For more on the myths of mammography, click here: Mammography

The scientific evidence, honestly evaluated, does not support the assertion that "artery-clogging" saturated fats cause heart disease. Actually, evaluation of the fat in artery clogs reveals that only about 26% is saturated. The rest is unsaturated, of which more than half is polyunsaturated.

Mary Eng, PhD.

Sedona Labs Probiotics
at Simply the Best

"Putting chlorine in the water supplies is like starting a time bomb. Cancer, heart trouble, premature senility; both mental and physical, are conditions attributable to chlorine treated water supplies. It is making us grow old before our time by producing symptoms of aging, such as hardening of the arteries." Dr. Herbert Schwarts, Biological Chemist

FucoTHIN
Read the studies on it here:
FucoTHIN Studies

Editor's Note: the main ingredient in FucoTHIN, has been shown to both prevent and fight cancers in animal studies.

The Acai Weightloss Rip-offs

To read the article on all the Acai Berry Weight Loss rip-offs, click the title above; however, you should know this if you decide to order a free sample; when they send you your next bottle, you'll be paying around $6,000 per pound for that acai berry product.

In animal studies, grape seed polyphenols (OPC) protect against obesity and metabolic syndrome (such as type two diabetes) even when the individual is indulging in a high fat diet.

Check out the best OPC product on the market (hey, we guarantee it).

We have 9,000 nuclear missiles in the US...but only 5,700 McDonalds.

Re: Pneumonia Vaccine

A group of Swiss researchers studied the results of some 20 studies of the Pneumonia Vaccine involving over 100,000 people and came to this conclusion: "Pneumococcal vaccination does not appear to be effective in preventing pneumonia, even in populations for whom the vaccine is currently recommended."
 

Aloe Gold Skin Care Bar

Silver Aloe Skin Care Bar

Advanced Colloidal Silver 8 oz. bottle

Great Gift for ANYONE.
Really keeps your computer running at top speed.

I have been working day and night to get this out in time for the holidays.

We’ve got an update on health care, a short update on the H1N1 and its vaccine.

We also have some testimonials on the products we’ve researched here; I thank you all for keeping me informed of your progress.

We have some great gift suggestions, and please don’t forget our soldiers. The holidays are really tough for them.

Our policy in the past has always been to advertize only those things we here like and use. However, we're not having a good year (sound familiar) and we've been spending more than we've been making. So, I truly apologize for the "As Seen on TV" ads we've placed here, though I've chosen things that did strike my interest. We're not asking for your help yet. We feel that we'll all make it through this period. We've got one super purchase to make soon: the purchase of the phone database DVD that allows us to find you physicians who can give you hope when your regular doctor has run out of medicine. It's price is $1,200.00 per yea

And though not ALL ads here make us money, most do. If you want to support us, just get what you need by using our ads. Thank you.

I finally broke down and bought Canon’s most powerful, professional camera and am going into debt for the rest of my life. You can take a look at it here: Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III SLR Digital Camera. It’s a good investment, because as the economy begins to pick up, more people will be buying things beyond staples and gasoline. Art sales have been slow, but they are improving.

I’ve not been taking too many photos lately, however, I did a photoshoot with a model this fall that resulted is this photo (it’s rated G):

Finally, I want to tell you all that in our next newsletter, we are going to publish a web exclusive. I have chased this story down for nearly 15 years; I’ve found so many dead ends and have been duped by a few people along the way, but finally, I’ve got the story. And the story will rip apart many web sites promoting something they know nothing about. This story is big.

So, have a great holiday, and the moment this story is written, we will publish a short version of our newsletter just to get it out.

ONE QUICK NOTE:

Our site has been hacked. A few pages have terrible errors in them, text missing, etc. If you find something screwy while visiting our site, please send me a link to the bad page, or send me the page. It's not like I have nothing better to do, but, someone has to do it.

My President went to China and all I got was this watered down public option (with an opt-out clause) that might go into effect only after 200,000 Americans have died.

As it stands right now, the current health care bill is the worst piece of crap ever proposed in Washington. It is the result of right wing obstructionism, left wing spineless compromise, and the influence of real money (trillions) on government.

If lying to the people were against the law, two thirds of congress would be doing life.

It just fries my hiney to see Rep Boehner tell me that the people do not want health care reform. I want him thrown in prison for lying to the American people.

None Dare Call it Class Warfare

The moment someone brings up class warfare, murmuring begins and terms like communism, socialism, Marxism and the rest flood out all rational talk. But to be perfectly honest, that is exactly what we are seeing play out in the battle for health care reform: class warfare.

In any class war, the moneyed class has the advantage. First off, they already have the backing of a good number of nuts. In every society, something like 30% of the population are just nuts. I remember an interesting fact from back in 2000 when I learned that 30% of Russians felt that Stalin was the best thing that ever happened to their country. So, right off the bat, the moneyed class has the backing of a good sized cluster of nuts.

Next, the moneyed class can spend and spend and spend and pull the weak thinkers and self-righteous to their side. Sadly, the historical truism that you can always pay half the poor to kill the other half comes from this influence of the moneyed on the poor.

So, what we have here is a crazed bunch of majestically uninformed humans working against their own self interests and supporting their own downfall.

Irony: while a throng of whackos were out protesting health care reform in Washington, one fell to the ground and had to be rescued, resuscitated and revived by health care providers of the health care system he was protesting.

All of us are witnessing first hand the influence of money on Washington, while 80% of us believe that every American deserves the right the same health care our representatives get.

It’s money that stands in the way. That every democrat in Congress did NOT support the health care bill; that all sorts of compromises had to be brokered (including selling out all women with the Stupak Amendment), that every Republican can only block everything offered and have nothing to offer on their own, is a tribute to the power of money in Washington.

However, YOU can stop this. You can put an end to this. You can help drive money out of the system.

Don’t try to tell me that it can’t be done. With 45,000 dying yearly from lack of health care, a million families a year filing bankruptcy over health care bills, and health care rates climbing for the rest of us, we have the support of a majority of Americans.

Interestingly enough, we have nearly complete support of our younger generation, those of college age right now. They are suffering more right now than ever in our history, with jobless rates never seen before, and when the far right wingnuts try to scare them with that boogeyman SOCIALISM, they respond with an overwhelming, “Whatever.” The far right might as well try to convince them that Elvis is the King, when these kids hardly knew Michael Jackson. This generation doesn’t fear socialism. They’ve seen in their lives only the results of endless greed, and they’re tired of it.

We have the support. We have the people. What we need is the will.

This is no time to get cynical.

Go here and see how your representative in the House voted: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2009/roll887.xml

If s/he voted against it, start looking for a replacement. Get involved. Contact your local party headquarters and find out who’s running. Find out if the person is for or against single payer (it’s all about Single Payer; we deserve nothing less) and for or against public financing of campaigns.

Next, go take a look at the roll call vote to start debate on health care: Roll Call. You will see that ONLY the Republicans stood in the way. These clowns have no solutions (except tax cuts for the wealthy) and no new ideas. They are all bought and paid for (and soon we’ll discover which Democrats and Independents are bought and paid for) by corporate money.

