from pictures of the day on telegraph.co.uk
05 October 2011
04 October 2011
CBS reporter Sheryl Atkisson under White House fire for Gunwalker scandal reports
The era of "transparent" government under Obama/Holder continues apace:
Link to The Weekly Standard
The Fast and Furious scandal, in which the Justice Department knowingly gave Mexican criminal gangs thousands of guns, just keeps escalating. The latest development centers around whether or not Attorney General Eric Holder lied to Congress about having knowledge of the controversial gun trafficking operation. Recently released documents say Holder was briefed about the operation long before he told the Judiciary Committee he was first aware of what was going on. (Holder now claims he misunderstood the question was being asked.)
What's more, CBS News investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson -- who's been covering the scandal from the beginning -- says in an interview on the Laura Ingraham Show today that the White House and Justice Department have taken to screaming at her for reporting on the story. You can listen to the full interview below...:
Finally, Attkisson notes that the White House is claiming that a thorough investigation of the scandal is unwarranted:
[The White House and Justice Department] will tell you that I'm the only reporter--as they told me--that is not reasonable. They say the Washington Post is reasonable, the LA Times is reasonable, the New York Times is reasonable, I'm the only one who thinks this is a story, and they think I'm unfair and biased by pursuing it.
Translation: Here "reasonable" means either "shill" or "willing to play ball".
Link to The Weekly Standard
The Fast and Furious scandal, in which the Justice Department knowingly gave Mexican criminal gangs thousands of guns, just keeps escalating. The latest development centers around whether or not Attorney General Eric Holder lied to Congress about having knowledge of the controversial gun trafficking operation. Recently released documents say Holder was briefed about the operation long before he told the Judiciary Committee he was first aware of what was going on. (Holder now claims he misunderstood the question was being asked.)
What's more, CBS News investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson -- who's been covering the scandal from the beginning -- says in an interview on the Laura Ingraham Show today that the White House and Justice Department have taken to screaming at her for reporting on the story. You can listen to the full interview below...:
Finally, Attkisson notes that the White House is claiming that a thorough investigation of the scandal is unwarranted:
[The White House and Justice Department] will tell you that I'm the only reporter--as they told me--that is not reasonable. They say the Washington Post is reasonable, the LA Times is reasonable, the New York Times is reasonable, I'm the only one who thinks this is a story, and they think I'm unfair and biased by pursuing it.
Translation: Here "reasonable" means either "shill" or "willing to play ball".
Occupy Wall Street protestor: End the Fed, bring back gold and States' Rights!
Wish I could shake this guy's hand. I hope there are a lot more like him out there.
Good job.
Keep in mind: that is a NY accent. If a Yankee can speak like this, that is a reason for hope in my mind.
The cause of States' Rights and the Free Market will be vidicated. :-)
via dailypaul.com
03 October 2011
History of the modern Israeli-Arab conflict in 11 min.
H/T to FreeNorthCarolina.blogspot.com
Well done video, historically accurate as far as my reading of the conflict, although very unfavorable to the Pals. Poor and oppressed as they may be, they lie in a bed they and their leaders made for themselves.
Esau hates Jacob...struggle began in the womb.
Peace will come when the Arabs will love their children more than they hate us.--Golda Meir
Well done video, historically accurate as far as my reading of the conflict, although very unfavorable to the Pals. Poor and oppressed as they may be, they lie in a bed they and their leaders made for themselves.
Esau hates Jacob...struggle began in the womb.
Peace will come when the Arabs will love their children more than they hate us.--Golda Meir
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| "Don't tread on me" in Hebrew |
Legend of Confederate submarine commander's gold coin is true
THE LEGEND: For over a century, an oral tradition-a legend-was passed down involving Lt. George Dixon, who commanded the
Hunley on its final assignment, which turned out to be one of the most important missions in naval history. According to the legend, Dixon was in love with a beautiful young woman from Mobile, Alabama, named Queenie Bennett.
