in appropriate clinical trials. RVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06749051376836219238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3761673327860941860.post-44124994955431505332015-11-11T15:25:00.001-08:002015-11-11T15:25:25.077-08:00The European Union Resolves that Edward Snowden is not a Traitor <br />
<br />
Many if not most Americans now consider Edward Snowden a patriot deserving gratitude not punishment for his truth telling. Since June 2013 the U.S. government has condemned Snowden as a traitor, has issued international warrants for his arrest and made it impossible for him to find a safe haven outside Russia.<br />
<br />
Because the European Union has determined that Edward Snowden is a whistleblower and defender of international human rights, member states should ignore U.S. warrants and protect Snowden from extradition and rendition. This important <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/29/europe/eu-edward-snowden-vote/index.html"> decision </a> is making it more difficult for the Justice Department to gain custody of Mr. Snowden. RVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06749051376836219238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3761673327860941860.post-71779410879997714202015-11-10T17:16:00.001-08:002015-11-10T17:19:10.539-08:00Bureau of Land Management's Performance Rating: Abysmal<br />
<br />
The horse and burro herds living on public land in western states double their population every four years—the Bureau of Land Management who has been responsible for their care since 1971 has done little or nothing to curb the birth rate. The Bureau's performance rating: Abysmal. <br />
<br />
It is troubling that the federal agency has never created a viable program to stem the birth rate of these animals. Allowing the horses and burros to breed indiscriminately has caused a nightmarish problem for the excess animals and an increasing financial burden for taxpayers. Presently the Bureau has about 50,000 horses and 10,000 burros living<a href="http://blog.humanesociety.org/wayne/2015/10/blm-plan-for-wyoming-wild-horses-is-budget-buster.html"> in captivity </a>. The Bureau is seriously considering a massive roundup of the horses living in Wyoming which will strain holding facilities. Each horse kept in captivity costs taxpayers $46,000. The annual budget to feed and shelter the animals is $43 million.<br />
<br />
Every year BLM officials determine the number of animals that need to be removed or destroyed to maintain the ecological status quo. Getting the animals off the range and into holding facilities is a costly operation and one that injures or kills scores of animals in the process. The government hires contactors to chase the animals via helicopter from their home turf into holding pens from where they then are crowded into trucks for their final destination. Many young and old animals do not survive the marathon stampede and punishing transport. <br />
<br />
Some argue that aircraft herding is necessary but that opinion is faulty because there are numerous examples of animals being moved without mechanical intervention. Take for instance the herds of bison living in Utah on Antelope Island, they are rounded up every year by horseback riders. These animals, who can run at 40 mph, are <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3761673327860941860#editor/target=post;postID=7177941087999771420;onPublishedMenu=posts;onClosedMenu=posts;postNum=0;src=postname"> driven </a> for miles into short term enclosures, vaccinated and then released. Some of the herd is auctioned. <br />
<br />
Even though the Bureau has been criticized by the news media, specifically <a href="http://www.wildhorsepreservation.org/media/nbc-news-cruel-or-necessary-true-cost-wild-horse-roundups"> NBC </a>, the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/07/us/report-criticizes-us-stewardship-of-wild-horses.html?_r=0"> National Academy of Sciences </a>, the <a href="https://www.aspca.org/about-us/press-releases/aspca-supports-new-study-management-wild-horses-us"> ASPCA </a> and other groups for their lackadaisical birth control policies the government animals continue to breed putting the horses and burros at risk
of mistreatment and unnatural death. Case in point, the 1,700 horses adopted by Tom Davis that were <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wayne-pacelle/inspector-general-report_b_8393670.html"> slaughtered </a>.<br />
<br />
Those interested in recent BLM history should <a href="https://www.doioig.gov/sites/doioig.gov/files/WildHorseBuyer_Public.pdf"> read </a> the Interior Department Attorney General's report on Tom Davis, a Bureau of Land Management horse buyer. Bureau work is overseen by the Interior Department.<br />
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Over a four year period '08-'12, Mr. Davis purchased approximately 1,700 horses at a cost of $17,940. During the investigation Mr. Davis admitted that most of BLM horses were shipped to Mexican kill sites and that he made several thousand dollars off each truckload.
Until 2012, the Bureau was paying to have horses shipped to buyers. The Bureau for instance paid $140,000 to ship the horses to Mr. Davis. Remarkably, Mr. Davis was not prosecuted, nor were any involved BLM employees fired. <br />
<br />
There was a financial relationship between Tom Davis and former Labor Secretary Ken Salazar. It is unknown whether Mr. Davis received preferential treatment in his dealings with the Bureau but circumstantial evidence suggests that he was a favored buyer of horses. It should be noted that no other buyer came close to Mr. Davis's 1,700 horse purchase order.<br />
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There is no facet of the BLM program that is satisfactory for the animals or for the taxpayers. Birth control is not routinely administered to the gathered meres according to <a href="http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/whbprogram/herd_management/Data/Completed_FY_2014_Gathers.html">BLM reports</a>. The holding facilities where the horses and burros live bear no resemblance to the animals' natural environment. Those adopting BLM horses and burros must provide a three-sided shelter for the animals whereas those confined in government-built temporary or long term holding sites are not afforded such protections.<br />
<br />
It is obvious from all accounts that the Bureau of Land Management is a federal agency in desperate need of new management. The current Director, Neil Kornze appointed in 2014, has done nothing to improve the way business is conducted— the population of horses and burros continues to expand as does the BLM budget.<br />
<br />RVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06749051376836219238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3761673327860941860.post-83159624422499538142015-10-23T15:38:00.000-07:002015-10-23T15:38:24.461-07:00 The Bureau of Land Management's Cruelty to Animals<br />
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The numbers of horses and burros living on public land doubles every four years. These herds have been under the Bureau of Land Management supervision and protection since 1971. Because the Bureau has failed to control the number of horses and burros being born thousands of animals have and are receiving cruel treatment when they are moved to holding pens.<br />
<br />
In 2013 NBC News filmed the Bureau of Land Management contractors causing wild horses and burros pain and extreme distress during roundups (gatherings). Anyone looking at the film
footage would question why the Bureau of Land Management and its contractors were not charged with cruelty to animals.
At the time of the filming the Bureau was spending 1.5% of its budget on birth control which is why there is no room for the thousands of equids who are removed from public lands every year. Forty six million dollars is expended annually to care for the 50,000 horses in BLM captivity.<br />
<br />
Roundups/gatherings are cruel occasions for it means that helicopter pilots are allowed to chase the animals sometimes for miles until they reach barbed wire enclosures. Once inside the animals respond with panic and try to escape by repeatedly hitting the fences with face and feet. Looking at the NBC film footage it is easy to see the gouge wounds. The barbed wire injuries are grievous and avoidable. Surely the Bureau of Land Management executives are aware that electric current fences are far more humane deterrents.
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<br />
It isn't just roundups that stress the animals. When the horses and burros are moved they are crammed into trucks. To accomplish this task the men repeatedly strike the rump of the animals with electric prods. Sometimes the panic-stricken animals fall and when they do
they are unable to regain their footing because of the number of animals being transported. Once down they are then trampled by hoofs of the other animals packed in the truck. Less
crowded vehicles would stop these horrific deaths.