We MUST take the money out of the system.

Money is what health care is all about. Hell, the drug companies promised the president that they would reduce their costs, but what did they do first? They raised them (just like the banks did): Drug Makers Raise Prices in Face of Health Care Reform.

Start paying attention. Watch your representatives like hawks when they talk about health care. Any argument against health care is an argument against each and every American citizen and FOR corporate interests.

We’ve all seen what greed can do. Our collapse was caused by run-away greed aided and abetted by a government that cared more for the wealthy few than the rest of us. Pure and simple class warfare.

I get a kick out of those on the right who tell us that the government doesn’t work; that all it can do is fail, and then they get elected and prove it.

The government IS the solution, but first we need good government. If your rep is against good government, universal health care, and publicly financed campaigns, help her/him retire.

If this bill goes through with the weak public option it contains right now, and turns out to be welfare for the insurance companies, we have to all write, fax, email, call the president and tell him to VETO the health care bill.

Before that, we have to keep in contact with our senators to build in a strong public option and toss out the Stupak amendment. This amendment is designed to kill Roe v. Wade. Apparently, if you want your health care insurance to cover an abortion, you have to go work for the Republican National Committee. These hypocrites do cover their workers’ abortions. So, go here: Stop Stupak, and have your voice counted. 

Once health care reform with a “strong” public option passes we can work on getting single payer.

What we have now is a tragedy. It’s so weak and flimsy that it does nothing. The insurance companies have four years to lobby all the states and get them to turn it down. Money doesn’t talk, it screams.

So, unless there are major changes in this bill, ask the president to veto it and force the house to make a better bill.

Our goal must be universal health care for all.

We live in a “we” society, not a “me” society. Far too often we hear “I’ve got mine, screw the rest.”

All Americans, rich and poor, deserve health care.

And who in the world will ever broach the subject of Dental Care? We all need that too.

Oh, I should mention, there is a little ray of light in this health care debacle. You can see it below in an article entitled: A Ray of Light in the Dark: Integrative Healthcare Included in Senate Healthcare Bill's Language.

A Recent Letter from Chris Dodd:

We had a meeting of the Senate Democratic Caucus yesterday, and I wanted to send you a quick update about the health care reform bill.

First of all, we had big news Monday when the Congressional Budget Office released its report on the cost of the reform bill to consumers. The CBO confirmed that our bill would lower health care premiums for almost everyone in America. Whether you have insurance through your job or purchase your own coverage, your premiums will likely go down under the current bill.

This was a watershed moment in this debate, because Republicans are making the cost of premiums one of their primary talking points. They insist that premiums would go up for middle-class Americans, and tout studies by their friends in the insurance industry to make their point. But the unbiased, nonpartisan CBO provides the definitive answer to questions about pending legislation, and its report shows once and for all that the vast majority of Americans will see their premiums go down.

Does this mean the Republicans will stop fighting our health care reform efforts? Of course not. In our Democratic Caucus meeting yesterday, we discussed the ongoing efforts by Republicans to delay, obstruct, and kill this bill using every means at their disposal. Their latest weapon of choice is the politically motivated poison pill amendment.

They are going to try to force Democrats to make politically difficult votes, votes that if they succeed would end our chances for passing a reform bill. In the Caucus meeting, we discussed the importance of maintaining the unity needed to beat back these efforts from the Republicans.

While they are working to kill this bill, Democrats are working to make it even stronger. A great example is an amendment, proposed by my friend Senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, which would protect women's health services.

There's a long debate ahead of us, and the continuing support that you have shown our reform efforts are helping us face the relentless attacks from the Republicans. Thank you so much.

The idea of a Medicare for All type, single-payer healthcare system will be heard on the Senate floor. Late last evening, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont filed Senate Amendment No. 2837, and there are two additional original co-sponsors of this amendment, Senator Roland Burris of Illinois and Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio.

The idea that healthcare is a basic human right that could and should be delivered to each and every person in this nation is not a new one. Our President knows that; our Congress knows that. But this struggle to reform the broken, profit-driven system has carried us a very long way from finally extending that basic human right to all.

We’ve drifted off to talking about excise taxes and insurance exchanges and bending the cost curves. Amendment 2837 brings us back to the basics.

What’s in a number? 45,000 people die every year in this nation without access to healthcare.

Medicare has its flaws, but overall it has provided seniors and the disabled with the best access to care that this nation could offer since the 1960s.

What’s in a number? Poverty among seniors has dropped more than 60 percent since the adoption of Medicare.

The healthcare reform effort has largely ignored the single-payer solution because the powerful profit-based insurance and health industry interests that stand to gain so very much by expanding and entrenching their hold over the U.S. healthcare system have muted the discussion.

What’s in a number? Millions of Americans file for personal bankruptcy--one every 12 seconds--because medical crisis hit them too hard. And of those bankrupt folks, two-thirds had health insurance.

We will not get to the point of granting healthcare to all during this legislative cycle. We just won’t. Our elected officials were less powerful than the profit-takers this time around. And we did not make our demands loud enough and clear enough. But we will find out in the Senate who stands for all of us and who stands for those who would profit from our continued suffering. And we will find that out by watching and listening as Senate Amendment 2837 is considered and debated--and voted upon.

We know Congress will not get to the point of passing a single-payer system this time around. But we also know they can begin setting the benchmarks for what we should do going forward. And with a yes vote on this amendment, Senators send us the message that they heard us, that they will keep fighting with us until the day when this nation no longer leaves the weak, the sick and the poor behind in the delivery of its most basic human rights.

The time draws short to weigh in clearly with your Senators. Call your Senators. Tell them you want them to vote for Senators Sanders, Burris and Brown’s amendment number 2837. Call today. Call now. Insist on a vote for moral and fiscal sanity. Find their contact info here.

What’s in a number? Everything. Senate Amendment No. 2837. Everyone in, nobody out.

Donna Smith
Co-chair PDA Healthcare NOT Warfare Campaign

P.S. The text of Sanders single-payer amendment is not yet available online. Check here for the text. The floor debate could happen as early as tomorrow—please start making your calls immediately.

For those of you who missed our previous newsletter, we published some 20 years of my research (a collection of articles) on vaccines and added a lot on this latest vaccine. During the gap between the last newsletter and this one, we continued to add links to those articles as I found them (and as you, the readers sent them to us).

Here is the beginning article on Vaccines: Vaccinations.

It is there that you will find links to other articles at our site and at other sites. One of the most interesting links is to the patent information that was filed before the H1N1 existed: H1N1 Vaccine Patent. Interesting, eh?

To add to this, we have a video from CBS news that tells us that the H1N1 pandemic was a bit exaggerated…

Watch CBS News Videos Online

 …and we have a video that explains the science behind the dangers of our vaccines (the study was actually outsourced to a country that outlawed mercury in vaccines years ago). It’s quite long, but oh so interesting.

Again we find that the information we are fed and the recommendations we receive are often tainted by the fact that the bottom line of health care in America is the almighty dollar.

