Do you hear that rumble in the distance? That is the Baby Boomers - they are getting ready to retire. On January 1st, 2011 the very first Baby Boomers turn 65. Millions upon millions of them are rushing towards retirement age and they have been promised that the rest of us are going to take care of them. Only there is a huge problem. We don't have the money. It simply isn't there. But the millions of Baby Boomers getting ready to retire are counting on that money to be there. This all comes at a really bad time for a federal government that is already flat broke and for a national economy that is already teetering on the brink of disaster.
So just who are the Baby Boomers? Well, they are the most famous generation in American history. The U.S. Census Bureau defines the Baby Boomers as those born between January 1st, 1946 and December 31st, 1964. You see, after U.S. troops returned from World War II, they quickly settled down and everyone started having lots and lots of babies. This gigantic generations has transformed America as they have passed through every stage of life. Now they are getting ready to retire.
If you add 65 years to January 1st, 1946 you get January 1st, 2011.
The moment when the first Baby Boomers reach retirement age has arrived.
The day of reckoning that so many have talked about for so many years is here.
Today, America's elderly are living longer and the cost of health care is rising dramatically. Those two factors are going to make it incredibly expensive to take care of all of these retiring Baby Boomers.
Meanwhile, the sad truth is that the vast majority of Baby Boomers have not adequately saved for retirement. For many of them, their home equity was destroyed by the recent financial crisis. For others, their 401ks were devastated when the stock market tanked.
Meanwhile, company pension plans across America are woefully underfunded. Many state and local government pension programs are absolute disasters. The federal government has already begun to pay out more in Social Security benefits than they are taking in, and the years ahead look downright apocalyptic for the Social Security program.
If we are not careful all of these Baby Boomers are going to push us into national bankruptcy. We simply cannot afford all of the promises that we have made to them. The following are 16 statistics about the coming retirement crisis that will drop your jaw.....
#1 Beginning January 1st, 2011 every single day more than 10,000 Baby Boomers will reach the age of 65. That is going to keep happening every single day for the next 19 years.
#2 According to one recent survey, 36 percent of Americans say that they don't contribute anything at all to retirement savings.
#3 Most Baby Boomers do not have a traditional pension plan because they have been going out of style over the past 30 years. Just consider the following quote from Time Magazine: The traditional pension plan is disappearing. In 1980, some 39 percent of private-sector workers had a pension that guaranteed a steady payout during retirement. Today that number stands closer to 15 percent, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute in Washington, D.C.
#4 Over 30 percent of U.S. investors currently in their sixties have more than 80 percent of their 401k invested in equities. So what happens if the stock market crashes again?
#5 35% of Americans already over the age of 65 rely almost entirely on Social Security payments alone.
#6 According to another recent survey, 24% of U.S. workers admit that they have postponed their planned retirement age at least once during the past year.
#7 Approximately 3 out of 4 Americans start claiming Social Security benefits the moment they are eligible at age 62. Most are doing this out of necessity. However, by claiming Social Security early they get locked in at a much lower amount than if they would have waited.
#8 Pension consultant Girard Miller recently told California's Little Hoover Commission that state and local government bodies in the state of California have $325 billion in combined unfunded pension liabilities. When you break that down, it comes to $22,000 for every single working adult in California.
#9 According to a recent report from Stanford University, California's three biggest pension funds are as much as $500 billion short of meeting future retiree benefit obligations.
#10 It has been reported that the $33.7 billion Illinois Teachers Retirement System is 61% underfunded and is on the verge of complete collapse.
#11 Robert Novy-Marx of the University of Chicago and Joshua D. Rauh of Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management recently calculated the combined pension liability for all 50 U.S. states. What they found was that the 50 states are collectively facing $5.17 trillion in pension obligations, but they only have $1.94 trillion set aside in state pension funds. That is a difference of 3.2 trillion dollars. So where in the world is all of that extra money going to come from? Most of the states are already completely broke and on the verge of bankruptcy.
#12 According to the Congressional Budget Office, the Social Security system will pay out more in benefits than it receives in payroll taxes in 2010. That was not supposed to happen until at least 2016. Sadly, in the years ahead these "Social Security deficits" are scheduled to become absolutely horrific as hordes of Baby Boomers start to retire.
#13 In 1950, each retiree's Social Security benefit was paid for by 16 U.S. workers. In 2010, each retiree's Social Security benefit is paid for by approximately 3.3 U.S. workers. By 2025, it is projected that there will be approximately two U.S. workers for each retiree. How in the world can the system possibly continue to function properly with numbers like that?
#14 According to a recent U.S. government report, soaring interest costs on the U.S. national debt plus rapidly escalating spending on entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare will absorb approximately 92 cents of every single dollar of federal revenue by the year 2019. That is before a single dollar is spent on anything else.
#15 After analyzing Congressional Budget Office data, Boston University economics professor Laurence J. Kotlikoff concluded that the U.S. government is facing a "fiscal gap" of $202 trillion dollars. A big chunk of that is made up of future obligations to Social Security and Medicare recipients.
#16 According to a recent AARP survey of Baby Boomers, 40 percent of them plan to work "until they drop".
Companies all over America have been dropping their pension plans in anticipation of the time when the Baby Boomers would retire. 401k programs were supposed to be part of the answer, but if the stock market crashes again, it is absolutely going to devastate the Baby Boomers.
State and local governments are scrambling to find ways to pay out all the benefits that they have been promising. Many state and local governments will be forced into some very hard choices by the hordes of Baby Boomers that will now be retiring.
Of course whenever a big financial crisis comes along these days everyone looks to the federal government to fix the problem. But the truth is that after fixing crisis after crisis the federal government is flat broke.
At our current pace, the Congressional Budget Office is projecting that U.S. government public debt will hit 716 percent of GDP by the year 2080.
But our politicians just keep spending money. In order to pay the Baby Boomers what they are owed the federal government may indeed go into even more debt and have the Federal Reserve print up a bunch more money.
So in the end, Baby Boomers may get most of what they are owed. Of course it may be with radically devalued dollars. Already we are watching those on fixed incomes being devastated by the rising cost of food, gas, heat and health care.
What is going to happen one day when prices have risen so much that the checks that our seniors are getting are not enough to heat their homes?
What are we going to do when those on fixed incomes are buying dog food because it is all that they can afford?
We are rapidly reaching a tipping point. As the first Baby Boomers retire the system is going to do okay. But as millions start pouring into the system it is going to start breaking down.
No, there is not much that we can do about it now. We should have been planning for all of this all along. Americans should have been saving for retirement and governments should have been setting money aside.
But it didn't happen.
Now we pay the price.
http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/in-2011-the-baby-boomers-start-to-turn-65-16-statistics-about-the-coming-retirement-crisis-that-will-drop-your-jaw
Friday, December 31, 2010
Preparing for Biological and Chemical Terrorism: A Practical Guide to Antibiotics and Their Usage for Survival
Preparing for Biological and Chemical Terrorism:
A Practical Guide to Antibiotics and
Their Usage for Survival
by
Leonard G. Horowitz, D.M.D., M.A., M.P.H.
Tetrahedron, LLC
Sandpoint, Idaho
Disclaimer and Background
This information is for educational purposes only. It is intended to help in the event of biological and chemical weapons attacks on civilian populations. It is not provided in order to diagnose or treat any disease, illness, or injury of the body, mind, or spirit.
The author, publisher, and distributors of this work accept no responsibility for people using or misusing the potentially life-saving information in this text.
Individuals suffering from any disease, illness, or injury should, as Hippocrates prescribed, "learn to derive benefit from the illness." In this sense, in the context of "America's New War" on terrorism, diagnosing the root causes of contemporary threats best derives "benefit". That is, comprehend the evil bringing on such illness and distress. The macroscopic--political, social, moral, and personal forces, beside the microscopic agents, are best identified to provide appropriate treatments.
The antibiotic applications against germ warfare discussed herein are not well-established medical practices. They are best considered speculative, but reasonable, given the urgent and widespread risks of biological attack for which there is no precedent, nor adequate scientific research. Discussions herein are intended to provide self-help strategies under emergency circumstances in which professional care is unavailable, as is anticipated following large-scale exposures of unprotected populations to lethal biologicals.
It must be stressed that the unsupervised lay use of antibiotics is dangerous for several reasons: 1) antibiotics may cause potentially fatal reactions (e.g., allergy, asthma, and death); 2) antibiotics can prompt greater growth, development, and spread of resistant pathogens such as fungi and Mycoplasma prompting more severe or alternative infections; 3) antibiotic usage can make it more difficult for physicians to diagnose life-threatening infectious illnesses. Thus, self-medication is not advised under normal circumstances of medical personnel availability.
Furthermore, though certain antibiotics are customarily prescribed to kill certain strains of bacteria, germ warfare presents unique challenges. Biological weapons developers have routinely developed germ strains, such as anthrax, smallpox, influenza, Mycoplasma, Brucella, and more, that are antibiotic resistant. At the same time, vaccines and vaccine manufacturers have proven themselves to be highly untrustworthy.
Moreover, in the event of a biological attack, the initial benefits of antibiotic prophylaxis and treatment may be jeopardized by a second wave of infection of the same microbe, or secondary infections with other germs. These are expected due to subsequent disease transmission by infected insects, such as flies, fleas, and ticks, and immune compromised victims in which secondary infections are common.
Typically, bacteria are classified either "Gram-positive" or "Gram-negative" due to their structure and staining characteristics, which reflect their susceptibility to certain antibiotics. The Penicillin family of antibiotics has been effective against Gram-positive infections. Alternatively, the Tetracyclines have been used successfully to combat Gram-negative agents. These will be discussed in more detail later.
Near the beginning of a widespread biological attack, it may be extremely difficult to determine precisely the causative agent, and thereby select the proper antibiotic. This is due to: 1) the latency, or slow growth period of the germ within exposed individuals, and 2) biological weapons specialists often mix microbes to be used in such a manner as to confuse diagnosis and delay effective treatment.
For instance, a consensus of authorities predicts inhalation anthrax is among the likeliest biological weapons to be used by terrorists. This is due to its relative ease of manufacture, durability of spores, and difficulty of delayed treatment. Anthrax is a Gram-positive rod-shaped Bacillus. To be more effective in killing large populations, authorities suggest that Gram-negative bacteria, such as Pasteurella tularensis, may accompany such attacks. This germ is likewise rod-shaped to confuse accurate diagnosis and delay time-critical treatment.
For the above reasons a "combination therapy" may be indicated and most useful in saving lives following a biological weapons attack.
Weights and Measurements
Safe and effective antibiotic dosages depend on accurate weights and measurements. For this reason, the following recommendations and basic knowledge is provided for lay civilians under emergency situations:
To accurately weigh antibiotics in an emergency, use the chart below. Begin by placing a ceramic cup on a postal scale. Weigh it. Next, add the powder you wish to weigh to the desired amount. For instance, if the cup alone weighs four ounces, and you require one ounce of powdered antibiotic (where, according to the chart, one ounce equals approximately thirty (30) grams, that is, thirty 1,000 milligram [mg.] doses), set (or tip) the scale at five ounces with the desired antibiotic.
The same method may be used for measuring liquid doses. However, one ounce of liquid antibiotic may weigh less than once ounce on a scale. For this reason it is wise to use a graduated measuring containing, if possible, for measuring liquids.
Weights, Measures and Conversions
Solid Weights and Measures
1 ounce (oz.) of solid = nearly 30 grams (Gm.)
1 pound (lb.) = 454 grams (Gm.)
1 kilogram (kg.) = 2.2 pounds (lb.)
1 gram (Gm.) = 1,000 milligrams (mg.)
1 grain (gr.) = 64.8 mg.
Liquid Weights and Measures
1 ounce (oz.) of liquid = nearly 30 milliliters (ml.)
1 pint = 473 ml. (sometimes rounded up to 480 ml.)
1 teaspoon (tsp.) = 5 ml.
1 tablespoon = 15 ml. (that is, half [.5] an ounce)
1 milliliter (common droppers held upright) = approximately 20 drops of liquid
Antibiotic Conversions
400,000 units of penicillin = 250 milligrams (mg.)
Antibiotic Usage and Duration of Treatment
Under normal circumstances, antibiotics are intended to be used for approximately one to two weeks. This duration is prescribed in order to kill more slowly growing germs, such as those initially in spore forms that require incubation for disease expression.
Emergency situations may require less careful treatment durations. This is particularly true if antibiotic shortages occur as expected following a biological weapons attack. In this case, rationing may be necessary and helpful in saving more lives. The shortest duration of antibiotic coverage recommended following a biological attack is from the onset of symptoms to at least 72 hours after the person's symptoms completely disappear.
Ideally, antibiotic prophylaxis (for prevention of disease) should begin as soon as a biological weapons attack is confirmed for individuals at risk of exposure. In other words, it is best to leave risky environments in advance of possible exposures. Certainly, urban populations are at greatest risk for biological and chemical weapons attacks.
Common Allergic Reactions to Antibiotics
Again, under normal circumstances, individuals who are hypersensitive, or allergic, to antibiotics should avoid taking them. However, following a biological weapons attack, it may warrant the risk of allergic reaction, particularly if antihistamines (such as Benadryl) are available, rather than contracting the infectious disease which is often more life-threatening. In this case, individuals who develop symptoms of allergy, including skin rashes, should ideally be under the care of a physician or hospital staff. Careful monitoring of even seemingly benign skin rashes is advised because of more urgent conditions that may result from simple allergic reactions.
Individuals with known allergies to specific antibiotics should, obviously, try to avoid taking these antibiotics. Alternative antibiotics, in this case, should be sought and used. For example, people allergic to penicillin may be able to effectively substitute erythromycin.
As detailed below, there are several types of penicillin, all of which may cause severe allergies and fatal reactions. Penicillin G and penicillin V have been known to cause more severe reactions than ampicillin. Similarly, penicillin injections have been known to cause more severe reactions than similar doses taken orally.
Approximately ten percent of people allergic to penicillin are also allergic to the cephalosporin antibiotics. The good news is that the incidence of deadly reactions to the entire class of cephalosporin antibiotics is very low.
In some liquid penicillins, manufacturers mix the anesthetic procaine (i.e., Novocain) into their formulas. Therefore, persons allergic to this commonly used dental anesthetic should avoid taking liquid penicillin suspensions.
The antibiotics suggested below for use in case of bioterrorism or biowarfare do not contain sulfur or "sulfa" drugs to which many people are allergic.
Preventive Foresight Regarding Pharmaceutical Supplies
The likeliest source of breaking news concerning a biological or chemical attack, launched by terrorists or other foes, is the mainstream media. By the time you hear such reports, it is likely that hospital emergency rooms, and doctor's offices, will be full of ailing victims. It typically takes a day or longer for symptoms of infectious diseases to manifest. The first signs and symptoms of a covert attack include inexplicable headaches and flu-like symptoms.
Such is the case with anthrax. The first indication of an anthrax attack, providing the strain had not been modified, is cattle becoming sick and dying. This can happen in a matter of hours. Moreover, this is an indication to begin antibiotic prophylaxis.
Under such trying circumstances, you can expect there to be tremendous demand for medical supplies and pharmaceuticals in the wake of a terrorist attack. It is, therefore, highly advisable to consider beforehand what medical supplies might be essential for your survival and the protection of your loved ones.
Obviously, people on a regimen of prescription drugs should stock, perhaps, a three months supply in a cool, dark, and dry closet or basement.
Antibiotics can be purchased in bulk from pharmacists or livestock and veterinarian supply stores.
In case you need to leave your home or workplace in an emergency, try to plan, in advance, transporting your antibiotics and other medicinal requirements with you. Maintain access to standard emergency kits, particularly during times of possible trouble. Keeping one in your car is a good idea, providing the car doesn't overheat.
Given these constraints, diabetics, on the move in an emergency, should try to keep their insulin at room temperature until they are resettled. Above 80 degrees and while freezing insulin will begin to degrade.
In general, when traveling or storing antibiotics and medications in your car, be aware of extreme temperatures. Extreme heat and cold often inactivates, like insulin, many medicines.
A Simplified Guide to Antibiotics and Their Uses
Penicillins
The original penicillin-G (Pen G), along with more the common penicillin-V (Pen V), are used to fight gram-positive bacteria, such as anthrax. Pentids, the brand name for penicillin-G, come in 400 and 800mg pills. Brand names for penicillin-V include V-Cillin-K and Pen Vee K. The basic Pen G may be purchased from farm and veterinary stores for far less expense than through pharmacies, though make sure you only buy the refrigerated brand. The active ingredients in the unrefrigerated variety are far lower and potentially inadequate.
Pen G must be taken on an empty stomach. This is not as critical for Pen V. A dose of 250mg (i.e., 400,000 units), for people weighing 50 pounds or more, is taken four times daily. A rule of thumb for children weighing less than 50 pounds, the dosage should be reduced by 20% for every 10 pounds of less body weight.
These penicillins are more likely to cause allergic reactions, and fatalities, than synthetic penicillins such as ampicillin. Some of the allergic reactions are caused by procaine (Novocain) that is added in some Pen G formulas.
Ampicillin
Brand names of this synthetic penicillin include Principen, Omnipen, Polycillin and Totacillin. These are also affective against gram-positive microbes such as anthrax.
Dosages of ampicillin are the same prescribed for penicillin. This antibiotic should be taken, ideally, on an empty stomach.
Strains of anthrax that resist penicillin may be more susceptible to destruction by ampicillin. Also, ampicillin may be more helpful than penicillin for killing a broader spectrum of infections.
Cephalosporins
These are also effective against anthrax. One gram of Cephalexin taken every six hours is recommended. Brand names for this are Keflex, Keflet and Keftab. One gram of the related Cefadroxil, brand named Duricef, should be taken every twelve hours.
Erythromycin (Macrolide family of antibiotics)
Erythromycin and its relatives provide a broader spectrum of coverage than penicillins. Brand names of Erythromycin Pediamycin, Erythrocin, Eryc, EES, Ery-Tab, PCE, Ilosone, and E-Mycin. Other related antibiotics, such as clarithromycin (Biaxin) and azithromycin (Z-pak or Zithromax) may also be effective. A liquid form of erythromycin, called Gallimycin, is available for injection. The oral dose of this injectable product is the same.
Taken on an empty stomach, this may be used to treat more difficult cases of anthrax. If upset stomach occurs, it should be consumed with a bit of food. Avoid eating citrus fruits or products, which deactivate these antibiotics during digestion. Note: Fatal heart attacks may result from taking these antibiotics in combination with Seldane (terfenadine), Hismanal, or Seldane-D.
For individuals weighing 150 pounds or more, a 500mg dose is recommended. People weighing less should reduce their dosage proportionately.
Aminoglycosides
These antibiotics that are effective against anthrax, tularemia, and the Bubonic plague, include: Streptomycin, Gentamycin, and Neomycin. They can all be extremely toxic. Primary organs at risk for destruction by the aminoglycosides include the kidneys and inner ears.
Each of the aminoglycosides must be injected, and cannot be taken orally. The oral dosage forms of these antibiotics are effective only against gastrointestinal (GI) tract infections of the stomach and intestines.
