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Today's News Today's News This Issue Letters to the Editor Writers Eminent Domain Reform To Be Introduced in U.S.House of Representatives Property Owners Still Left Unprotected from Federally Funded Abuses Two Years After Kelo By The Castle Coalition Arlington, Va. - July 12, Representatives Maxine Waters (D-CA) and F. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) introduced the Private Property Rights Protection Act of 2007 to stop taxpayer funding of eminent domain abuse. This bipartisan bill would counter the effects of the U.S. Supreme Court's infamous decision in Kelo v. City of New London, which allows governments to use eminent domain to seize private property on behalf of private developers in hopes of increasing tax revenue. The Act would deny for two fiscal years economic development funds to state and local governments that use eminent domain for private development. In 2005, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed H.R. 4128, the Private Property Rights Protection Act of 2005, by a vote of 376 to 38. The bill was co-sponsored by representatives from across the political and ideological spectrum, including Representatives Waters, Sensenbrenner, John Conyers Jr. (D-MI), and Henry Bonilla (R-TX). Despite unprecedented bipartisan political and public support, the bill languished in the Senate Judiciary Committee and ultimately died. "Federal protections from eminent domain abuse are long overdue," said Bert Gall, a senior attorney at the Institute for Justice, which argued the Kelo case on behalf of the homeowners. IJ and the Castle Coalition - a nationwide grassroots organization of property owners and activists dedicated to stopping eminent domain abuse - have led the fight to reform state and federal eminent domain laws. "Even though the vast majority of Americans oppose the abuse of eminent domain for private development, the federal government still funds that abuse." June 23 marked the two-year anniversary of the Kelo decision. In every poll since that ruling, the public is overwhelmingly against eminent domain for private use. Forty-two states have passed eminent domain reforms reining in the Kelo decision, including 10 states where voters passed ballot measures by wide margins in last year's elections. But many of those reforms

After all, richer people could be living there and paying more taxes

CDC backpedals on vaccination recommendations Healthcare workers oblivious to their participation in mass medical experimentation COEUR D'ALENE -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Immunization Update for Sept. 14, broadcast via satelite to public health institutions all over the nation, was an installment of the periodic program which served two specific functions: It served notice that influenza vaccine will be late and in short supply this year and it cleverly backpedaled on several aspects of previous CDC vaccination recommendations because too many people have died or become permanently damaged as a result. The CDC must have known it would have to play hardball with health professionals to overcome recent failings with regard to vaccination policy: Mercury-based preservative thimerosal has been banned from vaccines amid claims that it may be harmful and news that the oral polio has been responsible for spreading the disease rather than preventing it and contains the carcinogenic monkey virus SV-40. To compel audience participation and compliance, the CDC urged the health professionals in the audience to fill out the form to receive continuing education credit for watching the program and fill out the evaluation form and send them both in to the CDC. For their trouble, the CDC promised to mail them a collectible “Star Wars” pro-vaccination poster. The ruse apparently worked as the 25 women and one man in attendance accepted the explanations from program host CDC National Immunization Program Director Dr. William Atkinson for vaccination policies that may have been responsible for the injuries and deaths of thousands of people in over the last 30 years. Promise of a “collectible” poster from the 70s also helped these healthcare professionals to accept the new recommendations without questioning whether or not they might be lethal as well. Pneumococcus vaccine

Hepititis B There is a new, two-dose, thimerosal-free hep B vaccine manufactured by Merck and Smith/Kline. The CDC recommends that all infants be vaccinated against hep B before leaving the hospital. “Infants have been our emphasis over the last few years,” explained Atkinson. Hep B is primarily spread through intravenous drug use and promiscuous sex. For the CDC to recommend that all infants receive hep B vaccine must be because the federal agency expects babies to start sharing needles and engaging in promiscuous sex immediately upon leaving the hospital or the CDC believes it is safer, for the sake of the children, to assume that all mothers are intravenous drug abusers with multiple sex partners. The American Association of Pediatricians (AAP) recommended that hep B vaccine be delayed until six months of age due to thimerosal content. But, since thimersal has been removed, the AAP recommends that infants begin receiving the shots by no later than two months.

