HOW I LEARNED TO LOVE CODEX AND STOP WORRYING ABOUT MY HEALTH

[Guest guest]

Jon Rappoport on Codex and the US...

 

Kind regards

Sepp

 

 

 

 

 

HOW I LEARNED TO LOVE CODEX AND STOP WORRYING ABOUT MY HEALTH

 

JULY 15, 2005. On Wednesday night, I appeared on a panel on Coast to

Coast AM with George Noory. We discussed the implications of the July

4 ruling by Codex on vitamins and minerals.

 

Since then, I 've received emails asking me to repeat my position.

 

There is much to say about this, but I'll boil it down for the moment.

 

Codex Guidelines are suggestions and recommendations and they are

labeled " optional. " However, the World Trade Organization (WTO)

decided, some time ago, to use these guidelines as hard and fast

rules that bind all 172 WTO-member nations, including the US.

 

One can find wording in the GATT Treaty---which is the basis for

WTO---that would allow member nations to wriggle out of WTO commands

when those commands conflict with domestic laws of WTO-member

nations. BUT the rubber meets the road when a member nation files a

grievance with WTO, claiming that another member nation is

restraining free trade.

 

At that point, we are into the Twilight Zone. GATT language, no GATT

language---everything becomes the kingdom of the WTO grievance panel.

They decide. They issue rulings. They punish, they reward.

 

And their decision, after possible appeal, is final. If a member

nation that is found guilty of restraint of free trade refuses to

abide by that decision, huge $$ sanctions ensue.

 

Let me give you a recent example of the eccentricity (to say the

least) of the WTO. This past spring, Antigua filed a grievance

against the US. Well, it was really against THE STATE OF UTAH. But

the US government is the umbrella that, in WTO's eyes, rules Utah.

 

Antigua is big on Internet gambling. Companies based there run

gambling sites. These are legal.

 

These companies are very, very interested in business from the US.

 

Utah, however, has a state law against gambling. You may think that

law is wonderful or silly, but it is the law.

 

So Antigua filed a grievance with WTO: Utah can't reject

Antigua-based gambling websites.

 

That's " restraint of free trade. "

 

In this case, we are talking about " the electronic export of gambling

business from Antigua into the US. "

 

The WTO panel mulled this over and decided that Antigua was right.

 

So it issued a ruling. Utah can't reject Antigua gambling sites. Utah

would have to change its law.

 

That's how bizarre and intrusive WTO can get.

 

How could a grievance based on vitamins and minerals affect US consumers?

 

Right now, we have a law in the US, called DSHEA, that gives US

supplement manufacturers pretty wide latitude in the types and

potencies of vitamins and minerals they can sell INSIDE THE US.

 

Other nations are not so free in their laws. Germany and Brazil, for instance.

 

So let's say that Germany and Brazil file a grievance with the WTO.

Basically, the grievance says this: " We are exporting our supplements

into the US. But we are being deprived of income, because we are

selling a narrow range of supplements at low potencies. Why? Well,

that's what we can manufacture under our own domestic laws. However,

when our supplements reach the shores of the United States, they

knock up against a fantastic cowboy situation. Hundreds and hundreds

of wild and weird supplements at high potencies are being sold inside

the US. How can we compete? We estimate we are each losing $200

million a year in sales. If the US had supplement laws that

harmonized with our own, we could compete. Help us. "

 

Now, the WTO panel does a Utah:

 

" Yes, we agree. This is outrageous. The US must harmonize its

supplement law to fall in line with the laws of countries like

Germany and Brazil. In fact, a risk assessment done by CODEX (this

hasn't actually been done yet) states a range of acceptable

supplements and acceptable potencies, and the US is grossly exceeding

these standards. So the US has to gut DSHEA and put in a new

harmonized law, or it will have to pay a total of $400 million a year

to Brazil and Germany until it DOES put in a new and better law. "

 

Couldn't happen? Wouldn't happen? Too crazy to happen?