Gentamycin (Garacin) powder can be purchased in bulk. It cannot be absorbed when taken orally, but it can be effective against certain biologicals striking the GI tract such as botulism.
Streptomycin, taken two to four times daily, in one to four gram doses, equally spaced throughout the day. It can be used in combination with tetracycline until the person's fever breaks. Then the tetracycline can be continued alone. Otherwise, streptomycin should be used consistently for a week to ten days.
Gentamycin, is effective against tularemia and the plague. It should be injected intramuscularly or intravenously every eight hours in emergency measures of 1.7mg per kilogram body weight. As soon as symptoms of disease disappear, the dose should be reduced to 1.0mg per kilogram of body weight for the remaining 7-10 day period.
This antibiotic is available in bulk through veterinary stores. It is likely that this less expensive product may be successfully used orally to defend against the plague or tularemia germs infecting the gut.
Neomycin, when given in doses of 500mg, four times daily, may be helpful against anthrax, plague, and tularemia, though it has not been traditionally prescribed for these. Use this only if the other aminoglycoside antibiotics are unavailable.
Fluoroquinolones
In daily doses of 300mg per kg. of body weight (i.e., 65mg. per pound), Ciproflavoxin (Cipro) is effective against tularemia and anthrax. The daily dose should be divided into four doses taken every six hours for two weeks. Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 on the Pentagon and World Trade Center, this extremely expensive drug has been in high demand as the FDA's antibiotic of choice against anthrax. Disturbing politics regarding this selection and its manufacturer-Bayer-may be found at http://www.tetrahedron.org.
Chloramphenicol
Effective against anthrax, tularemia and plague, Chloramphenicol (Chloromycetin) has a relatively high rate of lethal side effects. Thus, persons allergic to safer antibiotics should only use it, or in the event other medications are unavailable. More expensive than other antibiotics, this injectable product can also be consumed orally and absorbed effectively into the bloodstream. Ideally, taken on an empty stomach, it may be consumed with food to reduce stomach upsets.
Chloramphenicol has the same spectrum of activity as erythromycin. Thus, it should never be given with erythromycin unless under emergency conditions at the first sign of biowarfare-induced illness. It may, however, be taken with Tetracycline for a broader spectrum of effectiveness. This combination may be wise if it is unclear which biological weapon is causing illness, and if rationing is not in effect.
The injectable form of chloramphenicol tastes awful! For people weighing 200 pounds or more, 2,500mg doses recommended.
Tetracyclines
Tetracyclines (brand named Sumycin and Achromycin-V) are broad-spectrum antibiotics available from farm supply shops and veterinary stores in the form of oxytetracycline. These can be used effectively against all most strains of anthrax, plague, and tularemia.
Oxytetracycline comes in bulk powder form under the brand name Terramycin-343. It also comes in combination with livestock feed (Advance Calf Medic). This could be used in a pinch if other antibiotics were unavailable. There are 3 grams of active antibiotic in each pound of feed. A low dose could be provided by consuming almost 1.5 ounces; a high dose twice that could be measured and eaten.
Two newer classes of tetracycline are Doxycycline and Minocycline . Brand names for these tetracyclines include the Doxycyclines-Vibramycin, Vibra-tabs, Monodox and Doryx; and the Minocyclines called Minocin.
Tetracycline is typically taken four times a day, doxycyclines once per day or twice per day when taken with Minocycline. The two newer cyclines can be taken with food, not the older tetracycline. They, thus, tend to cause fewer stomach upsets. Doxycycline is typically less costly than traditional tetracycline, and Doxycycline and Minocycline provide a broader spectrum of antibiotic effectiveness than the old standard. Stains of biological weapons the may have been manufactured to resist tetracycline might be more susceptible to the newer cyclones.
As a rule of thumb, four 250mg doses of tetracycline are prescribed daily, that is, one dose every six hours for your typical 100-pound person. For persons weighing less than 100 pound, reduce this dose accordingly. For instance, if a 100-pound person receives 1,000mg per day, then a 50-pound person would receive 500mg per day, or four 125mg doses q. 6 hours. The Doxycycline dosage is typically 200mg the first day, and 100mg doses following for up to ten days. The oxytetracycline (Terramycin) dose is the same as standard tetracycline. Another alternative tetracycline, called demeclocycline (Declomycin), may be substituted for standard tetracycline employing the same dose schedule as well.
Preserving and Administering Your Antibiotics
Most antibiotics and drugs can be preserved by refrigeration, so long as they are kept dry. If traveling through extreme temperatures, antibiotics should be encased in Styrofoam containers, at best, and efforts should be made to avoid heat or freezing cold.
Warning: No drug should be consumed beyond its expiration date, especially Tetracycline antibiotics. Severe reactions may result from this expired antibiotic. However, when faced with a life-or-death situation, as might be presented with biological warfare or bioterrorism, such chances might have to be taken.
Antibiotics are typically administered orally or by injection. However, if the patient is comatose, the oral route may be circumvented rectally by using a plastic oral syringe available in most drugstores. This should be inserted as deeply into the rectum as possible. Use of a few drops of water, then larger amounts of cocoa butter, for dissolving the antibiotic. Cocoa butter is available in most drugstores in sticks that are melted in a jar placed in hot water. The butter is commonly used for suppositories and will hold the antibiotic for absorption better than water. Water may run out of the rectum and thereby precious antibiotic may be lost. So if water is all you have, use as little as possible to dissolve and inject the measured amount of powdered antibiotic.
Antibiotic tablets can be crushed and powdered by placing them between two napkins on a hard surface and pounding them with another flat hard object or instrument.
The absorption of active antibiotic is less, given the rectal route of administration. For this reason, the dosages should be increased to compensate.
Maintaining Healthy Gut Flora and Immunity
Three primary factors determine the outcome of a biological attack on any one individual: 1) the quantity of germs to which the person has been exposed, 2) the "pathogenicity" or power of the germs to cause disease, which depends on the unique strain, and 3) the "host resistance." This depends on the vitality of the individual's immune system.
Obviously, in the event of a biological or chemical attack, the first two factors are largely, if not entirely, beyond the control of individuals. It is upon this liability that terrorists act. But people can make a profound difference affecting the third factor-human immunity-by making a few simple choices. The first is, maintaining a healthy gut flora.
According to scientific literature, the bacteria in the large and small intestine help digest foods, support nutrient assimilation from foods, are critical in preventing infectious diseases for a number of reasons. For instance, Lactobacilli, commonly found in healthy guts, helps prevent infections from eating foods contaminated with biologicals such as Botulism. A healthy gut micro flora also helps with the elimination of harmful cholesterol, toxic chemicals, and cancer-causing compounds, both natural and man-made. More than 90% of human immunity is, in fact, tied to lymphatic activity around the gut. Consequently, a healthy immune system is largely dependant on the intestinal flora.
Ideally, soil-based microbes, typically found on organically grown foods, should be consumed for boosting natural immunity against infectious diseases, including anthrax and other potential biological weapons. Far more effective than eating yogurt that contains Lactobacilli, there are several products available in good health food stores that supply a full pro-biotic spectrum of soil-based microbes that many alternative health professionals have been prescribing with very favorable results. One such product is called GI Flora Pro (http://www.healingcelebrations.com; 1-888-508-4787), which sells for about $29 for a 30-day supply.
A five-step protocol for boosting natural immunity to help fight biological attacks is available from a non-profit publishing company, Tetrahedron, LLC (http://www.tetrahedron.org/; 1-800-336-9266). Their information includes how to: 1) detoxify your body, 2) deacidify your body, 3) boost natural immunity, 4) oxygenate the blood and other body tissues, and 5) bioelectrically manage infectious diseases and recoveries. The material is presented in a 225 page hardcover book titled, Healing Celebrations: Miraculous Recoveries Through Ancient Scriptures, Natural Medicine and Modern Science. The book sells for $22.85, and the advice may be life saving.
Biological Weapons
The following chart presents the biological weapons most likely to be used during a terrorist attack, and details concerning its diagnosis and treatment:
Agent Gram Staining First Symptoms and Treatment
Anthrax positive Headache, fever, coughing, confusion, rash, joint and
joint and muscle pain. Tx: Tetracyclines, Pen G, ampicillin and erythromycin.
Botulism positive Weakness, blurred vision, difficulty in speaking and swallowing, dry mouth, nausea, vomiting, spreaking weakness, Tx: Horse antitoxin
Bubonic plague negative Fever, headache, abdominal distress, inability to sit or stand, swollen glands particularly in the groin, Tx: Hydration and Tetracycline
Cholera negative Watery diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal cramping, Tx: Hydration and Tetracycline
Dengue fever parasite Intense aching in head, muscles and joints, and fever. Second bout is accompanied by a destructive rash . Tx: none but symptom managmt.
Ebola virus headache, fever, malaise, cough, rash, and bleeding out. Tx: palliative
Enterotoxin B positive Staphylococcus causes headache, nausea, fever and weakness Tx:
Tetracycline, Doxycycline or broad spectrum antibiotics.
Encephalitis virus Fever and headache, meningeal irritation, swollen parotid glands like mumps, skin rash with some, seizures, brain dysfunction. Tx: palliative
Smallpox variola virus Severe headache, high fever, skin rashes with vesicular and pustular stages of lesions. Death by secondary infections. Tx: palliative.
Tularemia negative Fever, malaise, headache, liver swelling, ulcerating skin lesions, possible lung involvement with coughing. Tx: Streptomycin, Tetracycline and chloramphenicol.
Chemical Weapons
The following chart presents the chemical weapons most likely to be used during a terrorist attack, and details concerning diagnosis and self aid:
Agent Type Smell Symptoms and Self Aid
Tubun 'GA' Nerve Fruity Tightness in chest. Difficulty breathing. Runny nose. Eyepain and blurred vision. Nausea, seating, salivation, elevated pulse, heartburn, vomiting, giddiness, muscle spasms, involuntary urination, paralysis and respiratory arrest. Tx: Wash off immediately and completely. Inject 2mg atropine into thigh, followed by 4gm. Shot of parlidoxine mesylate (oxime). If symptoms persist, give atropine again-two more 2mg doses at 15 minute intervals. Apply emergency first aid, including CPR for artificial respiration for approximately 2 hours if breathing stops. Atropine can cause serious side effects and must not be used unless there is certainty that nerve gas has caused the poisoning.
Sarin 'GB' Nerve Little Same as above.
Soman 'GD' Nerve Camphor Same as above.
VX Nerve Unknown Same as above.
Mustard Blister Garlic Eye and skin irritant causes blistering of skin and lung damage. High risk of developing pneumonia. Symptoms delayed for up to 48 hours. Can be fatal. Tx: Wash off contamination immediately and completely with water. Later washes will cause worse pain. Use mydriatics, antibiotics, and local anesthetics to reduce pain. Treat blisters palliatively as burns. Bed rest.
Phosgene Choking ? Lung damage. Causes victim to drown in own mucous. Tx: Same as above.
"CN" Incapacitating Blossom Eye and skin irritant. Tearing with breathing difficulty. Nausea and headache common. Tx: Codeine for cough and plenty of warmth, oxygen and bed rest.
"CS" Incapacitating Pepper Severe eye irritant. Causes coughing, tearing, flu-like symptoms, nausea, and breathing problems. Tx: Wash eyes thoroughly with warm soap and water. Breath lots of fresh air. Bed rest.
"BZ" Incapacitating ? Skin flushes. Heart pounds irregularly with hastened pulse. Hallucination, giddiness and maniacal behavior. Tx: Restrain victim. Quiet bedrest.
Clean Water and Adequate Hydration
Having a pure water source following a biological or chemical weapons attack is critical for two main reasons: 1) Victims frequently become dehydrated, and 2) Purified, or distilled, water is needed for detoxification of blood, liver, and kidneys. Following a biological or even chemical weapons attack, water supplies may be contaminated. Water distillers may be purchased, but most require electric power to run. The best transportable, non-electric, water filtration system available is the British Berkefeld�. It typically sells for $279 (http://www.prophecyandpreparedness.com/; 1-208-265-2575) and is the ideal hardware to have on hand to filter potentially contaminated water supplies in emergency or survival situations.
Healthy Food Intake and Supplies
Consider what could happen to food supplies in the wake of an anthrax attact. Cattle herds would likely need to be slaughtered causing a run on remaining beef and dairy supplies. Prices for these commodities would skyrocket. Contaminated grains might also need to be burned to prevent further spreading of the anthrax spores during harvesting and transport. Prices would likely rise here as well. There may be greatly increased demand for flour, grains, dried cereal, and probably other baking supplies as well. This is why many people have begun to stockpile some of these resources as well.
You've heard the saying, "You are what you eat." If you decide to stock up on essential food supplies for survival, it's wise to think of boosting your immunity along with receiving the greatest value for what you spend. The first and finest grain you might want to stockpile for these concerns is called amaranth. Its cost is reasonable, you can use if for baking, and best of all, it contains all of the amino acids and enzymes you need for life. The Aztec and Mayan civilizations depended mainly on amaranth and good pure water for their strength and survival.
Ideally, for immunity, you want to be eating organically grown foods. One product that contains a hefty amount of organic amaranth, and other nutritionally wholesome and immunologically supportive ingredients is called Green Harvest. Most people, under emergency conditions, could live off of this good tasting powdered food formula, mixed with water or organic juice(s). Green Harvest is available in select health-food stores, and from the manufacturer (http://www.healingcelebrations.com/; 1-888-508-4787). It costs less than $35 for a one month supply. The manufacturer supplies this product by the case at large discounts for families that wish to stock up. Their website also provides a host of other products and educational resources for boosting natural immunity for preventive health care and improved recovery rates from infectious diseases and cancers.
This document was written and posted
courtesy of Dr. Leonard G. Horowitz
and Tetrahedron, LLC
206 North 4th Avenue, Suite 147
Sandpoint, Idaho 83864
http://www.tetrahedron.org
Toll free order line: 888-508-4787;
Office telephone: 208-265-2575;
FAX: 208-265-2775
E-mail: tetra@tetrahedron.org
Due to the urgency of getting this information to the general public, all copyrights on this text have been waved by Dr. Horowitz, October 1, 2000. Please feel free to distribute this information in any form.
http://www.tetrahedron.org/articles/apocalypse/bio_chem_guide.html
A Practical Guide to Antibiotics and
Their Usage for Survival
by
Leonard G. Horowitz, D.M.D., M.A., M.P.H.
Tetrahedron, LLC
Sandpoint, Idaho
Disclaimer and Background
This information is for educational purposes only. It is intended to help in the event of biological and chemical weapons attacks on civilian populations. It is not provided in order to diagnose or treat any disease, illness, or injury of the body, mind, or spirit.
The author, publisher, and distributors of this work accept no responsibility for people using or misusing the potentially life-saving information in this text.
Individuals suffering from any disease, illness, or injury should, as Hippocrates prescribed, "learn to derive benefit from the illness." In this sense, in the context of "America's New War" on terrorism, diagnosing the root causes of contemporary threats best derives "benefit". That is, comprehend the evil bringing on such illness and distress. The macroscopic--political, social, moral, and personal forces, beside the microscopic agents, are best identified to provide appropriate treatments.
The antibiotic applications against germ warfare discussed herein are not well-established medical practices. They are best considered speculative, but reasonable, given the urgent and widespread risks of biological attack for which there is no precedent, nor adequate scientific research. Discussions herein are intended to provide self-help strategies under emergency circumstances in which professional care is unavailable, as is anticipated following large-scale exposures of unprotected populations to lethal biologicals.
It must be stressed that the unsupervised lay use of antibiotics is dangerous for several reasons: 1) antibiotics may cause potentially fatal reactions (e.g., allergy, asthma, and death); 2) antibiotics can prompt greater growth, development, and spread of resistant pathogens such as fungi and Mycoplasma prompting more severe or alternative infections; 3) antibiotic usage can make it more difficult for physicians to diagnose life-threatening infectious illnesses. Thus, self-medication is not advised under normal circumstances of medical personnel availability.
Furthermore, though certain antibiotics are customarily prescribed to kill certain strains of bacteria, germ warfare presents unique challenges. Biological weapons developers have routinely developed germ strains, such as anthrax, smallpox, influenza, Mycoplasma, Brucella, and more, that are antibiotic resistant. At the same time, vaccines and vaccine manufacturers have proven themselves to be highly untrustworthy.
Moreover, in the event of a biological attack, the initial benefits of antibiotic prophylaxis and treatment may be jeopardized by a second wave of infection of the same microbe, or secondary infections with other germs. These are expected due to subsequent disease transmission by infected insects, such as flies, fleas, and ticks, and immune compromised victims in which secondary infections are common.
Typically, bacteria are classified either "Gram-positive" or "Gram-negative" due to their structure and staining characteristics, which reflect their susceptibility to certain antibiotics. The Penicillin family of antibiotics has been effective against Gram-positive infections. Alternatively, the Tetracyclines have been used successfully to combat Gram-negative agents. These will be discussed in more detail later.
Near the beginning of a widespread biological attack, it may be extremely difficult to determine precisely the causative agent, and thereby select the proper antibiotic. This is due to: 1) the latency, or slow growth period of the germ within exposed individuals, and 2) biological weapons specialists often mix microbes to be used in such a manner as to confuse diagnosis and delay effective treatment.
For instance, a consensus of authorities predicts inhalation anthrax is among the likeliest biological weapons to be used by terrorists. This is due to its relative ease of manufacture, durability of spores, and difficulty of delayed treatment. Anthrax is a Gram-positive rod-shaped Bacillus. To be more effective in killing large populations, authorities suggest that Gram-negative bacteria, such as Pasteurella tularensis, may accompany such attacks. This germ is likewise rod-shaped to confuse accurate diagnosis and delay time-critical treatment.
For the above reasons a "combination therapy" may be indicated and most useful in saving lives following a biological weapons attack.
Weights and Measurements
Safe and effective antibiotic dosages depend on accurate weights and measurements. For this reason, the following recommendations and basic knowledge is provided for lay civilians under emergency situations:
To accurately weigh antibiotics in an emergency, use the chart below. Begin by placing a ceramic cup on a postal scale. Weigh it. Next, add the powder you wish to weigh to the desired amount. For instance, if the cup alone weighs four ounces, and you require one ounce of powdered antibiotic (where, according to the chart, one ounce equals approximately thirty (30) grams, that is, thirty 1,000 milligram [mg.] doses), set (or tip) the scale at five ounces with the desired antibiotic.
The same method may be used for measuring liquid doses. However, one ounce of liquid antibiotic may weigh less than once ounce on a scale. For this reason it is wise to use a graduated measuring containing, if possible, for measuring liquids.
Weights, Measures and Conversions
Solid Weights and Measures
1 ounce (oz.) of solid = nearly 30 grams (Gm.)
1 pound (lb.) = 454 grams (Gm.)
1 kilogram (kg.) = 2.2 pounds (lb.)
1 gram (Gm.) = 1,000 milligrams (mg.)
1 grain (gr.) = 64.8 mg.
Liquid Weights and Measures
1 ounce (oz.) of liquid = nearly 30 milliliters (ml.)
1 pint = 473 ml. (sometimes rounded up to 480 ml.)
1 teaspoon (tsp.) = 5 ml.
