Contact: Barbara Haumann (413-376-1220)
Organic Trade Association (OTA) hails panel for empowering consumers with ways to reduce their cancer risk

GREENFIELD, Mass. (May 6, 2010)—. The President’s Cancer Panel Report released on May 6 exhorts consumers to choose food grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers , antibiotics, and growth hormones to help decrease their exposure to environmental chemicals that can increase their risk of contracting cancer. Organic products avoid the use of these chemicals.

“Exposure to pesticides can be decreased by choosing, to the extent possible, food grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers…Similarly, exposure to antibiotics, growth hormones, and toxic run-off from livestock feed lots can be minimized by eating free-range meat raised without these medications,” according to the landmark report, “Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk: What We Can Do Now,” submitted to President Obama by Dr. LaSalle Leffall, Jr., an oncologist and professor of surgery at Howard University, and Dr. Margaret L. Kripke, an immunologist at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

“Organic production and processing is the only system that uses certification and inspection to verify that these chemicals are not used on the farm all the way to our dinner tables,” said Christine Bushway, Executive Director of the Organic Trade Association (OTA).

Organic production is based on a system of farming without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides (herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides) and synthetic fertilizers. Organically produced foods also must be produced without the use of antibiotics, synthetic hormones, genetic engineering and other excluded practices, sewage sludge, or irradiation. Organic foods are minimally processed without artificial ingredients, preservatives, or irradiation to maintain the integrity of the food. In addition, animal confinement in feedlots is prohibited.

“Consumers should know that organic foods have the least chemicals applied in their production and the least residues in the final products. Thus, those seeking to minimize their exposure to these chemicals and follow the recommendations of the President’s Cancer Panel can look for the USDA Organic label wherever they shop,” said Bushway.

“The American people—even before they are born—are bombarded continually with myriad combinations of these dangerous exposures,” the panel wrote in a letter to President Obama. It added. “The Panel urges you most strongly to use the power of your office to remove the carcinogens and other toxins from our food, water, and air that needlessly increase health care costs, cripple our Nation’s productivity, and devastate American lives.”

It added, “Many known or suspected carcinogens first identified through studies of industrial and agricultural occupational exposures have since found their way into soil, air, water and numerous consumer products…Some of these chemicals have been found in maternal blood, placental tissue, and breast milk samples from pregnant women and mothers who recently gave birth. Thus, chemical contaminants are being passed on to the next generation, both prenatally and during breastfeeding.”

“OTA is gratified to see a prestigious scientific panel recognize what the organic farmers and the organic community have realized about environmental health and organic agriculture for decades, and we applaud them for taking on this critical issue,” Bushway added.

The full report is available online.

The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is the membership-based business association for organic agriculture and products in North America. Its members include growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmers’ associations, distributors, importers, exporters, consultants, retailers and others. OTA’s Board of Directors is democratically elected by its members. OTA’s mission is to promote and protect the growth of organic trade to benefit the environment, farmers, the public and the economy (www.ota.com).

The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark begins December 7 through the 18th.  In anticipation of the conference, developing countries are making their stances on their percentage decrease and the 2020 deadline.  Upset that the industrial countries are not commitmenting equally.

What will happen during this Conference, is anyone’s quess. Since this Conference is happening days before Christmas, maybe just maybe we can believe in miracles.

Below please find a press release from the artist, Jens Galschiot.  We got to know him during the 2008 Olympics in Peking, posting his “Orange” articles in support of the Chinese dissadents.

This article is about his visual artwork, the red alarm.  Thousands of red LED lamps will  be place along the 7-meter stretch, designed to warn viewers of what will happen when the water will rise.

Red Alarm in Copenhagen

Thousands of red LED lamps will mark a 7-meters water rising during the COP15 climate summit. The art happening Sevenmeters.net is a visualisation by Jens Galschiot, about how Copenhagen will look like, when all the ice of Greenland has melted away.

Galschiot and his volunteers, armed with long ladders, will this Saturday and Sunday hang up the LED lamps. They will start by the three big ‘refugees’ on Vejlands Allé / Ørestads Boulevard by the Bella Center. The 2,000 LED lamps are specially made in the artist’s workshop of bicycle lamps, which are soldered and glued together with extra batteries, so the will be able to blink constantly during the meeting.

The artist, who is well-known for his poignant – yet audience-friendly, art manifestations, got the permission to put up all of the blinking lights in a 7 meter line above daily water, around the lakes and in the whole channel area in the center of Copenhagen, and along the roads to the Bella Center.  Galschiot hopes that the red blinking LED-lights will be some sort of an international grassroots’ symbol of the climate catastrophe.

With the happening Galschiot will visualize that when the water rises and drought expands, there will be many places where people no longer will be able to stay. For example the isle of Amager, where the Climate Summit is held, will be 5 meters under water, if Greenland’s ice melts. If the ice of Antarctica also melts, the water will rise another 75 meters, so the peaks of the mountains will be in great demand, and there are not plenty of them in Denmark.

”With this manifestation I will highlight the climate crisis, and the fact, that it is not only a problem for the polar bears and the nature. The global warming may be a catastrophe for humanity. UN says that over 200 million refugees will be a reality in the next 40 years.