To keep her sweetheart safe from harm, Queenie gave George Dixon a gold coin, as a good luck charm. Again, according to the legend, George kept the coin with him always, in his pocket, rubbing it with his thumb while he dreamed of the day when he and Queenie would be reunited.
During the Battle of Shiloh, George was shot point blank. A bullet ripped into the pocket of his trousers and struck the center of the gold coin. The impact was said to have left the gold piece bent, with the bullet embedded in it. Queenie's good luck gift had saved his life.
Many such legends were created during the war. Was this one true? For 137 years, no one knew whether the story was true or merely a romantic tale from long ago.
During the excavation of the H.L. Hunley, the gold coin was discovered next to the remains of Lt. George Dixon. It was deeply indented from the impact of a bullet and traces of lead were discovered on the coin. The coin, a $20 dollar gold piece, was minted in 1860. One side bears an image of Lady Liberty. The other side, which has a federal shield-and-eagle symbol, had been sanded and inscribed by hand. It clearly bears four lines of cursive script with the following words:
Shiloh
April 6, 1862
My life Preserver
G. E. D.
Maria Jacobsen, Senior Archaeologist on the Hunley project and the one who actually first found the coin, said shortly after her amazing discovery, "Some people may think this is a stroke of luck, but perhaps it's something else. They tell me that Lt. Dixon was a lady's man, perhaps he winked at us yesterday to remind us that he still is."
 The front side of Dixon's gold coin. |
To keep her sweetheart safe from harm, Queenie gave George Dixon a gold coin, as a good luck charm. Again, according to the legend, George kept the coin with him always, in his pocket, rubbing it with his thumb while he dreamed of the day when he and Queenie would be reunited.
During the Battle of Shiloh, George was shot point blank. A bullet ripped into the pocket of his trousers and struck the center of the gold coin. The impact was said to have left the gold piece bent, with the bullet embedded in it. Queenie's good luck gift had saved his life.
 - Archaeologist Maria Jacobsen holding Dixon's gold coin. This photograph was taken only minutes after the coin's discovery. |
During the excavation of the H.L. Hunley, the gold coin was discovered next to the remains of Lt. George Dixon. It was deeply indented from the impact of a bullet and traces of lead were discovered on the coin. The coin, a $20 dollar gold piece, was minted in 1860. One side bears an image of Lady Liberty. The other side, which has a federal shield-and-eagle symbol, had been sanded and inscribed by hand. It clearly bears four lines of cursive script with the following words:
Shiloh
April 6, 1862
My life Preserver
G. E. D.
 The reverse side ofDixon's gold coin. |
Maria Jacobsen, Senior Archaeologist on the Hunley project and the one who actually first found the coin, said shortly after her amazing discovery, "Some people may think this is a stroke of luck, but perhaps it's something else. They tell me that Lt. Dixon was a lady's man, perhaps he winked at us yesterday to remind us that he still is."
Petition of Virginia's challenge to Obamacare's individual mandate goes to Supreme Court
The state of Virginia, seeking to revive its constitutional challenge to a key part of the new federal health care law, asked the Supreme Court on Friday to rule that the state has a right to be in court. This is the fifth of the petitions seeking review of the new law’s mandate that virtually all Americans must have health insurance by the year 2014. Virginia is the only challenger now at the Court to have been denied ”standing” in lower courts. Its petition, with a lengthy appendix, is here
Virginia’s challenge to the insurance mandate, unlike that of others who have appealed, is tied to a state law that declared that no resident of the state could be compelled to obtain a health care policy, as required by the federal law. The legislature passed it in anticipation of Congress’s enactment of the health care law, and, relying upon its statute, Virginia was the first to file a federal court case against the mandate. The Fourth Circuit Court, however, ruled last month that Virginia had no basis for challenging the mandate,; it found that the provision imposed no burden at all on the state.
The Circuit Court said that the mandate is imposed on individuals, not on states. It also found that the Virginia law seeking to head off the mandate actually had no enforcement mechanism, so the law did not clash with the federal mandate. The Circuit Court also ruled that a state has no power as a sovereign to nullify a federal law which acts durectly upon a state”s citizens, who are citizens of the federal system, too.
