Partnership of betrayal

By Darren Weeks

There's an old saying that suggests that if you want to find the true intent of a politician, "just follow the money".

My wife recently called my attention to an article on a local news site, reporting that Michigan's legislature was about to introduce a mandate that all sixth grade girls be vaccinated against the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), as a condition for attending school. As the father of two girls, and being knowledgeable about the dangers of vaccinations, I was immediately furious and called the state capitol.

After speaking to someone at my senator's office, I realized that the person to whom I needed to address my attention, was state senator Beverly Hammerstrom. It was this woman who was planning to introduce the objectionable legislation.

I was greeted on the phone by a very gleeful woman. It was an office worker, who informed me that the senate was already in session.

I introduced myself, and got right to the point. I told her that parents shouldn't be required to vaccinate their children and I demanded that Ms. Hammerstrom retreat from introducing the legislative requirement.

Her zippy demeanor still intact, she said that it wasn't very likely that Ms. Hammerstrom would do that, but assured me that the senator had done her homework on the issue. So confident was the bouncy office receptionist, that she planned to get the vaccine herself because she wanted "every protection available" against cervical cancer.

I explained to her that vaccines often contain dangerous ingredients such as mercury, and that mercury was so dangerous that the stores have largely quit selling thermometers containing it.

She acknowledged her awareness that all of the aforementioned was true. But, insisted she, the vaccines contain "a different formulation of mercury" than the thermometers.

I was aghast. While I've never considered myself a scientific expert, I did know that mercury is an element. How can there be a "different formulation" of an element? Mercury is mercury! We're talking about atoms. Either the vaccines have it, or they don't. And if they do, the human body is no place for a vaccine. After a few more attempts to explain, her ignorance prevailed against my patience.

I then asked her what research had been done to prove that the HPV vaccine would be safe for school children. She explained that there were "a lot of people" that had been working on the issue for "a long time". When pressed further, she stated that the senator was working with a very "huge" group called, "Women In Government".

Feeling like I had a lead, I concluded the call and went to the Internet and conducted a search. As expected, "Women In Government" had a website. I noticed on the page where they list their board of directors, that Sen. Bev Hammerstrom was the "Immediate Past Chair" of the board. There was a page containing Foundation Partnerships. One partner was the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation.

After phoning a few pharmaceutical companies, and referring to the original news article, I learned that the HPV virus was manufactured by the Merck company. The news article had also stated that Glaxo Smith Kline was developing their own version of the vaccine.

I then went back to Yahoo, and entered "Merck" and "Women in Government" together, and up popped a list of 2006 sponsors for "Women in Government" — right on their own website.

The list read like a who's who of pharmaceutical companies. Listed right in the middle of the list was Merck & Co., Inc., and Merck Vaccine Division. Also listed was Glaxo Smith Kline. My hunch was correct. This was a classic case of quid pro quo, a poetic example of how public-private partnerships work, and how the American system of government is being replaced by a system of corporate fascism.

Suddenly, my anger turned to resolve. I knew I had the necessary documentation to prove that Sen. Bev Hammerstrom was in bed with the giant pharmaceutical companies. She was introducing laws that would benefit her organization's sponsors.

On Wednesday, I met with the news director of our number one television news station. I presented to him page after page of documentation that proved Hammerstrom's connection to the private interests that would benefit from her vaccination laws.

Thursday, Channel 6 ran an exclusive, featuring Hammerstrom on the defensive, downplaying her connection to big pharma and attempting to defend her actions. It was clear as I watched, she did not seem to be enjoying the attention. She appeared to be trying to hide behind her desk. Like a rat, the senator had been caught. No amount of denying on her part would change the glaring conflict-of-interest scandal that now stared her in the face.

Sadly, partnerships such as the one we've exposed in Michigan are the norm. In fact, from talking to people at the capitol, the news crew of the television station said people there were surprised at the scrutiny. The reporter was told that that such practices constituted business-as-usual.

And it's a widespread business. According to the "Women In Government" web site, 45 states have introduced legislation or resolutions regarding the HPV vaccine. Is your state one of them? The battle is far from over. The damaging legislation must be killed in every state.

If you live in Michigan, the bills are SB 1416 and SB 1417. It now appears that they have been put on the fast track to passage. Two days after being introduced, they have already cleared a senate health committee.

If the people of Michigan and the other states don't bombard their legislators, these dangerous bills will pass into law everywhere, to the possible detriment of the health of millions of school girls every year.

Michigan does have a law, allowing parents to opt out of any vaccination. However, if parents aren't aware of the law, or the dangers of vaccines, they won't take advantage of the ability to opt out. The media constantly promotes vaccination.

What damaging health effects might occur to young females who get the required HPV vaccine? Have their been any independent field studies done on the issue? Are our children serving as the guinea pigs? What evidence exists to prove that sterilization won't occur? Could the vaccine cause the very cancer it purports to prevent?

These and many more are questions need to be asked of your state lawmakers. This is especially true since Public Law 109-148, passed recently by congress as part of a massive defense bill, now limits the liability of the vaccine manufacturers in the event that their products cause loss of life or serious harm.

You need to find out whether your state has passed legislation requiring these vaccinations. What connections do the lawmakers supporting such measures have with the industries that will profit? If it's possible, get it in writing. Take it to the media. Write letters to the editor of your local paper. Hold those legislators feet to the fire and don't let up.

Someone is going to govern. Unless the American people arise and take their rightful role as the govenors of this once-great land, we are doomed. In the vacuum of our failure to fulfill our duties, there is a myriad of special interests, public-private partnerships, and non-governmental organizations that lurk in the shadows of the halls of power. Our inattention is their empowerment.