Polio vaccine “Today may be the last day we talk about polio vaccine,” Atkinson said. The CDC no longer recommends the administration of the oral polio vaccine (OPV) since it has been proven the vaccine causes outbreaks of the disease and contains the carcinogenic SV-40 monkey virus. Atkinson did mention OPV may be used in the event that parents refuse to have their child injected with the third and fourth doses of Inactivated Polio Vaccine, or if the child is traveling to a country where polio may be present within 4 weeks -- but that will be only until the end of this year as supplies of OPV will run out and they will not be replaced. Atkinson promised that in a few more years polio will be wiped out forever and will not be part of the recommended vaccination regimen. “The end of polio disease is in sight,” he said and added that China was just certified “polio free” this year. Historical references to 200 years of polio eradication efforts show that polio has never been controlled through vaccination. The definition of the disease just changes to become paralytic meningitis based upon the vaccination status of the individual.

his Web site was launched in early 1995, and was amongst the first sites dedicated to, not only providing&nbsp; alternative theories of addictive behavior and change, but providing addiction information in general. HabitSmart has been alive and kicking since its debut, despite occasional objections to its non-twelve step focus, and primarily because of the hundreds of positive responses to the site.&nbsp; The site offers an abundance of information about addictive behavior: theories of habit endurance and habit change as well as tips for effectively managing problematic habitual behavior. Many people grappling with addictive behavior are not aware that, as opposed to just one,&nbsp; there are many potentially effective routes to change.&nbsp;&nbsp; In as much as AA and associated 12-step approaches have been useful to many, one size does not fit all. Furthermore, many who align themselves with the 12-step model can augment their recovery with other information and tools. INFORMATION DRIVES CHANGE &nbsp; The Self Scoring Alcohol Check-up is an on-line questionnaire for people concerned about their alcohol&nbsp;&nbsp; consumption. It is hoped that filling out the form will enable respondents to examine important aspects of this behavior and consider various change options. This is not a diagnostic assessment, but an opportunity to examine "the facts" about your drinking (e.g. quantity consumed, unique triggers, consequences) and hopefully find some route to change which is commensurate with your needs and goals.. Includes the SADD (Short-Form Alcohol Dependence Data Questionnaire). &nbsp;The Codependency Idea: A Disease of Caring This lengthy article offers an alternative to the "codependency mentality" and tips for people in relationships with addicted individuals. &nbsp; &nbsp; The Cognitive Therapy Pages This new addition to HabitSmart is designed to be an introduction to cognitive therapy of emotional problems. Articles address the cognitive model, depression, anxiety, anger management, as well as tips on thought monitoring and cognitive disputation. Under Construction: THE COGNITIVE MODEL OF DEPRESSION: A MULTI-MEDIA PRESENTATION First in a series of presentations to educate the principles of cognitive therapy. NEW&nbsp; &nbsp; Kicking Depression's Ugly Butt&nbsp; Chapter summary and excerpt from Dr. Westermeyer's depression self-help book, available Summer, 2004 at bookstores and directly from Quick Publications. Tipping the Scale This exercise and accompanying documents were written to help you understand and counter ambivalence. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Push Harm Reduction: This was the first site on the WWW dedicated to providing information about Harm Reduction and associated interventions. Check it out! Assimilate and spread the word! Nine articles dealing with outreach, needle exchange, methadone,&nbsp; as well as dieting and clinical implications of harm reduction. &nbsp; Jump Starting that New Years Resolution Failed your January change agenda? Here's some tips for getting back on track. By the way, You don't have to wait until 1-1 to make a resolution! &nbsp;Memory Model of Problem Drinking: This empirically-based document offers an information-processing conceptualization of craving, urges and loss of control. &nbsp; &nbsp; Coping With Urges: The article offers tips for "out-smarting" the various breeds of urge. Coping with Addiction is an excellent article that provides answers to many questions people have about drug and alcohol abuse plus some useful advice on methods of change. <