Tennesseans For
Safer Vaccines

 
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'From Alzheimer's disease to a devastating lineup of other neurological
disorders including Parkinsons, ALS, MS, autism and AD -- mercury is known
to be a potent neurotoxin that either is the prime cause of such disorders
or certainly is seen to exacerbate them... 

If there is "any doubt whatsoever" about the safety of mercury
 in vaccines then it should be removed.'
 
 
--Professor John Oxford
Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry

Tennesseans for Safer Vaccines

 
2009 Update: 'Hold the Mercury, Double the Aluminum.'
Folks, do NOT ask for the mercury- free vaccines since they have twice the
aluminum and are actually WORSE. Please read the following report on the
highly respected website of Dr. Joseph Mercola MD: http://mercola.fileburst.com/PDF/Aluminum_in_Vaccines.pdf


2007 Update:
TN4SaferVaccines chose NOT to attempt to pass a vaccine thimerosal
(mercury) ban in the 2007 TN General Assembly because we believe that the Assembly
is controlled by a man who will stall such legislation in Committee--as he has done
the past 2 years. This legislator has a serious conflict of interest (he is married to a
pharmaceutical lobbyist). It is no wonder that in 2007 he introduced legislation to make
it impossible for those who are vaccine-injured to hold accountable those who
administered their vaccine.

Mercury environmental info:

"States that are reporting the highest levels of mercury emissions  also have the highest rates of developmental disorders including autism." -- Dr. John Palmer   The news offered by Dr. Palmer from the University of Texas and a Harvard Research team is that the mercury in the air is having its direct effect on our children, playing its part in the devastating epidemic of neurological disorders including autism. 
 
VACCINE INGREDIENTS: Thimerosal (49.6% Mercury),  Mercury,  MSG,  Latex,  Formaldehyde,  Coal Tar, Anti-Freeze,  Animal DNA,  Aluminum,  Aborted Fetus Cells,  etc...  
  

 Isn't it time we demand SAFER VACCINES!
 
As one mother said, “I wouldn’t give my infant food with MSG, and I certainly wouldn’t feed him aluminum, mercury or formaldehyde, so why would I knowingly have those things injected into his bloodstream.” 

 Approximately 80% of Americans vaccinate, however  it’s Your Child. You decide…and before you vaccinate, may we recommend Dr. Stephanie Cave’s book What Your Doctor May NOT Tell You About CHILDREN'S VACCINATIONS that provides information on how to most safely vaccinate and lists the pro's and con's of each vaccine.


2005-2006 Legislative Effort:

Here's the TN Legislative history of TN Ban Mercury from Infant Vaccines:

In February of 2005, we introduced Bills in the TN House & Senate, HB902 & SB824 http://www.legislature.state.tn.us  to ban mercury in vaccines in TN . These were all-inclusive, aggressive bills that would take effect within 180 days of passage.

At the same time, some other folks introduced HB956 & SB1616 --similar bills that allowed the flu shot to have mercury & applied to pregnant women & children under 8 & would not take effect until January, 2007. They had a much better chance of passage!

So, SB1616 passed in March, 2005, with the help of Senator Diane Black, Dr. Geier & his son (from Maryland), Michael Collins & many others who worked diligently to influence their State Senators.

However, the House Bill, HB956,  was referred to the Industrial Impact Committee (a Commerce Subcommittee) for study in the Fall after it met with resistance from, of all places, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital & Board Member/House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh!

The Study Committee met Nov. 1 & 2, 2005, and heard Dr. Boyd Haley, Jeff Ransom & Lynn Notgrass testify. The Committee will meet again in December and, hopefully, vote on the bill in January, 2006. If it passes, we have Representative Susan Lynn to thank. She has guided this bill through the House and stood firm to support it's passage.

In the meantime, 6 other State Legislatures have banned the use of mercury (thimerosal) in vaccines: Iowa, New York, California, Missouri, Illinois & Delaware. (The Governor of Delaware hasn't signed it into law yet, though). Mercury in vaccines was banned in Russia 20 years ago & more recently in Denmark, Austria, Japan, Great Britain & all the Scandinavian countries.

There is MUCH opposition to this bill from the CDC, AMA, AAP (American Academy of Pediatric) & other bureaucracies with vested interests & blind faith in biased & flawed vaccine-safety studies. They have also opposed & tried to outlaw CHELATION---one of the most effective TREATMENTS for Autism & Alzheimers. (There is good scientific evidence that both are mercury poisoning.) Fortunately, many good doctors are joining in this battle for TRUTH in medicine. We only wish our own U.S. Senator, Dr. Bill Frist, would help us!

