Boehner Vs. Reality On National Security

Boehner Vs. Reality On National Security

Adam Serwer of the American Prospect is guest blogging on The Plum Line this week.

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), the man likely to be the next speaker of the House, is slated to give a speech on national security today that takes the predictable shots at the president for opposing the surge in Iraq and characterizes the war as "won" while troops remain in the country, the efforts to form a government are still at a stalemate, and Iraqis still face daily threats of violence.

Where Boehner's speech truly goes off the rails though, is where he accuses the Obama administration of a return to a "pre-9/11 mentality" of dealing with terrorism "like a law enforcement issue." That would certainly come as a surprise to the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Constitutional Rights, which just yesterday filed a lawsuit challenging the government's authority to kill American citizens abroad suspected of being terrorists. While there's at least one recorded drone strike on an American citizen in Yemen in 2002, there's no question that the current administration has expanded the use of targeted killings markedly, in places that are outside the scope of the original Authorization to Use Military Force. This is part of what the New York Times has called a "stealth war" against al-Qaeda and its allies that has "expanded" under the current administration.

Likewise, Boehner's argument that the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay "houses the worst of the worst" is at odds with the fact that the government has lost around three quarters of the habeas cases filed by Guantanamo Bay detainees since the 2008 Boumediene decision. His accusation that "there are signs of a return to this pre-9/11 mentality in proposals to house terrorists on American soil," is silly when you consider that at one point both 2008 presidential candidates, General David Petraeus and even President Bush agreed that Gitmo should be closed. And there are 33 international terrorists already in prison on American soil. Is Boehner really arguing that the current commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan has a "pre-9/11 mentality?"

Boehner also takes a shot at the administration for postponing the military commissions trial of the suspected bomber of the U.S.S. Cole. Of course, while the idea that politics was involved with that decision is mere speculation, it's clear that the decision to subject him to torturous "enhanced interrogation techniques" have put the admissibility of evidence against him in doubt.

The craven attempts to glean some political advantage from an ambiguous end to an optional war that had absolutely nothing to do with the fight against al-Qaeda is bad enough, but worse is the distorted lens through which our current national security policies are evaluated. The Obama administration has retained the structure of Bush national security policies almost entirely, from the "hybrid" legal system for trying suspected terrorists, to the expansive surveillance powers he promised to end as a candidate. The administration has been similarly cavalier with its use of the state secrets doctrine to block court scrutiny of executive branch behavior, and in the case of targeted killings abroad, it has been more aggressive than the Bush administration ever was. The most significant actual policy departure from the last administration was the ban on torture, which, like Gitmo, was once a matter of bipartisan consensus.

In the eyes of most civil libertarians and parts of the left, the current administration's policies are as lawless and arbitrary as their predecessors'. But Boehner isn't remotely interested in reining in the current administration's near limitless executive powers on matters of national security; he's practically begging them to go even farther. 

Right-Wing "Cannot Wait" For Gov't Shutdown, "Just Like In '95 And '96"

http://mediamatters.org/research/201008310020

The right-wing media is "giddy" over the possibility of winning a Republican majority in Congress in order to shut down the government. The shutdowns cost the government at least $800 million, furloughed over a million workers, delayed veterans benefits, shut down federally funded research, and suspended certain law enforcement activities, among other things. 

The 1995-1996 gov't shutdowns had massive impact on public and cost the government at least $800 million

Federal government shutdowns occur when Congress cannot agree to pass a federal budget.  According to a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report, Federal government shutdowns occur for the following reasons:


Shutdowns of the federal government have occurred in the past due to failures to pass regular appropriations bills by the October 1 deadline; lack of an agreement on stopgap funding for federal government operations through a continuing resolution; and other impasses, for example, in 1995, the lack of an agreement on lifting the federal debt ceiling.


Then-speaker Gingrich was criticized for orchestrating two government shutdowns in FY 1996, which cost the government at least $800 million.  


Between November 1995 and January 1996, two federal government shutdowns occurred. As Time reported:


As the clocks struck midnight on Nov. 14, 1995, so began the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history. For 21 days -- from Nov. 14-19 and again from Dec. 16, 1995-Jan. 6, 1996 -- nonessential government employees stayed home while their leaders fought to pass a federal budget. The shutdown was sparked when an agreement between President Bill Clinton and the Republican-controlled Congress (led by then Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich) could not be reached by Sept. 30, the expiration date of the previous year's budget. In the end, the shutdown, which cost the government $800 million in losses for salaries paid to furloughed employees, was settled when Clinton submitted a budget that proposed to eliminate the federal deficit in seven years.


