Filed: April 15, 2008 – FTC Miscellaneous Matter No. P002501
Natural Solutions Foundation
March 6, 2008 (rev 03/28/08)1
The Federal Trade Commission
Attn: Commissioners
600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20580
VACCINATION ADVERTISING & LABELING
CITIZENS’ PETITION
With Request for Emergent Relief
To: Donald S. Clark, Secretary
To the Commissioners of the
Federal Trade Commission of the
United States of America
Introduction
1.0. Overview:
The Natural Solutions Foundation, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as the Foundation) and all those who hereafter join (hereinafter jointly referred to as the Petitioner/s), do hereby PETITION the United States Federal Trade Commission (hereinafter, the FTC and or the Federal Agency) regarding the matter of the Advertising of Vaccinations. The Foundation is a nongovernmental organization (NGO) incorporated in the State of Nevada and recognized as exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The mission of the Foundation includes educating decision-makers with regard to natural solutions to health care needs.
1.1. This Petition is submitted to request specific action by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC or Agency) within the scope of its mandated duties in order to exhaust administrative remedies. The primary purpose of the Petition is to seek emergent Federal Agency actions with regard to providing the public truthful and not misleading information about Mandated and Voluntary Vaccinations through Vaccination Advertising, Vaccination Information and Vaccination Labeling provided to patients, parents, and guardians.
1.2. The petitioners resolve and state that there is no significant scientific agreement or sufficient reliable and competent scientific evidence from independent, unbiased sources to allow the conclusion that individual or multiple vaccinations, particularly of young children, provide any measurable public health care benefit. This is true whether the vaccinations are mandated or voluntary. Further, there is a large body of evidence which shows that repeated single and multiple vaccinations, especially in young children, can cause and has in fact caused devastating and irreparable harm to tens of thousands of the most vulnerable citizens: our children. Vaccination is an un-insurable medical risk that must never be mandated or offered on a voluntary basis without provisions for the broadest medical, philosophical, and religious exemptions with fully informed voluntary consent.
1.3. Billions of dollars of tax funds have already been paid to families of vaccine-injured children under the auspices of the Federal Government’s National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP); created by the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 (Public Law 99-660) in part to “establish and maintain an accessible and efficient forum for individuals found to be injured by certain vaccines.†The VICP is a no-fault alternative to the traditional tort system for resolving vaccine injury claims that provides compensation to people found to be injured by certain vaccines. The U. S. Court of Federal Claims decides who will be paid. In fact, vaccine injuries are so common that the VICP, located in the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration, Healthcare Systems Bureau, Division of Vaccine Injury Compensation was established to deal with the devastating consequences of vaccination, of which parents and patients were not and are not informed. See: http://www.hrsa.gov/vaccinecompensation/
1.4. Currently, 18 vaccine types are listed with several vaccines in each type. See: http://www.hrsa.gov/vaccinecompensation/table.htm
1.5. These consequences are so common that the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) catalogs tens of thousands of vaccine- related injuries and deaths. See: http://www.whale.to/vaccines/vaers.html; New England Journal of Medicine, 2007; 357: 1275-9. Furthermore, the CDC, FDA and other agencies estimate that only 1 to 10% of vaccine adverse events actually occurring are reported, so the actual magnitude of the problem is unknown and
substantially likely to be profoundly greater than current documentation of actual events suggests. (e.g., a National Vaccine Information Center survey of NY pediatricians found that only 2.5% report adverse events).
1.6. If the frightening facts reported in VAERS are considered by the Federal Agency, no reasonable regulator can permit the current system to continue. It must be stopped immediately in order to stop the irreparable harm we demonstrate here; and which full public hearings would amply confirm.
1.7. Further examples of potential harm to the public abound and are very evident with many current Vaccination advertising practices.
1.8. For one example, this report cited on the Internet, “Only after filing a lawsuit against the FDA was Judicial Watch able to uncover New FDA Records Detailing an additional 8 deaths among an additional1,824 Adverse Reaction Reports Related to Gardasil, Merck’s Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine between May 10, 2007 and Sept. 7, 2007. The death reports include 12 and 13 year old girls.†This brings the known total for this one vaccination to 3,461 adverse reactions, including 11 deaths, since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the vaccine; see: http://ahrp.blogspot,com/2007/10/8-more-deaths-liked-to-gardasil-hpv.html
1.9. Current Vaccination Advertising and Labeling do not adequately warn the public of the significant un-insurable medical risks, nor do they disclose to the public their exemption rights. No informed consent waivers are provided by physicians after full discussion of the pros and cons of vaccination. Instead, like the students at the University of Maine campus, in December of 2007, who were vaccinated under duress; on pain of being locked out of their dormitories, eating halls, classrooms, libraries and all other University facilities, parents and guardians are not fully informed. No discussion of dangers, potential adverse events and other considerations pertaining to personal choice in the face of an un-insurable risk took place; nor was any discussion about personal exemptions, as established by law, permitted.
1.10. The same was true on November 17, 2007, when 2,300 children were vaccinated at gunpoint, with the presence of police dogs, in Prince George’s County, Maryland. The parents were threatened with jail and fines if they refused vaccination in a state with exemptions which were never discussed with the parents. It is important to note that the States’ Attorney, Mr. GenIvey, told our Foundation representative privately, and repeated during an international radio broadcast, that he had learned these vaccines were so dangerous that he availed himself of the exemption and did not allow his children to receive the vaccines.
1.11. Thus advertising, backed by coercion, was used to force 2,300 schoolchildren to be vaccinated; many against their parents’ will. Many children were re-vaccinated with all vaccines because the Prince George’s County School District admitted that it had lost the children’s’ immunization records. These children were put at an increased risk by this process because the neurological and other related damage following vaccination is directly proportional to the total body burden of toxins introduced by vaccination. This fact is not disclosed to parents. Instead, advertising is used to portray vaccination as safe and effective in preventing diseases; an untruthful and misleading perception. All such advertising should stop until adequate warnings and disclosures can be approved and implemented.
II. Actions Requested
2.0. The Petitioners urge the Federal Trade Commission to take the following actions (hereinafter, the Petition Action Requests):
2.1. Issuance of an immediate Federal Trade Commission Emergency Order, forbidding all advertising of vaccinations by the manufacturer, public health agency or any other entity or person protected from liability under such Federal Laws as Title 42, Chapter 6A, Subchapter XIX, Part 2, Subpart A, Section 300aa-16, Limitations of Actions, until further order of the Commission.
2.2. Issue an immediate Federal Trade Commission Emergency Order halting all Interstate Commerce regarding vaccines and vaccine related goods, until further order of the Commission.
2.3. Furthermore, the Commission should consider requiring that any practitioner who administers vaccines should be required to notify patient and parents or guardians that vaccines are currently the subject of scrutiny because of their lack of proven protection in communicable disease and their dangers to persons receiving them. Patients, parents or guardians wishing to proceed with vaccination should have a waiver form explaining the dangers, uncertainties, un-insurability, and State and or Federal exemption opportunities provided to them. Signing such an explicit waiver is the minimum required for truly informed consent under the terms of the Declaration of Helsinki, 1964, http://www.wma.net/e/policy/b3.htm – which constitutes part of the Law of Nations under the United States Constitution.
2.4. Hold immediate Federal Agency hearings to prepare appropriate Federal Agency rules which will ensure the public that the un-insurable medical risk of vaccination injury will not be mandated over the medical, philosophical and religious exemption rights of Citizens. States should be enjoined from withholding services like schooling from unvaccinated children; admission of unvaccinated students to universities and colleges, and similar coercive activities based on inaccurate and misleading advertising of vaccine efficacy and safety.
2.5. Hold immediate Federal Agency hearings to determine whether regulatory agencies have exercised prudent judgment in the face of abundant scientific, empirical and other information, supported by adverse event reporting; in permitting the production, shipment, sale and injection of vaccines. Scrutiny should focus on all ingredients in vaccines: active, inert, intended, adventitious, unintended, trace and adjunctive; since all ingredients may cause responses in the body which may cause harm to the recipient. Squalene, for example, is an adjuvant used to enhance immune response, and may be safe when ingested; but is the cause of serious auto-immune disorders when injected. Most new generation vaccines contain Squalene.