 

Ask the people of Utah. They are guilty of being electronic-gambling

criminals, as far as WTO is concerned.

 

Meanwhile, the FDA loves Codex and looks forward to influencing

Codex's upcoming risk assesment of vitamins and minerals. The FDA

would love to destroy DSHEA and institute new draconian supplement

law in the US.

 

Codex, you have to understand, in its guidelines, made a few key

choices. For example, it decided that supplements are basically for

SUPPLEMENTATION OF DAILY DIET and not for PREVENTION OF CHRONIC

DISEASES. It decided, on the issue of safe upper limits for

supplements (potencies) to forget RDAs (recommended daily allowances

or doses) and instead go for SCIENTIFICALLY ESTABLISHED RISK

ASSESSMENT. This last fork in the road means that some organization

(not yet chosen) will study supplements and put out a report that

claims to know the safe upper limits of potencies. I think you can

see where these two basic choices are heading.

 

These choices will impact how WTO, in turn, rules on grievances

member nations file against, say, the US.

 

Is the roof going to cave in tomorrow? No.

 

Is all this a major step on the road toward perdition? Yes.

 

Is the game over? No.

 

Has the struggle moved to a new level? Yes.

 

Can an international body (WTO) exercise control over US domestic laws? Yes.

 

Do we need to get out of WTO? Yes.

 

Is there another phase of WTO-type control that is waiting in the wings? Yes.

 

Is it called CAFTA (Central American Free Trade treaty)? Yes.

 

Has it passed the US Senate? Yes.

 

Has it passed the House? Not yet. The White House is working behind

the scenes to twist arms and obtain the last few votes needed.

 

Does CAFTA contain language that would put further pressure on the US

to harmonize its supplement law with the laws of other nations where

there are far more restrictions on the sale of supplements? Yes.

 

Article 3 of CAFTA: " Member nations shall base their food safety

[supplement safety included] measures on international [Codex]

standards, guidelines or recommendations. "

 

Is there also is a bill in the US Congress now that would rip apart

the DSHEA law? Yes. HR 3156.

 

3156 establishes a similar risk-analysis assessment that Codex

decreed needed to be done. 3156 states that even a relatively small

risk of adverse health effects could be grounds for outlawing a

supplement, unless " sufficient benefit " exists. These would be

judgments, of course, for some " science " panel to make. 3156 states

that the FDA can ban any supplement even though " there are

uncertainties " as to the level of potency where the risk would occur.

 

Other enemies of supplements in the US are urging further gutting of

DSHEA. Supplement manufacturers would have to prove that their

supplements are safe, whereas under DSHEA, this burden falls on the

government, because THE TRACK RECORD OF SUPPLEMENT SAFETY HAS BEEN

EXTRAORDINARY.

 

Supplement manufacturers would have to somehow keep records of

adverse health events. This is treating supplements like drugs.

Unlike supplements, we know that medical drugs approved by the FDA

kill at least 100,000 people in the US every year.

 

Codex is one vector in the squeeze play that is threatening health

all over the world.

 

JON RAPPOPORT www.nomorefakenews.com

 

--

 

 

The individual is supreme and finds its way through intuition.

 

Sepp Hasslberger

 

 

My page on physics, new energy, economy: http://www.hasslberger.com/

 

Critical perspective on Health: http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp/

 

Antiprohibition and cannabis: http://www.unsaccodicanapa.com/

 

Communication Agents: http://www.communicationagents.com/

 

Freedom of choice - La Leva di Archimede: http://www.laleva.cc/

La Leva's news: http://www.laleva.org/

 

Robin Good - http://www.masternewmedia.org/

 

Trash Your Television!

http://www.tvturnoff.org/ http://www.tvnewslies.org/

 

Not satisfied with news from the tube and other controlled media?

Search the net! There are thousands of information sources

out there. Start with

 

http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/

http://www.truthout.org/

http://buzzflash.com/

http://www.joevialls.co.uk/

http://www.Rense.com/