Fw: URGENT Homeland Security Changes

[Guest guest]

and this came off of Autism-Mercury.

 

I apologize for its length but not for the passion that inspired

sharing it with you.

Penel

------ forward -------------------------

 

Lyn Redwood

Autism-Mercury

Saturday, November 16, 2002 7:57 PM

[Autism-Mercury] Fw: URGENT Homeland Security Changes

 

Dear Concerned Parents,

Please contact your senators Monday morning and ask that they strike

the amendments added to the Homeland Security Bill

by Dick Armey that protect the pharmaeutical industry from liability

arising from their use of a know neurotoxic

product, MERCURY, in excess of Federal Safety Guidelines, for more

than

a decade. We have an epidemic of autism and

leaning disabilities on our hands who have been harmed by mercury and

no funds to care for and educate these children.

Now the responsible parties, with their links to government, are

seeking immunity for the damage their products have

caused, which means the burden falls on the parents and taxpayers.

Autism Spectrum Disorders along are estimated to

currently affect 1 in every 150 children Nationwide with a lifetime

cost of 2 million dollars per child! This not a

Homeland Security issue but rather a last minute effort to protect

special interest groups. We did not let the tobacco

industry off the hook, why are we letting the pharmaceutical industry?

Lyn Redwood

 

Please feel free to distribute this document widely.

 

U.S. Homeland Security Bill Faces New Hurdle Fri Nov 15, 5:48 PM ET

 

By Andrew Clark WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Democrats on Friday

moved

to strip what they called " egregious special

interest provisions " from a bill to create a U.S. Department of

Homeland Security, complicating efforts to complete one

of President Bush (news - web sites)'s top legislative priorities.

 

The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the bill on

Wednesday after Congress and the White House cut a deal

to end months of haggling over the new department. But Democrats

complained that House Republicans quietly added a slew

of last-minute " riders " to the compromise, including provisions

involving airport security screeners and limits on

lawsuits against vaccine makers. And they scheduled a vote for Monday

on whether to remove them. " If this is a homeland

security bill, let's keep it homeland security-related and let's take

out all this terrible special interest

legislation, " said Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, a South Dakota

Democrat. " I filed an amendment yesterday that

deals with all of the egregious special interest provisions, " he

added.

If the Senate alters the bill, the measure will

have to go back to the House, which wrapped up its work for the year

on

Thursday -- although it did not formally

adjourn. " If the amendment is adopted, it will jeopardize the bill,

because the House has passed the bill, " said Texas

Republican Sen. Phil Gramm. " They've gone home. The legislation would

trigger the biggest U.S. government reorganization

in half a century by rolling into the new department all or parts of

22

federal agencies -- including the Coast Guard,

Border Patrol and Secret Service. It was a key issue in this month's

election, which saw the Republicans win back

control of the Senate and expand their majority in the House. Bush

had

hammered Democrats for stalling the bill over a

dispute about federal workers' rights. Daschle dismissed concerns

about

further slowing the homeland security drive by

changing the legislation. 'IN A HEARTBEAT' " I am absolutely confident

that if we send this bill back to the House with

these provisions stripped out, they'll vote for it in a heartbeat, "

Daschle said, adding he would likely still support

the bill even if the effort to amend it failed. Democrats said the

vaccine provisions in the bill appeared to be aimed

at shielding major U.S. pharmaceutical companies -- which were among

the biggest donors to Republican campaign

coffers -- from a wave of lawsuits seeking to link a mercury-based

vaccine preservative to childhood autism. California

Democratic Rep. Henry Waxman on Friday asked Health and Human

Services

(news - web sites) Secretary Tommy Thompson and

White House Budget Director Mitch Daniels to provide records of the

Bush administration's input into the effort. " It now

seems apparent the administration's priority has been legislation

that

protects manufacturers but not injured people, "

Waxman said in a letter. Daniels is a former top executive at drug

manufacturer Eli Lilly and Co., which is among the

companies being sued. His spokesman, Trent Duffy, denied any

connection

and called Waxman's letter a " partisan cheap

shot. " Republicans said the move was necessary in light of the

possibility of terrorist attacks with bioweapons like

anthrax or smallpox -- which might require millions of people to get

vaccines that can have serious, sometimes fatal,

side effects. " The urgency of it is the fact that we are a nation at

risk from biological agents, " said Tennessee

Republican Sen. Bill Frist. " We're talking about a huge issue that

reflects back to the protection of our families and

our nation. " Other targeted provisions in the bill include one

extending for a year the deadline for airports to screen

all checked luggage and another loosening a congressional ban on

government contracts going to U.S. companies that move

their headquarters overseas to duck corporate taxes.

 

 

 

 

 

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