Heads Up
A Weekly edition of News from around our country
December 6, 1996 #12
by: Doug Fiedor fiedor19@eos.net
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DAVID THE DICTATOR
David Kessler is a man with two professions.
He is both an attorney and a physician. But evidently,
he couldn't decide which profession to practice. So,
he accepted a position in government -- as head of the
Food and Drug Administration -- where he could tell
the rest of us what to do.
As head if the FDA, Kessler quickly made a
name for himself in Washington. He became known
as one of the most overzealous bureaucrats in government.
Like other federal regulatory agencies, the FDA is
structured under the Communist Politburo style of
government. There is a chairman/dictator, a small board
of advisors, and thousands of workers. No person in the
organization is elected. Therefore, no person in the agency
has any direct responsibility whatsoever to the citizens of
the United States.
In the Kessler FDA, the workers informed the board
of advisors, the board of advisors "advised" the chairman,
and the chairman played dictator and went about doing
exactly as he pleased.
During his tenure at FDA, many issues -- including
drugs, vitamins, medical devices, implants, and even food
labeling -- were ultimately decided by Kessler alone.
Oftentimes Kessler would rule in direct opposition to the
research evidence at hand, paying closer attention to the
politically correct than the scientifically proven.
For instance, he personally started a vendetta against
the tobacco industry, which is none of his business. Yet, he
feared targeting the Nation of Islam, which has been selling
potentially bogus AIDS test kits around the country.
Dr. David Kessler's activism has done little or nothing
at FDA to benefit the average American citizen. On the
contrary, he has done more than his part to increase medical
costs throughout the country.
Some people are not suited for positions of authority.
Dr. David Kessler has repeatedly demonstrated that he is one
such person. So, as he cleans out his desk and gets ready to
leave Washington, all many of us in the medical community
have to say is, David, "It's been a pressure!" And, "Don't
let the door hit you on the way out."
WALK YOUR STREETS
Last Sunday, the "Washington Post" editorial staff
again used their paper to instruct us on how we should
properly behave in society. This time their subject was
handguns.
In their tirade to ban any concealable handgun as
a "Saturday night special," The Post writes:
"You would think that state and federal lawmakers
might see the value of banning at least the worst of these
handguns or insisting on certain safety features to avoid
accidents. But all too often the lawmakers have cowered
in the face of the gun industry's strongest political
accomplice, the National Rifle (and Handgun and Assault
Weapon and Anything With a Trigger) Association.
"As a result, handguns of all kinds flow freely in the
marketplace subject to less safety regulation than toy guns,
fireworks, hair dryers or just about any other product that
must meet consumer-product standards."
Now folks, we know that is quite an exaggeration --
editorial liberty, it's called. The far left never has worried
much about letting a little thing like facts get in the way of
a good liberal rant. Because, surely, a newspaper as big as
The Washington Post must have noticed all of the federal
laws, rules and regulations pertaining to firearms.
Funny thing about an inanimate object like a
handgun, though. They do not do anything! A small one
has been used as a paper-weight in this office for years.
It just sits there, holding down the papers, and never
bothering anyone.
It takes the direct action of a human to make it
function improperly.
By the way, how in hell do you make a "safe"
gun? What good would it be? Any gun is safe if you
leave it alone or use it properly. And, like many other
potentially dangerous things in life, it can also be a
lifesaver when it's needed.
Many inanimate objects are inherently dangerous.
Perhaps the Post would have us ban them all. Oops.
Never mind. They're getting to that, aren't they. . . .
ERROR, ERROR, ERROR
There was a major error -- the same error -- in
two editions of "Heads Up." This was a big error, and it
should not have occurred.
Sam Donaldson of ABC news was said to be a
Canadian citizen. He is not. Donaldson's biography
says he was born in Texas.
So, Sam Donaldson may be a liberal, but he's
our liberal.
This was brought to our attention the first time
we wrote that. At that time, the information was checked
in the file, and we said it was correct. Well, we should
have done more checking. Further research proved we
were wrong.
Now, it really doesn't matter where the
information came from. I used it, and it was incorrect.
Therefore, it is my mistake as the writer. For that
I apologize.
-- Doug
A PROPER USE FOR POT
The people of Arizona and California recently
approved the use of marijuana for medicinal reasons.