The refugees will trigger a giant demographic crisis, with risks of closing the national borders and beginning an ‘all against all fight, to protect our territory against the refugees, which our own CO2 leak has created. A frightening scenario that will put our humanistic and democratic civilisation under intense pressure, so that war and rise of totalitarian systems might be the consequence. This is the legacy that we will leave to our children!” Galschiot says.

At the venue of the climate summit there will also be red blinking LED lamps. Small badges will be given to the delegates, so they can use them as a silent indicator about how seriously they take the climate crisis.

About the artist

The SevenMeters art events can be seen November 13 – December 19.  www.SevenMeters.net will have up-to-date pictures of the event.  The site was started by Jens Galschiot. His art installations highlight the climate issue from different angles, in cooperation with different players, such as www.peoplesclimateaction.dk  and www.Illumenarts.dk.  The focus is put on the consequences for the people on earth and the impact of the demographic changes for our society. 

The Sculptures

• The pulse of the earth (by Bella Centre metro station, the entrance to COP15). The 4½ high sculpture ’The Messenger’ counts the new climate refugees on a display, while the water graves under the metro are filled with human sized ‘Hunger Boys’. The entire installation and the actual metro are covered in red, pulsating LED-light, which follows the geological ‘pulse’ of the earth and is more than 300 metres long.

• ’Freedom to Pollute’ (The big hill at Amager Fælled). A 6 metres high copy of the Statue of Liberty which sends out smoke from the torch.

• Wandering Refugees (by Bella centre) are three 10 metres high sculptures with copper faces, which represent African women with long dresses in screaming colours. They are standing on a savannah-like area reminding us of the female refugees in Sudan. 

• Survival of the Fattest’ (in the water next to The little Mermaid). The sculpture confronts ‘The little Mermaid and the Danish self-perception with the goddess of justice of the real world.

• Balancing Act’ (at the Christiansborg palace square and other places) is 10 statues, each balancing on 7-15 metres high piles. They have been made in connection to the UN’s Decade of Education for sustainable Development (2005-2014) in cooperation with Eco-net.dk. 

• 7 meters line in Copenhagen (only 6-18 December) is a visualization of the 7 metres rising in the sea level if all the ice on Greenland melts. On a 24 kilometers long distance in Copenhagen thousands of blinking red lights mark the potential new water level in the height of 7 meters

Jens Galschiot can be reached through his website, www.aidoh.dk, or emailed at aidoh@aidoh.dk

By Ariel Heart

The old saying “if you don’t learn from history you are doomed to repeat it” is true in the Health Care debate.  On Saturday October 10, 2009, there was a Health Care Forum in Colorado Springs thanks to Change the Works (http://www.coloradoforhealthcare.org ).  One particular audience member commented that she was old enough to remember the similar fervent battle against Medicare when it was first offered up in the 1960s. 

The long fight for Medicare began when the first bill was introduced in 1952 by President Harry S Truman.  President Truman wanted universal health care.  The American Medical Assoc was against. He had to retreat in the face of the AMA’s massive funding against the idea to covering the elderly and some disabled.

President Lyndon B Johnson signed Medicare (a single payer, social insurance program for persons 65 and older) into existence thirteen years later in July 1965  as part of the Social Security Act of 1965.  The very same Democratic party who claims to be the champion to save Medicare today, safeguarding it from some invisible threat, is the very same party that for thirteen years screamed Medicare was entitlement and socialism.  Interestingly the very same recorded message is playing today…is it live or Memorex?

This past summer, we saw volatile town hall meetings with some people vehemently insisting that the government keep their hands off their Medicare.  It would be knee-slapping funny, if it weren’t so tragic.  Have we forgotten our own history?  Have we forgotten the 60’s fear rhetoric spread that Medicare was socialism coming to destroy the very fabric of our democracy.

Ronald Reagan: “[I]f you don’t [stop Medicare] and I don’t do it, one of these days you and I are going to spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it once was like in America when men were free.”  Reagan gave this speech during his stint as host of General Electric Theater that required him to tour GE plants. These speeches to the workers were very often pro-corporation message – a company sponsored propaganda moment, if you will.  This particular speech is preserved on LP format with a cover titled “Ronald Reagan Speaks Out Against Socialized Medicine.”  Reagan was getting paid the modern equivalent of a million dollars for this job.  Not surprisingly, he soon changed his party affiliation to Republican. Even back then, big corporations were pulling out all the stops to fight people (elderly) from having affordable single payer health coverage.  Consider that Ronald Reagan is practically the patron saint of the GOP and bills have been submitted to have Reagan added to Mount Rushmore or his face on one of our dollar bills.

Another one of the old rhetoric arguments against Medicare was how it was Entitlement with a capitol E.  Sound familiar in our current health care debate?

Barry Goldwater: “Having given our pensioners their medical care in kind, why not food baskets, why not public housing accommodations, why not vacation resorts, why not a ration of cigarettes for those who smoke and of beer for those who drink.” This was during his 1964 during his Presidential campaign.  This is the same party who claims to be saving our grandparent’s medicare from the current reform bill.  If it doesn’t make you pause and seriously question their trustworthiness, it should.