2.6. Mandate that all future Vaccination Advertising and Labeling contain, at a minimum, the following Warning and Disclosure –
“WARNING: The safety and efficacy of vaccination has not been demonstrated by reliable, independent, unbiased, and competent scientific evidence. DISCLOSURE: You or your children may have a right under law to a medical, philosophical or religious exemption from this vaccination.â€
2.7. It is imperative to assure that all recipients or their parents or guardians are fully informed about the dangers they may face if they allow themselves or their charges to be vaccinated. A waiver should be required from patients, parents or guardians indicating that pros and cons of vaccination were fully discussed with and understood by them; and that any exemption rights were also fully discussed and understood. The waiver should state clearly that the recipient, parent or guardian fully understands that manufacturers of vaccines have no liability; and that the risks in vaccination are un-insurable.
2.8. Mandate that a physician, upon appropriate consultation, may provide a valid medical excuse from current and future vaccinations recommended by any Federal Agency for any child who has suffered a reaction of any type to any previous vaccination. The child’s medical history as reported by the parent shall be taken to provide conclusive evidence of such reaction; and no child shall be subject to any vaccination unless the physician shall have certified in writing that it is both safe and necessary that the particular child is vaccinated against that particular disease or diseases and why it is necessary. Physicians who find no justification for vaccination shall not be liable to censure and or harassment by their state medical boards of jurisdiction or other professional organizations including, but not limited to the American Medical Association (AMA), American Association of Pediatric Physicians (AAPP), and State Medical Associations.
2.9. As an executive agency, the Commission must “Take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed†(Article II, Section3, United States Constitution)
2.10. Further, the Commission should consider medical ethics as set forth in the AMA Code of Ethics, The Hippocratic Oath and the Declaration of Helsinki. We urge the Commission to consider the overriding importance of the injunction to “…first do no harm…â€
III. Statement in Support of Petition Requested Actions
3.0. When the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently recommended that toddlers be subjected to the flu vaccine, the states began the process of mandating the vaccination before the child could be admitted to public school. New Jersey became the first state to mandate the flu vaccination for children, publishing the final rule on January 7, 2008. Such mandates condition the acceptance of a public benefit (“free public educationâ€) upon submission to a questionable medical procedure.
3.1. This is particularly troubling since the flu vaccine continues to contain “trace†amounts of mercury; even the allegedly “mercury free†versions use mercury in the manufacturing process and a “trace†amount remains. There have been no safety studies done on Thimerasol (manufactured by Eli Lilly) since 1929 and that study was done by K.C. Smithburn on patients dying from meningitis. MSDS for Thimerasol states, “Exposure to mercury in utero and in children can cause mild to severe motor coordination impairment.†Eli Lilly MSDS June 13, 1991. None the less, this toxic component is being offered to pregnant women and children, increasingly as a mandated vaccination. Other components of vaccines are also highly troubling for similar reasons.
3.2. Here is one comment regarding how much mercury is enough to cause harm: “Most worryingly, exposure levels were not particularly high, Hair concentrations in the [Japanese] villagers averaged 4 micrograms of mercury per gram of hair. This is just a tenth of the level considered dangerous for adults by the World Health Organization, and not much higher than that found in many countries. In the US and Japan, for instance, the average mercury concentration in hair is around 1 and 2 micrograms per gram respectively.†This tends to show that the CDC’s claimed “trace†levels of mercury remaining in vaccines may very well be dangerous. See: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-06/ns-esmo61103.php
3.3. According to the New York Times on April 5, 2003, “The Food and Drug Administration has begun using the Environmental Protection Agency’s much lower safe level for mercury in the human body, an official of the food and drug agency said this week, ‘Before the change, the F.D.A. guidelines set a safe level that was four times as high as that of ..environmental agency.. standard.’†See: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9507EFDD1538F936A35757\C0A9659C8B63
3.4. Therefore, the question becomes: “Is there a ‘trace’ amount of Mercury in the recently recommended flu vaccination?â€
3.5. According to Centers for Disease Control (CDC), “Thimerosal still may be used in the early stages of making certain vaccines. However, it is removed through a purification process.†Leaving a “trace†amount of “less than 0.3 mcg†in the final dose. See: http://www.ageofautism.com/2007/12/emails-from-cdc.html
3.6. The existence of any trace amount is very troubling, especially as the “trace†amounts add up over repeated vaccinations. Recent analysis shows that contrary to earlier reports, there is a measurable relationship between autism and mercury toxicity. See: http://mcs-america.org/January2008pg17.htm – citation: J Child Neurol. 2007 Nov; 22(11); 1308-1311. In this context we note the mushrooming autism rate appears to be in direct correlation with introduction of new vaccines (e.g., MMR), and we further note the conspicuous absence of autism in religious populations that do not vaccinate? This contradicts various authorities’ assertions that vaccines do not cause autism. On November 9, 2007 the Federal government’s lawyers conceded a Court of Federal Claims case involving autism caused by vaccines; there are 4900 other pending autism-vaccine injury cases before the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. See: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/government-concedes-vacci_b_88323.html
3.7. The Natural Solutions Foundation, however, does not limit its concern to mercury adulterated vaccinations; even if vaccines become truly mercury free, they would still (a) lack proven effectiveness and (b) continue to contain other ingredients, such as Squalene, that assault health immune systems. We continue to object to any mandated or voluntary vaccination that may cause harm to individuals either through its component or synergistic parts; or through the impact of single or multiple vaccines on the immune system, which are and can be immeasurable, extremely worrisome, troubling, debilitating and/or lethal. There are alternatives to dangerous vaccinations that can, in a modern society with proper hygiene, prevent the spreading of infectious disease; many such diseases are self limiting.
3.8. It is a serious affront to basic human rights to force or mislead individuals, especially parents and guardians of minor children, to accept invasive medical treatments without fully informed, voluntary consent. See the discussion below regarding the World Medical Association’s Declaration of Helsinki in this regard.
IV. Legal Authorities in Support of the Petition Requested Actions
A. Fundamental Legal Authorities
A.4.0. This Petition is grounded in fundamental principles of inalienable right, law and equity.
A.4.1. The primary legal basis for submitting this Petition to the Commission is the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States: “Congress shall make no law… abridging… the right of the people… to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.â€
A.4.2. Petitioners also cite the World Medical Association 1964 Declaration of Helsinki; see: http://www.wma.net/e/policy/b3.htm This Declaration has the force of International Law and it clearly forbids experimental medication or medication without fully informed consent.
A.4.3. The Acts establishing the authority of the Federal Agency being herein petitioned are also a legal basis for the Petition. The Commission exists solely to protect the public from harm, within the limits established by the Constitution of the United States of America. Among the principles established by the Laws and Regulations, long the explicit policy of the Federal Trade Commission, is that all commercial advertising must be “truthful and not misleading.â€
A.4.4. The statute in the derogation of the common law and Constitutional limitations, establishing exemptions from liability of Vaccine Injuries, 42 USC 300aa-16 (and the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, there under) is further cited as a law that must be strictly construed in favor of patients, guardians, parents and children, and strictly construed against the economic interests of the pharmaceutical industry and other exempt persons.
A.4.5. Basic common law principles prohibiting forced acquiescence under duress and limited or intentionally distorted information, as exemplified by the United States Supreme Court decision in the case of Thompson v Western States Medical Centers – 535 U.S. 357 (2002), as further described below.
A.4.6. Additionally, the Statutes authorizing the Federal Agency contain general provisions that support the actions requested in this petition. Federal Law includes provisions that grant the responsible persons in the Federal Agency broad authority to promulgate rules and regulations “necessary to carry out the Act[s].â€
B. Legal Argument-Procedural
B.4.0 The Federal Agency should issue the Petition Request Actions as an Interim Final Rule without first completing Notice and Comment, Risk Assessment, and Cost-Benefit Analysis.
B.4.1. Under ordinary circumstances, the Federal Agency must comply with procedural requirements under the Administrative Procedures Act (APA) and the specific Acts authorizing the Federal Trade Commission, including the use of notice-and-comment rulemaking and the completion of a risk assessment and cost-benefit analysis before issuance of a new rule. However, both Acts provide for exceptions to those requirements for circumstances such as those present here, where the continuation of currently permitted Vaccination Advertising and Labeling would constitute and imminent threat to public safety and any delay in policy-making would be contrary to the public interest. On the other hand, stopping all vaccine advertisements until a proper warning and disclosure can be included will not prevent voluntary, fully informed vaccination nor impede public health.
B.4.2. The Federal Trade Commission should avail itself of those statutory exceptions and promulgate the requested policies without first providing the public with notice and an opportunity for comment and before completing a full risk assessment and cost-benefit analysis. The Federal Agency should first adopt the policy as an “interim-final rule,†which would become binding upon publication (or within a time certain; for example, a week after publication) [A specific time frame must be given, otherwise the Agency will find one or more loopholes and one or more ways to circumvent adherence to the ruling.], and subsequently provide for public comment and complete its risk assessment and cost-benefit analysis.
