DRUG COMPANIES HAVE COMPLETELY ABANDONED SCIENCE

Link to Article

DYLAN RATIGAN CALLS IT CORPORATE COMMUNISM

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PANCHO & LEFTY

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Pancho was a bandit boy

His horse was fast as polished steel

He wore his gun outside his pants

for all the honest world to feel

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Pancho met his match you know

on the deserts down in Mexico

An' no one heard his dyin words

ahh but that's the way it goes

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Lefty he can't sing the blues

all night long like he used to

The dust that Pancho bit down south

ended up in Lefty's mouth

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Pancho needs your prayers it's true

but save a few for lefty too

He only did what he had to do

and now he's growing old

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A few gray federales say

they could've had him any day

They only let him go so long

out of kindness I suppose

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Lyrics

BILLY TAUZIN: "MY RIGHT HAND MAN"

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In 2003, when Billy Tauzin, Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, realized he didn't have the votes needed to pass the Medicaid/Medicare Modernization Act (MMA), Tauzin and his GOP pals extended the normal 15-minute vote to three hours so they could twist a few arms. The bill passed at 3:00 a.m. - three o'clock in the morning.
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The MMA, which was written by pharma industry lobbyists, mandated that the Federal government could not reveal to the States the average drug prices submitted to the Feds quarterly by pharmaceutical manufactures. This ensured that States wouldn't have access to actual drug prices when setting Medicaid reimbursement rates. The bill also prohibited the federal government from negotiating with pharmaceutical manufacturers to get lower drug prices for Medicare.
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Billy then took a job as CEO of big pharma's most powerful lobbying group, PhRMA, and the multi-million dollar salary that came with it.
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Now Tauzin is negotiating with the Obama administration to cut another deal favorable to pharmaceutical manufacturers. Big pharma says it will provide $80 billion in savings over the next ten years. In return, the administration will agree to several measures designed to reduce competition. The $80 billion in savings will come from a reduction in prices that are set by the pharmaceutical manufacturers themselves.
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Tauzin has a knack of stroking key decision-makers in order to get deals done for his friends.
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In 2003 Tauzin cut a deal behind closed doors in the middle of the night for big pharma and the Republicans, and now Tauzin is sneaking through the back door of the White House to cut a deal for big pharma and the Democrats.

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BIG PHARMA'S BACKROOM DEAL WITH OBAMA

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A REMINDER OF WHO PRESIDENT OBAMA IS DEALING WITH

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... BILLY TAUZIN
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That's the man President Obama has decided to partner with to get a healhcare deal done.
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Remember when Billy Tauzin was a big-shot Congressman going after big-bad big-pharma?
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WASHINGTON, D.C., June 26, 2003 -- As part of an expanded investigation into Medicaid fraud, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Billy Tauzin... uncovered significant discrepancies between what some pharmaceutical companies charged providers for certain drugs and what Medicare then reimbursed those providers for dispensing those drugs. This price difference resulted in profit incentives for providers to use the drugs of specific companies as well as higher costs to the Medicare system and the patients it serves....
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Sincerely,W.J. "Billy" Tauzin Chairman
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Remember how Billy Tauzin never made good on his promise to root out fraud in the pharmaceutical industry, but instead pushed a deal through congress that gave big-pharma a license to commit fraud?
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President Signs Medicare Legislation - December 2003 - The point man in my administration on this issue was Secretary Tommy Thompson, and he and his team did a fabulous job of working with the Congress to get this important piece of legislation passed. Tommy, I want to thank you for your leadership.
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This bill passed the Congress because of the strong leadership of a handful of members, starting with the Speaker of the House Denny Hastert. Mr. Speaker -- (applause.) Mr. Speaker was joined by Senator Bill Frist, the Senate Majority Leader of the Senate, in providing the leadership necessary to get this bill done. I want to thank you both. (Applause.) And the entire Senate effort was boosted by the efforts of a man from Louisiana, Senator John Breaux. (Applause.)
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And speaking about Louisiana, Billy Tauzin of the House of Representatives did great work on this bill. (Applause.) I appreciate Tom Scully, the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, for his good work. (Applause.)