The BLM has long been criticized for their holding pens because they confine the animals in small enclosures that provide no form of shelter from harsh weather conditions. Responding to public criticism the Bureau has begun adding shelter to their holding facilities. Samples of shelters may be found <a href="http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/whbprogram/history_and_facts/from_the_public.html#bait">here</a>. Most of the horses and burros removed from western states spend the rest of their lives in confinement.
<br />
<br />
Almost all aspects of the BLM program, the roundups, transportation and holding pens evidence an agency unconcerned with the animals' wellbeing. <br />
<br />
Congress directed the Bureau of Land Management in 1971 to protect the wild horses and burros from capture, branding, harassment and death. Even though the wild animals are harassed and subjected to painful injuries, sometimes death, the Bureau says the gatherings are “necessary and justified.” It is not known how helicopters came to be used in roundups but this herding technique is in reality nothing more than a cruel sport. Young and old animals do not survive the torturous chase.
<br />
<br />
Those viewing the NBC <a href="http://wildhorsepreservation.org/media/nbc-news-cruel-or-necessary-true-cost-wild-horse-roundups">documentary</a> and other images on the internet would say that there is no justification for the mistreatment that the BLM horses and burros receive from their handlers. <br />
<br />
Nor is there any reason that BLM officials did not commence birth control policies more than two decades ago. If they had adopted birth control practices, the agency would not have an excess animal problem and the horses and burros would not have suffered the cruel consequences of being gathered.<br />
<br />
After reviewing the Bureau of Land Management practices the National Academy of Sciences in their 2013 report called the gatherings and long term storage facilities "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/07/us/report-criticizes-us-stewardship-of-wild-horses.html?_r=0"> expensive and unproductive </a>." The NAS report raised the question of why the Bureau had not initiated full scale population control measures long ago. PZP, a proven contraception vaccine, has controlled the horse population on Assateague Island and has and is being used to limit deer conception all over the U.S.
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<br />
The person responsible for the animals' wellbeing is Neil Kornze and he was appointed Director in the spring of 2013. Mr. Kornze has served the bureau since 2011 and has been on the job long enough to know that his federal agency has failed its mission to properly care for
the animals under its supervision. <br />
<br />
It is obvious that a "good ole boy network" is making decisions for the bureau. This group of people, usually men, do not believe in birth control and they are oblivions to animal pain and suffering. These <br />
individuals know that it is commonplace for animals to die or suffer serious injury during the gatherings. Aircraft roundups should be outlawed.
<br />
<br />
Judging from Mr. Kornze's indifference to the problems under discussion, he should step down. His departure would allow Congress to appoint a Director who would make birth control a priority. When the herd populations are stabilized and the 50,000 horses in captivity
die of natural causes, the costs to taxpayers will be reduced significantly.
RVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06749051376836219238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3761673327860941860.post-38243010918618888972015-09-26T16:52:00.000-07:002015-09-26T16:52:41.418-07:00Tonto National Forest horses to be "condemned, destroyed or otherwise disposed of"<br />
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Federal officials announced recently that the Tonto National Forest horses that will be sold at auction are to be <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/07/us/salt-river-wild-horses-tonto-national-forest-arizona.html?_r=0"> "condemned and destroyed, or otherwise disposed of </a>.” Tonto National Forest horses are classified as strays so they are not covered by the protections of the 1971 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_and_Free-Roaming_Horses_and_Burros_Act_of_1971"> Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act.</a><br />
<br />
To minimize growing criticism of the scheduled auction, national forest officials have delayed the sale for four months. Many of the expected purchasers are "<a href="http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/horse_slaughter/facts/transport_to_slaughter_092909.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/"> kill buyers </a>" who will immediately load their purchases onto long-haul trailers for shipment to Mexico or Canada to be processed into horse meat for foreign consumption. The cost of horse meat in Europe is about $20.00 per pound.
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<br />
It has long been acknowledged that the businesses engaged in transport are not properly caring for the animals while in transit. Electric shocks are used to force the horses into trucks. Once confined, they forced to stand for long hours (sometimes twenty four) in claustrophobic quarters and are not fed or watered. It is no matter if horses die for they are a cheap commodity. Horses surviving the journey to the kill site suffer greatly. Approximately 150,000 horses are shipped out of the US annually. Long-haul trucks ferried 102,554 horses to slaughter houses in Mexico last year and 39,523 horses to Canadian facilities.<br />
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Congress knew that horse slaughter was a contentious issue so in 2007 they effectively shut down US horse processing sites by refusing to pay for inspections.
Legislators could have permanently settled the issue by outlawing US slaughter facilities and forbidding horse transport to foreign countries but instead chose a defunding tactic.
For a timeline of US Horse Slaughter Legislation please visit <a href="http://www.horsechannel.com/horse-resources/horse-slaughter-timeline.aspx"> here </a>.<br />
<br />
It makes no difference whether horses are protected or strays, getting the animals to designated sites is a punishing affair. Imagine the fear that the horses experience as they are harassed by helicopter pilots or motorcycle drivers whose only job is to get them into enclosures. These mechanized roundups cause numerous injuries and death to foals and elderly horses. These casualties are of no concern to the
government contractors. There are no penalties for inflicting pain.<br />
<br />
Many of the Bureau of Land Management holding pens have no shelter for the animals. The horses are subjected to punishing weather conditions be it blistering heat, frigid cold or high winds. Looking at <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=bureau+of+land+management+holding+facilities&rlz=1C1CHMO_enUS572US578&es_sm=122&biw=1014&bih=564&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAgQ_AUoA2oVChMIrq-SzdeVyAIVxFU-Ch2-jwny">images</a> of these federally-financed facilities makes one wonder if the agency is committed to the horses' wellbeing. There are approximately 50,000 horses in BLM captivity. The cost of care is 46 million dollars a year.<br />
<br />
In spite of the fact that birth control measures have long been available, the BLM has chosen not to institute anti-fertility measures and consequently the wild horse population
has grown to unmanageable numbers.
<br />
<br />
For example, the <a href="http://www.newtown-ct.gov/public_documents/NewtownCT_BComm/TBDACFR/Attach%206%20Rustberg%20Handout1.pdf"> PZP </a> vaccine available for more than twenty years has been successfully used to control horse populations on Assateague Island, a federal wildlife refuge off the coast of Maryland. <br />
PZP is cost effective, has no side effects and has also been employed to control the US deer population. <br />
<br />
Thousands of western horses have been subjected to horrifying conditions and painful deaths because BLM officials have failed to intervene. Only incompetent individuals would allow animals to breed till they put themselves and others in harm's way. Park service personnel say the Tonto National Forest herd of 100 horses has to go because they threaten public safety. The government says that the horses have wrecked camp sites and have been hit and killed by cars.<br />
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It is past time for Congress to tell the Bureau of Land Management and its director, Neil Kornze to stop the needless breeding. Prior to his BLM appointment, Mr. Kornze served as the agency's Principal Deputy Director. Mr. Kornze has been on the job long enough to know that the US has a critical horse population problem. For 2015 the BLM <a href="http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/whbprogram/herd_management/tentative_gather_schedule.html"> plans </a> to gather 4,067 horses, remove 3,322 and provide dart gun fertility control measures for 470. <br />
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For a graphic presentation of the injuries sustained by the horses and burros during the gathers please <a href="http://investigations.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/14/17588942-cruel-or-necessary-the-true-cost-of-wild-horse-roundups"> see </a> this video recorded by NBC News. A Bureau of Land Management spokesman told NBC that 1.5% of its budget is devoted to population suppression. Currently 26,715 horses and burros <a href="http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/whbprogram/history_and_facts/quick_facts.html"> exceed </a> the Appropriate Management Level and will be removed from public lands.