And, marijuana has been shown to benefit people with
certain physical afflictions. Now, the strict
authoritarians in Washington are throwing a fit.
They think they're smarter, and know better, than all of
those voters they are supposed to be serving.
Besides, if they don't take a firm stand on this
issue, if it doesn't look like they're putting an abrupt
halt to any and all legal use of marijuana, it may look
like they're loosing control. And that's the ultimate
aphrodisiac in Washington, you know: Power! Control
over us. So already, they're scheming to overrule the
will of the good people of both states.
Using typical Prohibition style rhetoric, some
labeled it a first step in a well-orchestrated, well-
funded plan to legalize drugs in America. Senator Kyl
said that the ballot measure "begins a road to
destruction of people's lives in this country."
Huh? It seems as though we have heard almost
those exact words somewhere before. Anyone remember
the movie "Reefer Madness"? That was an anti-pot movie
from the early 50s which was so preposterous it ended up
becoming kind of a comical cult film in the 70s and 80s.
Yup, that evil weed is going to be the downfall of us all!
Seriously folks, most "illegal" drugs have a proper
use in medicine. Marijuana is only one such useful
medication. Heroin is another.
There are two major issues needing public
discussion here. First, where in the Constitution does
the federal government get authority to interfere with
the interaction between physician and patient? And
second, where in the Constitution is there authority to
stop American citizens from using drugs of any kind?
Perhaps we should remember that alcohol is
also used as a drug. It took a Constitutional Amendment
to ban the sale of alcohol. How can marijuana -- or any
drug, for that matter -- be different?
RUSH TO REGULATE
Remember Slick Willie campaigning as a champion
of smaller government? What a scam! All that time,
Ozone Head Al's people were fiendishly working in secret
to really stick it to us. And so they have.
On the day before the election, the Environmental
Protection Agency submitted 1,200-pages of rules and
regulations to the White House which would drastically
increase the burden and cost of the Clean Air Act on most
areas of the country.
The new standards call for reducing smog by
another one-third. And, they now want to limit all of
the fine "dust" and "soot" particles in the air. To do
this, they will be coming after our cars again, as well
as motorcycles, lawnmowers, chain saws, barbecues,
wood burning stoves, fireplaces and whatever else
we've got.
Remember now, they already got to the
air-conditioning. . . . This time they're coming after
the stuff that helps keep you warm.
You see folks, EPA makes all these regulations
arbitrarily. Their background "science" is mostly done
by computer modeling -- garbage in and garbage out.
Then they use the garbage out to make rules and
regulations (read law).
In a small study in the Northern Kentucky area,
we found that trucks, airplanes and trains together burn
more fuel in the area than automobiles. Yet,
automobiles are heavily regulated. When was the last
time anyone saw a catalytic converter on jet aircraft or
eighteen wheelers? All hell would break loose if EPA
went after the aircraft and trucking industries. These
industries are organized. We citizens are not. So, we
catch it!
Ozone, by the way, precedes man on this earth.
So does "soot" in the air. Any lightening storm
produces ozone. Any wind storm puts particles of dust
and dirt into the air. Active volcano's supply tons of
ash per minute -- ash which often circles the earth for
months, distributing the particles all over the planet.
Even trees are an important source of volatile
organic compounds. And along with sunlight, trees are
key components of ground-level ozone, or smog. The
new EPA standards are so low that many of the nation's
forests will just barely conform -- if no humans drive
through them or fly over them, that is.
So, EPA thinks it can stop nature? Nope! All
they will be doing is making life miserable for American
citizens.
Last year Congress passed legislation that
empowers it to "veto" regulations promulgated by
executive agencies. The new ozone rules may be the
first test of that power. The problem is, the
Congressional veto would have to go through Congress
like a normal bill -- and Clinton could veto it!
Obviously, it's time for massive amounts of cards
and letters, folks. The only way "We the People" can
counter this gross misuse of power is to turn up the
political heat and keep it up until they beg for mercy.
So, call and write all three of your Members of Congress
and "inform" them of your opinion.
Again, when we look to our Constitution for the
federal government's authority to regulate these things,
we find none. Congress created its own authority. Then
Congress handed this authority off to unelected
bureaucrats in a federal agency for arbitrary disposition.
This is a direct violation of our Constitution.
Think not? Read the very first sentence in the body of
the Constitution.