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Remember how big pharma then bought Billy for $2 million a year to become CEO of PhRMA?
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Tauzin Switches Sides - December 2004: Representative, WJ "Billy" Tauzin (R-La), was chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and had cited "secret consulting fees and stock options from drug companies" as reasons to request documentation of all payments from Big Pharma to NIH scientists. Later that same year Billy Tauzin announced he would not run for re-election, but instead was taking a job as the CEO of Big Pharma's Lobbying Group, PhRMA. While Tauzin's salary is a "trade secret", it was reported to be $2 Million in 2004.
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January 2006 - Democratic leaders call medicare drug legislation the product of a "corrupt legislative process," seek investigation into role of scandal-tainted lobbying group.

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Under the Influence: How Big Pharma bought our politicians


Watch CBS Videos Online

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Remember when we thought we were voting for change?

Internal Memo Confirms Big Giveaways In White House Deal With Big Pharma

The deal, as outlined in the memo:

Commitment of up to $80 billion, but not more than $80 billion.
1. Agree to increase of Medicaid rebate from 15.1 - 23.1% ($34 billion)
2. Agree to get FOBs done (but no agreement on details -- express disagreement on data exclusivity which both sides say does not affect the score of the legislation.) ($9 billion)
3. Sell drugs to patients in the donut hole at 50% discount ($25 billion)This totals $68 billion
4. Companies will be assessed a tax or fee that will score at $12 billion. There was no agreement as to how or on what this tax/fee will be based.

Total: $80 billion In exchange for these items, the White House agreed to:
1. Oppose importation
2. Oppose rebates in Medicare Part D
3. Oppose repeal of non-interference
4. Oppose opening Medicare Part B

DON'T LIKE "SOCIALIZED MEDICINE"? QUIT MEDICARE

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Not yet a Senior Citizen, but Physically Disabled? Then you're covered by Medicare... so Quit.
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Not yet a Senior Citizen, but Mentally Disabled? Then you're covered by Medicare... so Quit.
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All you Veterans out there...Quit your VA healthcare..... that includes Tricare.
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Do you work? Then give up Workers' Compensation.
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Work for a company that doesn't provide insurance and you can't afford your own? Quit Medicaid.
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You're poor? Quit Medicaid.

You're poor and you have kids? Make your kids quit CHIP.
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Work for the Federal government? Give up your sweet Federal healthcare program.
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Work for State government? Give up your sweet State healthcare program.
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What hospital do you visit? Its construction was probably funded by minicipal bonds. So don't go to the hospital.
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Work in the pharmaceutical Industry? Over half you're company's revenues come from government healthcare programs. SO QUIT YOUR JOB.
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Work for a Health Insurance company? Over half you're companys' revenues come from government healthcare programs. SO QUIT YOUR JOB.
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Work for a PBM or GPO or HMO? Over half you're company's revenues come from government healthcare programs. SO QUIT YOUR JOB.
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Work for a Healthcare Provider? A clinic or Hospital? Over half you're company's revenues come from government healthcare programs. QUIT YOUR JOB.
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You don't want Socialized Medicine? You already got it.
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WHILE YOUR AT IT, GET YOUR LAZY ASS OFF ALL GOVERNMENT HANDOUTS!
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Got a student loan? Payoff the entire balance Today.
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Attend a State College? Part of your tuition is funded by the government. Quit and enroll in a private college. And if you need tuition, then get it on your own. Just make sure you don't take out a government funded student loan.
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Got a Small Business Loan? Government money. Pay it off and go get your own money.
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Do you drive your car on roads? They're funded by the government. Quit driving.
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Do you use your local Library? It's Government funded... go buy your own books.
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Are the parks near your home nice? Well stay away. They're government funded.
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Do you work in the Defense Industry? Most of your company's revenues come from the government. QUIT YOUR JOB.
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Work in the Airline Industry? Your biggest customer is the government. Quit your job.
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Did you just buy a new car in the Cash For Clunkers program? Return the $4,500. Can't afford to return the money? Then sell your car at a huge loss and return the money?
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Own a home? Quit taking mortgage interest and property tax deductions.
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You don't want the government to fund programs? Then go buy a piece of land somewhere out in the boonies, build yourself a nice little home and live off the land.
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......Just make sure you pay your property taxes, or the government will take away your lonely little homestead.
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Here's the article that states what should be obvious to everybody, but which cleary is not, that set off this rant: Don't like "socialized medicine"? Quit Medicare and the VA
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If we're going to have a debate on healthcare, whadaya say we don't conduct it like a bunch of idiots?

