July 2005
“I don’t care who the man is. My right is my right. My life….All I have is my life.”-Robert Nesta Marley
Why Can’t We Be Friends? by….Satyagraha
I’m fed up to the ears with old men dreaming up wars for young men to die in.
What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty and democracy?
Allow the President to invade a neighboring nation, whenever he shall deem it necessary to repel an invasion, and you allow him to do so, whenever he may choose to say he deems it necessary for such a purpose — and you allow him to make war at pleasure. If today, he should choose to say he thinks it necessary to invade Canada, to prevent the British from invading us, how could you stop him? You may say to him, ‘I see no probability of the British invading us’ but he will say to you, ‘Be silent; I see it, if you don’t.’”
- Abraham Lincoln-First Republican President in the United States
“Don’t let a blind man lead a mass of blind people into a fire cave.”
- “It ain’t no hill for a climber”
Rural Pearls- Country Magazine-Aug/Sept 2005
Drug’s That Don’t Work But We Buy Them?? Whaa?
An interesting case has opened in Angleton, Texas, Friday. A major drug company, Merck, has been accused of trying to turn a profit, regardless of safety of the public. The popular chemical medicine Vioxx, was used much the same way an Advil or Aspirin is. The claim that a small number (3,800+) of human beings brought against the beast of medicine, Merck, is that it caused more pain than it eased. The company is accused of shady dealing’s with their research and many other things that could rapidly increase their profit in the short term. Prosecuting lawyer Mark Lanier is attacking the reeky beast of medicine Merck, with claims that the company knew Vioxx could increase risk of heart attack and stroke before a published study showed that exact point, and morphing research so they could get a pill to a growing market, so as to capitalize on their opportunity.
The target of the public’s ire is a man by the name of Ray Gilmartin. He is the former immoral leader of the soulless Merck. This man has no medical background, and used his Harvard Business Paper to get the CEO spot at Merck in 1994. His goal was to make money, and as much as possible. Also he wanted to make money off of human suffering, and if at all possible, create some of his own. To his credit, he met his goals.
Vioxx is listed in the same class as ibuprofren and aspirin, and it‚Äôs claim to fame is that it cut‚Äôs the risk of internal bleeding, which is possible with the other drugs in it‚Äôs class. The problem is that Vioxx can potentially do things to you that are a small amount worse than stomach bleeding, such as heart attack–not fun, and death. Puppet boy and defense lawyer David Kiernan is doing his best to maintain the image put forth my Merck, who‚Äôs motto is ‚ÄúGood Things Happen When You Put People First‚Äù. It appears that Mr. Gilmartin‚Äôs good intentions and judgment was clouded by greed, but I wish him and his 3,800 and counting patients very well, and I hope that he will make things right. The case continues on Monday the 18th. Chiggity check yourself before you wreck yourself.