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What Israel Has Done to Palestinian Children With U.S. Taxpayers' Dollars
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
ACS Stats show that Giuliani time did return to Children's Services after the Bloomberg/Media generated Nixzmary scare
While the latest ACS stats take us into February 2006 (This is the last day of May) for some matters but not for others (There are no figures enumerating court cases brought against parents) there are figures regarding foster care admissions>
FOSTER CARE SERVICES Mar- 05 (417 admissions)Apr- 05 (407 admissions) May- 05 (381 admissions)Jun- 05 (427 admissions ) Jul- 05 (342 admissions)Aug- 05 (401 admissions) Sep- 05 (390 admissions) Oct- 05 (382 admissions) Nov- 05 (391 admissions)Dec- 05 (435 admissions) Jan- 06 (741 admissions)Feb- 06 (744 admissions)
Now as I pointed out to the ignoramuses at The New York Times Nixzmary Brown, 7 Is Dead, Known to Child Welfare Authorities the reduction in admissions that Mattingly had accomplished was accompanied by a reduction in ACS connected child fatalities.
"In today's' New York Times they tell us "Nixzmary, who was 45 inches tall, was the fourth child from a family known to city child welfare authorities to die in a parent's home in the last two months. " and also let us know that "City officials acknowledge that the spate is unnerving, but say it is not necessarily a reflection on city policy. They say there were 30 deaths of children known to the authorities in 2005, down slightly from 33 in 2004.
"Hmmm, four kids die in two months which is an "unnerving spate" when the overall rate has been MORE than that very same number. So the number of these deaths has decreased and yet we have "an unnerving spate" that gets Michael Bloomberg to the podium and all kinds of crackdown talk in the air. In 2004 how many of these deaths got the attention of The New York Times? In 2005? How many got the mayor to talk crackdown? None.
What is happening in this matter that is different from every other such incident? CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS. The union federation that represents most of the non uniformed municipal workforce is in CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS with Bloomberg. Bloomberg just got his head handed to him by the Transit workers who pushed his crazy talk of reduced pensions and skimpy wage increases paid for by "productivity" off the table in their historic "illegal" Christmas Season strike. Mike will be polite and let his attack dogs at The New York Post, the New York Daily News, right wing hate radio and the tabloid TV news shows keep the heat on the workers, who will be blamed for this "spate". Now, recently one child protective manager was suspended for falsifying a record in a media case and most likely his departure will suffice in maintaining Mike's image of "balanced" and "fair," as the lowest on the totem pole, those who do as they are told or are encouraged to do, take the rap and are characterized as dolts unworthy of any wage at all.
Not too long ago, during another contract season the Whitick case became a public matter. An investigation was publicly pledged and the pledge duly reported. The outcome of the investigation is nowhere to be found on Google, MSN or Yahoo.It's time for a brave journalist to demand and sue for if need be the records in all these cases of dead or severely injured children previously known to ACS. It's time for a brave journalist to read the records slowly for comprehension. It's time for a "watchdog" to walk into every ACS child protective office and pull one hundred cases at random and read them carefully for comprehension and report back to the brave journalist and a judge or panel of them who aren't afraid of nor sucking up to our billionaire mayor and his friends who run New York and its tabloids.
Then let us have a "crackdown" a "revamping" a "reform" of child protective services in New York City.
It's never a good idea to have the government investigate itself.
The National Coalition for Child Protection Reform http://www.nccpr.org/reports/dontturnback.doc tells you >
The Price of Panic
Ever since New Yorkers learned about the horrifying death of Nixzmary Brown, people have made comparisons to other notorious cases. Some say it’s like the case of Elisa Izquierdo. Others remember Lisa Steinberg, killed by the man who illegally adopted her.
But the case that most resembles the case of Nixzmary Brown is a case which got little attention at the time, and was soon forgotten. It is the case of a four-year-old girl named Caprice Reid.
Like Nixzmary Brown – if police accounts are correct – Caprice Reid was tied to a chair. Like Nixzmary Brown, Caprice Reid was beaten – so severely that by the end she could not walk. Like Nixzmary Brown, Caprice Reid was starved. Indeed, police said Caprice was beaten and starved to death over four straight days.
But there is one crucial difference between Caprice Reid and Nixzmary Brown. Caprice Reid did not die in her own home. On the contrary. Caprice Reid had been taken from her own home after her mother was accused of "lack of supervision." She was shunted from foster home to foster home, finally landing in a home that had been shut down by one private foster care agency, only to be reopened by another.
And it was in that home where Caprice Reid died, at the hands of her foster mother and foster grandmother. They pled guilty to manslaughter.
About a week before she died, Caprice Reid’s mother saw her daughter for the last time. The little girl clung to her mother’s neck and said "Don’t go, Mommy. I love you."2
To know how this could have happened, one need only know when it
happened: 1997. (Giuliani Time/Nicholas Scopetta Time, ed.) The Administration for Children’s Services wasn’t the agency it
is today. The agency was in the midst of a frenzy of child removal – a foster-care panic – in the wake of the death of Elisa Izquierdo. The number of children torn from their homes was skyrocketing. ACS was begging for beds for all these children – and beggars can’t be choosers.
Caprice Reid paid the price of panic.
But it wasn’t just Caprice who suffered. The ultimate paradox of a foster-care panic is that it jeopardizes the very children it is meant to protect – children in dangerous homes who really should be taken away. In the Years of Panic following Elisa Izquierdo’s death, the total number of deaths of children previously known to ACS – not just deaths in foster homes but children dying in their own homes as well -- didn’t decline. On the contrary, those deaths soared by 50 percent. (For details and sources for all New York City data cited in this report, see page 20). And 1998, the year when the panic was at its worst, also was the year when more children "known to the system" died than in any year since 1993.
Fortunately, ACS learned from its mistakes. The agency changed .
The lessons cited here went swiftly out the window. Who threw them out the window? John Mattingly threw them out the window. Michael Bloomberg threw them out the window. Ruppert Murdoch threw them out the window. Mort Zuckerman threw them out the window. Arthur Sulzberger threw them out the window. Not only did they throw these lessons out the window, but time will be my witness, they caused deaths.Baby Snatching Fools- Giuliani time returns.
P.S.-TMS Consulting
The City of NY - Administration for Children Services (ACS-II)
Currently providing services to ACS to fully implement a legal tracking system to replace the existing child abuse case system. This automation is an extensive effort expecting to last for 4-5 years. It is intended that this automation will provide a standard cohesive link amongst all units and division of legal services. Responsibilities include design, development, implementation, documentation, training and operational support. Specifically, these project responsibilities include the following:
c
Support of attorney's everyday needs via the implementation of the tracking software.
c
Define systems requirements, construct business models, and build both logical and physical data structure designs.
c
Design, develop and program the application and database architecture.Provide guidance in establishing a development, test, conversion and a production environment.
c
Develop a data conversion plan; define conversion requirements from current system.
c
Develop a system testing strategy to include test plans/cases; conduct integrated component application testing.
c
Assist in the development of a phased implementation plan.
c
Create and provide assistance with a migration strategy and rollout plan for system functional components.
c
Assist in the migration of the enterprise system to the tracking system with the software upgraded to ACS standards.
c
Provide technical assistance on software product installation and testing.
c
Provide on site training on the software products used to develop and install the tracking system.
Maybe once the thing is implemented in 4-5 years ACS will be publishing timely statistics again.
The City of NY - Administration for Children Services (ACS-I)
Managed and implemented information technology strategic initiatives. Responsible for developing technology resource infrastructure utilizing Oracle technology to support MIS Systems Development and Network Services departments. Formulated agency's relationship with Oracle Corporation management. Prepared scope of work documents, plans, and budgets to support procurement of Oracle services (consulting, training and maintenance) and products (Database server, WEB Application server, JDeveloper - Java, Designer Case Tool, Developer - forms/reports, and Discoverer - Ad Hoc reporting.Provided plans for Management Reporting project and strategic framework for Corporate Data Warehouse. Worked with Division of Child Protection and Office of Management Development & Research business users to define reporting requirements. Developed Connections applications reports. Defined organizational model to support ad hoc reporting capability. Coordinate business user activities of Fiscal Claiming department. Team member of MIS Project Office managing remediation and development efforts to make system applications Y2K complaint. Reported project status to Mayors Office of Operations, Human Resources Administration and Comptrollers Office. Interface with Foster/Congregate Care, Daycare and Headstart organizations to assess Y2K readiness. Monitor staff activities via MS Project. Standardize documentation.
Maybe it's DeSapio Time again. Maybe it's Koch Time Again.The DeSapio bag.
FOSTER CARE SERVICES Mar- 05 (417 admissions)Apr- 05 (407 admissions) May- 05 (381 admissions)Jun- 05 (427 admissions ) Jul- 05 (342 admissions)Aug- 05 (401 admissions) Sep- 05 (390 admissions) Oct- 05 (382 admissions) Nov- 05 (391 admissions)Dec- 05 (435 admissions) Jan- 06 (741 admissions)Feb- 06 (744 admissions)
Now as I pointed out to the ignoramuses at The New York Times Nixzmary Brown, 7 Is Dead, Known to Child Welfare Authorities the reduction in admissions that Mattingly had accomplished was accompanied by a reduction in ACS connected child fatalities.
"In today's' New York Times they tell us "Nixzmary, who was 45 inches tall, was the fourth child from a family known to city child welfare authorities to die in a parent's home in the last two months. " and also let us know that "City officials acknowledge that the spate is unnerving, but say it is not necessarily a reflection on city policy. They say there were 30 deaths of children known to the authorities in 2005, down slightly from 33 in 2004.
"Hmmm, four kids die in two months which is an "unnerving spate" when the overall rate has been MORE than that very same number. So the number of these deaths has decreased and yet we have "an unnerving spate" that gets Michael Bloomberg to the podium and all kinds of crackdown talk in the air. In 2004 how many of these deaths got the attention of The New York Times? In 2005? How many got the mayor to talk crackdown? None.