Well it has been forty-four years since socialized medicine in the form of Medicare was initiated in the US.  Were the doom and gloom predictions of freedom ending because of Medicare true?   If we are one smidgen closer to being a socialist country, it is a safe bet it was not due to Medicare.  What can be said about Medicare is that it has helped our elderly have a better chance at a quality of life for longer in their lives – and it was the right thing to do. 
We also have the argument that health care is not a right in this country.  This would make it a privilege.  Again we can go back in history when this was not an issue.  All the way back to 1944, in fact.  President Franklin D Roosevelt (D – New York), in his  January 11, 1944 message to Congress on the State of the Union, he made one of the most important declarations of the century – and perhaps even the next. 
In our day these economic truths have become accepted as self-evident. We have accepted, so to speak, a second Bill of Rights under which a new basis of security and prosperity can be established for all—regardless of station, race, or creed.
Among these are:
The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation;
The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation;
The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living;
The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad;
The right of every family to a decent home;
The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health;
The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment;
The right to a good education.
All of these rights spell security. And after this war is won we must be prepared to move forward, in the implementation of these rights, to new goals of human happiness and well-being.
America’s own rightful place in the world depends in large part upon how fully these and similar rights have been carried into practice for our citizens.
President Roosevelt died approximately fifteen months after giving this historic speech regarding a Second Bill of Rights.  FDR was not surprisingly disliked by greed driven profiteers for such radical thinking – and regulating Wall Street.  In 1934 the McCormack-Dickstein Committee hearings began hearings on a coup purportedly to overthrow President Roosevelt backed by wealthy financiers.  Marine Corps Major General Smedley Butler testified of the coup but there was never enough proof to bring actual charges against the wealth financiers who wanted Roosevelt and his radical ways out of the White House. 

Consider Franklin D Roosevelt in light of the Health Care debate of today.  Who is really against people getting adequate or affordable coverage?  Follow the money.  Health Care is big business.  If you are a health insurance company you want more money coming in (premiums) with less and less going out (coverage).  That is “good” business also know as “the profit motive.”

Yet another argument against Health Care reform claims the current bill will institute care rationing.  October 10th the Denver Post reported how a Grand Junction infant was denied coverage because at four months old and nineteen pounds the baby can be classified overweight.  October 19th Denver news channels and even the Huffington Post reported how Aislin Bates was denied health insurance coverage because she was underweight.  And then there is the case of Chris Turner, a rape victim told rape is a pre-existing condition and such a rape victim could be denied coverage.  This is the true health care rationing being done in the name of “good business” and it has been going on for a long time.  Even though this may not be historical, it would have been negligent not to mention the recent history developing around us.

History teaches us valuable lessons from those that have gone through the experience before us.  Hopefully this quick snapshot of the health care debate in history has shed some light on the current situation.  History is truly repeating itself and with one of the most critical issues to our country.  Don’t let the broken record rhetoric from the 1960s fool you.  It has taken since Truman and the initial efforts beginning in 1952 to get to this point of serious universal health care being considered.  Perhaps it is time to resurrect Franklin D Roosevelt’s Second Bill of Rights too.

Ariel Heart is a Colorado Springs native and graduate of University of Pheonix with a Bachelors degree in Business Administration.  She also holds a degree in Sacred Theology from a Bible Institute.  She has worked for Fortune 500 companies in a widely varied career for the last twenty some years.  She is currently working on her fist full length non-fiction book with the goal of getting published.

 This is commentary from Micheal Connelly with additional comments by Ariel Hart.
Michael Connelly (http://michaelconnelly.viviti.com/ ) is a
Constitutional Lawyer and has read the entire health care bill and
has some comments, not about the bill, but about the effects on
our Constitution. It’s a broader picture than just health care
reform.

All of you and those to whom you communicate had better sit up
and pay attention; once this sort of thing happens, it will be
irreversible.
THE TRUTH ABOUT THE HEALTHCARE BILLS

Well, I have done it! I have read the entire text of proposed
House Bill 3200: The Affordable Health Care Choices Act of 2009. I
studied it with particular emphasis from my area of
expertise,constitutional law. I was frankly concerned that parts
of the proposed law that were being discussed might be
unconstitutional. What I found was far worse than what I had heard
or expected.

To begin with, much of what has been said about the law and its
implications is in fact true, despite what the Democrats and the
media are saying. The law does provide for rationing of health
care, particularly where senior citizens and other classes of
citizens are involved, free health care for illegal immigrants,
free abortion services, and probably forced participation in
abortions by members of the medical profession.

The Bill will also eventually force private insurance companies
out of business and put everyone into a government run system. All
decisions about personal health care will ultimately be made by
federal bureaucrats and most of them will not be health care
professionals. Hospital admissions, payments to physicians, and
allocations of necessary medical devices will be strictly
controlled.

However, as scary as all of that it, it just scratches the
surface. In fact, I have concluded that this legislation really
has no intention of providing affordable health care choices.
Instead it is a convenient cover for the most massive transfer of
power to the Executive Branch of government that has ever
occurred, or even been contemplated. If this law or a similar one
is adopted, major portions of the Constitution of the United
States will effectively have been destroyed.

