Hawaiian Legislative Efforts to Ban Aspartame, Artificial Sweetener
Regarding bills in the Hawaii Legislative session to Ban Artificial sweetener and neurotoxin, Aspartame, House Bill 2680 and Senate Bill 2506
Stephen Fox of Santa Fe, Managing Editor of the Santa Fe Sun News and prime New Mexico moving force behind the legislative efforts to ban aspartame, commented on the great consumer progress implicit in these two bills in Hawaii:
This is wonderful news coming from Hawaii; the Legislators and their bill drafters saw the merit in keeping almost all of the same language from the 2006 and 2007 New Mexico bills, especially regarding the states' rights and their obligation to protect citizens health, which are not "prempted by massive failures at the FDA.
These New Mexico bills were overwhelmed and eviscerated in New Mexico by some of the most vicious corporate lobbyists I have ever encountered, representing Ajinomoto of Japan, the world's largest manufacturer of both aspartame and MSG, as well as their duped American corporate henchmen/partners-in-poisoning who use massive amounts of Aspartame, like Coca Cola, Pepsi, Altria/Kraft Corporate Services, and others. The same corporations and even more will show up in Honolulu, make no mistake! Probably to include Wrigley's Gum, all of whose products contain aspartame, which is metabolized as methanol and formaldehyde.
These corporations have everything to lose if such bills advance and ultimately lead to the inevitable product liability and personal injury suits from those damaged by aspartame, which number in the hundreds of millions, despite their corporate serving propaganda and lies.
My profoundest appreciation goes to the numerous fine Hawaii activists who brought up these imperative issues, and to the Legislators, Senator J. Kalani English (Chairman of the Transportation and International Affairs Committee), and Rep. Calvin Say (Speaker of the House), at the request of Rep. Mele Carroll, all 3 Democrats who see the merit and need to protect the health of all Hawaiians, no matter what duplicity is perpetuated by the top brass and corporate lackeys at the FDA. The Senate Bill is also cosponsored by Suzanne Chun-Oakland, Chairperson of the Senate Human Services Committee, and we sincerely commend these fine legislators for this pre-emptive and protective legislation.
Let's hope a few other legislators in other states recognize the importance of this, and that the FDA Commissioner, Dr. Andrew Von Eschenbach, chooses not to ignore this urgent initiative, now coming from Hawaii, as he chose to ignore the same effort in New Mexico as well as the letters signed by 21 New Mexico Legislators asking him to immediately rescind the approval for this neurotoxic poison found in 6000 food products.
It is my deepest hope that Hawaii Legislators don't capitulate to corporate-serving theories advanced by the corporate lobbyists that states do not have neither the right nor the power nor the obligation to challenge any kind of Federal authority, like an FDA pronouncement.
When aspartame's history of approval is examined, it will be clear that the FDA Commissioner at the time in 1981, Arthur Hull Hayes, was under a strong influence to approve this chemical, no matter who objected from the medical and scientific community, because the guy from the Reagan "transition team" who gave him the job, Donald Rumsfeld, had been CEO of the aspartame manufacturer, G.D. Searle. Rummy made $25 million off this deal alone!
Stephen Fox Founder, New Millennium Fine Art Managing Editor, Santa Fe Sun News
505 983-2002 stephen@santafefineart.com 217 W. Water St. Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501