What is happening in this matter that is different from every other such incident? CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS. The union federation that represents most of the non uniformed municipal workforce is in CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS with Bloomberg. Bloomberg just got his head handed to him by the Transit workers who pushed his crazy talk of reduced pensions and skimpy wage increases paid for by "productivity" off the table in their historic "illegal" Christmas Season strike. Mike will be polite and let his attack dogs at The New York Post, the New York Daily News, right wing hate radio and the tabloid TV news shows keep the heat on the workers, who will be blamed for this "spate". Now, recently one child protective manager was suspended for falsifying a record in a media case and most likely his departure will suffice in maintaining Mike's image of "balanced" and "fair," as the lowest on the totem pole, those who do as they are told or are encouraged to do, take the rap and are characterized as dolts unworthy of any wage at all.
Not too long ago, during another contract season the Whitick case became a public matter. An investigation was publicly pledged and the pledge duly reported. The outcome of the investigation is nowhere to be found on Google, MSN or Yahoo.It's time for a brave journalist to demand and sue for if need be the records in all these cases of dead or severely injured children previously known to ACS. It's time for a brave journalist to read the records slowly for comprehension. It's time for a "watchdog" to walk into every ACS child protective office and pull one hundred cases at random and read them carefully for comprehension and report back to the brave journalist and a judge or panel of them who aren't afraid of nor sucking up to our billionaire mayor and his friends who run New York and its tabloids.
Then let us have a "crackdown" a "revamping" a "reform" of child protective services in New York City.
It's never a good idea to have the government investigate itself.
The National Coalition for Child Protection Reform http://www.nccpr.org/reports/dontturnback.doc tells you >
The Price of Panic
Ever since New Yorkers learned about the horrifying death of Nixzmary Brown, people have made comparisons to other notorious cases. Some say it’s like the case of Elisa Izquierdo. Others remember Lisa Steinberg, killed by the man who illegally adopted her.
But the case that most resembles the case of Nixzmary Brown is a case which got little attention at the time, and was soon forgotten. It is the case of a four-year-old girl named Caprice Reid.
Like Nixzmary Brown – if police accounts are correct – Caprice Reid was tied to a chair. Like Nixzmary Brown, Caprice Reid was beaten – so severely that by the end she could not walk. Like Nixzmary Brown, Caprice Reid was starved. Indeed, police said Caprice was beaten and starved to death over four straight days.
But there is one crucial difference between Caprice Reid and Nixzmary Brown. Caprice Reid did not die in her own home. On the contrary. Caprice Reid had been taken from her own home after her mother was accused of "lack of supervision." She was shunted from foster home to foster home, finally landing in a home that had been shut down by one private foster care agency, only to be reopened by another.
And it was in that home where Caprice Reid died, at the hands of her foster mother and foster grandmother. They pled guilty to manslaughter.
About a week before she died, Caprice Reid’s mother saw her daughter for the last time. The little girl clung to her mother’s neck and said "Don’t go, Mommy. I love you."2
To know how this could have happened, one need only know when it
happened: 1997. (Giuliani Time/Nicholas Scopetta Time, ed.) The Administration for Children’s Services wasn’t the agency it
is today. The agency was in the midst of a frenzy of child removal – a foster-care panic – in the wake of the death of Elisa Izquierdo. The number of children torn from their homes was skyrocketing. ACS was begging for beds for all these children – and beggars can’t be choosers.
Caprice Reid paid the price of panic.
But it wasn’t just Caprice who suffered. The ultimate paradox of a foster-care panic is that it jeopardizes the very children it is meant to protect – children in dangerous homes who really should be taken away. In the Years of Panic following Elisa Izquierdo’s death, the total number of deaths of children previously known to ACS – not just deaths in foster homes but children dying in their own homes as well -- didn’t decline. On the contrary, those deaths soared by 50 percent. (For details and sources for all New York City data cited in this report, see page 20). And 1998, the year when the panic was at its worst, also was the year when more children "known to the system" died than in any year since 1993.
Fortunately, ACS learned from its mistakes. The agency changed .
The lessons cited here went swiftly out the window. Who threw them out the window? John Mattingly threw them out the window. Michael Bloomberg threw them out the window. Ruppert Murdoch threw them out the window. Mort Zuckerman threw them out the window. Arthur Sulzberger threw them out the window. Not only did they throw these lessons out the window, but time will be my witness, they caused deaths.Baby Snatching Fools- Giuliani time returns.
P.S.-TMS Consulting
The City of NY - Administration for Children Services (ACS-II)
Currently providing services to ACS to fully implement a legal tracking system to replace the existing child abuse case system. This automation is an extensive effort expecting to last for 4-5 years. It is intended that this automation will provide a standard cohesive link amongst all units and division of legal services. Responsibilities include design, development, implementation, documentation, training and operational support. Specifically, these project responsibilities include the following:
c
Support of attorney's everyday needs via the implementation of the tracking software.
c
Define systems requirements, construct business models, and build both logical and physical data structure designs.
c
Design, develop and program the application and database architecture.Provide guidance in establishing a development, test, conversion and a production environment.
c
Develop a data conversion plan; define conversion requirements from current system.
c
Develop a system testing strategy to include test plans/cases; conduct integrated component application testing.
c
Assist in the development of a phased implementation plan.
c
Create and provide assistance with a migration strategy and rollout plan for system functional components.
c
Assist in the migration of the enterprise system to the tracking system with the software upgraded to ACS standards.
c
Provide technical assistance on software product installation and testing.
c
Provide on site training on the software products used to develop and install the tracking system.
Maybe once the thing is implemented in 4-5 years ACS will be publishing timely statistics again.
The City of NY - Administration for Children Services (ACS-I)
Managed and implemented information technology strategic initiatives. Responsible for developing technology resource infrastructure utilizing Oracle technology to support MIS Systems Development and Network Services departments. Formulated agency's relationship with Oracle Corporation management. Prepared scope of work documents, plans, and budgets to support procurement of Oracle services (consulting, training and maintenance) and products (Database server, WEB Application server, JDeveloper - Java, Designer Case Tool, Developer - forms/reports, and Discoverer - Ad Hoc reporting.Provided plans for Management Reporting project and strategic framework for Corporate Data Warehouse. Worked with Division of Child Protection and Office of Management Development & Research business users to define reporting requirements. Developed Connections applications reports. Defined organizational model to support ad hoc reporting capability. Coordinate business user activities of Fiscal Claiming department. Team member of MIS Project Office managing remediation and development efforts to make system applications Y2K complaint. Reported project status to Mayors Office of Operations, Human Resources Administration and Comptrollers Office. Interface with Foster/Congregate Care, Daycare and Headstart organizations to assess Y2K readiness. Monitor staff activities via MS Project. Standardize documentation.
Maybe it's DeSapio Time again. Maybe it's Koch Time Again.The DeSapio bag.
Oldies but goodies
By way of introduction - This is me, and this is my blog
Administration for Children's Services has a beef with me.
Jew Obsessed Shiksa Can't Get Enough
I revoke my request to have my resignation accepted.
What's In A Name? Israel or Jews Only State?
Marc Perkel = Hates Christianity
Press Release-NYC Child Protective Veteran Urges Marijuana decriminalization...
Child had been driven to suicide by school. Where is the outrage?...
No Easy Answers
Administration for Children's Services has a beef with me.
Jew Obsessed Shiksa Can't Get Enough
I revoke my request to have my resignation accepted.
What's In A Name? Israel or Jews Only State?
Marc Perkel = Hates Christianity
Press Release-NYC Child Protective Veteran Urges Marijuana decriminalization...
Child had been driven to suicide by school. Where is the outrage?...
No Easy Answers
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
April-May posts
My blog is worth $24,275.22.
How much is your blog worth?
Life was so much better when I was young
Michael Bloomberg wants the government to have your DNA
Children's Services Stats are stale but they did not paint a pretty picture (wonder when they'll be updated?)
Web Searches that end up on this blog that make me scratch my head in wonder (or don't).
About this piece of hate mail I got...
Cell Phone Ban Unique To Bloomberg City
I ask The New York Times How AIDS drug tortureinve...
Funny videos, with more to come
What the hell happened?
Recent Comments - Your comments are welcome
Welcome Counterpunch Readers
This is also about American Tax Dollars, people...
Posters and more posters including Marilyn Monroe ...
New York Cabbie Multimedia Nightdriver Blues and Not So Blues
Worl Net Daily wingnut froths at mouth, looks like they wiped off the spittle...
The Queen of Sheba and St. Mary.
About "illegal" workers - I disagree with Alex Jones and Paul Joseph Watson
Progress report- my case with ACS-when will I be driving a cab again-This blog's value increases
Fun Searches - Googling Giuliani and Formaldehyde ...
By Gilad Atzmon-- Self Haters Unite
A phone call from a LaRouchie.
Back to the future
The Case of Rush Limbaugh and other topics of the day
Swedish government says "Israel is not currently acting in the name of peace"
Bush embarasses his Jewish friends.
This calls for some special recognition, awards of some sort.
AIDS foster child Drug Tests. A scandal - Pro and Con.
Bloomberg's school cell phone ban is a wack attack.
I get My Answer From The New York Times.
On The Road Again. (A good thing).
ACS- The Ugliness Inside -- AIDS HIV Foster child drug trial scandal- The last word from Vera Institute for Justice, but maybe not the final word....
No Doubt.
I ask The New York Times How AIDS drug torture investigation is coming along.
A Letter to Amy Goodman of Democracy Now About The Unethical AIDS Drug Experiments
Year Old News That Seems To Have Faded Away - The Ugliness that is ACS
Lots of people all over the world are reading this blog.
Betsy Gotbaum Is a Pretty High Ranking Person In New York City
Two Zionists bleat feebly in defense of Israel and get shut down.
ex Commissioner William Bell and the bunchofmillion$ paperwork messup.
In gangsta style this gag order is signed by no one
Some of my most recent and some of my best (In My ...
A thuggish subculture> Administration for Children's Services
Not so terrible for workers to surf net says judge
The Administration for Children's
Services has put out a nasty and un American Gag order.
Friday was my birthday- the big six oh
Monday, May 29, 2006
Welcome back, chumps.
From AOL News-- Young Veterans Battle for Jobs on the Home Front
While the job market may feel like it's starting to pick up for most Americans, veterans between the ages of 20 and 24 are three times as likely to be unemployed on average. While no one questions their bravery or work ethic, some employers may struggle to understand how their military skills will translate.
While the job market may feel like it's starting to pick up for most Americans, veterans between the ages of 20 and 24 are three times as likely to be unemployed on average. While no one questions their bravery or work ethic, some employers may struggle to understand how their military skills will translate.