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SIBEL EDMONDS TESTIFIES

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Brad Blog: Updates on Sibel Edmonds August 8 Testimony

SIBEL EDMONDS: KILL THE MESSENGER

Live blogging coverage of the Sibel Edmonds deposition at the National Whistleblowers Center in Washington D.C. For background see previous coverage:
8/5/09: Sibel Edmonds Subpoenaed, Set to 'Break' Gag Order
8/7/09: EXCLUSIVE: FBI Attempts to Block Edmonds Testimony in OH Election Case
8/7/09: EXCLUSIVE UPDATE: DoJ Pressures Ohio Election Commission to Block Edmonds Testimony

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GREG ENO KNOWS WHO THE TYLENOL KILLER IS

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Just ask him!

Greg Eno, a self proclaimed "communications professional" with 20 years experience in the "biz," has apparently detemined the identity of the Tylenol killer.

You can read his post here, and determine for yourself the legitimacy of his unsubstanitated statements.

At least Greg Eno had the courtesy to apologize to God - "Sorry, God," he said - after making the following threats against Mr. Lewis:

Anyhow, he turns 63 tomorrow, come to find out.

It’d be great if he didn’t make it, but that’s not very Christian of me, is it?

But let’s see how Christian YOU are about Mr. Lewis, the next time you struggle to open a bag of cookies or a vacuum-sealed bottle of Wite-Out, now that you know who you have to blame.

When he does go, they should shrink-wrap his coffin and seal it inside a “tamper-proof” vault.

Still would be better to do those things to him while he’s alive.

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For the Record:
According to evidence found and statements made by Kenneth Walton, deputy assistant director of the FBI's New York office, and James T. Sullivan, the New York City Chief of Detectives:

James Lewis was living in New York City, and was was seen by witnesses in New York City every day in the weeks before, during and after the Tylenol murders. James Lewis was in New York City when on September 28, 1982, one day before the Tylenol murders, two Lake county deputies found two opened Tylenol boxes with 24 Tylenol bottles (some of them opened), hundreds of empty 500mg Extra-Strength Tylenol caspules and a pile of white powder in the Elgin Howard Johnson's parking lot located at the center of the Tylenol murders crime scene. Both deputies became violently ill with symptoms of cyanide poisoning minutes after touching some of the Tylenol capsules and white powder.

Greg Eno carries on the work of those fine "communications professionals" that came before him. The fine folks who falsely accused Richard Jewel - a hero - for the Olympic Park bombing, and Steven Hatfill - a brilliant scientist - for the Anthrax mailings.
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COALITION AGAINST INSURANCE FRAUD

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This is pretty funny. The Coalition Against Insurance Fraud is made up of a bunch of Insurance executives.

THIS IS THE AD CNN REFUSES TO RUN?

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Personally, I'd prefer that CNN not run this ad. It's boring, weak, and generally lousy. But to refuse to run it because it “unnecessarily” singles out a top insurance industry executive by name for criticism? Give me a break! This is what CNN calls unnecessary criticism? Bringing up publicily available information about Cigna's CEO?

It's a poorly done ad that fails to even come close to the true reason that the insurance industry doesn't want change. The Dems need to read this Insurance Fraud Overview, then take a look at this Keith Olbermann rant, and then develop an ad that takes it up another few notches.

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THE REACTIVATED TYLENOL MURDERS COVER UP AND FRIENDS OF JOHNSON & JOHNSON

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The more I look into the reactivated Tylenol murders investigation, the more it looks like a reactivation of the Tylenol murders cover up. And the more I look at the friends of Johnson & Johnson, the more it seems they are no friends of the Tylenol murder victim’s families.

I recently questioned the motivation for comments made by former J&J Company Group Chairman Wayne K. Nelson regarding James Lewis.
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Six months into the reactivated case; officials involved in the current and original investigation are mum. Johnson & Johnson hasn't spoken about the case in years. So I find it odd that after 26 year of silence, suddenly Wayne K. Nelson pops up to support a ridiculous theory, which just so happens to align with the approved theory of the Tylenol murders, developed by J&J, the FDA and FBI in 1982; a theory that is easily debunked.

Nelson became a very rich man by leaving Johnson & Johnson in 1987 to found a company primarily funded by J&J. So I can understand his loyalty to J&J.

The company Wayne founded - Nelson Communications - generated revenue of $86 million in 1996, $115 million in 1997 and $127 million in 1998, of which J&J represented 39%, 30% and 22% of total revenues respectively.