TN HB 956 was postponed last year by a memo sent to the House Industrial Impact Subcommittee by St. Jude's supporting mercury in vaccines. We later found out that what St. Jude's and several other government-funded medical establishments did was illegal since lobbying by government funded organizations is against state/fed rules  (lobbying illegal info -- CDC site at: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/Addtl_Reqmnts.htm#ar12
(AR-12 on pages 5 & 6--if you want to print out a copy)

But they did. Here's a link to the memo: http://2-acres.com/thememo/memo.pdf

Because of St. Jude's illegal lobbying, TN HB 956 was sent to a summer study committee, where it was widely supported to move forward to full committee.

TN HB 956 was scheduled March 28, 2006 in full Commerce Committee - then moved to April 4, 2006. 
On April 4, many of our people showed up including quite a few parents & their children with autism from
the Knoxville area. April 4 it was shelved and moved to April 18. On April 18 we again had people with
their children with autism show up at the legislature -- plus several expert witnesses including the
Cleveland TN DAN Doctor, David Adams MD who could've been treating children with autism. Instead after driving 3+ hours, he wasn't even allowed to speak and went home with the bill again not having been
heard. Jimmy Naifeh was seen speaking entering and leaving the Committee room and speaking to the Committee Chair numerou
s times.

April 25, 2006 -- 'Safe Vaccines for Tennessee's Child Act' Sponsor, Rep. Susan Lynn, made a clear presentation with irrefutable scientific documentation that thimerosal (mercury) IS poison & SHOULD BE outlawed in vaccines in TN (as it has now been banned in CA, NY, DE, IL, IO, MO, & NJ).  She then acknowledged that she KNEW the bill could NOT be passed in TN this year and WITHDREW it. Parents were in disbelief & shock.

This was a serious conflict-of-interest for TN House Speaker Democrat Jimmy Naifeh from Tipton County who led the fight against the 'Safe Vaccines Bill'--since he is married to a pharmaceutical lobbyist (Betty Anderson) http://www.answers.com/topic/james-naifeh
His district should really consider this at the polls next time!

HB0956 had AT LEAST 1 more committee to go (a committee that Speaker Naifeh is on).  It's been a long, drawn-out battle for parents--making weekly trips to the Capitol only to be disappointed repeatedly by political games played by committee members & Chairman Hargrove.

THANK YOU to all who participated in this battle for safer vaccines. It's over. We lost.  Please spread the word, TN has rejected SAFER (no mercury) vaccines. And, parents, educate BEFORE you vaccinate. We will NOT vaccinate (ESPECIALLY not in TN). You decide for your family. And, ALWAYS ask to see the ingredient list. Thimerosal has been 'voluntarily' removed, for awhile, from some vaccines. Aluminum, MSG formaldehyde, & aborted fetal tissue (MMR) are still in others.

            Ginger Shamblin, President TN4SaferVaccines.tripod.com/

P.S. Also, please express your gratitude to Rep. Lynn--she has taken a terrible beating on this one! If you can, send her a hand-written thank you note (or even flowers) to:    Rep. Susan Lynn, 215 War Memorial Building, Nashville, TN 37243

  STATE CHAPTERS

We're also in process of developing a County by County support system in TN for vaccine and autism awareness issues and have 14 County Chapter Presidents. WE NEED MANY MORE!  To contact one, or if you would like to volunteer to help, please visit our STATE CHAPTERS page. We are strictly an on-line grassroots network of folks who care...and want to prevent vaccine injuries that ingredients like mercury cause. If you'd like to be considered for President in your County, email TN4SaferVaccines@2-acres.com

        Ginger Shamblin, President TN4SaferVaccines
865-986-6784

Rep. Susan Lynn (Mercury Ban key legislative sponsor in House)
was interviewed for a recent UPI article:

http://www.upi.com/ConsumerHealthDaily/view.php?StoryID=20051107-013626-2098r

The Age of Autism: Concerned in Tennessee
By DAN OLMSTED,
UPI Senior Editor

Susan Lynn would like some information, please: What is the autism rate among people living in the United States right now who have never been vaccinated? If you have that data or know where to find it, kindly contact her by the end of the month, care of the Tennessee House of Representatives, which is considering whether to ban a mercury preservative from childhood vaccines.

Lynn, a Republican member of the House, is sponsoring the bill. Lynn's colleagues in the state Senate already have passed it -- unanimously -- despite protests from the American Academy of Pediatrics and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis. The pediatricians and the renowned hospital say the mercury preservative, called thimerosal, is not dangerous and not linked to autism or any other ailment.