1 tablespoon = 15 ml. (that is, half [.5] an ounce)
1 milliliter (common droppers held upright) = approximately 20 drops of liquid
Antibiotic Conversions
400,000 units of penicillin = 250 milligrams (mg.)
Antibiotic Usage and Duration of Treatment
Under normal circumstances, antibiotics are intended to be used for approximately one to two weeks. This duration is prescribed in order to kill more slowly growing germs, such as those initially in spore forms that require incubation for disease expression.
Emergency situations may require less careful treatment durations. This is particularly true if antibiotic shortages occur as expected following a biological weapons attack. In this case, rationing may be necessary and helpful in saving more lives. The shortest duration of antibiotic coverage recommended following a biological attack is from the onset of symptoms to at least 72 hours after the person's symptoms completely disappear.
Ideally, antibiotic prophylaxis (for prevention of disease) should begin as soon as a biological weapons attack is confirmed for individuals at risk of exposure. In other words, it is best to leave risky environments in advance of possible exposures. Certainly, urban populations are at greatest risk for biological and chemical weapons attacks.
Common Allergic Reactions to Antibiotics
Again, under normal circumstances, individuals who are hypersensitive, or allergic, to antibiotics should avoid taking them. However, following a biological weapons attack, it may warrant the risk of allergic reaction, particularly if antihistamines (such as Benadryl) are available, rather than contracting the infectious disease which is often more life-threatening. In this case, individuals who develop symptoms of allergy, including skin rashes, should ideally be under the care of a physician or hospital staff. Careful monitoring of even seemingly benign skin rashes is advised because of more urgent conditions that may result from simple allergic reactions.
Individuals with known allergies to specific antibiotics should, obviously, try to avoid taking these antibiotics. Alternative antibiotics, in this case, should be sought and used. For example, people allergic to penicillin may be able to effectively substitute erythromycin.
As detailed below, there are several types of penicillin, all of which may cause severe allergies and fatal reactions. Penicillin G and penicillin V have been known to cause more severe reactions than ampicillin. Similarly, penicillin injections have been known to cause more severe reactions than similar doses taken orally.
Approximately ten percent of people allergic to penicillin are also allergic to the cephalosporin antibiotics. The good news is that the incidence of deadly reactions to the entire class of cephalosporin antibiotics is very low.
In some liquid penicillins, manufacturers mix the anesthetic procaine (i.e., Novocain) into their formulas. Therefore, persons allergic to this commonly used dental anesthetic should avoid taking liquid penicillin suspensions.
The antibiotics suggested below for use in case of bioterrorism or biowarfare do not contain sulfur or "sulfa" drugs to which many people are allergic.
Preventive Foresight Regarding Pharmaceutical Supplies
The likeliest source of breaking news concerning a biological or chemical attack, launched by terrorists or other foes, is the mainstream media. By the time you hear such reports, it is likely that hospital emergency rooms, and doctor's offices, will be full of ailing victims. It typically takes a day or longer for symptoms of infectious diseases to manifest. The first signs and symptoms of a covert attack include inexplicable headaches and flu-like symptoms.
Such is the case with anthrax. The first indication of an anthrax attack, providing the strain had not been modified, is cattle becoming sick and dying. This can happen in a matter of hours. Moreover, this is an indication to begin antibiotic prophylaxis.
Under such trying circumstances, you can expect there to be tremendous demand for medical supplies and pharmaceuticals in the wake of a terrorist attack. It is, therefore, highly advisable to consider beforehand what medical supplies might be essential for your survival and the protection of your loved ones.
Obviously, people on a regimen of prescription drugs should stock, perhaps, a three months supply in a cool, dark, and dry closet or basement.
Antibiotics can be purchased in bulk from pharmacists or livestock and veterinarian supply stores.
In case you need to leave your home or workplace in an emergency, try to plan, in advance, transporting your antibiotics and other medicinal requirements with you. Maintain access to standard emergency kits, particularly during times of possible trouble. Keeping one in your car is a good idea, providing the car doesn't overheat.
Given these constraints, diabetics, on the move in an emergency, should try to keep their insulin at room temperature until they are resettled. Above 80 degrees and while freezing insulin will begin to degrade.
In general, when traveling or storing antibiotics and medications in your car, be aware of extreme temperatures. Extreme heat and cold often inactivates, like insulin, many medicines.
A Simplified Guide to Antibiotics and Their Uses
Penicillins
The original penicillin-G (Pen G), along with more the common penicillin-V (Pen V), are used to fight gram-positive bacteria, such as anthrax. Pentids, the brand name for penicillin-G, come in 400 and 800mg pills. Brand names for penicillin-V include V-Cillin-K and Pen Vee K. The basic Pen G may be purchased from farm and veterinary stores for far less expense than through pharmacies, though make sure you only buy the refrigerated brand. The active ingredients in the unrefrigerated variety are far lower and potentially inadequate.
Pen G must be taken on an empty stomach. This is not as critical for Pen V. A dose of 250mg (i.e., 400,000 units), for people weighing 50 pounds or more, is taken four times daily. A rule of thumb for children weighing less than 50 pounds, the dosage should be reduced by 20% for every 10 pounds of less body weight.
These penicillins are more likely to cause allergic reactions, and fatalities, than synthetic penicillins such as ampicillin. Some of the allergic reactions are caused by procaine (Novocain) that is added in some Pen G formulas.
Ampicillin
Brand names of this synthetic penicillin include Principen, Omnipen, Polycillin and Totacillin. These are also affective against gram-positive microbes such as anthrax.
Dosages of ampicillin are the same prescribed for penicillin. This antibiotic should be taken, ideally, on an empty stomach.
Strains of anthrax that resist penicillin may be more susceptible to destruction by ampicillin. Also, ampicillin may be more helpful than penicillin for killing a broader spectrum of infections.
Cephalosporins
These are also effective against anthrax. One gram of Cephalexin taken every six hours is recommended. Brand names for this are Keflex, Keflet and Keftab. One gram of the related Cefadroxil, brand named Duricef, should be taken every twelve hours.
Erythromycin (Macrolide family of antibiotics)
Erythromycin and its relatives provide a broader spectrum of coverage than penicillins. Brand names of Erythromycin Pediamycin, Erythrocin, Eryc, EES, Ery-Tab, PCE, Ilosone, and E-Mycin. Other related antibiotics, such as clarithromycin (Biaxin) and azithromycin (Z-pak or Zithromax) may also be effective. A liquid form of erythromycin, called Gallimycin, is available for injection. The oral dose of this injectable product is the same.
Taken on an empty stomach, this may be used to treat more difficult cases of anthrax. If upset stomach occurs, it should be consumed with a bit of food. Avoid eating citrus fruits or products, which deactivate these antibiotics during digestion. Note: Fatal heart attacks may result from taking these antibiotics in combination with Seldane (terfenadine), Hismanal, or Seldane-D.
For individuals weighing 150 pounds or more, a 500mg dose is recommended. People weighing less should reduce their dosage proportionately.
Aminoglycosides
These antibiotics that are effective against anthrax, tularemia, and the Bubonic plague, include: Streptomycin, Gentamycin, and Neomycin. They can all be extremely toxic. Primary organs at risk for destruction by the aminoglycosides include the kidneys and inner ears.
Each of the aminoglycosides must be injected, and cannot be taken orally. The oral dosage forms of these antibiotics are effective only against gastrointestinal (GI) tract infections of the stomach and intestines.
Gentamycin (Garacin) powder can be purchased in bulk. It cannot be absorbed when taken orally, but it can be effective against certain biologicals striking the GI tract such as botulism.
Streptomycin, taken two to four times daily, in one to four gram doses, equally spaced throughout the day. It can be used in combination with tetracycline until the person's fever breaks. Then the tetracycline can be continued alone. Otherwise, streptomycin should be used consistently for a week to ten days.
Gentamycin, is effective against tularemia and the plague. It should be injected intramuscularly or intravenously every eight hours in emergency measures of 1.7mg per kilogram body weight. As soon as symptoms of disease disappear, the dose should be reduced to 1.0mg per kilogram of body weight for the remaining 7-10 day period.
This antibiotic is available in bulk through veterinary stores. It is likely that this less expensive product may be successfully used orally to defend against the plague or tularemia germs infecting the gut.
Neomycin, when given in doses of 500mg, four times daily, may be helpful against anthrax, plague, and tularemia, though it has not been traditionally prescribed for these. Use this only if the other aminoglycoside antibiotics are unavailable.
Fluoroquinolones
In daily doses of 300mg per kg. of body weight (i.e., 65mg. per pound), Ciproflavoxin (Cipro) is effective against tularemia and anthrax. The daily dose should be divided into four doses taken every six hours for two weeks. Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 on the Pentagon and World Trade Center, this extremely expensive drug has been in high demand as the FDA's antibiotic of choice against anthrax. Disturbing politics regarding this selection and its manufacturer-Bayer-may be found at http://www.tetrahedron.org.
Chloramphenicol
Effective against anthrax, tularemia and plague, Chloramphenicol (Chloromycetin) has a relatively high rate of lethal side effects. Thus, persons allergic to safer antibiotics should only use it, or in the event other medications are unavailable. More expensive than other antibiotics, this injectable product can also be consumed orally and absorbed effectively into the bloodstream. Ideally, taken on an empty stomach, it may be consumed with food to reduce stomach upsets.
Chloramphenicol has the same spectrum of activity as erythromycin. Thus, it should never be given with erythromycin unless under emergency conditions at the first sign of biowarfare-induced illness. It may, however, be taken with Tetracycline for a broader spectrum of effectiveness. This combination may be wise if it is unclear which biological weapon is causing illness, and if rationing is not in effect.
The injectable form of chloramphenicol tastes awful! For people weighing 200 pounds or more, 2,500mg doses recommended.
Tetracyclines
Tetracyclines (brand named Sumycin and Achromycin-V) are broad-spectrum antibiotics available from farm supply shops and veterinary stores in the form of oxytetracycline. These can be used effectively against all most strains of anthrax, plague, and tularemia.
Oxytetracycline comes in bulk powder form under the brand name Terramycin-343. It also comes in combination with livestock feed (Advance Calf Medic). This could be used in a pinch if other antibiotics were unavailable. There are 3 grams of active antibiotic in each pound of feed. A low dose could be provided by consuming almost 1.5 ounces; a high dose twice that could be measured and eaten.
Two newer classes of tetracycline are Doxycycline and Minocycline . Brand names for these tetracyclines include the Doxycyclines-Vibramycin, Vibra-tabs, Monodox and Doryx; and the Minocyclines called Minocin.
Tetracycline is typically taken four times a day, doxycyclines once per day or twice per day when taken with Minocycline. The two newer cyclines can be taken with food, not the older tetracycline. They, thus, tend to cause fewer stomach upsets. Doxycycline is typically less costly than traditional tetracycline, and Doxycycline and Minocycline provide a broader spectrum of antibiotic effectiveness than the old standard. Stains of biological weapons the may have been manufactured to resist tetracycline might be more susceptible to the newer cyclones.
As a rule of thumb, four 250mg doses of tetracycline are prescribed daily, that is, one dose every six hours for your typical 100-pound person. For persons weighing less than 100 pound, reduce this dose accordingly. For instance, if a 100-pound person receives 1,000mg per day, then a 50-pound person would receive 500mg per day, or four 125mg doses q. 6 hours. The Doxycycline dosage is typically 200mg the first day, and 100mg doses following for up to ten days. The oxytetracycline (Terramycin) dose is the same as standard tetracycline. Another alternative tetracycline, called demeclocycline (Declomycin), may be substituted for standard tetracycline employing the same dose schedule as well.
Preserving and Administering Your Antibiotics
Most antibiotics and drugs can be preserved by refrigeration, so long as they are kept dry. If traveling through extreme temperatures, antibiotics should be encased in Styrofoam containers, at best, and efforts should be made to avoid heat or freezing cold.
Warning: No drug should be consumed beyond its expiration date, especially Tetracycline antibiotics. Severe reactions may result from this expired antibiotic. However, when faced with a life-or-death situation, as might be presented with biological warfare or bioterrorism, such chances might have to be taken.
Antibiotics are typically administered orally or by injection. However, if the patient is comatose, the oral route may be circumvented rectally by using a plastic oral syringe available in most drugstores. This should be inserted as deeply into the rectum as possible. Use of a few drops of water, then larger amounts of cocoa butter, for dissolving the antibiotic. Cocoa butter is available in most drugstores in sticks that are melted in a jar placed in hot water. The butter is commonly used for suppositories and will hold the antibiotic for absorption better than water. Water may run out of the rectum and thereby precious antibiotic may be lost. So if water is all you have, use as little as possible to dissolve and inject the measured amount of powdered antibiotic.
Antibiotic tablets can be crushed and powdered by placing them between two napkins on a hard surface and pounding them with another flat hard object or instrument.
The absorption of active antibiotic is less, given the rectal route of administration. For this reason, the dosages should be increased to compensate.
Maintaining Healthy Gut Flora and Immunity
Three primary factors determine the outcome of a biological attack on any one individual: 1) the quantity of germs to which the person has been exposed, 2) the "pathogenicity" or power of the germs to cause disease, which depends on the unique strain, and 3) the "host resistance." This depends on the vitality of the individual's immune system.
Obviously, in the event of a biological or chemical attack, the first two factors are largely, if not entirely, beyond the control of individuals. It is upon this liability that terrorists act. But people can make a profound difference affecting the third factor-human immunity-by making a few simple choices. The first is, maintaining a healthy gut flora.
According to scientific literature, the bacteria in the large and small intestine help digest foods, support nutrient assimilation from foods, are critical in preventing infectious diseases for a number of reasons. For instance, Lactobacilli, commonly found in healthy guts, helps prevent infections from eating foods contaminated with biologicals such as Botulism. A healthy gut micro flora also helps with the elimination of harmful cholesterol, toxic chemicals, and cancer-causing compounds, both natural and man-made. More than 90% of human immunity is, in fact, tied to lymphatic activity around the gut. Consequently, a healthy immune system is largely dependant on the intestinal flora.
Ideally, soil-based microbes, typically found on organically grown foods, should be consumed for boosting natural immunity against infectious diseases, including anthrax and other potential biological weapons. Far more effective than eating yogurt that contains Lactobacilli, there are several products available in good health food stores that supply a full pro-biotic spectrum of soil-based microbes that many alternative health professionals have been prescribing with very favorable results. One such product is called GI Flora Pro (http://www.healingcelebrations.com; 1-888-508-4787), which sells for about $29 for a 30-day supply.
A five-step protocol for boosting natural immunity to help fight biological attacks is available from a non-profit publishing company, Tetrahedron, LLC (http://www.tetrahedron.org/; 1-800-336-9266). Their information includes how to: 1) detoxify your body, 2) deacidify your body, 3) boost natural immunity, 4) oxygenate the blood and other body tissues, and 5) bioelectrically manage infectious diseases and recoveries. The material is presented in a 225 page hardcover book titled, Healing Celebrations: Miraculous Recoveries Through Ancient Scriptures, Natural Medicine and Modern Science. The book sells for $22.85, and the advice may be life saving.
Biological Weapons
The following chart presents the biological weapons most likely to be used during a terrorist attack, and details concerning its diagnosis and treatment:
Agent Gram Staining First Symptoms and Treatment
Anthrax positive Headache, fever, coughing, confusion, rash, joint and
joint and muscle pain. Tx: Tetracyclines, Pen G, ampicillin and erythromycin.
Botulism positive Weakness, blurred vision, difficulty in speaking and swallowing, dry mouth, nausea, vomiting, spreaking weakness, Tx: Horse antitoxin
Bubonic plague negative Fever, headache, abdominal distress, inability to sit or stand, swollen glands particularly in the groin, Tx: Hydration and Tetracycline
Cholera negative Watery diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal cramping, Tx: Hydration and Tetracycline
Dengue fever parasite Intense aching in head, muscles and joints, and fever. Second bout is accompanied by a destructive rash . Tx: none but symptom managmt.
Ebola virus headache, fever, malaise, cough, rash, and bleeding out. Tx: palliative
Enterotoxin B positive Staphylococcus causes headache, nausea, fever and weakness Tx:
Tetracycline, Doxycycline or broad spectrum antibiotics.
Encephalitis virus Fever and headache, meningeal irritation, swollen parotid glands like mumps, skin rash with some, seizures, brain dysfunction. Tx: palliative
Smallpox variola virus Severe headache, high fever, skin rashes with vesicular and pustular stages of lesions. Death by secondary infections. Tx: palliative.
Tularemia negative Fever, malaise, headache, liver swelling, ulcerating skin lesions, possible lung involvement with coughing. Tx: Streptomycin, Tetracycline and chloramphenicol.
Chemical Weapons
The following chart presents the chemical weapons most likely to be used during a terrorist attack, and details concerning diagnosis and self aid:
Agent Type Smell Symptoms and Self Aid
Tubun 'GA' Nerve Fruity Tightness in chest. Difficulty breathing. Runny nose. Eyepain and blurred vision. Nausea, seating, salivation, elevated pulse, heartburn, vomiting, giddiness, muscle spasms, involuntary urination, paralysis and respiratory arrest. Tx: Wash off immediately and completely. Inject 2mg atropine into thigh, followed by 4gm. Shot of parlidoxine mesylate (oxime). If symptoms persist, give atropine again-two more 2mg doses at 15 minute intervals. Apply emergency first aid, including CPR for artificial respiration for approximately 2 hours if breathing stops. Atropine can cause serious side effects and must not be used unless there is certainty that nerve gas has caused the poisoning.
Sarin 'GB' Nerve Little Same as above.
Soman 'GD' Nerve Camphor Same as above.
VX Nerve Unknown Same as above.
Mustard Blister Garlic Eye and skin irritant causes blistering of skin and lung damage. High risk of developing pneumonia. Symptoms delayed for up to 48 hours. Can be fatal. Tx: Wash off contamination immediately and completely with water. Later washes will cause worse pain. Use mydriatics, antibiotics, and local anesthetics to reduce pain. Treat blisters palliatively as burns. Bed rest.
Phosgene Choking ? Lung damage. Causes victim to drown in own mucous. Tx: Same as above.
"CN" Incapacitating Blossom Eye and skin irritant. Tearing with breathing difficulty. Nausea and headache common. Tx: Codeine for cough and plenty of warmth, oxygen and bed rest.
"CS" Incapacitating Pepper Severe eye irritant. Causes coughing, tearing, flu-like symptoms, nausea, and breathing problems. Tx: Wash eyes thoroughly with warm soap and water. Breath lots of fresh air. Bed rest.
"BZ" Incapacitating ? Skin flushes. Heart pounds irregularly with hastened pulse. Hallucination, giddiness and maniacal behavior. Tx: Restrain victim. Quiet bedrest.
Clean Water and Adequate Hydration
Having a pure water source following a biological or chemical weapons attack is critical for two main reasons: 1) Victims frequently become dehydrated, and 2) Purified, or distilled, water is needed for detoxification of blood, liver, and kidneys. Following a biological or even chemical weapons attack, water supplies may be contaminated. Water distillers may be purchased, but most require electric power to run. The best transportable, non-electric, water filtration system available is the British Berkefeld�. It typically sells for $279 (http://www.prophecyandpreparedness.com/; 1-208-265-2575) and is the ideal hardware to have on hand to filter potentially contaminated water supplies in emergency or survival situations.