But there’s another key player in the 1982 Tylenol murders investigation that also made a lot of money at Nelson Communications. Wayne Nelson appointed Arthur Hull Hayes Jr. to the position of Vice Chairman and Medical Director for Nelson Communications.

And who is Arthur Hull Hayes Jr.?

Arthur Hayes was the FDA Commissioner in 1982, and Johnson & Johnson’s most faithful cheerleader. It was Arthur Hayes and his FDA minions who insisted all along that J&J bore no responsibility for the Tylenol tamperings.

It was Arthur Hayes and the FDA that just 21 days after learning about the Tylenol murders officially exonerated J&J of any responsibility in the tamperings.

Arthur Hayes was asked to leave the FDA in 1983 after stacking an FDA advisory board and then making the tie-breaking vote to approve the artificial sweetener aspartame for his good buddy Donald Rumsfeld, then CEO of the Illinois based manufacturer of aspartame, G.D. Searle.

It was Arthur Hayes who within months of leaving the FDA signed a 10-year $1,000 per month contract to work as a consultant for Burson Marsteller, the company that handled Johnson & Johnson’s Public Relations campaign after the 1982 and 1986 Tylenol murders.

It was Arthur Hayes who went to work for Wayne Nelson at Nelson Communications; a company that would probably never have existed without the support of Johnson & Johnson.

And it was Arthur Hayes, who Wayne Nelson named President and Chief Operating Officer of MediScience Associates, a subsidiary of Nelson Communications.

As you can see, Wayne Nelson takes good care of Johnson & Johnson’s friends.

NELSON COMMUNICATIONS
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS (1998)

Set forth below are the names, ages and positions of the executive officers and directors of Nelson:
NAME AGE POSITION
---- --- --------
Wayne K. Nelson(1)............. 60 Chairman of the Board of Directors
Thomas A. Moore(2)............. 48 President, Chief Executive Officer and Director
Peter Law-Gisiko............... 44 Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer,
Secretary and Treasurer
Fred H. Kellogg................ 53 Vice Chairman
Peter J. Scarperi.............. 55 Vice Chairman
Dr. Joseph A. Romano........... 52 Vice Chairman
Dr. Arthur Hull Hayes,
Jr.(3)....................... 65 Vice Chairman/Medical Director and Director
William I. Bergman(2)(4)....... 67 Director
Dr. Bernard Canavan(1)(5)...... 63 Director
Dr. Kathleen M. Foley(1)(4).... 55 Director
George S. Frazza(1)............ 65 Director
Lawrence C. Hoff(1)(4)......... 70 Director
Barry MacTaggart(3)(4)......... 67 Director
Dr. Herbert Pardes(2)(5)....... 64 Director
Robert G. Pinco(2)(5).......... 55 Director
Thomas O. Pyle(3)(5)........... 59 Director
Kenneth Roman(3)(5)............ 68 Director
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OLBERMANN CALLS OUT THE PHARMAFIA MOBSTERS

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When even the pseudo-mainstream media understands that the United States healthcare industry is run by mobsters who get what they want by paying off their corrupt political pals, it's obvious that every politician and government official having anything to do with big-pharma is involved in this criminal enterprise, and is in the pockets of the Pharmafia.

This is the best rant I've ever heard from any media personality.

CONGRATULATIONS KEITH OLBERMANN!

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I MISS THE VILLAGE GREEN

WHAT IS WAYNE NELSON'S INTEREST IN THE REOPENED TYLENOL MURDERS INVESTIGATION?

Wayne K. Nelson was J&J Company Group Chairman at the time of the 1982 Tylenol murders. Prior to that he was President and Worldwide Coordinator of McNeil Consumer Products Company. At McNeil, he was credited with launching the Tylenol programs that made it the top selling analgesic in the U.S.

The 1982 Tylenol Murders

On October 5, 1982, Nelson said:

"All we can tell you is that it's a deliberate attempt to sabotage the product. I am indicating this is a clear example of indiscriminate murder."

On February 4, 2009, after the case was reopened, Nelson said:

"There were a lot of people who believed what was available in terms of evidence pointed towards him (James Lewis)," former Johnson and Johnson Senior Executive Wayne Nelson told ABC News. "But that was the extent, it wasn't enough to convict or even prosecute."

"He (Lewis) was dismissed as a suspect because it was felt the cyanide, since it eats through the capsule, would have had to have been put in close to the time they were purchased, and the FBI could not put him in Chicago at the time," former FBI Agent Brad Garrett, now an ABC News consultant, said.

