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Send your letters to the Free Press, PMB #178, 1463 E Republican St, Seattle 98112, or [email protected]. Please include your full name and phone number for verification. Keep them short. Letters may be edited for length, spelling and grammar. Letters do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Free Press. Letters which respond to Free Press articles and which bear your real, full name will be given precedence.

WANTS US TO CHANGE ADDRESS

Can't you change E. Republican Street [of the Free Press mailbox address] to Nader Avenue or at least W. Democrat Boulevard? --Styx Mundstock, Lummi Island

If that were only possible! By the way, how come there seems to be a Republican Street in most towns, but hardly ever a Democrat Street, Environmental Circle, Labor Lane, or Progressive Parkway? --Ed

HOPES TO SEE FREE PRESS ON STANDS

I read your announcement [last issue] that WFP would no longer be available free in Seattle. Understandable. However, I deeply hope it will still be available at news stands (Bulldog, J&S Broadway News, etc) at a reasonable price. Your paper is valuable and not all in Seattle can afford a subscription, but many can afford individual issues. Hoping to see WFP on the news stands. --Maria Abdin, Seattle

Ms Abdin, that's a good idea. Readers, when you are in a newstand, please ask the store manager to carry the Washington Free Press, and give them our address and email. Appreciate it! --Ed.

DANGER TO PETS FROM VACCINATIONS

Bravo on publicizing the dangers of vaccinations ["Vaccines: Think Again" Nov '02]. Companion animals are also victims of over vaccination, which creates huge revenues for veterinarians. Most allopathic vets usually fail to discuss the dangers of vaccinating. Modified live vaccines can infect other animals with the disease. The leukemia vaccine has been linked to FIP, an often fatal disease in cats. Many homeopathic veterinarians believe that almost all chronic illnesses, such as skin problems, asthma, ear infections and auto-immune disorders are entirely caused by vaccinosis. Immediate reactions to vaccines can include, bloat, ulcers, gastrointestinal ailments, lethargy and fatal seizures. Sarcomas are so common at vaccine sites that veterinarian literature is recommending injections on animals' limbs so that the cancerous areas can be amputated because cancer around the inner-scapular space is virtually incurable. Labels on vaccines say to vaccinate only healthy animals, yet most shelters and vets routinely inject all incoming animals. Guardians who don't even allow their cats outside are led to believe that annual shots are necessary. Meanwhile, obesity, thyroid dysfunction, diabetes and cancer are more and more common in our beloved companion animals. --D.V., Seattle

Thanks for alerting everyone about animal vaccinations. Also noticed an article in Readers Digest (Dec 2002) about recent studies that associate pet vaccines with a range of problems, including asthma and cancer. In response, many vets are already cutting back pet vaccinations to once every three years rather than once every year. The irony of this is that Readers Digest and other mainstream sources seem unwilling to publish much if any news of the human studies showing many of the same sorts of ill effects from vaccines, and don't publicize the fact that human vaccines are typically not even evaluated for long-term risk of cancer. Are pets worthy of better health research than people? See page 9 for futher info on human vaccines. --Ed

NOT VOLUNTEERING FOR "PEDIATRIX" TEST

The new vaccine Pediatrix is designed to reduce by six the number of hurtful pokes a baby gets. There are at least two major problems:

(1) As noted in chapter 6 of the Infant Survival Guide "Some viruses use a 'team approach.' One by itself may be relatively benign but combination with other viruses 'helps' the first one cause, e.g., cancer." Two herpes simplex viruses injected at different times into mice, were harmless. But when both were given together, 70 percent of the mice died. Their bodies contained 11 new viruses, of which eight were neurotoxic (Maibach H, Hildrick-Smith G. Skin Bacteria and Their Role in Infection. NY: McGraw-Hill, 1965, p. 121). There is no way to predict what viral combinations may result from the many vaccines injected into children and what is in the final 'soup' (Moreau-Horwin R, Horwin M. Patient report: Link between rate of pediatric cancers and childhood vaccines. Townsend Ltr Doc/Patients Dec 1999/Jan 2000:72-79)."

(2) Nurses and doctors will start injecting this potentially dangerous mixture into children early in 2003. FDA reported short-term tests among thousands of babies. But where are the long-term tests for safety and efficacy? --Joseph G. Hattersley, MA

[Joseph Hattersley, along with Lendon H Smith, MD, is co-author of The Infant Survival Guide, Chapter 6 of which deals with vaccinations]

PREFERS RUSH

Go to hell! Your "fish wrapper" is another Socialist rag, just like the P-I and Times. I will tune in to Rush Limbaugh. --anonymous

I'll forward your complaint to the Blethen family and the Hearst Corporation, who together form the propaganda bureau of the local chapter of the Communist Party. --Ed.

WOULD LIKE PEN PALS

[From a subscriber in prison.] Please know I enjoy the Washington Free Press. I wish to extend my subscription, but also want to pledge my ongoing interest and I promise that I will eventually be a contributor in donations, perhaps even an article here and there, as I will be free on January 9, 2004. I'm an artist and traveler. I'm 46 and starting life all over again come that date. My very deepest wishes go out to yours and your families, that the holidays be safe and the New Year prosperous. Remember, peace, love and family is what life is all about. It's a short journey; smell all the roses you can. I would not mind new friends should anyone wish to write me. I have much to share.

--William Ethridge #863335
Ellis 1 Unit
FM 980
Huntsville, TX 77343

ANTIWAR RESOURCES FROM NACC

While Congress has shamefully caved in to Bush's war plans, and the UN will in all likelihood eventually do the same, we should still keep putting pressure on the White House. To send postcards to the White House, check our Nonviolent Action Community of Cascadia (NACC) website at http://nacc.info/postcards.htm and see the instructions to download print and copy a template for a very simple (yet strongly worded) card. Also check out the Peacelinks and Talking Points pages: http://nacc.info/peacelinks.htm and http://nacc.info/talkingpoints.htm respectively. See y'all in the streets! --NACC staff

BABAWAWA NO COMPRENDE CUBA

I watched Barbara Walters' interview with Cuban leader Fidel Castro on ABC's 20/20 recently, and one of her questions was so offensive, I turned it off. The US has for 40 years attempted to destroy this tiny country. We have been involved in a military invasion, planned to assassinate Castro, supported terrorists who have carried out more attacks on innocent Cubans (including bombing a Cuban airliner) than all those committed by "Muslim terrorists" against the US, employed chemical and/or bacteriological weapons to kill livestock, put an embargo on Cuba to strangle their economy, refusing to allow companies to deal with Cuba, or US citizens to visit, and preventing Cuba from getting the aid that most developing nations need and receive. What did Barbara Walters ask Fidel Castro that was so offensive? If socialism works. How dare she! Walters should have asked what it is about socialism that has enabled it to survive this onslaught by the greatest military and economic power in the history of the world. This question was not merely offensive, but also arrogant and disingenuous. During the four decades, while opposing the Castro regime because of its supposed lack of human rights, we have armed and supported far more corrupt, offensive, and bloody regimes in Guatemala (military), Nicaragua (Somoza), Iran (Shah), Iraq (including Saddam Hussein), South Africa (apartheid regime), Indonesia (military). Barbara Walters and ABC should be ashamed of themselves. --R.C., Seattle