Michael Bloomberg wants the government to have your DNA
NYC Mayor Advocates U.S. Worker DatabaseMay 24 6:49 PM US/Eastern
By SARA KUGLERAssociated Press Writer
NEW YORK
Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg thrust himself into the national immigration debate Wednesday, advocating a plan that would establish a DNA or fingerprint database to track and verify all legal U.S. workers.
The mayor also said elements of the legislation moving through Congress are ridiculous and said lawmakers who want to deport all illegal immigrants are living in a "fantasy."
continued
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/05/24/D8HQE6B80.html
I have a good idea, Mike. How about fixing all the street signs in the boroughs so that when emergency workers have to find someplace especially at night they can? Also how about making building owners make their house numbers legible and illuminated at night?
By SARA KUGLERAssociated Press Writer
NEW YORK
Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg thrust himself into the national immigration debate Wednesday, advocating a plan that would establish a DNA or fingerprint database to track and verify all legal U.S. workers.
The mayor also said elements of the legislation moving through Congress are ridiculous and said lawmakers who want to deport all illegal immigrants are living in a "fantasy."
continued
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/05/24/D8HQE6B80.html
I have a good idea, Mike. How about fixing all the street signs in the boroughs so that when emergency workers have to find someplace especially at night they can? Also how about making building owners make their house numbers legible and illuminated at night?
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Children's Services Stats are stale but they did not paint a pretty picture (wonder when they'll be updated?)
The most recent publicly available Child Protective Services stats put online by Administration for Children's Services here in New York City take us through January, 2006. Just to double check, yes, today is May 28, 2006.
http://www.nyc.gov/html/acs/downloads/pdf/stats_monthly_update.pdf
In February 2005, a year before the Nixzmary panic was promulgated by Bloomberg and his media friends 4,175 reports of child abuse or neglect were referred to ACS. The number of children involved in these reports were said to be 5,851 and the number of caseworkers assigned was 851. 259 of the reports were classified as "Instant Response Team" reports, meaning they involved police/child protective services "joint investigations" (actual or purported). January 2006 saw 7,647 reports, involving 11,005 children with 402 of the cases labled "Instant Response Team" reports. 959 caseworkers were on hand to work the cases.
February 2005 saw 384 abuse/neglect petitions filed in court for placement and 380 children admitted to foster care. NO FIGURES ARE PRESENTED FOR THESE CATEGORIES FOR JANUARY 2006 or later. In other words ACS has not issued any public statistics online regarding court cases against parents or intakes to foster care since prior to the NIXZMARY SCARE.
It's wonderful living in a democracy where the people and their representatives oversee the functioning of the government, no? We are so fortunate to have the watchdog press on the case, asking the tough questions and demanding the true answers. (Yeah, right).
Posts I am most proud of and that define me and this blog.
ACS- The Ugliness Inside -- AIDS HIV Foster child drug trial ...
Betsy Gotbaum Is a Pretty High Ranking Person In New York City Ah yes, the people's tribune, scourge of irresponsible executive power at City Hall...
Sex Offenders and Foster Children Do Mix...
Year Old News That Seems To Have Faded Away - The Ugliness that is ACS
ACS/Vera Institute begin third year of AIDS foster children stonewalling...
I ask The New York Times How AIDS drug torture investigation is coming along ...
http://www.nyc.gov/html/acs/downloads/pdf/stats_monthly_update.pdf
In February 2005, a year before the Nixzmary panic was promulgated by Bloomberg and his media friends 4,175 reports of child abuse or neglect were referred to ACS. The number of children involved in these reports were said to be 5,851 and the number of caseworkers assigned was 851. 259 of the reports were classified as "Instant Response Team" reports, meaning they involved police/child protective services "joint investigations" (actual or purported). January 2006 saw 7,647 reports, involving 11,005 children with 402 of the cases labled "Instant Response Team" reports. 959 caseworkers were on hand to work the cases.
February 2005 saw 384 abuse/neglect petitions filed in court for placement and 380 children admitted to foster care. NO FIGURES ARE PRESENTED FOR THESE CATEGORIES FOR JANUARY 2006 or later. In other words ACS has not issued any public statistics online regarding court cases against parents or intakes to foster care since prior to the NIXZMARY SCARE.
It's wonderful living in a democracy where the people and their representatives oversee the functioning of the government, no? We are so fortunate to have the watchdog press on the case, asking the tough questions and demanding the true answers. (Yeah, right).
Posts I am most proud of and that define me and this blog.
ACS- The Ugliness Inside -- AIDS HIV Foster child drug trial ...
Betsy Gotbaum Is a Pretty High Ranking Person In New York City Ah yes, the people's tribune, scourge of irresponsible executive power at City Hall...
Sex Offenders and Foster Children Do Mix...
Year Old News That Seems To Have Faded Away - The Ugliness that is ACS
ACS/Vera Institute begin third year of AIDS foster children stonewalling...
I ask The New York Times How AIDS drug torture investigation is coming along ...
John.Mattingly@dfa.state.ny.us
ex Commissioner William Bell and the bunchofmillion$ paperwork messup.
ex Commissioner William Bell and the bunchofmillion$ paperwork messup.
Anyone thinking of becoming a child protective specialist/caseworker, child welfare specialist at
Administration for Children's Services, NYC ought to read and go through these links first....
Web Searches that end up on this blog that make me scratch my head in wonder (or don't).
Like around midnight someone in Kokomo Indiana is doing a people search of John Mattingly, CPS, and clicks on this blog. I hope she/he found informative and useful reading...
Then there were a few searches from Annie B. Casey Fund in and other IPs in Seattle that landed here>
ex Commissioner William Bell and the bunchofmillion$ paperwork messup.
Then there's>
nicholas scopetta bernard kerik jewish right of return
"administration for children's services" Weinstat "employment law" which reminds me of an old post of mine about the difficulties some social workers (or ACS supervisors) have with reading comprehension. Some municipally employed attorneys do too and I intend to explore both further on...
Then there were a few searches from Annie B. Casey Fund in and other IPs in Seattle that landed here>
ex Commissioner William Bell and the bunchofmillion$ paperwork messup.
Then there's>
nicholas scopetta bernard kerik jewish right of return
"administration for children's services" Weinstat "employment law" which reminds me of an old post of mine about the difficulties some social workers (or ACS supervisors) have with reading comprehension. Some municipally employed attorneys do too and I intend to explore both further on...
Saturday, May 27, 2006
About this piece of hate mail I got...
I got the following message at my personal email account, which has been displayed here before. (People are free to email me there, though I prefer if you use the comments function on this blog).
Because this person offers me "NO MERCY" I consider this a threat. Be that as it may I feel inspired to answer it.
Subject: race, genes, and intelligence
Date: 5/26/2006 7:27:13 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time
From: wdarwin81@yahoo.com
Reply To:
To: EWeixel@aol.com
CC:
BCC:
Sent on:
Sent from the Internet (Details)
The achievements of a single Jew, Albert Einstein, are far greater than the sum historical total of achievements of the entire black race.
There is nothing worse than a Jew who sells his race out to the blacks..... NO MERCY FOR RACE TRAITORS!!!!!
Feel free to call! Free PC-to-PC calls. Low rates on PC-to-Phone. Get Yahoo! Messenger with Voice
Return-Path:
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Dear Mr./Ms. Darwin:
I am in receipt of your email message sent to me yesterday. I have notified Yahoo about it. You actually bring up something quite interesting and even though you are a slug I am going to answer you.
Einstein was a very bright man but his "accomplishments" are a matter of controversy at the least. Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Chernobyl, Three Mile Island....
Einstein was a very bright man but was he also a fraud? I can't judge but some people certainly do think so.
Now, about Black people and their accomplishments. Their very survival in this country constitutes a triummph of the human spirit. Not long ago Black workers here in New York City taught the Jewish billionaire Bloomberg how important they are.
I'm not going to stoop to list the names of Black people who have excelled in various fields. If you went to school you should know a few of them, or at least have learned how to look them up.
Now, about Jews. I happen to be one but I have many problems with "my people" of late. I identify with that part of Jewish tradition that sides with the oppressed and in that often has been the voice that says "the Emperor has no clothes", people like Jerry Rubin, Abbie Hoffman, the many many Jews who fought in the anti Vietnam War movement, the civil rights movement, revolutionary movements, trade union movements and who have prefered to be the dissident voice when dissent is called for. These days they're rare and often they have had blind spots when it comes to noticing the Jewish "naked emperors" of whom there are too many today.
Because this person offers me "NO MERCY" I consider this a threat. Be that as it may I feel inspired to answer it.
Subject: race, genes, and intelligence
Date: 5/26/2006 7:27:13 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time
From: wdarwin81@yahoo.com
Reply To:
To: EWeixel@aol.com
CC:
BCC:
Sent on:
Sent from the Internet (Details)
The achievements of a single Jew, Albert Einstein, are far greater than the sum historical total of achievements of the entire black race.
There is nothing worse than a Jew who sells his race out to the blacks..... NO MERCY FOR RACE TRAITORS!!!!!
Feel free to call! Free PC-to-PC calls. Low rates on PC-to-Phone. Get Yahoo! Messenger with Voice
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Dear Mr./Ms. Darwin:
I am in receipt of your email message sent to me yesterday. I have notified Yahoo about it. You actually bring up something quite interesting and even though you are a slug I am going to answer you.
Einstein was a very bright man but his "accomplishments" are a matter of controversy at the least. Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Chernobyl, Three Mile Island....
Einstein was a very bright man but was he also a fraud? I can't judge but some people certainly do think so.
Now, about Black people and their accomplishments. Their very survival in this country constitutes a triummph of the human spirit. Not long ago Black workers here in New York City taught the Jewish billionaire Bloomberg how important they are.
I'm not going to stoop to list the names of Black people who have excelled in various fields. If you went to school you should know a few of them, or at least have learned how to look them up.
Now, about Jews. I happen to be one but I have many problems with "my people" of late. I identify with that part of Jewish tradition that sides with the oppressed and in that often has been the voice that says "the Emperor has no clothes", people like Jerry Rubin, Abbie Hoffman, the many many Jews who fought in the anti Vietnam War movement, the civil rights movement, revolutionary movements, trade union movements and who have prefered to be the dissident voice when dissent is called for. These days they're rare and often they have had blind spots when it comes to noticing the Jewish "naked emperors" of whom there are too many today.
