Vaccine Makers helped write Frist-backed shield law

[Guest guest]

Theobald is one of the good guys!

Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield law

http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060508/NEWS02/605080356

Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield lawE-mails reveal private meetings

Sen. Bill Frist's spokeswoman said he pledged publicly to amend the bill. AP / FILEBy BILL THEOBALDTennessean Washington BureauPublished: Monday, 05/08/06

WASHINGTON — Vaccine industry officials helped shape legislation behind the scenes that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist secretly amended into a bill to shield them from lawsuits, according to e-mails obtained by a public advocacy group.

E-mails and documents written by a trade group for the vaccine-makers show the organization met privately with Frist's staff and the White House about measures that would give the industry protection from lawsuits filed by people hurt by the vaccines.

The communications were made public in a report released this week by the group Public Citizen. Its study follows a February story in The Tennessean that Frist, along with House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., ordered the vaccine liability language inserted in a defense spending bill in December without debate and in violation of usual Senate practice.

The group, called the Biotechnology Industry Organization, wanted such language in the bill, the e-mails reflect.

"At Senator Frist's staff's request, this morning, BIO (Tom and I) participated in a meeting with three other industry representatives (Sanofi and an outside counsel who works for both Pfizer and Roche, I believe), administration staff (HHS, DoJ and WH Leg Affairs), and Liz Hall to further discuss liability," BIO official Dave Boyer wrote in a November e-mail obtained by Public Citizen.

In a written statement, Frist spokeswoman Amy Call stated that the senator had promised publicly to include the vaccine liability protection in the defense spending bill. She did not address the issue of the influence of industry lobbyists.

The statement points out that the Public Citizen board includes prominent trial lawyers and liberals. "Trial lawyers oppose these provisions because it will strip them of the ability to line their pockets at the expense of the American public," Call said.

Frist and the White House reached out to the industry, according to the communications cited by Public Citizen, and Boyer, chief lobbyist for the industry group, was asked to provide an analysis of draft legislation.

The group asked that the legislation make clear that a vaccine maker could only be successfully sued if "willful misconduct" on its part were proved. The law includes that standard and says a company is protected from claims of negligence or recklessness.

The analysis, which Public Citizen quoted from, included BIO's concerns that the draft bill would have still allowed people hurt by vaccines to get jury trials.

"The lack of any restriction on jury trial is problematic," the analysis said. "Where injured parties have no other avenue for relief, juries are likely to find ways to award damages."

In another e-mail, Boyer described a meeting in which a deputy of Bush strategist Karl Rove said it was "important to the President that a bill move this year," and said "they had invited industry to discuss what they understood to be a few key remaining points" of contention.

"The intimacy of this, we think, is quite unusual," said Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen, about the relationship between the organization's lobbyists, Frist and the Bush administration. "We think it is an interesting case study of how the inside operation works in Washington."

In a January interview with The Tennessean, Frist denied the vaccine liability provisions were added improperly. Later, when others challenged his version of events, Call simply restated Frist's commitment to protecting people from a bioterror emergency.

Frist and other backers say the law is needed to boost the number of vaccine makers. Vaccine shortages during last year's flu season along with fears of a pandemic of bird flu or a bioterror attack have prompted interest in building up the country's lagging vaccine industry. The legal protections kick in only when the secretary of health and human services declares a public health emergency.

Alan Eisenberg, executive vice president for the Biotechnology Industry Organization, said the group's "staff acted with the utmost integrity and professionalism, as they do on all issues."

"BIO staff regularly comment on proposed legislation from, and meet with, Democrat and Republican lawmakers and their staffs alike all the time," Eisenberg said.Published: Monday, 05/08/06

ACTIONS SPARKED BY VACCINE LIABILITY LAW

What has happened since the vaccine liability measure passed Congress and was signed into law:• In February, Sen. Kennedy, D-Mass., and 19 other congressional Democrats sent a letter to Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., and Rep. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., asking that they repeal the vaccine law.• On Wednesday, the Senate approved a Kennedy-authored amendment to an emergency spending bill for Iraq and hurricane victims that provides $289 million for a compensation fund established in the Frist legislation for people injured by vaccines.

Talk is cheap. Use Messenger to make PC-to-Phone calls. Great rates starting at 1¢/min.

[Guest guest]

First they force your children to be poisoned.

Then they prevent you from seeking any help for your poisoned child.

Then they work to overturn laws to make sure children continue to be poisoned.

Knowing that it will cost them nothing.

Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield law

http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060508/NEWS02/605080356

Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield lawE-mails reveal private meetings

Sen. Bill Frist's spokeswoman said he pledged publicly to amend the bill. AP / FILEBy BILL THEOBALDTennessean Washington BureauPublished: Monday, 05/08/06

WASHINGTON — Vaccine industry officials helped shape legislation behind the scenes that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist secretly amended into a bill to shield them from lawsuits, according to e-mails obtained by a public advocacy group.

E-mails and documents written by a trade group for the vaccine-makers show the organization met privately with Frist's staff and the White House about measures that would give the industry protection from lawsuits filed by people hurt by the vaccines.

The communications were made public in a report released this week by the group Public Citizen. Its study follows a February story in The Tennessean that Frist, along with House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., ordered the vaccine liability language inserted in a defense spending bill in December without debate and in violation of usual Senate practice.

The group, called the Biotechnology Industry Organization, wanted such language in the bill, the e-mails reflect.

"At Senator Frist's staff's request, this morning, BIO (Tom and I) participated in a meeting with three other industry representatives (Sanofi and an outside counsel who works for both Pfizer and Roche, I believe), administration staff (HHS, DoJ and WH Leg Affairs), and Liz Hall to further discuss liability," BIO official Dave Boyer wrote in a November e-mail obtained by Public Citizen.

In a written statement, Frist spokeswoman Amy Call stated that the senator had promised publicly to include the vaccine liability protection in the defense spending bill. She did not address the issue of the influence of industry lobbyists.

The statement points out that the Public Citizen board includes prominent trial lawyers and liberals. "Trial lawyers oppose these provisions because it will strip them of the ability to line their pockets at the expense of the American public," Call said.

Frist and the White House reached out to the industry, according to the communications cited by Public Citizen, and Boyer, chief lobbyist for the industry group, was asked to provide an analysis of draft legislation.

The group asked that the legislation make clear that a vaccine maker could only be successfully sued if "willful misconduct" on its part were proved. The law includes that standard and says a company is protected from claims of negligence or recklessness.

The analysis, which Public Citizen quoted from, included BIO's concerns that the draft bill would have still allowed people hurt by vaccines to get jury trials.

"The lack of any restriction on jury trial is problematic," the analysis said. "Where injured parties have no other avenue for relief, juries are likely to find ways to award damages."

In another e-mail, Boyer described a meeting in which a deputy of Bush strategist Karl Rove said it was "important to the President that a bill move this year," and said "they had invited industry to discuss what they understood to be a few key remaining points" of contention.

"The intimacy of this, we think, is quite unusual," said Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen, about the relationship between the organization's lobbyists, Frist and the Bush administration. "We think it is an interesting case study of how the inside operation works in Washington."

In a January interview with The Tennessean, Frist denied the vaccine liability provisions were added improperly. Later, when others challenged his version of events, Call simply restated Frist's commitment to protecting people from a bioterror emergency.

Frist and other backers say the law is needed to boost the number of vaccine makers. Vaccine shortages during last year's flu season along with fears of a pandemic of bird flu or a bioterror attack have prompted interest in building up the country's lagging vaccine industry. The legal protections kick in only when the secretary of health and human services declares a public health emergency.

Alan Eisenberg, executive vice president for the Biotechnology Industry Organization, said the group's "staff acted with the utmost integrity and professionalism, as they do on all issues."

"BIO staff regularly comment on proposed legislation from, and meet with, Democrat and Republican lawmakers and their staffs alike all the time," Eisenberg said.Published: Monday, 05/08/06

ACTIONS SPARKED BY VACCINE LIABILITY LAW

What has happened since the vaccine liability measure passed Congress and was signed into law:• In February, Sen. Kennedy, D-Mass., and 19 other congressional Democrats sent a letter to Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., and Rep. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., asking that they repeal the vaccine law.• On Wednesday, the Senate approved a Kennedy-authored amendment to an emergency spending bill for Iraq and hurricane victims that provides $289 million for a compensation fund established in the Frist legislation for people injured by vaccines.

Talk is cheap. Use Messenger to make PC-to-Phone calls. Great rates starting at 1¢/min.

[Guest guest]

Except maybe an election.

Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield law

http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060508/NEWS02/605080356

Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield lawE-mails reveal private meetings

Sen. Bill Frist's spokeswoman said he pledged publicly to amend the bill. AP / FILEBy BILL THEOBALDTennessean Washington BureauPublished: Monday, 05/08/06

WASHINGTON — Vaccine industry officials helped shape legislation behind the scenes that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist secretly amended into a bill to shield them from lawsuits, according to e-mails obtained by a public advocacy group.

E-mails and documents written by a trade group for the vaccine-makers show the organization met privately with Frist's staff and the White House about measures that would give the industry protection from lawsuits filed by people hurt by the vaccines.

The communications were made public in a report released this week by the group Public Citizen. Its study follows a February story in The Tennessean that Frist, along with House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., ordered the vaccine liability language inserted in a defense spending bill in December without debate and in violation of usual Senate practice.

The group, called the Biotechnology Industry Organization, wanted such language in the bill, the e-mails reflect.

"At Senator Frist's staff's request, this morning, BIO (Tom and I) participated in a meeting with three other industry representatives (Sanofi and an outside counsel who works for both Pfizer and Roche, I believe), administration staff (HHS, DoJ and WH Leg Affairs), and Liz Hall to further discuss liability," BIO official Dave Boyer wrote in a November e-mail obtained by Public Citizen.

In a written statement, Frist spokeswoman Amy Call stated that the senator had promised publicly to include the vaccine liability protection in the defense spending bill. She did not address the issue of the influence of industry lobbyists.

The statement points out that the Public Citizen board includes prominent trial lawyers and liberals. "Trial lawyers oppose these provisions because it will strip them of the ability to line their pockets at the expense of the American public," Call said.

Frist and the White House reached out to the industry, according to the communications cited by Public Citizen, and Boyer, chief lobbyist for the industry group, was asked to provide an analysis of draft legislation.

The group asked that the legislation make clear that a vaccine maker could only be successfully sued if "willful misconduct" on its part were proved. The law includes that standard and says a company is protected from claims of negligence or recklessness.

The analysis, which Public Citizen quoted from, included BIO's concerns that the draft bill would have still allowed people hurt by vaccines to get jury trials.

"The lack of any restriction on jury trial is problematic," the analysis said. "Where injured parties have no other avenue for relief, juries are likely to find ways to award damages."

In another e-mail, Boyer described a meeting in which a deputy of Bush strategist Karl Rove said it was "important to the President that a bill move this year," and said "they had invited industry to discuss what they understood to be a few key remaining points" of contention.

"The intimacy of this, we think, is quite unusual," said Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen, about the relationship between the organization's lobbyists, Frist and the Bush administration. "We think it is an interesting case study of how the inside operation works in Washington."

In a January interview with The Tennessean, Frist denied the vaccine liability provisions were added improperly. Later, when others challenged his version of events, Call simply restated Frist's commitment to protecting people from a bioterror emergency.

Frist and other backers say the law is needed to boost the number of vaccine makers. Vaccine shortages during last year's flu season along with fears of a pandemic of bird flu or a bioterror attack have prompted interest in building up the country's lagging vaccine industry. The legal protections kick in only when the secretary of health and human services declares a public health emergency.

