FDA officials ordered herb books destroyed!!!

Last month, U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials ordered the destruction of three books about an herb and its use. Never mind the First Amendment. Never mind upholding the U.S. Constitution.

The herb at the center of this controversy is Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni, better known as stevia or "honey leaf." Under the law, stevia can be marketed as a dietary supplement like a vitamin but not as a sweetener.

The herb is said to benefit the health of those who take it. The FDA considers stevia safe to simply swallow as a supplement (powder or liquid), but unsafe when added to food or drink.

(4-1-2007 Hawkeyes comments: Recently the FDA went over board again. In researching another product I found that the FDA was attacking Black Cherry Orchard Owners and suppliers. Why? From the information I found these cherry growers found out from recent medical research studies that Black Cherries are good in dealing with Arthritis and Pain in general. So they let others know of this. Thus the FDA came down on them basically for practicing medicine or advertising medicine without a license. I can not believe these people are getting away with this. The FDA is obviously working out their own agenda and it has nothing to do with protecting our health. More like suppression of our health. Since they are protecting interests in big Pharmaceutical and Chemical Companies the are in a Conspiracy and Racketeering with the end result of murder on many thousands of people for large sums of money. In fact the people are unknowingly paying for their own poison when using synthetic prescription drugs. Anna Nicole Smith is a Good example of that. The large Pharmaceutical and Chemical Industries and FDA are breaking federal laws which is an FBI jurisdiction. Let's see if the FBI steps up to the plate on this? If not then they also are part of the act.)

The FDA goes ballistic when it thinks a company is selling stevia as a natural sweetener - a property for which the herb is well-known in Paraguay and Brazil where it grows. It has been used as such for many centuries with no ill side effects.

On May 19, Compliance Officer James Lahar of the Dallas district office of the FDA, faxed a letter to Oscar Rodes, president of the Stevita Co. which sells the herb. The letter states, in part: "... a current inventory must be taken by an investigator of this office, who will also be available to witness the destruction of the cookbooks, literature, and other publications for the purpose of verifying compliance." (Bold is Mine addition).

The books in question address stevia's sweetening property - a big no-no in the eyes of the FDA. Stevia could be a major economic threat to established companies that make artificial sweeteners. It's calorie free.

So the federal agency targeted the books: James Kirkland's "Cooking with Stevia: The Natural Sweet & Calorie-Free Herb," David Richard's "Stevia Rebaudiana: Nature's Sweet Secret," and Linda Bonvie, et al.'s "The Stevia Story: A tale of incredible sweetness & intrigue."

In an interview, Rodes said that when he received the FDA fax, he called his attorney in Washington. The local FDA officers arrived a few hours later. According to Rodes, he said that he would not destroy the books unless his attorney advised him to do so. However Rodes told them, if the FDA officers wanted to destroy them, he would use his video camera to record the event. They left.

Rodes also claims, that the FDA officials told him that they wanted Rodes to recall all the copies of the books he had already sold. According to Rodes, that amounts to more than 4,000 copies.

Lahar now claims he never ordered the books destroyed. In an interview, he said, "The sentence reads to the effect that if books are going to be destroyed, we'd like to observe it."

When asked where the idea for destroying books came from, he wouldn't answer directly.

He responded, "I've have been asked to refer calls to our press office in Washington. ... We all have a boss."

Asked who made the decision to silence him, Lahar referred to FDA Associate Chief Counsel for Enforcement Annamarie Kempic in D.C., who did not return calls.

When the press office was called, press officer Judith Foulke said she couldn't answer any questions about this case because the matter was still under investigation - a convenient Catch 22. She couldn't even comment on the destroy - the - books letter.

Another wrinkle popped up, Julian Whitaker, a physician, asked Rodes if he could purchase the three stevia books in question for research purposes. Rodes, thinking he might violate FDA orders by selling the books to the doctor, refused - and explained why.

The doctor called renown First Amendment attorney in Jonathan W. Emord in Washington to see what he could do. Emord called the FDA to advise the agency that he planned to initiate legal action to free the hostage books.

