Subject: Stevia Book Burning - Article by Julian Whitaker, M.D., author of Reversing Diabetes  Dr. Julian Whitaker is also the author of the newsletter Health & Healing (1 800-539-8219).  This is a supplement  to the August issue and is titled:  THE NEFARIOUS FDA STRIKES AGAIN.  "In his book RACKETEERING IN MEDICINE, the SUPPRESSION OF ALTERNATIVES, James P. Carter, M.D., professor Tulane University, writes "The FDA serves as the pharmaceutical industry's watchdog, which can be called upon to attack and destroy a potential competitor under the guise of protecting the public."  To this end, the FDA will even BURN BOOKS -- and intended to do just that until I told them of my plans to file suit in a federal court to stop them.  This is an ugly story about a sweet herb. FIRST THE FDA BANNED STEVIA - .. Stevia is a safe, natural herb that is 200 to 300 times sweeter than sugar, contains no calories, and is used extensively throughout the world as a sweetener. In some places it's almost as popular as sugar. In Japan, for example, stevia consumption is equal to the sweetening power of 100 million pounds of sugar per year. Aspartame (as in NutraSweet and Equal) is the non-caloric, artificial sweetener I wrote about in the Dec l994 issue of Health and Healing. It is anything but safe.  It breaks down in your body to thousands of adverse reactions from vision problems to headaches to seizures. Aspartame was developed by the pharmaceutical company G. D. SEarle Co., now a wholly owned subsidiary of Monsanto. The FDA has been after stevia since l986, coincidental with the growing popularity of aspartame.  Without warning, the FDA seized several pallets of stevia from Celestial Seasonings, a nationally known tea company that had been using this herb as a sweetener and flavoring agent in their teas for over two decades.  The company was simply told they could not use it in their teas anymore. The FDA then banned stevia completely in l991, claiming it was an unsafe food additive and thus eliminating one of aspartame's potential competitors.  I initiated - and many of you participated in - a letter writing campaign to put stevia back on the market in l994, and six months later the ban on its importation was lifted.  Now, however, it can only be sold as a food supplement, manufacturers cannot add stevia to drinks or foods.  And the persecution of those who market and sell it has not abated. THEN THEY ORDERED THE BURNING OF BOOKS ABOUT STEVIA Oscar and Patricia Rhodes of Arlington, Texas, sell stevia and books about stevia by mail order.  In early May of this year, Compliance Officer James Lahar and other FDA agents confiscated their stevia, proclaiming that selling stevia and books about stevia, including cookbooks, at the same time constitutes "mislabeling" and adulterating" stevia.  Following what I consider to be extremely poor legal advice, the Rodeses said they would be willing to stop selling the books if the FDA would simply release the stevia they had confiscated. At this point, James Lahar decided that refraining from selling the books wasn't enough.  Harking back to humanity's dark (and not so distant) past, Lahar mandated a book burning.  He and another FDA agent showed up at the Rodes' business to take inventory of and witness the destruction of the books.  Oscar Rodes called the local television station, which sent in a news camera and the FDA chose not to proceed with the book destruction at that time.  However, the FDA agents defiled six of the cookbooks by putting their initials and the date on the front page so that they couldn't be sold. Lahar subsequently wrote to Oscar on May 19, stating that "a current inventory must be taken by an investigator of this office, who will also be available to witness destruction of the cookbooks, literature, and other publications for the purpose of verifying compliance." ONLY WHEN CONFRONTED WITH LEGAL ACTION DID THE FDA BACK DOWN What's a small businessman to do?  When I heard about the FDA's actions, I had my attorney in Washington, D.C., Jonathan Emord, prepare a lawsuit to prevent the destruction of the books.  When  we informed FDA lead prosecutor, Eric Blumberg of our intent to file suit, he immediately asked us not to.  He stated by phone and by letter that the destruction of the books would not be necessary and that I could buy any number of them I wished.  I have bought several, including four of the cookbooks defiled and dated by FDA agents. These have definite historical value. Ironically, I am writing this on July 4, Independence Day, the day the Declaration of Independence was ratified and signed.  Once you get beyond the flowery rhetoric and famous opening lines, this document is essentially a list of complaints to King George of Great Britain regarding "repeated Injuries and Usurpations, all having in direct Object the Establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States." It stated that King George had "erected a Multitude of New Offices, and sent hither Swarms of Officers to harass our People, and eat out their Substance."  What's the difference between the behavior of agents sent forth by King George and the activities of FDA agent James Lahar?  