Friday, May 26, 2006
Cell Phone Ban Unique To Bloomberg City
Our mayor is fond of waving his hand dismissively at parents, kids and teachers and saying "Case closed. End of sentence." (Doing his best James Dean) Mayor Bloomberg you are some kind of a macho guy!
Meanwhile Deborah Kolben of The New York Sun tells us that New York City is the ony big US city to have a full ban on cell phones in schools. "The second largest district, Los Angeles, prohibits use during the school day while allowing students to carry phones in their backpacks. Policies in other districts vary from no restrictions at all to allowing principals to make their own decisions." http://www.nysun.com/article/32369
"What do you mean a compromise? You can't use cell phones in school
and you can't use iPods - why can't you get the message?"
Meanwhile Deborah Kolben of The New York Sun tells us that New York City is the ony big US city to have a full ban on cell phones in schools. "The second largest district, Los Angeles, prohibits use during the school day while allowing students to carry phones in their backpacks. Policies in other districts vary from no restrictions at all to allowing principals to make their own decisions." http://www.nysun.com/article/32369
"What do you mean a compromise? You can't use cell phones in school
and you can't use iPods - why can't you get the message?"
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
I ask The New York Times How AIDS drug tortureinvestigation is coming along.
A Letter to Amy Goodman of Democracy Now About TheUnethical AIDS Drug Experiments
Year Old News That Seems To Have "Faded Away -The Ugliness that is ACS
New York City ACS Commissioner John Mattingly "doesn't believe" that any wards of the State kids were killed by the medications they were forced to take in drug experiments (Phase I and Phasse II Trials) yet he admitted that he had not even known how many ACS children had been enrolled into the experiments, because a lot of their records were not known about until someone "found them in the basement." (Read on. They're stonewalling and the press is once again asleep at the wheel.)
AIDS foster child Drug Tests. A scandal - Pro and Con.
New York Assemblyman Keith Wright asked a few simple questions back in 2004.
A Letter to Amy Goodman of Democracy Now About TheUnethical AIDS Drug Experiments
Year Old News That Seems To Have "Faded Away -The Ugliness that is ACS
New York City ACS Commissioner John Mattingly "doesn't believe" that any wards of the State kids were killed by the medications they were forced to take in drug experiments (Phase I and Phasse II Trials) yet he admitted that he had not even known how many ACS children had been enrolled into the experiments, because a lot of their records were not known about until someone "found them in the basement." (Read on. They're stonewalling and the press is once again asleep at the wheel.)
AIDS foster child Drug Tests. A scandal - Pro and Con.
New York Assemblyman Keith Wright asked a few simple questions back in 2004.
Funny videos, with more to come
DANCE LIKE A WHITE GUY.
NEVER TAKE A FLARE GUN WITH YOU IF YOU PLAN TO JUMP OUT OF A PLANE.
Flatulent television preacher.Flatulent preacher 2
Mean Wake up.Brewery worker's dream.(PG13)
T&A BEER (R)COMING SOON:FAT LADY BEATDOWNKIDSTONED CHEWABLE TRANKS.KOSOVO.AND MANY MORE....PLEASE SEND US YOURS
NEVER TAKE A FLARE GUN WITH YOU IF YOU PLAN TO JUMP OUT OF A PLANE.
Flatulent television preacher.Flatulent preacher 2
Mean Wake up.Brewery worker's dream.(PG13)
T&A BEER (R)COMING SOON:FAT LADY BEATDOWNKIDSTONED CHEWABLE TRANKS.KOSOVO.AND MANY MORE....PLEASE SEND US YOURS
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
What the hell happened?
I found this while surfing around and got a chuckle from it. It's for serious students of politics, of course.
What The Hell Happened?
Bob Livingston.....Will Ferrell
Newt Gingrich.....Chris Parnell
Bartender.....Tracy Morgan
President Bill Clinton.....Darrell Hammond
[ a glum Newt Gingrich sits in a bar, as a glummer Bob Livingston enters and sits next to him ]
Bob Livingston: [ to the bartender ] Double Crown Royal, one ice cube. [ sits down next to Newt Gingrich ]
Newt Gingrich: Well, if ain't my old buddy Bob Livingston. [ chuckles ] I didn't know you still drank here.
Bob Livingston: Ah, I got eighty-sixed at Hurley's for being beligerent and shouting obscenities.
Newt Gingrich: I figured you'd be back home in Louisiana by now.
Bob Livingston: Well, funny enough, after you tell the whole country you cheated on your wife.. you don't want to spend a lot of time around the house.
Newt Gingrich: Good point.
Bob Livingston: [ sips his Double Crown Royal, then contemplates the real issue ] What the hell happened?
Newt Gingrich: You know, I've been wondering that for two months. You know what the pisser is? Clinton has sex with that girl..
Bob Livingston: Right.
Newt Gingrich: Then he tries to get his friends to cover it up.
Bob Livingston: Sure.
Newt Gingrich: We have a dress.. with his semen on it!
Bob Livingston: Right. Right.
Newt Gingrich: He lies about it, under oath!
Bob Livingston: Uh-huh..
Newt Gingrich: Then we prosecute him, and he's still in the White House and we lose our jobs!
Bob Livingston: [ taking all that in and weighing it through his mind ] What the hell happened?
Newt Gingrich: Well, at least you weren't run out of town by your own party.
Bob Livingston: Oh, yeah.. it was much better being taken down by Larry Flynt. I had a moral judgment made on my life by the King of Porn.
Newt Gingrich: [ chuckling ] Then in your resignation speech you said you hoped Clinton would follow your lead and do the right thing and resign. You gotta admit, that was pretty lame!
Bob Livingston: [ also chuckling ] I know, I know! That was weak, I was grabbing at straws!
Newt Gingrich: You were, yeah..
[ the two men take another sip of their drinks ]
Bob Livingston: [ looking up ] Hey, Barkeep!
Bartender: Yeah?
Bob Livingston: What the hell happened?
Bartender: Hey, you're this close to gettin' cut off, Bro..
Bob Livingston: I'm sorry. Sorry.
Newt Gingrich: Hey. Look on the bright side. At least you got some strings! [ laughs ]
Bob Livingston: I don't care about that. You got to be Speaker for four years. I didn't even get fifteen minutes.
Newt Gingrich: [ laughing ] The Macarena lasted longer than you did!
Bob Livingston: [ laughing ] Yeah!
Newt Gingrich: You.. you're the Gerardo of the House!
Bob Livingston: I know!
Newt Gingrich: The Yahoo Serious of Government!
Bob Livingston: Mmm-hmm..
Newt Gingrich: [ laughing harder ] You're the "Magic Johnson Show" of politics!
Bob Livingston: [ getting angry ] Okay! Okay!
Newt Gingrich: Sorry. [ thinking ] You know what? I hope he doesn't get impeached.
Bob Livingston: Oh, Newt, you don't mean that..
Newt Gingrich: Screw the Party! Serves 'em right. [ sighs ] I just don't get it! I have no idea what the people want!
Bob Livingston: [ thinking ] Let me ask you something: What the hell happened?
[ Bill Clinton and two bimbos exit from a back room of the bar and approach the counter where Bob and Newt sit ]
Bill Clinton: [ straightening his tie ] Thanks for letting me use the coat room, Hank. I left a joint in the ashtray.
Bartender: I'll see you later, Slick.
Bill Clinton: [ noticing Bob and Newt ] Hey, fellas, how are you? [ to the bartender ] Hey, Hank? How about a drink for these two? From the President of the United States. [ exits the bar ]
Bob Livingston: [ still not sure what's really going on ] What the hell happened?
Newt Gingrich: [ grabbing hid glass and looking towards the bartender ] Hey, Hank? Can you tighten these up? And, uh, by the way.. "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!
SNL Transcripts
FAIR USE NOTICE OF *NEWS ARTICLES*. Many of the stories on this site contain copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making this material available in its efforts to advance the understanding of different issues related to this site. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in Section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use such copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use'...you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtmlUnited States Code: Title 17, Section 107http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/unframed/17/107.htmlNotwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include - (1) the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes; (2) the nature of the copyrighted work; (3) the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and (4) the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work. The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors.
What The Hell Happened?Bob Livingston.....Will Ferrell
Newt Gingrich.....Chris Parnell
Bartender.....Tracy Morgan
President Bill Clinton.....Darrell Hammond
[ a glum Newt Gingrich sits in a bar, as a glummer Bob Livingston enters and sits next to him ]
Bob Livingston: [ to the bartender ] Double Crown Royal, one ice cube. [ sits down next to Newt Gingrich ]
Newt Gingrich: Well, if ain't my old buddy Bob Livingston. [ chuckles ] I didn't know you still drank here.
Bob Livingston: Ah, I got eighty-sixed at Hurley's for being beligerent and shouting obscenities.
Newt Gingrich: I figured you'd be back home in Louisiana by now.
Bob Livingston: Well, funny enough, after you tell the whole country you cheated on your wife.. you don't want to spend a lot of time around the house.
Newt Gingrich: Good point.
Bob Livingston: [ sips his Double Crown Royal, then contemplates the real issue ] What the hell happened?
Newt Gingrich: You know, I've been wondering that for two months. You know what the pisser is? Clinton has sex with that girl..
Bob Livingston: Right.
Newt Gingrich: Then he tries to get his friends to cover it up.
Bob Livingston: Sure.
Newt Gingrich: We have a dress.. with his semen on it!
Bob Livingston: Right. Right.
Newt Gingrich: He lies about it, under oath!
Bob Livingston: Uh-huh..
Newt Gingrich: Then we prosecute him, and he's still in the White House and we lose our jobs!
Bob Livingston: [ taking all that in and weighing it through his mind ] What the hell happened?
Newt Gingrich: Well, at least you weren't run out of town by your own party.
Bob Livingston: Oh, yeah.. it was much better being taken down by Larry Flynt. I had a moral judgment made on my life by the King of Porn.
Newt Gingrich: [ chuckling ] Then in your resignation speech you said you hoped Clinton would follow your lead and do the right thing and resign. You gotta admit, that was pretty lame!
Bob Livingston: [ also chuckling ] I know, I know! That was weak, I was grabbing at straws!