B.4.3. The Requested Actions Satisfy the “Good Cause†Exception to the Administrative Procedure Act’s (APA) Requirement for Notice and Comment.
B.4.4. The Administrative Procedures Act (APA) provides that full notice-and-comment rulemaking is not required when an agency “for good cause finds (and incorporates the finding and a brief statement of the reasons therefore in the rules issued) that notice and public procedure thereon are impracticable, unnecessary, or contrary to the public interest.†5 U.S.C. Section 553(b)(B) The good cause exception “is an important safety valve to be used where delay would do real harm.†United States Steel v EPA, 595 F.2d207, 214 (5th Cir. 1979). According to the legislative history of the provision, “’impracticable’ means a situation in which the due and required execution of the agency functions would be unavoidably prevented by its undertaking public rule-making proceedings.†S. Rep. No. 752, 79thCong., 1st Sess., at 16 (1945). As one court has held [For clarity, the specific court must be named here, in addition to the specific case cited below.], determining “impracticality†requires analysis in practical terms of the particular statutory-agency setting and the reasons why agency action could not await notice and comment.†American Transfer & Storage Company v. ICC, 719 F. 2d 1283, 1295 (5th Cir. 1983).
B.4.5. Below are listed three of numerous instances in which courts have upheld an agency’s decision to invoke the “good cause†exception and issue a rule without providing notice and comment where a delay would threaten public safety or the environment. See: Hawaii Helicopter OperatorsAss’n v. FAA, 51 F.3d 212, 24 (9th Cir. 1995) (good cause exception satisfied in view of “the threat to public safety reflected in an increasing number of helicopter accidentsâ€); Northern Arapahoe Tribe v. Hodel, 808 F.2d741, 750-52 (10th Cir. 1987) (good cause exception satisfied in view of urgent need for hunting regulations where herds were threatened with extinction); Northwest Airlines v. Goldschmidt, 645 F2d 1309, 1321 (8th Cir. 1981) (good cause exception satisfied in view of urgent need to allocate landing slots at major airport).
B.4.6. The rationale underlying those decisions is that compliance with time-consuming procedural requirements would “do real harm†by delaying implementation of urgently needed policies to safeguard public health. Clearly, the exigent circumstances necessary to satisfy the Administrative Procedures Act’s (APA’s) good cause exception are present. Autism, neurological damage, death and other consequences of vaccine injury are not generally reversible and the present danger to children is so great that the “good cause†exception is well warranted in this case. Consumers are being defrauded while children and others are being irreversibly damaged. Once a child collapses into autism, for example, there is a virtually irreversible path which the child and family follow, often leading to eventual institutionalization. These are, in most cases, preventable tragedies. The probable harm is immediate and irreparable.
C. Legal Argument—Substantive
C.4.0. The United States Supreme Court has spoken forcefully, enforcing the consumers’ right OR consumers’ rights to truthful information about healthcare issues. See: Thompson v Western States Medical Centers, 535 U.S. 357, where Justice O’Connor wrote, “If the First Amendment means anything, it means that regulating speech must be a last-not first-resort. . . We have previously rejected the notion that the Government has an interest in preventing the dissemination of truthful commercial information in order to prevent members of the public from making bad decisions with the information. . . Even if the Government did argue that it had an interest in preventing misleading advertisements, this interest could be satisfied by the far less restrictive alternative of requiring . . . a warning that . . . its risks were unknown.â€
C.4.1. The basic rule, announced by the case, to determine constitutionality permitted government restrictions on Commercial Speech (speech that makes or is about an offer for a transaction, such as the sale of Dietary Supplements) is a two prong test: the first prong is to ask two questions: (1) is the speech in question about unlawful activity and (2) is the speech misleading. If “no†to both, the speech is entitled to protection unless the Government can carry its burden and prove (1) the governmental interest involved is “substantialâ€, (2) the regulation must “directly advance “the governmental interest and (3) the regulation of Commercial Speech cannot be “more extensive than is necessary to serve that interest†(quoting Central Hudson v Public Service, 447 US 557, at 566).
C.4.2. The Federal Agency has stated its general rule for the advertising of products that are alleged to have health benefits, to ensure that such advertising is “truthful and not misleading.â€
C.4.3. In this context, it is useful to recall the 1996 comments of then FTC Commissioner Starek, at the National Infomercial Marketing Association (comments the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) maintains on its web site). He explained the issue to which the Supreme Court alluded in Thompson – preventing misleading advertisements: “As many of you know, the FTC is charged with protecting consumers from unfair or deceptive acts or practices. In advertising and marketing, the law requires that objective claims be truthful and substantiated. The FTC does not pursue subjective claims or puffery—claims like ‘this is the best hairspray in the world.’ But if there is an objective component to the claim—such as ‘more consumers prefer our hairspray to any other’ or ‘our hairspray lasts longer than the most popular brands’—then you need to be sure that the claim is not deceptive and that you have adequate substantiation before you make the claim. These requirements apply both to explicit or express claims and to implied claims. Also, a statement that is literally true can have a deceptive implication when considered in the context of the whole advertisement, even if that implication is not the only possible interpretation.
“The substantiation requirement exists because every time an advertiser makes an objective claim, the advertiser also implies that there is a reasonable basis for the claim. This reasonable basis is substantiation. What constitutes a reasonable basis for a particular claim can vary, depending upon the nature of the claim, the product, the consequences of a false claim, the benefits of a truthful claim, the cost of developing substantiation for the claim, and the amount of substantiation that experts in the field believe is reasonable. Health and safety claims generally require competent and reliable scientific evidence. And if a marketer makes a representation that a claim has a particular level of support—for example, ‘clinical studies prove…’– the law requires at least that level of substantiation.â€
C.4.4. The required level of substantiation for alleged claims about medical products such as vaccines is “significant scientific agreement.†In the case of vaccines, there is no significant scientific agreement by unbiased sources regarding the vaccines and manufacturers’ claims for the safety and efficacy of the product which satisfies the Petitioners’ claim of false advertising; especially where and when the public is misled by not being warned of either the dangers of the product or of any right of members of the public to refuse vaccination on religious, medical or philosophical grounds. The Petitioner urges to the Federal Agency that the advertising of vaccination is clearly a case where “requiring… a warning that… its risks were unknown…†(Thompson v Western States, supra.) is the minimum required by Law to protect the public, and especially the most vulnerable among us, our children.
III. Conclusion
Due to the emergent nature of the Petition and with the lives of innocent children at stake and hanging in the balance, the Petitioners urges the Federal Trade Commission to act immediately: issuing an Emergency Order stopping all Vaccination Advertising until the Federal Agency adopts as its policy the recommendations made herein; and specifically that a sufficient and appropriate Warning and Disclosure, such as suggested herein, be required with all vaccination advertising. As in the matter of Tobacco Advertising, where the Federal Trade Commission took a leading role in protecting the public, advertising in support of voluntary or forced vaccination, impacting millions and maiming or killing tens of thousands, is a most appropriate subject for immediate Federal Agency action.
Natural Solutions Foundation
www.HealthFreedomUSA.org
/s/ Albert N. Stubblebine III
Maj. Gen. Albert N. Stubblebine, III (U.S. Army, Ret.)
President & Trustee
/s/ Rima E. Laibow
Rima E. Laibow, MD
Medical Director & Trustee
/s/ Ralph Fucetola
Ralph Fucetola, JD
Vice President, Trustee and Counsel
Correspondence:
Ralph Fucetola JD, Trustee
58 Plotts Road
Newton, NJ 07860
Prepared by: Rima E. Laibow, MD, Ralph Fucetola, JD and Alan G. Phillips, JD
1. Note: This Petition (in both signed paper copy and data copy on CD) was originally priority mailed to the Commission on March 6, 2008 and again on March 28th. According to USPS Delivery Certification #0305 2710 0001 6184 2200 it was received by the Commission on March 11, 2008 and #0305 2710 0001 6182 7672 was received on April 1, 2008. Upon inquiry, these copies were not found and it was suggested that the Petition be re-mailed by Certified Mail, Return Receipt, as addressed above. The Petition was re-mailed (both signed paper copy and data copy on CD) on April 10, 2008, Certified Number: 7006 2150 0001 6141 2378.