How to send gifts to soldiers in Afganistan/Iraq
by Alexa Steele

Go To Original: http://www.helium.com/items/1397743-treats-for-troops

Support our Troops! That phrase is inscribed on bumper stickers, posted in yards and has headlined news reports. But how can mindful Americans make their backing of our military more than mere rhetoric? What is the best way to let a soldier know you are praying for their safe return? Or to send a gift to a loved one serving abroad? The website TreatsforTroops.com makes this not only possible but effortless.

History

Founded in 2003 by business woman Deborah Crane, Treats for Troops allows friends, family, organizations and individuals to sponsor American soldiers at home and abroad. The idea for Treats for Troops started when Ms. Crane learned that the "Any Service Member" programs, which had previously made it possible to send mail and care packages to service members, had been cancelled for security reasons after the anthrax scare in 2001.

How It Works

Treats for Troops provides an online gift shop filled with products in demand by men and women serving in our military. Packages can be sent to someone you know simply entering their address into the space provided. Alternately, you can shop for registered service members using the Foster-A-Soldier feature.

Once the package recipient has been designated shopping for your soldier is as easy as using any of the large retail websites. Choose either a pre-designed gift basket or create your own from the wide selection of goodies available in the gift shop. Choices include cookies, snacks, personal care items, phone cards, useful gadgets and travel-sized games. Just load up your shopping cart and check out. The site even allows you to craft a personalized note to include with your gift.

Foster-A-Soldier

The Foster-A-Soldier program makes it possible for everyone to contribute even if you do not personally know anyone in military service. Soldiers are registered for free by family, friends, unit chaplains or even themselves via the website. Once registered soldiers are eligible to receive gifts from anonymous sponsors. Individuals can select a soldier to sponsor based on military branch, home state, area of deployment or gender. If no such criteria are designated then the system will automatically select the soldier who has been waiting the longest for a package.

Other Programs

Treats for Troops has customizable programs to fit every level of support. Beyond the Foster-A-Soldier program there are Corporate Sponsorships, Group Gifts, Unit Support programs, and a Monthly Smiles program that allows you to send a package on a monthly basis. Birthdays and holidays are also celebrated with appropriately tailored selections.

It's Truly Appreciated

Whether you believe the War On Terror is patriotic or misguided, the brave men and women who put their lives on the line deserve both respect and admiration. All doubt about the benefit of sending a care package is removed once you read some of the thank you notes written by soldiers for their sponsors. If you, too, would like to support our troops with more than a just catch phrase, stop by and send your package today.

Some organizations you might wish to support:

First Response: supporting wounded soldiers.

Soldier’s Angels: supporting our soldiers, their families.

Heartbeat, serving wounded warriors.

Trees for Troops, serves soldiers everywhere; gets them a Christmas tree.

Guardian Angels for Soldier's Pet, an ALL volunteer 501c3 nonprofit public charity formed in January 2005 after learning that military service members across the country had pets that needed a caring, loving, and safe home to care for them during the pet owner's deployment to fight the global war on terrorism (combat or peace keeping missions), but had been unable to find someone to care for them. This left the military pet owners with only one option, which was to relinquish their beloved pets and pet ownership rights to a humane society, animal shelter, or animal rescue group never to see their pets again, know if they were placed in a new home, or ended up being euthanized.

Send a musical instrument to a soldier at these two links: www.operationhappynote.com and operationmusicaid.accountsupport.com.

And finally, don’t forget the USO, these people support our soldiers all over the world. www.uso.org/. When I was in the service, these people were everywhere, in every airport, always with a smile, a cookie, and a cup of coffee for a soldier.

First off, I just want to brag. We get a lot of letters. Many simply keep us fired up to keep going. This is one we got just a while back

I just want to tell you what a wonderful, wonderful website www.mnwelldir.org is.  I have had Rheumatoid Arthritis and under the care of a Rheumatologist since age 19.  I am now 63 yrs of age.  I have been reading and researching my whole life trying to find answers and solutions.  Your organization without a doubt, provides the most expansive, concentrated, and understandable information of any book, document, or website I have ever seen.  Thank you, Thank you for the great work your organization provides to the public.  I will continue to support this web site.

And now back to our purpose.

At times I like to focus on the things I love best from all my research. Since it’s Christmas season once again, what better to give than the gift of healing?

The best way to tell you about something, is to let others tell you about their experiences. Yes, these are anecdotal and what works for one might not work for another. However, I get a lot of letters asking me if anyone has used this for that condition and does it work?

So, here are some testimonials, along with links to where you can find these products. Always keep in mind that many of the links are to our affiliate programs, and purchasing from them supports our work. As always, if you do not wish to support our work, you may google the products and purchase them on your own.

Thank you again, David, for introducing me to iFlora Nasal.  They have been helping me survive the allergy season.

My husband doesn't believe in alternative medicines, always doubting me whenever I recommend anything natural, calling it all "snake oil."  When we were camping, he got a bad sinus headache.  I gave him two iFlora Nasal capsules and told him to not ask any questions, just take them.  For a change, he did.  He later told some friends at the campground that he had never had a sinus headache clear up that quickly!  The first natural medicine he learned to believe in was when a friend put arnica extract on his arthritic, extremely painful knee, and it relieved the pain within a few minutes.  If this keeps happening, one of these days he might accept the fact that nature provides healing. 

And here’s another about the iFlora Nasal with a little more about one of our latest discoveries Del-Immune V™.

Dave, My son and I have recovered from H1N1. We were only actually sick for 2 days which is much less than what I am seeing with my neighbors. We used Del-Immune and Nano Silver and that was all except for chicken soup and fresh juice. However, we were told to stay at home for 7 days and that was the worst part! Sort of like house arrest! Your advice worked great, I highly recommend these products. I also use I-Flora as I have seasonal allergies that cause frequent sinus infection. I don't notice anything until I run out of it, I-Flora is also a terrific product as it keeps trouble with my sinus at bay. Thank you for discovering these great products and for all your advice on staying well!    Beth Trexler

Both iFlora Nasal (and all of Sedona Lab’s digestive aids) and Del-Immune V™ can be found at Simply the Best.

Interestingly enough, Beth wrote me later telling me all about her boyfriend who caught the flu and decided to follow his doctor’s advice. He suffered for two weeks.

Oh, and when Beth finally took the Del-Immune V™ (the link is to our article on the product), she and her son had had the flu for one full day already. This is just ONE of about 20 testimonials we got from people using the Del-Immune V™, and all of those said the same thing: when they took it right away, the flu was gone in 8 hours; if someone took it a day or two later; it took longer to beat it off.

Simply the Best sold out right away, and within a month, they discovered that over half their sales were to customers who’d purchased Del-Immune V™ before.

Now for my favorite product (and according to Simply the Best, the one product that consistently outsells all others, Omegasentials.

I get hundreds of testimonials; many like the following:

Your information is very useful. It has helped my family in battling cancer.

Simply the Best forwarded me this comment:

Please send as soon as possible as we are out and it makes a major difference.

I got this one just last week:

My husband has lung cancer and we were doing the Budwig program, but he suddenly couldn’t take the combination of flax and cottage cheese anymore, it upset his stomach. We started him on the Omegasentials, and we’re back on track. He takes about six to eight tablespoons per day and the tumor has stopped growing.