Healthy Food Intake and Supplies
Consider what could happen to food supplies in the wake of an anthrax attact. Cattle herds would likely need to be slaughtered causing a run on remaining beef and dairy supplies. Prices for these commodities would skyrocket. Contaminated grains might also need to be burned to prevent further spreading of the anthrax spores during harvesting and transport. Prices would likely rise here as well. There may be greatly increased demand for flour, grains, dried cereal, and probably other baking supplies as well. This is why many people have begun to stockpile some of these resources as well.
You've heard the saying, "You are what you eat." If you decide to stock up on essential food supplies for survival, it's wise to think of boosting your immunity along with receiving the greatest value for what you spend. The first and finest grain you might want to stockpile for these concerns is called amaranth. Its cost is reasonable, you can use if for baking, and best of all, it contains all of the amino acids and enzymes you need for life. The Aztec and Mayan civilizations depended mainly on amaranth and good pure water for their strength and survival.
Ideally, for immunity, you want to be eating organically grown foods. One product that contains a hefty amount of organic amaranth, and other nutritionally wholesome and immunologically supportive ingredients is called Green Harvest. Most people, under emergency conditions, could live off of this good tasting powdered food formula, mixed with water or organic juice(s). Green Harvest is available in select health-food stores, and from the manufacturer (http://www.healingcelebrations.com/; 1-888-508-4787). It costs less than $35 for a one month supply. The manufacturer supplies this product by the case at large discounts for families that wish to stock up. Their website also provides a host of other products and educational resources for boosting natural immunity for preventive health care and improved recovery rates from infectious diseases and cancers.
This document was written and posted
courtesy of Dr. Leonard G. Horowitz
and Tetrahedron, LLC
206 North 4th Avenue, Suite 147
Sandpoint, Idaho 83864
http://www.tetrahedron.org
Toll free order line: 888-508-4787;
Office telephone: 208-265-2575;
FAX: 208-265-2775
E-mail: tetra@tetrahedron.org
Due to the urgency of getting this information to the general public, all copyrights on this text have been waved by Dr. Horowitz, October 1, 2000. Please feel free to distribute this information in any form.
http://www.tetrahedron.org/articles/apocalypse/bio_chem_guide.html
50% Of Americans One Paycheck Away From Needing Government Assistance
My Budget 360
Friday, December 31, 2010
Many Americans live precariously close to the edge of financial insolvency flirting with economic disaster daily. If you casually browse mainstream articles and watch any amount of television you would think that the US still had a vibrant and strong middle class.
When we pull back the covers on the current financial situation we realize that many Americans are merely getting by and many would like to live in some 1984 Orwellian fantasy world where suddenly things are back to financial equilibrium. 43 million Americans are depending on government food assistance to get by.
But many more millions are merely living paycheck to paycheck hidden in the cellar of the headlines. 1 out of 3 Americans has zero in any retirement account (not one slowly eroding dollar). Half of Americans have $2,000 or less which puts them one month away from needing government assistance.
With the volatile job market and turbulent Wall Street middle class Americans are feeling the once prided stability being slowly washed away. Let us examine how retirement is now becoming more of a fantasy for many Americans.
50% Of Americans One Paycheck Away From Needing Government Assistance standard of living
Many Americans especially young adults realize that saving large amounts of money is a key to a sustainable retirement:
50% Of Americans One Paycheck Away From Needing Government Assistance saving money
Over 84 percent of 18 to 29 year olds surveyed feel they need at least $1 million saved up in order to stop working some day. 60 percent of those 30 and older feel that they will also need $1 million saved up. Yet the actual figures are somewhat disturbing in contrast to the perceptions of many:
50% Of Americans One Paycheck Away From Needing Government Assistance us retirement accounts
Source: Census
The median retirement account for US households is $2,000. This is why the vast majority of retirees depend on Social Security as their primary source of funds in old age even though Social Security was never designed to be a long term pension system. You’ll notice that the average retirement account is closer to $50,000 a year but this is heavily skewed by the top 1 percent that keep most of their funds in stock wealth.
The reason retirement is slipping through the fingers of many like sand is the disjointed income equality in the country that has grown in the last decade. If we look at income growth it has been heavily tilted at the top:
50% Of Americans One Paycheck Away From Needing Government Assistance 800px United States Income Distribution 1967 2003.svg
Source: Census, Chart: Wikipedia
There has been virtually no real income growth for most Americans. The real significant wage growth over the last 50 years has occurred at the very top 10 percent of income earners in the country with this inequality accelerating in the last bubble decade. What is more important is that 75 percent of Americans largely depend on a job as a primary source of income which seems rather obvious:
50% Of Americans One Paycheck Away From Needing Government Assistance income sources
Source: Federal Reserve
If you examine the chart closely, it is only the top 10 percent that really benefit from a buoyant and thriving stock market. As we have mentioned earlier 1 out of 3 Americans has zero, nada, or zilch in their retirement account. The movement of the stock market is like watching the score of a football game where the outcome means nothing to the individual. Yet the problem is that Wall Street has taken the one item that was stable like a rock for Americans, housing and turned it into another commodity to be gambled and speculated against.
The share of income flowing to a smaller and smaller group of Americans is draining the life blood out of the middle class:
50% Of Americans One Paycheck Away From Needing Government Assistance Share top 1
“From 1950 to 1989, nearly 40 years of data the top 1 percent earned roughly 7 to 8 percent of all the nationwide income. Today it is inching closer to 20 percent, a figure resembling the massive income inequality seen during the Great Depression.”
Even within the top 1 percent the difference in incomes is striking:
50% Of Americans One Paycheck Away From Needing Government Assistance Top 1
This kind of income inequality is coming at the cost of the middle class. Banks and the financial press would like you to believe that this isn’t the case but just look at how far your dollar is now going. If you are fortunate to have a retirement account it is likely you don’t have the gambling devices of options, hedges, and other items that are largely new casino devices for Wall Street. Most Americans are comfortable with income discrepancies but not at these levels and not when much of the gains are based on bets that hurt the overall economy.
The problem as many are now seeing is the financial sector is largely rent seeking by pilfering the future of many middle class Americans. The banking system extracts wealth by devaluing the US dollar, by charging interest or fees on retail banking, and ultimately suckering many Americans to dump money into a stock market that is operated like a casino. Washington Mutual, a once popular bank used to offer free checking for life. JP Morgan Chase took over Washington Mutual in a government shotgun wedding. Now, Chase is looking to extract $10 to $12 per month merely for having a checking account. Of course they’ll waive this if you have $5,000 saved in a handful of their accounts. Look above again. 1 out of 3 Americans have no savings so how will this be accomplished?
As we mentioned Social Security is largely becoming the retirement account default of many Americans. Yet the growing number of beneficiaries is now putting strain on the system:
50% Of Americans One Paycheck Away From Needing Government Assistance social security beneficiaries
The above chart will only continue to show expansion. Where will all this money come from? We have a smaller workforce with the young that are already having a tough time saving any money in this economy. Many of the good paying jobs of today require a college education and college has largely entered its own student loan bubble. Many of the future middle class are merely trying to service their own massive debt even before they begin their careers. To save that $1 million will become a daunting task moving forward. Also, if the Federal Reserve has its way $1 million 30 or 40 years from now may not be much.
With 17 percent of Americans unemployed or underemployed many are simply looking for that next paycheck let alone planning for a retirement where they can sip margaritas in some picturesque beach location. Wall Street has pilfered the pockets of the middle class through bailouts for their reckless gambling and incredible excess. Many Americans now understand this yet the current political class is merely interested in protecting the established *****cracy by pillaging the American village. Most Americans are becoming exhausted by both political parties and their pandering to Wall Street that provides a revolving door of money, jobs, and connections.
The younger generation is seeing their ability to grow their net worth diminishing:
50% Of Americans One Paycheck Away From Needing Government Assistance 25 to 34 year old drop in median savings
This figure has only dropped even further in the last few years. Retirement was once thought of as a place where one would reach a comfortable existence after many years of hard work. Not an extravagant lifestyle but one in where a home was paid off and enough money came in for food and daily necessities. But now with Wall Street turning housing into a giant commodity and stripping bear the employment base of the country; many are wondering if retirement is even an option especially when the stock market is at the same level as it was one decade ago.
Ultimately what needs to happen is to get money out of politics and to split up commercial and investment banking. The answer is obvious but the *****cracy is relentless in keeping this game going as long as possible. As this continues, retirement will continue to look more and more as a fantasy to millions of Americans.
http://www.prisonplanet.com/50-of-americans-one-paycheck-away-from-needing-government-assistance.html
Friday, December 31, 2010
Many Americans live precariously close to the edge of financial insolvency flirting with economic disaster daily. If you casually browse mainstream articles and watch any amount of television you would think that the US still had a vibrant and strong middle class.
When we pull back the covers on the current financial situation we realize that many Americans are merely getting by and many would like to live in some 1984 Orwellian fantasy world where suddenly things are back to financial equilibrium. 43 million Americans are depending on government food assistance to get by.
But many more millions are merely living paycheck to paycheck hidden in the cellar of the headlines. 1 out of 3 Americans has zero in any retirement account (not one slowly eroding dollar). Half of Americans have $2,000 or less which puts them one month away from needing government assistance.
With the volatile job market and turbulent Wall Street middle class Americans are feeling the once prided stability being slowly washed away. Let us examine how retirement is now becoming more of a fantasy for many Americans.
50% Of Americans One Paycheck Away From Needing Government Assistance standard of living
Many Americans especially young adults realize that saving large amounts of money is a key to a sustainable retirement:
50% Of Americans One Paycheck Away From Needing Government Assistance saving money
Over 84 percent of 18 to 29 year olds surveyed feel they need at least $1 million saved up in order to stop working some day. 60 percent of those 30 and older feel that they will also need $1 million saved up. Yet the actual figures are somewhat disturbing in contrast to the perceptions of many:
50% Of Americans One Paycheck Away From Needing Government Assistance us retirement accounts
Source: Census
The median retirement account for US households is $2,000. This is why the vast majority of retirees depend on Social Security as their primary source of funds in old age even though Social Security was never designed to be a long term pension system. You’ll notice that the average retirement account is closer to $50,000 a year but this is heavily skewed by the top 1 percent that keep most of their funds in stock wealth.
The reason retirement is slipping through the fingers of many like sand is the disjointed income equality in the country that has grown in the last decade. If we look at income growth it has been heavily tilted at the top:
50% Of Americans One Paycheck Away From Needing Government Assistance 800px United States Income Distribution 1967 2003.svg
Source: Census, Chart: Wikipedia
There has been virtually no real income growth for most Americans. The real significant wage growth over the last 50 years has occurred at the very top 10 percent of income earners in the country with this inequality accelerating in the last bubble decade. What is more important is that 75 percent of Americans largely depend on a job as a primary source of income which seems rather obvious:
50% Of Americans One Paycheck Away From Needing Government Assistance income sources
Source: Federal Reserve
If you examine the chart closely, it is only the top 10 percent that really benefit from a buoyant and thriving stock market. As we have mentioned earlier 1 out of 3 Americans has zero, nada, or zilch in their retirement account. The movement of the stock market is like watching the score of a football game where the outcome means nothing to the individual. Yet the problem is that Wall Street has taken the one item that was stable like a rock for Americans, housing and turned it into another commodity to be gambled and speculated against.
The share of income flowing to a smaller and smaller group of Americans is draining the life blood out of the middle class:
50% Of Americans One Paycheck Away From Needing Government Assistance Share top 1
“From 1950 to 1989, nearly 40 years of data the top 1 percent earned roughly 7 to 8 percent of all the nationwide income. Today it is inching closer to 20 percent, a figure resembling the massive income inequality seen during the Great Depression.”
Even within the top 1 percent the difference in incomes is striking:
50% Of Americans One Paycheck Away From Needing Government Assistance Top 1
This kind of income inequality is coming at the cost of the middle class. Banks and the financial press would like you to believe that this isn’t the case but just look at how far your dollar is now going. If you are fortunate to have a retirement account it is likely you don’t have the gambling devices of options, hedges, and other items that are largely new casino devices for Wall Street. Most Americans are comfortable with income discrepancies but not at these levels and not when much of the gains are based on bets that hurt the overall economy.
The problem as many are now seeing is the financial sector is largely rent seeking by pilfering the future of many middle class Americans. The banking system extracts wealth by devaluing the US dollar, by charging interest or fees on retail banking, and ultimately suckering many Americans to dump money into a stock market that is operated like a casino. Washington Mutual, a once popular bank used to offer free checking for life. JP Morgan Chase took over Washington Mutual in a government shotgun wedding. Now, Chase is looking to extract $10 to $12 per month merely for having a checking account. Of course they’ll waive this if you have $5,000 saved in a handful of their accounts. Look above again. 1 out of 3 Americans have no savings so how will this be accomplished?
As we mentioned Social Security is largely becoming the retirement account default of many Americans. Yet the growing number of beneficiaries is now putting strain on the system:
50% Of Americans One Paycheck Away From Needing Government Assistance social security beneficiaries
The above chart will only continue to show expansion. Where will all this money come from? We have a smaller workforce with the young that are already having a tough time saving any money in this economy. Many of the good paying jobs of today require a college education and college has largely entered its own student loan bubble. Many of the future middle class are merely trying to service their own massive debt even before they begin their careers. To save that $1 million will become a daunting task moving forward. Also, if the Federal Reserve has its way $1 million 30 or 40 years from now may not be much.
With 17 percent of Americans unemployed or underemployed many are simply looking for that next paycheck let alone planning for a retirement where they can sip margaritas in some picturesque beach location. Wall Street has pilfered the pockets of the middle class through bailouts for their reckless gambling and incredible excess. Many Americans now understand this yet the current political class is merely interested in protecting the established *****cracy by pillaging the American village. Most Americans are becoming exhausted by both political parties and their pandering to Wall Street that provides a revolving door of money, jobs, and connections.
The younger generation is seeing their ability to grow their net worth diminishing:
50% Of Americans One Paycheck Away From Needing Government Assistance 25 to 34 year old drop in median savings
This figure has only dropped even further in the last few years. Retirement was once thought of as a place where one would reach a comfortable existence after many years of hard work. Not an extravagant lifestyle but one in where a home was paid off and enough money came in for food and daily necessities. But now with Wall Street turning housing into a giant commodity and stripping bear the employment base of the country; many are wondering if retirement is even an option especially when the stock market is at the same level as it was one decade ago.
Ultimately what needs to happen is to get money out of politics and to split up commercial and investment banking. The answer is obvious but the *****cracy is relentless in keeping this game going as long as possible. As this continues, retirement will continue to look more and more as a fantasy to millions of Americans.
http://www.prisonplanet.com/50-of-americans-one-paycheck-away-from-needing-government-assistance.html
Prison Parole Contingent On Kidney Donation
JACKSON — For 16 years, sisters Jamie and Gladys Scott have shared a life behind bars for their part in an $11 armed robbery. To share freedom, they must also share a kidney.
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour suspended the sisters' life sentences on Wednesday, but 36-year-old Gladys Scott's release is contingent on her giving a kidney to Jamie, her 38-year-old sister, who requires daily dialysis.
The sisters were convicted in 1994 of leading two men into an ambush in central Mississippi the year before. Three teenagers hit each man in the head with a shotgun and took their wallets — making off with only $11, court records said.
Jamie and Gladys Scott were each convicted of two counts of armed robbery and sentenced to two life sentences.
"I think it's a victory," said the sisters' attorney, Chokwe Lumumba. "I talked to Gladys and she's elated about the news. I'm sure Jamie is, too."
National NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous thanked Barbour in a news conference Thursday at Mississippi's capital, calling the suspension of the sentences "a shining example" of the way a governor should use the power of clemency.
Civil rights advocates have for years called for the sisters' release, saying the sentences were excessive. Those demands gained traction when Barbour asked the Mississippi Parole Board to take another look at the case.
The Scott sisters are eligible for parole in 2014, but Barbour said prison officials no longer think they are a threat to society and Jamie's medical condition is costing the state a lot of money — approximately $200,000 a year, according to Mississippi Department of Corrections Spokesman Kent Croker.
Lumumba said he has no problem with the governor requiring Gladys to offer up her organ because "Gladys actually volunteered that as part of her petition."
Lumumba said it's not clear what caused the kidney failure, but it's likely a combination of different illnesses over the years.
Barbour spokesman Dan Turner told The Associated Press that Jamie Scott was released because she needs the transplant. He said Gladys Scott will be released if she agrees to donate her kidney because of the significant risk and recovery time.
"She wanted to do it," Turner said. "That wasn't something we introduced."
Barbour is a Republican in his second term who has been mentioned as a possible presidential contender in 2012. He said the parole board agreed with the indefinite suspension of their sentences, which is different from a pardon or commutation because it comes with conditions.
An "indefinite suspension of sentence" can be reversed if the conditions are not followed, but those requirements are usually things like meeting with a parole officer.
The Scott sisters have received significant public support from advocacy groups, including the NAACP, which called for their release. Hundreds of people marched through downtown Jackson from the state capital to the governor's mansion in September, chanting in unison that the women should be freed.
Still, their release won't be immediate.
Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Chris Epps said late Wednesday that he had not received the order. He also said the women want to live with relatives in Florida, which requires approval from officials in that state.
In general, that process takes 45 days.
Mississippi NAACP President Derrick Johnson said the Scott sisters' release will be "a great victory for the state of Mississippi for two individuals who received an excessive sentence" and he has no problem with the kidney donation requirement because Gladys Scott volunteered.
"I think it's encouraging that she's willing to share a kidney so her sister can have a better quality life," Johnson said.
http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2010/12/29/5734531-sisters-kidney-donation-condition-of-miss-parole?commentId=50414050
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour suspended the sisters' life sentences on Wednesday, but 36-year-old Gladys Scott's release is contingent on her giving a kidney to Jamie, her 38-year-old sister, who requires daily dialysis.
The sisters were convicted in 1994 of leading two men into an ambush in central Mississippi the year before. Three teenagers hit each man in the head with a shotgun and took their wallets — making off with only $11, court records said.
Jamie and Gladys Scott were each convicted of two counts of armed robbery and sentenced to two life sentences.
"I think it's a victory," said the sisters' attorney, Chokwe Lumumba. "I talked to Gladys and she's elated about the news. I'm sure Jamie is, too."
National NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous thanked Barbour in a news conference Thursday at Mississippi's capital, calling the suspension of the sentences "a shining example" of the way a governor should use the power of clemency.
Civil rights advocates have for years called for the sisters' release, saying the sentences were excessive. Those demands gained traction when Barbour asked the Mississippi Parole Board to take another look at the case.
The Scott sisters are eligible for parole in 2014, but Barbour said prison officials no longer think they are a threat to society and Jamie's medical condition is costing the state a lot of money — approximately $200,000 a year, according to Mississippi Department of Corrections Spokesman Kent Croker.
Lumumba said he has no problem with the governor requiring Gladys to offer up her organ because "Gladys actually volunteered that as part of her petition."
