To: IAHF List
Subject: Dissenting Congressional Statement To Counter Whitewashed CODEX Vitamin Oversight Hearing
From: "International Advocates for Health Freedom" jham@iahf.com
Date: Sat, 17 Mar 2001 21:17:18 -0500

IAHF List:

In a last ditch effort to defend current US vitamin laws which are being set up for harmonization to grossly restrictive international standards via Codex, the TABD, and IADSA, I will hand carry the letter [below] to Burton's Congressional Office on Monday, March 19th, the day before the Codex Vitamin Oversight Hearing on the 20th to discuss the points made below with his staff, especially with his press secretary, John Carterelli.

A bipartisan dissenting Congressional statement will be put into the record of the March 20 Oversight hearing on the Codex Vitamin Issue unless this intolerable situation changes, and a "Dear Colleague" letter will be circulated calling this outrageous situation to the attention of every member of the House of Representatives.

This is STILL America- NOT some banana Republic owned by the Pharma Cartel, our voices STILL matter here- we will NOT be silenced.

Please call Congressman Burton's office at 202-225-2276 and request that the Codex Vitamin Oversight portion of the scheduled hearing on March 20 be POSTPONED and RESCHEDULED so that WITNESSES representing the VITAMIN CONSUMING PUBLIC, health food stores and small manufacturers will not be DISENFRANCHISED. Pharmaceutically dominated NNFA, UNPA and IADSA do not speak for the grass roots.

Wrongly denied the chance to present oral testimony along with Richard Malter, Ph.D. and Suzanne Harris, JD I will be covering the Hearing as a licensed member of the press, and this issue will never go away if that is my only option.

As things stand, this hearing is going to be whitewashed, and our long range ability to purchase the dietary supplements of our choice is being seriously jeopardized.

By not providing GENUINE oversight on the Codex vitamin issue, Burton is threatening our health and lives, and we can't sit idly by and allow ourselves to be beaten into the ground like tentpegs. This is America, and in this country, government can only act with the express consent of the governed. Please call Burton at 202-225-2276, and also complain about this to your own Senators and Congressmen via 202-225-3121 (Capital Switchboard.) Request that the Codex Vitamin segment of the Hearing be postponed and rescheduled and that Malter, Harris, and Hammell, the grassroots witnesses, be given a chance to speak, in accordance with the situation discussed in the following letter:

John C. Hammell, President
International Advocates for Health Freedom
PO Box 625 Floyd, VA 24091
http://www.iahf.com
800-333-2553

March 17, 2001

The Honorable Dan Burton, Chairman
House Government Reform Committee
2185 RHOB
Washington D.C. 20515
fax 202-225-0016
beth.clay@mail.house.gov

Sent by Registered Mail, Return Receipt Requested, via email, fax as well as hand delivered to your Congressional Office March 19, 2001

A DISSENTING BIPARTISAN CONGRESSIONAL STATEMENT HAS BEEN PREPARED FOR INSERTION INTO THE RECORD OF THE MARCH 20th OVERSIGHT HEARING

INDUSTRY CODEX VITAMIN WITNESSES MASSIVELY CONTRADICT "NON ISSUE" ASSERTION BY PLANNED SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS AT IADSA MEETING IN SOUTH AFRICA TO DEVELOP "A GLOBAL REGULATORY MODEL"

PLEASE POSTPONE THE CODEX VITAMIN SEGMENT OF YOUR MARCH 20th OVERSIGHT HEARING DO NOT DISENFRANCHISE THE GRASS ROOTS WITNESSES: MALTER, HARRIS, HAMMELL DO NOT VIOLATE YOUR OATH BY NOT DEFENDING US DOMESTIC VITAMIN LAW FROM HARMONIZATION

Dear Congressman Burton:

I strongly object to your intention to whitewash the Codex Vitamin segment of your "Oversight" hearing scheduled for March 20th, 2001, and strongly request that you postpone it until you have looked very closely at all assertions made herein, and have contacted Richard Malter, PhD; Suzanne Harris, JD; and I to give us the chance we deserve to air our views on this issue as we speak for the people of America, not for the multinational pharmaceutical industry.

You are currently planning on declaring the Codex Vitamin Issue to be a "Non Issue" upon the request of pharmaceutical interests currently dominating the International Alliance of Dietary/Food Supplement Associations (IADSA) to which all of your scheduled industry witnesses trade associations belong. Just 10 days after your hearing ends, your witnesses, who intend to falsely declare that our laws are protected from harmonization and that nothing happening at Codex could ever impact our domestic laws, will be speaking at a Conference of IADSA in S.Africa devoted to creating a "Global Regulatory Model" intended to supercede our domestic laws.