Anyway, the EPA's actions have not made any
real scientific sense for years. It's time we call for
Congress to abolish the EPA.
TOWARD TAILPIPE TYRANNY
Below is a letter to the editor of the Kentucky
Post written by a well published Northern Kentucky
author and journalist. This was in reply to an
editorial by the paper on emissions testing for
automobiles. The letter is reprinted herein with the
permission of the author. -- Ed.
"In reply to your editorial, Toward Tailpipe
Tests, November 13, I submit that in describing the
approaching oppression of tailpipe testing by the EPA,
you have taken the assumption that EPA mandates are
some sort of inevitable happening and we, the simple
masses have no control over the power of the EPA.
A second assumption that should not go unchallenged is
that tailpipe emissions in Greater Cincinnati actually
have some impact on our environment.
"While it is true that we need to address certain
looming problems in our environment such as dwindling
availability of landfill sites and cleaning up toxic waste,
these problems don't give the EPA carte blanche to
invade our lives at every level. It is the height of
arrogance for EPA bureaucrats to think that they have
the authority to govern without the consent of the
governed. But, with the aid of the media, which
consistently displays zero curiosity about any 'facts'
spewed by the EPA, they do govern. And the muscle
they use to assure our lemming-like conformity is to
threaten that if we don't obey the EPA edicts, their
buddies at the Department of Transportation will cut
off our highway funds.
"Say WHAT?
"The same logic would apply if a schoolboy is
told that if he doesn't take a Geography course, the Math
teacher will flunk him.
"For another clue that EPA warnings of global
warming, ozone depletion and greenhouse effects are
unadulterated fraud, see what they do when you ask them
for a little scientific backup. Invariably their response is
to either ignore the question or to lay down a barrage of
insults upon the questioner, accusing him of wanting to
poison the air, foul the water or just about any other
despicable crime they can dream up.
"Save the environment. That is truly a noble
sentiment, bound up in emotion and moral superiority.
And to question the motives and morals of those who wave
it above their heads as they trample upon our freedoms is
to risk political suicide. The next time you see an
environmental group beating up on someone questioning
the arrogance of the EPA, run, not walk to your dictionary
and look up the definition of "tyranny." The EPA is a
living example of what we get when a good thought is
carried to evil ends."
-- Craig M. Brown
MORE CIA AND DRUGS
As reported here previously, drug smugglers
under protection of the CIA sold tons of illegal drugs
within the United States. Since our report, government
minions at the Washington Post, Associated Press and
the Los Angeles Times denied that allegation for the
CIA, saying no evidence is available. But that is far
from the truth.
The latest report comes from the November 22nd
Wall Street Journal in an article by Staff Reporter
Jose de Cordoba.
Cordoba reports that "a Miami grand jury
indicted the former head of a Central Intelligence
Agency-sponsored Venezuelan antidrug unit on charges
he smuggled cocaine into the U.S." Yup, the CIA
operative, Gen. Ramon Guillen, was accused of shipping
as much as 22 tons of the stuff here.
Oh. And incidentally, it was also reported that
officials admitted that CIA officials working with
General Guillen approved the smuggling of a ton or so
of cocaine into the United States -- Guillen puts it at
4,100 pounds. The CIA officials said they just wanted
to gather "intelligence" on where the cocaine would go.
Sure! But that is not in CIA's job description. The CIA
has zero policing powers or law enforcement
responsibilities within the United States.
Anyway, lest anyone become confused here, where
that ton or two of CIA smuggled cocaine went was directly
to our American neighborhoods! And, it made a few
illegal drug dealers rich along the way.
So, the general got busted because he sent us a little
more (twenty tons) cocaine than what was reported to be
officially approved by the CIA. That's their public story,
anyway. We'll probably never know what really happened.
Folks, there are a few inconvenient questions that
we might ask here -- although it's doubtful that anyone
in Congress will have the cajonies to answer:
For instance, why is the CIA allowed to smuggle
tons of cocaine into the U. S. for sale illegally on the
streets, but an ill American citizen cannot smoke a joint
for medicinal reasons? And, what the hell was Customs
and the FBI doing all this time? One would think that
they might notice a couple of extra tons of cocaine
hitting American streets (the DEA was said to be involved
with the CIA in part of this deal).