The first thing to go will be the masterfully crafted balance of
power between the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches of
the U.S. Government. The Congress will be transferring to the
Obama Administration authority in a number of different areas over
the lives of the American people and the businesses they own. The
irony is that the Congress doesn’t have any authority to legislate
in most of those areas to begin with. I defy anyone to read the
text of the U.S. Constitution and find any authority granted to
the members of Congress to regulate health care.

The paragraph below is really frightening

This legislation also provides for access by the appointees of
the Obama administration of all of your personal healthcare
information, your personal financial information, and the
information of your employer, physician, and hospital. All of this
is a direct violation of the specific provisions of the 4th
Amendment to the Constitution protecting against unreasonable
searches and seizures. You can also forget about the right to
privacy. That will have been legislated into oblivion regardless
of what the 3rd and 4th Amendments may provide.

If you decide not to have healthcare insurance or if you have
private insurance that is not deemed “acceptable” to the “Health
Choices Administrator” appointed by Obama there will be a tax
imposed on you. It is called a “tax” instead of a fine because of
the intent to avoid application of the due process clause of the
5th Amendment. However, that doesn’t work because since there is
nothing in the law that allows you to contest or appeal the
imposition of the tax, it is definitely depriving someone of
property without the “due process of law.

So, there are three of those pesky amendments that the far left
hate so much out the original ten in the Bill of Rights that are
effectively nullified by this law. It doesn’t stop there though.
The 9th Amendment that provides: “The enumeration in the
Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or
disparage others retained by the people;” The 10th Amendment
states: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the
Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are preserved to
the States respectively, or to the people.” Under the provisions
of this piece of Congressional handiwork neither the people nor
the states are going to have any rights or powers at all in many
areas that once were theirs to control.

I could write many more pages about this legislation, but I think
you get the idea. This is not about health care; it is about
seizing power and limiting rights. Article 6 of the Constitution
requires the members of both houses of Congress to “be bound by
oath or affirmation” to support the Constitution. If I was a
member of Congress I would not be able to vote for this
legislation or anything like it without feeling I was violating
that sacred oath or affirmation. If I voted for it anyway I would
hope the American people would hold me accountable.

For those who might doubt the nature of this threat I suggest
they consult the source. Here is a link to the Constitution:
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html

And another to the Bill of Rights:
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript..html

There you can see exactly what we are about to have taken from
us.

Michael Connelly
Retired attorney, Constitutional Law Instructor
Carrollton, Texas
mrobertc@hotmail.com
bio
.. continue with the defense of Mr. Connelly of which I found the following:

Diploma, Redemptorist High School in New Orleans, La. 1966. · Bachelor of Science, Business and Public Administration, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, La. (Degree required numerous political science and business courses. Many history and public speaking courses were taken as electives.) 1971
· Juris Doctorate, Louisiana State University Law School, 1973.
· Graduate, U.S. Army Intelligence School, Fort Huachuca, Arizona, 1973.

Commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve, 1971.
· Active duty at the U.S. Army Intelligence School from Sept. 1973- Nov. 1973.
· Assigned to reserve duty with 352nd Army Security Agency company in Baton Rouge from Jan 1974 until Aug. 1978. (Served as Supply officer, Operations officer, and Recruiting officer.)
· Left the reserves in 1978 as a Captain.

Licensed attorney in Baton Rouge, La. since 1973.
· Qualified to practice before all Louisiana State and Federal Courts and the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
· I have also represented clients before the U.S. Supreme Court.
· Areas of practice include Constitutional Law, Personal Injury Law, Criminal Law, Family Law, Business Law, Medical Malpractice and Successions.
· Special assistant attorney general for the State of Louisiana, 1977-80.
· Of Counsel for U.S. Justice Foundation, 1980-98.
· General Counsel, Council for Inter-American Security, 1978-95.
· Still licensed, but inactive since 2001.
Currently teaching courses on Evidence Law, Constitutional Law, Courtroom Strategy and Business Law for Education to Go, an online company providing courses for numerous universities.
· Have appeared as a guest lecturer at both LSU and University of New Orleans.
· Substitute high school teacher for East Baton Rouge Parish School System, Sept. 1998-Jan. 2000.
· Temporary full time teacher of World Geography, Woodlawn High School, Baton Rouge, La., 1998-99.

 
there are comments by other people as well as the lawyer…. kind of interesting… and some info on his bio…

Michael Connelly September 8, 2009 Thanks to everyone for your comments and interest. Even when people disagree with me I appreciate what they have to say if it is done in a respectful manner. This nation was built on the right to disagree.
It is difficult to cite specific sections of HR 3200 for several reasons. First, much of what I refer to as being done by the bill may not be in just one particular section. Instead the preparers attempt to hide their actual intent by spreading things throughout the bill in different sections. Second, any specific section I refer to by number may change as the Congress returns from recess and starts trying to rework the bill to make it seem more reasonable to the American people. In other words, what is contained in Section 1173A that provides for government electronic access to private information may be renumbered and contain something totally different tomorrow.
However, here are some of the most pertinent sections dealing with some of the areas you are asking about. Section 113 gives the government control over all health insurance, private and public. Section 141 authorizes the appointment of the Health Choices Administrator. He or she will answer to no one other than the President. Sections 201 and 203 give this person the power to decide what benefits you can get in your insurance, whether public or private. This opens the door for health care rationing. This is further mandated by Section 225 that gives the administrator complete control over hospitals and doctors. It sets the fees that can be charged and the services that can be provided.
If the Administrator decides you didn’t need to be hospitalized the hospital can be fined for “breaking the government rules.” This also opens the door for the Administrator to force hospitals and physicians to perform abortions. All health procedures will mandated by the government. There is also no provision for services to be provided only to citizens or legal residents of the United States. This means that since illegal aliens get the services now, they will continue to do so.
Here is a link to the entire bill and you can look up these and other provisions: http://thomas.loc.gov/. I hope you find this helpful
Michael Connelly August 21, 2009