Removed generally means death.<br />
<br />
The NBC film is so disturbing that it raises the question of whether Neil Kornze and his subordinates are qualified to oversee the Bureau of Land Management. The NBC report is not suitable for grammar school children but it should be required viewing for high school and college students who are studying government.
RVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06749051376836219238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3761673327860941860.post-90555168098785501482015-08-19T17:44:00.000-07:002015-08-19T17:44:09.011-07:00The Bush Iraqi War Lies, an Act of Treason <br />
Treason is the act of betraying one's country. When President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, Secretary of State Colin Powell and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld lied to Congress, the UN, and the public about their reasons for invading Iraq they committed <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1861/01/25/news/treason-against-the-united-states.html"> treason </a>. The lie is not treasonous but the consequences of the lie are if they give aid and comfort to America's enemies.<br />
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Intelligence officers certainly warned the president and his advisors that the U.S. occupation of an Arab country would ignite a firestorm throughout the Arab world. Those who hated the U.S., for example bin Laden, now had the perfect terrorist recruitment tool.
<br />
<br />
The Bush administration's basis for seizing Iraq was Hussein's weapons of mass destruction but investigators found no WMD in the country.<br />
<br />
The contrived reasons for taking Iraq destabilized the Middle East, spawned Isis and strengthened Al-Qaeda.<br />
<br />
Recently the Obama administration said no to a petition to pardon Edward Snowden. Officials <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/08/01/no-sign-deal-for-snowden-from-white-house-to-congress-2016-field/"> said </a> that Mr. Snowden's decision, to “steal and disclose classified information had severe consequences for the security of our country and the people who work day in and day out to protect it.” Whether these allegations or true or not, Mr. Snowden's actions are minor offences compared to those of Bush, Cheney, Rice, Powell and Rumsfeld. <br />
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`
RVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06749051376836219238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3761673327860941860.post-13201950762959388532015-07-18T06:27:00.000-07:002015-07-18T06:27:18.135-07:00 Enviva's Poisonous Pellet Product<br />
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Enviva, a biomass manufacturer, went <a href="http://biomassmagazine.com/articles/11877/enviva-begins-trading-on-nyse-provides-update-on-pellet-projects"> public </a> in the spring of 2015.<br />
<br />
Prior to its IPO, <a href="http://www.forestbioenergyreview.com/pellets/item/79-governor-mccrory-celebrates-opening-of-enviva-pellets-northampton"> Enviva </a> touted its wood pellet product as cleaner-than-coal energy but that statement was only a sale's tool. Presently the company's customers are foreign energy utilities who are receiving government subsidies to buy and burn wood pellets rather than coal. Investors and clients are <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/24/business/combating-climate-change-with-science-rather-than-hope.html?_r=0"> learning </a>that the burning of wood pellets is not beneficial to the environment. In fact biomass as an energy source is a critical air pollutant, producing 50% more CO2 than coal. <br />
<br />
It isn't just make believe environmental statements that should give investors and clients reason for doubt. Enviva's timbering practices were criticized by <em>The Wall Street Journal</em> a few years ago. The newspaper questioned the company's source of wood. Enviva's spokesmen had reported that the bulk of their wood was purchased from sawmills and pine tree plantations. Contrary to Envivaspeak the company's primary source of wood is southern forests. Wood pellet mills, including Enviva's are located in southern states and are growing in number. Stand outside these production facilities and watch the entering trucks bring large hardwood trees to the grinder. Enviva and its competitors are devastating southern woodlands to produce greenhouse toxins for foreign entities. In June <em>The Washington Post</em> <a href="http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/perspectives/u-s-trees-fuel-green-strategy-in-europe/article_f492d0a1-f21d-5ef9-808f-ce7cc326275d.html"> raised </a>the same red flags as <em>The Wall Street Journal</em> concerning Enviva's forestry practices and far fetched energy claims.<br />
<br />
For the truth of biomass manufacturing please google <a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=enviva&nord=1&biw=1366&bih=650&site=webhp&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAgQ_AUoA2oVChMI2o3dzvPgxgIVUKSICh2yLQjD">Enviva images</a>. One of the photos taken by the WSJ shows an eighty-one acre tract along the Roanoke River in North Carolina that was clear cut by Enviva operators. It is not known how many trees it takes to make 1.74 million metric tons a year but that is Enviva's advertised processing capacity. When biomass loggers work a forest site it is razed to bare dirt. There are reasonable concerns regarding Enviva's forest removal techniques. Experts warn that Enviva's denuded landscapes will raise the risks of flooding and erosion events.<br />
<br />
One would not expect Enviva's owners to need public money to expand their business but the costs of the Enviva Pellets Northhampton facility was underwritten by various federal, state, and local agencies including the <a href="http://www.eda.gov/"><span style="color: #663399;"> Economic Development Administration </span></a>, <a href="http://www.nccommerce.com/"><span style="color: #663399;">North Carolina Department of Commerce</span></a>, <a href="http://www.goldenleaf.org/"><span style="color: #663399;">Golden Leaf Foundation</span></a>, and the <a href="http://www.ncruralcenter.org/"><span style="color: #663399;">North Carolina Rural Center</span></a>. Enviva's owners, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riverstone_Holdings"> Riverstone Holdings, LLC </a>, a $20 billion private equity fund, was the beneficiary of these public funds. In addition to those sweeteners Enviva <a href="http://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article10055087.html"> received </a> $ 1.7 million in North Carolina tax rewards. <br />
<br />
Carbon dioxide levels <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/may/06/global-carbon-dioxide-levels-break-400ppm-milestone"> reached </a> a never-achieved point in March according to NOAA and exceeded 400 ppm for an entire month. The trees being pelletized by Enviva and other biomass manufacturers were pulling massive amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere. Now these pellets are contributing to the earth's warming.<br />
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<br />RVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06749051376836219238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3761673327860941860.post-83883446622960699202015-06-25T10:07:00.000-07:002015-06-25T10:07:15.112-07:00About Michael Morell's New Book<br />
<br />