Here’s one of my favorites:

A day without my Omegasentials just sucks! I just feel better all day long!

And here is one I’ve been saving for you:

My name is Matthew Miller, and I am a 37 y/o colon cancer patient. I would like to share my story with you, as I believe your product, OMEGASENTIALS™, has done the impossible for me. I was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer in November 2001, and underwent surgery to remove a “golf ball” sized tumor in my large intestine. The pathology report that followed, showed that indeed the cancer had spread to my lymph nodes, and I would require chemotherapy. My sister, who is a cancer researcher at Ohio State University, was able to get me in at the nationally known MD Anderson Cancer Center in Orlando, FL. At MD Anderson, I was able get into a powerful chemotherapy (Oxyciliplatin) clinical trial, as well as a standard chemo (5-FU), which was given weekly for 6 months. At the time, I was convinced that the chemo was all I needed, and since the tumor was removed, I was cured. One year later, a CAT scan showed that my cancer had returned with a metastisis to the lungs. Unfortunately, the prognosis was not good, several inoperable tumors, my doctors informed me that I was now a terminal patient. After a few more months of unsuccessful chemo, I gave up on conventional medicine and found an alternative cancer website “The Minnesota Wellness Directory.” I read about your product and decided to order a case as all the research conducted by Dr. Budwig had made sense. Anyway, 3 months after taking 4 tbs. a day of OMEGASENTIALS™, I had a PET scan, which shows active cancer in the body. I was amazed to find out that my scan was completely clear. My oncologist at MD Anderson was equally amazed and cancelled further therapy, and to continue on my alternative regimen of a healthy diet and OMEGASENTIALS™. I would like to thank you for producing such an amazing product, as now I can look forward to live a healthy, long life!

We need omega-3s in our diets. Recent research shows we need more than previously thought. Omega-3s are needed every cell in our body, fight and prevent cancer, fight and prevent heart disease, and fight and prevent inflammation. Omegasentials is one of the best forms you’ll find. I never go a day without them. They are water soluble, stabilized, and DHA and EPA have been added. Oh…and they’re tasty. You can find them at Simply the Best.

Here are more forms of Omega-3s that I personally use (again, we just cannot get enough of these essential nutrients)…..LINKS

Udo's DHA Blend "Fish Type Oils" that Vegans can consume! Made from algae. Click here to see our recipes using Udo's DHA.	NOW Foods Red Yeast Rice with CoQ10 (30mg) and Omega-3 Fish Oils.	EPA is another essential fatty acid in fish oils, and is great brain food.
Fish Oil With A Unique Ratio Of EPA/DHA!	Omegasentials I never go a day without this.	NOW's most potent Fish Oils.

And don’t forget to check out our recipes that use these oils: LINK

The next testimonial is from a study done by a good friend of this site by the name of Dr Marc Swanpool, ND. He created a formula3

My name is Thulani Mncwango. I'm a 37 year old male. In the year 2001 I was first diagnosed with HIV. For the following years I felt fine until I contracted TB in 2005. I went for treatment for 6 months and was eventually discharged with a clean bill of health.

Then again at the beginning of 2007 I felt very sick. I couldn't walk. My feet started swelling up and I had to use crutches to aid my walking. I could barely walk 5 meters without running short of breath and getting tired.

Around June 2007 I was invited to take part in a study at a Johannesburg clinic to test the effectiveness of a herbal supplement on CD4 count. I volunteered in this study

Shortly after taking the herbal supplement on a daily basis, I could actually feel a difference compared to how I felt when I started, and after two months I was back to my old self. For the last ten months I have been completely healthy. I have never felt better in my entire life.

Apart from the herbal supplement, I have not used any other medication.

This testimonial is about a product (Sutherlandia OPC) that can be purchased online, but you have to order it from Africa. Marc has created a whole new product from Oleander that can be found here in the US: Utopia Naturals Rose Laurel OPC Plus.

Sometime this past summer, I got an email from a woman who told me that her husband was on blood pressure meds that weren’t working (fact: about 50% of the time blood pressure meds do not work), and that he had a blockage in his neck that the doctors wanted to operate on.

I told her to read up on oral chelation (EDTA), grape juice, pomegranate juice, and Sp-Zyme. I sent her a copy of our book: Bypassing Bypass LINKS. And then I mentioned in passing that I was researching a new product called Ecklonia Cava Extract (this link is to our research). I told her that it was available from Canada only in the bulk form, but that pills would be out soon, and I included a link.

I’d all but forgotten about her when just a couple of weeks ago I get this letter:

Thank you so much for your help! We both read your book and it gave us a lot of hope. We ordered Dr Gary Gordons’s Beyond Chelation formula and Sp-zyme, and both of us started each day with a glass of promegranate juice and each night had a glass of grape juice. I contacted Nando in Canda and ordered 500 grams of Eklonia cava. It cost us nearly $900 but six months of his meds cost more than that, and we weren’t about to continue them.

I tried to get him to take the powder at first, but he hated it. That didn’t stop me. I put nearly half a teaspoon in all his meals. Mashed potatoes, chili, soups, mixed veggies, smoothies, and we even started making stir-frys like the one you posted in your recipes. He got at least an eighth of a teaspoon per day, sometimes more. So when he went to the doctor for a checkup and scan prior to surgery, his blood pressure was almost normal and the doc said that the blockage was nearly gone. Imagine that. The doc said that the first scan must have been wrong. We laughed all the way home. Thank you for all you do!!!!

Simply the Best carries Alogoran FS, a pill form of ECE with a few additives, and just started carrying the ECE in bulk. They sell it by the ounce, and at 33% less than their distributor charges. Personally I love the bulk form, because when I add just an eight of a tablespoon to a recipe, I'm adding 5 to 7 servings of veggies. Check it out: ECE.

Oh, and while we're on the subject of letters, I got three letters from readers asking me the difference between ECE and Modifilan.

Here is the answer: Both ECE and Modifilan are species of brown algae, but with different properties. Modifilan is a concentrated extract of Laminaria Japonica. Modifilan is not as concentrated as ECE. Modifilan's main active ingredients are Fucoxanthin, Iodine, Fucoidan, Laminarin, and Alginates. ECE's main components are Polyphenols, Eckol, Fucoidan and Alginates. ECE is a stronger antioxidant and much more concentrated.

Hello David,

Thank you for the article in your newsletter regarding serrapeptase.  Due to chronic lower back and neck pain caused by various car accidents and osteoarthritis, I had been taking a minimum of 4 ibuprofen every day for many years. 

Last summer I spent two months in the hospital after a brain aneurysm burst.  After lying on my back that long, the pain was intolerable; however, due to the aneurysm, I was not allowed to take ibuprofen, so I began relying on other pain medications.  After returning home and rebuilding my muscles, the pain became somewhat tolerable, so I was able to take the pain medications less often, but nevertheless the pain was always there.  After reading the article about serrapeptase, I began taking SP-Zyme, which helped immensely!  I no longer have chronic pain!  I only take one tablet per day. 

