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cynthiak23
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« Reply #15 on: May 24, 2007, 10:13:36 AM » |
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It's obvious that the FDA wants to take complete control of our dietary health and wellness practices. To have this classified under drugs would be disastrous. I believe the FDA will do anything to reach this objective, whether it's through the Food Safety Act or by getting the 2006D Docket passed.Please listen to this broadcast. What they are saying in this report, I know is true. I have been actively involved in in alternative health community since 1982 and published a regional alternative health magazine in 1992. This kind of action the FDA takes against dietary supplements and applied nutrition has been widely documented in the health community. I strongly urge you to take action against the FDA's take over. http://youtube.com/watch?v=ONuxGsOuUeQMORE DIRT ON THE FDA, WTO & CODEX...(A MUST LISTEN) Listening to this made me so outraged! FDA = Mega Drug Dealers 1 of 2http://youtube.com/watch?v=PST6NoDHoOQFDA = Big Drug Business 2 of 2http://youtube.com/watch?v=66nz2-TI_AE&mode=related&search=More info... GDL1 02/26/2007 Federal Government Guidance pdf 2006D-0480 04/13/2007 Other Organization National Health Freedom Action pdf http://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/dockets/06d0480/06d0480.htmA great article and very helpful info...Health freedom action alert: FDA attempting to regulate supplements, herbs and juices as "drugs" http://www.newstarget.com/021789.htmlMaking Your Voice Heard at FDA: How to Comment on Proposed Regulations and Submit Petitions
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/fdavoice.htmlOther helpful links...http://www.saveoursupplements.org/http://www.dshea.org/
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"Government big enough to supply everything you need is big enough to take everything you have ... The course of history shows that as a government grows, liberty decreases." Thomas Jefferson Join the Campaign for Liberty! http://www.campaignforliberty.com |
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Steve
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« Reply #16 on: May 24, 2007, 11:17:36 AM » |
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Let me tell you as much as I would like a perfect world where everyone cares the bottom line is China DOES NOT give a damn about our safety. They don't even give a damn about their own people.
That alone should be enough to set alarm bells off. If the U.S. Congress doesn't give a damn if we're poisoned and puts the buck ahead of Americans under these circumstances they have relinquished their right to represent the people and should be BOOTED OUT completely as SOON AS POSSIBLE.
They need to get TOUGH on this. Because China is going to give us lip service, nothings going to change.
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cynthiak23
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« Reply #18 on: May 26, 2007, 12:51:54 PM » |
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It isn't the best solution, by far. But as they say, if you wait for the perfect legislation, it will never happen. This late in the legislative session, we don't have many choices. In fact, we don't have any choice if this is going to pass this year. Otherwise, it will be another year or two before any other legislation can be introduced; by then the momentum will be gone, so we'll still get the vitamin and supplement regulation, but no food safety, because "someone" is pushing that bill mighty hard or else we wouldn't even be having this discussion about it..it wouldn't have passed the first vote unanimously.
CodyBear,Are you saying that you are willing give up your freedom of choice when it comes to buying vitamins and supplements? Do you really want to pay some doctor for a prescription to get these products? You probably won't be able to get the brand that you like either. Do you like the idea of going to the vet each time you need Glucosamine & Chondroitin for your arthritic pet or when you need supplements for making your own pet food? You also would be required to go through your doctor before you could go to a chiropractor, acupuncturist, or any other alternative health care practitioner. Not to mention, It would also drive up the cost considerably, including costly office visits. This is what can happen when vitamins, supplements and alternative health care practices get classified as drugs. If they pass S. 654 and H.R.1148, it would abolish DSHEA which protects our freedom of choice for vitamins, supplements and alternative health care. More about DSHEA http://www.dshea.org/index.htmlThe Government has been trying to take over this for years! They put this exclusion in the two bills, hoping that it would get passed without anyone noticing. They are counting on us being so desperate for food safety that we would agree to just about anything that is put in front of usWhy do they want DSHEA abolished?This is all tied into the WTO and the Codex Alimentarius Commission. The government is pushing to abolish DSHEA, so they can take control of our supplements and vitamins to become Codex compliant by the year 2009. This is not good. One very good reason is that their standards are much, much lower than ours. To become compliant we have to comply to Codex's standards and DSHEA would prevent that. I will have to explain all this later in a new topic.Articles on Codex http://www.healthfreedomusa.org/index.php?page_id=157It needs to be kept under food, NOT DRUGS. Once this bill is signed, you won't be able to go back and fix it. The damage will be done and DSHEA will be gone forever.
So to get the vitamins passed, they are putting it all under one big bill so us poor smucks out here are either going to have to swallow the entire package or get nothing. I say NO to their exemptions! Get it right Durbin!"Any people that would give up liberty for a little temporary safety deserves neither liberty nor safety."