Kempic, then faxed a letter, dated June 5, to Emord in which she says that Rodes can sell the books to Emord's client and states: "... we have contacted Mr. Rhodes (sic) and advised him not to destroy the books at this time." The "at this time" tells it all.

But pressure on the FDA had begun to mount. In a letter faxed to Emord three days later, Kempic changed her tune. She writes: "The FDA Dallas District Office informs me that it was Mr. Rodes who chose the option of destroying the books."

Not so, says Rodes, emphatically. Why would he want to destroy thousands of dollars worth of inventory?

Rodes changed the labels on his stevia products so that they conform to the strictest FDA regulations. They no longer suggest any other use for stevia.

Apparently, however, the presence of the books remains a critical issue for FDA officials.

Rodes' company is one of the nation's major distributors of stevia. The FDA confiscated two shipments of the herb that belong to Rodes. Those shipments have yet to be released. This action is costing Rodes business and money.

The FDA oversees the sale and distribution of food and drug products for the safety and health of the nation. The agency sometimes acts overly cautious. Although stevia has been used as a food additive without ill effects in Japan for more than 25 years, the herb has not, according to the FDA, undergone sufficient testing in this country to assure that it isn't harmful.

According to FDA officials, the herb stevia can be "adulterated," merely by being in the presence of information that reveals its sweetening property.

Dallas FDA agents even went so far as to mark up copies of the offending books so that they couldn't be sold. Clearly these agents violated the law. The FDA has no legal authority to destroy books. None whatsoever - no matter whose economic interests are at stake.

_________________________________________________________
Levendosky is editorial page editor of the Casper (Wyo.) Star Tribune.

Comment from Joe Hawkins:
This Shows what type of organization we are expecting to work for us, the people. It is a government branch gone wrong. When they think they can break the law and bully people into submission to there idea of the way it should be, then it is time to close them down. At the present I feel there should be some redefinition's of there limitations when it comes to Herbs, food supplements and dietary supplements and anything that comes from nature. What are they going to do next, try to call all these herbs and ect... drugs and make it so only a physician can give them to you? That is where it is heading because I know from my own experience that herbs and supplements work. They did what the doctors and insurance companies have not done, they corrected my systemic disease. If I was your average trusting citizen then I would probably be close to death by now, but I am not, and I do not take the word of Doctors when it comes to my health. I tried that and they are the reason it got so bad. They ignored all the symptoms and passed them off as nothing. Till it got to the point I was almost comatose. I took herbs for detoxing and they pulled my health back to near normal. I still have some bad times but they are far shorter and far less painful than they use to be. I still wake up with pain in my joints and muscles, but it is slowly but surely diminishing. The herbs and supplements I am taking work and I would not have known what to take if there had not been books out there that tell me what types of herbs do what and what types of supplements do what. I am angry at the judicial system, the medical community, the Insurance Industry (they are organized crime if you ask me), and the FDA (they are the muscle for the medical and big business communities) at present for what they are trying to do. In my case they have all failed.

You take Stevia. I use it for a sweetener. But it does not mess my stomach up like sugar does so to me it has good health benefits in that it does not cause problem. It is even safe for diabetics because my Dad became one and used Stevia afterwards for a sweetener and it did not make him worse. So who is the FDA protecting? The Sugar industry that stripped Hawaiians of there lands and created Sugar diabetic problems by not allowing us much in the way of alternatives. The artificial sweetener companies that make for example, "Saccharine" which is known to cause cancer. Even "Equal" is not safe because it effects infants and fetuses even though it claims to be safe. The FDA approves of them but not a sweetener (Stevia) that is far more sweeter than sugar and has no none side effects after years of use and is natural. Who in the world do they think we are? Little ants that sit by idly while they walk all over us?

They are infringing on our First Amendment Rights and should feel the fury of the people and the press!!! To me this is a far larger issue than Monica Lowenski and the President scandal, (which if you ask me is nothing but a witch hunt cooked up by the GOP). I will tell you that and I am Politically neutral, for religious reasons. But when you mess with my personal right to information and alternative health products you have made me angry. I am sure everyone feels the same way. Choices, that is where it is at, and if you keep taking that away you are making this government into a police state, Communist Government, and that is a big mistake.