Alan Eisenberg, executive vice president for the Biotechnology Industry Organization, said the group's "staff acted with the utmost integrity and professionalism, as they do on all issues."

"BIO staff regularly comment on proposed legislation from, and meet with, Democrat and Republican lawmakers and their staffs alike all the time," Eisenberg said.Published: Monday, 05/08/06

ACTIONS SPARKED BY VACCINE LIABILITY LAW

What has happened since the vaccine liability measure passed Congress and was signed into law:• In February, Sen. Kennedy, D-Mass., and 19 other congressional Democrats sent a letter to Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., and Rep. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., asking that they repeal the vaccine law.• On Wednesday, the Senate approved a Kennedy-authored amendment to an emergency spending bill for Iraq and hurricane victims that provides $289 million for a compensation fund established in the Frist legislation for people injured by vaccines.

Talk is cheap. Use Messenger to make PC-to-Phone calls. Great rates starting at 1¢/min.

[Guest guest]

"The intimacy of this, we think, is quite unusual," said Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen, about the relationship between the organization's lobbyists, Frist and the Bush administration. "We think it is an interesting case study of how the inside operation works in Washington." In a January interview with The Tennessean, Frist denied the vaccine liability provisions were added improperly. Later, when others challenged his version of events, Call simply restated Frist's commitment to protecting people from a bioterror emergency. http://tinyurl.com/ze5ba

`( Litigation Management-

`(1) LIMITATION ON CAUSE OF ACTION-

`(i) IN GENERAL- No cause of action shall exist against a person described in subsection (a) for claims for loss of property, personal injury, or death arising out of, reasonably relating to, or resulting from the design, development, clinical testing and investigation, manufacture, labeling, distribution, sale, purchase, donation, dispensing, prescribing, administration, or use of a security countermeasure or qualified pandemic or epidemic product distributed, sold, purchased, donated, dispensed, prescribed, administered, or used in anticipation of and preparation for, in defense against, or in response to, or recovery from an actual or potential public health emergency that is a designated security countermeasure or a qualified pandemic or epidemic product by the Secretary in a declaration described in paragraph (2).

http://tinyurl.com/an4d7 Vaccine Funding Tied to Liability November 17, 2005

[...]

The drug companies, some of which have been working closely with Gregg on the legislation, agreed. "Full liability protection is a requirement for our participation in the development and production of a pandemic vaccine," said Len Lavenda, spokesman for Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccine-making unit of Sanofi-Aventis Group.

http://tinyurl.com/oexm6 September 16, 2005 Federal Government Awards Sanofi Pasteur $100M Avian Flu Vaccine Contract. The contract calls for the company to manufacture the vaccine at a Pennsylvania facility for the 2008-2009 flu season.

http://tinyurl.com/jbbju February 6, 2006 SANOFI PASTEUR DELIVERS MORE H5N1 VACCINE FOR U.S. GOVERNMENT PANDEMIC INITIATIVES ~ New investigational doses include formulation with an adjuvant... Sanofi pasteur has shipped to the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), part of the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), 15,000 investigational doses of a vaccine to protect against the H5N1 influenza strain. Prepared with different levels of antigen, the investigational doses will be used in the NIH’s clinical studies to determine the optimal formulation of the vaccine. The investigational doses include the use of the adjuvant, aluminum hydroxide (alum), that could increase the vaccine’s effectiveness and enable the use of less antigen in each dose. The end result could be a greater number of doses available to immunize more people...The additional bulk concentrate vaccine just produced is valued at $50 million and will support U.S. Department of Defense requirements.

(i.e. bulk concentrate vaccine would require a preservative http://tinyurl.com/jrqaq... Eli Lilly and Thimerosal...But the pharmaceutical giant has powerful friends in the White House and in Congress. The elder Bush sat on Lilly’s board of directors in the 1970s, and White House Budget Director Mitch s was a Lilly executive. Lilly CEO Sidney Taurel was named by President W. Bush to the Homeland Security Advisory Council.)

http://tinyurl.com/flkjf sanofi pasteur in USA: AmeriCares In the US, sanofi pasteur receives requests for emergency vaccines from Americares, a nonprofit disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization, which provides immediate response to emergency medical needs -- and supports long-term healthcare programs -- for all people around the world. We supply the requested donation upon availability of the requested vaccine and work with Americares to deliver them to healthcare and welfare professionals in 137 countries around the world.

http://tinyurl.com/jmooy June 12, 2000 AmeriCares Receives Significant Medical Donation from Aventis Pasteur... Aventis Pasteur, a world leader in vaccines with the broadest range of products, produces more than one billion doses of vaccines every year to immunize 400 million people around the world. For the past eight years Aventis's charitable donations have helped AmeriCares relief efforts around the world. This alliance has enabled AmeriCares to deliver over 50,000 pounds of life-saving vaccines valued over $40,000,000.

http://tinyurl.com/h5njz January 15, 2003 AmeriCares Distributes Free Flu Vaccine to indigent populations. The vaccine was donated by Aventis Pasteur, which is located in Swiftwater, PA.

http://tinyurl.com/osbro http://tinyurl.com/qaxq4 AmeriCares: Nonprofit disaster relief charity, founded in 1982.

From 1982-95, J. Grace was Chairman of the Advisory Committee of AmeriCares http://tinyurl.com/mh2er http://tinyurl.com/gh3tp

http://tinyurl.com/8xymv Zbigniew Brzezinski, Honorary Chair

http://tinyurl.com/fh9ls Barbara Bush, Ambassador-At-Large http://tinyurl.com/fc5dd

http://tinyurl.com/kvx9u Prescott S. Bush, Jr. (brother to Pres. Herbert Bush), Advisory Committee

MailScanner has detected a possible fraud attempt from "en.wikipedia.org" claiming to be http://tinyurl.com/hd9pq E. Simon, Treasury Secretary under M. Nixon, Advisory Committee

http://tinyurl.com/5ul3y Gen. Colin L. (ret.), Advisory Committee

http://tinyurl.com/h6x2y Sol M. Linowitz, Advisory Committee

http://tinyurl.com/97c56 February 9, 2006 Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and House Speaker Dennis Hastert engineered a backroom legislative maneuver to protect pharmaceutical companies from lawsuits.

http://tinyurl.com/pcsva December, 2005 The Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREPA), passed by the United States Congress and signed into law by President of the United States W. Bush in December, 2005, is a a controversial tort liability shield intended to protect vaccine manufacturers from financial risk in the event of a declared public health emergency. The act specifically affords to drug makers immunity from potential financial liability for clinical trials of avian flu vaccine at the discretion of the Executive branch of gevernment.

[...]

Senator Kennedy issued a statement demanding repeal of the PREPA legislation, while condemning the liability provisions as a giveaway to the drug industry. Kennedy said the bill makes it "essentially impossible" for injured parties to sue for damages, and that the measure allows common diseases to be used as a reason to activate the liability shield. Kennedy also notes that one of the drug companies that lobbied for PREPA is Sanofi Pasteur, which is under Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigation for being connected to at least five cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome caused by its meningococcal vaccine.

http://tinyurl.com/9g4e3 October 6, 2005 A call by President W. Bush for Congress to give him the power to use the military in law enforcement roles in the event of a bird flu pandemic has been criticized as akin to introducing martial law. Such a deadly event would raise difficult questions, such as how a quarantine might be enforced, the president said.

http://tinyurl.com/98ktc October 4, 2005 Martial Law and the Avian Flu Pandemic. What Bush's statements suggest is that Congress should enact legislation which will, in practice suspend Constituional government and allow the Military to intervene in civilian affairs in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act. The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 bans the military from participating in police-type activity on U.S. soil. http://tinyurl.com/b3r7s

-----Original Message-----From: EOHarm [mailto:EOHarm ]On Behalf Of gammicca@...Sent: Monday, May 08, 2006 1:09 PMJZS_autism_friends ; autism-michigan ; EOHarm Cc: everydaymiraclesautism ; autism-awareness-action Subject: Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield law

Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield lawE-mails reveal private meetingsBy BILL THEOBALDTennessean Washington BureauPublished: Monday, 05/08/06

[Guest guest]

In light of what you present, who'd a thunk?

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-05-08-bush-approval_x.htm

RE: Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield law

"The intimacy of this, we think, is quite unusual," said Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen, about the relationship between the organization's lobbyists, Frist and the Bush administration. "We think it is an interesting case study of how the inside operation works in Washington." In a January interview with The Tennessean, Frist denied the vaccine liability provisions were added improperly. Later, when others challenged his version of events, Call simply restated Frist's commitment to protecting people from a bioterror emergency. http://tinyurl.com/ze5ba

`( Litigation Management-

`(1) LIMITATION ON CAUSE OF ACTION-

`(i) IN GENERAL- No cause of action shall exist against a person described in subsection (a) for claims for loss of property, personal injury, or death arising out of, reasonably relating to, or resulting from the design, development, clinical testing and investigation, manufacture, labeling, distribution, sale, purchase, donation, dispensing, prescribing, administration, or use of a security countermeasure or qualified pandemic or epidemic product distributed, sold, purchased, donated, dispensed, prescribed, administered, or used in anticipation of and preparation for, in defense against, or in response to, or recovery from an actual or potential public health emergency that is a designated security countermeasure or a qualified pandemic or epidemic product by the Secretary in a declaration described in paragraph (2).

http://tinyurl.com/an4d7 Vaccine Funding Tied to Liability November 17, 2005

[...]

The drug companies, some of which have been working closely with Gregg on the legislation, agreed. "Full liability protection is a requirement for our participation in the development and production of a pandemic vaccine," said Len Lavenda, spokesman for Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccine-making unit of Sanofi-Aventis Group.

http://tinyurl.com/oexm6 September 16, 2005 Federal Government Awards Sanofi Pasteur $100M Avian Flu Vaccine Contract. The contract calls for the company to manufacture the vaccine at a Pennsylvania facility for the 2008-2009 flu season.

http://tinyurl.com/jbbju February 6, 2006 SANOFI PASTEUR DELIVERS MORE H5N1 VACCINE FOR U.S. GOVERNMENT PANDEMIC INITIATIVES ~ New investigational doses include formulation with an adjuvant... Sanofi pasteur has shipped to the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), part of the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), 15,000 investigational doses of a vaccine to protect against the H5N1 influenza strain. Prepared with different levels of antigen, the investigational doses will be used in the NIH’s clinical studies to determine the optimal formulation of the vaccine. The investigational doses include the use of the adjuvant, aluminum hydroxide (alum), that could increase the vaccine’s effectiveness and enable the use of less antigen in each dose. The end result could be a greater number of doses available to immunize more people...The additional bulk concentrate vaccine just produced is valued at $50 million and will support U.S. Department of Defense requirements.