Newt Gingrich: You were, yeah..
[ the two men take another sip of their drinks ]
Bob Livingston: [ looking up ] Hey, Barkeep!
Bartender: Yeah?
Bob Livingston: What the hell happened?
Bartender: Hey, you're this close to gettin' cut off, Bro..
Bob Livingston: I'm sorry. Sorry.
Newt Gingrich: Hey. Look on the bright side. At least you got some strings! [ laughs ]
Bob Livingston: I don't care about that. You got to be Speaker for four years. I didn't even get fifteen minutes.
Newt Gingrich: [ laughing ] The Macarena lasted longer than you did!
Bob Livingston: [ laughing ] Yeah!
Newt Gingrich: You.. you're the Gerardo of the House!
Bob Livingston: I know!
Newt Gingrich: The Yahoo Serious of Government!
Bob Livingston: Mmm-hmm..
Newt Gingrich: [ laughing harder ] You're the "Magic Johnson Show" of politics!
Bob Livingston: [ getting angry ] Okay! Okay!
Newt Gingrich: Sorry. [ thinking ] You know what? I hope he doesn't get impeached.
Bob Livingston: Oh, Newt, you don't mean that..
Newt Gingrich: Screw the Party! Serves 'em right. [ sighs ] I just don't get it! I have no idea what the people want!
Bob Livingston: [ thinking ] Let me ask you something: What the hell happened?
[ Bill Clinton and two bimbos exit from a back room of the bar and approach the counter where Bob and Newt sit ]
Bill Clinton: [ straightening his tie ] Thanks for letting me use the coat room, Hank. I left a joint in the ashtray.
Bartender: I'll see you later, Slick.
Bill Clinton: [ noticing Bob and Newt ] Hey, fellas, how are you? [ to the bartender ] Hey, Hank? How about a drink for these two? From the President of the United States. [ exits the bar ]
Bob Livingston: [ still not sure what's really going on ] What the hell happened?
Newt Gingrich: [ grabbing hid glass and looking towards the bartender ] Hey, Hank? Can you tighten these up? And, uh, by the way.. "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!
SNL Transcripts
FAIR USE NOTICE OF *NEWS ARTICLES*. Many of the stories on this site contain copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making this material available in its efforts to advance the understanding of different issues related to this site. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in Section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use such copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use'...you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtmlUnited States Code: Title 17, Section 107http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/unframed/17/107.htmlNotwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include - (1) the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes; (2) the nature of the copyrighted work; (3) the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and (4) the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work. The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors.
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Recent Comments - Your comments are welcome
1 comments Got a really nice comment from
Peace, Earl Kooperkamp, Pastor
St. Mary's Episcopal Church521 West
126th StreetWest Harlem, NYC
to The Queen of Sheba and St. Mary.
Blogger HIV+DaveyBoy dropped by to tell us about
his website. He's welcome back any time.
I publish comments that I do not agree with
An anonymous poster commented about the unethical
ongoing coverup of the AIDS drug experiments done illegally
on foster kids-
"AIDS foster child Drug Tests. A scandal - Pro and Con."
1 Comment -
Show Original Post
Anonymous said...
That was a very long post but it was worth reading
through it all. Now I understand what kind of crime
was done against these poor kids.
5:02 PM
2 comments The post about Mayor Bloomberg's wacky
cell phone ban got a response...
1 comments Made to my article on The New York Times covering up
in the scandal
A Letter to Amy Goodman of Democracy
Now About The Unethical AIDS Drug Experiments
Got a comment too.
Lead article on the AIDS Drug foster care experiment got
some feedback--2 Comments:
At 5:15 PM, Anonymous said…
Those pictures are in bad taste. You should take them down.
At 10:59 PM, DaveyBoy said…
If anyone reads this, I am POZ (AIDS) and I run a HIV support chat site on http://www.13km.com/where you can chat with me or other members (share experiences, discuss treatments, encouragement, etc).
Turn Five Dollars Into Twenty Thousand In
Three Weeks. Attention Read This Take Action Urgent Hurry Act Now
Got a comment as well.
Peace, Earl Kooperkamp, Pastor
St. Mary's Episcopal Church521 West
126th StreetWest Harlem, NYC
to The Queen of Sheba and St. Mary.
Blogger HIV+DaveyBoy dropped by to tell us about
his website. He's welcome back any time.
I publish comments that I do not agree with
An anonymous poster commented about the unethical
ongoing coverup of the AIDS drug experiments done illegally
on foster kids-
"AIDS foster child Drug Tests. A scandal - Pro and Con."
1 Comment -
Show Original Post
Anonymous said...
That was a very long post but it was worth reading
through it all. Now I understand what kind of crime
was done against these poor kids.
5:02 PM
2 comments The post about Mayor Bloomberg's wacky
cell phone ban got a response...
1 comments Made to my article on The New York Times covering up
in the scandal
A Letter to Amy Goodman of Democracy
Now About The Unethical AIDS Drug Experiments
Got a comment too.
Lead article on the AIDS Drug foster care experiment got
some feedback--2 Comments:
At 5:15 PM, Anonymous said…
Those pictures are in bad taste. You should take them down.
At 10:59 PM, DaveyBoy said…
If anyone reads this, I am POZ (AIDS) and I run a HIV support chat site on http://www.13km.com/where you can chat with me or other members (share experiences, discuss treatments, encouragement, etc).
Turn Five Dollars Into Twenty Thousand In
Three Weeks. Attention Read This Take Action Urgent Hurry Act Now
Got a comment as well.
Welcome Counterpunch Readers
I couldn't resist the opportunity to reach out to you all. You are serious political minded progressive people and I want to reach you particularly about an issue you do not hear much about, the ongoing coverup of the infamous AIDS Drugs expriments that were being done on New York City foster children as young as a month old. These are the experiments that got exposed in BBC's Guinea Pig Kids and the jounalist Liam Scheff's "The House That Aids Built".
Thanks to Mr. Scheff's report, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Human Research Protections investigating the clinical trials on Black and Hispanic orphans at Incarnation Children's Center in Washington Heights, New York City has found that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Columbia Presbyterian Hospital acted unethically.
New York City's Child Protective Operation, called "Administration for Children's Services".
VERA Institute for Justice, an ACS contract agency, has been assigned with burrying the issue under a go nowhere takle forever so called investigation. One of my fondest hopes is to get serous people like yourselves interested in this scandalous abuse of African American and Hispanic children and the coverup that's now entered its third year. Please read on. Your comments are especially wanted too.
AIDS foster child Drug Tests. A scandal - Pro and Con.
Thanks to Mr. Scheff's report, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Human Research Protections investigating the clinical trials on Black and Hispanic orphans at Incarnation Children's Center in Washington Heights, New York City has found that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Columbia Presbyterian Hospital acted unethically.
New York City's Child Protective Operation, called "Administration for Children's Services".
VERA Institute for Justice, an ACS contract agency, has been assigned with burrying the issue under a go nowhere takle forever so called investigation. One of my fondest hopes is to get serous people like yourselves interested in this scandalous abuse of African American and Hispanic children and the coverup that's now entered its third year. Please read on. Your comments are especially wanted too.
AIDS foster child Drug Tests. A scandal - Pro and Con.
This is also about American Tax Dollars, people...
PCHRPalestinian Centre for Human Rights
http://www.pchrgaza.org
Weekly Report: On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
No. 19/2006
11 - 17 May 2006
The suffering of Palestinian civilians increases with the closure of al-Khader checkpoint which links between Hebron and Bethlehem..
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Escalate Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)
9 Palestinians killed by IOF in the West Bank.
41 Palestinian civilians, including 13 children, were wounded by IOF gunfire.
IOF continued to shell Palestinian areas in the Gaza Strip, especially the northern area.
IOF conducted 43 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and 2 into the Gaza Strip.
For the first time since their redeployment from the Gaza Strip, IOF razed 20 dunums[1] of agricultural land in al-Qarara village near Khan Yunis.
77 Palestinian civilians, including 6 children and a woman, were arrested by IOF.
IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT; IOF have continued to close border crossings of the Gaza Strip; the north of the West Bank has been separated from the south; and IOF arrested two Palestinian civilians at checkpoints in the West Bank.
Summary
Israeli violations of international law continued in the OPT during the reported period (11–17 May 2006):
Killing: During the reported period, IOF killed 9 Palestinians in the West Bank. On Sunday, 14 May 2006, IOF killed 5 Palestinians, including 2 brothers in Qabatya village, southeast of Jenin. One of these Palestinians was killed when he exchanged gunfire with IOF; his brother was killed when he attempted to evacuate him; a third Palestinian was killed when IOF fired shots at stone throwers; and the remaining two Palestinians, who were the target of this attack, were killed when IOF shelled the house where they were hiding in and partially demolished it over them. On the same day, IOF killed a member of the Palestinian General Intelligence Services, while he was guarding the headquarters in Jenin. In Nablus, IOF killed 3 Palestinian militants in two separate incidents. One of these militants was killed by IOF in the old town of Nablus on 12 May 2006, and the other two militants were killed when IOF surrounded a house where they were hiding and opened fire at them. An old Palestinian man also died from a heart attack during the last IOF operation in Nablus.
It is worth noting that IOF have killed 110 Palestinians, mostly civilians, including 17 children, since the beginning of this year, in comparison to 84 Palestinian during the same period in 2005. At least 49 of these Palestinians were extra-judicially executed by IOF. This is an indicator of the escalation in Israeli operations in the OPT, despite redeployment of IOF troops from inside the Gaza Strip.
During the reported period, 41 Palestinians, including 13 children, were wounded by IOF gunfire. In the West Bank, 25 Palestinians were wounded by IOF during incursions into Palestinian communities, and 10 others were wounded when IOF used force to disperse peaceful demonstration organized in protest to the construction of the Annexation Wall. In the Gaza Strip, 4 members of the Palestinian resistance were wounded, when an IOF drone shelled their car. A passing girl was also wounded in the attack. In addition, a farmer was wounded when IOF shelled the northern Gaza Strip.