Lumumba said it's not clear what caused the kidney failure, but it's likely a combination of different illnesses over the years.
Barbour spokesman Dan Turner told The Associated Press that Jamie Scott was released because she needs the transplant. He said Gladys Scott will be released if she agrees to donate her kidney because of the significant risk and recovery time.
"She wanted to do it," Turner said. "That wasn't something we introduced."
Barbour is a Republican in his second term who has been mentioned as a possible presidential contender in 2012. He said the parole board agreed with the indefinite suspension of their sentences, which is different from a pardon or commutation because it comes with conditions.
An "indefinite suspension of sentence" can be reversed if the conditions are not followed, but those requirements are usually things like meeting with a parole officer.
The Scott sisters have received significant public support from advocacy groups, including the NAACP, which called for their release. Hundreds of people marched through downtown Jackson from the state capital to the governor's mansion in September, chanting in unison that the women should be freed.
Still, their release won't be immediate.
Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Chris Epps said late Wednesday that he had not received the order. He also said the women want to live with relatives in Florida, which requires approval from officials in that state.
In general, that process takes 45 days.
Mississippi NAACP President Derrick Johnson said the Scott sisters' release will be "a great victory for the state of Mississippi for two individuals who received an excessive sentence" and he has no problem with the kidney donation requirement because Gladys Scott volunteered.
"I think it's encouraging that she's willing to share a kidney so her sister can have a better quality life," Johnson said.
http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2010/12/29/5734531-sisters-kidney-donation-condition-of-miss-parole?commentId=50414050
Paul Craig Roberts
Prison Planet.com
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Anyone who doesn’t believe that the US is an incipient fascist state needs only to consult the latest assault on civil liberty by Fox News. Instead of informing citizens, Fox News informs on citizens. Jason Ditz reports (antiwar.com Dec. 28) that Fox News “no longer content to simply shill for a growing police state,” turned in a grandmother to the Department of Homeland Security for making “anti-American comments.”
The media have segued into the police attitude, which regards insistence on civil liberties and references to the Constitution as signs of extremism, especially when the Constitution is invoked in defense of dissent or privacy or placarded on a bumper sticker. President George W. Bush set the scene when he declared: “you are with us or against us.”
Bush’s words demonstrate a frightening decline in our government’s respect for dissent since the presidency of John F. Kennedy. In a speech to the Newspaper Publishers Association in 1961, President Kennedy said:
“No president should fear public scrutiny of his program, for from that scrutiny comes understanding, and from that understanding comes support or opposition; and both are necessary. . . . Without debate, without criticism, no administration and no country can succeed, and no republic can survive. That is why the Athenian law makers once decreed it a crime for any citizen to shrink from controversy. And that is why our press was protected by the First Amendment.”
The press is not protected, Kennedy told the newspaper publishers, in order that it can amuse and entertain, emphasize the trivial, or simply tell the public what it wants to hear. The press is protected so that it can find and report facts and, thus, inform, arouse “and sometimes even anger public opinion.”
In a statement unlikely to be repeated by an American president, Kennedy told the newspaper publishers:
(ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW)
America Has Gone Away 011210banner3
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“I’m not asking your newspapers to support an administration, but I am asking your help in the tremendous task of informing and alerting the American people, for I have complete confidence in the response and dedication of our citizens whenever they are fully informed.”
The America of Kennedy’s day and the America of today are two different worlds. In America today the media are expected to lie for the government in order to prevent the people from finding out what the government is up to. If polls can be believed, Americans brainwashed and programmed by O’Reilly, Hannity, Beck, and Limbaugh want Bradley Manning and Julian Assange torn limb from limb for informing Americans of the criminal acts of their government. Politicians and journalists are screeching for their execution.
President Kennedy told the Newspaper Publishers Association that “it is to the printing press, the recorder of man’s deeds, the keeper of his conscience, the courier of his news, that we look for strength and assistance, confident that with your help man will be what he was born to be: Free and Independent.” Who can imagine a Bill Clinton, a George W. Bush, or a Barack Obama saying such a thing today?
Today the press is a propaganda ministry for the government. Any member who departs from his duty to lie and spin the news is expelled from the fraternity. A public increasingly unemployed, broke and homeless is told that they have vast enemies plotting to destroy them in the absence of annual trillion dollar expenditures for the military/security complex, wars lasting decades, no-fly lists, unlimited spying and collecting of dossiers on citizens supplemented by neighbors reporting on neighbors, full body scanners at airports, shopping centers, metro and train stations, traffic checks, and the equivalence of treason with the uttering of a truth.
Two years ago when he came into office President Obama admitted that no one knew what the military mission was in Afghanistan, including the president himself, but that he would find a mission and define it. On his recent trip to Afghanistan, Obama came up with the mission: to make the families of the troops safe in America, his version of Bush’s “we have to kill them over there before they kill us over here.”
No one snorted with derision or even mildly giggled. Neither the New York Times nor Fox News (sic) dared to wonder if perhaps, maybe, murdering and displacing large numbers of Muslims in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Yemen and US support for Israel’s similar treatment of Lebanese and Palestinians might be creating a hostile environment that could breed terrorists. If there still is such a thing as the Newspaper Publishers Association, its members are incapable of such an unpatriotic thought.
Today no one believes that our country’s success depends on an informed public and a free press. America’s success depends on its financial and military hegemony over the world. Any information inconsistent with the indispensable people’s god-given right to dominate the world must be suppressed and the messenger discredited and destroyed.
Now that the press has voluntarily shed its First Amendment rights, the government is working to redefine free speech as a privilege limited to the media, not a right of citizens. Thus, the insistence that WikiLeaks is not a media organization and Fox News (sic) turning in a citizen for exercising free speech. Washington’s assault on Assange and WikiLeaks is an assault on what remains of the US Constitution. When we cheer for WikiLeaks’ demise, we are cheering for our own.
http://www.prisonplanet.com/america-has-gone-away.html
Prison Planet.com
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Anyone who doesn’t believe that the US is an incipient fascist state needs only to consult the latest assault on civil liberty by Fox News. Instead of informing citizens, Fox News informs on citizens. Jason Ditz reports (antiwar.com Dec. 28) that Fox News “no longer content to simply shill for a growing police state,” turned in a grandmother to the Department of Homeland Security for making “anti-American comments.”
The media have segued into the police attitude, which regards insistence on civil liberties and references to the Constitution as signs of extremism, especially when the Constitution is invoked in defense of dissent or privacy or placarded on a bumper sticker. President George W. Bush set the scene when he declared: “you are with us or against us.”
Bush’s words demonstrate a frightening decline in our government’s respect for dissent since the presidency of John F. Kennedy. In a speech to the Newspaper Publishers Association in 1961, President Kennedy said:
“No president should fear public scrutiny of his program, for from that scrutiny comes understanding, and from that understanding comes support or opposition; and both are necessary. . . . Without debate, without criticism, no administration and no country can succeed, and no republic can survive. That is why the Athenian law makers once decreed it a crime for any citizen to shrink from controversy. And that is why our press was protected by the First Amendment.”
The press is not protected, Kennedy told the newspaper publishers, in order that it can amuse and entertain, emphasize the trivial, or simply tell the public what it wants to hear. The press is protected so that it can find and report facts and, thus, inform, arouse “and sometimes even anger public opinion.”
In a statement unlikely to be repeated by an American president, Kennedy told the newspaper publishers:
(ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW)
America Has Gone Away 011210banner3
Stock up for the Holidays with eFoodsDirect and get FREE Shipping!
“I’m not asking your newspapers to support an administration, but I am asking your help in the tremendous task of informing and alerting the American people, for I have complete confidence in the response and dedication of our citizens whenever they are fully informed.”
The America of Kennedy’s day and the America of today are two different worlds. In America today the media are expected to lie for the government in order to prevent the people from finding out what the government is up to. If polls can be believed, Americans brainwashed and programmed by O’Reilly, Hannity, Beck, and Limbaugh want Bradley Manning and Julian Assange torn limb from limb for informing Americans of the criminal acts of their government. Politicians and journalists are screeching for their execution.
President Kennedy told the Newspaper Publishers Association that “it is to the printing press, the recorder of man’s deeds, the keeper of his conscience, the courier of his news, that we look for strength and assistance, confident that with your help man will be what he was born to be: Free and Independent.” Who can imagine a Bill Clinton, a George W. Bush, or a Barack Obama saying such a thing today?
Today the press is a propaganda ministry for the government. Any member who departs from his duty to lie and spin the news is expelled from the fraternity. A public increasingly unemployed, broke and homeless is told that they have vast enemies plotting to destroy them in the absence of annual trillion dollar expenditures for the military/security complex, wars lasting decades, no-fly lists, unlimited spying and collecting of dossiers on citizens supplemented by neighbors reporting on neighbors, full body scanners at airports, shopping centers, metro and train stations, traffic checks, and the equivalence of treason with the uttering of a truth.
Two years ago when he came into office President Obama admitted that no one knew what the military mission was in Afghanistan, including the president himself, but that he would find a mission and define it. On his recent trip to Afghanistan, Obama came up with the mission: to make the families of the troops safe in America, his version of Bush’s “we have to kill them over there before they kill us over here.”
No one snorted with derision or even mildly giggled. Neither the New York Times nor Fox News (sic) dared to wonder if perhaps, maybe, murdering and displacing large numbers of Muslims in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Yemen and US support for Israel’s similar treatment of Lebanese and Palestinians might be creating a hostile environment that could breed terrorists. If there still is such a thing as the Newspaper Publishers Association, its members are incapable of such an unpatriotic thought.
Today no one believes that our country’s success depends on an informed public and a free press. America’s success depends on its financial and military hegemony over the world. Any information inconsistent with the indispensable people’s god-given right to dominate the world must be suppressed and the messenger discredited and destroyed.
Now that the press has voluntarily shed its First Amendment rights, the government is working to redefine free speech as a privilege limited to the media, not a right of citizens. Thus, the insistence that WikiLeaks is not a media organization and Fox News (sic) turning in a citizen for exercising free speech. Washington’s assault on Assange and WikiLeaks is an assault on what remains of the US Constitution. When we cheer for WikiLeaks’ demise, we are cheering for our own.
http://www.prisonplanet.com/america-has-gone-away.html
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Feed Me, Obama, Feed Me: The Plan for Food Dependency
John Griffing
American Thinker
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
What does any would-be tyrant need in order to gain control over the lives of citizens? Three things come to mind: martial law, socialized medicine, and food dependency.
In at least two of these categories, President Obama has already succeeded.
Martial Law
By way of executive proclamation, President Obama has secured for himself the power to declare martial law in the event of a national “emergency,” real or contrived, and without the accountability typically required by the Posse Comitatus Act and the National Emergencies Act of 1976.
This is the legacy of the “conservative” Bush administration. National emergencies have now been transformed into power-grabbing devices thanks to the virtually unnoticed National Security Presidential Directive (NSPD) 51.
NSPD 51 empowers the president to co-opt all state and local government authority in the event that he declares a national emergency. This is a self-declared power not subjugated to the National Emergencies Act of 1976 as in previous directives.
President Obama quickly went beyond NSPD 51, signing an order creating a “Council of Governors” who would be put in charge of declaring martial law. The directive is in direct violation of Posse Comitatus and the Insurrection Act. This “Council of Governors” answers only to President Obama.
In October of last year, President Obama declared a national emergency in the midst of the much-hyped swine flu crisis. This declaration was largely overlooked. By combining his October declaration with the provisions of NSPD 51, President Obama can now be considered virtually uninhibited by Congress and free to flip the switch at any moment.
Feed Me, Obama, Feed Me: The Plan for Food Dependency 260310banner2
Socialized Medicine
Whether or not Republicans achieve repeal, a precedent has been set. It is unlikely that the full damage of ObamaCare can be completely undone without Republican control of the White House. The U.S. government can now dictate the coverage and benefits of most Americans — i.e., those on Medicaid, Medicare, and SCHIP, which together account for thirty percent of the population. In addition, government can punish Americans without insurance with unconstitutional fees and fine employers who refuse to provide every single employee with premium health benefits, making economic recovery unlikely.
In previous articles, I have explained the deadly dimension to ObamaCare as currently construed, demonstrating the serious potential for the mass destruction of human life on the basis of erroneous factors like “hospital readmission.” Who will challenge federal officials with health care at stake? Who would seriously suggest that health care will not be used as a political weapon? When the government has all power and no accountability, it has very little reason to use that power responsibly. Accountability is what makes the American model work. But accountability is removed with ObamaCare.
The one area where elites have been so far reluctant to venture is food. Food is the stuff of life. Control over food would mean direct control over the political decisions of average Americans. The elites have slipped the slope, passing legislation that will give federal bureaucrats jurisdiction over food “production” — i.e., who produces food, what kinds of food are produced, and in what quantities. However, this is not a debate about food regulation or food inspection. What is taking place is in fact a coup d’état, with dinner tables as the strategic weapons.
Food Dependency
The greatest tyrants in history have used food as a method of control. To state the obvious, people must eat to live. By controlling the flow of food to people who side with the political intelligentsia, rule is established. People may challenge tyranny when they have meat on the table. But who in their right mind would bite the hands of their benefactors (so called)?
Meet the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), a new legislative proposal designed to centralize control over food stocks to protect Americans from “terror.”
The motive may indeed be to protect the food supply from the actions of terrorists, but what about acts of government terror? Can centralized control by the government protect the people against the whims of human nature? This question is not being asked by those so in favor of surrendering control of food to an entity that cannot even manage a budget, much less an oil spill or other natural disaster. Now we are to believe that this same inefficient, broken entity can guarantee the safety of our food? Something stinks, and it smells like government cheese. Usually when people ask for power, it is because they want power, regardless of the stated motive.
What good, for example, can be gained from removing the right of Americans to grow their own food, as several of the provisions of the Food Safety Modernization Act do? The Ninth Amendment arguably guarantees this and other unenumerated rights. The Ninth Amendment reads:
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
To clarify, how can the rights to life, liberty, and property enshrined in the Constitution exist without the ability of citizens to attend to bodily needs — i.e., sustenance?
The FSMA doesn’t merely wrest control of the food supply from citizens. Dangerously, the FSMA proceeds to transfer U.S. food sovereignty to the WTO, with one provision reading, “Nothing in this Act shall be construed in a manner inconsistent with the agreement establishing the World Trade Organization or any other treaty or international agreement to which the U.S. is a party.” This provision is significant, since the WTO draws all its food safety standards from the controversial Codex Alimentarius, which is thought by some to be a vast postwar scheme to control the world’s population by means of food. The bottom line vis-Ã -vis food is that Americans lose control, and foreign bureaucrats gain control.
Even if the alleged motive were legitimate, the FDA already inspects food imports, albeit quite poorly. The federal government already possesses the necessary power to thwart terrorist contamination of the food supply. This proposal, then, is not really about protecting food, but instead about controlling food — and by extension, controlling Americans. We must resist while the fruits of the field are still here for the picking.
President Obama is willing to shut off the water in a small town in the heart of America’s agricultural center. Might he be willing to stop shipments of food to politically opposed states?
American Thinker
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
What does any would-be tyrant need in order to gain control over the lives of citizens? Three things come to mind: martial law, socialized medicine, and food dependency.
In at least two of these categories, President Obama has already succeeded.
Martial Law
By way of executive proclamation, President Obama has secured for himself the power to declare martial law in the event of a national “emergency,” real or contrived, and without the accountability typically required by the Posse Comitatus Act and the National Emergencies Act of 1976.
This is the legacy of the “conservative” Bush administration. National emergencies have now been transformed into power-grabbing devices thanks to the virtually unnoticed National Security Presidential Directive (NSPD) 51.
NSPD 51 empowers the president to co-opt all state and local government authority in the event that he declares a national emergency. This is a self-declared power not subjugated to the National Emergencies Act of 1976 as in previous directives.
President Obama quickly went beyond NSPD 51, signing an order creating a “Council of Governors” who would be put in charge of declaring martial law. The directive is in direct violation of Posse Comitatus and the Insurrection Act. This “Council of Governors” answers only to President Obama.
In October of last year, President Obama declared a national emergency in the midst of the much-hyped swine flu crisis. This declaration was largely overlooked. By combining his October declaration with the provisions of NSPD 51, President Obama can now be considered virtually uninhibited by Congress and free to flip the switch at any moment.
Feed Me, Obama, Feed Me: The Plan for Food Dependency 260310banner2
Socialized Medicine
Whether or not Republicans achieve repeal, a precedent has been set. It is unlikely that the full damage of ObamaCare can be completely undone without Republican control of the White House. The U.S. government can now dictate the coverage and benefits of most Americans — i.e., those on Medicaid, Medicare, and SCHIP, which together account for thirty percent of the population. In addition, government can punish Americans without insurance with unconstitutional fees and fine employers who refuse to provide every single employee with premium health benefits, making economic recovery unlikely.
In previous articles, I have explained the deadly dimension to ObamaCare as currently construed, demonstrating the serious potential for the mass destruction of human life on the basis of erroneous factors like “hospital readmission.” Who will challenge federal officials with health care at stake? Who would seriously suggest that health care will not be used as a political weapon? When the government has all power and no accountability, it has very little reason to use that power responsibly. Accountability is what makes the American model work. But accountability is removed with ObamaCare.
The one area where elites have been so far reluctant to venture is food. Food is the stuff of life. Control over food would mean direct control over the political decisions of average Americans. The elites have slipped the slope, passing legislation that will give federal bureaucrats jurisdiction over food “production” — i.e., who produces food, what kinds of food are produced, and in what quantities. However, this is not a debate about food regulation or food inspection. What is taking place is in fact a coup d’état, with dinner tables as the strategic weapons.
Food Dependency
The greatest tyrants in history have used food as a method of control. To state the obvious, people must eat to live. By controlling the flow of food to people who side with the political intelligentsia, rule is established. People may challenge tyranny when they have meat on the table. But who in their right mind would bite the hands of their benefactors (so called)?
Meet the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), a new legislative proposal designed to centralize control over food stocks to protect Americans from “terror.”
The motive may indeed be to protect the food supply from the actions of terrorists, but what about acts of government terror? Can centralized control by the government protect the people against the whims of human nature? This question is not being asked by those so in favor of surrendering control of food to an entity that cannot even manage a budget, much less an oil spill or other natural disaster. Now we are to believe that this same inefficient, broken entity can guarantee the safety of our food? Something stinks, and it smells like government cheese. Usually when people ask for power, it is because they want power, regardless of the stated motive.
What good, for example, can be gained from removing the right of Americans to grow their own food, as several of the provisions of the Food Safety Modernization Act do? The Ninth Amendment arguably guarantees this and other unenumerated rights. The Ninth Amendment reads:
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
To clarify, how can the rights to life, liberty, and property enshrined in the Constitution exist without the ability of citizens to attend to bodily needs — i.e., sustenance?
The FSMA doesn’t merely wrest control of the food supply from citizens. Dangerously, the FSMA proceeds to transfer U.S. food sovereignty to the WTO, with one provision reading, “Nothing in this Act shall be construed in a manner inconsistent with the agreement establishing the World Trade Organization or any other treaty or international agreement to which the U.S. is a party.” This provision is significant, since the WTO draws all its food safety standards from the controversial Codex Alimentarius, which is thought by some to be a vast postwar scheme to control the world’s population by means of food. The bottom line vis-Ã -vis food is that Americans lose control, and foreign bureaucrats gain control.