What bothers Lynn is they can't tell her the autism rate in Americans who've never been vaccinated.

"It just occurred to us, why doesn't there seem to be a problem (with autism) among unvaccinated populations?" she said. "Of course, that's anecdotal. There hasn't really been a study done, but it doesn't seem that there is a problem among unvaccinated populations.

"It would certainly be wonderful if the federal government, or a group out there interested in this, would conduct a study, or maybe there already is information out there that can be gathered."

Lynn's question echoes one this column has been raising for several months -- where are the studies that would exonerate thimerosal by demonstrating that unvaccinated Americans have just as much autism as those who received the full slate of state-mandated, mercury-containing childhood immunizations?

"You have to ask yourself why are there no studies," Lynn said. "We have seen an explosion in autism. If we saw increases in any other disease like we've seen in autism, it would be a national crisis. Why is there no funding to investigate this?

"I think it would be very useful. I don't know if I'll be able to get that data by December when our study committee meets again. But gosh, if you could be any help. ... "

This column's admittedly anecdotal reporting has turned up what looks like a lower prevalence of autism among the mostly unvaccinated Amish in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana. Federal health experts say that is not a good group to study because they might be protected from autism by their isolated gene pool.

They have not suggested an alternative.

There are other, less genetically similar groups that don't vaccinate based on their religious, philosophical or health views. An example: a significant subset of the 2 million children of families who homeschool. One doctor who treats such families says they have almost no autism, either.

A number of readers have offered similar observations about a number of other groups. But none of it is scientific or conclusive and, unless such studies are done, it never will be.

"We'd definitely want to look at a population within the United States of America because that's most relevant to us," Lynn said. "When you start looking at populations from other countries, you've got all kinds of other factors that we can't imagine."

Lynn said that absent such convincing information, she is willing to err on the side of caution and ban thimerosal from childhood vaccines.

"I read the science and read the experience of these parents and I realized, you know what, there really could be something here. And thimerosal is a poison. There is a skull and crossbones on that bottle. There's no reason to have that in there -- so let's take it out."

Lynn's interest in the issue stems from personal experience. Her son, Michael, was diagnosed with ADHD -- attention deficit hyperactivity disorder -- at age 3; their doctor said they would have to wait till he was 6 to put him on Ritalin.

"I said why wait? I'm going crazy," she recounted. Researching the subject on her own, she came across the controversial Feingold Diet that eliminates various foods including those with artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. "I put him on the diet 100 percent and in three days, to my own astonishment, I had a normal little boy.

"I was at my doctor when I showed him Michael could now sit still on the examining table instead of being under it and in all the drawers and everything. And I was totally dismissed. So we just agreed to disagree.

"Through the years I have given this information to a lot of parents and it's worked, it's helped them," Lynn said. "I realized there is a tremendous amount we don't know and there is a tremendous amount that doctors for whatever reason dismiss, even though parents will testify to them, 'This has helped my child.'"

Michael spent 10 years on the diet and now, at 21, is doing fine, Lynn said. When the controversy over a possible thimerosal-autism link arose, she learned that some scientists suspect ADHD and autism might be on opposite ends of a spectrum of neurodevelopmental disorders triggered by a toxic exposure. And she said she saw the same pattern of parents being ignored when they said their child had regressed after vaccination -- and in some cases improved dramatically after biomedical treatment.

In 1999 the U.S. Public Health Service and the pediatricians group urged that manufacturers phase out thimerosal in childhood vaccines as soon as possible. But they say scientific evidence now shows thimerosal is not responsible for autism; therefore, banning it ties their hands unnecessarily and injects politics in a medical decision based on "junk science."

Lynn says she can't understand that argument. "I think it would be the best public policy for the state of Tennessee to remove it from children's immunizations. Whether or not it does contribute to mercury toxicity or autism or whatever you want to call it, not giving tiny children and newborn babies a chemical that has a skull and crossbones on the bottle, injected directly into their bloodstream, can't be a bad thing."

Lynn also questions whether thimerosal is actually out of all routine childhood immunizations (it remains in most flu vaccines, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends for pregnant women and for infants 6 to 23 months old).

She said a Tennessee mother testified at a legislative hearing that her son received an immunization that contained thimerosal on May, 21, 2004. "He suffered immediate effects from that and was diagnosed with autism and he's being treated now and he is coming around," Lynn said.

Six states -- including California, New York and Illinois -- have banned thimerosal in childhood vaccines. Lynn said she is now canvassing them to determine whether the ban has caused problems.