Link to SCOTUS blog
Breast Cancer patient molested by TSA retards at JFK
Verbatim post:
At what point does the need for security eclipse human dignity and compassion?
Yesterday I went through the imaging scanner at JFK Terminal 4 for my Virgin America flight to San Francisco. Evidently they found something, because after the scan, I was asked to step aside to have my breast area examined. I explained to the agent that I was a breast cancer patient and had a bilateral mastectomy in April and had tissue expanders put in to make way for reconstruction at a later date.
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| TSA jerks wouldn't let her retrieve this medical device card... |
I told her that I was not comfortable with having my breasts touched and that I had a card in my wallet that explains the type of expanders, serial numbers and my doctor’s information (pictured) and asked to retrieve it. This request was denied. Instead, she called over a female supervisor who told me the exam had to take place. I was again told that I could not retrieve the card and needed to submit to a physical exam in order to be cleared. She then said, “And if we don’t clear you, you don’t fly” loud enough for other passengers to hear. And they did. And they stared at the bald woman being yelled at by a TSA Supervisor.
To my further dismay, my belongings, including my computer, were completely out of sight. I had no choice but to allow an agent to touch my breasts in front of other passengers.
I just didn’t understand why these agents were so insensitive to the situation. I would have been happy to show her which bag was mine and have her retrieve the card, but she did not allow even that. I have been through emotional and physical hell this past year due to breast cancer. The way I was treated by these TSA agents added a shitload of insult to injury and caused me a great deal of humiliation.
I understand the need for safety when flying, but there is also a need for those responsible to be compassionate and sensitive to each situation. These agents were neither.
I can only comfort myself with the fact that Karma is always circular.
link to her blog. Story via Drudge
02 October 2011
01 October 2011
Who is better at helping the poor? Capitalist vs. government agency?
Here is a real life example of how a "greedy" capitalist really helps people. He manufactures something others want, and are happy to pay for, because it makes their lives better. At the bottom of the quoted text, you will see what happens when the World Bank tries to help. Yep, makes things worse.
If necessity is the mother of invention, Paul Polak is one of its fathers.
For 30 years Dr. Polak, a 78-year-old former psychiatrist, has focused on creating devices that will improve the lives of 2.6 billion people living on less than $2 a day. But, he insists, they must be so cheap and effective that the poor will actually buy them, since charity disappears when donors find new causes.
His greatest success has been a treadle pump that lets farmers raise groundwater in the dry season, when crops fetch more money. He has sold more than two million, he said.
He also helped develop a $25 artificial knee and a $400 hospital lamp to save newborns with life-threatening jaundice.
...the treadle pump. It was brilliantly simple, it could be manufactured by local workshops, and a local driller could dig a 40-foot well and install it for $25. Studies showed that farmers made $100 in one season on that investment.
We talked to 75 little welding shops where they make things like bedsprings, and jawboned them into making treadle pumps.
As we were developing our pump, the World Bank was subsidizing deep-well diesel pumps that could cover 40 acres. The theory was that you’d get a macroeconomic benefit, but it was also very destructive to social justice. The big pumps were handed out by government agents; the government agent was bribeable. The pump would go to the biggest landholder, and he’d become a waterlord.
Link
If necessity is the mother of invention, Paul Polak is one of its fathers.
For 30 years Dr. Polak, a 78-year-old former psychiatrist, has focused on creating devices that will improve the lives of 2.6 billion people living on less than $2 a day. But, he insists, they must be so cheap and effective that the poor will actually buy them, since charity disappears when donors find new causes.
His greatest success has been a treadle pump that lets farmers raise groundwater in the dry season, when crops fetch more money. He has sold more than two million, he said.
He also helped develop a $25 artificial knee and a $400 hospital lamp to save newborns with life-threatening jaundice.
