November 14, 2002

Domestic Security Bill has a ton of riders...

House Approves Domestic Security Bill

There's evidentally quite a few riders on this bill, including such wonderful things as liability exemption for anti-terrorism & smallpox vaccine manufacturers and that wonderful Cyberterrorism bill. But most ironically...

In one last-minute addition, Representative Dick Armey, Republican of Texas, inserted a provision that was apparently intended to protect Eli Lilly, the pharmaceutical giant, from lawsuits over thimerosal, a mercury-based vaccine preservative that some parents contend has caused autism in their children.
...

But Republicans, like Representative William M. Thornberry of Texas, said the additions were minor and paled next to the importance of creating a department to protect the nation's safety.

Wait a second: if the provisions pass, we're not safe from Eli Lilly -- or for that matter, a *lot* of companies -- producing unsafe products. Dead from something other than terrorism is still dead.

Posted by Ted Stevko at November 14, 2002 12:45 PM
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