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I would like to express my appreciation for the efforts of Gen. Stubblebine, Dr. Laibow, Counsel Phillips and our volunteer proof-reader Ruth for making this Petition possible.
We will be creating an Action Item once FTC issues a docket number for the Petition, so you can send your comments to the agency.
And, of course, your generous donations to help offset the costs of filing and pursuing this Citizens Petition are necessary to make it effective. Please Donate here..
https://staging.drrimatruthreports.com/index.php?page_id=189
You may also join the No Forced Vaccination Forum.
Thank you,
Ralph Fuctola JD
PS – here is an email I just sent to my Senators and Congressman:
Sent 04/07/08 to Sen. Lautenberg, Sen. Menendex and Rep. Garrett.
I am a trustee of the Natural Solutions Foundation, an NGO (nongovernmental organization). This past month I submitted a Citizens Petition from the foundation to the Federal Trade Commission, urging emergency action to protect the public from false and misleading advertisements.
Twice the petition has been misplaced by the FTC. The USPS tracking numbers for the petition, showing that it had been delivered to FTC on March 11 and on April 1 are: 0305 2710 0001 6184 2200 and 0305 2710 0001 6182 7672.
The petition can be seen at:
I find it rather distressing that FTC has mysteriously “lost” a Citizens Petition challenging them to protect our rights twice, despite the fact that there are two confirmed tracking numbers from the USPS showing that it has been delivered to the FTC headquarters.
The FTC failed to accept the document, for which we are waiting for a Document Number, by email, insisting instead on a “hard copy”. They have now lost the hard copy twice.
The United States Constitution protects our right to petition the government for redress. Federal law authorizes FTC to act on Citizens Petitions.
As an NJ citizen and an attorney I am troubled and perplexed and turn to you for assistance.
The petition involves important matters of public concern and should not be ignored. The hundreds of thousands of NSF supporters who are concerned about these issues expect Congress and the federal agencies to act to protect them.
If FTC fails to acknowledge or act on the petition, Congress should hold public hearings on that failure and on the underlying issues of freedom and conscience we raise.
Ralph Fucetola JD
NSF Trustee
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April 15, 2008 Update:
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) record room acknowledged today that it had received Natural Solutions Foundation’s Citizens Petition to the FTC regarding truthful and not misleading advertising of vaccinations. The Petition has been given Miscellaneous Matter Number P002501.
It is expected that the Secretary to the Commission will assign the matter to a Commission attorney. The Petition requests an emergency halt to all vaccine advertising until the Commission can hold hearings and approve appropriate disclosures and disclaimers to prevent the public from being confused by false and misleading claims with regard to vaccines.
Members of the public should be given an opportunity to comment on the Petition and provide to the Commission examples of vaccine advertisements that confused them.
The text of the Petition is at:
https://staging.drrimatruthreports.com/index.php?p=507
The following Huffington Post article contains important information about recent scientific journal articles linking mercury to autism, and to the ongoing efforts by certain interested parties to misinform the public. In this case, the American Academy of Pediatrics is misinforming the public regarding the scientific evidence about the link between mercury and autism or asthma. They are doing this to promote their pro-vaccination ideology which is apparently more important to them than truth, or their obligation as physicians to “do no harm.”
In this context, though, we note the opinion of researchers such as Dr. Rebecca Carley (and our co-trustee, Dr. Laibow) who holds that even if all mercury were really removed from vaccinations, the vaccines would still cause serious harm, due to other ingredients such as squalene, and due to the repeated assault on young immune systems that multiple vaccinations cause.
We don’t want to rest our opposition to forced vaccination on the grounds that the vaccines are dangerous. Rather, without regard to risk, we hold that every individual has the fundamental human right to control what medicines are admitted to his or her body. The issue is inalienable right vs coercion. There is no “risk balance” between coerced medication and individual right. As Dr. Laibow says, “Whatever the authority of the state, it stops at my skin.” Period.
Ralph Fucetola JD, Trustee
Standing in for Dr. Laibow, on her way to Africa for a Codex meeting.
Heath and freedom advocates, join our No-Forced-Vaccination Yahoo!Group – http://groups.yahoo.com/group/no-forced-vaccination/join
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The Huffington Post
Pediatricians, ABC and Censorship: Facts Are Scarier Than Fiction
By: David Kirby
Posted January 27, 2008 | 04:19 PM (EST)
On Monday, the American Academy of Pediatrics will release the contents of a foreboding letter sent last week to ABC/Disney executives, demanding they cancel the January 31 premiere of a new legal drama series, Eli Stone, because it features a family attorney who successfully argues in court that mercury-containing flu vaccine caused autism in one child.
The letter, signed by AAP President Renee Jenkins, borders on near-hysteria over a fictional television entertainment. It ominously warns that ABC “will bear responsibility for the needless suffering and potential deaths of children from parents’ decisions not to immunize based on the content of the episode.”
Dr. Jenkins calls on ABC to cancel the episode but, anticipating a refusal, urges executives to run a disclaimer that “no scientific link exists between vaccines and autism,” if the offending network “persists” in airing the show.
I share the AAP’s concern that parents should not be driven away from protecting their children from dangerous, even deadly diseases. But parents are far too smart to base such an important decision as immunization on the “content of the episode” of a single drama on broadcast television.
In fact, if I were Dr. Jenkins, I would be far more concerned about real news happening in the real world — events that not only suggest the possibility of some sort of link between mercury, vaccines and autism, but might alarm parents more than any fictional account written for ratings-grabbing mass entertainment.
If I were Dr. Jenkins, instead of fretting over a fake family engaged in a mock trial held in a make-believe court on some LA soundstage, I would be up at night wondering why the Federal Government recently conceded a real vaccine-autism lawsuit in a real court and will soon pay a real (taxpayer-funded) settlement to a real American family and a very real child with autism.
I would want to know why the Department of Justice agreed that mercury-containing vaccines “severely aggravated” the autism symptoms in at least one child, and I would wonder if research into what triggered that severe aggravation might provide at least some clues into the perpetual mysteries of the disorder and its causes.
And, if I were Dr. Jenkins, rather than wringing my hands and trying to censor a TV-show verdict, I would truly worry about what will happen when parents realize that the Federal Government’s concession has been sealed — preventing the public (and future plaintiffs) from viewing what could only be described as “evidence of harm.” I would be nervous that this secretive action in an actual court (itself reminiscent of science fiction) might drive parents away from vaccination far more effectively than any scripted drama.
Furthermore, if I were the top pediatrician in America, I would not be asking television networks to make sweeping statements such as, “No scientific link exists” between autism and mercury or vaccines, when highly respected publications continue to publish new (and very real) data that roundly debunk what has now become, frankly, a tired piece of misinformation.
If I were the AAP, or ABC for that matter, I would feel downright silly stating that “no scientific link exists,” so soon after the Journal of Child Neurology published a study titled, “Blood Levels of Mercury Are Related to Diagnosis of Autism: A Reanalysis of an Important Data Set.” I would also worry about parental reaction to learning that researchers had done due diligence and reanalyzed data from a prior, hugely influential study that (erroneously) found zero connection between mercury levels and autism.
Instead of trying to silence the fictional words of “Eli Stone” co-creators Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim, I would pay closer attention to the real words of Journal authors M. Catherine DeSoto and Robert Hitlan, who found a major flaw in the original study that found no link. In fact, they concluded, “a significant relation does exist between the blood levels of mercury and diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder,” and that “hair sample analysis results offer some support for the idea that persons with autism may be less efficient… at eliminating mercury from the blood,” something that proponents of the mercury-autism hypothesis have long contended.
And, I would heed this rather wise warning from the authors: “If there is any link between autism and mercury, it is absolutely crucial that the first reports of the question are not falsely stating that no link occurs.”
Another study, freshly out of Harvard, likewise shows a potential link between mercury and the autopsied brains of young people with autism. The American Journal of Biochemistry and Biotechnology reports that a marker for oxidative stress was 68.9% higher in autistic brain issue than controls (a statistically significant result), while mercury levels were 68.2% higher.
And though the mercury results did not quite reach statistical significance (probably due to the small number of autistic brains studied: 9), the authors cautioned that, “However, there was a positive correlation between (oxidative stress and mercury levels),” meaning the two might be associated.
Finally, if part of my AAP job description was to ensure that every American child is vaccinated as early and often as possible, I would be hugely apprehensive, not about a new courtroom drama, but rather about a dramatic new study soon to appear in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
In the article, “Delay in DPT vaccination is associated with a reduced risk of childhood asthma,” Anita Kozyrskyj, an asthma researcher at the University of Manitoba, and other scientists combed the medical records of 14,000 children born in Manitoba in 1995 (when many Canadian shots still contained mercury, by the way).