If you really want to know though, from my studies in the bible, I know that this government along with all the rest of them are domed to destruction. In Daniel there is a statue which represents all the world powers down to this day. We are at the feet made of Iron and Clay. The Iron is the Government and the Clay is the people. They do not mix. So the feet are going to crumble bringing down the whole system of things as we know it today and as we knew it in the past. It will be replaced but with a Government seated in Heaven. (Refer to the Lord's Prayer: "They Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven... .") No more Taxes and no more suppression of knowledge. You want to learn what I have learned with a truly open mind and a thirst for truth from the bible give me a yell over the E-Mail. If you want to argue, do not bother.

In a article from "THE CONTRA COSTA TIME" ... "THE SUNDAY TIMES" ... AUGUST 30, 1998 ... PG. A11 ... TITLED: "Cancer drug fights disease at genetic roots". BY: "Lauran Neergaard" of the Associated Press.

Quote:
"In a potentially major advance, government doctors decide Wednesday whether to recommend that Herceptin be sold to thousands of American women. .... The final decision will be made by the head of the Food and Drug Administration, who almost always follows the advice of the panel of doctors."

The bold print is mine to highlight a point. But I think you all get it. As I was saying before The FDA works not for the people but for the Doctors who control them. It is as simple as that. And the Doctors are the ones trying to get control of the Herbs and other supplements because they are losing Patients who are taking matters into their own hands and curing themselves of supposedly incurable disease's. Did you know that there is a Patented Cancer Cure? Look it up yourself. It is Patent # 6288045 B1. Go to http://www.pat2pdf.org and fetch it and print it in PDF or Save it before it is lost completely by the US government. This product also claims to do chelation of heavy metals and chemicals etc. . Cancer is big money for the doctors and pharmaceutical companies. Just like all the other disease's that are being cured using food supplements. The cure will most definitely be suppressed.

Herbs, vitamins, and minerals are all suppose to be in our diets on a everyday basis. When take away something the body needs it is going to weaken the immune system and you are going to develop disease's especially when your immune system is already being compromised by the onslaught of chemicals and processed foods we come into contact on a hourly if not second basis. We are constantly being bombarded, and without the proper nutritional support our body needs, we will develop disease's. Herbs are nothing but vitamins and mineral and amino acids and ect... that our body needs but is not getting in its daily diet. Yet 2/3 of all modern medicines where derived from these Herbs. They are made into synthetic compounds essentially with the same basic structure as the natural compound or component as the original herb, but here is the kicker, they are now a chemical made using chemicals and have the same side effects as any other chemical. The reason pharmaceutical companies make synthetic versions of the herb is because it can be patented. The natural herb can not be patented. It is money that motivates the pharmaceutical companies and that also has become the main motivation of the Conventional Medical community.

So now that the Conventional medical community and the pharmaceutical companies realizes that herbs are doing what they are not! Those people are trying to break down the rules and gain control of the Herbs and supplement industry. In other words they are taking away our access to a natural defense against the onslaught of chemicals and malnutrition caused by the other industries who are also motivated by money and not to mention the harm they cause. They do not care as long as there profits are up. Even Agricultural Industry is responsible for our plight. They supplement the ground with only so many minerals. They do not rotate crops as it should be and they do not leave the fields unplowed for a certain amount of time so the ground can replenish itself.

How many other cures have been suppressed by these powerful entities for their financial gain? Disease is big business and big money and is deadlier than all the wars combined. Let the truth be known!!!

We should make a new game and instead of calling it "The Game of LIFE" we should call it "Conspiracy! the New Game of Life!"

Herbs and supplements have helped me and they can help others also. So do what you can to get the word out just as I am doing here!

Thank You,
Hawkeyes
Sept. 2, 1998 (A Few Modifications and Corrections as of 5-7-2007, 8-16-2007)