And doesn't it seem strange that the CIA knows
exactly where to sell off that much cocaine? Legally, it
is a felony for the spooks to know of an illegal
enterprise in progress and not tell the Department of
Justice. So, when do we start seeing CIA officials sent
to prison? Yeah, right!
It's that "national security" thing again, folks.
Darn convenient, that!
BAGS OVER HILLARY
There is a rather humorous tongue-in-cheek
campaign beginning on Prodigy and the Internet to "bag
Hillary." It seems that, after her well publicized
comment last week about how she "might as well put a
bag over her head," a few thousand people are aiming to
oblige her.
So . . . they are urging everyone to mail a bag to
Hillary at the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington, D.C. 20001.
For "Heads Up" readers on the Prodigy system,
check out the news bulletin boards under Whitewater for
discussion.
ONE FOR US
Last month, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
ruled in support of the Fifth Amendment.
A California man, Loren C. Troescher, stood up
to the IRS, and refused to become a witness against
himself in a tax case. When the IRS served him with
a summons, he refused to supply information.
Representing himself in court, Loren Troescher
argued that he had a Fifth Amendment right to not
incriminate himself. The IRS argued that there was a
"Tax Crime Exemption" to the Fifth Amendment. The
district court agreed with the government, so Troesher
appealed -- this time using an attorney.
Judge Stephen Reinhardt's opinion for the Ninth
Circuit Court of Appeals states in part: "Troescher
argues that the district court erred in rejecting his
assertion of the Fifth Amendment's privilege against
self-incrimination. We agree, and therefore vacate the
order and remand to the district court for
reconsideration in light of this opinion." (U.S. v.
Troescher, No. 95-55609)
Now, before anyone tries to actually use this
Court opinion against the IRS, it should be understood
that the IRS seldom follows court rulings with which it
does not agree. In other words, the IRS does as it
pleases! It accepts no Constitutional -- and, often not
even Congressional -- restrictions on its activities.
Because of this, we should inundate
Representative Rob Portman and Senator Bob Kerry,
co-chairmen of the new Commission on Restructuring the
Internal Revenue Service, with our letters and complaints.
Congress is directly responsible for the blatantly
un-Constitutional activities of the IRS. Now it is the
responsibility of us citizens to demand significant changes.
All agencies of government, including the IRS,
must be forced to honor and follow the Constitution.
They're asking for your comments now, so tell them.
Send comments to the Commission care of: Rep.
Rob Portman, 238 Cannon House Office Building,
Washington, D.C. 20515.
NEW SHOPPING LIST
The do-gooders are at it again. This week,
television executives have agreed to rate shows based
on their suitability for kids of different age groups.
Hey folks, aren't parents supposed to do that?
The TV moguls say they will devise a rating system
similar to the motion-picture industry. Sure. Except, they
forgot something: There's no ticket-taker for the TV set.
There is no adult to say "no, you are not old enough to
watch this." That's the job of the parents.
They're going to program the rating codes into
a "V" chip, you say? Yeah, that will work about one
week. The un-programming of the V-chip will probably
be the first set of instructions ever studied by every kid
in every junior high in the country! They've got e-mail
nowadays, you know.
Years back, before the motion picture industry
rated films, anyone with the price of admission could
enter just about any movie theater. There were few, if
any, age restrictions.
Back then, there was also a very popular
monthly church publication which rated movies as per
suitability of content. The movie column was rather
descriptive, too, in that it outlined exactly what may be
offensive in each movie.
Unbeknownst to the parents, that column turned
out to be a wonderful "shopping list" for the young teens
of the day.
The new TV rating system will too.
ON THE NET
If you missed any of the past eleven issues of
"Heads Up," they can all be found at:
http://mmc.cns.net/headsup.html.
TELL THE LEFT WHAT YOU THINK
ABC Good Morning America -- gma@abc.com
ABC Nightline -- NTline@aol.com
ABC Primetime Live -- PTLive@aol.com
ABC This Week With -- tvabc@abc.com
CBS News producer -- dcp@cbsnews.com
Fox News -- foxnet@delphi.com
NBC Dateline -- dateline@news.nbc.com
NBC Meet the Press -- mtp@news.nbc.com
NBC Nightly News -- nightly@news.nbc.com
NBC Today Show -- today@news.nbc.com
Tom Snyder Late Late Show -- latelateshow@cbs.com
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