One interesting detail
in Evidence of Harm (page 237) was that when Dick Armey
chose to defend his actions and role of inserting Eli Lilly
protection into the Homeland Security Act it was during a
November 18th, 2002 interview on the Christian
Broadcasting Network with Pat Robertson. Armey said. “It’s
something I’m proud that I did because we cannot let the
tort lawyers define the conditions of science and medicine
in America. They’ll dumb it down as they’ve done so many
other things.”
When Robertson joked
with the Congressman. “Well, you know, I saw a piece on CBS
that seemed to act like there was a sinister plot between
Eli Lilly and, you know, Mitch Daniels and you, and
everybody getting these enormous payoffs. That’s not true,
is it?
Armey grinned lazily.
“Nah. It’s not true.”
The Man Behind The Vaccine Mystery
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/12/12/eveningnews/main532886.shtml
WASHINGTON, Dec. 12, 2002
Rep.
Dick Armey, R-Texas, says he's behind a provision in
the homeland security bill that protects Eli Lilly
and Co. (CBS/AP)
"It's a matter of national security. We need
their vaccines if the country is attacked with germ
weapons."
House Majority Leader Dick Armey
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(CBS) It's been a mystery in Washington for weeks.
Just before President Bush signed the homeland security bill
into law an unknown member of Congress inserted a provision
into the legislation that blocks lawsuits against the maker
of a controversial vaccine preservative called "thimerosal,"
used in vaccines that are given to children.
Drug giant Eli Lilly and Company makes thimerosal. It's the
mercury in the preservative that many parents say causes
autism in thousands of children – like Mary Kate Kilpatrick.
Asked if she thinks her daughter is a victim of thimerosal,
Mary Kate's mother, Kathy Kilpatrick, says, "I think autism
is mercury poisoning."
But nobody in Congress would admit to adding the provision,
reports CBS News Correspondent Jim Acosta – until
now.
House Majority Leader Dick Armey tells CBS News he
did it to keep vaccine-makers from going out of business
under the weight of mounting lawsuits.
"I did it and I'm proud of it," says Armey, R-Texas.
"It's a matter of national security," Armey says. "We need
their vaccines if the country is attacked with germ
weapons."
Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., isn't buying it. The grandfather of
an autistic child, Burton says Armey slipped the provision
in at the last minute, too late for debate.
"And I said, 'Who told you to put it in?'" He said, 'No,
they asked me to do it at the White House.'"
Critics say the Bush family and the administration have too
many ties to Eli Lilly. There's President Bush's father, who
sat on the company's board in the 1970's; White House budget
director Mitch Daniels, once an Eli Lilly executive; and Eli
Lilly CEO Sidney Taurel, who serves on the president's
homeland security advisory council.
Officials at the drug giant insist they did nothing wrong.
"No one, not our CEO, not myself, not anyone who works with
me asked the White House to insert this legislation," said
Eli Lilly spokeswoman Debra Steelman.
But Kathy Kilpatrick and her husband Michael argue that the
thimerosal provision is not designed to protect the nation,
but rather to protect Eli Lilly.
Asked what he'd say to a congressman who came forward and
admitted he was responsible for inserting the provision,
Michael Kilpatrick says, "I would ask him if he knew he was
protecting mercury being shot into our kids."
Kathy Kilpatrick asks, "Why would anyone want to save Eli
Lilly on our children's backs?"
Because Armey is retiring at the end of the year, some say
the outgoing majority leader is the perfect fall guy to take
the heat and shield the White House from embarrassment.
It's a claim both the White house and Armey deny.
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