This ongoing series on the roots and rise of autism welcomes reader comment.
E-mail: dolmsted@upi.com

UPI Senior Editor DAN OLMSTED has written an entire series of articles on autism.
Several are "Must Read" including these (paraphrased below):

The Age of Autism: 'A pretty big secret' 
http://www.upi.com/ConsumerHealthDaily/view.php?StoryID=20051204-060313-6829r
By DAN OLMSTED
UPI Senior Editor

TFSV Paraphrase: Thousands of children cared for by Homefirst Health Services in metropolitan Chicago have at least two things in common with thousands of Amish children in rural Lancaster: They have never been vaccinated. And they don't have autism. Blue Cross Insurance located this group because in addition to not having autism, these kids don't have claims filed or show up in Emergency Rooms with Asthma (8-10% of kids nationally have asthma).  And while these 15,000 babies cut across all races, religions and socio-economic groups, their one common factor is not vaccinating. 

The Age of Autism: Question of the year
http://www.upi.com/ConsumerHealthDaily/view.php?StoryID=20051214-010303-1521r
By DAN OLMSTED
UPI Senior Editor

TFSV Paraphrase: Given the sheer certitude of federal health authorities and mainstream medical groups such as the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, we were surprised we couldn't find comparisons between real-live American kids who've gotten vaccines, and those who haven't. Officials say such a study would be hard to do, in part because so many kids are vaccinated that you couldn't find a "control group" of kids who aren't. (Note: Approx. 80% of kids nationally get vaccines - leaving an 80/20 group in society to explore - quite possible from statistical standpoint). Sandy Mintz at vaccinationnews.com writes: "My mantra has always been that there are almost no vaccine safety or efficacy studies using never vaccinated children as controls." Mintz asked our question of the year at a congressional hearing in 2002:  "Is NIH (National Institutes of Health) ever planning on doing a study using the only proper control group, that is, never vaccinated children?"  Dr. Steve Foote of NIH responded: "I am not aware of...a proposed study to use a suitably constructed group of never vaccinated children.


The Age of Autism: Doctors for Mercury
http://www.upi.com/ConsumerHealthDaily/view.php?StoryID=20060209-112409-9590r
By DAN OLMSTED
UPI Senior Editor WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 (UPI)

TFSV Paraphrase:  As doctors and health authorities fight state bans on mercury in vaccines and keep giving it to kids and pregnant women, one fact stands out: their certainty. The image of pediatricians and public officials as valiant defenders of mercury takes a bit of getting used to, given their longstanding efforts to keep the toxic element out of our food, our bodies and the environment. No reasonable person -- let alone health professional -- would advocate keeping mercury in childhood vaccines unless they were absolutely certain it was an exception to this lethal legacy. That's especially so because vaccines can be made without the mercury preservative, called thimerosal. You can take it out and still protect the health of American children through vaccination, and if you had a shred of doubt about its safety, surely you would. If you keep it in, you had better be right. But what is the real degree of certainty that thimerosal is safe? Is it absolute? Beyond a reasonable doubt?


Finally, there's an additional very significant article that all parents of children with autism should be aware of and able to share:

Study links autism to mercury from coal plants
Emissions may contribute to rise in cases, Texas researcher says


Reuters, March 17, 2005
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7218182/

TFSV Paraphrase:  Mercury released primarily from coal-fired power plants may be contributing to an increase in the number of cases of autism, a Texas researcher said.  “The main finding is that for every thousand pounds of environmentally released mercury, we saw a 17 percent increase in autism rates.” The study looked at Texas county-by-county levels of mercury emissions recorded by the government and compared them to the rates of autism and special education services in 1,200 Texas school districts, Miller said. “The study shows that there may be a very important connection between environmental exposure to mercury and the development of autism.” 

 
RELIGIOUS EXEMPTION:

There may be a form required by the state now, but I used to just
write an informative letter, ending with: "For these reasons & others
______________will NOT and shall NOT be immunized--due to
family religious tennets and practice in accordance with Tennessee
Code Annotated (TCA) 49-6-5001(b)(2)" to get a religious exemption.