Michael Morell, former CIA deputy director, current self promoter would have readers of his new book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords="The+Great+War+of+Our+Time%3A+The+CIA's+Fight+Against+Terrorism+-+From+al-Qaida+to+ISIS%2C"&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3A"The+Great+War+of+Our+Time%3A+The+CIA's+Fight+Against+Terrorism+-+From+al-Qaida+to+ISIS\c"&linkCode=as2&tag=newsmedi9a-20&linkId=JWQX7Q4SOSP2L6BP"><strong> "The Great War of Our Time: The CIA's Fight Against Terrorism - From al-Qaida to ISIS," </strong></a>believe that Edward Snowden's release of classified documents in 2013 advantaged terrorist organizations such as ISIS. Mr.Morrell offers no proof that Snowden was instrumental in enhancing terrorists' abilities to avoid detection but uses the allegations as a sales gimmick. If possible Mr. Morell would accuse Snowden of complicity in the September 11 attacks. Mr. Morell's focus on Snowden is nothing more than a distraction from the real issue which is why the CIA had no clue that al-Qaeda had formed a motley crew of Saudi nationals to bomb the twin towers, the Pentagon, and an unknown government building with commercial jets. Although the 911 attacks are the greatest intelligence failure in U.S. history there are no answers as to how this horror came to be. Remarkably the CIA has not had to answer for the 911 breakdown or its erroneous intelligence reports regarding Iraq's nonexistent WMD. The CIA has caused irreparable harm and is responsible for the Middle East maelstrom. It is not Mr. Snowden who endangers the US, it is retired government officials who hope to profit from their unbelievable books.<br />
<br />RVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06749051376836219238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3761673327860941860.post-23488131689994649242015-06-15T15:51:00.001-07:002015-06-15T15:51:44.167-07:00Carepartners' Angels<br />
<a href="http://www.carepartners.org/"> CarePartners, </a>an Asheville, North Carolina rehabilitation facility, cared for me for three weeks after I suffered a stroke in early May. The stroke damaged my left arm and leg.<br />
<br />
Shortly after entry into the hospital I was enrolled in CarePartners' rehabilitation programs which are designed to restore function to damaged limbs. It was an amazing adventure and because of the efforts of the physical and occupational therapists my leg and arm are responding to treatment. It is a long-term endeavor but I have been offered recovery. I owe CarePartners' therapists a debt of gratitude for they are responsible for my recovery.RVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06749051376836219238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3761673327860941860.post-75856953738547647592015-06-14T15:41:00.000-07:002015-06-14T15:41:58.639-07:00Senators Mccain and Flake Responsible for Sale of Sacred SiteAn area known as <a href="http://tucson.com/business/local/massive-mine-proposed-at-oak-flat-sacred-tribal-land/article_36556048-ba26-54ba-8445-0ff8b753e29b.html"> Oak Flat, Arizona </a>, long revered and protected since '55 as an Apache holy site was recently bartered in a foreign land exchange deal. The copper to be extracted from the Oak Flat mining site will primarily <a href="http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2014/12/08/san-carlos-apache-leader-seeks-senate-defeat-copper-mine-sacred-land-158181"> benefit </a> Iran and China. Congress approved the exchange at the behest of Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake. For smooth sailing McCain tacked H.R. 687 onto the National Defense Authorization Act which guaranteed passage. For quid pro quo McCain <a href="http://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/com_supopp/C00243675/"> received </a> campaign funds from the new owner, Resolution Copper Mining, part of the <a href="http://www.riotinto.com/"> Rio Tinto </a> conglomerate. Flake before gaining entry to the Senate was a lobbyist for Rio Rössing Uranium. Oak Flat is sacred ground for it is where Apaches go to pray. The planned despoliation is like plundering Gethsemane for economic advantage. Members of Congress should be barred from selling sacred places. McCain, Flake and the members of congress who supported the Oak Flat transaction deserve harsh criticism for their participation in the scheme.
For further information on this shameful legislation please read "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/29/opinion/selling-off-apache-holy-land.html?_r=0"> Selling Off the Holy Land </a>." Congress can repair the injury done to the Apache people by rescinding H. R. 687. [ <strong>Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act of 2013].</strong>The question is will they?RVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06749051376836219238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3761673327860941860.post-16301568618483149362015-06-14T15:39:00.000-07:002015-06-14T15:39:37.081-07:00North Carolina's Bloodlust SportGovernor McCrory and the state legislature support wildlife killing fields. For effortless deer kills North Carolina allows property owners to lure state animals onto private property and then fence them for slaughter. Private deer farms also supply animals for the state's death sport. Killing captive animals does not fall under the definition of hunting. It is death for pleasure. North Carolina hunters may use AR-style weapons in their sporting endeavors. It could be said that North Carolina is a savage state.RVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06749051376836219238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3761673327860941860.post-39447895246323240682015-04-17T19:37:00.000-07:002015-04-17T19:37:11.123-07:00Is There a Facially Legitimate and Bona Fide Reason for Denying the Berashk Visa?<br />
<br />
The administration's <a href="http://sblog.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Kerry-v-Din-Pet-5-23-14.pdf">writ of certiorari complaint </a>in the case of John F. Kerry, Secretary of State, et al., Petitioners, v. Fauzia Din, illustrates the government's unwarranted obsession with secrecy in visa determinations.<br />
<br />
The trigger for the certiorari writ was the Ninth Circuit's ruling that American citizens are entitled to know why spousal visas are denied. The case under consideration concerns Fauzia Din, an American citizen and her husband Kanishka Berashk, an Afghan national.<br />
<br />
Shortly after her marriage to Mr. Berashk in 2006 Ms Din filed an immigrant visa petition on behalf of her husband. The petition was approved by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services [USCIS].<br />
<br />
Mr. Berashk then visited the U.S.Embassy in Islamabad to apply for his visa. Generally visa applications are granted or denied in a six-week period. Mr. Berashk was not notified by the U.S. Embassy until June 2009 that his visa request was denied due the belief that he had engaged in
terrorist activities. The government notified Mr. Berashk that its decision was final and not subject to appeal. With all avenues closed Ms. Din decided to challenge the consulate's decision by asking for judicial review. The district court hearing Ms. Din's complaint elected to dismiss the case based on the doctrine of consular nonreviewability. This rule prohibits the judiciary from questioning visa decisions.<br />
<br />
The next court assessing the Din complaint was the Ninth Circuit. They ruled that an American citizen has the right to know why her husband was denied a visa, Being that the case involves national security the court suggested an in camera hearing so a judge could evaluate the worth
of the government's allegation. This suggestion was <a href="http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/publications/supreme_court_preview/BriefsV5/13-1402_reply_pet_UnitedStates.authcheckdam.pdf">rejected</a> by the administration because in its opinion federal judges cannot be trusted with national security matters.<br />