Delay: Gingrich "told a room full of reporters that he forced the shutdown because Clinton had rudely made him...sit at the back of Air Force One." In his book No Retreat, No Surrender: One American's Fight, Tom Delay, who was the Republican  House Whip at the time of the shutdown wrote:…

Developing Hate Messages Threaten To Ignite American Conflagration.

Developing Hate Messages Threaten To Ignite American Conflagration.

UPDATED: Arson At Future Islamic Center Site 'Takes It To A Whole New Level'

UPDATE: 1 P.M.

One piece of construction equipment at the future site of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro was set afire in the overnight hours while others had gasoline poured on them, according to a spokesperson for the ICM.

Carmie Ayash, spokeswoman for the ICM, told The DNJ Islamic Center officials were contacted by the sheriff’s department around 1:30 a.m. Saturday in reference to the damaged equipment. It appeared gasoline had been poured on several pieces of equipment at the site and one was lit afire. Ayash said it appeared the responsible arsonist was spooked during the act and fled the scene before other equipment could be set on fire.

“We were contacted by police department around 1:30 a.m,” Ayash said Saturday afternoon. “They said someone had caught fire to some of the equipment. I think they lifted the hood and poured gas into the hood and set it on fire.

“The other equipment had gasoline poured on it but was not set on fire. It seems like it was intentional. Probably, whoever did it got caught in the middle of the act, got scared and left.”

Authorities working the scene did not specify whether gasoline or some other accelerant was used to start the fire.

Islamic Center officials have contacted the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, according to Ayash, and sheriff’s department investigators “told us they will be investigating this as a hate crime.” Ayash later said sheriff’s officials “asked her to correct her statement,” adding they plan to explore several different motives while investigating the arson.

Ayash said the most recent vandalism to the site “takes it to a whole new level.” The site has already been the target of two other vandalisms, both aimed at a sign marking the future site.

“Everyone in our community no longer feels safe,” she said. “To set a fire that could have blown up equipment and, God forbid, spread and caused damage to the neighbors there ... we really feel like this is something that we and the neighbors don’t deserve. When they (ICM officials) called me this morning I started crying.”

Ayash said it appears the intention of the arsonist was to scare members of the Islamic community and she added the arsonist has succeeded.”

The spokeswoman told The DNJ that Islamic Center officials have tried, unsuccessfully, to contact construction company, Ole South Properties, Inc., about the arson to its equipment.

“They did hurt the construction company,” Ayash said. “It’s not hurting us. It did put us in a fearful state, so they did accomplish that. I don’t understand where this is coming from.”

Check back at dnj.com throughout the day for more on this developing story.

— Mark Bell, 615-278-5153

REPORTED EARLIER:

An apparent case of arson to construction equipment at the site of the future Islamic Center of Murfreesboro is under investigation at this hour by fire investigators from the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office and employees of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Sheriff’s department Lt. Randy Groce, who was at the site on Veals Road at Bradyville Pike Saturday morning, told The Daily News Journal that it was unclear “exactly what we’ve got here,” and declined further comment until more facts can be gathered. It is unclear whether the RCSO or ATF will lead the investigation at this point, he added.

Crime scene tape surrounded several pieces of construction equipment at the site around 10:30 a.m. Investigators, including arson investigator Groce, remained at the scene.

The current site of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro, located near the intersection of South Church Street and Middle Tennessee Boulevard, was closed when a Daily News Journal reporter went there to seek comment on the matter. No one from the center could be immediately reached via telephone this morning.

Check back at DNJ.com throughout the day for more on this developing story.

— Mark Bell, 615-278-5153

Shots Report Checked At Site 

One day after a piece of construction equipment was burned at the building site for the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro, the Rutherford County Sheriff's office investigated a report about shots fired at the site. 

Congregation member Saleh Sbenaty was at the site on Veals Road off Bradyville Pike around 3:15 p.m. Sunday afternoon because a news crew wanted to interview a family regarding the equipment fire. While at the scene, two sets of shots — nine total — were fired near the property's eastern and southeastern boundaries, he said.