(i.e. bulk concentrate vaccine would require a preservative http://tinyurl.com/jrqaq... Eli Lilly and Thimerosal...But the pharmaceutical giant has powerful friends in the White House and in Congress. The elder Bush sat on Lilly’s board of directors in the 1970s, and White House Budget Director Mitch s was a Lilly executive. Lilly CEO Sidney Taurel was named by President W. Bush to the Homeland Security Advisory Council.)

http://tinyurl.com/flkjf sanofi pasteur in USA: AmeriCares In the US, sanofi pasteur receives requests for emergency vaccines from Americares, a nonprofit disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization, which provides immediate response to emergency medical needs -- and supports long-term healthcare programs -- for all people around the world. We supply the requested donation upon availability of the requested vaccine and work with Americares to deliver them to healthcare and welfare professionals in 137 countries around the world.

http://tinyurl.com/jmooy June 12, 2000 AmeriCares Receives Significant Medical Donation from Aventis Pasteur... Aventis Pasteur, a world leader in vaccines with the broadest range of products, produces more than one billion doses of vaccines every year to immunize 400 million people around the world. For the past eight years Aventis's charitable donations have helped AmeriCares relief efforts around the world. This alliance has enabled AmeriCares to deliver over 50,000 pounds of life-saving vaccines valued over $40,000,000.

http://tinyurl.com/h5njz January 15, 2003 AmeriCares Distributes Free Flu Vaccine to indigent populations. The vaccine was donated by Aventis Pasteur, which is located in Swiftwater, PA.

http://tinyurl.com/osbro http://tinyurl.com/qaxq4 AmeriCares: Nonprofit disaster relief charity, founded in 1982.

From 1982-95, J. Grace was Chairman of the Advisory Committee of AmeriCares http://tinyurl.com/mh2er http://tinyurl.com/gh3tp

http://tinyurl.com/8xymv Zbigniew Brzezinski, Honorary Chair

http://tinyurl.com/fh9ls Barbara Bush, Ambassador-At-Large http://tinyurl.com/fc5dd

http://tinyurl.com/kvx9u Prescott S. Bush, Jr. (brother to Pres. Herbert Bush), Advisory Committee

MailScanner has detected a possible fraud attempt from "en.wikipedia.org" claiming to be http://tinyurl.com/hd9pq E. Simon, Treasury Secretary under M. Nixon, Advisory Committee

http://tinyurl.com/5ul3y Gen. Colin L. (ret.), Advisory Committee

http://tinyurl.com/h6x2y Sol M. Linowitz, Advisory Committee

http://tinyurl.com/97c56 February 9, 2006 Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and House Speaker Dennis Hastert engineered a backroom legislative maneuver to protect pharmaceutical companies from lawsuits.

http://tinyurl.com/pcsva December, 2005 The Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREPA), passed by the United States Congress and signed into law by President of the United States W. Bush in December, 2005, is a a controversial tort liability shield intended to protect vaccine manufacturers from financial risk in the event of a declared public health emergency. The act specifically affords to drug makers immunity from potential financial liability for clinical trials of avian flu vaccine at the discretion of the Executive branch of gevernment.

[...]

Senator Kennedy issued a statement demanding repeal of the PREPA legislation, while condemning the liability provisions as a giveaway to the drug industry. Kennedy said the bill makes it "essentially impossible" for injured parties to sue for damages, and that the measure allows common diseases to be used as a reason to activate the liability shield. Kennedy also notes that one of the drug companies that lobbied for PREPA is Sanofi Pasteur, which is under Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigation for being connected to at least five cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome caused by its meningococcal vaccine.

http://tinyurl.com/9g4e3 October 6, 2005 A call by President W. Bush for Congress to give him the power to use the military in law enforcement roles in the event of a bird flu pandemic has been criticized as akin to introducing martial law. Such a deadly event would raise difficult questions, such as how a quarantine might be enforced, the president said.

http://tinyurl.com/98ktc October 4, 2005 Martial Law and the Avian Flu Pandemic. What Bush's statements suggest is that Congress should enact legislation which will, in practice suspend Constituional government and allow the Military to intervene in civilian affairs in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act. The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 bans the military from participating in police-type activity on U.S. soil. http://tinyurl.com/b3r7s

-----Original Message-----From: EOHarm [mailto:EOHarm ]On Behalf Of gammicca@...Sent: Monday, May 08, 2006 1:09 PMJZS_autism_friends ; autism-michigan ; EOHarm Cc: everydaymiraclesautism ; autism-awareness-action Subject: Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield law

Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield lawE-mails reveal private meetingsBy BILL THEOBALDTennessean Washington BureauPublished: Monday, 05/08/06

[Guest guest]

The approval rating is that high? Huh?

http://tinyurl.com/n2f4m PRESIDENTIAL MISCONDUCT http://tinyurl.com/j9vhe

-----Original Message-----From: EOHarm [mailto:EOHarm ]On Behalf Of H Sent: Monday, May 08, 2006 4:04 PMEOHarm Subject: Re: Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield law

In light of what you present, who'd a thunk?

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-05-08-bush-approval_x.htm

[Guest guest]

At single digits the call is for oxygen.

The continued use of the "fear" card in all things hysterical will certainly not get you very far.

RE: Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield law

The approval rating is that high? Huh?

http://tinyurl.com/n2f4m PRESIDENTIAL MISCONDUCT http://tinyurl.com/j9vhe

-----Original Message-----From: EOHarm [mailto:EOHarm ]On Behalf Of H Sent: Monday, May 08, 2006 4:04 PMEOHarm Subject: Re: Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield law

In light of what you present, who'd a thunk?

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-05-08-bush-approval_x.htm

[Guest guest]

In the list below I think you have the wrong Barbara Bush linked. You have the twin and not the white-headed lady.

RE: Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield law

"The intimacy of this, we think, is quite unusual," said Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen, about the relationship between the organization's lobbyists, Frist and the Bush administration. "We think it is an interesting case study of how the inside operation works in Washington." In a January interview with The Tennessean, Frist denied the vaccine liability provisions were added improperly. Later, when others challenged his version of events, Call simply restated Frist's commitment to protecting people from a bioterror emergency. http://tinyurl.com/ze5ba

`( Litigation Management-

`(1) LIMITATION ON CAUSE OF ACTION-

`(i) IN GENERAL- No cause of action shall exist against a person described in subsection (a) for claims for loss of property, personal injury, or death arising out of, reasonably relating to, or resulting from the design, development, clinical testing and investigation, manufacture, labeling, distribution, sale, purchase, donation, dispensing, prescribing, administration, or use of a security countermeasure or qualified pandemic or epidemic product distributed, sold, purchased, donated, dispensed, prescribed, administered, or used in anticipation of and preparation for, in defense against, or in response to, or recovery from an actual or potential public health emergency that is a designated security countermeasure or a qualified pandemic or epidemic product by the Secretary in a declaration described in paragraph (2).

http://tinyurl.com/an4d7 Vaccine Funding Tied to Liability November 17, 2005

[...]

The drug companies, some of which have been working closely with Gregg on the legislation, agreed. "Full liability protection is a requirement for our participation in the development and production of a pandemic vaccine," said Len Lavenda, spokesman for Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccine-making unit of Sanofi-Aventis Group.

http://tinyurl.com/oexm6 September 16, 2005 Federal Government Awards Sanofi Pasteur $100M Avian Flu Vaccine Contract. The contract calls for the company to manufacture the vaccine at a Pennsylvania facility for the 2008-2009 flu season.

http://tinyurl.com/jbbju February 6, 2006 SANOFI PASTEUR DELIVERS MORE H5N1 VACCINE FOR U.S. GOVERNMENT PANDEMIC INITIATIVES ~ New investigational doses include formulation with an adjuvant... Sanofi pasteur has shipped to the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), part of the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), 15,000 investigational doses of a vaccine to protect against the H5N1 influenza strain. Prepared with different levels of antigen, the investigational doses will be used in the NIH’s clinical studies to determine the optimal formulation of the vaccine. The investigational doses include the use of the adjuvant, aluminum hydroxide (alum), that could increase the vaccine’s effectiveness and enable the use of less antigen in each dose. The end result could be a greater number of doses available to immunize more people...The additional bulk concentrate vaccine just produced is valued at $50 million and will support U.S. Department of Defense requirements.

(i.e. bulk concentrate vaccine would require a preservative http://tinyurl.com/jrqaq... Eli Lilly and Thimerosal...But the pharmaceutical giant has powerful friends in the White House and in Congress. The elder Bush sat on Lilly’s board of directors in the 1970s, and White House Budget Director Mitch s was a Lilly executive. Lilly CEO Sidney Taurel was named by President W. Bush to the Homeland Security Advisory Council.)

http://tinyurl.com/flkjf sanofi pasteur in USA: AmeriCares In the US, sanofi pasteur receives requests for emergency vaccines from Americares, a nonprofit disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization, which provides immediate response to emergency medical needs -- and supports long-term healthcare programs -- for all people around the world. We supply the requested donation upon availability of the requested vaccine and work with Americares to deliver them to healthcare and welfare professionals in 137 countries around the world.

http://tinyurl.com/jmooy June 12, 2000 AmeriCares Receives Significant Medical Donation from Aventis Pasteur... Aventis Pasteur, a world leader in vaccines with the broadest range of products, produces more than one billion doses of vaccines every year to immunize 400 million people around the world. For the past eight years Aventis's charitable donations have helped AmeriCares relief efforts around the world. This alliance has enabled AmeriCares to deliver over 50,000 pounds of life-saving vaccines valued over $40,000,000.

http://tinyurl.com/h5njz January 15, 2003 AmeriCares Distributes Free Flu Vaccine to indigent populations. The vaccine was donated by Aventis Pasteur, which is located in Swiftwater, PA.

http://tinyurl.com/osbro http://tinyurl.com/qaxq4 AmeriCares: Nonprofit disaster relief charity, founded in 1982.

From 1982-95, J. Grace was Chairman of the Advisory Committee of AmeriCares http://tinyurl.com/mh2er http://tinyurl.com/gh3tp

http://tinyurl.com/8xymv Zbigniew Brzezinski, Honorary Chair

http://tinyurl.com/fh9ls Barbara Bush, Ambassador-At-Large http://tinyurl.com/fc5dd

http://tinyurl.com/kvx9u Prescott S. Bush, Jr. (brother to Pres. Herbert Bush), Advisory Committee

MailScanner has detected a possible fraud attempt from "en.wikipedia.org" claiming to be http://tinyurl.com/hd9pq E. Simon, Treasury Secretary under M. Nixon, Advisory Committee

http://tinyurl.com/5ul3y Gen. Colin L. (ret.), Advisory Committee

http://tinyurl.com/h6x2y Sol M. Linowitz, Advisory Committee

http://tinyurl.com/97c56 February 9, 2006 Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and House Speaker Dennis Hastert engineered a backroom legislative maneuver to protect pharmaceutical companies from lawsuits.

http://tinyurl.com/pcsva December, 2005 The Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREPA), passed by the United States Congress and signed into law by President of the United States W. Bush in December, 2005, is a a controversial tort liability shield intended to protect vaccine manufacturers from financial risk in the event of a declared public health emergency. The act specifically affords to drug makers immunity from potential financial liability for clinical trials of avian flu vaccine at the discretion of the Executive branch of gevernment.

[...]

Senator Kennedy issued a statement demanding repeal of the PREPA legislation, while condemning the liability provisions as a giveaway to the drug industry. Kennedy said the bill makes it "essentially impossible" for injured parties to sue for damages, and that the measure allows common diseases to be used as a reason to activate the liability shield. Kennedy also notes that one of the drug companies that lobbied for PREPA is Sanofi Pasteur, which is under Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigation for being connected to at least five cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome caused by its meningococcal vaccine.

http://tinyurl.com/9g4e3 October 6, 2005 A call by President W. Bush for Congress to give him the power to use the military in law enforcement roles in the event of a bird flu pandemic has been criticized as akin to introducing martial law. Such a deadly event would raise difficult questions, such as how a quarantine might be enforced, the president said.

http://tinyurl.com/98ktc October 4, 2005 Martial Law and the Avian Flu Pandemic. What Bush's statements suggest is that Congress should enact legislation which will, in practice suspend Constituional government and allow the Military to intervene in civilian affairs in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act. The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 bans the military from participating in police-type activity on U.S. soil. http://tinyurl.com/b3r7s

-----Original Message-----From: EOHarm [mailto:EOHarm ]On Behalf Of gammicca@...Sent: Monday, May 08, 2006 1:09 PMJZS_autism_friends ; autism-michigan ; EOHarm Cc: everydaymiraclesautism ; autism-awareness-action Subject: Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield law

Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield lawE-mails reveal private meetingsBy BILL THEOBALDTennessean Washington BureauPublished: Monday, 05/08/06

[Guest guest]

Now that is different. Nice window tint. I wonder too if the folks

with this on their car get more honks for or against. Be fun to see.