So there can be no chance whatsoever that you don't know what is going on, I will be hand delivering this message to your office on Monday, March 19th, and I intend to personally discuss it with your staff, especially your Press Secretary John Carterelli since I am a licensed member of the American Media Association, and a reporter for Life Extension Magazine, The Spotlight Newspaper, The Jubilee Newspaper, The Idaho Observer, and appear on several radio shows nationwide including Natural Living With Gary Null, The Stan Solomon Show, and several others where I have been discussing this matter in considerable depth. Additionally, it will continue to be reported on the IAHF website http://www.iahf.com and on allied health freedom websites world wide, and will also be discussed on the IAHF email distribution list. Regardless of what you chose to do on March 20th, you can rest assured that this issue will never "disappear."

A dissenting, bipartisan Congressional viewpoint is being prepared to be inserted into the hearing record which will totally disagree with your planned false conclusion that Codex is a "non issue" which "can't impact our domestic vitamin laws" , and I am hereby offering you this last chance to pull back, take a closer look, and postpone the Codex Vitamin section of your hearing in order to invite the necessary grass roots witnesses so as to have a balanced hearing at which the voice of We, the People, will not be suppressed. The pharmaceutically dominated vitamin trade associations NNFA, UNPA, CRN, AHPA, and IADSA do not speak for us.

WHY ARE YOUR WITNESSES MAKING TRIP TO SOUTH AFRICA JUST 10 DAYS AFTER YOUR "OVERSIGHT HEARING" IF CODEX IS "NON ISSUE"??? IADSA DEVELOPING A GLOBAL REGULATORY MODEL----- WITH HELP FROM YOUR INDUSTRY WITNESSES---- THIS UNDERMINES OUR DOMESTIC LAW CONTRADICTS THEIR ASSERTION THAT CODEX IS A "NON ISSUE"

Just 10 days after your scheduled March 20th Oversight Hearing, at which your witnesses plan on declaring the Codex Vitamin issue to be a "non issue" that "won't impact US dietary supplement laws" Loren Israelsen, and David Seckman will make presentations at an IADSA Conference in Capetown, South Africa on proposed Global Dietary Supplement Regulations that they are fully aware WILL impact US dietary supplement laws unless action is taken to keep this from happening. Obviously, they have a vested interest in suppressing the truth about this, and they don't really believe Codex is a "non issue" because if it WERE, they wouldn't be willing to endure the incredibly long flight from the USA to Capetown South Africa. (From Miami its 14 hours in the air, from California its a minimum of 17 hours in the air, with more time spent waiting for a connecting flight, so this is HARDLY a "non issue".) The title of the IADSA Conference will be "Toward a Global Regulatory Model". http://www.hpsa.co.za/news_release.htm I oppose a Global Regulatory Model, just as I oppose the destruction of American sovereignty. You are in direct violation of your oath for clearly endorsing a Global Regulatory Model, and you must not exclude our witnesses or you will not be holding a balanced hearing.

It is possible that Israelsen and Seckman won't be addressing the Codex Vitamin segment of your "Oversight Hearing". That segment might "only" be addressed by Karl Riedel, co chair of NNFA's International Committee, but he is fully aware of the IADSA Conference, because not only will Seckman and Israelsen be presenters there, but so will Riedel's co chair on NNFA's International Committee: Randy Dennin, an employee of Pfizer Pharmaceutical Company. (See the program for the conference at the url above by clicking on the acrobat reader icon, and you'll see that Seckman, Israelsen, and Dennin are all scheduled to not merely attend, but to make presentations in this effort to develop a Global Regulatory Model intended to UNDERMINE and SUPERCEDE current US dietary supplement laws.

In his capacity as Co-chair of NNFA's International Committee, Dennin would take any action expected of him by attorneys within Pfizer's corporate hierarchy. This explains why he was quite willing to endorse the pharmaceutically funded, unscientific paper which never underwent a public comments period through which the FDA is setting us up for harmonization by falsely defining vitamin safety. This National Academy of Sciences paper "A Risk Assessment Model for Establishing Safe Upper Levels for Nutrients" has been solidly rebutted by several people, and GENUINE oversight would bring forth witnesses who could attest to its scientific fraudulence, yet in your zeal to do the bidding of pharmaceutical interests, while ignoring the will of the people, you have chosen to not allow Richard Malter, PhD to present oral testimony before your Committee even though he has requested a chance to and has sent you written testimony in the form of a rebuttal to the NAS paper that was published in a respected medical journal, the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine.

Additionally, you are wrongly denying Suzanne Harris, JD a chance to present oral testimony, despite the fact that she is an expert on International Law who has a deep understanding of the Codex vitamin issue whose testimony would coincide directly with the conclusions of the Congressional Research Service on this issue which is that no Federal Statute truly protects our domestic laws from harmonization to international standards. (Congressman Ron Paul ran this situation past the Congressional Research Service when reviewing the destruction of our sovereignty caused by NAFTA, GATT and the WTO and here is their assessment, which was included in my written testimony:

CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE http://www.thelibertycommittee.org/update6.17.00.htm "As a member of the WTO, the United States does commit to act in accordance with the rules of the multilateral body. It [the U.S.] is legally obligated to ensure national laws do not conflict with WTO rules." (8/25/99)

Additionally you are wrongly denying Richard Malter, PhD the chance to present oral testimony discussing the scientific fraudulence of the NAS paper which Yetley illegally put on the table at Codex, despite the fact that his well written rebuttal was published in a highly respected medical journal, the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine. Malter is an expert on the healing power of nutrients who speaks for the American people. He was not paid to write his rebuttal, he did it for the sake of public service to his country, and you are in violation of your oath by denying us equal time by giving him a chance to address this very important public health matter.