...the treadle pump. It was brilliantly simple, it could be manufactured by local workshops, and a local driller could dig a 40-foot well and install it for $25. Studies showed that farmers made $100 in one season on that investment.
 |
| Retails for $25 US. Farmer can profit $100 in a season. |
We talked to 75 little welding shops where they make things like bedsprings, and jawboned them into making treadle pumps.
As we were developing our pump, the World Bank was subsidizing deep-well diesel pumps that could cover 40 acres. The theory was that you’d get a macroeconomic benefit, but it was also very destructive to social justice. The big pumps were handed out by government agents; the government agent was bribeable. The pump would go to the biggest landholder, and he’d become a waterlord.
Link
28 September 2011
Ron Paul beats Obama: Harris poll
LAKE JACKSON, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- In a new Harris Poll, 2012 Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul beats President Obama 51 percent to 49 percent in a general election race.
“This is yet another poll that clearly proves how competitive Ron Paul is against the sitting President,” said Ron Paul 2012 National Campaign Chairman Jesse Benton. “Dr. Paul is making strides, affirming that the American people are looking for conviction instead of the typical status quo rhetoric being offered by establishment candidates.”
These results come just a few weeks after a Reuters/Ipsos survey showed Ron Paul polling within striking distance of President Obama among registered voters. Furthermore, a late August Rasmussen poll showed him within 1 percent of President Obama in a head-to-head matchup.
Take notice: some people are starting to "get it".
Quote of the Day 9/28
A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man; a debt he proposes to pay off with your money.
-G. Gordon Liddy
-G. Gordon Liddy
27 September 2011
Powers that be in Westchester County, NY use dirty tricks to keep Libertarians out of election
This is how things really work behind the MSM facade in the Land of the Free:
Verbatim letter from party chair to Libertarian Party mailing list in Westchester County, NY, just north of NYC:
This morning, I appeared in Supreme Court, Westchester County, to support our Westchester Libertarian candidates for Town Supervisor and Town Councilmembers in North Castle (Armonk), New York.
Even though they submitted sufficient signatures to qualify for a Libertarian line, a challenge was filed to nullify the petition because one of the witnesses (Howard Arden) previously signed a Republican pertition. While such action would have previously disqualified the signatures he witnessed, the relevant statute was changed in July 2009 such that now one only has to be a registered voter in NYS to witness signatures.
Nevertheless, on September 14, the Westchester Board of Elections disqualified 99 signatures Howard had obtained based on a law that was rescinded two years ago!
On September 14, Matt Rice called BOE and was advised that no decision was rendered. On Friday, September 16, he called and wrote to BOE and again was not advised that a decision had been rendered.
In fact, the BOE members and its attorney lied to Matt as a decision was rendered and snail-mailed to him on the 14th, which he received when he got home Friday evening, Sept. 16.
The statute requires that a court proceeding to overturn a BOE ruling be commenced within three days of the date of the determination. By mailing rather than faxing or emailing the decision, BOE acted to vitiate the time frame in which a proceeding could be commenced.
Having received the BOE petition, Matt Rice with input from Kerry Lutz, Gary Donoyan and me, worked over the weekend and on Monday, Sept. 19, only one business day after receipt of the determination, Matt Rice and Howard Arden filed an Order to Show Cause in Supreme Court. The Order was signed on Sept. 20 and served on the BOE and Objector per its terms on Sept. 21.
This morning BOE moved to dismiss the petition claiming it was served more than three days after the determination and that therefore its absurd ruling based on a law which is no longer in effect would stand.
Supreme Court Justice Joan Lefkowitz reserved judgment so that Matt and Howard would have an opportunity to submit opposition papers to the BOE's motion to dismiss.
As an aside, the Judge's clerk indicated that they believed we had a winning argument on the merits, but first we had to resolve the jurisdictional issue.
It's rare that we see the tryanny of the Republican-Democratic duopoly manifest itself so blatantly as in this instance. I am advised that the members of the Westchester BOE answer directly to the leaders of the local political parties.