Both are functioning with the full weight of the government, interpreting or misinterpreting laws as they see fit. Our constitutional government is anchored by the Bill of Rights, which guarantees specific protections for the people from government.  The framers of our Constitution were not primarily concerned about the regulation of commerce.  They were deeply concerned about the tendency of government, in particular, zealous and mean-spirited government agents, harassing and enslaving the people. THE FDA IS AN AGENCY OUT OF CONTROL I have filed a citizen's petition to the FDA Commissioner demanding that orders be issued immediately to prohibit FDA agents from this sort of activity.  I pointed out that James Lahar and his agents had no authority whatsoever to threaten Mr. Rodes with "an inventory" of books and other publications.  They certainly had no authority "to witness destruction of the cookbooks, literature, and other publications .."  Lahar is so off base that he's not even in the stadium.  These actions serve to confirm the description of the FDA used by physician and attorney Nancy Lord in a successful defense of her client who faced similar FDA persecution.  In her closing arguments, she stated, "This is a case about a federal agency, the Food and Drug Administration, that has spun so completely out of control -- out of control of the people, out of control of Congress -- that they are now no more than a band of armed terrorists."  The jury concurred, and she won the case for her client. LET'S ASSERT OUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS I suggest you write to FDA Acting Commissioner Michael Friedman, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857, and demand that he act quickly on the citizen's petition to stop this unconscionable behavior.  Express your outrage about the behavior of FDA agent James Lahar and the tacit approval of such  by the FDA.  Demand an immediate change in the code of conduct and procedures by FDA agents to specifically state that agents are not allowed to "take inventory" of publications or "witness destruction of (cook)books, literature and other publications."  Nowhere in FDA law or the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (cited by Lahar) does it state that the FDA has the authority to behave in such a manner.  Folks, other small businesses - perhaps yours - are in danger of inappropriate and illegal government attacks by overzealous FDA bureaucrats unless the FDA's officer code of conduct is changed. Send copies of your letter to Congressman Joe Barton, Chairman, House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, 2264 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515; Congressman Dan Burton, Chairman, Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, 2185 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, Attention:  Laurie Taylor; and to me, % CF, Health & Healing, Phillips Publishing, Inc. ,7811 Montrose Road, Potomac, Maryland 20854.  I'll get back to you with copies of the citizen's petition I sent to the FDA, and the frontispiece of one of the defaced books. It's about time we re-asserted our rights as a free people by simply exercising them.  Let's all do just that. I recommend you go out and buy yourself some stevia.  Use this healthy, non-caloric sweetener daily in my tea and cereal, and I even travel with it.  Stevia (sold only as a food supplement) and books about stevia are available in most health food stores. To your health and liberty, Julian Whitaker, M.D., Editor" End of article *************************************************** The above article is on the DORway.com WEB site as http://www.dorway.com/jwstevia.txt *************************************************** The foregoing article has been put in this news-group because Stevia is used in Brazil for diabetics because it helps in the metabolism of sugar.  It is a food  On the other hand, aspartame is a chemical poison.  Dr. Louis Elsas, Pediatric Professor at Emory University (genetics) testified before Congress that aspartame is a neurotoxin.  A neurotoxin is a toxin that attacks brain cells and a toxin is a poisonous substance. H. J. Roberts, M.D., diabetic specialist  - Board Certified and Re-certified in Internal Medicine has declared aspartame to be a disease and world epidemic.  His paper was distributed at the First International Conference on Emerging Diseases in Atlanta on March 8, where doctors and scientists assembled from 91 countries of the world. His new medical text on the world plague should be available in about six months.  His other publications can be obtained via 1-800-814-9800. His position paper on aspartame and diabetics is on http://www.dorway .com/doctors.html where he explains that aspartame destroys the optic nerve, keeps blood sugar out of control and even causes convulsions.  One lawyer says that tobacco will pale against aspartame.  Also see http://www .dorway.com/blayinv.txt to read the transcript of neurosurgeon Russell Blaylock, M.D. on Mission Possible Radio as he explains how tests are doctored and how aspartame depletes glucose from the brain, which causes hypoglycemia and then seizure.  Remember that aspartame precipitates diabetes - no wonder it has tripled. Do spread the word and send us all case histories with a copy to the FDA (form is at http://www.dorway.com/reprtfrm.html or a text copy from http://www.dorway.com/reprtfrm.txt)