Lewis has maintained that he could not have committed the crime because he was in New York at the time. But Nelson told ABC News that,

based on an analysis of the stores where the tainted Tylenol was purchased, many close to the case believed* that whoever dropped the drugs off had flown into Chicago, rented a car, gone and distributed the pills, and then flown back out of O'Hare airport.

* I don't think anybody involved in the investigation believed that. In fact, this exact scenario was quickly dismissed in 1982. Nelson ignores the preponderance of facts and physical evidence that contradict his bogus theory.

From the October 21, 1982 New York Times:

Kenneth Walton, deputy assistant director of the bureau's New York office, said that the suspects, James W. Lewis and his wife, Leann, stayed at the Hotel Rutledge, 161 Lexington Avenue at 31st Street, from Sept. 6 until last week (Oct. 17). Mr. Lewis, he said, was seen last Thursday (Oct. 15), and Mrs. Lewis was seen last Saturday(Oct. 17) when she turned in her room key.

''We don't think they were traveling back and forth during the period of time they were known to be in New York,'' James T. Sullivan, the New York City Chief of Detectives, said. He said that Mr. Lewis usually met his wife each day after she finished work as a bookkeeper at a midtown real estate office and walked home with her.

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Regarding Wayne Nelson's February 4, 2009 statements, as quoted by ABC News:

"based on an analysis of the stores where the tainted Tylenol was purchased"

Mr. Nelson, what analysis are you referring to?

I've researched the Tylenol murders investigation extensively; and in the thousands of documents I've collected and read, I can't find a single reference anywhere to the "analysis" which you seem to believe is the key to convicting your patsy.
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"whoever dropped the drugs off had flown into Chicago, rented a car, gone and distributed the pills, and then flown back out of O'Hare airport"

Mr Nelson, maybe you can explain to the world how "an analysis of the stores where the tainted Tylenol was purchased" could possibly provide credible evidence that "whoever dropped the drugs off had flown into Chicago, rented a car, gone and distributed the pills, and then flown back out of O'Hare airport"?

Did this analysis of yours' allow investigators to determine which flights the perpetrator took into and out of Chicago? What clues enabled you to determine that the killer had rented a car? Did your "analysis of the stores" allow you to decipher where the car was rented or what type of car it was?

Since you seem to believe this "analysis" of yours' implicated Mr. Lewis, then it must have produced strong evidence that the killer flew out of New York. Were you able to determine which airport was used? Was it LaGuardia or JFK? Or, did your patsy cross the border into New Jersey and fly out of Newark International? Is it possible that he drove a little further south to New Brunswick, hijacked one of J&J's corporate jets and flew into Chicago from there?

It appears that your analysis, Mr. Nelson, involved only those stores where tainted Tylenol was actually purchased. Could an analysis of the stores where unpurchased bottles of tainted Tylenol were recovered reveal the name of the travel agency that was used to book the flights? Or, maybe a combined analysis of all stores where tainted Tylenol was found could be conducted that would allow you to determine whether or not the killer checked any bags.

Maybe, by calculating the square root of the number of stores divided by the average number of miles between the eastern-most store and all other stores multiplied by the difference between the number of miles from O'Hare International to the western-most store divided by the square-root of the average temperature on September 28, 1982 minus the median number of cyanide laced Tylenol capsules found in the contaminated bottles divided by i, Mr. Nelson could finally solve the Tylenol murders.

Wayne Nelson is either incredibly stupid or a really bad liar.

WHY NELSON?

Why would Nelson take on the role of Johnson & Johnson's unofficial spokesperson?

After all, Nelson left J&J in 1987. What possible motive could he have to incite further speculation about Mr. Lewis?

Johnson & Johnson executives stopped commenting on the Tylenol murders many years ago. Certainly Nelson, who was a Company Group Chairman and former McNeil President at the time of the murders, knows this. And certainly Nelson, being the by the book kind of company man that I'm sure he is, wouldn't violate J&J's credo of silence.

I suspect that Nelson had J&J's blessing to comment publicly about the reopened Tylenol murders investigation. You don't become a Company Group Chairman for Johnson & Johnson without knowing how to toe the company line.

But why would Nelson still have such loyalty to Johnson & Johnson 22 years after leaving the company?

After leaving Johnson & Johnson; Johnson & Johnson made Nelson a very rich man.