In fact, my comments on the 3rd Amendment are based on a Supreme Court decision which decided that the 3rd Amendment granted the right to Privacy. I cite this as the Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) case.

Michael Connelly August 21, 2009

Hi Kristopher Carlson: I admit that for a long time the 10th Amendment was considered dead. However, during the last few years of my active practice of law I successfully used it several times in cases and in recent years it has seemed to have been revived. The fact that it was ignored for years does not mean that it is not still the law of the land as envisioned by the framers of the Bill of Rights.

Michael Connelly October 1, 2009

Anne:
Your concerns are real and I respect them. Some people who sent emails in response to my articles have accused me of being paid off by the insurance companies. Nothing could be farther from the truth since believe me, after all of the times I represented my clients and fought against the private insurance companies for their arbitrary refusal to pay just claims (and often won), I am the last person the insurnace companies would hire to champion their cause. On the other hand, I spent more time fighting for clients who had paid for years into Social Security System who were arbitrarily denied coverage they had earned when they became disabled. It was even worse for the military veterans who have defended our country and can’t get proper care from the Federal Government even though they are entitled to it.
Many states have taken positive and effective actions to keep the private health insurance companies in line, yet if the health care bills in Congress pass, the states will be able to nothing for their citizens. The same people who have led the post office and the Social Security Administration into virtual bankruptcy will now be handling health care for everyone. Well not exactly everyone; the President, his cabinet members, and the members of Congress will continue to get premium health care, the rest of us will get chaos.

From Ariel Hart:

Hey, thanks for sending that email my way. 
It’s nuts how many rumors are swirling around out there about the health bills.  It’s hard to know which ones are true and which ones are just crazy internet rumors.
If this one were true, I’d be pretty upset – so I decided to see if I could find out for myself.
It seems the email originated as a blog post by Michael Connolly, who claims to be a “Constitutional Law Instructor.” That’s very misleading.  Mr. Connolly doesn’t actually work at a university or law school, but gives lessons online at www.ed2go.com whose motto is: “Learn it on Tuesday, Use it on Wednesday!” I don’t know about you, but that sounds pretty shady to me.

That’s like me claiming to be a pro football coach because I have a fantasy football team.
Check out his page: http://www.ed2go.com/cgi-bin/oic3/newcrsdes.cgi?name=firstclass&aw=yyy&course=cl1
As for the content of his blog post, it seems as if the fake professor is using fake information.
The email claimed health reform would lead to rationing of health services, especially for seniors.  That’s not true.  I came across a well-researched article in Newsweek that calls this a “lie” simply intended to scare people into opposing reform.  You can read it yourself: http://www.newsweek.com/id/212131/page/2
The email also says the bills would provide free health care for illegal immigrants. Again, this is a blatant lie. The bill itself even states “No Federal Payment for Undocumented Aliens.” You can see for yourself on page 143 http://edlabor.house.gov/documents/111/pdf/publications/AAHCA-BillText-071409.pdf
The email also says reform would result in a “government takeover” of health care. That’s not true either. I found a website called FactCheck.org that looks at this assertion & flat out debunks it.  The government would not make medical decisions or force American patients to do anything they didn’t want to – it would just give people to option to purchase a reasonably priced health insurance plan.  That’s it.
The website wrote that “Obama has long said he would allow individuals or small businesses to buy insurance through a public plan – like the one now available to members of Congress. But nobody would be forced to drop his or her current insurance, and private plans would exist as they do now.” You can read more at http://www.factcheck.org/2009/04/government-run-health-care/
As for “Professor” Connolly’s claim that health care reform is unconstitutional, that’s also wrong.  This interpretation of the 10th amendment is an extremist view held by people who believe almost everything is unconstitutional. They think the same thing about Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, the federal highway system, rules regulating airplane safety and anti-discrimination laws.
In reality, the Constitution gives congress the power to “lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises” and to “provide for….the general welfare of the United States.” It also allows Congress “to regulate commerce… among the several states.” Health care is a huge part of our nation’s economy, and definitely falls under the interstate commerce clause of the constitution. 

If you want to find more information on this, I found some great websites:
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/08/19/bachmann-unconstitutional/
http://prospect.org/cs/articles?article=rally_round_the_true_constitution
I think by now you can see that pretty much every part of this email is a lie.  So hopefully that helps put your mind at ease.