<br />
Because the government has refused to provide any documentation regarding Mr. Berashk's persona non grata status the Ninth Circuit said the government's terrorist claim is not valid. In other words without evidence there is no facially legitimate and bona fide reason for denying the Berashk visa. <br />
<br />
If the administration wins its writ of certiorari petition pending before the Supreme Court neither Mr. Berashk, his wife nor the public will ever know if there is any merit to the terrorist claim. Several groups have filed amicus briefs on Ms. Din's behalf. Most notably is the one filed by Former Consular Officers. In their <a href="http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/publications/supreme_court_preview/BriefsV4/13-1402_amicus_resp_fco.authcheckdam.pdf">brief</a> the group said present day visa evaluations are not based on consular input but rather on often faulty data drawn from suspect sources. In the officers' <a href="http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/publications/supreme_court_preview/BriefsV4/13-1402_amicus_resp_fco.authcheckdam.pdf">opinion</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Judicial review is a necessary safety valve
for visa denials relying on databases
and watchlists that are compiled
with variable reliability by multiple
agencies, several of which have no authority
over visa decisions.</blockquote>
Executive and congressional decisions often violate constitutional boundaries. Judicial review keeps these parties on notice that there is another group reviewing their activities.<br />
<br />
<br />RVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06749051376836219238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3761673327860941860.post-81208323054862586592015-02-27T10:45:00.001-08:002015-02-27T10:45:44.666-08:00Children and Lobotomy Drugs <br />
Lobotomies, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobotomy"> surgical interventions </a> for depression, psychosis and <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jamie-scot/shock-the-gay-away-secrets-of-early-gay-aversion-therapy-revealed_b_3497435.html"> homosexuality disorders </a> were performed on 40,000 Americans from 1936 to the early 70s. Generally these surgeries were performed without patients' consent.<br />
<br />
The <em>Wall Street Journal</em> 's <a href="http://projects.wsj.com/lobotomyfiles/?ch=one"> Lobotomy </a> <a href="http://projects.wsj.com/lobotomyfiles/?ch=one"> Files </a> informs that 2,000 WW II veterans received <a href="http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/psychosurgery">psychosurgery</a> while under Veterans Administration care. Patients surviving the procedure were narcotized for life.<br />
<br />
The American Psychiatric Association <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality_and_psychology"> classified </a> homosexuality a mental aberration until 1973. <br />
<br />
Public concern regarding lobotomies and other novel experiments conducted on the mentally infirm caused President Carter to set up a<span id="goog_2115304704"></span> <a href="https://bioethicsarchive.georgetown.edu/nbac/capacity/Appendix1.htm#Foot264">National Commission</a> <span id="goog_2115304705"></span>to examine the issue. Members of the Commission determined that Nuremberg protections were not applicable to this vulnerable group because:<br />
<blockquote>
....some research involving the mentally infirm cannot be undertaken with any other group, and since this research may yield significant knowledge about the causes and treatment of mental disabilities, it is necessary to consider the consequences of prohibiting such research. Some argue that prohibiting such research might harm the class of mentally infirm persons as a whole by depriving them of benefits they could have received if the research had proceeded.</blockquote>
Psychosurgery, rarely performed in the U.S today, has been replaced with mind-altering drugs which are another form of lobotomy.<br />
<br />
Adults were the first population to receive antipsychotic medication. Now these products are commonly used by pediatricians and psychiatrists to control recalcitrant children. There is limited <a href="http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2013/12/are-too-many-kids-taking-antipsychotic-drugs/index.htm"> evidence </a>, other than prescription practices, to validate the use of these medications in children. Diagnosing mental disorders in children is a subjective exercise and there are numerous indications that PhRMA and physicians have abused their licenses. Adults choose their treatment regimens; children have no say in their health care.<br />
<br />
A 2013 <a href="http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2012/05/off-label-drug-prescribing-what-does-it-mean-for-you/index.htm"> Consumer Reports </a> investigation found that the use of anti-psychotics in children has nearly tripled in the past decade and that many of these prescriptions were written off label i.e. without testing and FDA approval. Consumer Union calls the practice of prescribing anti-psychotic drugs to children an unregulated experiment. Suspect physician practices include concomitant use of five or more anti-psychotics and <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/17/us/among-experts-scrutiny-of-attention-disorder-diagnoses-in-2-and-3-year-olds.html?_r=0">application </a>of these drugs in children under the age of three.<br />
<br />
Medicaid-insured children including state wards are far more likely to <a href="http://www.gao.gov/assets/590/586570.pdf"> receive </a> anti-psychotics than those in the general population. Foster children are targeted because they are <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3761673327860941860#editor/target=post;postID=8737921438420045750;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=2;src=postname"> routinely used </a> in government-sponsored clinical trials.<br />
<br />
Health Canada <a href="http://www.safekid.org/en/magazine-issue/issue-14/item/132-17-deaths-reported-in-second-generation-antipsychotic-drugs-for-children"> reported </a> in 2013 that anti-psychotic medication had killed 17 children and harmed 73 others. <br />
<br />
The FDA requires drug manufacturers to place black box warnings on most<a href="http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2011/12/02/what-you-need-to-know-about-psychotropic-drugs/"> psychotropic medications</a>, an acknowledgement that these products pose grave risks to patients. <br />
<br />
American children have died and suffered injury as a result of their psychotropic drug treatments. The question of whether these medications are worth the risks is unknown because the FDA has not released casualty reports.<br />
<br />RVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06749051376836219238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3761673327860941860.post-1149893092924930152015-02-05T18:48:00.001-08:002015-02-05T18:48:30.802-08:00U.S. Meat Animal Research Center's Death Pit<br />
James Keen, a former scientist/veterinarian at the U. S. Meat Animal Research Center notified the <em>New York Times</em> a year ago that the Nebraska site's cows, pigs, and sheep were subjected to painful, unnecessary experiments that caused crippling ailments
and death.<br />
<br />
The center, operating under Agriculture Department purview, is exempt from the <a href="http://awic.nal.usda.gov/government-and-professional-resources/federal-laws/animal-welfare-act"> Animal Welfare Act </a> which means that the center's personnel may
conduct any manner of experiments on its test animals without regard to their suffering.