Thanks again David, for making my life much more pain-free!

 Peg

I found your website by "accident" in early January 2008 and immediately contacted you by e-mail to inquire about your products for use by my 87 year old mother, who had been diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure last year.  Due to the poor circulation in her legs, she had developed numerous sores that would not heal with any of the treatments that the medical community offered.  I described the condition of her legs and you recommended two of your products, Healon PF and Sugar Foot. and then you sent me samples of both to use, with instructions and testimonies of other people's success with using them.  You requested before and after pictures, which I was glad to provide.

I gave the products to my parents in mid-January, telling them to use the Healon PF on her legs several times per day, but they seemed to have trouble remembering to apply it often enough to completely heal the sores.  The legs seemed to improve somewhat, with the limited use, but still not as much as hoped.  Three months went by and I continued to ask them to use the Healon more often, to no avail.  Finally, about two weeks ago I suggested to Mom to apply the Sugar Foot before bed each night, which she did.  In those two weeks, the skin on her legs has completely healed, the sores have stopped forming,

I want to thank you for your generosity, encouragement and wonderful products, Ron. I doubt it was an "accident" that lead me to your website that day.  I hope others gain encouragement from our testimony and commit to being consistent in the application of your miracle products to achieve similar results.

I love Ron’s creams. I’ve told you this before. And I always tell you to support his work for selfish reasons: I want his company to survive so I don’t run out of his products. In our last newsletter we published reports of his LAM cream (Like a Miracle) that relieves both arthritis pain and tendonitis and clears up stubborn skin disorders like eczema and psoriasis. In fact, Ron has quit making his Psoriasis Formula. If you order it, you’ll get the LAM™ cream instead. Go take a look at Ron’s creams; they make the perfect gift for anyone anytime of the year: Ron Salley’s Miracle Skin Products.

Hi David!

I owe you a testimonial and you’re gonna get one!  As usual, I’m a day late and a dollar short, but not unappreciative.  You listened when I told you about my ear problems and came to the rescue with something my doctors couldn’t even help fix. 

In April 2009 I developed a severe ear problem.  Not only could I not hear anything but muffled sounds, but I was in pain too.  After finally getting in for an exam, it was learned I had a lot of fluid in my ears, and it was treated with several prescriptions, steroid nasal sprays, and other OTC products to relieve sinus congestion.  I have already been totally deaf in my left ear my entire life, so this was serious to me!  I wanted it fixed….and NOW!  Well, after two rounds of antibiotics (including a Z Pack and another drug that I can take with all my antibiotic allergies) I was still dealing with fluid, and couldn’t hear.  It was pretty bad, and I was ready to call specialists in Billings to see what damage I was dealing with, until……..

When I called you, you responded simply, "I'm not a doctor, but if I were in your condition, I'd be using Magnascent and Healon PF in both ears...." and then you went on. You even followed up with a letter so I wouldn't forget.

I started with a couple of drops of Magnascent in my ears, followed by Ron Salley’s Healon PF which really soothed the itchiness. Then I upped my Vitamin C to 4000mg daily, added some Del-Immune, i-Flora for nasal health, and NAC ... well, things started to get better! 

When I went to see the specialist (after symptoms had started clearing up on this daily regimen) all tests showed HEALTHY ear drum tissue, and no additional hearing loss due to this recent infection….plus no sign of fluid anymore!

Thanks for helping me through this, and with things that are GOOD for my system.  I’m really leery of all the chemicals they like to prescribe because some cause other symptoms or maladies to surface.  This was definitely a success story, in my opinion!

Thanks again for your help, David….you've saved my hearing!

Dawn

Before discovering Del-Immune V™, I’d already known that when you are hit with “anything,” you have to increase your vitamin C levels. I remember showing up at the VA Hospital with all the symptoms of being hit by the Nile Virus. The doctor did all the tests, but they couldn’t determine what it was because they found no damage in my kidneys or liver (the first place to show viral damage). The reason was that I was taking 100 grams (100,000 mgs) of vitamin C daily.

Adding a little NAC (N-AcetylCysteine) is always helpful because it boosts your levels of glutathione, a tripeptide and highly potent antioxidant that makes your immune system function at its best. Studies show it helps the immune system to fight even cancer and turns carcinogenic chemicals into harmless chemicals. Glutathione is the only antioxidant found in every cell in your body and the only one that exists within your cells.

What most do not know, is that to truly synthesize enough glutathione for maximum protection, you need a tad over 2,000 mg daily. The average dosage is 600 mg daily.

For earaches, I've heard great stories from people about using either John Brookshire's Magnascent (a form of Iodine designed by Edgar Cayce) or Ron Salley's Healon PF™. Since Dawn was in such pain for such a long time, I told her if I were her, I'd be using both. And they worked.

I love both products. Magnascent is currently being used in Africa for Malaria and I take five drops a day in water. I always have a bottle around for minor cuts and bruises. The same goes for Healon PF™; I don't go anywhere without this stuff, and those of you out there whom I've met on my road trips know this.

Below are links to the supplements talked about above, the ones I take, from the same places I buy them. Again, these are affiliate links and when you support them, you are supporting us.

100 Tablets, Ester-C with Bioflavanoids	90 Tablets of Ester-C with Bioflavanoids	180 Caps of C-Complex
	250 Capsules NAC 600mgs

The one consistent question I get in my inbox is if I know anything about losing and keeping off weight.

Everyone wants to take the easiest route for this one, but if you’re going to keep it off, you have to make some lifestyle changes.

“The truth that makes men free is for the most part the truth which men prefer not to hear.” Herbert Sebastien Agar

However, the good news is that recent changes in thinking have created some new methods of losing weight and staying healthy that completely break with common thought of the past.

First of all, we have to realize that our bodies were designed to be hunter/gatherers. This is a really important key to maintaining our health and wellness and keeping our weight under control.

The first big weight loss secret is "keeping full" (eating little meals all day long) so we can reduce cravings.

Next we have one more important rule: avoid the one combination of food that packs on the weight: carbs and fats. You can eat carbs and you can eat fats. But eating them at the same time is a no-no.

Put those two together, and you’ve got insulin problems leading to type two diabetes (especially since the most common fats we eat are not the healthiest of fats).

What I’ve got here for you has cost us over $900.00. That’s what we have spent purchasing programs, reading them, and testing them.

Personally, I have a weight problem that doesn’t go away because I keep injuring myself. I’m a very active person, and being active, very active, I’m constantly getting hurt. When I get hurt, I can’t be active and I get depressed and eat the deadly combination above (fats and carbs).

Additionally, the worst carb I eat (drink) is a light beer. They call it “lite” but it weighs heavily on the hips and belly. Why? Because we beer drinkers eat a lot of salty fatty foods (makes drinking beer even better). The fat/carb combo here is the culprit.

Ironically those who drink wine and beer live longer than teetotaler. But to lose that weight, you’ll have to cut out the alcohol. Keep in mind this one rule of wellness: it’s not what you do on Saturday night that counts, but what you do all week long.

So, save your alcohol for the weekend; or use it as a reward for doing great all week.