By Amy Cook-Porter

While we have never been a big proponent of this registration (you can control prostitution by registering massage therapists) we do want to encourage ALL massage therapists to register, now that the bill has passed.
Because of the volume of registration and problems with fingerprinting (who knew that older massage therapists had worn away their fingerprints) there is an extension.
Here’s the information.

RULE 10: EFFECTIVE APRIL 1, 2009 THROUGH JUNE 30, 2009

Emergency Rule 10 provides that all individuals who submit their application, fee, and fingerprint card prior to April 1, 2009 will be eligible to receive a “Provisional Massage Therapist Registration.”
What is a provisional registration?
The provisional registration will allow individuals to practice massage therapy or represent themselves as being able to practice massage therapy in this state through June 30, 2009.  Provisionally registered massage therapists are subject to  all provisions of C.R.S. 12-35.5-101 (“the Act”).

Who is eligible?
All individuals who have submitted their application and fee to the Division of Registrations, have met the educational or training standards established in statute, and have submitted a fingerprint card to CBI – all prior to April 1, 2009, and who have not yet been issued a massage therapist registration.  The Division must have received the application and fee no later than March 31, 2009.
Provisional registrations will be effective April 1, 2009 through June 30, 2009.  After June 30, 2009, individuals with a provisional registration must be registered as a massage therapist pursuant to the Act to continue practicing massage therapy.
 
Who is not eligible?
Individuals who apply for a massage therapist registration on or after April 1, 2009 are not eligible to receive a provisional registration and will not be permitted to practice massage therapy in this state until they receive their registration pursuant to the Act.
Individuals who are already registered by April 1, 2009, as a massage therapist with the State of Colorado are not affected by Emergency Rule 10 and will not be assigned a provisional registration.

How can registration status be verified?
Use DORA’s “Automated Licensure Information System Online” (ALISON).  You can verify any individual’s registration status using this system.
Provisional registration status will be assigned to all qualified individuals on March 31, 2009 and these registrations will not be mailed. 
Check ALISON to verify provisional registration on or after April 1st.  Please do not call DORA to verify registration status.
Visit our website for other information and answers to frequently asked questions.

Colorado Dept. of Regulatory Agencies
Division of Registrations
Health Services Section
1560 Broadway, Suite 1350
Denver, CO 80202
www.dora.state.co.us

By Amy Cook- Porter

The Colorado Senate HHS Committee defeated HB-1175 today (April 22) with a vote of five “no” votes and two “yes” votes.  HB-1175 was the bill that would register Naturopathic Doctors, but not license them like medical doctors.

This was the vote tally:

Senator Betty Boyd, Chair – NO
Senator Lois Tochtrop, Vice Chair – NO
Senator Shawn Mitchell – NO
Senator David Schultheis – NO
Senator Kevin Lundberg – NO
Senator John Morse – YES
Senator Linda Newell – YES
Senator Morgan Carroll was absent

Thanks go out to those Representatives and Senators that took a stand against this.  Thanks also to everyone who wrote or called.  It was this combined effort along with the lobbying by Colorado Citizens for Health Freedom and other organizations that kept this bill from passing.  If you have a moment, thank the senators, representatives, and lobbyists who spoke out against this bill.

Please understand.  We have supported some form of licensing or registering Naturopathic Doctors (ND) ever since the persecution of Mark Cooper, ND.  They deserve to practice without being harassed.

But, not at the expense of 1,600 other practitioners, including traditional naturopaths.  I would like to take this time to ask the NDs to sit down with the naturopaths and other health practitioners to write a bill that benefits everyone.  We have spent three years preventing any substantive legislation from being written because we are spending our time stopping one another’s bill.

Let’s write legislation that will spell out what NDs and naturopaths each can do separately.  Let’s come up with testing that assures quality professionals in both groups as well as continuing educations. 

If we have learned nothing else from the fiasco of last year’s legislation without common sense (the massage therapy bill), we must work together, raise the standard, not lower it, if we want to elevate these professions.

So let’s end the boycott of establishments that took sides.  Let’s sit down with our ND and traditional naturopathic friends.  Let’s find some solutions and then the write the legislation.

( We are posting this for informational purposes only, we expect that you will make your own determation as to whether this is good or bad)

Is the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009 really in the best interest of you and your family’s health?
There is an enormous rush to get this into law within the next 2 weeks before people realize what is happening.This Bill will require organic farms to use specific fertilizers and  poisonous insect sprays dictated by the newly formed agency to “make sure there is no danger to the public food supply”.If this passes then NO more heirloom clean seeds will be allowed, only Monsanto genetically altered seeds that are now causing unexpected  diseases in humans.

Here is why Monstano is so dangerous to the American People and especially organic farms, orchards and agribusiness in general. For those of you who aren’t aware  Monsanto is the world’s most evil company, it’s because they:

• Are the world leader in the potentially hazardous genetic modification of seeds.
• Are patenting not only their own GMO seeds, but also a huge number of crop seeds, patenting life forms for the first time — without a vote of the people or Congress.
• Do not allow farmers to save their seeds to replant the next year – a practice that has been done for generations. Instead, they aggressively seek out and sue farmers they suspect of doing so.
• Have sued farmers who have not been able to prevent the inevitable drift of Monsanto’s GE pollen or seed onto their land for patent infringement!
• Have produced two of the most toxic substances ever known — polychlorinated biphenyls, known as PCBs, and dioxin (Agent Orange).