Benjamin Franklin |
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« Last Edit: May 26, 2007, 07:04:48 PM by cynthiak23 »
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"Government big enough to supply everything you need is big enough to take everything you have ... The course of history shows that as a government grows, liberty decreases." Thomas Jefferson Join the Campaign for Liberty! http://www.campaignforliberty.com |
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BruinMike
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« Reply #19 on: May 27, 2007, 07:15:00 PM » |
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After updating myself on all the posts, I notice tremendous confusion: 1. S. 1274 was introduced by Sen. Durbin on May 2nd. It was sent to the SENATE Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions chaired by Sen. Kennedy on May 9th. It has absolutely NOTHING to say regarding dietary supplements. You can read it at: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi dbname=110_cong_bills&docid=f:s1274is.txt.pdf 2. S. 654 was introduced by Sen. Durbin on Feb. 15th. It was sent to the SENATE Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry on the same day. This bill would create the Food Safety Administration to unify control of food safety. In paragraph 12(C) it specifically EXCLUDES dietary supplements from being covered by the bill. Rather than comment or correct something you have not examined, you can read the bill at: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=110_cong_bills&docid=f:s654is.txt.pdfTHESE ARE SENATE BILLS, AND SHOULD NOT BE CONFUSED WITH HOUSE BILLS! S. 654 has been stalled for a long time because it strips the FDA and USDA of authority to regulate food safety. S. 1274, by contrast has only been in Committee for 18 days. Our group has recommended strengthening the proposed rules in S. 1274 and we DEVOTING ALL OUR EFFORTS TO S. 1274. Hopefully, this clarifies the total confusion that traces to inaccurate posts and replies. Both SENATE bills were sponsored by Sen. Durbin. THERE are two. Almost 3 mos. apart with totally different texts. Addressing efforts to a misquoted and long dead S. 654 is at best, misguided. For accurate information, take a look at our homepage at: www.defendourpets.orgThanks |
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BruinMike
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« Reply #20 on: May 27, 2007, 07:44:54 PM » |
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In the remarks regarding dietary supplements, which are at best confused on both post and replies, please note: Neither S. 654 nor S. 1274 nor the amendment to S. 1082 change the current regulation of dietary supplements. To say "Senator Durbin, Get it Right!" simply means that someone or everyone has not done their homework. A lot of words, but very few facts. Somehow, we must insist that people posting on this forum attempt to be accurate. Inaccurate posts and replies lead to misguided opinions and confusion. So-called "experts" who don't read the proposed legislation they are discussing, are dangerous and do a misservice to all of us who want to see serious action taken. Mike Floyd mike@defendourpets.org |
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Steve
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« Reply #21 on: May 28, 2007, 08:27:25 AM » |
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NO REST until this these Pet Food Marketing clowns are reeled in, regulated, and monitored and scrutinized constantly and permanently.
It should be obvious they can not be trusted.
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dingbat
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« Reply #22 on: May 28, 2007, 09:34:08 AM » |
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ALL importation of foodstuffs should be halted until certification is approved. Mike This is not practical. There is no infrastructure available in the US to meet demand, most business's that produced the products from China are gone, eg. there are only 4 suppliers of glutens left in the US and they can only provide a very small portion of what is needed, I believe about 5%.  I would accept 100% inspections until the infrastructure can be rebuilt. 4. Establishes penalties for violators of $10,000 per instance.
Ridiculously low! This is chump change to the corporations involved. How about $100,000 and we'll settle for $50,000. This I totally agree with, and has been proven for years with the EPA. Their fines were so low that polluters would dump toxic waste because it was cheaper to pay the fine than to dispose of it in a responsible manner. The rest of your observations sound fine to me. I have not read the bills, don't understand much of that legal mumbo-jumbo anyway. Good that there are those of you out there that do.  db  |
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I used to think that anyone doing anything weird was weird. I suddenly realized that anyone doing anything weird wasn't weird at all and it was the people saying they were weird that were weird.
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BruinMike
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« Reply #23 on: May 28, 2007, 05:43:24 PM » |
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HI, Where did you get your information on wheat glutens? I'd like to quote this to the Senate Committee and they require sources. Thanks for the info, Mike Floyd mike@defendourpets.org |
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dingbat
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« Reply #24 on: May 28, 2007, 05:57:22 PM » |
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Where did you get your information on wheat glutens? I'd like to quote this
to the Senate Committee and they require sources. Mike I don't remember. I have read so many articles in the past weeks. Not sure where it was but I do remember that there were only 4 suppliers of wheat gluten left in the US. I believe it was in an article in a newspaper somewhere. They had interviewed a supplier somewhere and they had mentioned that there were only 4 left. Unfortunately I did a search on Google and all that comes up is the bad gluten products. I will see later if I can find the article db |
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I used to think that anyone doing anything weird was weird. I suddenly realized that anyone doing anything weird wasn't weird at all and it was the people saying they were weird that were weird.