I thank those who have contributed generously of their money (Howard Arden, Willie Aponte, Carl Svenson, Michael McCarthy and one other) and especially Matt Rice for all his time and effort in this fight against those who will do anything to remain in power.
This particular battle is not over.
Mark Axinn
Chair
PS. As I will not be at Sunday night's teleconference, this constitutes the Chair's report as well.
Even though they submitted sufficient signatures to qualify for a Libertarian line, a challenge was filed to nullify the petition because one of the witnesses (Howard Arden) previously signed a Republican pertition. While such action would have previously disqualified the signatures he witnessed, the relevant statute was changed in July 2009 such that now one only has to be a registered voter in NYS to witness signatures.
Nevertheless, on September 14, the Westchester Board of Elections disqualified 99 signatures Howard had obtained based on a law that was rescinded two years ago!
On September 14, Matt Rice called BOE and was advised that no decision was rendered. On Friday, September 16, he called and wrote to BOE and again was not advised that a decision had been rendered.
In fact, the BOE members and its attorney lied to Matt as a decision was rendered and snail-mailed to him on the 14th, which he received when he got home Friday evening, Sept. 16.
The statute requires that a court proceeding to overturn a BOE ruling be commenced within three days of the date of the determination. By mailing rather than faxing or emailing the decision, BOE acted to vitiate the time frame in which a proceeding could be commenced.
Having received the BOE petition, Matt Rice with input from Kerry Lutz, Gary Donoyan and me, worked over the weekend and on Monday, Sept. 19, only one business day after receipt of the determination, Matt Rice and Howard Arden filed an Order to Show Cause in Supreme Court. The Order was signed on Sept. 20 and served on the BOE and Objector per its terms on Sept. 21.
This morning BOE moved to dismiss the petition claiming it was served more than three days after the determination and that therefore its absurd ruling based on a law which is no longer in effect would stand.
Supreme Court Justice Joan Lefkowitz reserved judgment so that Matt and Howard would have an opportunity to submit opposition papers to the BOE's motion to dismiss.
As an aside, the Judge's clerk indicated that they believed we had a winning argument on the merits, but first we had to resolve the jurisdictional issue.
It's rare that we see the tryanny of the Republican-Democratic duopoly manifest itself so blatantly as in this instance. I am advised that the members of the Westchester BOE answer directly to the leaders of the local political parties.
I thank those who have contributed generously of their money (Howard Arden, Willie Aponte, Carl Svenson, Michael McCarthy and one other) and especially Matt Rice for all his time and effort in this fight against those who will do anything to remain in power.
This particular battle is not over.
Mark Axinn
Chair
PS. As I will not be at Sunday night's teleconference, this constitutes the Chair's report as well.
How's that democracy thing workin' out for ya?
Can you wait 'til 2012?
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| Party activists want to make your visit to the polls memorable |
26 September 2011
Gunwalker update: Potential to be the most devastating scandal in American political history
Another coup by patriot bloggers Vanderboegh and Codrea:
ATF used taxpayer money, in cash, to buy guns and hand them to Sinaloa cartel members.
If Vanderboegh/Codrea are correct — and for the duration of this scandal they have been dead-on accurate — Dodson [first whistleblower] was chosen by his superiors to become the “walker” of Fast and Furious guns in order to “dirty” him for his previous vehement arguments against the operations. The apparent hope was that if he was sullied in the operation himself, that he would be unwilling or unable to blow the whistle on crimes that he himself participated in. Obviously, they miscalculated his character.
The plot to ensnare Dodson sounds like a Hollywood mob movie for a very good reason; this kind of stunt has been revealed in multiple RICO prosecutions of organized crime.
The unraveling Gunwalker conspiracy has the potential of being the most devastating scandal in the history of American politics.
Link
ATF used taxpayer money, in cash, to buy guns and hand them to Sinaloa cartel members.