CG :-)

>

> The approval rating is that high? Huh?

>

> http://tinyurl.com/n2f4m PRESIDENTIAL MISCONDUCT

> http://tinyurl.com/j9vhe

>

>

> Re: Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed

shield law

>

>

> In light of what you present, who'd a thunk?

>

> http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-05-08-bush-

approval_x.htm

>

[Guest guest]

He's very big with Big Oil and Big Pharma.

RE: Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield law

The approval rating is that high? Huh?

http://tinyurl.com/n2f4m PRESIDENTIAL MISCONDUCT http://tinyurl.com/j9vhe

-----Original Message-----From: EOHarm [mailto:EOHarm ]On Behalf Of H Sent: Monday, May 08, 2006 4:04 PMEOHarm Subject: Re: Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield law

In light of what you present, who'd a thunk?

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-05-08-bush-approval_x.htm

[Guest guest]

Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield law

E-Mails reveal private meetings

Monday, 05/08/06

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20060508 & Cat...

By Bill Theobald

Tennessean Washington Bureau

Published: Monday, 05/08/2006

WASHINGTON Vaccine industry officials helped shape legislation behind

the scenes that Senate Majority

Leader Bill Frist secretly amended into a bill to shield them from

lawsuits, according to e-mails obtained by a

public advocacy group.

E-mails and documents written by a trade group for the vaccine-makers

show the organization met privately

with Frist's staff and the White House about measures that would give

the industry protection from lawsuits

filed by people hurt by the vaccines.

The communications were made public in a report released this week by

the group Public Citizen. Its study follows a February story in The

Tennessean that Frist, along with House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill.,

ordered the vaccine liability language inserted in a defense spending

bill in December without debate and in violation of usual Senate

practice.

The group, called the Biotechnology Industry Organization, wanted such

language in the bill, the e-mails reflect.

" At Senator Frist's staff's request, this morning, BIO (Tom and I)

participated in a meeting with three other industry representatives

(Sanofi and an outside counsel who works for both Pfizer and Roche, I

believe), administration staff (HHS, DoJ and WH Leg Affairs), and Liz

Hall to further discuss liability, " BIO official Dave Boyer wrote in a

November e-mail obtained by Public Citizen.

In a written statement, Frist spokeswoman Amy Call stated that the

senator had promised publicly to include the vaccine liability

protection in the defense spending bill. She did not address the issue

of the influence of industry lobbyists.

The statement points out that the Public Citizen board includes

prominent trial lawyers and liberals. " Trial lawyers oppose these

provisions because it will strip them of the ability to line their

pockets at the expense of the American public, " Call said.

Frist and the White House reached out to the industry, according to the

communications cited by Public Citizen, and Boyer, chief lobbyist for

the industry group, was asked to provide an analysis of draft

legislation.

The group asked that the legislation make clear that a vaccine maker

could only be successfully sued if " willful misconduct " on its part

were proved. The law includes that standard and says a company is

protected from claims of negligence or recklessness.

The analysis, which Public Citizen quoted from, included BIO's concerns

that the draft bill would

have still allowed people hurt by vaccines to get jury trials.

" The lack of any restriction on jury trial is problematic, " the

analysis said. " Where injured parties

have no other avenue for relief, juries are likely to find ways to

award damages. "

In another e-mail, Boyer described a meeting in which a deputy of Bush

strategist Karl Rove said it was " important to the President that a

bill move this year, " and said " they had invited industry to discuss

what they understood to be a few key remaining points " of contention.

" The intimacy of this, we think, is quite unusual, " said Joan

Claybrook, president of Public Citizen, about the relationship between

the organization's lobbyists, Frist and the Bush administration. " We

think it is an interesting case study of how the inside operation works

in Washington. "

In a January interview with The Tennessean, Frist denied the vaccine

liability provisions were added improperly. Later, when others

challenged his version of events, Call simply restated Frist's

commitment to protecting people from a bioterror emergency.

Frist and other backers say the law is needed to boost the number of

vaccine makers. Vaccine shortages during last year's flu season along

with fears of a pandemic of bird flu or a bioterror attack have

prompted interest in building up the country's lagging vaccine

industry. The legal protections kick in only when the secretary of

health and human services declares a public health emergency.

Alan Eisenberg, executive vice president for the Biotechnology Industry

Organization, said the group's " staff acted with the utmost integrity

and professionalism, as they do on all issues. " " BIO staff regularly

comment on proposed legislation from, and meet with, Democrat and

Republican lawmakers and their staffs alike all the time, " Eisenberg

said.

ACTIONS SPARKED BY VACCINE LIABILITY LAW

What has happened since the vaccine liability measure passed Congress

and was signed into law:

In February, Sen. Kennedy, D-Mass., and 19 other congressional

Democrats sent a letter to Sen. Bill Frist,

R-Tenn., and Rep. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., asking that they repeal the

vaccine law.

On Wednesday, the Senate approved a Kennedy-authored amendment to an

emergency spending bill for Iraq and hurricane victims that provides

$289 million for a compensation fund established in the Frist

legislation for people

injured by vaccines.

This is a printer friendly version of an article from the The

Tennessean.

--------------------------------------------------------

Sheri Nakken, R.N., MA, Hahnemannian Homeopath

Vaccination Information & Choice Network, Nevada City CA & Wales UK

$$ Donations to help in the work - accepted by Paypal account

earthmysteriestours@... voicemail US 530-740-0561

(go to http://www.paypal.com) or by mail

Vaccines - http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/vaccine.htm

Vaccine Dangers On-Line course - http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/vaccineclass.htm

Reality of the Diseases & Treatment -

http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/vaccineclass.htm

Homeopathy On-Line course - http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/homeo.htm

[Guest guest]

Last night on Oberman's Countdown (MSNBC, rerun after Imus this morning), Senator

Frist made 's 'Worse person in the world' segment based on this story.

If you are not familiar with Countdown, I recommend it.

Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield lawE-mails reveal private meetingsBy BILL THEOBALDTennessean Washington BureauPublished: Monday, 05/08/06

WASHINGTON — Vaccine industry officials helped shape legislation behind the scenes that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist secretly amended into a bill to shield them from lawsuits, according to e-mails obtained by a public advocacy group.

E-mails and documents written by a trade group for the vaccine-makers show the organization met privately with Frist's staff and the White House about measures that would give the industry protection from lawsuits filed by people hurt by the vaccines.

The communications were made public in a report released this week by the group Public Citizen. Its study follows a February story in The Tennessean that Frist, along with House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., ordered the vaccine liability language inserted in a defense spending bill in December without debate and in violation of usual Senate practice.

The group, called the Biotechnology Industry Organization, wanted such language in the bill, the e-mails reflect.

"At Senator Frist's staff's request, this morning, BIO (Tom and I) participated in a meeting with three other industry representatives (Sanofi and an outside counsel who works for both Pfizer and Roche, I believe), administration staff (HHS, DoJ and WH Leg Affairs), and Liz Hall to further discuss liability," BIO official Dave Boyer wrote in a November e-mail obtained by Public Citizen.

In a written statement, Frist spokeswoman Amy Call stated that the senator had promised publicly to include the vaccine liability protection in the defense spending bill. She did not address the issue of the influence of industry lobbyists.

The statement points out that the Public Citizen board includes prominent trial lawyers and liberals. "Trial lawyers oppose these provisions because it will strip them of the ability to line their pockets at the expense of the American public," Call said.

Frist and the White House reached out to the industry, according to the communications cited by Public Citizen, and Boyer, chief lobbyist for the industry group, was asked to provide an analysis of draft legislation.

The group asked that the legislation make clear that a vaccine maker could only be successfully sued if "willful misconduct" on its part were proved. The law includes that standard and says a company is protected from claims of negligence or recklessness.

The analysis, which Public Citizen quoted from, included BIO's concerns that the draft bill would have still allowed people hurt by vaccines to get jury trials.

"The lack of any restriction on jury trial is problematic," the analysis said. "Where injured parties have no other avenue for relief, juries are likely to find ways to award damages."

In another e-mail, Boyer described a meeting in which a deputy of Bush strategist Karl Rove said it was "important to the President that a bill move this year," and said "they had invited industry to discuss what they understood to be a few key remaining points" of contention.

"The intimacy of this, we think, is quite unusual," said Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen, about the relationship between the organization's lobbyists, Frist and the Bush administration. "We think it is an interesting case study of how the inside operation works in Washington."

In a January interview with The Tennessean, Frist denied the vaccine liability provisions were added improperly. Later, when others challenged his version of events, Call simply restated Frist's commitment to protecting people from a bioterror emergency.

Frist and other backers say the law is needed to boost the number of vaccine makers. Vaccine shortages during last year's flu season along with fears of a pandemic of bird flu or a bioterror attack have prompted interest in building up the country's lagging vaccine industry. The legal protections kick in only when the secretary of health and human services declares a public health emergency.

Alan Eisenberg, executive vice president for the Biotechnology Industry Organization, said the group's "staff acted with the utmost integrity and professionalism, as they do on all issues."

"BIO staff regularly comment on proposed legislation from, and meet with, Democrat and Republican lawmakers and their staffs alike all the time," Eisenberg said.Published: Monday, 05/08/06

[Guest guest]

Hey Bobbie,

We're huge fans of Olberman's "Countdown" program in this house, and last night's "Worst person in the world" segment was SUPREME, wasn't it?!?!?!?

My husband and I kept replaying the Frist part over and over - LOL!! LOL!! LOL!! It was so good, we couldn't help ourselves from watching it numerous times and relishing the moment - LOL!!

Best Regards,

Re: Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield law

Last night on Oberman's Countdown (MSNBC, rerun after Imus this morning), Senator

Frist made 's 'Worse person in the world' segment based on this story.

If you are not familiar with Countdown, I recommend it.

Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield lawE-mails reveal private meetingsBy BILL THEOBALDTennessean Washington BureauPublished: Monday, 05/08/06

WASHINGTON — Vaccine industry officials helped shape legislation behind the scenes that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist secretly amended into a bill to shield them from lawsuits, according to e-mails obtained by a public advocacy group.

E-mails and documents written by a trade group for the vaccine-makers show the organization met privately with Frist's staff and the White House about measures that would give the industry protection from lawsuits filed by people hurt by the vaccines.

The communications were made public in a report released this week by the group Public Citizen. Its study follows a February story in The Tennessean that Frist, along with House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., ordered the vaccine liability language inserted in a defense spending bill in December without debate and in violation of usual Senate practice.

The group, called the Biotechnology Industry Organization, wanted such language in the bill, the e-mails reflect.

"At Senator Frist's staff's request, this morning, BIO (Tom and I) participated in a meeting with three other industry representatives (Sanofi and an outside counsel who works for both Pfizer and Roche, I believe), administration staff (HHS, DoJ and WH Leg Affairs), and Liz Hall to further discuss liability," BIO official Dave Boyer wrote in a November e-mail obtained by Public Citizen.