Even if the alleged motive were legitimate, the FDA already inspects food imports, albeit quite poorly. The federal government already possesses the necessary power to thwart terrorist contamination of the food supply. This proposal, then, is not really about protecting food, but instead about controlling food — and by extension, controlling Americans. We must resist while the fruits of the field are still here for the picking.
President Obama is willing to shut off the water in a small town in the heart of America’s agricultural center. Might he be willing to stop shipments of food to politically opposed states?
Obscene, Threatening Comments Posted at Anti-TSA Website Traced to Homeland Security Servers
Jonathan Benson
Natural News
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
(NaturalNews) Officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) seem to now be going on the offensive against those who oppose its new invasive and unconstitutional airport security protocols being carried out by agents of the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA). According to George Donnelly, owner of WeWontFly.com, government workers appear to be posting hateful messages on his anti-TSA blog under the guise of anonymity.
One such comment, which has since been deleted, said, “F**k you, f**k all you c**ksuckers, you wont change anything.” Another stated, “Ride the bus, TSA is here to stay there [sic] doing a great job keeping americia [sic] safe.”
Donnelly says that upon tracing the origin of the comments, he discovered that they came from the servers of dhs.gov, the official website of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Nineteen comments in total were all posted from the same server, including the two previously mentioned. And while all were worded in different tones and voices, they all expressed hostility to those opposing the TSA.
(ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW)
Obscene, Threatening Comments Posted at Anti TSA Website Traced to Homeland Security Servers 011210banner3
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“Some questions come to mind,” wrote Donnelly on his blog in response to his findings. “Is this an official statement? If not, is it an accurate representation of the DHS position? Was this person on the public dime when he or she posted this? Who posted this and what is their position with DHS?”
“This is not the first time we have been trolled by individuals connected to the TSA. Someone posted a personal attack on me from an IP belonging to mitre,org, a corporation whose core competency is securing federal government contracts, including DHS and TSA ones. Any effective TSA resistance threatens not only the TSA itself but also the bureaucrats who got us to this point and the corporations who are getting paid for the technology.”
WeWontFly.com is working towards abolishing the new TSA protocols by pushing airlines to take a stand. And according to a Washington Post piece from November, the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a civil liberties group, has filed a lawsuit against the TSA citing the unconstitutionality of its current actions.
Sources for this story include:
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/12/…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy…
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/030860_TSA_Homeland_Security.html#ixzz19Ud7k73n
Natural News
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
(NaturalNews) Officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) seem to now be going on the offensive against those who oppose its new invasive and unconstitutional airport security protocols being carried out by agents of the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA). According to George Donnelly, owner of WeWontFly.com, government workers appear to be posting hateful messages on his anti-TSA blog under the guise of anonymity.
One such comment, which has since been deleted, said, “F**k you, f**k all you c**ksuckers, you wont change anything.” Another stated, “Ride the bus, TSA is here to stay there [sic] doing a great job keeping americia [sic] safe.”
Donnelly says that upon tracing the origin of the comments, he discovered that they came from the servers of dhs.gov, the official website of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Nineteen comments in total were all posted from the same server, including the two previously mentioned. And while all were worded in different tones and voices, they all expressed hostility to those opposing the TSA.
(ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW)
Obscene, Threatening Comments Posted at Anti TSA Website Traced to Homeland Security Servers 011210banner3
Stock up for the Holidays with eFoodsDirect and get FREE Shipping!
“Some questions come to mind,” wrote Donnelly on his blog in response to his findings. “Is this an official statement? If not, is it an accurate representation of the DHS position? Was this person on the public dime when he or she posted this? Who posted this and what is their position with DHS?”
“This is not the first time we have been trolled by individuals connected to the TSA. Someone posted a personal attack on me from an IP belonging to mitre,org, a corporation whose core competency is securing federal government contracts, including DHS and TSA ones. Any effective TSA resistance threatens not only the TSA itself but also the bureaucrats who got us to this point and the corporations who are getting paid for the technology.”
WeWontFly.com is working towards abolishing the new TSA protocols by pushing airlines to take a stand. And according to a Washington Post piece from November, the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a civil liberties group, has filed a lawsuit against the TSA citing the unconstitutionality of its current actions.
Sources for this story include:
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/12/…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy…
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/030860_TSA_Homeland_Security.html#ixzz19Ud7k73n
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Almost Everything Is A Crime In America Now: 14 Of The Most Ridiculous Things That Americans Are Being Arrested For
Economic Collapse Blog
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Doesn’t it seem like almost everything is becoming a crime in America now? Americans are being arrested and charged with crimes for doing things like leaving dog poop on the ground, opening up Christmas presents early, not recycling properly, farting in class and having brown lawns. But is it healthy for our society for the police to be involved in such silly things? Every single day the United States inches closer to becoming a totalitarian society.
While there are some that would welcome this shift, the truth is that throughout history the societies that have experienced the greatest economic prosperity have all had at least a certain level of freedom. Business thrives when people feel free to live and work. When a government tightens the grip too much many people just start shutting down. Just look at places like North Korea. Even though the rest of the world is sending them huge amounts of food starvation is still quite common in that totalitarian regime.
That is why it is so disturbing that it seems like almost everything has become a crime in America now. As we continue to criminalize relatively normal behavior our slide toward becoming a totalitarian state will only accelerate.
We are throwing anyone and everyone in prison these days. It is getting absolutely ridiculous. Today, the United States leads the world in the number of prisoners and in the percentage of the population in prison. The United States has 5% of the world’s population, but approximately 25% of the world’s incarcerated population.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, as of the end of 2009 a total of 7,225,800 people were either on probation, in prison or on parole in America.
That is a sign of a very, very sick society. Either we have a massive crime problem or the “control grid” that our leaders have erected for us is wildly out of control.
Or both.
But how in the world are we supposed to have a healthy economy if our entire nation is being turned into one gigantic prison?
Sadly, it is not just hardcore criminals that are being rounded up and abused by authorities these days. The following are 14 of the most ridiculous things that Americans are being arrested for….
#1 A Michigan man has been charged with a felony and could face up to 5 years in prison for reading his wife’s email.
#2 A 49-year-old Queens woman had bruises all over her body after she was handcuffed, arrested and brutally beaten by NYPD officers. So what was her offense? The officers thought that her little dog had left some poop that she didn’t clean up.
#3 A 56-year-old woman who was once a rape victim refused to let airport security officials feel her breasts so she was thrown to the floor, put in handcuffs and arrested.
#4 In Milwaukee, one man was recently fined $500 for swearing on a public bus.
#5 Several years ago a 12-year-old boy in South Carolina was actually arrested by police for opening up a Christmas present early against his family’s wishes.
#6 In some areas of the country, it is now a crime to not recycle properly. For example, the city of Cleveland has announced plans to sort through trash cans to ensure that people are actually recycling according to city guidelines.
Almost Everything Is A Crime In America Now: 14 Of The Most Ridiculous Things That Americans Are Being Arrested For 011210banner3
#7 A 12-year-old girl from Queens was arrested earlier this year and taken out of her school in handcuffs for writing “Lex was here. 2/1/10″ and “I love my friends Abby and Faith” on her desk.
#8 Back in 2008, a 13-year-old boy in Florida was actually arrested by police for farting in class.
#9 The feds recently raided an Amish farmer at 5 AM in the morning because they claimed that he was was engaged in the interstate sale of raw milk in violation of federal law.
#10 A few years ago a 10-year-old girl was arrested and charged with a felony for bringing a small steak knife to school. It turns out that all she wanted to do was to cut up her lunch so that she could eat it.
#11 On June 18th, two Christians decided that they would peacefully pass out copies of the gospel of John on a public sidewalk outside a public Islamic festival in Dearborn, Michigan and within three minutes 8 policemen surrounded them and placed them under arrest.
#12 A U.S. District Court judge slapped a 5oo dollar fine on Massachusetts fisherman Robert J. Eldridge for untangling a giant whale from his nets and setting it free. So what was his crime? Well, according to the court, Eldridge was supposed to call state authorities and wait for them do it.
#13 Once upon a time, a food fight in the cafeteria may have gotten you a detention. Now it may get you locked up. About a year ago, 25 students between the ages of 11 and 15 at a school in Chicago were taken into custody by police for being involved in a huge food fight in the school cafeteria.
#14 A few years ago a 70 year old grandmother was actually put in handcuffs and hauled off to jail for having a brown lawn.
Why in the world would anyone approve of the police arresting ordinary Americans for such things?
It seems like ever since 9/11 the whole country has gotten “security fever”.
Suddenly we need to “get tough” on everyone.
Yes, crime is making a comeback, but once upon a time the police in this country were able to handle crime quite well and be courteous and helpful to ordinary citizens at the same time.
But today it seems like nearly every single encounter with police ends up being negative.
It does not have to be that way.
The rest of the world sees what is going on in this country and many of them are deciding that they simply do not want to spend their tourist dollars here anymore. That is not a good thing for our economy.
As the government continues to get even bigger and exerts even more control over our lives, many of our own people are getting sick of it and are moving abroad.
America used to be the land of the free and the home of the brave.
That is no longer true.
Now we get thrown to the floor, handcuffed, beaten and arrested for things that we did not even know were crimes.
If America continues to move in this direction it is going to ruin our economy, our reputation in the world and our national spirit.
Unfortunately, history has shown us that once a free nation starts to lose that freedom it is hard to reverse that slide. Perhaps we will be different. Perhaps the American people will stand up and demand that we restore the principles of liberty and freedom that this country was founded on.
Do you think that will happen? Feel free to leave a comment with your opinion….
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Doesn’t it seem like almost everything is becoming a crime in America now? Americans are being arrested and charged with crimes for doing things like leaving dog poop on the ground, opening up Christmas presents early, not recycling properly, farting in class and having brown lawns. But is it healthy for our society for the police to be involved in such silly things? Every single day the United States inches closer to becoming a totalitarian society.
While there are some that would welcome this shift, the truth is that throughout history the societies that have experienced the greatest economic prosperity have all had at least a certain level of freedom. Business thrives when people feel free to live and work. When a government tightens the grip too much many people just start shutting down. Just look at places like North Korea. Even though the rest of the world is sending them huge amounts of food starvation is still quite common in that totalitarian regime.
That is why it is so disturbing that it seems like almost everything has become a crime in America now. As we continue to criminalize relatively normal behavior our slide toward becoming a totalitarian state will only accelerate.
We are throwing anyone and everyone in prison these days. It is getting absolutely ridiculous. Today, the United States leads the world in the number of prisoners and in the percentage of the population in prison. The United States has 5% of the world’s population, but approximately 25% of the world’s incarcerated population.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, as of the end of 2009 a total of 7,225,800 people were either on probation, in prison or on parole in America.
That is a sign of a very, very sick society. Either we have a massive crime problem or the “control grid” that our leaders have erected for us is wildly out of control.
Or both.
But how in the world are we supposed to have a healthy economy if our entire nation is being turned into one gigantic prison?
Sadly, it is not just hardcore criminals that are being rounded up and abused by authorities these days. The following are 14 of the most ridiculous things that Americans are being arrested for….
#1 A Michigan man has been charged with a felony and could face up to 5 years in prison for reading his wife’s email.
#2 A 49-year-old Queens woman had bruises all over her body after she was handcuffed, arrested and brutally beaten by NYPD officers. So what was her offense? The officers thought that her little dog had left some poop that she didn’t clean up.
#3 A 56-year-old woman who was once a rape victim refused to let airport security officials feel her breasts so she was thrown to the floor, put in handcuffs and arrested.
#4 In Milwaukee, one man was recently fined $500 for swearing on a public bus.
#5 Several years ago a 12-year-old boy in South Carolina was actually arrested by police for opening up a Christmas present early against his family’s wishes.
#6 In some areas of the country, it is now a crime to not recycle properly. For example, the city of Cleveland has announced plans to sort through trash cans to ensure that people are actually recycling according to city guidelines.
Almost Everything Is A Crime In America Now: 14 Of The Most Ridiculous Things That Americans Are Being Arrested For 011210banner3
#7 A 12-year-old girl from Queens was arrested earlier this year and taken out of her school in handcuffs for writing “Lex was here. 2/1/10″ and “I love my friends Abby and Faith” on her desk.
#8 Back in 2008, a 13-year-old boy in Florida was actually arrested by police for farting in class.
#9 The feds recently raided an Amish farmer at 5 AM in the morning because they claimed that he was was engaged in the interstate sale of raw milk in violation of federal law.
#10 A few years ago a 10-year-old girl was arrested and charged with a felony for bringing a small steak knife to school. It turns out that all she wanted to do was to cut up her lunch so that she could eat it.
#11 On June 18th, two Christians decided that they would peacefully pass out copies of the gospel of John on a public sidewalk outside a public Islamic festival in Dearborn, Michigan and within three minutes 8 policemen surrounded them and placed them under arrest.
#12 A U.S. District Court judge slapped a 5oo dollar fine on Massachusetts fisherman Robert J. Eldridge for untangling a giant whale from his nets and setting it free. So what was his crime? Well, according to the court, Eldridge was supposed to call state authorities and wait for them do it.
#13 Once upon a time, a food fight in the cafeteria may have gotten you a detention. Now it may get you locked up. About a year ago, 25 students between the ages of 11 and 15 at a school in Chicago were taken into custody by police for being involved in a huge food fight in the school cafeteria.
#14 A few years ago a 70 year old grandmother was actually put in handcuffs and hauled off to jail for having a brown lawn.
Why in the world would anyone approve of the police arresting ordinary Americans for such things?
It seems like ever since 9/11 the whole country has gotten “security fever”.
Suddenly we need to “get tough” on everyone.
Yes, crime is making a comeback, but once upon a time the police in this country were able to handle crime quite well and be courteous and helpful to ordinary citizens at the same time.
But today it seems like nearly every single encounter with police ends up being negative.
It does not have to be that way.
The rest of the world sees what is going on in this country and many of them are deciding that they simply do not want to spend their tourist dollars here anymore. That is not a good thing for our economy.
As the government continues to get even bigger and exerts even more control over our lives, many of our own people are getting sick of it and are moving abroad.
America used to be the land of the free and the home of the brave.
That is no longer true.
Now we get thrown to the floor, handcuffed, beaten and arrested for things that we did not even know were crimes.
If America continues to move in this direction it is going to ruin our economy, our reputation in the world and our national spirit.
Unfortunately, history has shown us that once a free nation starts to lose that freedom it is hard to reverse that slide. Perhaps we will be different. Perhaps the American people will stand up and demand that we restore the principles of liberty and freedom that this country was founded on.
Do you think that will happen? Feel free to leave a comment with your opinion….
Monsanto’s Neotame molecule allowed in USDA certified organic foods
Everyone wants to indulge a sweet tooth at this festive time of year, without suffering the inevitable consequences of weight gain. But, be aware of the hidden (not listed on ingredient labels) dangers of Neotame sweetener in almost everything consumed by humans, and now even in feed for livestock raised for human consumption.
In 1998, Monsanto applied for FDA approval for a monster molecule, “based on the aspartame formula” with one critical addition: 3-dimethylbutyl [listed on EPA's most hazardous chemical list]. Neotame is touted as being 13,000 times sweeter than sugar.
On July 5, 2002 – Monsanto’s Neotame molecule was approved by the US FDA over formally registered objections of the Aspartame Consumer Safety Network and others. (Long term effects on humans are unknown.) Read the full release on The Aspartame Consumer Safety Network.
The food labeling requirements required for aspartame have now been dropped for Neotame, and no one is clear why this was allowed to happen. Neotame has been ruled acceptable, and without being included on the list of ingredients, for:
1. USDA Certified Organic food items.
2. Certified Kosher products with the official letter k inside the circle on labels.
Ever ready to give the public what it craves – guilt-free, low calorie treats that taste as good as sugar, is the multi billion dollar sweetener industry. The sugar industry pales by comparison, in the profit generating arena. Fake sugars, in the form of Aspartame and now the Aspartame super clone, Neotame, give ‘foodies’ and fitness fanatics false hope and the empty promise that all can ‘have our cake and eat it, too.’ Not necessarily so.
Controversy has swirled around the artificial sweetener, Aspartame, now also known as AminoSweet, since its FDA approval in 1982. Virtually all corporate sponsored scientific studies show aspartame to be perfectly safe. Virtually all independently done studies show just the opposite. In the lab, Aspartame was shown to cause the following forms of cancers: brain tumors, pancreatic tumors, breast tumors and uterine tumors. Five deaths are registered with FDA. In more recent tests, leukemia, lymphoma and kidney cancers were discovered as well.
There is a parallel issue with which to compare the Aspartame issue. That of cigarettes and the deadly effects of smoking. The massive Tobacco Industry is able to produce large volumes of scientific studies showing smoking does not cause: lung cancer, heart disease, strokes or death. Today, mainstream science accepts the fact that smoking can be deadly and addictive. So it is with Aspartame, whose approval was based, not on scientific fact, but as an issue of public policy.
One form of subliminal advertising, called Product Placement, was successfully used in the 30′s through the 60′s, by the Tobacco Industry, in films, later on television and in newspaper articles. Product Placement has been successfully employed, in like manner, for Aspartame products, such as diet sodas, etc. Popular actors on sit coms asking pointedly for a Diet Coke, for example. Only once, in the film, I Love Trouble, have I noted seeing a diet drink consumed by the villain. This was in a film about a mythical chemical company which produced a neurotoxic bovine growth hormone product. Sound familiar?
Ironically, prior to U.S. government approval of this controversial new sweetener, Neotame was approved by the regulatory agency in Australia, the day after Donald Rumsfeld (former CEO of the drug company that falsified tests to gain Aspartame approval in the U.S.), was in that country for a one day meeting with government officials. Coincidence? Maybe.
What’s the latest, in-your-face, profit making method utilized by the makers of Neotame, partnering with a Health Care company in India? The most recent Press Release from the company explains novel new uses proposed for the ubiquitous new Aspartame formula-based sweetener, Neotame (Sweetos):
EnSigns Health Care Pvt Ltd and The NutraSweet Co USA have recently launched ‘Sweetos’, a cattle feed sweetener. Sweetos has been developed with Neotame, a high intensity sweetener.
Amino acids based sweetener Neotame is 8,000 to 13,000 times sweeter than sugar and is a patented product of the NutraSweet Co USA. Ensigns is one of the leading manufacturer of Sweetos, low calorie sweeteners for the food industry. Together the two companies have launched this sweetener to be added to cattle feed.
Presently, molasses is used as a feed sweetener to mask the low palatable taste of certain non-conventional feed ingredients. But, the prices of molasses have sky rocketed due to its use as a raw material in alcohol production and other chemical manufacturing industries. Besides, there are stringent regulatory measures for purchase and use of molasses.
“Sweetos is an economical substitute for molasses. Sweetos guarantees the masking of unpleasant tastes and odor and improves the palatability of feed. This product will be economical for farmers and manufacturers of cattle feed. It can also be used in mineral mixture,” said Craig Petray, CEO, The NutraSweet Company.