Additionally, you are wrongly denying me a chance to present oral testimony despite the fact that I speak for thousands of vitamin consumers not only in America, but around the world as can be easily seen by the signatures on both petitions which I have had a major role in calling attention to at http://garynull.com/issues/codex/aboutcodex.htm (5,731 signatures as of March 17) and http://www.laleva.cc/petizione/english/intro_eng.html (17,142 signaatures as of March 17) HOW CAN YOU SAY THIS IS A "NON ISSUE"???

I was wrongly kicked off the US Codex Delegation to the Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Use prior to the meeting last June in Berlin for being a whistleblower, and by denying me the chance to present oral testimony, you are violating your oath by assisting Dr.Yetley of FDA to break the law.

You are denying me the chance to testify to the fact that Dr. Beth Yetley ignored your written directive that she NOT put the NAS paper on the table at Codex even though thousands of vitamin consumers world wide have viewed your signature on the gif file at http://www.iahf.com under "Letters from Congress" where you told Yetley not to do what she went ahead and did anyway. You are denying me the chance to testify to the videotape of Yetley ignoring your letter which thousands of vitamin consumers world wide have seen at http://www.iahf.com in the Media section, and you are denying me the chance to discuss the legal basis by which you issued your directive (which thousands of vitamin consumers world wide have seen in IAHF's written comments to Congress on this issue which you can access from http://www.iahf.com by clicking on the Green Spinning Disk, and which were sent to you by Registered Mail so I know you received them.

In my written comments, I include discussion of a letter I received from L.Robert Lake, Director of the Office of Regulatory Affairs at CFSAN, FDA wherein he indicates, in writing, the FDA's legal interpretation of the amendment that I worked so hard to get in '97 wherein the harmonization language of the FDA Modernization Act was changed to protect dietary supplement laws from any FDA action threatening to harmonize them to a restrictive international standard.

In his response to me, Lake clearly indicated FDA's intention to ignore the will of the people and the will of Congress as they went about their business of engaging in harmonization actions such as the action to put the NAS paper titled "A Risk Assessment Model for Establishing Safe Upper Levels for Nutrients" on the table at Codex.

If you deny me the chance to discuss Lake's letter to me, you will be in direct violation of your oath, and will be assisting the FDA in breaking the law. Without the chance to present oral testimony Lake's letter to me will be buried in my written comments which no one would then examine. Suzanne Harris, JD will testify truthfully that via Mutual Recognition Agreements signed under NAFTA and GATT, we have agreed to enter into a constant process of harmonization, and L.Robert Lake admits as much even as he tries to double talk his way past my assertion that FDA has engaged in actions that threaten to set us up for harmonization. Harris would truthfully say the same thing the Congressional Research Service has already told Ron Paul-that no Federal Statute truly protects any of our domestic laws from harmonization.

Due to his research, Congressman Paul introduced the American Sovereignty Restoration Act (HR 1146) which would remove us from the UN (and from the Codex Commission) and he also introduced HJ Res 90 which would remove us from the World Trade Organization. Congressman Paul and De Fazio will be entering a dissenting view into the official transcript of your Oversight Hearing, and this is my last ditch effort to plead with you to please stop threatening my life and the lives of vitamin consumers all over the USA. As I write this I received a phone call from a woman calling from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada who has over 300 signatures on our petition. I told her to send them to me even though you are ignoring our petition. Canadians are concerned about this because there are many products that they can't get in their health food stores because they've been banned in Canada and they can only get them by mailorder from the USA, or by driving across the border to buy them here.

Please stop violating your Oath of Office. Please stop threatening my life and the lives of others by setting up our domestic law for "harmonization" to a grossly restrictive CODEX international standard. Please postpone the Codex Vitamin Segment of your Oversight Hearing on March 20th, and please reschedule it for a later date so that you don't exlude the oral testimony of Suzanne Harris, JD, Richard Malter, PhD, and myself. By excluding the voice of We, the People, you are making a Mockery of the United States House of Representatives. This is America, not a Banana Republic owned by the Multinational Pharrma Cartel. This issue will never go away. The PROBLEM....... is INESCAPABLE.

For the Public Health,
John C. Hammell, President
International Advocates for Health Freedom

cc: Congressman Rick Boucher
Congressman Peter De Fazio
Congressman Ron Paul