They found that children who received the DPT (diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus) vaccine at two months of age were 2.63 times more likely to develop asthma (at a rate of 13.9%) than children who were not given the shot until after four months of age (5.9%). “We’re thinking that maybe if you delay this allergic response until a bit later, the child’s immune system is more developed and maybe you’re not seeing this effect,” Kozyrskyj told the Winnipeg Free Press, which just broke the story.
No one wants infant children to go unprotected from whooping cough (or pertussis, the “P” in DPT). But what if delaying that vaccine could have prevented more than half of the asthma cases in the United States? With millions of children currently suffering from the disease, at the cost of billions of dollars a year, would waiting another two months improve the risk-benefit ratio for society (save for the companies that market those asthma medications)?
Even more importantly, if too-early vaccination causes asthma in some kids, could the practice cause other disorders? There is absolutely nothing to link this vaccine study to autism, of course. But consider the following:
1) Many asthma cases have been linked to autoimmunity. The same with autism.
2) Childhood asthma has been dramatically increasing for two decades. The same with autism.
3) Most of the children with asthma in the vaccine study were boys. The same with autism.
Any way you look at it, this study is hardly reassuring news to parents who are about to vaccinate their kids (though think how comforting it would be to allow them to delay this shot by two months). Medicine and the media constantly tell us that all vaccines are safe for all children. When parents try to jive that information with studies that imply the opposite, their faith and trust in public health and the immunization program begin to take a nosedive, along with vaccination rates.
It’s not just the broadcast of fiction out of ABC that might drive parents away from immunization. It is the negation of fact out of the AAP as well. And if unvaccinated children get sick, will the esteemed Academy also “bear responsibility,” or just heap it all upon the network?
ABC executives could cave in and cancel the broadcast, but I don’t think they will. And even if America’s pediatricians manage to successfully censor fiction and crush artistic freedom, they will never be able to stifle the facts.
How Do I Measure EMFs?
A Gauss is a common unit of measurement of magnetic field strength. A Gauss meter is an instrument which measures the strength of magnetic fields. Inside a Gauss meter there is a coil of thin wire, typically with hundreds of turns. As a magnetic field radiates through the coil, it induces a current, which is amplified by the circuitry inside the Gauss meter.
Gauss meters may vary in the strength of the magnetic field they are capable of measuring. A meter used for measuring EMFs from power lines, transformers, substations and appliances around the home, for example, should be able to measure as low as .1 mg.
Gauss meters vary widely in price and accuracy. Meters have either a single axis coil or a triple axis coil. Single axis meters are much simpler than triple axis meters to manufacture and thus, are less expensive.
To use a single axis meter you must point the meter’s one sensor in three directions — -the x, y and z axis. Then, you combine the three readings in a mathematical equation to calculate the combined field strength. Obviously, its far easier and more accurate to use a 3-axis meter. Triple axis Gauss meters are quite accurate, but they are also more expensive.
Another thing to watch out for when purchasing or renting a Gauss meter is whether or not it is frequency weighted. Most meters will read the same EMF strength no matter what the frequency.
As the human body appears to be sensitive to both the field strength AND the frequency, Gauss meters used for biological purposes should be “frequency weighted”.
This means that if the field is different than 60 Hz the meter will consider the frequency and use it in calculating and displaying the EMF’s strength. This feature is why frequency weighted meters will show a higher EMF reading than those meters typically used by electricians and engineers.
Power Lines
An enormous amount of electricity is created at power generating stations and sent across the country through wires that carry high voltages. All power lines radiate electromagnetic fields. The question is: how much are the power lines near YOUR home radiating? The amount of EMFs coming from a power line depends on its particular configuration. Power companies know which power line configurations are best for reducing EMFs but most don’t feel the evidence supports costly changes in the way they deliver electricity.
Substations
A substation is an assemblage of circuit breakers, disconnecting switches and transformers designed to substations have been blamed for causing cancer clusters among nearby residents. Paul Brodeur wrote about several such cancer clusters in the July 9, 1990 issue of the New Yorker Magazine.
Transformers
A key component of a utility’s electrical distribution network depends upon numerous, small transformers mounted on power poles. A transformer looks like a small metal trash can, usually cylindrical.
Even when the electrical service is underground, you will often see a metal box (usually square} located on the ground near the street. Many people don’t realize that when they see a transformer, the power line feeding the transformer is 4000 to 13,800 volts.
The transformer then reduces the voltage to the 120/240 volts needed by nearby homes. Since these transformers can be seen in almost every neighborhood, they are a source of concern.
EMFs near a transformer can be quite high, but due to its small structure, the field strength diminishes rapidly with distance, as it does from any point source. For this reason, having a transformer located near your home is usually not a major source of concern, although just to make sure, everyone should measure the field strength around it.
Home Wiring
If your home has high EMF readings, it is important to determine the sources of the EMF so that remedial action can be taken, if possible. Many times a particular room will have a higher EMF reading. Check to see if the electricity is coming into the house on the wall outside that room. When this is the case, it is usually a good idea to block off that room and only use it for storage purposes.
Sometimes, the source of a high magnetic field is incorrect wiring. If you suspect that your home is wired improperly, obtain the services of a licensed electrician. Warning: Do not touch electric wires, even if you think the current is turned off. If you need to disconnect electrical circuits to determine the source of magnetic fields, you should call a licensed electrician.
Computers
Computers are a complicated subject. Know this: EMFs radiate from all sides of the computer. Thus, you must not only be concerned with sitting in front of the monitor but also if you are sitting near a computer or if a computer is operating in a nearby room.
The Swedish safety standard, effective 711/90, specifies a maximum of 0.25 mG at 50 cm from the display. Many US manufactured computers have EMFs of 5 – 100 mG at this distance. And know this too: the screens placed over monitors do NOT block EMFs. Not even a lead screen will block ELF and VLF magnetic fields.
Space does not permit a more thorough discussion of computers. If you use a computer, it is important that you measure your EMF exposure with a Gauss meter and review the literature concerning the health impacts of computer use.
Electric Blankets and Water beds
Electric blankets create a magnetic field that penetrates about 6-7 inches into the body. Thus it is not surprising that an epidemiological study has linked electric blankets with miscarriages and childhood leukemia.
This pioneering work was performed by Dr. Nancy Wertheimer and Ed Leeper, who originally discovered that magnetic fields were linked to childhood leukemia. Similar health effects have been noted with users of many electric blankets and water bed heaters will emit EMFs even when turned off.
The devices must be unplugged to delete the EMF exposure Additionally, there is the issue regarding the vibrations that are generated by sleeping on standing water. There is less hard data in this area but some experts are concerned about the consequences.
Electric Clocks
Electric clocks have a very high magnetic field, as much as 5 to 10 mG up to three feet away. If you are using a bedside clock, you are probably sleeping in an EMF equivalent to that of a power line Studies have linked high rates of brain tumors with chronic exposure to magnetic fields, so it is wise to place all clocks and other electrical devices (such as telephones and answering devices) at least 6 feet from your bed.
Fluorescent Lights
Fluorescent lights produce much more EMFs than incandescent bulbs. A typical fluorescent lamp of a office ceiling have readings of 160 to 200 mg 1 inch away. Keep them at least several inches away.
Microwave Ovens and Radar
Microwave ovens and radar from military installations and airports emit two types of radiation — microwave and ELF. Microwaves are measured in milliwatt per centimeter squared (mW/cm2) As of 1/1/93, the U.S. safety limit for microwave exposure is 1 mW/cm2, down from a previous 10 mW/cm2. The Russian safety limit is .01 mW/cm2. All microwave ovens leak and exceed the Russian safety limit. In addition, recent Russian studies have shown that normal microwave cooking coverts food protein molecules into carcinogenic substances.
When measuring microwaves from military and airport radar sources, 100% accurate readings can only be found with extremely expensive digital peak-hold meters. Why? Because analog devices begin to drop their reading immediately after the radar sweep passes. Thus, while an analog meter can show whether or not you are being exposed to radar EMFs, analog meters can’t show your true exposure. Although thousands of dollars to purchase, digital-hold meters capable of accurately detecting radar EMFs can be rented for several hundred to over a thousand dollars per month.