Informative Letter: http://www.vaclib.org/legal/refuselt.htm

There's several great Religious Vaccine Exemption Letters
at Tami's Autism Fliers website: http://AutismFliers.tripod.com
 

 
Autism Yahoo! Groups
Support Lists

 
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Autism-Mercury/
5771 members (National Autism-Mercury)

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/EnzymesandAutism
5196 members (Autism & enzymes/supplements discussion group)


http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/chelatingkids2/
3240 members (Chelating Kids--must have a child on chelation)

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/abmd
2703 members (Autism biomedical discussion group)

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EOHarm
1219 members ('Evidence of Harm' discussion group)

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/asd_solutions/
499 members - (Autism Spectrum Disorders--biomedical options)

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/UAAlert/
445 members (Unlocking Autism)

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Autism-Lead 
250 members (lead) Plumbism & Autism Network (PAN)

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/focus_the_nation/
55 members (Focus the Nation--on Autism)


   TENNESSEE YAHOO LISTS:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/TASK-Tennessees-Autism-Spectrum-Kids
234 members (Tennessee Autism Spectrum Kids)

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Autism_In_Tennesse/
152 members (Autism in Tennessee)

 
 
 

 
Material Safety Data Sheet
(MSDS)

  Mercury in vaccines usually goes by the trade name Thimerosal (49.6% mercury). The law requires the manufacturer (Eli Lilly) of this extremely dangerous neuro-toxin to provide a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for lab workers and emergency personnel on proper procedures for handling Thimerosal.

Here's highlights from the 2003 Thimerosal MSDS: 
Danger! Poison! May be fatal if inhaled, absorbed through skin or swallowed.
Contains material which may cause damage to the following organs: kidneys, respiratory tract, skin, eyes, central nervous system.  

Section 11 - Toxicology Information: Acute Oral Toxicity. Extremely hazardous in case of skin contact (permeator). May be fatal if absorbed. Extremely hazardous in case of inhalation. May be fatal if inhaled. Extremely hazardous in case of ingestion.  May be fatal if swallowed. Danger of cumulative effects.
 

This is what we seek to ban.

We don't want this toxin injected into infants.
We don't want this toxin injected into pregnant moms. 
We don't want this toxin injected into seniors.
We don't want this toxin injected into ANY Tennessean.

 

If you'd like more information on vaccines and the vaccine safety issue, please click on TALKING POINTS for the basics, and SCIENCE for links to science and background including mercury levels given to infants in the 1990's that EPA mercury guidelines would have only administered to a 1375+ lb adult in ingested form (138xs above EPA level). The standard 1990's vaccination schedule injected that amount of mercury into infants at one sitting.  Then, at one sitting, they injected 50xs or more above EPA mercury guidelines into American infants multiple additional times under the US standard vaccination schedule.

Autism skyrocketed, going up 1375% from 1990 to 2000 (see chart, Talking Pts page).  Autism is 1 in 149 children.  Learning disorders are 1 in 6. Both are epidemic. Mercury is the second most toxic element on the planet.  This website has links to information about who knows it's toxic. We're also connecting the dots with mercury and Alzheimer's (again see Talking Pts). We have information documenting EPA guidelines and standard infant vaccination mercury levels in this country. Plus information answering if exceeding EPA mercury guidelines in vaccines continues.  

Our website is constantly being updated.  We now have
14 TN Chapter Presidents

representing their counties in TN.
WE NEED MANY MORE!!

All of us TFSV "regular citizens" wish to give a huge hug
and extra special thanks to
Bobbie Patray, President of TN Eagle Forum
for her advice, guidance and leadership. Thanks so very much Bobbie!! 

Plus extra thanks and hugs to Sen. Diane Black RN
and
Rep. Susan Lynn (and staff) who are working so hard
to get this legislation passed for our TN children!!


The hypothesis that mercury causes autism and Alzheimer's disease is
a new truth.  And as Schopenhauer points out, each new truth passes
through three stages: First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed.
And third, it is accepted as self-evident.  The mercury truth
is now in the second stage." 
 
-- 
Donald Miller, M.D.,
                        Professor of Surgery, University of Washington

 

   
Tennesseans For Safer Vaccines

 

Vaccine, Autism & Mercury Lists:

TASK-Tennessees-Autism-Spectrum-Kids@yahoogroups.com
(TN list with 200+ parents of kids with autism)

Autism-Mercury@yahoogroups.com
(US list with 5000+ concerned re autism)

Vaccine-Awareness@yahoogroups.com
(US 120+ people concerned with vaccines)

Autism_In_Tennessee@yahoogroups.com
(120+ TN parents of kids with autism)
 

Great Organizations:
 

TN Eagle Forum
http://TNEagleForum.org

  

S.A.F.E.M.I.N.D.S.
www.safeminds.org

Unlocking Autism

http://UnlockingAutism.org

Autism One Radio
www.autismone.org/radio

Great Autism Website
www.generationrescue.org
 

 
National Vaccine Info Center
www.909shot.com
(medical & legal info)

Autism Research Institute
& DAN Doctors Link
http://autism.com/ari

Autism Solution Center
(Memphis/Cordova TN area)

www.autismsolutioncenter.org

National Vaccine Political
Activist Coalition (PAC)

http://www.a-champ.org