<br />
<br />
Freedom of Information documents obtained by the Times <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/20/dining/animal-welfare-at-risk-in-experiments-for-meat-industry.html?_r=0"> verified </a> Dr. Keen's complaints regarding animal mistreatment at the U. S. Meat Animal Research Center. Examples of cruelty cited by the newspaper: animals undergoing surgery without anesthesia, pigs and cows placed in steam chambers, newborn lambs left in deadly environments and pigs held in claustrophobic quarters. Animals who do not survive the experiments are disposed of in the facility's death pit.<br />
<br />
The Times exposé may <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/05/dining/lawmakers-aim-to-protect-farm-animals-in-us-research.html?_r=0"> affect </a> change for these hapless animals.RVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06749051376836219238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3761673327860941860.post-87379214384200457502015-01-30T17:14:00.000-08:002015-01-30T17:14:21.064-08:00 Foster Children in Harm's Way<br />
In 2005 the Associated Press <a href="http://www.natap.org/2005/newsUpdates/062005_02.htm"> reported </a> that foster children had been denied required protections when state agencies enrolled their wards in federally-sponsored AIDS clinical trials in the 80s and 90s. <br />
<br />
This explosive news prompted a congressional hearing on whether foster children should be engaged in research projects and if they are selected, are their interests being meaningfully protected? <br />
<br />
Post investigation, the government conceded that foster children's rights had been violated but that the group would remain in experimental enterprises.<br />
<br />
Federal policy—the taking of foster children for experimental purposes—was <a href="http://www.hhs.gov/asl/testify/t050518.html"> detailed </a> by Dr. Donald Young, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2005 in his testimony before the Subcommittee on Human Resources.<br />
<br />
Dr. Young explained that the use of foster children in clinical research was necessary for scientific purposes. The inclusion of foster children in research was initiated by HHS Secretary Bowen in 1989. Secretary Bowen said:<br />
<blockquote>
State and local child welfare agencies should create systems to manage the participation of children in foster care in special medical treatment and experimental trials. </blockquote>
(HHS/ASPE, 1989, p. 60).<br />
<br />
The Department of HHS provides limited data on foster children and none on how many of these state-protected individuals have been placed in clinical trials. When asked how many state wards were engaged in federal research Dr. Young <a href="http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-109hhrg36660/pdf/CHRG-109hhrg36660.pdf"> told </a> the subcommittee that:<br />
<blockquote>
We know that across the National Institutes of Health (NIH) there are a number of clinical trials ongoing and children participating, but I do not have numbers of children in foster care that might be in that group.</blockquote>
It is implausible that Dr. Young did not have that information— he was testifying on the matter of foster children in clinical trials.<br />
<br />
When 7-year old foster child Gabriel Myers committed suicide in 2009 the state of Florida asked the FDA to confirm or deny whether the child had been enrolled in Dr. Sohail Punjwani drug trials. The FDA refused to answer and Florida responded that henceforth no Florida foster child would be used in pharmaceutical research. For additional information on the death of Gabriel Myers please see ABC's "<a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Health/doctors-put-foster-children-risk-mind-altering-drugs/story?id=15064560"> Doctors Put Foster Children at Risk With Mind-Altering Drugs </a>."<br />
<br />
Parents generally do not volunteer their children for research projects that involve risk and provide no benefit. The FDA may not be forthcoming regarding foster children in clinical trials but much can be learned from the information that is available. <br />
<br />
The following are examples of children in vaccine and infant formula research that provide no favorable outcome to the participants. These children were likely selected from state welfare rolls.<br />
<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Clinical trial to assess the safety, tolerance and immunogenic response to <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT01461993?term=children+trials&rank=203#locn">Gardasil (human papilloma virus (HPV)) and rLP2086 vaccine </a> in male and female test subjects, ages 11-17. There were 2,499 participants.</li>
<br />
<li>Evaluation of the safety of <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00113880?term=children%27s+drug+trials&rank=542"> FluMist </a> in children and adults. There were 63,061 enrollees.</li>
<br />
<li>The standard care for children with UTIs is a ten day regime of antibiotics. This <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01595529"> study </a> shortened the treatment period to five days. </li>
<br />
<li>Study to <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00128167?term=children%27s+drug+trials&rank=836">determine</a> the efficacy and safety of CAIV-T compared to TIV. This exercise utilized 8,500 children.</li>
<br />
<li>The <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT00972816?term=children%27s+drug+trials&rank=1410#locn"> Swine flu vaccine </a> safety test involved 1,357 children.</li>
<br />
<li>Investigational <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/results/NCT00806195?term=childrens+drug+trials&rank=3002"> study </a> to determine the safety of MenACWY Conjugate Vaccine when given to healthy children; 2,907 children participated in the study. </li>
<br />
<li>GlaxoSmithKline <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT00729001?term=formula&rank=644&show_locs=Y#locn"> study </a> of two doses of live attenuated HRV vaccines in 529 healthy infants.</li>
<br />
<li>A study to determine the safety of a new measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine. The <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00109278?term=children+vaccine+trials&rank=6"> product </a> was
tested on 1,100, twelve to eighteen month old, children.</li>
<br />
<li>A trial to <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT01461980?term=children+vaccine+trials&rank=128&show_locs=Y#locn"> gauge </a> the safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of MCV4, Tdap vaccine and Bivalent rLP2086 vaccine when administered concomitantly to children ages 10-13. There were 2,677 children in the study.</li>
<br />
<li>An <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00973700">evaluation </a>of the safety and immunogenicity of different combinations of A/H1N1 S-OIV (swine flu) vaccine in 784 healthy children.</li>
<br />
<li>A trial to <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02132663?term=formula+studies&rank=7"> determine </a> if an experimental infant formula provides normal growth. Mead Johnson Nutrition expects to enroll 315 infants.</li>
<br />
<li>A study to <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00977964?term=formula+studies&rank=25"> evaluate </a> the gastrointestinal tolerance of six experimental milk protein-based powered infant formulas in 270 newborns.</li>
<br />
<li>New Starter Formulas and controls were <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01079208?term=formula+studies&rank=30"> tested </a> on 297 infants.</li>
<br />
<li>Hydrolysate Formulas and control products were <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02006992?term=formula+studies&rank=31"> fed </a> to 195 infants.</li>
<br />
<li>Amino Acid Infant Formulas and control products were <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01583673?term=formula+studies&rank=33"> fed </a> to 225 infants</li>
<br />
<li>Control and experimental formulas were<a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT01808105?term=formula+studies&rank=53&show_locs=Y#locn"> fed </a> to 424 newborns.</li>
<br />
<li>Investigational formulas<a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01155414?term=formula+studies&rank=61"> given </a> to 168 infants.</li>
</ul>
<br />
There were <a href="http://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/cb/afcarsreport21.pdf"> 402,378 </a> children under state custody as of September 30, 2013.
Foster children die and are harmed as a result of their involuntary participation in the government's experiments.<br />
<br />
Where is the outrage?<br />
<br />
<br />RVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06749051376836219238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3761673327860941860.post-61547032773246208402015-01-06T17:07:00.000-08:002015-01-06T17:07:26.798-08:00 Genetically Modified Organisms in Food and Pharmaceuticals<br />
<br />
The entities involved in gene research state that their resultant products are safe but that is a supposition not a fact.<br />
<br />
With scant due diligence, a National Academy of Sciences task force <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1987/08/15/us/panel-discounts-special-hazards-in-gene-splicing.html"> determined </a> in 1987 that gene splicing posed no "unique risk." In the professionals' viewpoint there was no evidence of "hazards peculiar" to the technology. This optimistic assessment did not hold—gene manipulation carries serious risks.<br />
<br />
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), a unit of the USDA, is responsible for ensuring that experimental, genetically-altered, organisms do not escape their test sites and that they are destroyed post examination.<br />
<br />
According to the Inspector General's '05 audit, APHIS's oversight over the past several decades has been <a href="http://www.isb.vt.edu/articles/mar0604.htm"> perfunctory </a>. Prior to 2006 the government had approved over 10,000 applications for more than 49,000 field sites of GM plants. The OIG found that:<br />
<blockquote>
weaknesses in APHIS’ regulations and internal management controls increase the risk that regulated GM organisms will inadvertently enter the environment before the agency considers them sufficiently harmless to merit unregulated status.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
The agency considers certain GM crops to pose a high risk, such as plants engineered to produce pharmaceutical and industrial compounds, or plants engineered with human genes.
