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RUMSFELD DISCRACES VETERANS Dear Editor, Take Back The Media has the courage to say what Bush's Mainstream Media refuse to say - the truth. This January, Donald Rumsfeld declared that the Drafted Vietnam Soldier did nothing for America. Here is what Rumsfeld said: "If you think back to when we had the draft, people were brought in; they were paid some fraction of what they could make in the civilian manpower market because they were without choices. Big categories were exempted - people that were in college, people that were teaching, people that were married. It varied from time to time, but there were all kinds of exemptions." "And what was left was sucked into the intake, trained for a period of months, and then went out, adding no value, no advantage, really, to the United States armed services over any sustained period of time, because the churning that took place, it took enormous amount of effort in terms of training, and then they were gone." (emphasis mine) If Mr. Rumsfeld thinks this way about American Soldiers and Veterans, how can he possibly justify sending thousands of young troops off to fight in yet another war? I'm a disabled Veteran and I'm proud to have served. Where were you, Mr. Rumsfeld, when your Country called? Chickenhawk-- It's time for you to go... Tony Bellomo, Saginaw, MI Parents Take on the Powerful - and Win Dear Editor, As Congress was coming to a close last year, an amendment was slipped into the bill creating a Department of Homeland Security that had no business being there - a provision that sheltered certain pharmaceutical companies from lawsuits by parents who believe a vaccine preservative the companies manufactured caused autism in their children. This kind of special interest legislation is Congress at its worst. I noticed that this provision had been added by the House of Representatives - at the last minute and with no debate - and led the effort to get it removed. This provision was seemingly written to protect just a few companies, like pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly & Company, from lawsuits by parents who believe a mercury-based preservative called thimerosal, which had been used for years in children's vaccines, might be responsible for the alarming rise in the rate of autism across the nation. Unfortunately, we did not have the votes to remove this provision from the Homeland Security Bill before it passed; so on the first day of the new Congress I offered a bill - S. 105 - to strip this provision from the law. The good news is that my legislation might not even be needed. Once the details of this provision became public, I worked with thousands of parents who wrote to their Senators and Members of Congress to protest that something this important to our nation's children could be slipped into law without public hearing or debate. Then as Congress reconvened, I invited hundreds of parents to come to the Capitol to personally lobby their legislators and the Senate and House leadership. I had the pleasure of meeting with these parents - including several from Michigan - at a rally near the Capitol. And the good news is that their efforts worked! In fact, within days of the rally a bipartisan agreement emerged in both Houses that this special vaccine amendment must be removed, and Senate and House leadership have promised swift action. I congratulate all the parents who worked so hard to make their voices heard because this is their victory - and a great victory for public health over private interests. And I promise I am going to make sure that the Congressional leadership makes good on its promises and sends legislation to the President removing this special protection for the pharmaceutical industry. In the meantime, I think it's worth examining how this provision was added to the Homeland Security bill in the first place. No one has ever taken credit for it and offered to publicly explain why it was put there. I worry about this because one of the prime beneficiaries of the legislation, Eli Lilly, gave $1.6 million to political candidates - mostly Republicans - in the 2002 election cycle and has several former executives in high-ranking jobs in the Administration. These can all be innocent connections. But there would be no question of motives if there had been a public debate on this legislation in the first place. I would welcome Congressional hearings on the thimerosal issue where we could hear from parents, doctors, scientists and researchers - as well as the pharmaceutical industry. Issues not debated in the light of public scrutiny will inevitably be viewed darkly by the same public. Sincerely, Senator Debbie Stabenow Washington, D.C. LAND USE CONTROLS Governor Jennifer Granholm is expected to name a commission that will be led by former Governor William Milliken and former Attorney General Frank Kelley and will oversee policy on land use development and controls in the state. Environmentalists are hailing the move as a first step towards controlling land use in the state. The commission will be called the Smart Growth Commission. SPECIAL NOTE We would like to note the untimely passing of Mark D. Fuller of Saginaw, who left us on January 17th of this year. Mark was a great supporter and true fan of the local music scene and the many musicians that make it happen. He will be missed. The Review welcomes your letters and comments. Please send all correspondence to: Letters to the Editor, Review Magazine, 318 S. Hamilton St., Saginaw, MI 48602. Or you can e-mail us online at letters@review-mag.com
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