"It was nothing like a hunting rifle," said Sbenaty, an MTSU engineering professor and member of the Islamic Center's planning committee.

Female members of the center's congregation were on site and easily recognizable because of their wardrobe. He wasn't sure if the shots were being fired at the Muslim group, but in the aftermath of the weekend arson incident, he said they felt it necessary to report.

"We hope for the best, obviously, but this isn't hunting land. There's plenty of houses around here," he said. "To say we're nervous is a huge understatement. It's terrorism."

Several deputies responded to the scene Sunday afternoon, but they could not be reached for comment as they investigated at the site.

Middle Tennesseans for Religious Freedom are scheduling a candlelight vigil tonight at 7 at the County Courthouse in response to Saturday’s fire to demonstrate for a community free of violence, arson and other intimidation, said spokeswoman Claire Rogers.

The congregation began preparing the 15-acre site — just outside Murfreesboro city limits — for construction about a week ago. The plan is to build a house of worship nearly 53,000 square feet in size in several phases because it has outgrown its current 2,250-square-foot home on Middle Tennessee Boulevard.

The group plans to have a worship room, activity room, offices, gymnasium, swimming pool, outdoor athletic fields and possibly a cemetery.

Islamic Center spokeswoman Camie Ayash said Saturday's fire appeared to be an attempt to scare members of the local Islamic community.

One piece of construction equipment was damaged over the weekend when it was burned early Saturday morning, and three other pieces of equipment were doused with some sort of accelerant, Sbenaty said.

The sheriff's office, the FBI and ATF are investigating, but it is unknown which agency will serve as the lead.

Keith Moses, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI's Nashville office, said charred portions of the truck were collected as evidence Sunday, but it is too soon to tell what type of accelerant was used. ATF Special Agent Eric Kehn of the Nashville office said it could take a few days or weeks to determine what was used to set the fire.

Sbenaty said the congregation was "shocked, saddened" and "really hurt" by Saturday's incident. Recent events, including vandalism to a sign at the site, have been hard to explain to the children.

"The children are traumatized," he said, noting they don't understand why people would try to keep them from worshiping freely.

"We're trying to give the children the message of don't hate anybody, love everybody," he said.

Billionaire Who Denies Connection to Tea Parties Bankrolls Tea-Partying Glenn Beck Fans

David Koch, billionaire backer of the Tea Party movement, says he's never been to a Tea Party event. So, what do you call the conference full of Tea Partiers he just convened?

 In a darkened hotel ballroom, on the eve of Glenn Beck's burlesque of self-righteousness at the Lincoln Memorial, some 2,500 activists listened politely to the tall, impeccably dressed elder at the podium as he stumbled through his introduction of the evening's guest of honor, the conservative columnist George Will. The speaker was introduced simply as chairman of the board of the Americans For Prosperity Foundation, the organization that sponsored the event.

Few among the rank-and-file recognized the billionaire David Koch -- heir to the fortunes of Koch Industries --  or knew him as the man who bankrolls their activism, whose largess subsidized many of their trips to the nation's capital to take part in AFPF's organizing conference, and the Beck rally the following day.

Beck, you'll recall, is in the employ of the billionaire Rupert Murdoch, whose News Corporation (the parent company of Fox News and the Wall Street Journal) has been in cahoots, as AlterNet reported, with Kochs' AFPF since the inception of the Tea Party movement. Koch's halting public speaking style befits his usual reluctance in recent years to interact with the public. He prefers to be known as the philanthropic presence behind the great institutions of New York: the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the American Museum of Natural History and the New York City Ballet. Indeed, he made his entrance to the stage at the AFPF banquet to the strains of "New York, New York," which seemed a bit out of place in a room filled with the sounds of Southern drawls and Midwestern twangs.

But over the course of the past year, Koch has earned a new reputation, one he's not keen to have: the Daddy Warbucks of the Tea Party movement.

As AlterNet first reported last year, the two main astroturf groups responsible for organizing Tea Party supporters into a national movement were both founded by Koch: Americans For Prosperity, presided over by Tim Phillips, the former business partner of Ralph Reed; and FreedomWorks, which is chaired by former House Majority Leader Dick Armey.