Sweetos is 20 per cent cheaper than molasses, which costs Rs 14 per kg. While Sweetos is priced at Rs 11 per kg, which is available in both powder and liquid form. Ensigns’ has a manufacturing facility at Wagholi, where the company manufactures low calorie sweeteners for the food and beverage (F&B) industry containing sucralose. “We are in talks with the animal husbandry department to reach out to farmers and are trying to tie up with extension services with co-operative societies as well. Cattle consume more fodder when mixed with Sweetos. This product has great export potential as well,” said Mohan Nair, chairman, Ensigns Health Care.
The NutraSweet Company is looking at launching the same product in Brazil soon. It will also launch tabletop sweeteners and products in India. India also has approved the usage of Neotame in the F&B industry in July 2010. Ensigns, therefore, also plans to replace its sucralose based sweetening products with Neotame soon.
___________________________________________________
Diet sweeteners being used to fatten cattle, by causing them to eat more feed, before they become your favorite burger, steak, cheese or other dairy product? This NutraSweet produced document proves our point that Aspartame, Neotame and related sweeteners cause weight gain, loss of appetite control (and cancers) – in animals and humans.
Find out more about which neuroexcitatory sweeteners are in your foods, beverages and chewing gums. Eliminating them could be a life saving decision
http://foodfreedom.wordpress.com/2010/12/22/monsantos-neotame-molecule-allowed-in-usda-certified-organic-foods/
In 1998, Monsanto applied for FDA approval for a monster molecule, “based on the aspartame formula” with one critical addition: 3-dimethylbutyl [listed on EPA's most hazardous chemical list]. Neotame is touted as being 13,000 times sweeter than sugar.
On July 5, 2002 – Monsanto’s Neotame molecule was approved by the US FDA over formally registered objections of the Aspartame Consumer Safety Network and others. (Long term effects on humans are unknown.) Read the full release on The Aspartame Consumer Safety Network.
The food labeling requirements required for aspartame have now been dropped for Neotame, and no one is clear why this was allowed to happen. Neotame has been ruled acceptable, and without being included on the list of ingredients, for:
1. USDA Certified Organic food items.
2. Certified Kosher products with the official letter k inside the circle on labels.
Ever ready to give the public what it craves – guilt-free, low calorie treats that taste as good as sugar, is the multi billion dollar sweetener industry. The sugar industry pales by comparison, in the profit generating arena. Fake sugars, in the form of Aspartame and now the Aspartame super clone, Neotame, give ‘foodies’ and fitness fanatics false hope and the empty promise that all can ‘have our cake and eat it, too.’ Not necessarily so.
Controversy has swirled around the artificial sweetener, Aspartame, now also known as AminoSweet, since its FDA approval in 1982. Virtually all corporate sponsored scientific studies show aspartame to be perfectly safe. Virtually all independently done studies show just the opposite. In the lab, Aspartame was shown to cause the following forms of cancers: brain tumors, pancreatic tumors, breast tumors and uterine tumors. Five deaths are registered with FDA. In more recent tests, leukemia, lymphoma and kidney cancers were discovered as well.
There is a parallel issue with which to compare the Aspartame issue. That of cigarettes and the deadly effects of smoking. The massive Tobacco Industry is able to produce large volumes of scientific studies showing smoking does not cause: lung cancer, heart disease, strokes or death. Today, mainstream science accepts the fact that smoking can be deadly and addictive. So it is with Aspartame, whose approval was based, not on scientific fact, but as an issue of public policy.
One form of subliminal advertising, called Product Placement, was successfully used in the 30′s through the 60′s, by the Tobacco Industry, in films, later on television and in newspaper articles. Product Placement has been successfully employed, in like manner, for Aspartame products, such as diet sodas, etc. Popular actors on sit coms asking pointedly for a Diet Coke, for example. Only once, in the film, I Love Trouble, have I noted seeing a diet drink consumed by the villain. This was in a film about a mythical chemical company which produced a neurotoxic bovine growth hormone product. Sound familiar?
Ironically, prior to U.S. government approval of this controversial new sweetener, Neotame was approved by the regulatory agency in Australia, the day after Donald Rumsfeld (former CEO of the drug company that falsified tests to gain Aspartame approval in the U.S.), was in that country for a one day meeting with government officials. Coincidence? Maybe.
What’s the latest, in-your-face, profit making method utilized by the makers of Neotame, partnering with a Health Care company in India? The most recent Press Release from the company explains novel new uses proposed for the ubiquitous new Aspartame formula-based sweetener, Neotame (Sweetos):
EnSigns Health Care Pvt Ltd and The NutraSweet Co USA have recently launched ‘Sweetos’, a cattle feed sweetener. Sweetos has been developed with Neotame, a high intensity sweetener.
Amino acids based sweetener Neotame is 8,000 to 13,000 times sweeter than sugar and is a patented product of the NutraSweet Co USA. Ensigns is one of the leading manufacturer of Sweetos, low calorie sweeteners for the food industry. Together the two companies have launched this sweetener to be added to cattle feed.
Presently, molasses is used as a feed sweetener to mask the low palatable taste of certain non-conventional feed ingredients. But, the prices of molasses have sky rocketed due to its use as a raw material in alcohol production and other chemical manufacturing industries. Besides, there are stringent regulatory measures for purchase and use of molasses.
“Sweetos is an economical substitute for molasses. Sweetos guarantees the masking of unpleasant tastes and odor and improves the palatability of feed. This product will be economical for farmers and manufacturers of cattle feed. It can also be used in mineral mixture,” said Craig Petray, CEO, The NutraSweet Company.
Sweetos is 20 per cent cheaper than molasses, which costs Rs 14 per kg. While Sweetos is priced at Rs 11 per kg, which is available in both powder and liquid form. Ensigns’ has a manufacturing facility at Wagholi, where the company manufactures low calorie sweeteners for the food and beverage (F&B) industry containing sucralose. “We are in talks with the animal husbandry department to reach out to farmers and are trying to tie up with extension services with co-operative societies as well. Cattle consume more fodder when mixed with Sweetos. This product has great export potential as well,” said Mohan Nair, chairman, Ensigns Health Care.
The NutraSweet Company is looking at launching the same product in Brazil soon. It will also launch tabletop sweeteners and products in India. India also has approved the usage of Neotame in the F&B industry in July 2010. Ensigns, therefore, also plans to replace its sucralose based sweetening products with Neotame soon.
___________________________________________________
Diet sweeteners being used to fatten cattle, by causing them to eat more feed, before they become your favorite burger, steak, cheese or other dairy product? This NutraSweet produced document proves our point that Aspartame, Neotame and related sweeteners cause weight gain, loss of appetite control (and cancers) – in animals and humans.
Find out more about which neuroexcitatory sweeteners are in your foods, beverages and chewing gums. Eliminating them could be a life saving decision
http://foodfreedom.wordpress.com/2010/12/22/monsantos-neotame-molecule-allowed-in-usda-certified-organic-foods/
Monday, December 27, 2010
Christians 'Denied Human Rights By UK Courts'
An Anglican bishop and Britain’s former top judge yesterday launched an impassioned defence of the rights of Christians in an increasingly secular society.
The Bishop of Winchester, the Rt Rev Michael Scott-Joynt, said judges wrongly discriminate against people of faith because they are ignorant of religious beliefs.
He said failure to support the beliefs of Christians and other religious people could drive them from their jobs and blamed the Human Rights Act for allowing them to be victimised.
The bishop was backed by ex-Lord Chief Justice Lord Woolf, who said the courts had gone ‘too far’ in restricting the rights of Christians in the workplace. He said it was ‘about time the tide turned’.
The two were speaking at the end of a year in which Christian relationship counsellor Gary McFarlane lost his appeal against dismissal after he refused to give sex therapy to a homosexual couple, and nurse Shirley Chaplin lost a discrimination case after she was moved to a back office job because she wore a crucifix.
During the General Election campaign, David Cameron promised to abolish the Human Rights Act and replace it with a British Bill of Rights, which would spell out rights and responsibilities based on British traditions.
But that promise has been watered down by the Coalition agreement, which promises only to set up a commission to ‘investigate the creation of a British Bill of Rights that incorporates and builds on all our obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights’.
Yesterday the bishop said he ‘generally welcomed’ the Human Rights Act but said it was being used without reference to religious sensibilities.
He said: ‘There is growing up something of an imbalance in the legal position with regard to the freedom of Christians and people of other faiths to pursue the calling of their faith in public life, in public service. One major context is obviously the Human Rights Act.’
Rich must shoulder the load
He condemned the treatment of Mr McFarlane, who was sacked by Relate after refusing to give sex therapy to a gay couple because it contradicted his religious beliefs.
The bishop said: ‘We have had a statement from a senior judge this year that matters of Christian belief were only matters of opinion and the law couldn’t possibly take countenance of them in coming to decisions about the rights and wrongs of particular behaviour in the workplace.’
'Religious views are notions in the mind': Gary McFarlane lost his appeal against dismissal after he refused to give sex therapy to a homosexual couple
'Religious views are notions in the mind': Gary McFarlane lost his appeal against dismissal after he refused to give sex therapy to a homosexual couple
He argued it was not an option for Christians to keep their faith private. ‘Anybody who is part of the religious community believes that you don’t just hold views, you live them. Manifesting your faith is part of having it and not part of some optional bolt-on.’
He said in the McFarlane case, ‘judgment seemed to be following contemporary society, which seems to think that secularist views are statements of the obvious and religious views are notions in the mind. That is the culture in which we are living. The judges ought to be religiously literate.’ He also accused Parliament of having behaved ‘quite tyrannically’ over the treatment of Catholic adoption societies, which were told they would have to accept gay and non Christian staff.
Lord Woolf said the bishop’s complaints did have ‘a grounding in the facts’ and added: ‘I think it’s a very good thing that you voice those concerns because the tide goes in and the tide goes out in these areas and sometimes it’s about time the tide turned a bit and started to go back. We may have gone too far.
‘The law must be above any sectional interest even if it is an interest of a faith but at the same time it must be aware of the proper concerns of that faith.
‘The law should be developed in ways that, wherever practicable, it allows that faith to be preserved and protected.’
■ Pope Benedict yesterday condemned Christmas attacks on Christians. He told pilgrims and tourists in St Peter’s Square that he was saddened by the ‘absurd violence’.
Explosions on Christmas Eve in Nigeria killed at least 32 people and left 74 critically injured. Clashes were still continuing between armed Christian and Muslim groups yesterday. On Christmas Day, six were injured by a bomb in a Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines.
Pope Benedict said: ‘I want to express my heartfelt sorrow for the victims of these absurd acts of violence and once more repeat an appeal to abandon the path of hate and seek instead peaceful solutions to conflicts.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1341814/Christians-hit-human-rights-law-The-tide-turn-say-bishop-judge.html#ixzz19N7etiKk
The Bishop of Winchester, the Rt Rev Michael Scott-Joynt, said judges wrongly discriminate against people of faith because they are ignorant of religious beliefs.
He said failure to support the beliefs of Christians and other religious people could drive them from their jobs and blamed the Human Rights Act for allowing them to be victimised.
The bishop was backed by ex-Lord Chief Justice Lord Woolf, who said the courts had gone ‘too far’ in restricting the rights of Christians in the workplace. He said it was ‘about time the tide turned’.
The two were speaking at the end of a year in which Christian relationship counsellor Gary McFarlane lost his appeal against dismissal after he refused to give sex therapy to a homosexual couple, and nurse Shirley Chaplin lost a discrimination case after she was moved to a back office job because she wore a crucifix.
During the General Election campaign, David Cameron promised to abolish the Human Rights Act and replace it with a British Bill of Rights, which would spell out rights and responsibilities based on British traditions.
But that promise has been watered down by the Coalition agreement, which promises only to set up a commission to ‘investigate the creation of a British Bill of Rights that incorporates and builds on all our obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights’.
Yesterday the bishop said he ‘generally welcomed’ the Human Rights Act but said it was being used without reference to religious sensibilities.
He said: ‘There is growing up something of an imbalance in the legal position with regard to the freedom of Christians and people of other faiths to pursue the calling of their faith in public life, in public service. One major context is obviously the Human Rights Act.’
Rich must shoulder the load
He condemned the treatment of Mr McFarlane, who was sacked by Relate after refusing to give sex therapy to a gay couple because it contradicted his religious beliefs.
The bishop said: ‘We have had a statement from a senior judge this year that matters of Christian belief were only matters of opinion and the law couldn’t possibly take countenance of them in coming to decisions about the rights and wrongs of particular behaviour in the workplace.’
'Religious views are notions in the mind': Gary McFarlane lost his appeal against dismissal after he refused to give sex therapy to a homosexual couple
'Religious views are notions in the mind': Gary McFarlane lost his appeal against dismissal after he refused to give sex therapy to a homosexual couple
He argued it was not an option for Christians to keep their faith private. ‘Anybody who is part of the religious community believes that you don’t just hold views, you live them. Manifesting your faith is part of having it and not part of some optional bolt-on.’
He said in the McFarlane case, ‘judgment seemed to be following contemporary society, which seems to think that secularist views are statements of the obvious and religious views are notions in the mind. That is the culture in which we are living. The judges ought to be religiously literate.’ He also accused Parliament of having behaved ‘quite tyrannically’ over the treatment of Catholic adoption societies, which were told they would have to accept gay and non Christian staff.
Lord Woolf said the bishop’s complaints did have ‘a grounding in the facts’ and added: ‘I think it’s a very good thing that you voice those concerns because the tide goes in and the tide goes out in these areas and sometimes it’s about time the tide turned a bit and started to go back. We may have gone too far.
‘The law must be above any sectional interest even if it is an interest of a faith but at the same time it must be aware of the proper concerns of that faith.
‘The law should be developed in ways that, wherever practicable, it allows that faith to be preserved and protected.’
■ Pope Benedict yesterday condemned Christmas attacks on Christians. He told pilgrims and tourists in St Peter’s Square that he was saddened by the ‘absurd violence’.
Explosions on Christmas Eve in Nigeria killed at least 32 people and left 74 critically injured. Clashes were still continuing between armed Christian and Muslim groups yesterday. On Christmas Day, six were injured by a bomb in a Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines.
Pope Benedict said: ‘I want to express my heartfelt sorrow for the victims of these absurd acts of violence and once more repeat an appeal to abandon the path of hate and seek instead peaceful solutions to conflicts.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1341814/Christians-hit-human-rights-law-The-tide-turn-say-bishop-judge.html#ixzz19N7etiKk
FCC Can’t Force Net Neutrality, Court Rules
A federal appeals court struck a blow against the desire of the Federal Communications Commission to enforce net neutrality rules on the Internet, ruling the FCC must first get Congress to approve such a sweeping expansion of its regulatory power.
The decision made it clear that the FCC has no authority to force Comcast to stop managing its broadband network as it sees fit—in this case by throttling back the speed of a relative handful of “bandwidth hogs” who use bitTorrent programs to share enormous files. Comcast said it throttled the “hogs” to ensure speedy service for the majority of its customers in 2007, but no longer does so.
The United States Circuit Court for the District of Columbia handed down the 36-page decision on April 6. Commonly referred to as Comcast v. FCC, the ruling stated that the FCC’s “ancillary authority” over the broadcast and cable industries “is not the equivalent of untrammeled freedom to regulate activities” on the Internet, too.
Comcast said in a statement after the ruling was issued that “our primary goal was always to clear our name and reputation.”
“We have always been focused on serving our customers and delivering the quality open-Internet experience consumers want,” the company said.
A Test Case
The case was largely seen as a test of the FCC’s authority to, in the words of Chairman Julius Genachowski, act as a “cop on the beat” on the Internet. A majority of commissioners on the FCC have stated they want to impose net neutrality rules, rather than let the concept of a “free” and “open” Internet be something industry players embrace voluntarily with market forces guiding the policy.
The FCC has been collecting comments on its net neutrality proposal for months, with the deadline for submissions coming just days after the decision by the DC Circuit Court.
The ruling might make the FCC’s whole net neutrality project moot, and could affect the regulatory goals the commission laid out in the National Broadband Plan it released in March.
Larry Downes, a fellow with the Stanford Law School Center for Internet & Society, notes that the decision can only be seen as a thorough knock-down of the FCC’s position, because “there is not a single reference to any arguments made by Comcast.”
“Instead, the court begins and ends by dismantling the brief of the FCC, rejecting every effort to tie the Commission’s ‘ancillary jurisdiction’ to something—anything!—in the Communications Act that could justify the sanctions.”
Congress Trumps the FCC
Judge David Tatel made clear when writing the unanimous 3-0 decision that only Congress can award such power to the commission, and has failed to do so.
“Because the [FCC] has failed to tie its assertion of ancillary authority over Comcast’s Internet service to any statutorily mandated responsibility,” the commission does not have the power to regulate the management practices of an Internet service provider (ISP), wrote Tatel, an appointee of President Clinton who took his seat on the bench in 1994.
“Notwithstanding the difficult regulatory problem of rapid technological change posed by the communications industry, the allowance of wide latitude in the exercise of delegated powers is not the equivalent of untrammeled freedom to regulate activities over which the statute fails to confer [to the FCC],” the ruling said.
The FCC, however, remains defiant about attempting to regulate net neutrality rules, saying in a statement the court did not “close the door to other methods for achieving this important end.”
Praise for the Ruling
Jim Harper, director of Information Policy Studies at the Washington, DC-based Cato Institute, praised the decision, saying it “marks another turning point in the debate over whether the federal government should regulate Internet access services.”
“What’s entertaining about it is that the problem was solved two years ago by market processes—sophisticated Internet users, a watchdog press, advocacy groups, and interested consumers communicating with one another over the Internet,” Harper said.
Carl Gipson, director of small business, technology, and telecommunications research at the Seattle-based Washington Policy Center, said this ruling “should put a huge dent in the plans of FCC Chairman Julius Genochowski to issue Net Neutrality rules—which is good seeing as how Congress has yet to actually order him to do so.”
“The ruling hammers again and again on the difference between congressional policy and regulatory authority,” Gipson added. “Perhaps this is an inane difference to most people, but the FCC’s attempt to regulate network management by ISPs shows how important it is for regulating agencies to stick to the intent of their legislative mandate.”
Disappointment Elsewhere
Advocates of allowing the FCC to regulate net neutrality rules expressed disappointment with the ruling.
“[This] decision means there are no protections in the law for consumers’ broadband services,” said Gigi B. Sohn, president and co-founder of Washington, DC-absed Public Knowledge. “Companies selling Internet access are free to play favorites with content on their networks, to throttle certain applications or simply to block others.
“In addition, as of now, the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) ambitious National Broadband Plan to help boost the economy is in legal limbo,” she added. “In our view, the FCC needs to move quickly and decisively to make sure that consumers are not left at the mercy of telephone and cable companies.”
S. Derek Turner, research director for the Washington, DC-based advocacy group Free Press, said the ruling “has forced the FCC into an existential crisis.”
“As a result of this decision, the FCC has virtually no power to stop Comcast from blocking Web sites,” he said. “This cannot be an acceptable outcome for the American public and requires immediate FCC action to re-establish legal authority.”
