Note: This is serious stuff and California seems to be leading the way. -Chris
http://www.communitycurrency.org/3-21.html Oppose New Legislative Threat to Health and Democracy! Calling activists to rally their opposition to the Emergency Health Powers Act (In California- Bill 1763) in Sacramento at the Capitol steps at 10:00 a.m. March 21, 2002 We will rally, have a press conference, and then visit our legislators’ staff from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.. The California Bill, based upon Model Health Emergency Health Powers Act, would allow the governor to declare a "public health emergency", and without consulting with public health authorities, law enforcement, the legislature or courts, to: · Require any individual to be vaccinated. Refusal constitutes a crime and will result in quarantine. · Require any individual to undergo specific medical treatment. Refusal constitutes a crime and will result in quarantine. · Seize any property, including real estate, food, medicine, fuel or clothing, an official thinks necessary to handle the emergency. · Seize and destroy any property alleged to be hazardous. There will be no compensation or recourse. · Draft you or your business into state service. · Impose rationing, price controls, quotas and transportation controls. · Suspend any state law, regulation or rule that is thought to interfere with handling the declared emergency. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson is urging all State legislatures to adopt the Model State Emergency Health Powers Act. HHS will tie passage of the Act to billions of dollars in federal funding: the usual method of bribery/coercion to get States to pass legislation that would otherwise never be considered. In California on January 8, 2002, Assembly Member Richman introduced Bill 1763 Emergency Health Powers Act. http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/bill/asm/ This may serve the Bush Administration’s aims, but bodes ominously for democracy. The Patriot Bill, the Anti-Terrorism Bill, the Homeland Security Act were not written in the wake of September 11,th but in anticipation of a terrorist attack in the US. A violent military response “guaranteed 100%” that the U.S. would be the subject of “future terrorist” attacks, the government and the media assured us. The anthrax scare proved the predictions true, but unfortunately for the hawks in the Pentagon, they were unable to place the blame on Iraq (which they dearly wished to attack). Elements within the military intellegence community were most likely responsible for the anthrax attacks on Democrats and the media. The Center for Law and the Public Health was convened on Oct. 5th to draft legislation to respond to the bioterrorism threat. (The Center for Law and Public Health is run jointly by Georgetown University Law School and Johns Hopkins Medical School, and was founded under the auspices of the Center for Disease Control (CDC). CLPH was formed one month prior to the 2000 Presidential election.) A revised version was released on Dec. 21 containing more specific definitions of "public health emergency" as it pertains to bioterrorism and biologic agents, and includes language for those states that want to use the act for chemical, nuclear or natural disasters. As the Administration rattles its nuclear saber, bombs innocent civilians, flagrantly violates International Law, shreds the Constitution, veils itself in secrecy, admits the existence of an underground shadow government to Congress, imprisons hundreds of innocent people because of their ethnic background, blocks real inquiries into 9-11, while using “that crime” to justify an endless war that enriches corporate elites, the military, the oil companies, drug traffickers, more revelations of its shady relationship with Enron, Bin Laden, (not to mention a rigged election in Florida) are emerging. Doubts surface about whose interests will be served by the Model Emergency Health Powers Act. While condemning and pursuing the Al Qaeda network where convenient, the National Post reported Friday that “Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terrorist network has been active in the Balkans for years, most recently helping Kosovo rebels battle for independence from Serbia with the financial and military backing of the United States and NATO.” Just who benefits the most from terrorist attacks? Civilians or the Military Industrial Complex and the Mulit-National Corporations so bent on dismantling on the democratic process and national sovereignty? And who would benefit the most if another “bioterrorist attack” occurred in the US? Why are the media and the US government trying to scare the US public and discourage Congressional investigations into 9-11 and Enron? Microbiologists around the world have been dying under suspicious circumstances in the past several months. On November 12, 2001 DynCorp announced that its subsidiary, DynPort Vaccine, had been awarded a $322 million contract to develop, produce, test, and store FDA licensed vaccines for use by the Defense Department. DynCorp has been involved in criminal activities and its former chairman was until recently, Herbert Pug Winokur, who was the recent Chairman of the Enron Finance Committee. (Details on this subject can be found at Mike Ruppert’s website, in his article “A Career in Microbiology Can be Hazardous to Your Health” at http://www.copvcia.com/free/ww3/02_14_02_microbio.html It is hypocritical to “Wage War on Terrorism” while one is funding, training, and engaging in Terrorist acts at home and abroad. Contact your public officials and the media on this critical issue, join us in Sacramento, California on Thursday, March 21, 2002 to make our voices heard, and to meet with our representatives and their staffs. Contact Carol Brouillet at [EMAIL PROTECTED] to be part of our delegation, to support our action and to endorse your opposition to California’s proposed Emergency Health Powers Act. More Background on Emergency Health Powers Act (MEHPA). California's Emergency Health Powers Act, AB 1763, as introduced 1/8/02, follows the national model (MEHPA) fairly closely. We would strongly prefer that this legislation (state Emergency Health Powers Acts) be defeated, especially in states like California, which already have laws, programs, and experienced agencies in place to deal with emergencies that could affect public health. Some states, such as Texas, have prudently decided to review current law in order to identify whether anything needs to be changed. In most cases, passage of laws based on the MEHPA will be overreaching and intrusive, as well as duplicative and contradictory of current law. However, outright defeat could prove to be very difficult given some important factors such as: the number of very powerful groups which have already endorsed the MEHPA the political makeup of various legislatures the complexities of the issues, which most legislators will not understand, such as interaction with current laws the general popular concern about doing something regarding terrorism the millions of federal dollars being made available to the states on condition of having specified programs in place at the state level The articles and the documents listed below provide vital background information.