In a written statement, Frist spokeswoman Amy Call stated that the senator had promised publicly to include the vaccine liability protection in the defense spending bill. She did not address the issue of the influence of industry lobbyists.

The statement points out that the Public Citizen board includes prominent trial lawyers and liberals. "Trial lawyers oppose these provisions because it will strip them of the ability to line their pockets at the expense of the American public," Call said.

Frist and the White House reached out to the industry, according to the communications cited by Public Citizen, and Boyer, chief lobbyist for the industry group, was asked to provide an analysis of draft legislation.

The group asked that the legislation make clear that a vaccine maker could only be successfully sued if "willful misconduct" on its part were proved. The law includes that standard and says a company is protected from claims of negligence or recklessness.

The analysis, which Public Citizen quoted from, included BIO's concerns that the draft bill would have still allowed people hurt by vaccines to get jury trials.

"The lack of any restriction on jury trial is problematic," the analysis said. "Where injured parties have no other avenue for relief, juries are likely to find ways to award damages."

In another e-mail, Boyer described a meeting in which a deputy of Bush strategist Karl Rove said it was "important to the President that a bill move this year," and said "they had invited industry to discuss what they understood to be a few key remaining points" of contention.

"The intimacy of this, we think, is quite unusual," said Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen, about the relationship between the organization's lobbyists, Frist and the Bush administration. "We think it is an interesting case study of how the inside operation works in Washington."

In a January interview with The Tennessean, Frist denied the vaccine liability provisions were added improperly. Later, when others challenged his version of events, Call simply restated Frist's commitment to protecting people from a bioterror emergency.

Frist and other backers say the law is needed to boost the number of vaccine makers. Vaccine shortages during last year's flu season along with fears of a pandemic of bird flu or a bioterror attack have prompted interest in building up the country's lagging vaccine industry. The legal protections kick in only when the secretary of health and human services declares a public health emergency.

Alan Eisenberg, executive vice president for the Biotechnology Industry Organization, said the group's "staff acted with the utmost integrity and professionalism, as they do on all issues."

"BIO staff regularly comment on proposed legislation from, and meet with, Democrat and Republican lawmakers and their staffs alike all the time," Eisenberg said.Published: Monday, 05/08/06

[Guest guest]

,

It should be on again this morning right after Imus. Apparently

Countdown did so well they decided to repeat it in the AM.

Bobbie

Re: Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield law

Last night on Oberman's Countdown (MSNBC, rerun after Imus this morning), Senator

Frist made 's 'Worse person in the world' segment based on this story.

If you are not familiar with Countdown, I recommend it.

Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield lawE-mails reveal private meetingsBy BILL THEOBALDTennessean Washington BureauPublished: Monday, 05/08/06

WASHINGTON — Vaccine industry officials helped shape legislation behind the scenes that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist secretly amended into a bill to shield them from lawsuits, according to e-mails obtained by a public advocacy group.

E-mails and documents written by a trade group for the vaccine-makers show the organization met privately with Frist's staff and the White House about measures that would give the industry protection from lawsuits filed by people hurt by the vaccines.

The communications were made public in a report released this week by the group Public Citizen. Its study follows a February story in The Tennessean that Frist, along with House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., ordered the vaccine liability language inserted in a defense spending bill in December without debate and in violation of usual Senate practice.

The group, called the Biotechnology Industry Organization, wanted such language in the bill, the e-mails reflect.

"At Senator Frist's staff's request, this morning, BIO (Tom and I) participated in a meeting with three other industry representatives (Sanofi and an outside counsel who works for both Pfizer and Roche, I believe), administration staff (HHS, DoJ and WH Leg Affairs), and Liz Hall to further discuss liability," BIO official Dave Boyer wrote in a November e-mail obtained by Public Citizen.

In a written statement, Frist spokeswoman Amy Call stated that the senator had promised publicly to include the vaccine liability protection in the defense spending bill. She did not address the issue of the influence of industry lobbyists.

The statement points out that the Public Citizen board includes prominent trial lawyers and liberals. "Trial lawyers oppose these provisions because it will strip them of the ability to line their pockets at the expense of the American public," Call said.

Frist and the White House reached out to the industry, according to the communications cited by Public Citizen, and Boyer, chief lobbyist for the industry group, was asked to provide an analysis of draft legislation.

The group asked that the legislation make clear that a vaccine maker could only be successfully sued if "willful misconduct" on its part were proved. The law includes that standard and says a company is protected from claims of negligence or recklessness.

The analysis, which Public Citizen quoted from, included BIO's concerns that the draft bill would have still allowed people hurt by vaccines to get jury trials.

"The lack of any restriction on jury trial is problematic," the analysis said. "Where injured parties have no other avenue for relief, juries are likely to find ways to award damages."

In another e-mail, Boyer described a meeting in which a deputy of Bush strategist Karl Rove said it was "important to the President that a bill move this year," and said "they had invited industry to discuss what they understood to be a few key remaining points" of contention.

"The intimacy of this, we think, is quite unusual," said Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen, about the relationship between the organization's lobbyists, Frist and the Bush administration. "We think it is an interesting case study of how the inside operation works in Washington."

In a January interview with The Tennessean, Frist denied the vaccine liability provisions were added improperly. Later, when others challenged his version of events, Call simply restated Frist's commitment to protecting people from a bioterror emergency.

Frist and other backers say the law is needed to boost the number of vaccine makers. Vaccine shortages during last year's flu season along with fears of a pandemic of bird flu or a bioterror attack have prompted interest in building up the country's lagging vaccine industry. The legal protections kick in only when the secretary of health and human services declares a public health emergency.

Alan Eisenberg, executive vice president for the Biotechnology Industry Organization, said the group's "staff acted with the utmost integrity and professionalism, as they do on all issues."

"BIO staff regularly comment on proposed legislation from, and meet with, Democrat and Republican lawmakers and their staffs alike all the time," Eisenberg said.Published: Monday, 05/08/06

[Guest guest]

I was upset with Olberman. Why was Frist only the " worse " person. He is

by far the " worst " person - clearly worse than the one Olberman

selected as worst.

On May 9, 2006, at 8:07 AM, bobbie manning wrote:

> ,

>  

> It should be on again this morning right after Imus. Apparently

> Countdown did so well they decided to repeat it in the AM.

>  

> Bobbie

>  

>  

>  

>  

>> Re: Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed

>>> shield law

>>>

>>> Last night on Oberman's Countdown (MSNBC, rerun after Imus

>>> this morning), Senator

>>> Frist made 's 'Worse person in the world' segment based on this

>>> story.

>>>  

>>> If you are not familiar with Countdown, I recommend it.

>>>>

>>>> Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield law

>>>> E-mails reveal private meetings

>>>>

>>>> By BILL THEOBALD

>>>> Tennessean Washington Bureau

>>>>

>>>> Published: Monday, 05/08/06

>>>>

>>>> WASHINGTON — Vaccine industry officials helped shape legislation

>>>> behind the scenes that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist secretly

>>>> amended into a bill to shield them from lawsuits, according to

>>>> e-mails obtained by a public advocacy group.

>>>>

>>>> E-mails and documents written by a trade group for the

>>>> vaccine-makers show the organization met privately with Frist's

>>>> staff and the White House about measures that would give the

>>>> industry protection from lawsuits filed by people hurt by the

>>>> vaccines.

>>>>

>>>> The communications were made public in a report released this week

>>>> by the group Public Citizen. Its study follows a February story in

>>>> The Tennessean that Frist, along with House Speaker Dennis Hastert,

>>>> R-Ill., ordered the vaccine liability language inserted in a

>>>> defense spending bill in December without debate and in violation

>>>> of usual Senate practice.

>>>>

>>>> The group, called the Biotechnology Industry Organization, wanted

>>>> such language in the bill, the e-mails reflect.

>>>>

>>>> " At Senator Frist's staff's request, this morning, BIO (Tom and I)

>>>> participated in a meeting with three other industry representatives

>>>> (Sanofi and an outside counsel who works for both Pfizer and Roche,

>>>> I believe), administration staff (HHS, DoJ and WH Leg Affairs), and

>>>> Liz Hall to further discuss liability, " BIO official Dave Boyer

>>>> wrote in a November e-mail obtained by Public Citizen.

>>>>

>>>> In a written statement, Frist spokeswoman Amy Call stated that the

>>>> senator had promised publicly to include the vaccine liability

>>>> protection in the defense spending bill. She did not address the

>>>> issue of the influence of industry lobbyists.

>>>>

>>>> The statement points out that the Public Citizen board includes

>>>> prominent trial lawyers and liberals. " Trial lawyers oppose these

>>>> provisions because it will strip them of the ability to line their

>>>> pockets at the expense of the American public, " Call said.

>>>>

>>>> Frist and the White House reached out to the industry, according to

>>>> the communications cited by Public Citizen, and Boyer, chief

>>>> lobbyist for the industry group, was asked to provide an analysis

>>>> of draft legislation.

>>>>

>>>> The group asked that the legislation make clear that a vaccine

>>>> maker could only be successfully sued if " willful misconduct " on

>>>> its part were proved. The law includes that standard and says a

>>>> company is protected from claims of negligence or recklessness.

>>>>

>>>> The analysis, which Public Citizen quoted from, included BIO's

>>>> concerns that the draft bill would have still allowed people hurt

>>>> by vaccines to get jury trials.

>>>>

>>>> " The lack of any restriction on jury trial is problematic, " the

>>>> analysis said. " Where injured parties have no other avenue for

>>>> relief, juries are likely to find ways to award damages. "

>>>>

>>>> In another e-mail, Boyer described a meeting in which a deputy of

>>>> Bush strategist Karl Rove said it was " important to the President

>>>> that a bill move this year, " and said " they had invited industry to

>>>> discuss what they understood to be a few key remaining points " of

>>>> contention.

>>>>

>>>> " The intimacy of this, we think, is quite unusual, " said Joan

>>>> Claybrook, president of Public Citizen, about the relationship

>>>> between the organization's lobbyists, Frist and the Bush

>>>> administration. " We think it is an interesting case study of how

>>>> the inside operation works in Washington. "

>>>>

>>>> In a January interview with The Tennessean, Frist denied the

>>>> vaccine liability provisions were added improperly. Later, when

>>>> others challenged his version of events, Call simply restated

>>>> Frist's commitment to protecting people from a bioterror emergency.

>>>>

>>>> Frist and other backers say the law is needed to boost the number

>>>> of vaccine makers. Vaccine shortages during last year's flu season

>>>> along with fears of a pandemic of bird flu or a bioterror attack

>>>> have prompted interest in building up the country's lagging vaccine

>>>> industry. The legal protections kick in only when the secretary of

>>>> health and human services declares a public health emergency.

>>>>

>>>> Alan Eisenberg, executive vice president for the Biotechnology

>>>> Industry Organization, said the group's " staff acted with the

>>>> utmost integrity and professionalism, as they do on all issues. "

>>>>

>>>> " BIO staff regularly comment on proposed legislation from, and meet

>>>> with, Democrat and Republican lawmakers and their staffs alike all

>>>> the time, " Eisenberg said.

>>>>

>>>> Published: Monday, 05/08/06

>>

>>

>>

[Guest guest]



I agree Bob...but what Frist did was really business as usual. I'm surprised it got a mention at all.

Re: Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield lawLast night on Oberman's Countdown (MSNBC, rerun after Imus this morning), SenatorFrist made 's 'Worse person in the world' segment based on this story. If you are not familiar with Countdown, I recommend it.

Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield lawE-mails reveal private meetingsBy BILL THEOBALDTennessean Washington BureauPublished: Monday, 05/08/06

WASHINGTON — Vaccine industry officials helped shape legislation behind the scenes that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist secretly amended into a bill to shield them from lawsuits, according to e-mails obtained by a public advocacy group.E-mails and documents written by a trade group for the vaccine-makers show the organization met privately with Frist's staff and the White House about measures that would give the industry protection from lawsuits filed by people hurt by the vaccines.The communications were made public in a report released this week by the group Public Citizen. Its study follows a February story in The Tennessean that Frist, along with House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., ordered the vaccine liability language inserted in a defense spending bill in December without debate and in violation of usual Senate practice.The group, called the Biotechnology Industry Organization, wanted such language in the bill, the e-mails reflect."At Senator Frist's staff's request, this morning, BIO (Tom and I) participated in a meeting with three other industry representatives (Sanofi and an outside counsel who works for both Pfizer and Roche, I believe), administration staff (HHS, DoJ and WH Leg Affairs), and Liz Hall to further discuss liability," BIO official Dave Boyer wrote in a November e-mail obtained by Public Citizen.In a written statement, Frist spokeswoman Amy Call stated that the senator had promised publicly to include the vaccine liability protection in the defense spending bill. She did not address the issue of the influence of industry lobbyists.The statement points out that the Public Citizen board includes prominent trial lawyers and liberals. "Trial lawyers oppose these provisions because it will strip them of the ability to line their pockets at the expense of the American public," Call said.Frist and the White House reached out to the industry, according to the communications cited by Public Citizen, and Boyer, chief lobbyist for the industry group, was asked to provide an analysis of draft legislation.The group asked that the legislation make clear that a vaccine maker could only be successfully sued if "willful misconduct" on its part were proved. The law includes that standard and says a company is protected from claims of negligence or recklessness.The analysis, which Public Citizen quoted from, included BIO's concerns that the draft bill would have still allowed people hurt by vaccines to get jury trials."The lack of any restriction on jury trial is problematic," the analysis said. "Where injured parties have no other avenue for relief, juries are likely to find ways to award damages."In another e-mail, Boyer described a meeting in which a deputy of Bush strategist Karl Rove said it was "important to the President that a bill move this year," and said "they had invited industry to discuss what they understood to be a few key remaining points" of contention."The intimacy of this, we think, is quite unusual," said Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen, about the relationship between the organization's lobbyists, Frist and the Bush administration. "We think it is an interesting case study of how the inside operation works in Washington."In a January interview with The Tennessean, Frist denied the vaccine liability provisions were added improperly. Later, when others challenged his version of events, Call simply restated Frist's commitment to protecting people from a bioterror emergency.Frist and other backers say the law is needed to boost the number of vaccine makers. Vaccine shortages during last year's flu season along with fears of a pandemic of bird flu or a bioterror attack have prompted interest in building up the country's lagging vaccine industry. The legal protections kick in only when the secretary of health and human services declares a public health emergency.Alan Eisenberg, executive vice president for the Biotechnology Industry Organization, said the group's "staff acted with the utmost integrity and professionalism, as they do on all issues.""BIO staff regularly comment on proposed legislation from, and meet with, Democrat and Republican lawmakers and their staffs alike all the time," Eisenberg said.Published: Monday, 05/08/06

[Guest guest]



Well, Bob, I do agree with that . . . I definitely would've placed him as the "WORST" vs. the "WORSE"; but still THRILLED to see him featured in this segment nonetheless!

Re: Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield lawLast night on Oberman's Countdown (MSNBC, rerun after Imus this morning), SenatorFrist made 's 'Worse person in the world' segment based on this story. If you are not familiar with Countdown, I recommend it.

Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield lawE-mails reveal private meetingsBy BILL THEOBALDTennessean Washington BureauPublished: Monday, 05/08/06

WASHINGTON — Vaccine industry officials helped shape legislation behind the scenes that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist secretly amended into a bill to shield them from lawsuits, according to e-mails obtained by a public advocacy group.E-mails and documents written by a trade group for the vaccine-makers show the organization met privately with Frist's staff and the White House about measures that would give the industry protection from lawsuits filed by people hurt by the vaccines.The communications were made public in a report released this week by the group Public Citizen. Its study follows a February story in The Tennessean that Frist, along with House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., ordered the vaccine liability language inserted in a defense spending bill in December without debate and in violation of usual Senate practice.The group, called the Biotechnology Industry Organization, wanted such language in the bill, the e-mails reflect."At Senator Frist's staff's request, this morning, BIO (Tom and I) participated in a meeting with three other industry representatives (Sanofi and an outside counsel who works for both Pfizer and Roche, I believe), administration staff (HHS, DoJ and WH Leg Affairs), and Liz Hall to further discuss liability," BIO official Dave Boyer wrote in a November e-mail obtained by Public Citizen.In a written statement, Frist spokeswoman Amy Call stated that the senator had promised publicly to include the vaccine liability protection in the defense spending bill. She did not address the issue of the influence of industry lobbyists.The statement points out that the Public Citizen board includes prominent trial lawyers and liberals. "Trial lawyers oppose these provisions because it will strip them of the ability to line their pockets at the expense of the American public," Call said.Frist and the White House reached out to the industry, according to the communications cited by Public Citizen, and Boyer, chief lobbyist for the industry group, was asked to provide an analysis of draft legislation.The group asked that the legislation make clear that a vaccine maker could only be successfully sued if "willful misconduct" on its part were proved. The law includes that standard and says a company is protected from claims of negligence or recklessness.The analysis, which Public Citizen quoted from, included BIO's concerns that the draft bill would have still allowed people hurt by vaccines to get jury trials."The lack of any restriction on jury trial is problematic," the analysis said. "Where injured parties have no other avenue for relief, juries are likely to find ways to award damages."In another e-mail, Boyer described a meeting in which a deputy of Bush strategist Karl Rove said it was "important to the President that a bill move this year," and said "they had invited industry to discuss what they understood to be a few key remaining points" of contention."The intimacy of this, we think, is quite unusual," said Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen, about the relationship between the organization's lobbyists, Frist and the Bush administration. "We think it is an interesting case study of how the inside operation works in Washington."In a January interview with The Tennessean, Frist denied the vaccine liability provisions were added improperly. Later, when others challenged his version of events, Call simply restated Frist's commitment to protecting people from a bioterror emergency.Frist and other backers say the law is needed to boost the number of vaccine makers. Vaccine shortages during last year's flu season along with fears of a pandemic of bird flu or a bioterror attack have prompted interest in building up the country's lagging vaccine industry. The legal protections kick in only when the secretary of health and human services declares a public health emergency.Alan Eisenberg, executive vice president for the Biotechnology Industry Organization, said the group's "staff acted with the utmost integrity and professionalism, as they do on all issues.""BIO staff regularly comment on proposed legislation from, and meet with, Democrat and Republican lawmakers and their staffs alike all the time," Eisenberg said.Published: Monday, 05/08/06

[Guest guest]



I just watched the rerun...the 'Worst Person in the World' was a army recruiter who signed up a 18 year old young man with autism. The young man will be going to basic training.

Re: Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield lawLast night on Oberman's Countdown (MSNBC, rerun after Imus this morning), SenatorFrist made 's 'Worse person in the world' segment based on this story. If you are not familiar with Countdown, I recommend it.

Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield lawE-mails reveal private meetingsBy BILL THEOBALDTennessean Washington BureauPublished: Monday, 05/08/06

WASHINGTON — Vaccine industry officials helped shape legislation behind the scenes that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist secretly amended into a bill to shield them from lawsuits, according to e-mails obtained by a public advocacy group.E-mails and documents written by a trade group for the vaccine-makers show the organization met privately with Frist's staff and the White House about measures that would give the industry protection from lawsuits filed by people hurt by the vaccines.The communications were made public in a report released this week by the group Public Citizen. Its study follows a February story in The Tennessean that Frist, along with House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., ordered the vaccine liability language inserted in a defense spending bill in December without debate and in violation of usual Senate practice.The group, called the Biotechnology Industry Organization, wanted such language in the bill, the e-mails reflect."At Senator Frist's staff's request, this morning, BIO (Tom and I) participated in a meeting with three other industry representatives (Sanofi and an outside counsel who works for both Pfizer and Roche, I believe), administration staff (HHS, DoJ and WH Leg Affairs), and Liz Hall to further discuss liability," BIO official Dave Boyer wrote in a November e-mail obtained by Public Citizen.In a written statement, Frist spokeswoman Amy Call stated that the senator had promised publicly to include the vaccine liability protection in the defense spending bill. She did not address the issue of the influence of industry lobbyists.The statement points out that the Public Citizen board includes prominent trial lawyers and liberals. "Trial lawyers oppose these provisions because it will strip them of the ability to line their pockets at the expense of the American public," Call said.Frist and the White House reached out to the industry, according to the communications cited by Public Citizen, and Boyer, chief lobbyist for the industry group, was asked to provide an analysis of draft legislation.The group asked that the legislation make clear that a vaccine maker could only be successfully sued if "willful misconduct" on its part were proved. The law includes that standard and says a company is protected from claims of negligence or recklessness.The analysis, which Public Citizen quoted from, included BIO's concerns that the draft bill would have still allowed people hurt by vaccines to get jury trials."The lack of any restriction on jury trial is problematic," the analysis said. "Where injured parties have no other avenue for relief, juries are likely to find ways to award damages."In another e-mail, Boyer described a meeting in which a deputy of Bush strategist Karl Rove said it was "important to the President that a bill move this year," and said "they had invited industry to discuss what they understood to be a few key remaining points" of contention."The intimacy of this, we think, is quite unusual," said Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen, about the relationship between the organization's lobbyists, Frist and the Bush administration. "We think it is an interesting case study of how the inside operation works in Washington."In a January interview with The Tennessean, Frist denied the vaccine liability provisions were added improperly. Later, when others challenged his version of events, Call simply restated Frist's commitment to protecting people from a bioterror emergency.Frist and other backers say the law is needed to boost the number of vaccine makers. Vaccine shortages during last year's flu season along with fears of a pandemic of bird flu or a bioterror attack have prompted interest in building up the country's lagging vaccine industry. The legal protections kick in only when the secretary of health and human services declares a public health emergency.Alan Eisenberg, executive vice president for the Biotechnology Industry Organization, said the group's "staff acted with the utmost integrity and professionalism, as they do on all issues.""BIO staff regularly comment on proposed legislation from, and meet with, Democrat and Republican lawmakers and their staffs alike all the time," Eisenberg said.Published: Monday, 05/08/06

[Guest guest]

Just saw it on the am re-play. Love it, Love it...

Also, his worst person was someone at the recruiting office for the

Army in South Est Oregon. Signed up an 18 year old. Turns out he was

supposed to be sent for basic training in Aug. The signee happens to

be AUTISTIC.

Too bad Olberman didn't link his worse and worst together. There is

a connection!!!!

>

>

> ,

>

> It should be on again this morning right after Imus. Apparently

> Countdown did so well they decided to repeat it in the AM.

>

> Bobbie

>

>

>

>

>

> Re: Vaccine makers helped write Frist-

backed shield law

>

> Last night on Oberman's Countdown (MSNBC, rerun

after Imus this morning), Senator

> Frist made 's 'Worse person in the world' segment

based on this story.

>

> If you are not familiar with Countdown, I recommend it.