If Vanderboegh/Codrea are correct — and for the duration of this scandal they have been dead-on accurate — Dodson [first whistleblower] was chosen by his superiors to become the “walker” of Fast and Furious guns in order to “dirty” him for his previous vehement arguments against the operations. The apparent hope was that if he was sullied in the operation himself, that he would be unwilling or unable to blow the whistle on crimes that he himself participated in. Obviously, they miscalculated his character.
The plot to ensnare Dodson sounds like a Hollywood mob movie for a very good reason; this kind of stunt has been revealed in multiple RICO prosecutions of organized crime.
The unraveling Gunwalker conspiracy has the potential of being the most devastating scandal in the history of American politics.
Link
Independent trader to BBC: Eurozone will crash, and hard; governments can't do anything about it
Rare candor on the Beeb.
Good night, and good luck.
Good night, and good luck.
22 September 2011
Bonnie Blue Cufflinks, and my wife argues with a stranger outside a picket line
Recently, we had a family event, and my wife surprised me with a pair of custom made Bonnie Blue Flag cufflinks, which I now treasure. She had looked for similar cufflinks online, and when she couldn't find them, she had them made!
To top that off, the other day, she was walking past a group of union members picketing, and ended up getting into an argument with a total stranger about how unrealistic their demands were economically, even bringing up the school of Austrian economics! She ended up telling the guy that he was drinking the kool-aid of the mainstream media.
It wasn't long ago that she drank the same kool-aid, btw.
Could it be someone actually took what I've been saying to heart, that I'm not just preachin' to the choir?
Did you ever get the feeling the Rapture might be just around the corner? ;-)
To top that off, the other day, she was walking past a group of union members picketing, and ended up getting into an argument with a total stranger about how unrealistic their demands were economically, even bringing up the school of Austrian economics! She ended up telling the guy that he was drinking the kool-aid of the mainstream media.
It wasn't long ago that she drank the same kool-aid, btw.
Could it be someone actually took what I've been saying to heart, that I'm not just preachin' to the choir?
Did you ever get the feeling the Rapture might be just around the corner? ;-)
21 September 2011
Dwelling on the vaccine controversy raised by Bachmann and Perry
This would not ever have become an issue if it were not for the implementation of collectivist/socialist central planning of medical care in this country, growing in size and scope since Medicare was passed in 1965. Since the government now pays for some people's healthcare by taking away money from other people, they feel they must minimize their costs by implementing "mandatory" programs of preventative medicine.
The HPV vaccine (aka Gardisil) is the focus of many state legislature debates and laws since 2006. It is a product of the Merck company, which you can be certain profits nicely from successfully lobbying various governments to mandate the vaccine's use.
---------
This post was inspired by this NYT article:
The HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) vaccine is effective towards the two virus variants that cause 70% of the cases of cervical cancer. Vaccines have certain risks, and studies have shown the rate of adverse reactions to be within a certain arbitrary low rate as to be acceptable (according to the .gov) to be administered to the public that still have faith in the system, such as it is. The vaccine is not 100% effective for each individual; it does not take in some people. More than 3 out of 10 who get the shot will not get the benefit that the shot promises.
Many commentators describe their own experiences with HPV or cervical cancer, very moving and not to be diminished in any way by my commentary. Others choose to vent their exasperation and disagreement with either Mrs. Bachmann, or the party to which she belongs. Still others dwell on the stupidity of resisting an effective vaccine.
My point is this: Any government that mandates a person to be vaccinated is unreasonable, coercive by definition, and tyrannical.
Freedom in the United States is not freedom from poverty or disease. Luck or providence will dictate a person's suffering or lack thereof.
Freedom in this country is supposed to be freedom from government interference in a citizen's private affairs, in particular regarding personal choices about their body and private property.
A federal or state government which forces a citizen to do anything to their body or property goes against anything that anyone over 40 was weaned on in school, and what our troops supposedly fight for: personal freedom.
Wouldn't you prefer to learn the risks, benefits, and alternatives to a medical treatment and make your own value judgement about the risk-benefit ratio, or would you prefer coercion of a sort like fines, suspension from school, jail time, a criminal record? It may be that a reasonable person opts out of an effective treatment for their own good reason.