Incursions: During the reported period, IOF repeatedly moved into Nablus. IOF also conducted 43 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During these incursions, IOF raided houses and arrested 77 Palestinian civilians, including 6 children and a woman. In the Gaza Strip, IOF conducted two incursions into the south and north of the Gaza Strip, during which they razed 20 dunums of agricultural land in al-Qarara village, northeast of Khan Yunis. These incursions have been the first since the IOF’s redeployment from inside the Gaza Strip to the borders, which further proves PCHR’s position that the Israeli occupation is still effective in the Gaza Strip.
Restrictions on Movement: IOF have continued to impose a comprehensive siege on the OPT, in violation of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of Palestinian civilians.
IOF have continued to impose a tightened siege on the Gaza Strip, transforming it into a large prison. IOF have continued to monitor the movement of Palestinian civilians through Rafah International Crossing Point on the Egyptian border. Although IOF have allowed the transportation of food aid from Egypt into the Gaza Strip through Kerem Shalom commercial crossing, southeast of Rafah, the crossing has not yet been officially opened. IOF have also continued to prevent Palestinian workers from the Gaza Strip from reaching their work places in Israel through Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing. They have continued to prevent hundreds of thousands of Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip from traveling to the West Bank. IOF have partially operated al-Mentar (Karni) commercial crossing, east of Gaza City. Since the beginning of this year, IOF have closed the crossing for 62 separate days completely and 70 days partially. As a result of the repeated closures of the crossing, the economic conditions in the Gaza Strip have deteriorated. During the reported period, IOF arrested two Palestinian fishermen while they were fishing near Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.
IOF have continued to impose a tightened siege on Palestinian communities in the West Bank. IOF positioned at various checkpoints in the West Bank have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. IOF have continued to separate the north and south of the West Bank. For this purpose, they have closed Za’tara checkpoint, south of Nablus, and re-established their presence at ‘Attara checkpoint, north of Ramallah. They have also erected two new checkpoints near Ramallah. During the reported period, IOF positioned at various checkpoints around Nablus imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. IOF positioned at various checkpoints in the West Bank abused a number of Palestinian civilians. During the reported period, IOF positioned at checkpoints in the West Bank arrested two Palestinian civilians.
Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (11–17 May 2006)
1. Incursions into Palestinian Areas and Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Property
Thursday, 11 May 2006
· At approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Jenin. They besieged a house belonging to the family of Saleh ‘Abdullah al-Sa’di, 28. They ordered him through megaphones to come outside and surrender. He surrendered, and IOF searched the house and arrested him. At the same time, IOF raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Ahmed Jamal al-Qut, 25, and arrested him.
A few hours later, dozens of Palestinian children gathered and threw stones at IOF vehicles. Immediately, IOF fired rubber-coated metal bullets at the stone throwers, wounding 5 of them:
1. Yazan Nasfat Jarrar, 15, hit in the thigh;
2. Sultan Waleed Qassem, 22, hit in the thigh;
3. Mohammed Suleiman No’airat, 18, hit in the left leg;
4. Mohammed Waleed al-Lahham, 16, hit in the back; and
5. ‘Emad Fawaz Jallad, 12, hit in the left hand.
· At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into al-Fawar refugee camp, south of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested two Palestinian civilians, including a child:
1. Mahmoud Hussein Ehdaib, 33; and
2. Hamed Tawfiq al-Wawi, 17.
· Also at approximately 02:00, IOF moved into al-Zahiriya village, south of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested Bassam al-Tal, 32.
· At approximately 02:30, IOF moved into Kharas village, northwest of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested Bassam Jouda Halahla, 48.
· Also at approximately 02:30, IOF moved into Yatta village, south of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested Taleb Mahmoud al-Najjar, 45.
· At approximately 03:30, IOF moved into Nablus and neighboring refugee camps. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 9 Palestinian civilians, including a child:
1. Ra’ed Smeeh Abu ‘Arab, 27;
2. Majed Khalil Abu ‘Arab, 20;
3. Hussein Husni ‘Atallah, 47;
4. ‘Abdullah ‘Awni Salem, 25;
5. Mohammed Hussein al-Tak, 20;
6. Mohammed Mahmoud Da’das, 19;
7. Fawzi Fayez Bashkar, 24;
8. Amjad Qassem Mabrouk, 24; and
9. Hussein Fadlallah, 17.
· Also at approximately 03:30, IOF moved into Roujib village, east of Nablus. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Firas Hilal Rawajba, 20, and arrested him.
· Also at approximately 03:30, IOF moved into al-Duha village, west of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Mahmoud Nasri Nawawra, 20, and arrested him.
· At approximately 13:30, an IOF undercover unit moved into Bala’a village, east of Tulkarm and besieged a house belonging to Mansour ‘Abdul Rahim Mansour, 42. Soon after, 9 IOF vehicles moved into the village to support the undercover unit. IOF ordered Mansour and his family through megaphones to get out, and they did. IOF then searched the house and arrested him.
· Also at approximately 13:30, IOF moved nearly 200 meters inside the Gaza border into al-Qarara village, northeast of Khan Yunis. They razed and leveled areas of Palestinian agricultural land planted with olives and almonds:
1. A 5-dunum area of agricultural land planted with almonds belonging to ‘Abed Rabbu Ahmed al-Sumairi;
2. A 5-dunum area of agricultural land planted with almonds belonging to Suleiman Ahmed al-Sumairi;
3. A 5-dunum area of agricultural land planted with olives and almonds belonging to Salama Salman al-Sumairi; and
4. A 5-dunum area of agricultural land planted with olives and almonds belonging to ‘Othman Mohammed al-Sumairi.
It is worth noting that this IOF incursion has been the first of its kind into the Gaza Strip following the IOF’s redeployment from inside the Gaza Strip to the borders in September 2005.
· At approximately 17:00, IOF moved into al-Fara’a refugee camp, southeast of Nablus. A number of Palestinian children gathered and threw stones at IOF vehicles. Immediately, IOF fired at the children, wounding 16-year-old Yousef ‘Ali Waked with a rubber-coated metal bullet to the right thigh.
Friday, 12 May 2006
· At approximately 00:00, IOF moved into Thinnaba suburb, east of Tulkarm. They raided and searched a house belonging to Ma’moun Khairi Samara and arrested 4 Palestinian civilians, including the owner’s son:
1. Fadi Ma’moun Samara, 27;
2. Mohammed Sami Noubani, 20;
3. Mohammed Ahmed Barhoush, 23; and
4. ‘Alaa’ ‘Adnan Kilani, 25.
During this house raid, IOF violently beat Khairi Ma’moun Samara, 30, and used his family as human shields. In his testimony to PCHR, Samara said:
“At approximately 00:00 on Friday, 12 May 2006, an IOF undercover unit moved into Thinnaba suburb, east of Tulkarm, traveling in civilian cars with Palestinian registration plates. IOF soldiers were masked and in uniform. They got out of the cars and raided a number of houses located near our house but we did not notice them. My parents, my 5 sisters, my youngest brother and I were on the first floor of our house. We did not know that my brother, 27-year-old Fadi, and 3 of his friends were on the upper floor, as this floor has an independent entrance. We heard sounds of shooting by IOF soldiers outside the house. Gunshots hit all the lights near our house. IOF soldiers pointed their laser-guided guns at our house. We all gathered in one room. At approximately 02:30, IOF ordered us through megaphones to get out of the house. My father and I got out of the house and IOF forced us to take off all our clothes. When they became certain that we did not have anything, they permitted us to put our clothes back on. When my mother and sisters wanted to get out of the house, IOF soldiers prevented them. We were surprised when 3 young men came out from the upper floor of our house. IOF soldiers forced them take off all of their clothes. IOF soldiers then handcuffed the three young men. IOF soldiers put their feet on the three young men’s heads. Soon after, I saw my brother Fadi. I learnt from our neighbors that he had attempted to escape. When he jumped into a neighboring house, he was surprised by theIOF soldiers there. Soon after, IOF soldiers sent trained dogs, equipped with cameras into our house. After the dogs had left the house, IOF soldiers forced the women out of the house and searched it. They damaged the furniture and confiscated a computer set and 7 mobile phones. They also opened fire inside the house. Later, they arrested the four young men, including my brother, and left the area.”
· At approximately 00:10, IOF moved into al-Shyoukh village, north of Hebron. They raided and searched dozens of houses and arrested 3 Palestinian civilians:
1. Mohammed Ahmed ‘Ayaida, 38;
2. Eyad Ameen ‘Ayaida, 33; and
3. Isma’il Salem Halaiqa, 44.
During these raids, IOF violently beat Ameen ‘Ayaida, 65, the second detainee’s father, and his daughters: Hala, 21; and Leila, 45.
· At approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Halhoul village, north of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested two Palestinian civilians:
1. Ibrahim Hamed al-Wawi, 28, a member of the local council of the village; and
2. Tawfiq Mohammed al-Atrash, 55, director of the secondary school in the village.
· At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Nablus, opening fire indiscriminately. They took position at the entrances to the old town. IOF noticed a number of Palestinian militants in the area, so they opened fire at them. One of the militants, 26-year-old Ra’ed Hani Tubaila, was seriously wounded by a live bullet to the head. IOF obstructed his evacuation to the hospital. Later, they allowed a Palestinian ambulance to evacuate him. They forced the driver to travel to Hawara checkpoint, south of Nablus. He was then moved to an Israeli ambulance. At approximately 06:30, IOF declared that Tubaila had died from his wounds.
· Also at approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of ‘Ammar Khamis Abu Mustafa, 22, and arrested him.
Saturday, 13 May 2006
· At approximately 02:30, IOF moved into Seilat al-Harthiya village, west of Jenin. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Ahmed Jaradat, 18, and arrested him.
· Also at approximately 02:30, IOF moved into al-Yamoun village, west of Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses, but no arrests were reported.
Sunday, 14 May 2006
· At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Wad al-Karm neighborhood in the west of Hebron. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of “Mohammed Yusri” Mohammed al-Harbawi, 18, and arrested him. They also confiscated mobile phones belonging to the family.