</blockquote>
The debate is complex and presently there is no consensus as to the safety of GMO science but it should be considered that the government and their corporate overlords were silent while conducting GMO trials during the 70s. Gene research went into overdrive in 1976 when patents were granted for these creations.<br />
<br />
American consumers became the first genetically-altered food test subjects in 1994 when <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeffrey-smith/throwing-biotech-lies-at_b_803139.html"> Flavr Savr tomatoes</a> were introduced. Today 88% of corn and 93% of soybean crops have been genetically modified and most of this product is unlabeled and flows into processed foods.<br />
<br />
In 1989 consumers learned that their pharmaceuticals were subject to genetic engineering following the <a href="http://responsibletechnology.org/gmo-dangers/health-risks/L-tryptophan/cripplings"> L-trypophan </a>
tragedy. In this extensively investigated case researchers found that the L-trypophan product manufactured by the Showa Denko company in Japan had been genetically modified with B. amyloliquefaciens Strain V, which likely caused the death of 37 Americans and permanent disability for 1,500 others. For further information please
read "<span id="goog_572957396"></span><a href="http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199010043231412"> An Investigation of the Cause of the Eosinophilia–Myalgia Syndrome Associated with Tryptophan Use <span id="goog_572957397"></span></a>"
by the New England Journal of Medicine.<br />
<br />
It is understood that genetically modified organisms will continue to impact food, drugs and soon animals. This month the NYTs<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/02/business/energy-environment/a-gray-area-in-regulation-of-genetically-modified-crops.html?_r=0"> reported</a> that some biotech companies hope to escape regulation by using <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_gun"> gene guns </a> rather than bacterium to achieve results. <br />
<br />
In December 2013 Jim Hagedorn, Scotts chief executive, told analysts: <br />
<blockquote>
If you take genetic material from a plant and it’s not considered a pest, and you don’t use a transformation technology that would sort of violate the rules, there’s a bunch of stuff you can do that at least technically is unregulated. The company has created a stunning array of products that are not regulated </blockquote>
We nor they know the consequences of these GMO clinical trials but we do have the right to know that our consumables have been genetically redefined.<br />
<br />
<br />RVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06749051376836219238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3761673327860941860.post-35262444434782547382014-12-30T15:05:00.000-08:002014-12-30T15:05:26.920-08:00The FDA and Pharmaceuticals: False Sense of Security<br />
<br />
Consumers conduct business in a global marketplace but, unlike most world citizens, Americans outside the state of Maine do not have<a href="http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/Transparency/Basics/ucm194904.htm#"> the right </a> to import pharmaceutical products for medical necessities. Although the government rarely prosecutes those purchasing from foreign suppliers, the policy restricts choice and is a form of intimidation. The government's rationale for banning out-of-country manufactured drugs is safety.<br />
<br />
The patient protection claim is absurd for more than 80% of the active ingredients in U.S. drugs have been formulated in foreign, primarily Indian/Chinese, venues. Often these businesses are owned by American pharmaceutical companies who have found significant savings by using foreign labor. Most products, food/clothing etc. imported into the U.S. indicate country of origin. Pharmaceuticals products do not provide this advice.<br />
<br />
According to the General Accounting Office, global pharmaceutical production sites are rarely, if ever, checked by U.S. regulators: <br />
<blockquote>
FDA’s foreign inspection program continues to be driven by new drug applications and the agency acknowledges that it may never inspect most foreign manufacturers exporting pharmaceutical products to the United States. (GAO 1998 Report: "<a href="http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO/HEHS-98-21">FDA: Improvements Needed in Foreign Drug Inspection Program"</a> pg. 33)</blockquote>
In 2011 the GOA found the <a href="http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-936T"> same </a> FDA inspection deficiencies.<br />
<br />
The government knew or should have known that these infrequent inspection regimens would be the cause of nightmarish patient outcomes. Two notable examples are the <a href="http://www.safemedicines.org/counterfeit-heparin-blamed-for-worldwide-deaths.html"> contaminated heparin drug </a> imported by Baxter in 2008 and the other is the 2012 <a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.documentcloud.org/documents/1382309/compounding-pharmacy-indictment.pdf"> New England Compounding </a> polluted methylprednisolone acetate product.
<br />
<br />
In both instances deviant manufacturing practices and perfunctory regulations caused death and injury to hundreds of patients. As noted by the General Accounting Office Congress's failure to allocate adequate funding for regular inspections poses needless risks to consumers. To ensure product safety, foreign and domestic facilities should receive annual unannounced visits by the FDA and no pharmaceutical product should enter the US market without said inspection.<br />
<br />
As long as pharmaceutical prices were reasonable, most Americans did not question the legitimacy of the federal foreign drug prohibition but the costs of drugs, especially generics has risen inexplicably in the last two years. In some cases over <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/25/us/lawmakers-look-for-ways-to-provide-relief-for-rising-cost-of-generic-drugs.html?_r=0"> 500% </a> report congressional researchers. For information on savings from foreign distributors please visit <a href="http://www.pharmacychecker.com/"> PharmacyChecker.com. </a><br />
<br />
Last year, in violation of federal law, the Maine legislature decided to provide state residents with an option—Mainers can legally purchase pharmaceuticals from Canada, Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand. The Maine Drug Importation Law provides consumers with choice and savings. The state of Maine is being <a href="http://www.fdalawblog.net/fda_law_blog_hyman_phelps/2013/10/as-maines-drug-importation-law-goes-into-effect-state-seeks-dismissal-of-lawsuit-to-block-implementa.html"> sued </a> by PhRMA and other interested parties who claim unfair business practices among other issues.<br />
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In early December <em>Bloomberg News</em> published a timely article on foreign drug imports. It is titled "<a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-12-03/indian-labs-deleted-test-results-for-u-s-drugs-documents-show.html#disqus_thread"> Drug Batch Tainted? Just Hit Delete and Ship It to the U.S </a>."
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Contrary to the FDA's opinion, it makes little difference where Americans purchase their prescriptions. <br />
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<br />RVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06749051376836219238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3761673327860941860.post-87104363546160505142014-12-02T04:09:00.000-08:002014-12-02T04:09:32.034-08:00Foster Children in Experimental Servitude <br />
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Gabriel Myers, a heavily-medicated seven-year old foster child, committed suicide in 2009. Gabriel's <a href="http://www.dcf.state.fl.us/initiatives/GMWorkgroup/docs/GM_ME_Report.pdf"> autopsy report </a> indicated that he was taking
psychotropic drugs known to trigger suicidal actions.