If a compos mentis citizen with private insurance refuses this vaccine, and that refusal violates a federal or state law, then this citizen becomes a criminal for making a decision about his or her own body.
What freedom, then?
-----------------------
Read further about the States meddling in our health here:
The debate in states has centered-in part-around school vaccine requirements, which are determined by individual states. Some states grant regulatory bodies, like the Board of Health, the power to require vaccines, but the legislature must still provide funding. Some people who support availability of the vaccine do not support a school mandate, citing concerns about the drug's cost, safety, and parents' rights to refuse. Still others may have moral objections related to a vaccine mandate for a sexually transmitted disease. Financing is another concern: if states make the vaccine mandatory, they must also address funding issues, including for Medicaid and SCHIP coverage and youth who are uninsured, and whether to require coverage by insurance plans. This has caused some to push for further discussion and debate about whether or not to require the vaccine.
The CDC announced that the HPV vaccine is available through the federal Vaccines for Children (VFC) program in all 50 states, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, San Antonio and Washington DC. VFC provides vaccines for children ages nine to 18 who are covered by Medicaid, Alaskan-Native or Native American children, and some underinsured or uninsured children.
State Action
The Michigan Senate was the first to introduce legislation (S.B. 1416) in September of 2006 to require the HPV vaccine for girls entering sixth grade, but the bill was not enacted. Ohio also considered legislation in late 2006 to require the vaccine (H.B. 703), which also failed. Since 2006, legislators in at least 41 states and D.C. have introduced legislation to require the vaccine, fund or educate the public about the HPV Vaccine and at least 20 states have enacted legislation, including Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington. The CDC announced that The New Hampshire Health Department announced in 2006 that it will provide the vaccine at no cost to girls under age 18. As of May 2007, the department reports they have distributed over 14,000 doses in the state. South Dakota's governor also announced a similar plan in January 2007 that combines $7.5 million in federal vaccine funds and $1.7 million from the state's general fund. As of May 2007, the department reports distributing over 20,000 doses of the vaccine. The Washington legislature approved spending $10 million to voluntarily vaccinate 94,000 girls in the next two years.
(This is the Perry action that Bachmann was sniping at during the GOP debate):
On February 2, 2007, Texas became the first state to enact a mandate-by executive order from the governor-that all females entering the sixth grade receive the vaccine, with some exceptions. Legislators in Texas passed H.B. 1098 to override the executive order and the governor withheld his veto.
The Virginia legislature passed a school vaccine requirement in 2007 and considered a bill that would delay that requirement but it was passed by indefinitely by the Senate Committee. In 2007, at least 24 states and D.C. introduced legislation to specifically mandate the HPV vaccine for school (California and Maryland withdrew their bills). DC's bill was enacted and requirement started 30 days after Congressional Review Period expired. See the bills marked under the school mandate column in the table below for more information.
As of October 2010, 19 state have proposed HPV related legislation or resolutions in 2009-2010. See the charts below for more information.
As of April 2011, 3 states have proposed HPV related legislation for the 2011 session. See the chart below for more information.
The HPV vaccine (aka Gardisil) is the focus of many state legislature debates and laws since 2006. It is a product of the Merck company, which you can be certain profits nicely from successfully lobbying various governments to mandate the vaccine's use.
---------
This post was inspired by this NYT article:
The HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) vaccine is effective towards the two virus variants that cause 70% of the cases of cervical cancer. Vaccines have certain risks, and studies have shown the rate of adverse reactions to be within a certain arbitrary low rate as to be acceptable (according to the .gov) to be administered to the public that still have faith in the system, such as it is. The vaccine is not 100% effective for each individual; it does not take in some people. More than 3 out of 10 who get the shot will not get the benefit that the shot promises.
Many commentators describe their own experiences with HPV or cervical cancer, very moving and not to be diminished in any way by my commentary. Others choose to vent their exasperation and disagreement with either Mrs. Bachmann, or the party to which she belongs. Still others dwell on the stupidity of resisting an effective vaccine.
