5 NM State Senators Give Aspertame Victory

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Five New Mexico State Senators Hand Corporate Lobbyists A Victory

Posted by: " Angls4Hope " Angls4Hope angls4hope

Sat Feb 17, 2007 5:52 am (PST)

Five New Mexico State Senators Hand Corporate Lobbyists A Victory

 

(2007-02-15) Bill Collins

 

In an act that would have certainly pleased any supporters of the

status quo, five New Mexico State Senators gave the go ahead for the

continuance of the substance aspartame to be included in the foods,

drinks and some medicines that are placed before the residents of

some 1.8 million New Mexico residents.

 

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The Senators, all members of the Public Affairs Committee followed

the motion by Dr. Steve Komadina (Corrales) to table or effectively

kill any further progress on SB498, which would have banned the sale

or distribution of items containing the artificial sweetener

aspartame. The Senators who followed Dr. Komadina's motion are as

follows: Senators Steven Neville (Aztec), Gay G. Kernan (Hobbs),

Mary Jane Garcia (Las Cruces), Mary Kay Papen (Las Cruces), and

David Ulibarri (Grants).

 

Senators voting not to table the matter were as follows: Senator

Gerald Ortiz y Pino, (Albuquerque) ,Vice Chairman of the

Corporations Committee who sponsored the bill and Senator Dede

Feldman (Albuquerque) , Chairman of the Public Affairs Committee The

matter will be laid to rest for the time being but is sure to

resurface as early as next year, whether the Governor puts it on the

agenda for the short session or not.

 

Lobbyists did their best and it was adequate to convince those five

Senators that aspartame was harmless and should not be banned in New

Mexico. The facts were before them yet they chose to ignore all

facts including the Ramazzini Report which was published on the

website of the National Institute of Health.

 

These senators also had the findings of Dr. H. J. Roberts, internist

and author of Aspartame Disease, An FDA Approved Epidemic as well as

articles by Dr. Russell Blaylock, neurosurgeon and the author of

Excitotoxins: the Taste that Kills. As if that shouldn't have been

enough they also had a presentation from Dr. Betty Martini, Founder

of Mission Possible International, dedicated to banning aspartame in

every nation, yet they still chose to lend a deaf ear to all of

these professionals, who actually are the world's medical experts on

the harmful aspects of aspartame

 

Senator Kernan stated that she voted to table the measure and stated

this " Actually, my husband reminds me quite often that he would

prefer that I not drink diet drinks. However, I am not convinced by

the evidence presented by the opponents. It has nothing to do with

those who represent the soft drink company. I am inclined to place

my faith in the National Institute of Health along with the other

agencies who have provided convincing information to me that there

is no science to support the ban. " (end of quote) How can she rely

on her faith in the NIH and yet not vote according to the conclusive

Ramazzini Report on cancer's carcinogenicity posted by NIH on their

website?

 

Dr. Senator Komadina OB-GYN, who is a practicing physician in

obstetrics and gynecology, and the only physician in the entire

legislature discourages his pregnant patients from consuming any

products containing aspartame yet he made the motion to table the

issue effectively killing the bill. It appears that the good doctor

can't decide correctly when it comes to protecting the non-pregnant

residents of New Mexico.

 

So, the question begs for an answer and the question quite simply is

this, how can Dr. Komadina ask his pregnant patients not to consume

any products containing aspartame and Senator Kernan, whose husband

Dr. John Kernan tells her that he would rather that she not drink

diet sodas vote to kill any measure that would protect hundreds of

thousands in New Mexico from further harm from this substance?

 

As a New Mexican, I am completely baffled by the motivation of the

physician who made the motion to kill the bill, Dr. Steve Komadina.

Granted, he is a Republican, and therefore predisposed to protect

corporations and their interests and liabilities. He was also

trained to frequently look out for the vested interests of

pharmaceutical corporations as often as his patients, I surmise. But

is a state legislature any place for such blatant shenanigans? Is

this the same case in other legislatures and in the Congress and US

Senate which also has a very few physicians? Is it true public

interest that guides their actions and that drives their legislative

agendas? I can't speak for other states, but I can for New Mexico.

 

Certainly, real public interest cannot be the primary motivation for

New Mexico State Senator Steve Komadina, M.D., judging by this

action, other bills, and his legislative history in prior years. One

has to ask as a New Mexican whether there are politicians in his

district that are rising in stature, who could challenge him

vigorously when he stands for election again. The name that most

often comes up is Representative Tom Swisstack, a Rio Rancho

Democrat. Swisstack has been in the House for 4 years, former Mayor

of Rio Rancho, and 16 years with Bernalillo Juvenile Detention

Center, with 8 years as Director. He has advanced great

breakthroughs in Education and in Judicial legislation. We can only

hope that he would not do the kind of things Dr. Komadina does so

flippantly as the only physician in the New Mexico Legislature.

 

What it appears to come down to is basically that the corporate

lobbyists who are plied with vast amounts of money from the giant

corporations such as Ajinomoto, who is also the largest manufacturer

of aspartame and based in Japan obviously have succeeded in pulling

the wool over the eyes of these five members of the New Mexico

Senate, who were critical because of their vote on this committee.

 

It will come up again in the future and, with any luck at all many

more people will have been informed about the harmful effects of

aspartame. We can also always hope the legislators will get wiser or

be replaced by others who are wiser and will at the very least

listen to the information presented about the harmful affects of

aspartame and take action to eradicate this substance from the midst

of the many avenues in which it is sold or distributed. We can also

hope for legislators who have the interests of all New Mexicans at

heart and will not blindly follow the lead of the suppliers and

manufacturers of aspartame.

 

In the meantime countless others will be stricken with medical

afflictions as a result of this toxin. It is very troubling when

legislators are placed in office to protect and preserve human life,

yet they vote to protect giant corporations who continue to poison

human beings in the course of everyday business.

 

If this also concerns you then by all means you owe it to yourself,

friends and relatives to do all within your power to get aspartame

removed from our midst.

 

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