Would you like a few more secrets? Ok, here’s a little gift I got you. It’s a little booklet called Seven Secrets of Permanent Fat Loss and Fitness. To get it, simply RIGHT click on the link below, and SAVE TARGET AS; find a place to put it (I put important things right on my desktop) and save it. If you just click the link, it will open in Acrobat Reader, and then you can save it by clicking on the floppy disk icon.

Seven Secrets of Permanent Fat Loss and Fitness

I’m pretty sure that this new wave of weight loss and fat burning concepts began with Dr Mark Hyman’s book: Ultra Metabolism. He wasn’t the first to outline this concept, but he was the best. He gathered a huge mass of followers, and now, instead of this being iconoclastic, has become the mainstream.

The next phase to come along involves the proper exercise. Common myths had to be blown up, like the idea that jogging for hours is the best way to burn fat and build lung capacity. In fact, lung capacity shrinks and instead of burning fat, this kind of workout actually helps you maintain your “current” weight. And as for heart healthy, well, joggers are dropping dead of cardiovascular events all over the place.

This is where Dr Alan Sear’s Pace Program comes in. We learn that exercising right will translate to doing it less but getting more out of your workouts. Just 12 minutes a day, every other day, will do more than jogging five miles every day for the rest of your life (which might come a lot sooner than expected).

When we work out, we must get our antioxidants. That is rule number one for maintaining a healthy cardiovascular system. Run short of antioxidants and you'll start corroding and clogging your arteries.

Next you will need supplements to help you burn of that fat.

And there you have it, everything you need. So let’s go over it one more time:

1.     Get the proper nutrition; learn to eat to burn fat.

2.     Exercise right.

3.     Protect your heart with antioxidants.

4.     Assist your fat burning with proper supplements.

That’s it.

So, first, let’s learn how to eat. Here are the programs I’ve purchased and studied. And again, keep in mind that you can go find these on your own if you do not want to support our work, but for the rest of you, these programs support our work when you support them.

Ultra-Metabolism:

This is the book that started it all. It could easily be titled: Everything You Know About Dieting is Wrong. You're in for a real education with this little gem, and once you get started, you can read Dr Hyman's other works to help you along. He's got a quick start program, some recipes, and a web site with updates, newsletters, and videos.

Dr Hyman is an integrative physician. He believes that the first rule of medicine is do nor harm and that we should let our food be our medicine.

You'll enjoy this guy. I know I have.  

Cheat Your Way Thin

Yup, this is exactly what it sounds like. You will learn even more on how to eat to burn fat. The secret is to eat, not to starve. Starving kicks your metabolism into the starvation mode and you'll cling to ever drop of fat in your body, because your body thinks it's going to starve to death.

The only thing I don't like about this program is they keep trying to sell you more and more and more. I'm not big on hype, as you know. 

Cheat Your Way Thin

Dr Sears' Pace Program

This little book was an eye-opener. I've gotten letters from people using this who are watching the pounds just fall away. You can get the book in an ebook form, or in hard copy, or even on DVD. Personally, I got all three forms. Repetition is the one key to learning.

Order the ebook or the Hardcopy.	Order the Pace DVD.
Dr Sears' Pace Program for Women	Dr Sears' Combination Program.
Personally, I love this book. It's about a lot more than just weight loss.	Shop at Dr Sears' Web Site

Zero to Hero Fitness - Fat Burning Furnace System

This program is an all in one program that uses the theories from both Dr Sears and Dr Hyman to burn fat and build muscle. Again, only one complaint: they continually try to sell me more and more.

The exercises aren't that tough. You can do them walking, or stair stepping, or jumping rope. And the nutritional advice is adequate. I'd like to see more emphasis on organic and chemically free meats.

Zero to Hero Fitness

Antioxidants To Protect Your Heart

We've already pointed you to the best values in Vitamin C (above), so we're going to point you to the rest of our recommendations. These are the best on the market for the best price. They are not the Rolls Royce of supplements (those have to be purchased from your physician or chiropractor). These will give you the biggest bang for your buck. And again, these are the supplements I use, and supporting them you are supporting us through their affiliate programs.

This is the best OPC product on the market.	Algoran FS Ecklonia Cava Extract Potent Antioxidant and heart protection.	NOW Tru-E BioComplex, 60 Softgels  Probably the best, Truest E Complex available.
500 mgs of Pure Acai One Amazing Antioxidant. Also helps burn fat.	Pomegranate, Grape Seed Extract, and Resveratrol. Potent combo.	400 mgs of PURE Resveratrol and polyphenols. Great heart protection.
Hydrogen Rich Water Stick Recharge Your Antioxidants While You Work Out.	Ecklonia Cava Extract in Bulk	L-Carnosine Antioxidant and Anti-Aging

And don't forget NAC. If you are exercising, NAC (up to 2,000 mgs per day) and Vitamin C (the more you exercise, the more you need) are both an absolute must!

Supplements to Help You Lose Weight

We've talked about a few of these in previous newsletters. The following supplements are considered by the experts to be the best in helping to raise your metabolism naturally, control hormones, or handle blood sugar more efficiently.

Taken with Alpha Lipoic Acid	Powerfule Antioxidant With L-Carnitine Keeps Metabolism Up.	You need nutritional Fats to burn fat.
FucoTHIN	With Chromium; Supports Healthy Glucose Metabolism	Irvingia gabonensis is an herb from Africa that many have been using for weight loss by balancing your hormones. In studies, Irvingia gabonensis brought HDL and LDL into a healthier balance, lowered C-reactive Protein (an indication of inflammation and one of the main culprits behind cardiovascular disease), and lowered their blood sugar rates.
Algoran FS, like the Irvingia gabonensis, helps kick in your metabolism while protecting your heart.	ECE Ecklonia Cava Extract in Bulk Main Ingredient in Algoran FS CLA - Nutritional Fat to help burn fat.	Now Acai 500mgs Or, you can order a KILO of Acai from kalyx.com I get a tablespoon or two of this in my yogurt daily.

This last product is one of Dr Sears' called Primal Lean, a combination of  Irvingia gabonensis and another herb he found in his research. Just read this:

 The Closest You'll Get to Effortless Weight Loss

Suppose you could drop all of your unwanted fat … without going to the gym or forcing yourself to eat rice cakes and tofu burgers?

A new clinical study says it’s possible.

It may be the most successful weight loss compound ever tested.

The people in this study – which was published in the medical journal Lipids in Health and Disease – lost an average of 28 pounds and 6 inches off their belly. And they didn’t change their diet or exercise habits.

Click here to find out how they did it ...

Finally, since many of you, along with myself and close friends, will be working our butts off this winter to lose all those pounds we've slowly collected, I'll give you three little secrets that all nutritionists know, but few pass on.

Three Secrets to FAST Fat Loss

• Eat nothing that is white. This means white sugar, white salt, white flour, white potatoes, and milk or cream. (Actually butter is ok, some cheeses, and definitely Yogurt is good). Don't worry about cauliflower (in fact, cauliflower can be mashed up instead of potatoes). 