>

>

> Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield law

> E-mails reveal private meetings

>

> By BILL THEOBALD

> Tennessean Washington Bureau

>

> Published: Monday, 05/08/06

>

>

> WASHINGTON †" Vaccine industry officials helped shape

legislation behind the scenes that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist

secretly amended into a bill to shield them from lawsuits, according

to e-mails obtained by a public advocacy group.

>

> E-mails and documents written by a trade group for the

vaccine-makers show the organization met privately with Frist's

staff and the White House about measures that would give the

industry protection from lawsuits filed by people hurt by the

vaccines.

>

> The communications were made public in a report released

this week by the group Public Citizen. Its study follows a February

story in The Tennessean that Frist, along with House Speaker Dennis

Hastert, R-Ill., ordered the vaccine liability language inserted in

a defense spending bill in December without debate and in violation

of usual Senate practice.

>

> The group, called the Biotechnology Industry

Organization, wanted such language in the bill, the e-mails reflect.

>

> " At Senator Frist's staff's request, this morning, BIO

(Tom and I) participated in a meeting with three other industry

representatives (Sanofi and an outside counsel who works for both

Pfizer and Roche, I believe), administration staff (HHS, DoJ and WH

Leg Affairs), and Liz Hall to further discuss liability, " BIO

official Dave Boyer wrote in a November e-mail obtained by Public

Citizen.

>

> In a written statement, Frist spokeswoman Amy Call

stated that the senator had promised publicly to include the vaccine

liability protection in the defense spending bill. She did not

address the issue of the influence of industry lobbyists.

>

> The statement points out that the Public Citizen board

includes prominent trial lawyers and liberals. " Trial lawyers oppose

these provisions because it will strip them of the ability to line

their pockets at the expense of the American public, " Call said.

>

> Frist and the White House reached out to the industry,

according to the communications cited by Public Citizen, and Boyer,

chief lobbyist for the industry group, was asked to provide an

analysis of draft legislation.

>

> The group asked that the legislation make clear that a

vaccine maker could only be successfully sued if " willful

misconduct " on its part were proved. The law includes that standard

and says a company is protected from claims of negligence or

recklessness.

>

> The analysis, which Public Citizen quoted from, included

BIO's concerns that the draft bill would have still allowed people

hurt by vaccines to get jury trials.

>

> " The lack of any restriction on jury trial is

problematic, " the analysis said. " Where injured parties have no

other avenue for relief, juries are likely to find ways to award

damages. "

>

> In another e-mail, Boyer described a meeting in which a

deputy of Bush strategist Karl Rove said it was " important to the

President that a bill move this year, " and said " they had invited

industry to discuss what they understood to be a few key remaining

points " of contention.

>

> " The intimacy of this, we think, is quite unusual, " said

Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen, about the relationship

between the organization's lobbyists, Frist and the Bush

administration. " We think it is an interesting case study of how the

inside operation works in Washington. "

>

> In a January interview with The Tennessean, Frist denied

the vaccine liability provisions were added improperly. Later, when

others challenged his version of events, Call simply restated

Frist's commitment to protecting people from a bioterror emergency.

>

> Frist and other backers say the law is needed to boost

the number of vaccine makers. Vaccine shortages during last year's

flu season along with fears of a pandemic of bird flu or a bioterror

attack have prompted interest in building up the country's lagging

vaccine industry. The legal protections kick in only when the

secretary of health and human services declares a public health

emergency.

>

> Alan Eisenberg, executive vice president for the

Biotechnology Industry Organization, said the group's " staff acted

with the utmost integrity and professionalism, as they do on all

issues. "

>

> " BIO staff regularly comment on proposed legislation

from, and meet with, Democrat and Republican lawmakers and their

staffs alike all the time, " Eisenberg said.

>

> Published: Monday, 05/08/06

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Didn't sound like he is going to make it to basic training due to

his autism.

>

>

> ,

>

> It should be on again this morning right after Imus. Apparently

> Countdown did so well they decided to repeat it in the AM.

>

> Bobbie

>

>

>

>

>

> Re: Vaccine makers helped write Frist-

backed shield law

>

> Last night on Oberman's Countdown (MSNBC, rerun

after Imus this morning), Senator

> Frist made 's 'Worse person in the world' segment

based on this story.

>

> If you are not familiar with Countdown, I recommend it.

>

>

> Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield law

> E-mails reveal private meetings

>

> By BILL THEOBALD

> Tennessean Washington Bureau

>

> Published: Monday, 05/08/06

>

>

> WASHINGTON †" Vaccine industry officials helped shape

legislation behind the scenes that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist

secretly amended into a bill to shield them from lawsuits, according

to e-mails obtained by a public advocacy group.

>

> E-mails and documents written by a trade group for the

vaccine-makers show the organization met privately with Frist's

staff and the White House about measures that would give the

industry protection from lawsuits filed by people hurt by the

vaccines.

>

> The communications were made public in a report released

this week by the group Public Citizen. Its study follows a February

story in The Tennessean that Frist, along with House Speaker Dennis

Hastert, R-Ill., ordered the vaccine liability language inserted in

a defense spending bill in December without debate and in violation

of usual Senate practice.

>

> The group, called the Biotechnology Industry

Organization, wanted such language in the bill, the e-mails reflect.

>

> " At Senator Frist's staff's request, this morning, BIO

(Tom and I) participated in a meeting with three other industry

representatives (Sanofi and an outside counsel who works for both

Pfizer and Roche, I believe), administration staff (HHS, DoJ and WH

Leg Affairs), and Liz Hall to further discuss liability, " BIO

official Dave Boyer wrote in a November e-mail obtained by Public

Citizen.

>

> In a written statement, Frist spokeswoman Amy Call

stated that the senator had promised publicly to include the vaccine

liability protection in the defense spending bill. She did not

address the issue of the influence of industry lobbyists.

>

> The statement points out that the Public Citizen board

includes prominent trial lawyers and liberals. " Trial lawyers oppose

these provisions because it will strip them of the ability to line

their pockets at the expense of the American public, " Call said.

>

> Frist and the White House reached out to the industry,

according to the communications cited by Public Citizen, and Boyer,

chief lobbyist for the industry group, was asked to provide an

analysis of draft legislation.

>

> The group asked that the legislation make clear that a

vaccine maker could only be successfully sued if " willful

misconduct " on its part were proved. The law includes that standard

and says a company is protected from claims of negligence or

recklessness.

>

> The analysis, which Public Citizen quoted from, included

BIO's concerns that the draft bill would have still allowed people

hurt by vaccines to get jury trials.

>

> " The lack of any restriction on jury trial is

problematic, " the analysis said. " Where injured parties have no

other avenue for relief, juries are likely to find ways to award

damages. "

>

> In another e-mail, Boyer described a meeting in which a

deputy of Bush strategist Karl Rove said it was " important to the

President that a bill move this year, " and said " they had invited

industry to discuss what they understood to be a few key remaining

points " of contention.

>

> " The intimacy of this, we think, is quite unusual, " said

Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen, about the relationship

between the organization's lobbyists, Frist and the Bush

administration. " We think it is an interesting case study of how the

inside operation works in Washington. "

>

> In a January interview with The Tennessean, Frist denied

the vaccine liability provisions were added improperly. Later, when

others challenged his version of events, Call simply restated

Frist's commitment to protecting people from a bioterror emergency.

>

> Frist and other backers say the law is needed to boost

the number of vaccine makers. Vaccine shortages during last year's

flu season along with fears of a pandemic of bird flu or a bioterror

attack have prompted interest in building up the country's lagging

vaccine industry. The legal protections kick in only when the

secretary of health and human services declares a public health

emergency.

>

> Alan Eisenberg, executive vice president for the

Biotechnology Industry Organization, said the group's " staff acted

with the utmost integrity and professionalism, as they do on all

issues. "

>

> " BIO staff regularly comment on proposed legislation

from, and meet with, Democrat and Republican lawmakers and their

staffs alike all the time, " Eisenberg said.

>

> Published: Monday, 05/08/06

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Rove playing media games.

Re: Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield law> > Last night on Oberman's Countdown (MSNBC, rerun after Imus this morning), Senator> Frist made 's 'Worse person in the world' segment based on this story.> > If you are not familiar with Countdown, I recommend it.> > > Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield law> E-mails reveal private meetings> > By BILL THEOBALD> Tennessean Washington Bureau> > Published: Monday, 05/08/06> > > WASHINGTON â€" Vaccine industry officials helped shape legislation behind the scenes that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist secretly amended into a bill to shield them from lawsuits, according to e-mails obtained by a public advocacy group.> > E-mails and documents written by a trade group for the vaccine-makers show the organization met privately with Frist's staff and the White House about measures that would give the industry protection from lawsuits filed by people hurt by the vaccines.> > The communications were made public in a report released this week by the group Public Citizen. Its study follows a February story in The Tennessean that Frist, along with House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., ordered the vaccine liability language inserted in a defense spending bill in December without debate and in violation of usual Senate practice.> > The group, called the Biotechnology Industry Organization, wanted such language in the bill, the e-mails reflect.> > "At Senator Frist's staff's request, this morning, BIO (Tom and I) participated in a meeting with three other industry representatives (Sanofi and an outside counsel who works for both Pfizer and Roche, I believe), administration staff (HHS, DoJ and WH Leg Affairs), and Liz Hall to further discuss liability," BIO official Dave Boyer wrote in a November e-mail obtained by Public Citizen.> > In a written statement, Frist spokeswoman Amy Call stated that the senator had promised publicly to include the vaccine liability protection in the defense spending bill. She did not address the issue of the influence of industry lobbyists.> > The statement points out that the Public Citizen board includes prominent trial lawyers and liberals. "Trial lawyers oppose these provisions because it will strip them of the ability to line their pockets at the expense of the American public," Call said.> > Frist and the White House reached out to the industry, according to the communications cited by Public Citizen, and Boyer, chief lobbyist for the industry group, was asked to provide an analysis of draft legislation.> > The group asked that the legislation make clear that a vaccine maker could only be successfully sued if "willful misconduct" on its part were proved. The law includes that standard and says a company is protected from claims of negligence or recklessness.> > The analysis, which Public Citizen quoted from, included BIO's concerns that the draft bill would have still allowed people hurt by vaccines to get jury trials.> > "The lack of any restriction on jury trial is problematic," the analysis said. "Where injured parties have no other avenue for relief, juries are likely to find ways to award damages."> > In another e-mail, Boyer described a meeting in which a deputy of Bush strategist Karl Rove said it was "important to the President that a bill move this year," and said "they had invited industry to discuss what they understood to be a few key remaining points" of contention.> > "The intimacy of this, we think, is quite unusual," said Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen, about the relationship between the organization's lobbyists, Frist and the Bush administration. "We think it is an interesting case study of how the inside operation works in Washington."> > In a January interview with The Tennessean, Frist denied the vaccine liability provisions were added improperly. Later, when others challenged his version of events, Call simply restated Frist's commitment to protecting people from a bioterror emergency.> > Frist and other backers say the law is needed to boost the number of vaccine makers. Vaccine shortages during last year's flu season along with fears of a pandemic of bird flu or a bioterror attack have prompted interest in building up the country's lagging vaccine industry. The legal protections kick in only when the secretary of health and human services declares a public health emergency.> > Alan Eisenberg, executive vice president for the Biotechnology Industry Organization, said the group's "staff acted with the utmost integrity and professionalism, as they do on all issues."> > "BIO staff regularly comment on proposed legislation from, and meet with, Democrat and Republican lawmakers and their staffs alike all the time," Eisenberg said.> > Published: Monday, 05/08/06> > > > >

[Guest guest]

In the list below I think you have the wrong Barbara Bush linked. You have the twin and not the white-headed lady.

