> I've been informed by Life Extension Foundation
> Political Coordinator John Hammell that the article
> contains serious inaccuracies.
Nevertheless it remains true that the FDA has been trying to restrict
our access to vitamins for a long time, and shows no sign of giving up
on this. Meanwhile, other things such as pot and steroids are illegal,
and this situation seems unlikely to change.
The questions remain: how did this situation come about, and is there
any way we can get leverage on it?
James Daugherty writes,
> The pharmaceutical Corporations, were unable to control Congress
> which recently responded to public pressure and allowed freedom in
> food supplements. However, they are not so easily defeated
> in their quest to reap cartel style profits based on "reguations".
>
> So, they are going to the World Government institutions to
> circumvent our rights...
This seems unlikely to me. Pharmaceutical companies can sell
vitamins at a profit like any other product. I read somewhere that most
vitamins are made by pharmaceutical companies, usually Hoffman-
LaRouche, and then repackaged under various labels. (If the vitamins
are supposed to be organic, they just mix in some floor sweepings
so the tablets will be speckled and organic-looking :)
James continues:
> ...GATT=World Tyranny, not Free Trade!
>
> Frankly, it is probably too late to do anything about it!
> Everyone was too busy calling us conspiracy theorists names
> when we told you to oppose the UN, Gatt, Nafta, etc.
Yes, and you also told us about the CIA sex slaves. <g>
We are trying to find a causal explanation of the fact that certain
products are restricted and others are sold on the open market. I think
the UN, Nafta, and GATT are irrelevant to this particular point.
The main question is: what is to be done? There are several ways
to approach this. One way is to begin by considering what Peter Voss
wrote in Extropy #17, pages 25 - 26:
> Extropy is to a large extent a function of money. Most of the
> leading-edge technology that we want for a healthier, safer and
> longer life is expensive. Quality generally carries a premium:
> Health foods and supplements(!), timely and effective preventative
> and corrective medical care, healthy living environment (low on
> pollution and noise), safe cars, homes and equipment, anti-aging drugs
> and cosmetics, cryonics. How much do you think artificial neurons
> or genetic engineering will cost initially? Hot (and healthy) bodies
> are an expensive hobby. Education and knowledge have their price.
> Freeing ourselves from unfulfilling work, unpleasant environments
> and dreary chores costs money. Food for the soul, be it art, scientific
> discovery or (interplanetary) travel, has to be paid for.
So, what is to be done? Make enough money to buy your freedom.
Bill Gates and Ross Perot don't have to worry about health food stores.
They can hire their own chemists, if necessary. Billionaires (and even
multi-millionaires, in many cases) don't have to worry about drugs
being illegal, either. A marijuana garden in a mansion in Beverly Hills
is not illegal in the same way that a garden in an apartment is illegal.
Maybe we are living in an era when basic freedoms are only available
to the very rich. As Twirlip would say, this kind of sucks in a way, but
if this is reality then we had better recognize it as such.
Lyle