• Drink only water, NOTHING else. How about coffee? Just to keep any possible withdrawal headaches at bay, one small cup of organic black coffee is ok, and you might want to take some Magnesium Citrate tabs. Green tea, white tea, and herbal teas are ok (they are mostly water) but NO sugar (use lemon and a bit of Stevia).

• Don't eat anything with the word WHEAT in the ingredients list. What if it's whole wheat? NO exceptions.

Ham (uncured)
Sharp Cheddar Cheese (organic)
Monterey Jack Cheese (organic) (with peppers is a plus)
Pickled Hot Peppers (best if YOU pickled them using our recipe, because the brine is made from apple cider vinegar and Celtic Sea Salt® Brand salt.
Mayo/Miracle Whip® (best, again if you use OUR Mayo/Miracle Whip® clone)

Kiva's mission is to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty.

Kiva is the world's first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend to unique entrepreneurs around the globe.

The people you see on Kiva's site are real individuals. When you browse entrepreneurs' profiles on Kiva, choose someone to lend to, and then make a loan, you are helping a real person make great strides towards economic independence and improve life for themselves, their family, and their community. Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), you can receive email journal updates and track repayments. Then, when you get your loan money back, you can relend to someone else.

Kiva partners with existing microfinance institutions. In doing so, we gain access to entrepreneurs from communities world-wide. Our partners are experts in choosing qualified entrepreneurs. That said, they are usually short on funds. Through Kiva, our partners upload their entrepreneur profiles directly to the site so you can lend to them. When you do, not only do you get a unique experience connecting to a specific entrepreneur on the other side of the planet, but our microfinance partners can do more of what they do, more efficiently.

Kiva provides a data-rich, transparent lending platform. We are constantly working to make the system more transparent to show how money flows throughout the entire cycle, and what effect it has on the people and institutions lending it, borrowing it, and managing it along the way. To do this, we are using the power of the internet to facilitate one-to-one connections that were previously prohibitively expensive. Kiva creates an interpersonal connection at low costs due to the instant, inexpensive nature of internet delivery.

This holiday season, you can make the world a better place by giving a loan to a small business .... somewhere in this world.

---

Pledge Ruled Unconstitutional
Wed Jun 26, 2:52 PM ET

By DAVID KRAVETS, Associated Press Writer
Go to original: http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/0626-08.htm

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - For the first time ever, a federal appeals court declared the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional Wednesday because of the words "under God" added by Congress in 1954.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ( news - web sites) said the phrase amounts to a government endorsement of religion in violation of the Constitution's Establishment Clause, which requires a separation of church and state.

"A profession that we are a nation `under God' is identical, for Establishment Clause purposes, to a profession that we are a nation `under Jesus,' a nation `under Vishnu,' a nation `under Zeus,' or a nation `under no god,' because none of these professions can be neutral with respect to religion," Judge Alfred T. Goodwin wrote for the three-judge panel.

The appeals said that when President Eisenhower signed the legislation inserting "under God" after the words "one nation," he wrote that "millions of our schoolchildren will daily proclaim in every city and town, every village and rural schoolhouse, the dedication of our nation and our people to the Almighty."

The court noted that the U.S. Supreme Court ( news - web sites) has said students cannot hold religious invocations at graduations and cannot be compelled to recite the pledge. But when the pledge is recited in a classroom, a student who objects is confronted with an "unacceptable choice between participating and protesting," the appeals court said.

"Although students cannot be forced to participate in recitation of the pledge, the school district is nonetheless conveying a message of state endorsement of a religious belief when it requires public school teachers to recite, and lead the recitation of, the current form of the pledge," the court said.

The case was brought by Michael A. Newdow, a Sacramento atheist who objected because his second-grade daughter was required to recite the pledge at the Elk Grove school district. A federal judge dismissed his lawsuit, but the 9th Circuit ordered that the case proceed to trial.

"I'm an American citizen. I don't like my rights infringed upon by my government," he said in an interview. Newdow called the pledge a "religious idea that certain people don't agree with."

The government had argued that the religious content of "one nation under God" is minimal.

But the appeals court said that an atheist or a holder of certain non-Judeo-Christian beliefs could see it as an attempt to "enforce a `religious orthodoxy' of monotheism."

From the I Shit You Not File: Business Aims to Relax Bans on Products Made with Child & Slave Labor
by: David Sirota

Go to Original: Child and Slave Labor

We've seen corporations use "free trade" agreements to quietly camouflage their push for exploitable labor in broader arguments about globalization. What we haven't seen is corporate special interests openly push for U.S. regulators to openly allow companies to sell goods made with child and slave labor...until now.

Check out this report from Inside U.S. Trade (no link- subscription required) - it's straight from the I Shit You Not File:

Business groups are worried by the potential effects of provisions banning the import of all goods made with convict labor, forced labor, or forced or indentured child labor that were included in a customs bill sponsored by Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) and Ranking Member Charles Grassley (R-IA)...

These groups are examining the ramifications of the bill's provisions, especially in light of the bill's requirements that a newly created office in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) annually report to Congress on the volume and value of goods made with child labor, forced labor or convict labor that have been stopped at the border.

Business sources say this reporting requirement could cause DHS to more actively seek out imported products made with child labor, forced labor or convict labor...

One source did expect a push from lobbyists closer to the Finance Committee markup of the bill, and speculated that U.S. industry groups and foreign governments could form ad hoc coalitions to help send a united message.

Those of us pushing for serious trade policy reform have argued for years that businesses are aiming to create global economic policies that allow them to troll the world for the most exploitable forms of labor. As General Electric CEO Jack Welch famously said, corporations want laws that allow them to "have every plant you own on a barge" - one that can move from country to country looking for the worst conditions to exploit. Such an international economic regime would (and now does) allow the world's worst governments to create artificial comparative economic advantages through bad/immoral policies.

This is an important concept: Whereas comparative advantage used to be about natural advantages (ie. one country has optimal soil for grapes, another country has optimal soil for corn), "free trade" encourages countries to create comparative advantage through man-made laws. Some countries, for instance, creates a comparative advantage by letting factories pollute as much as they want, thus encouraging companies to move their factories there from other countries where pollution controls are more serious. Other countries create a comparative advantage by permitting children to be enslaved, thus encouraging companies operating in countries with more expensive non-slave labor to shift operations to a place where they can make products with all but free labor.

The way to stop this is for the world's largest economies to establish basic rules which everyone else will inevitably follow as a price of admission to those economies' markets. If the United States says companies cannot sell products in our market made with child slave labor, most companies will cease making products with child slave labor fearing the loss of access to our market which would destroy their business.

Of course, that's why business has opposed every effort to put basic labor, environmental and human rights standards into our international trade agreements - and why business groups are now preparing to try to weaken the laws barring products made with child slave labor. They know that the less rules that exist in the American market, the more cost-cutting exploitation they can engage in.

That corporations' advocacy for deregulation has now become so brazen that they are effectively pushing the U.S. government to endorse child slave labor is predictable. This is what their globalization agenda has always been all about. The only thing surprising about it is that in a Washington so overtly dominated by Big Money, it has taken them this long to be this blatant about their objectives. 