My point is this: Any government that mandates a person to be vaccinated is unreasonable, coercive by definition, and tyrannical.
Freedom in the United States is not freedom from poverty or disease. Luck or providence will dictate a person's suffering or lack thereof.
Freedom in this country is supposed to be freedom from government interference in a citizen's private affairs, in particular regarding personal choices about their body and private property.
A federal or state government which forces a citizen to do anything to their body or property goes against anything that anyone over 40 was weaned on in school, and what our troops supposedly fight for: personal freedom.
Wouldn't you prefer to learn the risks, benefits, and alternatives to a medical treatment and make your own value judgement about the risk-benefit ratio, or would you prefer coercion of a sort like fines, suspension from school, jail time, a criminal record? It may be that a reasonable person opts out of an effective treatment for their own good reason.
If a compos mentis citizen with private insurance refuses this vaccine, and that refusal violates a federal or state law, then this citizen becomes a criminal for making a decision about his or her own body.
What freedom, then?
-----------------------
Read further about the States meddling in our health here:
The debate in states has centered-in part-around school vaccine requirements, which are determined by individual states. Some states grant regulatory bodies, like the Board of Health, the power to require vaccines, but the legislature must still provide funding. Some people who support availability of the vaccine do not support a school mandate, citing concerns about the drug's cost, safety, and parents' rights to refuse. Still others may have moral objections related to a vaccine mandate for a sexually transmitted disease. Financing is another concern: if states make the vaccine mandatory, they must also address funding issues, including for Medicaid and SCHIP coverage and youth who are uninsured, and whether to require coverage by insurance plans. This has caused some to push for further discussion and debate about whether or not to require the vaccine.
The CDC announced that the HPV vaccine is available through the federal Vaccines for Children (VFC) program in all 50 states, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, San Antonio and Washington DC. VFC provides vaccines for children ages nine to 18 who are covered by Medicaid, Alaskan-Native or Native American children, and some underinsured or uninsured children.
State Action
The Michigan Senate was the first to introduce legislation (S.B. 1416) in September of 2006 to require the HPV vaccine for girls entering sixth grade, but the bill was not enacted. Ohio also considered legislation in late 2006 to require the vaccine (H.B. 703), which also failed. Since 2006, legislators in at least 41 states and D.C. have introduced legislation to require the vaccine, fund or educate the public about the HPV Vaccine and at least 20 states have enacted legislation, including Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington. The CDC announced that The New Hampshire Health Department announced in 2006 that it will provide the vaccine at no cost to girls under age 18. As of May 2007, the department reports they have distributed over 14,000 doses in the state. South Dakota's governor also announced a similar plan in January 2007 that combines $7.5 million in federal vaccine funds and $1.7 million from the state's general fund. As of May 2007, the department reports distributing over 20,000 doses of the vaccine. The Washington legislature approved spending $10 million to voluntarily vaccinate 94,000 girls in the next two years.
(This is the Perry action that Bachmann was sniping at during the GOP debate):
On February 2, 2007, Texas became the first state to enact a mandate-by executive order from the governor-that all females entering the sixth grade receive the vaccine, with some exceptions. Legislators in Texas passed H.B. 1098 to override the executive order and the governor withheld his veto.
The Virginia legislature passed a school vaccine requirement in 2007 and considered a bill that would delay that requirement but it was passed by indefinitely by the Senate Committee. In 2007, at least 24 states and D.C. introduced legislation to specifically mandate the HPV vaccine for school (California and Maryland withdrew their bills). DC's bill was enacted and requirement started 30 days after Congressional Review Period expired. See the bills marked under the school mandate column in the table below for more information.
As of October 2010, 19 state have proposed HPV related legislation or resolutions in 2009-2010. See the charts below for more information.
As of April 2011, 3 states have proposed HPV related legislation for the 2011 session. See the chart below for more information.
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