Gabriel's psychiatrist, <a href="http://www.eagleforum.org/educate/2009/may09/tragic-death.html"> Dr.Sohail Punjwan </a>, had prescribed Vyvanse 50 mg, Symbyax 3/25 mg and Lexapro 10 mg. Symbyax is a combination drug product consisting of olanzapine, an antipsychotic and fluoxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor.<br />
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Gabriel was under state custody from June 29 2008 to April 16, 2009, the time of his death. Gabriel Myers' case history is available <a href="http://www.dcf.state.fl.us/initiatives/GMWorkgroup/docs/GMPresentation.pdf"> here </a>.<br />
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Florida officials suspected that Dr. Punjwan had placed Gabriel in his psychotropic drug trial and asked the FDA to verify whether Gabriel and other state-protected children were involved in Dr. Punjwan's pharmaceutical research. This is a <a href="http://www.cchrflorida.org/government-daring-keep-kids-on-drugs.html"> telling piece of information </a> for it means that protection agencies are not apprised of foster children's enrollment in government-sponsored testing regimens.<br />
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Because the FDA refused to provide said information George Shelton, secretary of the department of Children and Families told the agency that Florida was banning the employment of wards of state in drug trials. The FDA's <a href="http://www.cchrflorida.org/government-daring-keep-kids-on-drugs.html"> response </a>: the benefits can outweigh the risks.<br />
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In early 2010 the FDA <a href="http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2010-03-15/news/fl-psychiatrist-boy-death-20100315_1_warning-letters-fda-mental-health-drugs"> advised </a> Dr.Punjwan via <a href="http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/ucm202862.htm"> letter </a> that he had neglected to:<br />
<blockquote>
adhere to the applicable statutory requirements and FDA regulations governing the conduct of clinical investigations.
Your failure to conduct the requisite safety measures contributed to the unnecessary exposure of pediatric subjects to significant overdoses, which jeopardized the subjects' rights, safety and welfare.</blockquote>
Children seized by state protection agencies have routinely been subjected to federally-financed experimentation since 1989. This practice was <a href="http://www.hhs.gov/asl/testify/t050518.html"> approved </a> by Congress at the suggestion of HHS Secretary Otis R. Bowen who said: <br />
<blockquote>
State and local child welfare agencies should create systems to manage the participation of children in foster care in special medical treatment and experimental trials. (HHS/ASPE, 1989, p. 60).</blockquote>
It is not known what the legislators were thinking when they adopted Secretary Bowen's proposal but their action clearly violated Article IV of the Bill of Rights which states:<br />
<blockquote>
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized </blockquote>
Children are generally taken by juvenile courts to protect them from abuse and neglect. For the federal government to authorize state use of this population for experimental purposes is illegal under the law for it permits unreasonable searches. <br />
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Since 1989 <a href="http://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/cb/entryexit2011.pdf"> millions </a> of foster children have been forced to test pharmaceutical compounds for the benefit of the medical complex. Since this captive group has no voice in their medical servitude the U.S. is also breaching the Nuremberg Code mandate of informed consent. <br />
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To understand the plight of these state-controlled children one should consider the <a href="http://www.bioethics.nih.gov/publications/wesha.pdf"> standard practices </a> in clinical studies. The American Medical Association reports the following common procedures: blood draws, MRI's, allergy skin testing, electromyography, pharmacokinetic studies, testing of drugs believed to be safe in 500 adults and lumbar punctures with and without sedations. Upon occasion, researchers have surgeons fit children with gastronomy tubes to ensure drug delivery. Risks of harm to trial participants is high for more than <a href="http://www.pkids.org/files/pdf/phr/07-01clinicaltrials.pdf"> 70% of the trials </a> fail to meet safety/efficacy expectations.<br />
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Children believed to be suffering from somatoform [induced by parents] disorders are also often taken by the state and are then isolated in psychiatric facilities. Cases in point are <a href="http://wncsos.blogspot.com/2014/06/reflections-on-misconduct-in-justina.html"> Justina Pelletier </a> and the other children who entered Boston Children's Hospital with difficult to define medical issues.<br />
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Course of action on the part of BCH staff: dispute the admitting diagnosis, claim parental medical child abuse [<a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/05/11/1298673/-Dr-Alice-Newton-Medical-Child-Abuse-Justina-Pelletier#"> Dr. Alice Newton </a>], have a judge agree [<a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/05/04/1296913/-Judge-Joseph-F-Johnston-s-Very-Concerning-Conduct-in-the-Justina-Pelletier-Custody-Case#"> Joseph F. Johnston </a>] and then take the child into experimental chambers. Researchers posit that isolation is beneficial to those believed to be suffering from somatoform disorders.<br />
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Dosing children's bodies with all manner of untested chemicals to market new drugs and incarcerating others in psychiatric wards to evaluate somatoform disorders is not acceptable.<br />
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U.S. policy—foster children as test vessels—abrogates provisions of the Bill of Rights, the Nuremberg Code and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rome_Statute_of_the_International_Criminal_Court" title="Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court"> Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court </a>. <br />
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The International Criminal Court defines non consensual human experimentation as a crime against humanity. <br />
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<br />RVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06749051376836219238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3761673327860941860.post-89159114850204668732014-11-08T19:56:00.000-08:002014-11-08T19:56:08.196-08:00Brittany Maynard's Suicide: The Right to Choose Death<br />
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Brittany Maynard's <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/11/03/how-brittany-maynard-may-change-the-right-to-die-debate-after-death/"> reflections </a> on why she was ending her life:<br />
<blockquote>
I made my decisions based on my wishes, clinical research, choices, discussions with physicians, and logic. I am not depressed or suicidal or on a ‘slippery slope.’ I have been in charge of this choice, gaining control of a terrifying terminal disease through the application of my own humane logic.</blockquote>
Most religions, specifically Catholicism, condemn Ms. Maynard's action as a violation of the Fifth Commandment — "Thy Shall not Kill." Interpreters of the Bible have determined that the homicide dictate is also applicable to suicide. <br />
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When the Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution in 1791 the authors recognized the likelihood that religious leaders would attempt to influence legislative matters and so Article Three affirmed that Congress "shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." The founding fathers knew from past experience that religious disputes cripple governments. <br />
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Be that as it may, Congress and state legislative bodies have frequently passed Christian-inspired laws. These controlling measures violate Article Three and civil rights. Most state laws, for instance, forbid physician-assisted suicides. Some other laws based on religious belief (Canon Law) include <a href="http://www.law2.byu.edu/isfl/saltlakeconference/papers/isflpdfs/Estin.pdf"> divorce </a>, <a href="http://www.ushistory.org/us/57b.asp"> reproduction, </a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_sexuality"> sexual preference </a> prohibitions. From the Catholic Church's perspective homosexuality, birth control/abortion, divorce and suicide are not issues of choice.<br />
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President Reagan <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Ambassador_to_the_Holy_See"> formalized </a> relations with the Holy See in 1984. Those serving as Vatican ambassadors, if Catholic, <a href="http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/obamas_candidates_for_vatican_ambassador_failing_simple_standard/">must agree</a> with the church's position on life issues.<br />
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As intended Brittany Maynard provoked a fiery discussion on the right to die while under medical supervision and as expected many dispute her course of action. For instance, Msgr. Ignacio Carrasco de Paula, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/nov/03/brittany-maynard-us-right-to-die-laws"> called </a> Oregon's Death with Dignity Law reprehensible. <br />
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The Catholic Church is a misogynistic institution with <a href="http://rt.com/news/child-abuse-vatican-un-696/"> unresolved pedophilia and forced labor </a> issues.<br />
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If Msgr. Carrasco and his employer were in charge of American affairs, women would not be eligible for political office and personal choice laws would be abolished. <br />
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<br />RVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06749051376836219238noreply@blogger.com0