Telephones and Answering Machines
Telephones can emit surprisingly strong EMFs, especially from the handset. This is a problem because we hold the telephone so close to our head. Place the Gauss meter right against the ear piece and the mouth piece before buying a phone.
Some brands emit no measurable fields and others emit strong fields that travel several inches….right into your brain. Answering machines, particular those with adapter plugs (mini-transformers), give off high levels of EMFs.
Electric Razors and Hair Dryers
Electric razors and hair dryers emit EMFs as high as 200 to 400 mG. This seems alarming, but we don’t know if this is worse (or better) than a chronic exposure to a 2-3 mG field. Some EMF consultants recommend that hair dryers not be used on children as the high fields are held close to their rapidly developing brain and nervous system.
Prudent Avoidance
Electricity is an inseparable part of our modern day society. This means that EMFs will continue to be all around us. But as Discover Magazine postulated, aside from making our life easier, is electricity also making our lives shorter?
Most experts agree that limited, non-chronic exposure to EMFs is not a threat. For example, it is probably acceptable for a person to be near a toaster in the morning.
BUT, it is not advisable for a person to sleep under an electric blanket, up close, live near a power line/substation, and sleep in a room where the power enters the home. This person is under an extreme case of chronic exposure. This condition, unfortunately, applies to millions of Americans.
If you wish to follows the EPA’s advice and practice “prudent avoidance” then the following advice is offered:
Measure your home, work and school environments with a Gauss meter Measure EMFs both inside and outside your home. Don’t let your children play near power lines, transformers, radar domes and microwave towers.
Avoid areas where the field is above 1 mG. Measure the EMFs from appliances both when they are operating and when they are turned off. Some appliances (like TVs) are still drawing current even when they are off.
Don’t sleep under an electric blanket or on a water bed. If you insist on using these, unplug them before going to bed (don’t just turn it off). Even though there is no magnetic field when they are turned off, there may still be a high electric field.
Don’t sit too close to your TV set. Distance yourself at least 6 feet away. Use a Gauss meter to help you decide where it is safe to sit.
Rearrange your office and home area so that you are not exposed to EMFs from the sides/backs of electric appliances and computers. In the home, it is best that all major electrical appliances, such as computers, TVs, refrigerators etc, be placed up against outside walls. That way you are not creating an EMF field in the adjoining room.
Don’t sit too close to your computer. Computer monitors vary greatly in the strength of their EMFs, so you should check yours with a meter. Don’t stand close to your microwave oven. Move all electrical appliances at least 6 feet from your bed. Eliminate wires running under your bed. Eliminate dimmers and 3-way switches.
Be wary of cordless appliances such as electric toothbrushes and razors. You may choose not to wear a quartz-analog watch because it radiates pulsating EMFs along your acupuncture meridians.
An older mechanical windup watch would be an acceptable alternative. It is also recommended to wear as little jewelry as possible and to take it off at night. Many people have metal sensitivity which can be aggravated by placing it right on the skin. Measure with a gauss meter to be sure.
And last, but not least, always always always remember that EMFs pass right through walls. The EMF you are reading on your Gauss meter could be radiating from the next room…or from outside your home.
Additional Radiation Info:
Eyeglass frames should ideally be made from plastic with no wires in them, otherwise they can serve as an antenna to focus the radio and cellular phone waves directly into your brain.
What EMF Level Is Safe?
There’s a heated debate as to what electromagnetic field (EMF) level is considered safe. Since the experts have not come to an consensus, you’ll have to decide for yourself… Many government and utility documents report the usual ambient level of 60-Hz magnetic field to be 0.5 mG.
Thus, any reading higher than 0.5 mG is above the “usual” ambient exposure. Many experts and public officials, as well as the few governments that have made an effort to offer public protection, have adopted the 3 mG cutoff point. The EPA has proposed a safety standard of 1 mG. Sweden has set a maximum safety limit of 1 mG.
Dr. Robert Becker, an MD who has been studying the effects of EMFs for 20 years, states a lmG safety limit in his book Cross Currents. When electricians try to solve a magnetic field problem they do their best to drop the level to 1 mG or below.
Dr. Nancy Wertheimer, a Ph.D. epidemiologist who has been studying EMFs for 20 years, has been looking at the epidemiological data in a different way — she is trying to associate EMF levels with health rather than disease. The level she is coming up with is a cut off of 1 mG. Russian researchers claim that 1/1000ths of a mG should be the standard.
The BioElectric Body believes that there are several stages of health between “optimum wellness”, “degenerative disease” and “Cancer”. Thus, we maintain our own living and sleeping quarters at 0.5mG and below.
Recommended Reading
“Cross Currents The Perils of Electropollution. The Promise of Electromedicine†by Robert 0. Becker, M.D.& Jeremy P. Tarcher, Inc., 1990
“Currents of Death The Attempt to Cover Up the Threat to Your Health†by Paul Brodeur; Simon and Schuster, 1989
“Electromagnetic Man Health & Hazard in the Electrical Environment†by Cyril W. Smith & Simon Best ; St. Martin’s Press. Inc. 1989
Q. How are Autism and Pharmaceutical Profits alike?
A. They both come from vaccinations.
The CDC stated recently that the immune system of a child could tolerate 1000 vaccines. That’s right, 1000 deadly, profit centers. Here’s one way vaccination is done. If you have other stories to tell about vaccinations being forced on you or your children (or grandchildren, parents, etc.), the Natural Solutions Foundation needs to know. Send an email to dr.laibow@gmail.com with “vaccination” in the subject line. Be sure to include your contact information and whether we have your permission to publish the story.
From World Daily News comes the following harrowing story. Although it happened in 2003, it was another one of the early warning shots across the bow of your liberty and your health.
Now all New Jersey Preschoolers must have flu shots, many of which contain mercury. Hepatitis B Vaccine, administered to infants within hours of birth, when they lack a blood brain barrier, is a potent danger because of the mercury, aluminum and viruses, some of which are known or suspected of causing cancer, which lurk within the syringe. Mandatory vaccination is being forced upon us, one life, one arm, one moment of terror at a time. If that is OK with you, please do nothing at all.
If, on the other hand, you do not accept this new “Reign of Terror”, where our immune systems, not our heads, are being destroyed at the whim of the State, then take action. Click here (http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/568/t/1128/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=21835) to tell your State and Federal legislators that your health decisions are yours, and yours alone to make. Let them know that vaccines are unproven, but well advertised, and present a clear and present danger to the recipient. Let them know that it’s your decision whether you are vaccinated, not theirs. What goes into your skin is your decision, not theirs
Then go to www.HealthFreedomUSA.org and sign up for the free, secure Health Freedom eAlerts (https://staging.drrimatruthreports.com/index.php?page_id=187) for up to the minute news and actions you can take to protect and preserve your health and health freedom. Oh, and make sure you ask your entire circle of influence to sign up, too. We are only as powerful as the roar we can raise and that takes voices – lots of voices. It is imperative that we work together to rally those voices or we will all be facing the working ends of many, many syringes.
Yours in health and freedom,
Dr. Rima
Rima E. Laibow, MD
Medical Director
Natural Solutions Foundation
www.HealthFreedomUSA.org
www.GlobalHealthFreedom.org
Yours in health LIFE WITH BIG BROTHER
Shot forced on newborn
over parents’ objections
Orwellian nightmare for ‘persecuted’ couple
as armed guards ensure infant’s vaccination
Posted: June 18, 2003
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Diana Lynne
© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com
What was supposed to be a joyous occasion – the birth of their first child – turned out to be an Orwellian nightmare for a young Colorado couple whose newborn was vaccinated for hepatitis B over their religious and philosophical objections, while armed guards stood by to prevent them from intervening.
“It makes me feel like the country I live in is no better than communist China or the old Soviet Union or Nazi Germany, and that’s a very sobering and scary outlook,” the father, who does not want to be named, told WorldNetDaily.
The saga of “Baby M,” as the family calls her to protect her privacy, started with an emergency Caesarean section at St. Mary’s Hospital in in Grand Junction, Colo., on April 2. The couple, who has no medical insurance, had attempted to home birth but wound up rushing to the emergency room after the baby’s position went transverse.
“Baby M” was born without complication. But as the new parents were basking in the afterglow of the birth, a neonatal doctor informed them a vaccination was in order for the baby and pressured the couple to sign a consent form.
“He told me the initial screening test [on the mother] had come back positive for hepatitis B. I told him that was impossible,” said the father. “And he said, ‘Well, I didn’t think it was very likely either so I had them run it again and I’ll probably get those test results back soon. If those test results come back positive again, then I’m going to have to vaccinate the baby.'”
