HEADS UP!! - US SB 1310 defeated in 2011 to outlaw dietary supplements is heading back again - ALSO, EPA alert - Plus other political news with one unexpected victory where the people grew tired of city council corruption and used the system to fight back by replacing all of them with better citizens

Senator Durbin to Reintroduce Supplement Bill

June 19, 2013

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/06/19/durbin-supplement-bill.aspx?e_cid=20130619_PRNL_art_1&utm_source=prmrnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20130619

Story at-a-glance

• Illinois Senator Durbin is planning to reintroduce his supplement bill, the Dietary Supplement Labeling Act (S 1310), which would grant more power to the FDA to regulate dietary supplements like they were drugs; Durbin first introduced S 1310 in 2011, but it failed miserably, as have many of his other attempts to pass laws attacking the supplement industry
• Durbin’s citing of the 2013 GAO Dietary Supplements report, which details adverse effects reports (AERs) associated with supplements, backfires in that it demonstrates just how safe supplements are, compared to vaccines and drugs
• Based on the GAO report, there were 488 times as many adverse reactions reported for prescription drugs as from dietary supplements, and there is no evidence supporting the claim that adverse reactions to supplements are underreported; data from poison control centers confirms their safety
• The financial burden created by Durbin’s proposed legislation will likely cause many supplement companies to go under; and, as a result, the cost of your supplements will likely skyrocket and, more importantly, your supplement choices will be limited
• Manufacturers are migrating products previously classified as “supplements” into the category “food products” in order to sidestep the tighter regulations imposed on supplements, and this loophole is completely ignored by the Durbin bill

Tell Congress that Supplements Are Not Drugs! Sign Petition Here: https://secure3.convio.net/aahf/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=590

Urgent action alert: EPA about to raise allowable concentrations of glyphosate on food crops, edible oils and animal feed - comments needed by July 1 Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/040842_glyphosate_EPA_regulations_contamination_levels.html#ixzz2WmO2LSlM

NJ Supreme Court Rules State Can Seek Custody Of Child Without Evidence Of Abuse Or Neglect

June 19, 2013

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2013/06/14/nj-supreme-court-rules-state-can-seek-custody-of-child-without-evidence-of-abuse/

Attempted Land Grab Ends With Voters Booting Entire City Council  [in Hackensack, NJ]

J.D. Tuccille|Jun. 13, 2013

http://reason.com/blog/2013/06/13/attempted-land-grab-ends-with-voters-boo

"...Last month, the Appellate Division of the state Superior Court agreed (with property owners' attorney), ruling the Planning Board didn’t properly prove that those properties were blighted and “in need of redevelopment.” (refusing property owners' multiple applications to develop their own property)  The city council intended to appeal the appellate court’s decision.

But fortunately for property owners, Hackensack’s entire city council was booted out of office.  The grassroots group Citizens for Change won every single seat on the city council, despite being outraised 2:1.  Their slate of candidates successfully ran on a platform against costly litigation, nepotism, and corruption.  (For example, Hackensack’s police chief was recently convicted for official misconduct and insurance fraud.)  Citizens for Change also sharply criticized Hackensack’s redevelopment projects, calling them “sweetheart deals and special privileges for politically connected property owners and developers.”

A happy outcome like this is no surefire guarantee that eminent domain won't be abused in the future. But it is a sign that, even in New Jersey, government officials have to keep the bullying below the public's pain threshold.