Posted on 12/06/2005 10:05:49 PM PST by o_zarkman44
excerpt below
A New Ultra-Secret Government Agency
Legislation is moving in the Senate to create a new government agency to combat bioterrorism that will operate, unlike any other agency before it, under blanket secrecy protection.
Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) has introduced the Biodefense and Pandemic Vaccine and Drug Development Act of 2005, S1873, that would create a new agency in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to research and develop strategies to combat bioterrorism and natural diseases. While Congress has created several agencies recently in response to homeland security concerns, most notably the Department of Homeland Security, Burr proposes for the first time ever to completely exempt this new agency from all open government laws. The legislation has already passed out of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and is now before the full Senate.
The Act creates the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Agency (BARDA) to work on countering bioterrorism and natural diseases. Apparently in an attempt to protect any and all sensitive information on U.S. counter-bioterrorism efforts or vulnerabilities to biological threats, Burrs has included in the legislation the first-ever blanket exemption from the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The legislation states that, "Information that relates to the activities, working groups, and advisory boards of the BARDA shall not be subject to disclosure" under FOIA "unless the Secretary [of HHS] or Director [of BARDA] determines that such disclosure would pose no threat to national security."
Neither the CIA nor the Defense Department has such an exemption. Burrs spokesperson argues that the exemption is necessary to protect national security claiming that "there will be times where for national security reasons certain information would have to be withheld." For instance, the BARDA should not, according to the spokesperson, be required to publicly disclose information pertaining to a deadly virus.
The tinfoil goes shiney side out. Remember that when listening to Hoax to Hoax.
the web site for the rest of the article is http://www.nomorefakenews.com/
If we get hit by some crazy bio weapon, Ill take my chance with something the goverment gives me vs. nothing at all.
Nam Vet
What sub-category of Urban Myths is this one filed?Is it possibly a subset of End Time Prophesies or End of the World Hysteria?
If the government forces it down your throat how are the corporations, who likely had no choice but to produce it, supposed to be liable?
This is a gross distortion.
They have to have a way to develop vaccines, which private companies won't do, if they are subject to millions of people suing them.
http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2005/12/06/business/doc4394c0ef954c9951839284.txt
By creating a federal agency shielded from public scrutiny, some lawmakers think they can speed the development and testing of new drugs and vaccines needed to respond to a bioterrorist attack or super-flu pandemic.
The proposed Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Agency, or BARDA, would be exempt from long-standing open records and meetings laws that apply to most government departments, according to legislation approved Oct. 18 by the Senate health committee.
Those exemptions would streamline development, safeguard national security and protect the proprietary interests of drug companies, say Republican backers of the bill. The legislation also proposes giving manufacturers immunity from liability in exchange for their participation in the public-private effort.
We must ensure the federal government acts as a partner with the private sector, providing the incentives and protections necessary to bring more and better drugs and vaccines to market faster, Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., said when the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions approved the bill.
The agency would provide the money for development of treatments and vaccines to protect the United States from natural pandemics as well as chemical, biological and radiological agents.
They fear the mutation.
Oh jeeze... the farkin gooberment can't even arrest terrorists when the Army ID's them - how in the hell are they going to find you, catch you, and hold you down and make you take your medicine?
The moonbats on Coast-to-Coast AM make me ill.
I see the speed readers lead the way as critics
The question is.......Is this epidemic scare really worth throwing away bilions of dollars when it hasn't even been proven positive?
Remember the swine flu scare of the 70's? never happened. but there was vaccine.......turned out another strain happened and the vaccine was ineffective and in fact killed a lot of people, caused Guillans Barea Syndrome and other disorders.
I don't like anything our government creates in secrecy other than weapons that kill terrorists.
No need to speed-read.. ( wow, I'm a poet..)
Common sense tells you this is totally BS..
No politician is going to give up thier "right" to supervise, oversee, regulate, investigate, and otherwise stick their nose into the workings of every government agency in existence..
Especially anything that resembles NSA, CIA, FBI, DEA, etc..
If it exercises power, then congress critters will demand to interfere with it's operations at every turn..
You missed posting another "good one" from the same source. ;)
COAST TO COAST with George Noory - 12 military members in exchange program with another planet!
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1535476/posts
Thanks, FRiend, but I been there, posted on that. :)
Just when you think you've heard it all, CTC comes up with another one.
I cannot believe the mass of steaming bullsqueeze that comes out of that show... and the obviously large group of moonbats that support it.
The same organization that can't find Osama?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.