Nelson Communications

Nelson left Johnson & Johnson in 1987 to form his own company, Nelson Communications Worldwide.

Johnson & Johnson was, by far, Nelson's biggest client, representing over 22.7% of his company's $126.9 million in revenues in 1998.


The first Nelson Group company, Professional Detailing Network, Inc. ("PDN"), was founded in 1987 to provide professional personal selling services to pharmaceutical companies.

We have served six of the 10 largest pharmaceutical companies for five or more years and generated 72.0% of revenues in 1998 from clients served in 1995. In 1998, we served all of the 10 largest pharmaceutical companies in the world and 27 of the top 50, based on 1997 revenues. The number of clients served has grown from 84 in 1995 to 154 in 1998. As a result of the foregoing, our revenues increased to $126.9 million in 1998 from $48.6 million in 1995.

Our five largest clients accounted for 68.5% of our revenues in 1996, 63.8% of our revenues in 1997 and 52.8% of our revenues in 1998. In 1998, 11 operating companies of Johnson & Johnson accounted for 22.7% of revenues. In 1997, Johnson & Johnson accounted for 30.4% of revenues. In 1998, 23 of our operating units generated revenues from Johnson & Johnson.

YOO PRANKED BY ABU GHRAIB PRISONER LOOK-ALIKE

John Yoo, author of the "enhanced interrogation" memos justifying torture gets pranked during a university class lecture. - Boingboing.net



John Yoo Pranked By Australian Comedy Team (VIDEO)

HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY SAYS THE F-WORD

That's right, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius just threw out the F-bomb.

As I watched her live, I sensed she was going to say it. She just had a naughty look about her.

So I egged her on...... Come on... say it..... you can do it.

say that bad bad word....... you know you want to....... and then, YES!, ...... out came the most profane of all words. A word so obscene, it would never be uttered by any self-respecting tool of Big-Pharma!

FRAUD

The word that no politican; no political appointee; and certainly no Secretary of Health & Human Services should ever say; was said by Kathleen Sebelius.

When executives within the healthcare industry are prosecuted for their decades of fraud against taxpayers. When these criminal enterpises give back what they've stolen and when the bulk of the fraud is taken out of our "healthcare system" we will have affordable healthcare.

CONGRATULATIONS HHS SECRETARY KATHLEEN SEBELIUS!!

WHITE MEN ARE THE NEW BLACK MEN

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THE GOVERNMENT VS FREE MARKET HEALTHCARE DEBATE IS A SICK JOKE

I posted this awhile ago, but it's just as relevant today.

“Free Market” Socialized Oligopolies - published April 22, 2008 at 9:14 am

I can’t help but cringe when some big business executive complains about government regulation. The mantra these guys typically spew is, “Let the free market work.” These American Fraudsters love their "capitalism" and “free markets” - as long as "free market" means antitrust laws aren’t enforced and "capitilism" means big business gets its share of inflated government contracts and reimbursements.

The truth is that there are no free markets.

Most large healthcare companies generate more than 50% of their revenues from government programs like Medicaid, Medicare, 340B providers and TriCare. Excuse me, but that is socialism. Our healthcare system was socialized years ago.

The healthcare business model was created to extract fees. Since fees are generally based on the cost of drugs, devices, and procedures, healthcare companies are incentivized to push high priced products.

Those of us without government sponsored healthcare are paying through the nose for the massive amount of waste, fraud, and abuse that our "Free Market" Capitalist corporations are extracting from government healthcare programs paid for with our tax dollars.

Big Pharma executives and their business partners in agencies like the SEC, HHS, and DOJ have systematically and purposefully built the corrupt, fraud infested socialized oligopoly of a healthcare system we now endure.

"Capitalism" in the land of AmericanFraud is something of a corrupt pay-to-play version of socialism.

Following are the major pharmaceutical industry sector oligopolies within the healthcare industry. These companies develop inter-sector stealth alliances and off-the-book partnerships to bilk government healthcare programs like Medicaid and Medicare.

HEALTHCARE SECTOR OLIGOPOLIES

PHARMA MANUFACTURERS – Not really an oligopoly, but rather a corrupt partnership between rich white pharma executives and their rich, or soon to be rich, politician pals. Open to many, as long as they agree to conspire to defraud government healthcare programs.