· At approximately 02:15, IOF moved into Nablus. They besieged al-Aghbar apartment building, which is rented by students from an-Najah National University, in Rafidya neighborhood. They ordered residents of the building through megaphones to get out. They then checked the identity cards of the residents and arrested 3 of them:
1. Wissam Ma’rouf Zaqzouq, 22, from al-Judaida village southeast of Jenin;
2. Bashar Sa’id Salama, 22, from Bedia village near Nablus; and
3. Fadi Joma’a, 20.
· At approximately 05:30, an IOF gunboat intercepted a Palestinian fishing boat opposite Khan Yunis seashore in the southern Gaza Strip. They arrested two Palestinian fishermen who were on board:
1. Ibrahim Khalil al-Bardawil, 31; and
2. Mohammed Isma’il al-Bardawil, 27, both from Khan Yunis refugee camp.
· At approximately 14:30, IOF, reinforced by two helicopters, moved into Qabatya village, southeast of Jenin. They besieged a 150-square-meter, two–storey house belonging to Mustafa ‘Aaref Hamdan Ekmayel, where twenty individuals (four families) live, in the east of the village. They ordered, through megaphones, all those who were inside the house to surrender, threatening to demolish the house over them if they did not comply. A number of Palestinian militants exchanged fire with IOF. One of the militants, 23-year-old Tha’er Subhi Sadiq Hanaisha, was killed by several bullets to the chest and the head. His brother, 21-year-old Mujahed, hurried towards him and attempted to pull him away from the area, but IOF shot at him also. He was killed by several bullets to the chest. According to eyewitnesses, the younger brother was unarmed. When residents of the house went outside, IOF shelled the house and a bulldozer began to demolish it. At approximately 20:30, IOF withdrew from the area. Palestinian civilians and medical and civil defense crews moved to the area and started to remove the debris. They found the bodies of two Palestinians under the debris and evacuated them to Dr. Khalil Suleiman Hospital in Jenin. The two victims were identified as:
1. Elias Khairi Mohammed al-Ashqar, 28, from Baqa al-Sharqia village, hit by shrapnel throughout the body; and
2. Mo’tassem ‘Ali Baheej Ja’ar, 24, from ‘Allar village north of Tulkarm, hit by shrapnel throughout the body.
The two were members of the al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad. According to Israeli media sources, the new Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz praised the attack. The Israeli defense minister's office said, "Peretz personally approved the operation last week, and closely followed its execution." IOF also arrested 17-year-old Mohye al-Din Mustafa Ekmayel.
During this attack, dozens of Palestinian children and young men gathered near Ekmayel’s house and threw stones at IOF vehicles. Immediately, IOF fired at the stone throwers, killing 20-year-old Jihad ‘Abdul Rahman ‘Omar ‘Assaf, with a live bullet to the head. In addition, 16 other civilians, including seven children and a journalist, were wounded by the IOF gunfire:
1. Qaher Mohammed ‘Assaf, 20, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the right leg;
2. Mohammed Naji Zakarna, 16, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the right leg;
3. Mohammed Saleh Hifnawi, 10, wounded by a live bullet to the left hand;
4. Firas Mohammed Hefnawi, 10, wounded by a live bullet to the left hand;
5. Bassel Faisal Hamamda, 10, wounded by a live bullet to the right shoulder;
6. Mohammed Mahmoud Abu al-Rub, 22, wounded by a live bullet to the right shoulder;
7. Ahmed Mahmoud Nazzal, 21, wounded by a live bullet to the right shoulder;
8. Bassam Ibrahim Abu Shaqra, 22, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the right hand;
9. Ma’moun ‘Abdul Latif Saba’na, 36, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the right leg;
10. Ameen Khaled Abu Zaid, 14, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the face;
11. Mohammed ‘Adnan Nazzal, 14, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the abdomen;
12. Eyad Suleiman Ekmayel, 28, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the right hand;
13. Mohammed ‘Ali Abu al-Rub, 24, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the right hand;
14. Murad Hatem Abu al-Rub, 20, wounded by a live bullet to the left shoulder;
15. Bilal Mustafa Ekmayel, 17, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the left shoulder; and
16. Sameer Ibrahim Abu al-Rub, 40, a journalist, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the back.
· At approximately 14:30, an IOF undercover unit moved into al-Jabriyat neighborhood in the south of Jenin, traveling in a civilian car with a Palestinian registration plate. Soon after, at least fifteen IOF vehicles moved into the town to support the undercover unit. Members of the IOF undercover unit opened fire at ‘Ali ‘Omar Mohammed Jabbarin, 21, from al-Taiba village west of Jenin, killing him with several live bullets to the head, the neck, the chest and the hands. IOF left him bleeding and did not allow anyone to attend to him for 30 minutes. According to eyewitnesses, IOF willfully shot Jabbarin, while he was on duty guarding the headquarters of the Palestinian General Intelligence Services. Later, IOF besieged a house near the headquarters. They opened fire at the house and ordered its residents, through megaphones, to get out. When the residents got out, IOF checked their identity cards and searched the house. Before their withdrawal from the area at approximately 17:00, IOF arrested ‘Essam, ‘Allam and Akram Hassan Samoudi.
· At approximately 19:00, IOF moved into ‘Aaida refugee camp, north of Bethlehem. They chased and fired at a number of Palestinian children, claiming that they had thrown stones at IOF vehicles. Two children were wounded:
1. Ahmed ‘Obaidallah Qaraqe’, 11, wounded by a live bullet to the leg; and
2. Mamdouh Hassan al-Karaja, 12, wounded by a live bullet to the leg.
Monday, 15 May 2006
· At approximately 01:20, IOF moved into Nablus and the neighboring ‘Askar refugee camp. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested two Palestinian civilians:
1. Mohammed Wafa al-Kharraz, 19; and
2. Hatem Ja’ara, 20.
· At approximately 01:30, IOF moved into Tulkarm. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 3 Palestinian civilians:
1. Mo’taz Hassan al-Qareeb, 23;
2. Wa’el Mohammed Maslamani, 21; and
3. ‘Omar Mufeed Eshtaiwi, 20.
· At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Roujib village, east of Nablus. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of ‘Omar Yassin Sha’ban, 16, and arrested him.
· Also at approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Talfit village, southeast of Nablus. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested two Palestinian civilians:
1. Zakaria Ahmed Musallam, 29; and
2. ‘Atiya Musallam, 28.
· Also at approximately 02:00, IOF moved into al-Harayeq neighborhood in the southwest of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses. They violently beat members of Mohammed ‘Awad al-Sharbati’s family, as his son, 25-year-old Zuhdi, escaped arrest. IOF also arrested two Palestinians:
1. Nazmi Mohammed al-Sharbati, 28, a member of the Palestinian Military Intelligence Service; and
2. ‘Abdul Halim Mohammed al-Zeer, 34.
· At approximately 07:00, IOF moved into Hawara village, south of Nablus, and imposed a curfew.
· At approximately 09:00, IOF positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, east of Jabalya, fired a number of artillery shells at Beit Lahia town in the north of the Gaza Strip. One of those shells fell on agricultural land in the north of the town. A Palestinian farmer, 50-year-old Nabeel Sa’id Ma’rouf, was wounded by shrapnel to the left shoulder.
· At approximately 11:30, IOF, reinforced by two tanks and a bulldozer, moved 100 meters into the north of Beit Hanoun. The leveled areas of land along the border. They withdrew from the area at approximately 21:00.
· At approximately 18:40, an IOF drone fired a missile at a civilian car that was traveling towards al-Farrahin Street in ‘Abasan village, east of Khan Yunis. Four members of the al-Aqsa Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad, from Rafah, were traveling in the car. The missile hit the front of the car. The car deviated and collided with stores located under a house belonging to ‘Abdul Hai Ibrahim Abu Daqqa. The four passengers and a girl, who was near her house, were wounded:
1. Hassan Salah al-Halqawi, 35, seriously wounded by shrapnel throughout the body;
2. ‘Omar ‘Abdul Karim Sha’at, 18, wounded by shrapnel throughout the body;
3. Mousa Hussein al-Houli, 19, wounded by shrapnel throughout the body;
4. Ahmed Musallam al-Houli, 23, wounded by shrapnel to the head; and
5. Asmaa’ Yousef Abu Daqqa, 18, wounded by shrapnel to the arms.
An IOF spokesman claimed that IOF targeted a cell of the Islamic Jihad, whose members were launching rockets in the east of Khan Yunis. An IOF drone chased them.
Tuesday, 16 May 2006
· At approximately 00:30, IOF moved into Beit ‘Awa village, southwest of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 5 Palestinian civilians, including a physically disabled man:
1. Ashraf Suleiman al-Masalma, 23, disabled;
2. Ussama ‘Abdul Qader ‘Awad, 25;
3. Mohammed Mahmoud ‘Awad, 23;
4. Hussein Rasmi al-Masalma, 26; and
5. Hadi Easmi al-Masalma, 23.
· At approximately 01:00, IOF moved into al-Hashimiya village, west of Jenin. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of ‘Ali Ahmed Hamran, 42, and arrested him.
· Also at approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Tarqoumia village, northwest of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested two Palestinian civilians:
1. Waleed Kazem Fatafta, 18; and
2. Hussam Mahmoud Shalalda, 20.
· Also at approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Ethna village, west of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested two Palestinian civilians:
1. Ja’far Noufal Selmiya, 29; and
2. Khaled ‘Abdul Fattah Selmiya, 33.
· At approximately 03:00, IOF moved into Nablus, opening fire indiscriminately. They patrolled the streets. They withdrew from the city a few hours later and no arrests were reported.
· At approximately 06:00, IOF moved into ‘Arraba village, south of Jenin, opening fire indiscriminately. They patrolled the streets. They withdrew from the village a few hours later and no arrests were reported.
· Also at approximately 06:00, IOF moved into Artas village, south of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Mahmoud Ahmed Shaheen, 25, and arrested him.
Wednesday, 17 May 2006
· In the early morning, IOF killed two members of the Islamic Jihad and wounded a third member in Nablus. They claimed that the attack targeted a cell of the Islamic Jihad in order to foil an attack inside Israel. An old Palestinian man, living in the house that was attacked by IOF, also died from a heart attack.