Next Step? Ask Congress
Adam Thierer, president of the Washington, DC-based Progress & Freedom Foundation, said “the question now is whether the FCC learns its lesson—that it should seek the proper authority from Congress to impose new regulations like Net neutrality rules—or if the agency instead engages in another effort to concoct regulatory authority via regulatory classification.”
Thierer is referring to the possibility that the FCC would attempt to reclassify broadband as a service under “Title II” authority. Such a move would arguably grant the FCC the authority the court just struck down.
“The next step will be for advocates to run to Congress, asking it to give the FCC authority to fix the problems of two years ago,” Harper said. “But slow-moving, technologically unsophisticated bureaucrats do not know better than consumers and technologists how to run the Internet.
“If they get that authority, your online experience will be a little more like dealing with the water company or the electric company and a little less like using the Internet,” he added.
http://stkarnick.com/culture/2010/04/07/fcc-cant-force-net-neutrality-court-rules/
The decision made it clear that the FCC has no authority to force Comcast to stop managing its broadband network as it sees fit—in this case by throttling back the speed of a relative handful of “bandwidth hogs” who use bitTorrent programs to share enormous files. Comcast said it throttled the “hogs” to ensure speedy service for the majority of its customers in 2007, but no longer does so.
The United States Circuit Court for the District of Columbia handed down the 36-page decision on April 6. Commonly referred to as Comcast v. FCC, the ruling stated that the FCC’s “ancillary authority” over the broadcast and cable industries “is not the equivalent of untrammeled freedom to regulate activities” on the Internet, too.
Comcast said in a statement after the ruling was issued that “our primary goal was always to clear our name and reputation.”
“We have always been focused on serving our customers and delivering the quality open-Internet experience consumers want,” the company said.
A Test Case
The case was largely seen as a test of the FCC’s authority to, in the words of Chairman Julius Genachowski, act as a “cop on the beat” on the Internet. A majority of commissioners on the FCC have stated they want to impose net neutrality rules, rather than let the concept of a “free” and “open” Internet be something industry players embrace voluntarily with market forces guiding the policy.
The FCC has been collecting comments on its net neutrality proposal for months, with the deadline for submissions coming just days after the decision by the DC Circuit Court.
The ruling might make the FCC’s whole net neutrality project moot, and could affect the regulatory goals the commission laid out in the National Broadband Plan it released in March.
Larry Downes, a fellow with the Stanford Law School Center for Internet & Society, notes that the decision can only be seen as a thorough knock-down of the FCC’s position, because “there is not a single reference to any arguments made by Comcast.”
“Instead, the court begins and ends by dismantling the brief of the FCC, rejecting every effort to tie the Commission’s ‘ancillary jurisdiction’ to something—anything!—in the Communications Act that could justify the sanctions.”
Congress Trumps the FCC
Judge David Tatel made clear when writing the unanimous 3-0 decision that only Congress can award such power to the commission, and has failed to do so.
“Because the [FCC] has failed to tie its assertion of ancillary authority over Comcast’s Internet service to any statutorily mandated responsibility,” the commission does not have the power to regulate the management practices of an Internet service provider (ISP), wrote Tatel, an appointee of President Clinton who took his seat on the bench in 1994.
“Notwithstanding the difficult regulatory problem of rapid technological change posed by the communications industry, the allowance of wide latitude in the exercise of delegated powers is not the equivalent of untrammeled freedom to regulate activities over which the statute fails to confer [to the FCC],” the ruling said.
The FCC, however, remains defiant about attempting to regulate net neutrality rules, saying in a statement the court did not “close the door to other methods for achieving this important end.”
Praise for the Ruling
Jim Harper, director of Information Policy Studies at the Washington, DC-based Cato Institute, praised the decision, saying it “marks another turning point in the debate over whether the federal government should regulate Internet access services.”
“What’s entertaining about it is that the problem was solved two years ago by market processes—sophisticated Internet users, a watchdog press, advocacy groups, and interested consumers communicating with one another over the Internet,” Harper said.
Carl Gipson, director of small business, technology, and telecommunications research at the Seattle-based Washington Policy Center, said this ruling “should put a huge dent in the plans of FCC Chairman Julius Genochowski to issue Net Neutrality rules—which is good seeing as how Congress has yet to actually order him to do so.”
“The ruling hammers again and again on the difference between congressional policy and regulatory authority,” Gipson added. “Perhaps this is an inane difference to most people, but the FCC’s attempt to regulate network management by ISPs shows how important it is for regulating agencies to stick to the intent of their legislative mandate.”
Disappointment Elsewhere
Advocates of allowing the FCC to regulate net neutrality rules expressed disappointment with the ruling.
“[This] decision means there are no protections in the law for consumers’ broadband services,” said Gigi B. Sohn, president and co-founder of Washington, DC-absed Public Knowledge. “Companies selling Internet access are free to play favorites with content on their networks, to throttle certain applications or simply to block others.
“In addition, as of now, the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) ambitious National Broadband Plan to help boost the economy is in legal limbo,” she added. “In our view, the FCC needs to move quickly and decisively to make sure that consumers are not left at the mercy of telephone and cable companies.”
S. Derek Turner, research director for the Washington, DC-based advocacy group Free Press, said the ruling “has forced the FCC into an existential crisis.”
“As a result of this decision, the FCC has virtually no power to stop Comcast from blocking Web sites,” he said. “This cannot be an acceptable outcome for the American public and requires immediate FCC action to re-establish legal authority.”
Next Step? Ask Congress
Adam Thierer, president of the Washington, DC-based Progress & Freedom Foundation, said “the question now is whether the FCC learns its lesson—that it should seek the proper authority from Congress to impose new regulations like Net neutrality rules—or if the agency instead engages in another effort to concoct regulatory authority via regulatory classification.”
Thierer is referring to the possibility that the FCC would attempt to reclassify broadband as a service under “Title II” authority. Such a move would arguably grant the FCC the authority the court just struck down.
“The next step will be for advocates to run to Congress, asking it to give the FCC authority to fix the problems of two years ago,” Harper said. “But slow-moving, technologically unsophisticated bureaucrats do not know better than consumers and technologists how to run the Internet.
“If they get that authority, your online experience will be a little more like dealing with the water company or the electric company and a little less like using the Internet,” he added.
http://stkarnick.com/culture/2010/04/07/fcc-cant-force-net-neutrality-court-rules/
Feds target airline pilot for exposing TSA security sham on YouTube
Feds target airline pilot for exposing TSA security sham on YouTube
Ethan A. Huff
Natural News
Monday, December 27, 2010
(NaturalNews) A Sacramento-based airline pilot is the subject of a federal investigation for exposing what he says are serious flaws in the U.S. Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) airport security protocols. According to ABC News10 in Sacramento, the 50-year-old pilot who requested to remain anonymous says that TSA applies its strict screening protocols to passengers and even flight crews, but ground crews are freely able to access secure areas with a simple card swipe.
“As you can see, airport security is kind of a farce,” the pilot explains in his video, as he shows an entrance to a secure area. “It’s only smoke and mirrors so you people believe there is actually something going on here.”
The pilot has worked for his airline for more than ten years and had been issued a federal handgun to carry with him in the cockpit. But after blowing the whistle on the serious security breaches taking place at the airport, four federal air marshals and two sheriff’s deputies shows up at his house to confiscate the weapon, and they also asked him to give up his state-issued concealed weapon carry permit.
On December 6, the pilot also received a letter from the TSA explaining that “an administrative review into your deputation status as a Federal Flight Deck Officer has been initiated,” a move that he believes is a warning from the Feds saying not to mess with the system, unless you want to face the consequences.
According to the same ABC News10 report, the pilot’s airline asked him to remove the videos from YouTube shortly after he posted them, but portions of the videos captured as part of the ABC News10 report can be viewed at the following link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwLG…
Sources for this story include:
http://www.news10.net/news/article…
Ethan A. Huff
Natural News
Monday, December 27, 2010
(NaturalNews) A Sacramento-based airline pilot is the subject of a federal investigation for exposing what he says are serious flaws in the U.S. Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) airport security protocols. According to ABC News10 in Sacramento, the 50-year-old pilot who requested to remain anonymous says that TSA applies its strict screening protocols to passengers and even flight crews, but ground crews are freely able to access secure areas with a simple card swipe.
“As you can see, airport security is kind of a farce,” the pilot explains in his video, as he shows an entrance to a secure area. “It’s only smoke and mirrors so you people believe there is actually something going on here.”
The pilot has worked for his airline for more than ten years and had been issued a federal handgun to carry with him in the cockpit. But after blowing the whistle on the serious security breaches taking place at the airport, four federal air marshals and two sheriff’s deputies shows up at his house to confiscate the weapon, and they also asked him to give up his state-issued concealed weapon carry permit.
On December 6, the pilot also received a letter from the TSA explaining that “an administrative review into your deputation status as a Federal Flight Deck Officer has been initiated,” a move that he believes is a warning from the Feds saying not to mess with the system, unless you want to face the consequences.
According to the same ABC News10 report, the pilot’s airline asked him to remove the videos from YouTube shortly after he posted them, but portions of the videos captured as part of the ABC News10 report can be viewed at the following link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwLG…
Sources for this story include:
http://www.news10.net/news/article…
Swine flu pandemic outbreak sweeping through Britain even though 70 percent were vaccinated last year
Swine flu pandemic outbreak sweeping through Britain even though 70 percent were vaccinated last year
Mike Adams
Natural News
Monday, December 27, 2010
(NaturalNews) A swine flu pandemic is sweeping through Britain despite the fact that 70 percent of Britain’s over-65 population was vaccinated against swine flu last year. This year, that number is nearly the same — 68.5% — but flu vaccine proponents insist that until everyone is vaccinated, the flu will continue to infect people.
What these vaccine advocates absolutely will not admit, however, is how many of those who are sick with the flu this year also got vaccinated last year. This little detail is left out of every mainstream media report on vaccines and the flu. They simply refuse to mention this all-important number, leaving readers to leap to the incorrect conclusion that only those who were not vaccinated get sick with the flu.
Most infected patients were previously vaccinated
That assumption is false. In fact, of the 450 critical care beds in England that are now occupied by flu patients, I have no doubt that most of those infected patients are people who received flu vaccines in the past.
Such statistics are never made available to the public or the press, of course. To release such statistics would expose the Great Lie of the vaccine industry: That flu vaccines simply don’t work on 99 percent of people!
In fact, the people who are most susceptible to catching the flu are precisely the very same people who get vaccinated. Why is that? Because vaccines weaken the immune system in the long run, leaving you more vulnerable to future infections. They deny your immune system the opportunity to practice its own adaptive response to invading microorganisms or viruses, thereby causing your immune system to atrophy in the same way that a wheelchair-bound person will experience leg muscle atrophy.
The immune system is a lot like a muscle: Use it or lose it!
But flu vaccines provide weakened viruses to the immune system (along with other preservative chemicals that can be extremely dangerous to neurological health). It’s sort of like working out your muscles at the gym but having your trainer do all the heavy lifting for you. Obviously you’re not going to have very strong muscles in the end because your body won’t need to invoke a very strong adaptive response.
The same is true with vaccines and the flu: If your body is exposed to weakened flu viruses year after year, it gets lazy and weak, and when it one day comes into contact with a full-strength virus circulating in the wild, it’s not in good enough shape to handle the challenge.
Vitamin D deficiency is widespread in Britain
At the same time this is going on, a person who is vitamin D deficient will also have an alarmingly weak immune system response because vitamin D activates the immune system to do its job. In people with extremely low vitamin D levels, even vaccines containing weakened viruses won’t solicit an antibody response. But instead of testing patients for vitamin D deficiency and prescribing that with the vaccine, conventional medical doctors and contagious disease authorities robotically urge everyone to just “get multiple vaccine shots” as if following one failed vaccine with yet another failed vaccine will somehow make them both work.
That’s idiotic, of course. And the other idiotic thing about all this is that if people had sufficient levels of vitamin D circulating in their blood, they wouldn’t need seasonal flu vaccines in the first place! That’s because a strong, healthy immune system with lots of circulating vitamin D is universally effective at halting ALL seasonal flu strains, with near 100% success in those with vitamin D levels between 50 – 70 (ng/dL).
The three main reasons behind Britain’s flu pandemic
So the real reason Britain is suffering a swine flu pandemic right now is actually three-fold:
#1) It’s winter in the Northern Hemisphere, and Britain is so far north (of the equator) that the people living there aren’t currently generating any vitamin D whatsoever. This makes virtually the entire British population ridiculously vitamin D deficient throughout the winter.
#2) The majority of the British population has been subjected to flu vaccines in previous years, weakening their immune systems and making them more vulnerable to this year’s flu strains.
#3) The flu strain itself is so successful in the wild precisely because so many Britons walk around in chronic states of immune suppression (from vitamin D deficiency, chronic stress, poor dietary habits and so on). This creates a “viral breeding ground” which encourages more rapid virus mutations that make vaccines obsolete anyway.
The question you are not allowed to ask vaccine quacks
The vaccine-pushing quack medical community believes that if they could magically convince 100 percent of the people to get vaccinated, they would have this problem licked. In their own minds, they have unscientifically convinced themselves that a vaccine equals automatic and full protection against a flu virus.
And yet even they won’t dare ask this simple question: Of all the people sick from the flu who are right now lying in Britain’s hospital beds, what percentage were vaccinated against the flu last year or this year?
The answer to that question will expose the outright fraud of the vaccine industry because the answer is a very large number. No one in the medical industry dares ask that question, of course, because they realize that delving into the actual re-infection rate of flu vaccine recipients would expose their quackery and fraud, causing yet more people to lose faith in vaccines which are, after all, sold based entirely on misplaced faith and clever propaganda.
The flu vaccine propaganda, of course, demands that people never be allowed to collide with the scientific facts about how many people who are vaccinated against the flu still catch the flu anyway. (The flu re-infection rate.) That’s why you will NEVER see an honest answer to this question released by hospitals, vaccine companies or vaccine-pushing doctors.
Keep taking your flu jabs, everybody. But don’t ask whether they actually work, because that question isn’t allowed to be asked in the cult of medicine that dominates the sick-care landscape around the world today.
We wouldn’t want actual science to interfere with a really profitable con job now, would we?
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/030845_Britain_swine_flu.html#ixzz19IxAcxjj
Mike Adams
Natural News
Monday, December 27, 2010
(NaturalNews) A swine flu pandemic is sweeping through Britain despite the fact that 70 percent of Britain’s over-65 population was vaccinated against swine flu last year. This year, that number is nearly the same — 68.5% — but flu vaccine proponents insist that until everyone is vaccinated, the flu will continue to infect people.
What these vaccine advocates absolutely will not admit, however, is how many of those who are sick with the flu this year also got vaccinated last year. This little detail is left out of every mainstream media report on vaccines and the flu. They simply refuse to mention this all-important number, leaving readers to leap to the incorrect conclusion that only those who were not vaccinated get sick with the flu.
Most infected patients were previously vaccinated
That assumption is false. In fact, of the 450 critical care beds in England that are now occupied by flu patients, I have no doubt that most of those infected patients are people who received flu vaccines in the past.
Such statistics are never made available to the public or the press, of course. To release such statistics would expose the Great Lie of the vaccine industry: That flu vaccines simply don’t work on 99 percent of people!
In fact, the people who are most susceptible to catching the flu are precisely the very same people who get vaccinated. Why is that? Because vaccines weaken the immune system in the long run, leaving you more vulnerable to future infections. They deny your immune system the opportunity to practice its own adaptive response to invading microorganisms or viruses, thereby causing your immune system to atrophy in the same way that a wheelchair-bound person will experience leg muscle atrophy.
The immune system is a lot like a muscle: Use it or lose it!
But flu vaccines provide weakened viruses to the immune system (along with other preservative chemicals that can be extremely dangerous to neurological health). It’s sort of like working out your muscles at the gym but having your trainer do all the heavy lifting for you. Obviously you’re not going to have very strong muscles in the end because your body won’t need to invoke a very strong adaptive response.
The same is true with vaccines and the flu: If your body is exposed to weakened flu viruses year after year, it gets lazy and weak, and when it one day comes into contact with a full-strength virus circulating in the wild, it’s not in good enough shape to handle the challenge.
Vitamin D deficiency is widespread in Britain
At the same time this is going on, a person who is vitamin D deficient will also have an alarmingly weak immune system response because vitamin D activates the immune system to do its job. In people with extremely low vitamin D levels, even vaccines containing weakened viruses won’t solicit an antibody response. But instead of testing patients for vitamin D deficiency and prescribing that with the vaccine, conventional medical doctors and contagious disease authorities robotically urge everyone to just “get multiple vaccine shots” as if following one failed vaccine with yet another failed vaccine will somehow make them both work.
That’s idiotic, of course. And the other idiotic thing about all this is that if people had sufficient levels of vitamin D circulating in their blood, they wouldn’t need seasonal flu vaccines in the first place! That’s because a strong, healthy immune system with lots of circulating vitamin D is universally effective at halting ALL seasonal flu strains, with near 100% success in those with vitamin D levels between 50 – 70 (ng/dL).
The three main reasons behind Britain’s flu pandemic
So the real reason Britain is suffering a swine flu pandemic right now is actually three-fold:
#1) It’s winter in the Northern Hemisphere, and Britain is so far north (of the equator) that the people living there aren’t currently generating any vitamin D whatsoever. This makes virtually the entire British population ridiculously vitamin D deficient throughout the winter.
#2) The majority of the British population has been subjected to flu vaccines in previous years, weakening their immune systems and making them more vulnerable to this year’s flu strains.
#3) The flu strain itself is so successful in the wild precisely because so many Britons walk around in chronic states of immune suppression (from vitamin D deficiency, chronic stress, poor dietary habits and so on). This creates a “viral breeding ground” which encourages more rapid virus mutations that make vaccines obsolete anyway.
The question you are not allowed to ask vaccine quacks
The vaccine-pushing quack medical community believes that if they could magically convince 100 percent of the people to get vaccinated, they would have this problem licked. In their own minds, they have unscientifically convinced themselves that a vaccine equals automatic and full protection against a flu virus.
And yet even they won’t dare ask this simple question: Of all the people sick from the flu who are right now lying in Britain’s hospital beds, what percentage were vaccinated against the flu last year or this year?
The answer to that question will expose the outright fraud of the vaccine industry because the answer is a very large number. No one in the medical industry dares ask that question, of course, because they realize that delving into the actual re-infection rate of flu vaccine recipients would expose their quackery and fraud, causing yet more people to lose faith in vaccines which are, after all, sold based entirely on misplaced faith and clever propaganda.
The flu vaccine propaganda, of course, demands that people never be allowed to collide with the scientific facts about how many people who are vaccinated against the flu still catch the flu anyway. (The flu re-infection rate.) That’s why you will NEVER see an honest answer to this question released by hospitals, vaccine companies or vaccine-pushing doctors.
Keep taking your flu jabs, everybody. But don’t ask whether they actually work, because that question isn’t allowed to be asked in the cult of medicine that dominates the sick-care landscape around the world today.
We wouldn’t want actual science to interfere with a really profitable con job now, would we?
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/030845_Britain_swine_flu.html#ixzz19IxAcxjj
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