According to the couple’s personal physician, the screening test gives a false-positive 40 to 60 percent of the time.
A call for comment from the neonatal physician was not returned.
After the second test also came back positive, the doctor insisted the couple sign the consent form. Citing text he referenced in a medical guide, he informed the parents that the baby must be vaccinated within 12 hours of birth, if the mother has hepatitis B.
Said the father: “We said that we weren’t going to authorize him to do so because we did not believe she had hepatitis B and that we believe vaccinations would not be good for the baby even if she did, based upon our religious convictions and also medical evidence.”
While not eschewing modern medicine, the couple prefers to avoid it when possible and has a strong conviction against vaccinations.
“We believe in God, and that God has created us in his image. In being created in God’s image, we are given his perfect immune system. We are bestowed with His gift, the immune system. We believe it is sacrilegious and a violation of our sacred religious beliefs to violate what God has given us by showing a lack of faith in God. Immunizations are a lack of faith in God and His protection, the immune system,” the father maintains.
Vaccination danger
The couple had also done extensive research into the potential serious dangers of vaccinations.
WorldNetDaily reported last week that various studies indicate there is epidemiological evidence of a link between neurodevelopmental disorders and mercury exposure from childhood vaccines. Many medical experts suspect vaccines may be behind a growing epidemic of autism in American children. According to data provided by the U.S. Department of Education, most states experienced a doubling of the rate of children diagnosed with full-syndrome autism over the past few years.
“U.S. infants are exposed to mercury levels from their childhood-immunization schedule that far exceed the EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] and FDA [Food and Drug Administration]-established maximum permissible levels for the daily oral ingestion of methyl mercury,” wrote Dr. Mark Geier, president of the Genetic Centers of America, in a recently published study in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons.
According to Geier, the EPA limit is 0.1 micrograms of mercury per kilogram body weight per day.
“It doesn’t take a genius to do the calculations when on their day of birth children are given the hepatitis B vaccine, which is 12.5 micrograms of mercury,” Geier told Insight magazine. “The average newborn weighs between six and seven pounds, so they would be allowed 0.3 micrograms of mercury – but in this one shot they are getting 12.5 micrograms. That’s 39 times more than allowed by law.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 12,000 infants are infected with hepatitis B every year by their mother during birth. Infants and children who become infected with hepatitis B are at the highest risk of developing life-long infection, which often leads to death from liver disease and liver cancer. Approximately 25 percent of children who become infected with life-long hepatitis are expected to die of a related disease as adults.
The National Network for Immunization Information, or NNii, a resource for parents recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, or AAP, maintains the vaccine is “safe.”
NNii addresses the risk of mercury in the vaccine in a fact sheet posted on its website. It explains that Thimerosal, a derivative of mercury, has been used in “small amounts” as a preservative in some vaccine and states “there is no evidence that any child has been harmed by exposure to the amounts of Thimerosal in vaccines.”
“In addition, the risk of disease from not immunizing a child is greater than the risk of exposure to low levels of mercury in Thimerosal-containing vaccines,” the fact sheet states, but then adds the U.S. Public Health Service and the AAP recommended reducing or eliminating the use of Thimerosal-containing vaccines “to make safe vaccines even safer.”
NNii states “infants are at high risk for hepatitis B infection if their mothers are infected with the virus” and recommends these infants be given the hepatitis B vaccine “within 12 hours of birth.”
NNii adds that most children who become infected with hepatitis B are born to mothers who are not infected with hepatitis B, and as a result, further recommends all children be vaccinated.
The AAP recommends the first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine be administered to infants born to infected mothers “before they leave the hospital.”
‘Emergency’ hearing
Faced with opposition from the parents over the vaccination of “Baby M,” the doctor called in hospital social service worker Joni Vohs, who reportedly threatened the parents with the loss of custody of their baby if they did not comply with the vaccination schedule.
Next, hospital administrators called in attorneys who persuaded Chief District Court Judge Charles Buss to hold an emergency, after-hours hearing at the hospital on the basis that the baby’s life would be in danger if she was not vaccinated within hours. The family was given 15 minutes’ notice of the hearing and was unable to secure competent legal help in time.
As the father describes it, he went up against a 10-person panel of attorneys, social workers, hospital administrators and the doctor who argued for the immediate vaccination.
The father pleaded for second opinions. He also pleaded for the judge to wait for the results of a more confirmatory test which were scheduled to arrive in 16 hours.
During the four-hour hearing, the father cited the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and Colorado revised statute, which states there are religious, medical and philosophical exemptions to medical treatment.
Rather than share the 19-year-old’s passion for U.S. constitutional history, the lawyers reportedly mocked him.
“When I was reading, the lawyers were whispering back and forth almost laughing at me,” the father told WorldNetDaily. “In retrospect, reminding them of the Constitution hurt me more than it helped.”
The judge ruled the baby should be vaccinated immediately and also ordered her put into protective custody with the Mesa County Department of Human Services, which the parents were told meant social-service agents had the ability to intervene in the medical treatment of the baby at any time and could take physical custody of the baby if deemed necessary to “protect the child’s best interests.”
A call for comment from Buss was referred to judicial administrator Judy Vanderleest. Vanderleest told WorldNetDaily the judge would not comment on the case. She also said the emergency, after-hours hearing held at the hospital was the first such hearing held that she could remember.
Matt Weber, an attorney who represented St. Mary’s Hospital told WorldNetDaily he was “not authorized to speak on behalf of the hospital on this case.”
With armed guards lining the ICU, the first of three ordered vaccinations was administered to the baby. According to the family’s physician, the baby immediately exhibited the typical side effects of the vaccine.
A day later, the third hepatitis B screening on the mom came back negative.
By the time the second shot was due to be administered, the father had succeeded in persuading county social worker Dan Overmeyer the vaccination posed more risk than good for the baby’s health. Overmeyer opted to not administer any more shots and recommended the release of “Baby M” from protective custody.
Overmeyer was unavailable for comment.
While the baby appears to be doing fairly well, the parents fear the damage is already done, and can only wait and wonder when the adverse effects of the vaccine will appear.
“Most of the doctors that I’ve talked to from around the country that know about vaccinations have said that it takes months and sometimes years for things to show up,” the father told WorldNetDaily. “The scary thing is that there are babies that just die out of the blue supposedly for no reason. … There’s a lot of evidence that these SIDS [Sudden Infant Death Syndrome] victims are actually a result of vaccination.”
The Institute of Medicine, a medical research organization that provides health information to the government, released a report last March that concluded all available evidence shows no link between vaccines and unexplained infant deaths.
Religious persecution?
Having recently graduated from college with an associate’s degree in telecommunications engineering, the father has now launched a campaign to alert expecting parents about his family’s ordeal. He posted their story online with a link to an article outlining the research behind the dangers of vaccinations.
“I want [parents] to know that their rights are no longer being upheld by our government,” he said. “If people don’t speak out and voice their disapproval and talk to their congressman and make a big deal out of things like this then we will find ourselves very soon in a sort of police state where we have no individual freedoms and the government tells us what to do, what not to do and basically raises our children for us.”
The website includes a link for readers to make contributions to a legal defense fund. The family hopes to raise sufficient funds to sue the hospital. They feel both the hospital staff and the judge persecuted them for their religious conviction against vaccinations.
“The doctor and hospital thought we would be easy targets as we were young and penniless. They do not like people who try to avoid the system and they don’t like anyone to question whether or not their practices are truly in the best interests of the patient,” the father said. “Our aim in legal action would be to get a precedent that protects families from this ever happening again.”
Kim Williams, the director of marketing at St. Mary’s Hospital declined to discuss the case, citing the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, which outlines patient-confidentiality rules.
Social worker Joni Vohs adamantly denied the hospital would persecute anyone over their religious beliefs or discriminate against them because of a lack of insurance.
“St. Mary’s is a Catholic hospital. We treat everybody regardless of their ability to pay. It’s a very compassionate and caring place.”
After stressing she was bound by confidentiality rules not to discuss the details, Vohs said the “Baby M” case triggered her recollection of another case in which a 13-year-old girl died a “very slow death” because the family belonged to a church that “believed in prayers over medical treatment” and failed to seek treatment for her until she was almost dead.
“Having worked in child protection for 25 years, to allow a child to suffer or die a horrible death is child abuse,” Vohs told WorldNetDaily.
Colorado legislators passed a law as a result of that case which allows the court to step in and override parents’ religious beliefs in the event of a medical emergency. Vohs said this law was applied to the “Baby M” case.