Perhaps their biggest assault to your food supply is what’s known as terminator technology. These are seeds that have been genetically modified to “self-destruct.” In other words, the seeds (and the forthcoming crops) are sterile, which means farmers must buy them again each year.

The implications that terminator seeds could have on the world’s food supply are disastrous: the traits from genetically engineered crops can get passed on to other crops. Once the terminator seeds are released into a region, the trait of seed sterility could be passed to other non-genetically-engineered crops, making most or all of the seeds in the region sterile.If allowed to continue, every farmer in the world could come to rely on Monsanto for their seed supply!

First the history of the bill:  Congressional Bill HR 875 was introduced by Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, whose husband Stanley Greenburg works for Monsanto.

The bill is essentially a giant gift package for Monsanto, mandating the criminalization of seed banking, prison terms and confiscatory fines for small farmers and 24 hour GPS tracking of their animals, and of “industrial” standards to independent farms.

The corporations want nothing less than full control of the land, the end of normal animals so they can substitute patented genetically engineered ones, and the end of normal seeds and thus of seed banking by farmers or individuals.

And now Monsanto wants its own employee, Michael Taylor (the man who forced genetically engineered rBGH on the country when the Clintons placed him over “food safety” in the 90’s) back in government, this time to act with massive police power as a “food safety tsar”.  HR 875 would give him immense power over what is done on every single farm in the country and massive police state power to wield over farmers.Rosa DeLauro and Stanley Greenburg have a great deal to account for in attempting to force through a mislabeled “food safety” bill with hidden intent to wipe out farmers and harm everyone.
So, would it be safe to say that Monsanto stands to gain from H.R. 875?

What Can You Do?

I believe everyone should take the time to look this bill over and decide for yourself — Do you, or do you not believe industry will use every loophole they can find to further their own interests over up-and-coming small, organic family farms?

If you believe this bill warrants further scrutiny before being blindly passed, here are a few ways you can get involved and make your voice heard:

• Contact your Congressional members at 202-224-3121 and ask them to oppose HR 875 and S 425.  
  Sign the Natural Solutions Foundation’s petition to Amend the Food Safety Modernization Act H.R. 875 [and Substitutes], by adding a “Natural and Family Food and Farming Exclusion Amendment”
  Find out who sits on your states agriculture and farming committee and contact them with your concerns.
  Contact your local elected officials and let them know your position on legislation and why.
  Attend a local Weston A. Price Foundation (WAPF) meeting, this is a good start to learning about what is going on in farming, as well as getting involved with local and state initiatives .  
  Support the Farmers Legal Defense Fund

To read and analyze these bills for yourself, You can go to these websites and read them.
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-875
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-425

Tri-State, Colorado’s second largest electricity supplier, has a plan in the
works to build an expensive and unnecessary coal-fired power plant. And if
their plan plays out, they’ll saddle Colorado with decades of dirty, toxic
air and stick rural Coloradans with the bill.

With vast clean energy resources across our state and cost-saving energy
efficiency options at the ready, Tri-State’s proposal for another coal-fired
power plant is outrageous.
 
We have until April 6 to tell state energy regulators on Colorado’s Public
Utilities Commission that Coloradans want clean energy solutions for
Colorado’s energy needs. Please click below to submit a comment to the PUC
telling them to put Tri-State on a path to a clean energy future and to drop
dirty coal.

http://www.environmentcolorado.org/action/energy/clean-energy-tri-state?id4=
ES

The PUC is considering taking a more active role in making sure that
Tri-State invests in energy efficiency and renewable energy. It’s no
accident that Xcel Energy, the state’s largest utility, has become a
national leader in renewable energy. The commission made sure that Xcel is
meeting the state’s renewable energy standard.

Now we need to make sure that Tri-State meets those same goals, ensuring
that the state moves beyond dirty energy sources and plays its part in
building the New Energy Economy.

The public comment period ends April 6. With your help, we can drop dirty
power and make sure that Colorado has a clean energy future. Click below to
tell the commission to put Tri-State on a path to a clean energy future and
to drop dirty coal.

http://www.environmentcolorado.org/action/energy/clean-energy-tri-state?id4=

HONORABLE SENATOR ___________________

FAX: ____________________________   DATE:_______________

OPPOSE HB 09-1175

·       I believe that HB 1175, as passed by the House, will criminalize the practice of 16,000 providers of natural health care in Colorado.

·       Consumers will lose access to complementary and alternative health services provided by thousands of natural health care providers.

·       HB 1175 creates an economic environment whereby “naturopathic doctors” from select schools will be the only providers of complementary and alternative health care.

·       Colorado loses millions of dollars in income and sales tax revenue if HB 1175 passes the legislature.

Address                                                                                                                                  City                                                         Zipcode

Phone number                                                                                                                         Email

Link back to Health Freedom Fighters Unite

http://www.vitesis.com/?p=689

 First of all, we want to say a giant “thank you” to the 40 plus Health Freedom fighters who came to the Capitol today for the HB-1175 Hearing.  We sincerely appreciated you coming and taking time out from your day and health practices to support this effort.  We realize that many of you traveled a great distance and incurred a loss of income due to spending the time to be here.  Your efforts were also realized by the legislators who desired to get this hearing done today and were sorry that your efforts were in vain.  Due to the insistence of the Bill Proponents Senate Sponsor, the Bill was postponed until next Thursday 4/9/09 at 1:30pm.  This is the last day the Bill can be heard in this session and therefore, we were assured that there will be no more postponements or changes allowed.