"The intimacy of this, we think, is quite unusual,"

My apology...but upon further inquiry... http://tinyurl.com/cuvql (Prescott Bush, Jr., President Herbert Bush’s older brother, served on the advisory board of Americares. Prescott lobbied his brother and received federal humanitarian aid for the Contras after the Boland Amendment prohibited military support.) http://tinyurl.com/fh9ls She (Barbara - twin) followed her father's legacy by choosing to attend Yale University, her father's, grandfather H.W. Bush's, and great-grandfather Prescott Bush's alma mater. http://tinyurl.com/htp2p The founder and chair of AmeriCares is C. Macauley, president of Virginia Fibre -- a multimillion-dollar paper manufacturing company. He went to Yale with Bush and has been his buddy since childhood.

http://tinyurl.com/fh9ls Barbara (twin) has recently been working with AIDS patients in Africa through a program sponsored by the Houston-based Baylor College of Medicine's International Pediatrics AIDS Initiative. http://tinyurl.com/p5mbr One thing that makes the work of the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative possible is funding and support from a variety of sources. The Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation's Secure the Future program for the Care and Support of Women and Children with HIV, the Abbott Laboratories Step Forward Program, *AmeriCares, **(USAID) the United States Agency for International Development, the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and The Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation Project Heart have all provided important funding for many of the programs in the network and have committed to providing more.

*AmeriCares - http://tinyurl.com/osbro http://tinyurl.com/qaxq4 http://tinyurl.com/kslrq AmeriCares also funnels money and "humanitarian" supplies to various rightwing military forces, including, for example, contra forces in Afghanistan. Sara Flounders says the AmeriCares Web site reveals that its shipments tend to go "wherever the CIA is most active." Darfur, Sudan: http://www.americares.org/ ; LIBERIA: http://tinyurl.com/kejar ; AFGHANISTAN: http://tinyurl.com/fj3g5 ; IRAQ: http://tinyurl.com/j3rx9

http://tinyurl.com/htp2p AmeriCares often acts as an arm of U.S. foreign and domestic policy by reinforcing and supplying the most reactionary organizations. It controls the distribution network to millions of people in desperate need. This strengthens the infrastructure and influence of groups with a political agenda supportive of U.S. corporate goals. Millions of dollars of supplies flooding into a region during a war crisis or famine can exert enormous political influence. As Forbes, the magazine that calls itself the "capitalist tool," enthused, "AmeriCares is a splendid example of what a free-enterprise approach can accomplish in charity."

**(USAID) - Randall Tobias, former president and CEO of pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and U.S. global “AIDS czar,” replaced Natsios on March 31, 2006 as the administrator of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the central agency managing U.S. overseas assistance. More important, Tobias is also serving as the first director of foreign assistance (DFA), a newly created position at the State Department, with a mission of bringing greater coherence, coordination and effectiveness to U.S. foreign-aid programs. http://tinyurl.com/jsrbl http://tinyurl.com/pa73v

(side note: http://tinyurl.com/qbdga Operation Blessing, Pat on’s international charity, in two years (2004-2006) under the Bush faith-based initiative, the group’s annual revenue from government grants has ballooned from $108,000 to $14.4 million. The organization has received smaller grants from the U.S. Agency for International Development to cover freight costs for humanitarian relief shipments to Guatemala and Romania. It is also part of a consortium of eight organizations that recently received a USAID grant for HIV/AIDS treatment, care and prevention in 14 countries, mostly in Africa.)

Correction: http://tinyurl.com/lkg2v Barbara Bush, Ambassador-At-Large (white-headed lady)

http://tinyurl.com/fc5dd http://tinyurl.com/lqdm8 Mrs. Bush volunteered in and supported hundreds of charity and humanitarian causes. Today, she continues her service as AmeriCares ambassador-at-large.

Don't forget to watch 'Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America' this evening.

HHS Viewer Guide to 'Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America' http://tinyurl.com/m2wke

The film depicts scenarios that could unfold should a severe pandemic develop, including limited availability of anti-virals (Gilead) http://tinyurl.com/bsfde and vaccines (Sanofi Pasteur) http://tinyurl.com/jbbju as well as the potential for disruption of supplies, medicines, and other essential services.

The film also illustrates the expected months-long delay in developing an effective vaccine against a pandemic strain of influenza once it emerges. This is why, at the president's request, Congress approved funding for the Department of Health and Human Services to make significant financial investments to improve the technology for vaccine development and to build up our domestic vaccine production capacity, to ensure more rapid availability of vaccine for the population in a pandemic. http://tinyurl.com/97c56

Deciding who gets vaccine was a major question in the film. In a real pandemic, how will you decide who gets vaccine first? Distribution is Key... http://tinyurl.com/flkjf In the US, sanofi pasteur receives requests for emergency vaccines from Americares... http://tinyurl.com/qaxq4

Many neighborhoods were quarantined in the film. Even the governor of Virginia quarantined himself, his staff, and his family from the rest of the world. Will the government quarantine people in a pandemic? http://tinyurl.com/9g4e3

"Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America" is a movie, not a documentary. It is a work of fiction designed to entertain, not a factual accounting of a real-life event. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiction

FLU SHOT ANYONE?

-----Original Message-----From: EOHarm [mailto:EOHarm ]On Behalf Of KerbobSent: Monday, May 08, 2006 5:14 PMEOHarm Subject: Re: Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield law

In the list below I think you have the wrong Barbara Bush linked. You have the twin and not the white-headed lady.

[Guest guest]

http://www.bcm.edu/findings/vol3/is2/05feb_n1.htm One thing that makes the work of the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative possible is funding and support from a variety of sources.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Bush http://www.depauw.edu/news/index.asp?id=13933 Barbara Bush, Ambassador-At-Large (white-headed lady)

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=1940818 & page=1 HHS Viewer Guide to 'Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America'

Again...my apology...bad Links...

-----Original Message-----From: EOHarm [mailto:EOHarm ]On Behalf Of CregarSent: Tuesday, May 09, 2006 3:30 PMEOHarm Subject: RE: Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield law

In the list below I think you have the wrong Barbara Bush linked. You have the twin and not the white-headed lady.

"The intimacy of this, we think, is quite unusual,"

My apology...but upon further inquiry... http://tinyurl.com/cuvql (Prescott Bush, Jr., President Herbert Bush’s older brother, served on the advisory board of Americares. Prescott lobbied his brother and received federal humanitarian aid for the Contras after the Boland Amendment prohibited military support.) http://tinyurl.com/fh9ls She (Barbara - twin) followed her father's legacy by choosing to attend Yale University, her father's, grandfather H.W. Bush's, and great-grandfather Prescott Bush's alma mater. http://tinyurl.com/htp2p The founder and chair of AmeriCares is C. Macauley, president of Virginia Fibre -- a multimillion-dollar paper manufacturing company. He went to Yale with Bush and has been his buddy since childhood.

http://tinyurl.com/fh9ls Barbara (twin) has recently been working with AIDS patients in Africa through a program sponsored by the Houston-based Baylor College of Medicine's International Pediatrics AIDS Initiative. http://tinyurl.com/p5mbr One thing that makes the work of the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative possible is funding and support from a variety of sources. The Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation's Secure the Future program for the Care and Support of Women and Children with HIV, the Abbott Laboratories Step Forward Program, *AmeriCares, **(USAID) the United States Agency for International Development, the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and The Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation Project Heart have all provided important funding for many of the programs in the network and have committed to providing more.

*AmeriCares - http://tinyurl.com/osbro http://tinyurl.com/qaxq4 http://tinyurl.com/kslrq AmeriCares also funnels money and "humanitarian" supplies to various rightwing military forces, including, for example, contra forces in Afghanistan. Sara Flounders says the AmeriCares Web site reveals that its shipments tend to go "wherever the CIA is most active." Darfur, Sudan: http://www.americares.org/ ; LIBERIA: http://tinyurl.com/kejar ; AFGHANISTAN: http://tinyurl.com/fj3g5 ; IRAQ: http://tinyurl.com/j3rx9

http://tinyurl.com/htp2p AmeriCares often acts as an arm of U.S. foreign and domestic policy by reinforcing and supplying the most reactionary organizations. It controls the distribution network to millions of people in desperate need. This strengthens the infrastructure and influence of groups with a political agenda supportive of U.S. corporate goals. Millions of dollars of supplies flooding into a region during a war crisis or famine can exert enormous political influence. As Forbes, the magazine that calls itself the "capitalist tool," enthused, "AmeriCares is a splendid example of what a free-enterprise approach can accomplish in charity."

**(USAID) - Randall Tobias, former president and CEO of pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and U.S. global “AIDS czar,” replaced Natsios on March 31, 2006 as the administrator of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the central agency managing U.S. overseas assistance. More important, Tobias is also serving as the first director of foreign assistance (DFA), a newly created position at the State Department, with a mission of bringing greater coherence, coordination and effectiveness to U.S. foreign-aid programs. http://tinyurl.com/jsrbl http://tinyurl.com/pa73v

(side note: http://tinyurl.com/qbdga Operation Blessing, Pat on’s international charity, in two years (2004-2006) under the Bush faith-based initiative, the group’s annual revenue from government grants has ballooned from $108,000 to $14.4 million. The organization has received smaller grants from the U.S. Agency for International Development to cover freight costs for humanitarian relief shipments to Guatemala and Romania. It is also part of a consortium of eight organizations that recently received a USAID grant for HIV/AIDS treatment, care and prevention in 14 countries, mostly in Africa.)

Correction: http://tinyurl.com/lkg2v Barbara Bush, Ambassador-At-Large (white-headed lady)

http://tinyurl.com/fc5dd http://tinyurl.com/lqdm8 Mrs. Bush volunteered in and supported hundreds of charity and humanitarian causes. Today, she continues her service as AmeriCares ambassador-at-large.

Don't forget to watch 'Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America' this evening.

HHS Viewer Guide to 'Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America' http://tinyurl.com/m2wke

The film depicts scenarios that could unfold should a severe pandemic develop, including limited availability of anti-virals (Gilead) http://tinyurl.com/bsfde and vaccines (Sanofi Pasteur) http://tinyurl.com/jbbju as well as the potential for disruption of supplies, medicines, and other essential services. The film also illustrates the expected months-long delay in developing an effective vaccine against a pandemic strain of influenza once it emerges. This is why, at the president's request, Congress approved funding for the Department of Health and Human Services to make significant financial investments to improve the technology for vaccine development and to build up our domestic vaccine production capacity, to ensure more rapid availability of vaccine for the population in a pandemic. http://tinyurl.com/97c56

Deciding who gets vaccine was a major question in the film. In a real pandemic, how will you decide who gets vaccine first? Distribution is Key... http://tinyurl.com/flkjf In the US, sanofi pasteur receives requests for emergency vaccines from Americares... http://tinyurl.com/qaxq4

Many neighborhoods were quarantined in the film. Even the governor of Virginia quarantined himself, his staff, and his family from the rest of the world. Will the government quarantine people in a pandemic? http://tinyurl.com/9g4e3

"Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America" is a movie, not a documentary. It is a work of fiction designed to entertain, not a factual accounting of a real-life event. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiction

FLU SHOT ANYONE?

-----Original Message-----From: EOHarm [mailto:EOHarm ]On Behalf Of KerbobSent: Monday, May 08, 2006 5:14 PMEOHarm Subject: Re: Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield law

In the list below I think you have the wrong Barbara Bush linked. You have the twin and not the white-headed lady.