“The hospital doesn’t do anything on a whim. There’s a lot of steps that need to be taken. There was a legal hearing … and the law was followed,” she said.
She also added that the family’s story posted online “stretches and alters” the truth in the case.
“Baby M’s” father argues there was no emergency and emphasizes that had the staff simply waited the 16 hours for the third, more confirmatory test of the mother’s blood to come back negative, the entire “nightmare” could have been avoided.
The fundamental question here is, “Do you trust your government?”
We are talking here about the same government, if I am not mistaken, that many believe rigged the past two national elections. The same government which passed the Patriot Act hard on the heels of the supposedly unexpected attacks on 9/11 (oddly, though, although we did not know the attacks were coming, despite the fact that the information was in the system, we did know the names and passport numbers of all 19 hijackers by the next morning – that strikes me as remarkable intelligence work!). The same government which passed laws (although they violate the US Constitution, supposedly the source of all legal jurisdiction in the United States) which allow your personal privacy and right to protection from unlawful search and seizure to be nullified at the whim of who-knows-whom. That same government which is waging a war on natural health and the information you need to make natural health choices. The same government which has issued a series of Signing Statements, Executive Orders, Homeland Security Directives and other administrative tools overturning or nullifying important aspect of the Common Law, US laws and the provisions of the US Constitution which were designed to protect you against the over-reaching of a government focused on its own power rather than your rights. Rights, for example, like habeas corpus and legal representation, the right to confront your accusers, the right to examine the evidence against you, the right to determine your own medical choices and a host of others.
That would be the same government which, through regulatory edicts by the FDA, has absolved all drug and vaccine manufacturers of ANY liability for any harm you suffer from them, approved cloned meat and milk despite overwhelming consumer revulsion, established for itself the power to ban the sale of, for example, cherry juice as an “untested drug” because the Michigan Cherry Growers Association wanted you to know about 6 scientific papers showing health benefits from cherry juice (or ban any other substance or object used for any potential health benefit), approve deadly drugs on the say-so of “advisers” with a personal stake in the outcome of their advice, buries negative findings about those drugs and then keeps them on the market.
That government. The one that has reportedly four times now called for a protection for us from terrorism by unleashing a nuclear holocaust on Iran, one of several countries which trades its oil in Euros, not dollars. Another country which has made that mistake is called “Iraq”.
Now that government would like you to believe that they have your very best interests, and all of your rights in hand when, in the event of a pandemic, BEFORE IT GETS AWAY FROM US, you will be able to voluntarily accept vaccination or decline it. As I read the laws, however, that is true but the consequences of NOT accepting vaccination are not trivial. What you would be facing is unlimited incarceration (“quarantine”) until you do agree to be vaccinated – or forever. Who knows? The Shadow (government which was apparently never elected) knows.
I do not have any information conclusively telling me that what I am about to say next is accurate or true, but it seems like a highly reasonable conclusion. There are reportedly more than 800 detention centers staffed but standing empty in the US right now. If the plan is to use these facilities for the quarantine of people who refuse “voluntary” vaccination, then the astonishing capacity of more than 30 million people that these facilities represent in the aggregate makes sense. Otherwise, we are looking at a pretty large capacity for – what? Al Quaida sleeper cells?
Now the US government, responding to the question posed by the ACLU of whether pandemic plans violate our rights would like us to believe that they do not, that the already approved vaccine for a virus which supposedly does not yet exit – pandemic H5N1 Avian Flu – would be offered to us for our approval or rejection WHEN CHILDREN, COLLEGE STUDENTS, HEALTH PROFESSIONALS, ELDERLY RESIDENTS OF NURSING HOMES AND OTHER VULNERABLE POPULATIONS ARE ALREADY BEING FACED WITH FORCED VACCINATION, SOMETIMES AT THE POINT OF A GUN (as in Prince George’s County, Maryland where parents were threatened with jail time and fines, and their kids, some already fully inoculated, were vaccinated at the point of a gun in a state with a vaccination exemption).
By the way, vaccines are not necessarily as labeled and they are certainly not safe. The parents of the children felled by what many believe is a vaccine induced epidemic of autism can tell you that. So can the infertile women in Sub Saharan Africa and Central and South America who received tetanus or other vaccines which also contained a vaccine which produces female sterility tell you that (this sterility vaccine, by the way, is approved for use in the US but has been used by the World Health Organization since at least 1985). Then there are the so called stealth viruses, like SV-40, a cancer causing agent found in polio and many other vaccines. Of course, aluminum, mercury, MSG and a host of other dangerous additives make the brew more dangerous, too.
Trust the government that approved these “Public Health” measures in full knowledge of these dangers? That’s a little more than I can handle.
So read the following report of the ACLU’s encounter with the Department of Health and Human Services and draw your own conclusions about whether the benign reassurances of the HHS are enough for you. Then go to www.HealthFreedomUSA.org and join the Health Freedom eAlert list and become part of the Health Freedom Team if you are not already there. The ONLY way we can protect ourselves and our loved ones from this menace is by become a thunderous roar of opposition – before it is too late.
And if you are already on the eAlert list, the most powerful steps you can take to make a difference are (1) getting your friends, associates and family to join the eAlert and (2) becoming a regular donor… the truth is, neither health nor freedom are free. We need your commitment to stop what is happening before our eyes…
The government’s authority ends at your skin!
Yours in health and freedom,
Dr. Rima
Rima E. Laibow, MD
Medical Director
Natural Solutions Foundation
www.HealthFreedomUSA.org
www.GlobalHealthFreedom.org
PS – our DC educational agent, Charlie Frohman was at the ACLU press conference at the National Press Club in DC representing us, and questioning ACLU about its commitment to fighting for our rights. The ACLU assured Charlie that they would continue to press for our rights, even in the event of a pandemic “emergency” – see his comments at:
http://www.commoninterest.info/2008/01/16/aclu-to-protect-against-government-in-pandemic/
Do U.S. pandemic plans threaten rights, ACLU asks
Published on Tuesday, January 15, 2008.
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Source: Reuters
U.S. policy in preparing for a potential bird flu pandemic is veering
dangerously toward a heavy-handed law-enforcement approach, the
American Civil Liberties Union said on Monday.
The group, which advocates for individuals’ legal rights based on the
U.S. Constitution, said federal government pandemic plans were
confusing and could emphasize a police and military approach to
outbreaks of disease, instead of a more sensible public health approach.
“Rather than focusing on well-established measures for protecting the
lives and health of Americans, policymakers have recently embraced an
approach that views public health policy through the prism of national
security and law enforcement,” the ACLU report reads.
But the U.S. Health and Human Services Department (HHS) said the group
had misunderstood the government’s approach and said current plans
already incorporate many of the ACLU’s recommendations.
Infectious disease experts agree that a pandemic of some sort of
influenza is inevitable, and most worries focus on H5N1 avian
influenza. Although it mainly attacks birds, the virus has infected
349 people since 2003 and killed 216 of them.
A few mutations could turn it into a highly infectious disease for
people and could kill millions globally.
Most countries are working to develop plans to deal with the potential
consequences. The U.S. plans are available on Web sites such as
http://pandemicflu.gov.
The ACLU said it was worried that the plan called for military and
police involvement in enforcing a quarantine.
The ACLU experts said they were especially disturbed by an October
executive order from President George W. Bush that directed HHS to
establish a task force to plan for potential catastrophes like a
terrorist attack, pandemic influenza or a natural disaster that would
ensure full use of Department of Defense resources.
The Bush order does not specify what the Department of Defense role
would be, but also mentions military medical research facilities that
have played a role in health for decades.
“Pandemic planning today tends to emphasize mandatory vaccination and
forced treatment,” the ACLU’s Tania Simoncelli told a news conference.
“It also means that sick people are being treated as criminals and
enemies of the state rather than individuals in need of care.”
The ACLU said plans should focus on how to help people stay home
without losing pay, and instead of merely advising citizens to
stockpile food, should provide for ways to help them do so.
HHS spokesman Bill Hall said the government plan stressed community
and individual involvement.
“They have mischaracterized our planning efforts. They are confusing a
containment attempt as our overall pandemic response once the virus
has spread beyond our ability to stop it,” Hall said in a telephone
interview.
“Respecting civil liberties has been an important component of our
pandemic planning.”
He said many of the recommendations ACLU makes, such as voluntary
vaccination and treatment, were in the plan.
Source: http://www.blacklistednews.com/view.asp?ID=5288