Both FreedomWorks and Americans For Prosperity have their roots in a now-defunct Koch-funded group, Citizens for a Sound Economy. While Koch is actively involved in Americans For Prosperity, his spokesperson claims no current relationship with FreedomWorks, or, incredibly, with the Tea Party movement.

Last spring, on the eve of the April 15 Tax Day Tea Party protests, Koch Industries spokesperson Melissa Cohlmia sent an unsolicited statement to reporters and bloggers, asserting that "Koch companies, the Koch foundations, Charles Koch and David Koch have no ties to and have never given money to FreedomWorks. In addition, no funding has been provided by Koch companies, the Koch foundations, Charles Koch or David Koch specifically to support the tea parties. Thanks for your consideration."

“I’ve never been to a Tea Party event," David Koch told New York magazine's Andrew Goldman earlier this year. "No one representing the Tea Party has ever even approached me."

Koch Industries: We Don't Fund Tea Parties (Except For The Tea Parties We Fund)

Racist Far Right Group Praised by NY Anti-Mosque Organizers Riots in UK

White Supremacists Find Common Cause with Pam Geller’s Anti-Islam Campaign Wave of Hate Crimes Directed at Muslims Breaks Out

http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/index.aspx

Push Back On Koran-Burning Day

The religion “of the Devil” … practiced by “animals of Allah” … worshipping a “monkey-god”…Messages of hatred and discrimination are polluting our public discourse as we approach the anniversary of 9/11.

This Muslim-bashing follows on the heels of a debate about the “Ground Zero Mosque.” Comments from fearmongers have been deeply discriminatory—and completely disregard what’s really at stake: our Constitutional values, fundamental rights, and national security.
Cynically using the 9/11 anniversary to vilify Islam and Muslims trivializes the real tragedy of 9/11—the indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians.

We’ve gotten to the point that a small group in Florida is supporting a “Burn a Koran” event on September 11th—sponsored by a church, of all places. Left unchallenged, their message of hatred is heard loud and clear across the globe.

Where is the sense in this situation?  
The Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville Florida has posted on its website “10 Reasons to Burn a Koran.” We’re making our own list, and asking our supporters to send us your top reason NOT to burn a Koran. We’ll select the top 10 answers, post them on our website, and distribute them near and far to make sure another perspective is heard in this debate.

This misguided and violent rhetoric only harms us by alienating the communities whose cooperation is essential to effectively combat terrorism.  

Human Rights First has been fighting discrimination and intolerance wherever it occurs, monitoring situations all over the world where bias turns into violence and finding ways to combat it.  Help us push back on those who are delivering messages of hate.

POSTED BY REAGAN KUHN AT 12:31 PM  

          

THE Leading Researcher Has Called Gardasil A "Public Health Experiment" And Warns Of Serious Adverse Events.

THE Leading Researcher Has Called Gardasil A "Public Health Experiment" And Warns Of Serious Adverse Events.

Cervical Cancer Jab Researcher Warns Of Risks

By Jennifer Hough

Monday, August 30, 2010

“THE Leading Researcher In The Development Of The Cervical Cancer Vaccine, Gardasil, Has Called It A "Public Health Experiment" And Has Warned That Parents Must Be Made Aware Of The Serious Adverse Events Associated With Its Use.”

The vaccination programme is set to be rolled out here next month, targeting first- and second-year secondary school students.

However, Dr Diane Harper, who carried out safety studies to get Gardasil approved, warned of "serious adverse events including death" associated with it.

It has already begun on a trial basis, with 1,300 vaccines given in May, and 1,000 vaccines given in July.

The HSE said the vaccine has been shown to be very safe, with 60 million doses already given worldwide.

However, concerns are mounting with in excess of 18,000 adverse reactions recorded in the US, including 75 deaths. Adverse reactions have also been recorded in New Zealand, Canada and Australia.

A US federal report in 2009 found the vaccine had a 400% higher rate of adverse reactions than another comparable vaccine, the Menactra anti-meningitis shot.

The Irish Medicines Board (IMB) said it had received 10 reports of suspected adverse reactions associated with Gardasil.

One was received following the start of the HSE HPV school vaccination programme in May.

Apart from the small risk of being adversely effected, research shows the vaccine only lasts for five years.

