Deciding the fate of children behind closed doors

[Guest guest]

2. TODAY'S MIS-LEAD: White House Debates Mercury Policy Behind Closed

Doors

Today is the EPA's deadline to announce its plan for regulating mercury

from coal-burning power plants. A leaked draft indicates it will

downgrade mercury as a toxin while weakening efforts to clean up mercury

emissions.

This weakening comes just days after the Food and Drug Administration

announced that it plans to warn women of child-bearing age and children

to limit consumption of canned tuna because of high levels of mercury,

which can cause learning disabilities and other serious problems in

fetuses and young children.

On Dec. 5, the White House summoned EPA and FDA officials to discuss the

awkward timing of the contradictory mercury announcements. White House

officials wanted the two agencies to brief them " to ensure federal

communication about mercury risks can be defended, " according to the

trade publication Inside EPA.

" No one's saying what happened at the meeting, " Bender, director

of the Mercury Policy Project, told BushGreenwatch.org. " What we do know

is that President Bush's EPA is slated today to formally announce a

dramatic weakening of emission limits for mercury, a potent poison for

children and the unborn, from coal burning. It presents the appearance,

and perhaps the reality, of allowing children to be poisoned for the

sake of campaign contributions. "

President Bush has been by far the top recipient of campaign

contributions from electric utilities since 2000. White House records

show that while utility representatives were invited to discuss the

mercury emission proposal with the White House several times this fall,

no consumer or public health groups were included.

Mercury is emitted by coal-fired power plants and is converted into a

more toxic form when it hits water, where it accumulates in fish. When

people eat contaminated fish, like tuna, they ingest the toxin. Canned

tuna is the most-consumed fish by women and children, the most

vulnerable population, Bender said.

So who benefits from the Administration's mercury rules?

Ladies and Gentlemen of this Jury:

The Bush Administration clearly does NOT have our children's best

interest at heart. If given the choice between the " fiscal welfare " of

coal burning power plants and little kids' susceptibility to mercury,

why there is apparently NO CONTEST! What the EPA under Director Mike

Leavitt does, apparently, is " green wash " EPA dictums so announcements

sound ever so much more palatable to the trusting public.

Nicholes

Nicholes

Graff@...

[Guest guest]

Add to this EPA /Bush/Electric utility companies collusion.... the never ending

entaglement of the CDC/Bush/Pharmaceutical Industry...and don't forget to throw

into the mix, some senators, representatives, " scientists " , who work for the

CDC, FDA, EPA, and/or private institutions or industry, who happen to be large

stockholders in pharm/vaccine holdings...oh and don't forget the original

company, who changed data, hid memos and did so many

unscrupulous/illegal/immoral acts to market the toxic mercury injected millions

of times around the world...and they too are behind closed doors deciding on the

fate of all victims, especially children, who have been injured, many for

life...and the present population of babies, pregnant women, and the elderly,

who are most susceptible...but really all people are susceptible....the spin of

media will tell us that mercury is " not that bad " , either in our skies, water,

fish, nor in our vaccines.... " scientists " have " proven " that....didn't you read

the

" study " that fish near Hawaii have not accumulated more mercury in the last 20

years eventhough the coal-fired companies are pumping out more?....does it

matter that the amount in the fish is still toxic...not really because the

" scientists " think the mercury is not from the coal-fired plants but on the

bottom of the oceans...so the mercury in the air really doesn't count so why

worry...let the companies spew more....they are good campaign contributors...the

same with the pharmaceutical companies....their " studies " show thimerosal can be

excreted very quickly...look at the " Denmark study " ....it is " better

diagnosis " ....thimerosal (ethyl mercury), according to one " scientist " is like

wine.....not truly toxic like methyl mercury which is like " antifreeze " ...so I

guess while we watch the amounts of mercury increase in our skies, waters,and

food chain, we can sit back and toast with some good thimerosal, because we are

safe....our government told us so.

Nicholes <Graff@...> wrote: 2. TODAY'S MIS-LEAD: White

House Debates Mercury Policy Behind Closed

Doors

Today is the EPA's deadline to announce its plan for regulating mercury

from coal-burning power plants. A leaked draft indicates it will

downgrade mercury as a toxin while weakening efforts to clean up mercury

emissions.

This weakening comes just days after the Food and Drug Administration

announced that it plans to warn women of child-bearing age and children

to limit consumption of canned tuna because of high levels of mercury,

which can cause learning disabilities and other serious problems in

fetuses and young children.

On Dec. 5, the White House summoned EPA and FDA officials to discuss the

awkward timing of the contradictory mercury announcements. White House

officials wanted the two agencies to brief them " to ensure federal

communication about mercury risks can be defended, " according to the

trade publication Inside EPA.

" No one's saying what happened at the meeting, " Bender, director

of the Mercury Policy Project, told BushGreenwatch.org. " What we do know

is that President Bush's EPA is slated today to formally announce a

dramatic weakening of emission limits for mercury, a potent poison for

children and the unborn, from coal burning. It presents the appearance,

and perhaps the reality, of allowing children to be poisoned for the

sake of campaign contributions. "

President Bush has been by far the top recipient of campaign

contributions from electric utilities since 2000. White House records

show that while utility representatives were invited to discuss the

mercury emission proposal with the White House several times this fall,

no consumer or public health groups were included.

Mercury is emitted by coal-fired power plants and is converted into a

more toxic form when it hits water, where it accumulates in fish. When

people eat contaminated fish, like tuna, they ingest the toxin. Canned

tuna is the most-consumed fish by women and children, the most

vulnerable population, Bender said.

So who benefits from the Administration's mercury rules?

Ladies and Gentlemen of this Jury:

The Bush Administration clearly does NOT have our children's best

interest at heart. If given the choice between the " fiscal welfare " of

coal burning power plants and little kids' susceptibility to mercury,

why there is apparently NO CONTEST! What the EPA under Director Mike

Leavitt does, apparently, is " green wash " EPA dictums so announcements

sound ever so much more palatable to the trusting public.

Nicholes

Nicholes

Graff@...