Consider this a dry run.  We are asking that you all return next Thursday to the Capitol and bring a friend or two.  Those of you who were not able to attend today, we hope you can make it next week.  We had around 40 Health Freedom fighters present today, but would love to see over 100 next week.  This should not be asking too much, considering there are over 16,000 practitioners and 1.5 million consumers in the state of Colorado.  Please wear RED.  Let’s try to meet in the basement cafeteria around noon.

Carpooling would be best as parking is $10-$12 dollars at the lots and sometimes hard to find. There is a parking lot on Grant directly across the street from the Capitol. Enter the south end of the Capitol, that is the 14th street side, ground floor cafeteria at 1:00. You will go through a metal detector, So please allow enough time. You will be able to testify if you want, this is the last time for this opportunity. Please wear something Red. This helps find each other and shows unity. The hearing is scheduled to be heard in Senate room 356, this is on the 3rd floor in the Capitol @1:30pm.  There may be other bills ahead of ours, so we cannot give a definite time of hearing or how long it will last, so it would be best to plan for the entire afternoon.

We are aware that this is short notice – but we appreciate your assistance in getting as many Written Testimonies from Consumers and Practitioners as we can in this short time frame.  This can have a great impact with Committee Members.

 We need Written Testimonies from Customers, Consumers, Clients and Practitioners. Please include the date, your name, signature (if possible), address, and phone number on the Written Testimony. Keep it short – a page or less is best – and remember to ask them to vote NO on HB 1175.

 We will suggest some ideas about what you can write in your testimony, and will also include an example.  Please use your own words and address the areas you feel are important in your letter.

 1.      CONSUMER/CLIENT/CUSTOMER – If you are a consumer, client, or customer and you see an Alternative Health Provider, you can write about how your Provider will no longer be able to practice if HB 1175 passes.  You can talk about how your Alternative Health Provider has helped you in your life and health. Do not put their name in the testimony – just use “Alternative Health Provider”.   (An example is at the end of this message).

 
2.    SCHOOL OF CHOICE VERSES COMPETENCY – If you are an Alternative Health  Provider, you can discuss how competent you are, the education you  have received, your successes, if you work with other medical professionals, etc…. even though you did not attend one of the schools required in HB 1175.

 
3.    CONSUMER PROTECTION – This bill is not about consumer protection, but rather, it is about Consumer RESTRICTION.  If passed, Colorado Citizens will be restricted on Alternative Health Providers.  There are an estimated 16,000 alternative practitioners in the state of Colorado, but if HB 1175 passes, only a small, select group of 45 to 90 Registered Naturopaths will have the legal right to practice and service the 1.5 million consumers.

 
4.    TASK FORCE –HB 1175 registers a small, select group of Naturopaths and also establishes a Task Force after the fact.  You can write that the Task Force should be done FIRST – before this group of Naturopaths is given a legal right to practice.  After the Task Force has been completed, results can be reviewed and then a decision can be made based on whether or not any regulation is required.

 
5.    HEALTH FREEDOM – In the states who have passed a Registration/Licensure bill to regulate the Naturopathic profession, none have gone on to pass Health Freedom Legislation. It is highly unlikely if HB 1175 passed, that we would ever get Health Freedom legislation passed in Colorado.   The solution is to pass health freedom legislation first in Colorado FIRST before passing a regulation bill for a select group of practitioners.  This will give ALL alternative healers/practitioners the right to practice, not just a select few.

 
6.    PROFESSIONAL JEALOUSY – This type of monopolistic legislation is nothing more than professional jealousy.  This group of Naturopathic Physicians want exclusive rights to practice Naturopathy

 
7.    DOWNGRADED SCOPE OF PRACTICE – These Naturopathic Physicians have downgraded their scope of practice and title so that it is now equivalent to most traditional healers/practitioners. 

Example:
March 31, 2009
Dear Members of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee:

I am writing in regards to HB 1175.  Please vote NO on this bill, for if it should pass, my alternative health care provider would no longer be able to practice just because she didn’t graduate from the select schools stated in the bill.  She was instrumental in guiding me through my personal health challenges, and therefore saved my life.  Thank you for voting NO on HB 1175.

Sincerely,
Jane Doe
123 Main Street
Denver, CO  12345
(303) 123-4567

If you haven’t already done so, please send in your written testimony to: doctorjoanie@q.com or fax: 720-283-0839.

If you have any questions, please contact Joanie 303-798-1469 or Kim 719-390-1979
We need these ASAP!

Please call, fax and/or email the members of this committee and ask them to OPPOSE HB 1175. We have provided a one page paper that you can use to fax to the committee members. 

We will have our cell phones at the Capitol if you need help:
Kim Matteo 720-935-1825 ~ Kim Sharples 719-651-4899 ~ Joanie Coffey 303-929-9954