---

Al Franken And The Not Anti-Rape Republicans

By Dan Carter
Go to Original: Al Franken

Two months ago 30 Republican Senators voted against an amendment offered by Minnesota Senator Al Franken designed to keep federal dollars from funding contractors who prevent employees from pursuing allegations of rape against co-workers. They took a beating in the press and are now blaming Franken for refusing to come to their defense.

"I think it would be helpful for Sen. Franken to come forward and say, 'I’m not suggesting that anybody who votes for my amendment is indifferent to crimes against women or anybody else'."

That was Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who opposed the amendment, asking Franken to defend his callous disregard for the safety of female employees working under government contractors.

In October, Franken sponsored an amendment to the Pentagon spending bill that barred federal contracts to defense contractors who force employees into an arbitration process for claims of sexual assault. The measure passed with the support of 10 of the 40 Senate Republicans.

The bill was inspired by the story of former KBR employee Jamie Leigh Jones, who was drugged, beaten and gang-raped at age 19 when stationed in Baghdad. Her contract with KBR would have forced her into a “private, secret tribunal chosen by the company"—and kept her from filing a lawsuit against KBR, or even telling her story. Jones was so badly beaten that she is permanently disfigured, but the Department of Justice has declined to investigate. The men who raped her were not fired, much less prosecuted.

That said, stories like that of Jamie Leigh Jones were not enough to convince 30 Republicans that reform was necessary and liberal commentators like Rachel Maddow, Keith Olbermann and our own Megan Carpentier slammed them for siding with corporate interests. Now, those 30 Republicans aren’t happy about being portrayed for what they are: soulless shills willing to trade the safety of American citizens working abroad at the behest of their corporate backers.

Senators Bob Corker (R-TN) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) attempted to defend their position in a co-written op-ed in a local newspaper. Franken confronted each senator separately to dispute the article. According to Politico, Franken’s meeting with one of the Senators was tense: “People familiar with the Corker exchange say it was heated and ended abruptly.”

Other Republicans are complaining that the amendment is being grossly mischaracterized, citing websites like RepublicansforRape.org. But mostly they blame Franken for failing to consider their feelings when drafting legislation aimed at preventing rape.

“I don’t know what his motivation was for taking us on, but I would hope that we won’t see a lot of Daily Kos-inspired amendments in the future coming from him,” said South Dakota Sen. John Thune.

Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO), said, “from what I know of” Franken, he “expected” such tactics.

“It was partisan — and he knew it,” said Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK). “That’s exactly what I’d expect.”

Translation: “Please stop making us look bad.”

But Franken has had nothing to do with the media attacks aimed at Republicans and has even declined offers from liberal cable news shows to make appearances to condemn the GOP’s callousness.  

As for the 30 Republicans who voted against the Franken amendment, one has to wonder what they might have been thinking when they voted against a measure that clearly should have had bipartisan support, if for no other reason than to avoid being painted as a rape sympathizer.

Luckily, retribution may soon come for Jamie Leigh Jones. She fought the arbitration clause in her contract and in September a U.S. Court of Appeals ruled in her favor, allowing her to tell her story in court.

KBR is fighting the ruling.

---

WASHINGTON, December 2 -- Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) today placed a hold on the nomination of Ben Bernanke for a second term as chairman of the Federal Reserve.

"The American people overwhelmingly voted last year for a change in our national priorities to put the interests of ordinary people ahead of the greed of Wall Street and the wealthy few," Sanders said. "What the American people did not bargain for was another four years for one of the key architects of the Bush economy."

As head of the central bank since 2006, Bernanke could have demanded that Wall Street provide adequate credit to small and medium-sized businesses to create decent-paying jobs in a productive economy, but he did not.

He could have insisted that large bailed-out banks end the usurious practice of charging interest rates of 30 percent or more on credit cards, but he did not.

He could have broken up too-big-to-fail financial institutions that took Federal Reserve assistance, but he did not.

He could have revealed which banks took more than $2 trillion in taxpayer-backed secret loans, but he did not.

"The American people want a new direction on Wall Street and at the Fed. They do not want as chairman someone who has been part of the problem and who has been responsible for many of the enormous difficulties that we are now experiencing," Sanders said. "It's time for a change at the Fed."

The Federal Reserve has four main responsibilities: to conduct monetary policy in a way that leads to maximum employment and stable prices; to maintain the safety and soundness of financial institutions; to contain systemic risk in financial markets; and to protect consumers against deceptive and unfair financial products.

Since Bernanke took over as Fed chairman in 2006, unemployment has more than doubled and, today, 17.5 percent of the American workforce is either unemployed or underemployed.

Not since the Great Depression has the financial system been as unsafe, unsound, and unstable as it has been during Mr. Bernanke's tenure. More than 120 banks have failed since he became chairman.

Under Bernanke's watch, the value of risky derivatives held at our nation's top commercial banks grew from $110 trillion to more than $290 trillion, 95 percent of which are concentrated in just five financial institutions.

Bernanke failed to prevent banks from issuing deceptive and unfair financial products to consumers. Under his leadership, mortgage lenders were allowed to issue predatory loans they knew consumers could not afford to repay. This risky practice was allowed to continue long after the FBI warned in 2004 of an "epidemic" in mortgage fraud.

After the financial crisis hit, Bernanke's response was to provide trillions of dollars in virtually zero-interest loans and other taxpayer assistance to some of the largest financial institutions in the world. Adding insult to injury, Bernanke refused to tell the American people the names of the institutions that received this handout or the terms involved.

"Mr. Bernanke has failed at all four core responsibilities of the Federal Reserve," Sanders concluded. "It's time for him to go."

Somehow a top official from CropLife -- the powerful chemical industry trade group that went after Michelle Obama's organic garden -- has been nominated to serve as America's chief agricultural negotiator for international trade. If confirmed by the Senate, Isi Siddiqui, who has spent the last several years of his career fighting various restrictions and bans on environmentally hazardous pesticides, would bring that inappropriately aggressive stance on broadening pesticide use to the White House and influence trade negotiations with Europe and the developing world.

Here is a petition to ask President Obama to drop the nomination of Isi Siddiqui as chief agricultural negotiator in the Office of the United States Trade Representative. I hope you will, too. Please have a look and take action.

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/drop_pesticide_pusher/?r_by=6895-26061-vxZw2ox&rc=confemail1

The Odd Lies Of Sarah Palin: A Summary Before The Next Round

Jobs Not War
(Come on now, is there really a military solution to the problems of Afghanistan?)

Welcome to the Hypocrisy Hall of Fame! These Republicans have been caught trying to celebrate the benefits of projects they opposed in President Obama's recovery bill, the 2009 Omnibus Appropriations bill, and the Omnibus Public Land Management Act.

"With the economy showing early signs of recovery, it's no wonder that more and more House Republicans are scrambling to take credit for the benefits they opposed," said Ryan Rudominer, National Press Secretary for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. "Times are tough.  Hardworking Americans need solutions, not more hypocrisy from the Republican Party of No."

House GOP Hypocrisy Hall Of Fame

Read the list…

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