Johnson & Johnson – Hasn’t come out with an innovative drug since the launch of Risperdal, 10 years ago. Come to think of it, even Risperdal wasn’t innovative. As the CATIE study showed, Risperdal is no more effective than the older generic conventional antipsychotics like holoperidol (Haldol), which was launched by a J&J subsidiary decades ago.

Pfizer - Put an Attorney in charge of the whole shootin’ match – enough said. We can probably assume that most of the money they could have used in R&D, will be needed for Attorney’s fees and litigation settlements for the foreseeable future.

Merck – Tried to develop an innovative drug to treat cholesterol. Well, not exactly innovative; just the combination of Zocor, a “me to” drug, and Zetia, a somewhat innovative drug that, as it turns out, doesn’t really treat anything. Based on the numerous ongoing investigations, it seems like their very un-ethical and possibly illegal ploy isn’t going too well for them.

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Ely-Lilly – Lives and dies by one drug; their antipsychotic Zyprexa. They market this drug as if it can treat every conceivable mental health problem ever thought of. Ely-Lilly is involved in way too many lawsuits regarding illegal pricing, illegal marketing, and product liability to count.
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Other large, and corrupt pharmaceutical manufacturers include: sanofi-aventis, GlaxoSmithKline, Bristol-Myers, AstraZeneca, Amgen, Schering-Plough, Abbott, Wyeth, and Novartis. All of the large pharmaceutical manufacturers are being investigated for fraud and anti-trust violations. Litigation of massive fraud against all of the large manufacturers is ongoing.

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DISTRIBUTORS - The Big-3 Distributors; McKesson, Cardinal Health and AmeriSourcebergen handle over 90% of all drugs sold in the United States. They sell and lease software, operate help-line call centers, process claims, sell and lease drug dispensing machines, and they operate mail order pharmacies and specialty drug pharmacies. Distributors have developed all sorts of mechanisms to add fees to every drug they sell. They especially like to set their fees as a percentage of the inflated wholesale acquisition cost (WAC).

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PHARMACY BENEFITS MANAGER (PBM).

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Each of the three players in this oligopoly; Medco , Express Scripts and Caremark/CVS have paid out hundreds of millions of dollars to settle charges of fraud. All are in litigation related to fraud and antitrust violations.

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Long Term Care (LTC) Pharmacy Service Providers – These companies actually service more than just LTC facilities. They also provide pharmacy services for prisons, mental health care facilities, adult day care programs, assisted living facilities, and they operate mail order and retail pharmacies. They love to buy drugs at heavily discounted institutional prices and then sell them in the retail class of trade, where Medicaid and Medicare reimburse at the vastly inflated retail price.

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OmniCare – Until recently Omnicare controlled the prescription business for over 80% of all long-term care beds. That number has recently been declining, and is now probably no more than 75%.

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Pharmerica – The merged Pharmacy Service Providers of AmerisourceBergen and Kindred. It picks up most of the scraps that Omnicare leaves behind.

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HEALTH MINTENANCE ORGANIZATIONS (HMO)

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United Health – The largest HMO/Healthcare insurer. Three of its subsidiaries received subpoenas from NY Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who is investigating their billing practices and various other forms of fraud against the government (most of these cases have recently been settled). – Cuomo to Sue UnitedHealth Over What’s Reasonable Payment – - Cuomo to Sue UnitedHealth, Probe Reimbursement Policy – Attorney General Andrew Cuomo issued subpoenas to 16 insurers in his probe into reimbursement practices. He’s alleged that the HMOs have cheated customers out of hundreds of millions of dollars.

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WellCare – A relatively small HMO, but 100% of their business comes from Medicaid and Medicare programs. About two years ago 200 federal agents raided its Tampa facility and business just hasn't been the same since.

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Other HMOs include: Aetna, Cigna, WellPoint, and Humana.

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GROUP PURCHASING ORGANIZATIONS (GPO) – These folks negotiate prices on products for the institutional sector, but they also have considerable exposure to drugs destined for the retail class of trade. They negotiate prices for institutional buyers, but much of the products they buy are diverted straight to retail pharmacies or to the grey market, where they earn huge profit margins by defrauding various government healthcare programs. All sorts of rebate, fee, and bundling agreements can be used by companies in this sector to defraud the government and increase their own profits and the profits of their commercial sector customers.

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GPOs include companies like Novation, Broadlane, Consorta, Innovatix, GeriMed and HealthTrust.

MY OLD FRIEND THE BLUES