In an unpublished report on research carried out by many clinicians, seen by the Irish Examiner, Dr Harper claims there is no data showing it remains effective beyond this.

The paper maintains any risk of permanent disability or death, no matter how rare, must be addressed as women have the choice of a lifetime of cervical screening without vaccination which accomplishes superior cervical cancer prevention.

"If the vaccine does not last at least 15 years, and if vaccination starts at 11 or 12, then women will not be protected long enough to prevent infection.

"We’ve put them at harm from side effects, small but real, for no benefit. This makes Gardasil very expensive with very limited, if any, clinical benefit," said Dr Harper.

A spokesperson for drug company Merck, which makes the vaccine, said the observation of an event after vaccination, including disease and death, does not mean that vaccination has caused this event or increased the risk, but just that the event occurred after vaccination.

"No investigation has currently led authorities into questioning the good safety profile of Gardasil or into modifying their vaccination recommendations."

This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Monday, August 30, 2010

Cancer Vaccine Warning

By Jennifer Hough

Monday, August 30, 2010

MEET The Gardasil Girls.

They are from Florida and Wisconsin, Texas and Tennessee, New Mexico, New Zealand and Australia.

There’s Savanna from Ohio, Kahlia from New Zealand, and Kristyn from Washington State. They are just a handful of the girls whose pretty smiling faces peer back from the website Sanevax.org.

What binds them together? Suspected serious adverse reactions to cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil, and the fact that they were all perfectly healthy prior to receiving the vaccine.

Savanna was 12 when she got the vaccine. Since then her list of symptoms has included vision problems, twitching, numbness, memory loss, trouble concentrating, confusion, brain fog (can’t find the right words), trouble breathing, sleep paralysis (can’t move upon first waking) and hair loss.

Her mother spends almost every waking moment trying to warn people. Her mission is to make sure no one else has to watch their child go through the traumatic, life-changing events her daughter has experienced.

And there’s Kristyn Allen. On March 2009, the day after her 16th birthday, she received her second Gardasil injection. Shortly after, she started complaining about odd symptoms and eventually ended up in the emergency room. She was having severe pain in both legs, tingling sensations in both legs and one arm, and terrible weakness. Multiple blood tests and a CT scan could uncover no reason for the symptoms.

Her list of symptoms now includes back pain from her neck to her feet, terrible pressure in her head, involuntary muscle spasms, nausea, diarrhoea, weight loss, severe fatigue, chest pains, rib pain, rapid heart beat, dizziness, vision problems, difficulty breathing, brain fog and hair loss.

There’s also 17-year-old Kahlia, who says her family have suggested Gardasil as a cause for her illnesses to the doctors. "They will not say it is 100% the cause, because they cannot prove it. On the other hand, they can’t say it’s not 100% the cause, because they cannot prove that either."

Jessica Ericzon was one of the first recorded Gardasil-associated fatalities. Until receiving her third injection of HPV vaccine, Jessica was healthy, happy, active, never smoked or took drugs. On February 20, 2008, less than 48 hours after her last Gardasil shot, her parents found her dead on the bathroom floor. She was only 17. According to her coroner, the death was unexplainable. 

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Scottish political activist and Sanevax.org co-founder Freda Birrell said it was imperative people were aware of the risks, even if there were not being taken seriously by politicians and the drug company. 

Birrell told the Irish Examiner that politicians here were "closing their ears" to the other side of the story in relation to the vaccine. Ms Birrell, who has written to Minister for Health Mary Harney, said if there are no serious adverse reactions associated with the vaccine’s use in Ireland, it will be the only country in which it has not happened.

In March, Birell, who is working for a formal investigation, along with five other campaigners, addressed the US Food and Drug Authority (FDA). During the teleconference with several FDA officials, the women presented documents, charts and discussed details of the cases they have collected from various countries in hopes of convincing the agency to take a tougher look at the Merck product.

However, the FDA remains satisfied these events are rare, coincidental and probably not related to HPV vaccines. It insists underlying conditions must have caused the reactions.

More worryingly, no one in this country seems to be aware of the possible side affects of Gardasil, and no one is warning parents of the possible dangers so they can make an informed decision on the issue.

For those who might be sceptical about the claims of the "Gardasil girls" and campaigners like Birrell, it is worth looking at an extraordinary turn of events in India this year.

