CDC Hearing on Smallpox Vaccination Policy in SF

Alerted by a post at the Portland Indymedia site-
http://portland.indymedia.org/archive/features/2002/06/2002-06.html#3901, I hurried to San Francisco, to make observations and add my two cents during the time allotted for public comments.

I suggest those concerned send their written comments to: http//www2.cdc.gov/nip/smallpox/comments.htm

Unfortunately, I missed the morning presentations, which were "very good" according to those who were there, and certainly raised concerns over the smallpox vaccine which has very severe side effects and could be deadly or very dangerous to people with depressed immune systems or serious health problems. The vaccine would never be approved by the FDA (or even considered) except for the "terrorist threat."

Besides the gory slides and photos which depict what smallpox victims and their lesions look like, and the testimony of the severity of the effects of the vaccine upon very healthy individuals, there were five minute presentations from the officially sanctioned sources- "Epidemiologists, and Bioterrorism Coordinators, State and local offices of Homeland Security, Centers for public health preparedness, Emergency medical alert networks." With room for a thousand people, only 40 or fifty stayed for the public commentary afternoon session, none of the press, and very few "community members."

It reminded me of the Nuclear Regulatory hearings about how much nuclear waste should be allowed into the production of consumer goods, as if the public would want buy any radioactive products if they were aware of them!!!!

The parameters of the discussion was strictly limited to review the current U.S. smallpox vaccine recomendations, especially looking at expanding, "who should be vaccinated before there is a confirmed smallpox case or a confirmed bioterrorism attack using smallpox" to public health authorities and the general public."

There were so few people representing the "public" that the organizer invited me to speak first in the afternoon session (since I had to leave at 1:30 pm to take care of my children after school).

I expressed my concern over the Emergency Health Powers Act which the Health and Human Services Department is trying to push through legislatures nationwide, and would grant virtually dictatorial powers to governers, including the power to force vaccinations, quarantine or isolation upon the public.

"I'm also concerned about the companies producing the vaccines, and their links to the same companies that produced the poison gas that Hitler used in Germany, the company responsible for giving infected blood to hemophiliacs which caused thousands of them to die from AIDS, and the same company which infected people in Africa with AIDS.

We marched on our legislators to demand a Congressional Inquiry of 9-11, and we raised a lot of questions. Bush and Cheney asked to limit the inquiry. Our research leads us to believe that the Administration and the CIA were complicite in the terrorist attacks. The anthrax attacks came from U.S. government labs. We are concerned that a bioterrorist attack would come from the U.S. government. These vaccines are dangerous and should not be forced upon anyone. The smallpox vaccine is a threat to our health and democracy."

The way Bush and Cheney are threatening Congress and the American people right now, raises my concern about them expanding the "War on Terrorism" (or War on Democracy and Dissent) both abroad and at home.


A report on our Sacramento Action against 1763 (The Emergency Health Powers Act) is at http://www.communitycurrency.org/3-21.html.

Reports on our marches on Senators Feinstein, Boxer, and Congresswoman Eshoo and the questions we wanted raised publicly in a Congressional Inquiry of 9-11 are at http://www.communitycurrency.org/9-11.html.