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BruinMike
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« Reply #25 on: May 28, 2007, 06:06:56 PM » |
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Hi Dingbat, I checked out the information in your post, and: 1. You're right about the number of wheat gluten processors in the US - 4 2. Your numbers about quantities were off, just a tad: The actual figures for 2006 are: US production is about 20% of domestic consumption not 5% EU countries supply over half of US consumption of wheat gluten. Australia supplies about 16%. China supplies about 14%. There are other sources available, like Malaysia, Vietnam, India, Pakistan, Peru, and UAE that we barely touch. The US is the largest exporter of wheat in the world. The problem is price and processing, not availability. Noone has figures on how much of the imported wheat gluten is from US-grown wheat. So, as I said, shutting down importation of wheat gluten from China until they comply with inspection, health, and quality control standards is not nearly the strain that your post implies erroneously. I would be happy to give you the source. Mike Floyd mike@defendourpets.org |
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dingbat
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« Reply #26 on: May 28, 2007, 06:51:19 PM » |
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Mike I trust your research more than the media. I remember reading that we imported way more from the Chinese than you have discovered. I guess they didn't do their research. Considering that we only get that much (14%) we could most definitely stop imports of glutens from China. That being the case then why don't we? Too much money to big business? trade deals? db |
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I used to think that anyone doing anything weird was weird. I suddenly realized that anyone doing anything weird wasn't weird at all and it was the people saying they were weird that were weird.
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BruinMike
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« Reply #27 on: May 28, 2007, 07:54:26 PM » |
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Hi Dingbat, You've got it right. Doubt if we could ever prove it, BUT, it is obvious in the statistics that the dramatic increase in our imports of Chinese foodstuffs coincided almost exactly with China opening up some trade with large US companies like McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and many others. Think a deal was cut? You let us in and we'll start buying from China? There is an excellent story on the National Public Radio site at: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10410111Also, there's another guilty party, as far as I'm concerned. Wal-mart started buying their store-brand dog food from Menu Foods quite a few years ago. They put so much price pressure on Menu Foods, that MF almost went bankrupt. It was this constant price pressure from their major customers that led to Menu Foods buying wheat gluten from China at a 20% discount from the world price. Don't try and tell me that the retailers are just innocent parties and can continue to use the excuse - "We don't make the stuff, we just sell it. Blame the manufacturers." Mike Floyd mike@defendourpets.org |
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dingbat
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« Reply #28 on: May 28, 2007, 08:38:11 PM » |
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Mike After reading the article I wonder if we could as a country stop all food imports from China. That would take some research but I just wonder? Would it create a food shortage here? It isn't just glutens, looks like everything they send sucks. Couple of points from the article are upsetting, from Secretary of Health and Human services Mike Leavitt "Assuring the safety of food in large nations is a demanding proposition, whether it's China or the United States," Leavitt said. "And neither of our countries has perfected this process." It sounds like he is accepting this as "matter of fact" that it isn't perfected and that is OK. Here I go again but we are right back to " a little bit of poison is OK" Back to "risk assessment" "dilution factor" again. No wonder they reference it this way. Is this what they expect? Yeah there has got to be more going on than we know. Deals cut, trade agreements etc. Ah yes the retailers, don't know about you but if my name was on a product and someone else was making it for me I sure as hell would test it every now and then. They are all going to start the blame game, it is always the other guys fault. db |
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I used to think that anyone doing anything weird was weird. I suddenly realized that anyone doing anything weird wasn't weird at all and it was the people saying they were weird that were weird.
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BruinMike
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« Reply #29 on: May 28, 2007, 09:22:59 PM » |
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The outsourcing of many former US industries has led to two things: 1. The reduction of quality of products and services 2. The increase of multinational corporate profitability Back in the Dark Ages when I was in college, there used to be these things our government called "treaties". These required the "advice and consent" of the US Senate. In recent years, in order to avoid oversight, these arrangements were called "Agreements" like NAFTA, etc. By this simple change of wording, they were able to be enacted without any oversight or vote by the Senate. A number of Senators are saying, and I paraphrase "If it walks like a treaty, looks like a treaty, and smells like a treaty, IT MIGHT JUST BE A TREATY." Did you notice that the food imports from China have DOUBLED in the last 3 years? Did our government sell out our food safety (unknowingly or not) in order to increase political contributions from large corporations (the only known beneficiaries)  Is there a trend? Let's look at another area. 1. Crude Oil Prices were 10% HIGHER a year ago. 2. Gasoline consumption has stayed about the same. 3. Not one US oil company has opened a new refinery since 9/11. 4. Gasoline Prices are 10% HIGHER today than a year ago. Doesn't compute? You're right. But it does to the oil lobby. They're laughing all the way to the bank. And will Congress or the administration do anything about it? The only way we can have a loud voice is to unite. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” — Margaret MeadMike Floyd mike@defendourpets.org |
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