In April, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) ordered the nation’s Health Ministry immediately to suspend a cervical cancer vaccination programme after reports of four deaths and 120 complications in girls receiving Merck’s Gardasil. The move came after concerned NGOs and activists submitted a memo to the health minister claiming: "It is beyond doubt the worst case of human rights violation, where young healthy girls have to die for being part of a state-endorsed experiment, initiated by a profit-making private company."

All of those given the vaccine were from poverty-stricken regions. The girls complained of stomach disorders, epilepsy, headaches and early menstrual cycles. But, while administration of the vaccine has been suspended "as a precautionary measure", the ICMR insist the girls died of extraneous reasons, not due to the vaccine.

Dr Diane Harper, who carried out safety and effectiveness studies to get Gardasil approved, and has been a paid speaker and consultant to Merck, wrote about the incident in a Discovery Medicine article. "The most disquieting objection to the programme, voiced by over 70 civil society groups, public health organisations, medical professionals, human rights organisations, women’s groups and others, was the lack of information provided to the public so that each participant could be afforded the opportunity for informed decision making about their cervical cancer protection."

This desire for information is not limited to India. With the vaccine set to be rolled out fully in Irish schools next month, Dr Harper’s article, which reviews the current information on cervical cancer prevention, is surely a must read for the Department of Health, the HSE, parents and schools. There are very real concerns and taking the word of the drug company who made, tested and marketed the product is not good enough.

No one can prove why all these young girls are getting sick and worse dying, but they and their families, and sometimes their doctors, believe it could be because of the vaccine.

Birrell maintains the denial will go on because of the power big-pharmaceutical companies have.

"The simple truth is we don’t want there to be any Irish stories telling of more young girls being harmed by Gardasil," she said. "How many more deaths and how many more serious illnesses will they ignore before they ask for an investigation? These young lives are precious and should be protected, not ignored."

Ms Birrell says the women have requested a second meeting with the FDA, which she says, treats them "with respect". She maintains that along with the reported adverse reactions, there must be a raft which are going un-reported. "As we told the FDA, it is not normal for young healthy teenagers to get sick or just drop dead. If there are no serious adverse reactions associated with the vaccine in Ireland, it will be the only country without any side effects."

Indeed, it is estimated VAERS reports only make up a small percentage of actual bad reactions.

Here a HIQA report, much misquoted as it has been, clearly states: "Vaccination against HPV infection does not get rid of the need for routine cervical cancer screening, as the vaccines only target the two HPV types that cause seven out of ten cases of cervical cancer.

"Also, the vaccines may not be 100% effective, their long-term efficacy has not yet been established in clinical trials longer than five years, and the vaccines are not effective in women already infected with those specific types of HPV."

According to Dr Harper, 11 to 12 year olds are not promised protection until they leave the age range for highest acquisition of high risk HPV infections, which is 36. So, even if there was a chance it would last 15 years – which is highly unlikely – girls vaccinated at 12 still would not be fully protected. As things stand, there is no evidence showing it remains effective beyond five years.

"This makes Gardasil very expensive with very limited, if any, clinical benefit," Dr Harper said.

Indeed, such is the mis-information around the marketing of these vaccines (there is another Cervarix which Britain opted for) there are fears women will believe they are fully protected from cervical cancer by getting it, and so will not continue with essential screenings.

Officially, Gardasil is deemed to be safe by all the regulatory bodies. The current post-marketing commitment between Merck and the FDA is to recognise a rate of serious adverse events that exceed two in 10,000 women in a cohort of 44,000 women who have received all three doses of Gardasil. This means any serious reactions which do not satisfy this clause will not be acted upon – even if they are as severe as death.

In her yet unpublished survey assessing all published research relating to the safety of the vaccine, Dr Harper stresses that independent scientists and clinicians reports of bad reactions are a valid source of information, and are of great value for safety issues.

What the end result of what Dr Harper calls a "public health experiment" will be no one knows. But one thing is clear, the HPV vaccine is unnecessary as it does not prevent cervical cancer.

This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Monday, August 30, 2010

See Also:

Irish Mothers Unite to Stop the Assault on Their Children “Lock up your Daughters - Suspected Serial Killer Due for Release - It's Called Gardasil”