According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 22:50 on Tuesday, 16 May 2006, an IOF undercover unit moved into Nablus traveling in a civilian car with a Palestinian registration plate. The car stopped near Nablus ambulance center in the Rafidya neighborhood. Four gunmen in Israeli military uniform, accompanied by two dogs, got out of the car and broke into the center. Soon after, at least 16 IOF jeeps moved into the area. IOF stopped passing civilians and held them on the fifth floor of Ya’ish partment building. At the same time, IOF seized a flat opposite to houses belonging to Sati Mubaslat and ‘Abdul Raziq ‘Ali Ma’ani. At approximately 01:30, IOF opened fire from the flat at the first floor of Ma’ani’s house. A few minutes later, they fired 3 shells at the house. Three Palestinian militants, who were in Ma’ani’s house escaped to Mubaslat’s house. Immediately, IOF opened fire at them, killing two of them, and wounding and arresting the third one. The two victims’ bodies were transferred to Rafidya Hospital, where they were identified as:
1. Mustafa Hussein ‘Abdul Ghani, 23, from Saida village north of Tulkarm, hit by several live bullets; and
2. ‘Othman Qassem Sadaqa, 28, from ‘Anza village south of Jenin, hit by a live bullet to the chest.
Before their withdrawal from the city a few hours later, IOF arrested 6 Palestinian civilians, including a woman and a child:
1. Nadia ‘Akkouba, 31;
2. Mahmoud Mohammed al-Na’na’, 17;
3. Jalal Isma’il Fakhouri, 28;
4. Bashar Darwish Musmar, 21;
5. Mohammed Hussein Hamdi, 22; and
6. Rajab al-Aghbar, 32.
The third militant who was wounded and arrested was identified as Ameen Ahmed Taher ‘Aamer, 25. He was hit by a live bullet to the chest. In addition, the body of Mushref Tawfiq Ahmed Mubaslat, 78, was brought to Rafidya Hospital. According to medical sources, he died from a heart attack, which had been brought on by the stress of the incident.
· At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Janata village, east of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a house belonging to Mustafa ‘Eissa al-‘Arouj, 44, deputy mayor, and arrested him.
· Also at approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Za’tara village, east of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Mohammed Khaled Hussein, 21, and arrested him.
· At approximately 03:00, IOF moved into Salem village, east of Nablus. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Huthaifa ‘Abdullah Eshtayeh, 21, and arrested him.
· At approximately 18:30, IOF moved into ‘Ein Beit al-Maa’ refugee camp, west of Nablus. IOF besieged a house belonging to Fawzi Abu al-Reesh and ordered its residents to surrender. The residents got out of the house, and IOF checked the identity cards of the residents and asked them about a member of the family, ‘Aadel, who was not there. IOF then raided and searched the house. Before their withdrawal at approximately 20:00, IOF arrested the owner’s sons: Ibrahim, 17, and Kareem, 20. IOF arrested the two sons in order to exert pressure on their brother to surrender. IOF also arrested Hassan Abu Safiya, 20.
2. Continued Siege on the OPT
IOF have continued to impose a tightened siege on the OPT and imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Occupied East Jerusalem.
Gaza Strip
Although IOF have been redeployed around the Gaza Strip, they have maintained the occupation of the Gaza Strip through controlling all outlets and crossings.
· Rafah International Crossing Point: Rafah International Crossing Point on the Egyptian border is the sole outlet for the Gaza Strip to the outside world. Daily working hours at the crossing point have been increased to 10 hours. It is noted that, Kerem Shalom commercial crossing to the southeast of Rafah, which is designated for imports under joint Israeli-Palestinian control has not been opened officially. The crossing was opened a few weeks ago to allow the transportation of food aid from Egypt into the Gaza Strip due to the economic crisis in the Gaza Strip caused by repeated closures of al-Mentar (Karni) commercial crossing. IOF have closed the crossing in violation of the Israeli-Palestinian agreement on border crossings.
· Al-Mentar (Karni) Commercial Crossing: The crossing is the only commercial crossing serving the Gaza Strip. IOF frequently close the crossing as a means of imposing collective punishment on Palestinian civilians. During the reported period, IOF partially operated the crossing and allowed the importation of a limited amount of goods, but prohibited the exportation of goods from the Gaza Strip. Since the beginning of May, IOF have prevented the exportation of goods from the Gaza Strip, contrary to IOF’s claims that they would permit exports from the Gaza Strip on 10 May 2006. According to Palestinian official sources, IOF allow only 250 trucks loaded with various goods to enter the Gaza Strip daily. Palestinian traders have sustained large losses due to the high fees of transportation. It is worth noting that IOF have completely closed the crossing for 62 separate days since the beginning of the year. They have also partially closed it for 70 separate days.
· Beit Hanoun (Erez) Crossing: IOF have prevented Palestinian workers from reaching their work places inside Israel through Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip have been prevented from traveling through this crossing. During the reported period, IOF decreased the number of patients permitted to travel to Israeli hospitals from 50 to 20. IOF have allowed international workers and Palestinian National Authority officials who have VIP cards to pass through the crossing, but without their private cars. Concerning patients with serious medical conditions, who need medical care in Israel, IOF prevented them from traveling to Israel and Jerusalem on Sunday and Monday, 7 and 8 May 2006. Palestinian patients are subjected to prolonged and complicated checks by IOF. IOF have prevented patients under 35 from entering Israel, and imposed a condition that patients must be transferred to hospital rather than to clinics and private medical centers. Patients are subjected to prolonged and complicated checks that extend up to 6 hours. IOF have also prevented Palestinian ambulances from entering Israel and therefore families of patients have been forced to hire Israeli ambulances at high prices. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, since the beginning of April, IOF have refused to issue permits to 274 patients to receive medical treatment in Israeli hospitals, and have allowed only 38 out of 178 who have permits to enter Israel. Contrary to Israeli claims concerning the ease of restrictions imposed at the crossing, IOF have allowed only 11 traders who have VIP cards to pass through the crossing, but have continued to prevent workers from traveling to their work places in Israel.
· Sofa crossing: IOF also control Sofa crossing, northeast of Rafah, which is designated for the transportation of construction raw materials. IOF repeatedly close the crossing for no apparent reason. On Wednesday, 17 May 2006, IOF closed the crossing.
The closure of border crossings deprives the Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza Strip of their right to freedom of movement, education and health.
IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions on fishing in the Gaza Strip. Approximately 35,000 people in and around Gaza’s coastal communities rely on the fishing industry, including 2,500 fishermen, 2,500 support staff and their families. Fishermen have been subjected to intensive monitoring by IOF, which use helicopter gunships and gunboats to monitor the fishermen. On a number of occasions the Israeli military has opened fire against the civilian fishermen in order to enforce the 9 nautical mile limit imposed on them. The Oslo Accords make provision for Gaza’s sea to be fished to 20 nautical miles.
The West Bank
IOF have continued to impose a strict siege on Palestinian communities in the West Bank. They have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians and imposed curfews on a number of Palestinian communities.
· Jerusalem: IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in occupied Jerusalem. During the reported period, IOF imposed additional restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians through various checkpoints around the city. IOF also reinforced their presence at these checkpoints. They stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. IOF have imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Jerusalemites since the operation of Qalandya crossing on 4 April 2004. These restrictions coincided with Easter celebrations. During the reported period, and in the context of measures taken to separate the north of the West Bank from the center and south, IOF erected a number of checkpoints at the entrances of Qalandya refugee camp, which are devoted, in addition to Qalandya crossing, to the movement of Palestinian civilians. According to eyewitnesses, IOF positioned at these checkpoints prevented Palestinian civilians coming from the north of the West Bank from entering Ramallah. These latest measures prove that IOF’s claims concerning easing restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians were untrue. IOF have allowed Palestinian patients who have permits to enter Jerusalem through Qalandya crossing, but only following prolonged and humiliating checks. On their way back from the city, patients are forced by IOF to pass through the crossing on foot. On Wednesday morning, 17 May 2006, IOF erected a checkpoint at the entrance of Beit Hanina village, north of Jerusalem, and closed the road the links villages located to the west of Jerusalem with Ramallah.
· Nablus: During the reported period, IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. IOF have also continued to separate the north of the West Bank from the center and south. For this purpose, they erected more checkpoints on the main road linking the north with the south of the West Bank. On Thursday morning, 11 December 2006, IOF positioned at “Yitshar” checkpoint, south of Nablus, imposed additional restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. On Friday morning, 12 May 2006, IOF erected a checkpoint near Jeet intersection, west of Nablus, and prevented Palestinian civilians aged under 30 from crossing the checkpoint. On Saturday morning, 13 May 2006, IOF positioned at Hawara checkpoint, south of Nablus, imposed additional restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians to and from the city. According to eyewitnesses, IOF detained dozens of young men for several hours. At approximately 17:00 on the same day, IOF closed Za’tara checkpoint, south of Nablus, and prohibited the movement of Palestinian civilians. They claimed that they had discovered a suspicious object in the area. On Sunday morning, 14 May 2006, IOF erected a checkpoint near Jeet intersection, west of Nablus, and prevented Palestinian civilians aged under 30 from crossing the checkpoint. They also humiliated and beat a number of civilians. Also on Sunday morning, IOF positioned at Za’tara checkpoint, south of Nablus, conducted prolonged checks on Palestinian civilians. They forced civilians out of vehicles and checked their identity cards. On Monday afternoon, 15 May 2006, IOF closed the northern entrance of Nablus, and prohibited the movement of Palestinian civilians to and from the city. On Tuesday morning, 16 May 2006, IOF erected a checkpoint to the west of Nablus, and prevented residents of Tulkarm and Jenin from entering the city. At the same time, IOF positioned at Za’tara checkpoint, south of Nablus, imposed additional restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians from the north to the south of the West Bank. On Wednesday morning, 17 May 2006, IOF closed Za’tara checkpoint, south of Nablus. They prevented residents from the north of the West Bank from traveling towards Ramallah.
· Ramallah: IOF have imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. They re-established their presence at ‘Attara checkpoint, north of Ramallah. IOF also erected a checkpoint near “Oufra” settlement. According to eyewitnesses, IOF positioned at the two checkpoints prevented Palestinians coming from the northern West Bank from entering the town.
· Tulkarm: IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. On Thursday, 11 May 2006, IOF closed the Tunnel checkpoint, south of Tulkarm, and prohibited the movement of Palestinian civilians. They allowed only residents of Tulkarm to enter the town, carrying out prolonged and humiliating checks. At the same time, IOF closed Ennab checkpoint, east of Tulkarm; the Deir al-Ghosoun–Tulkarm road, south of the town; and an alternative dirt road in the area. IOF also chased Palestinian civilians who had resorted to using alternative dirt roads, and held dozens of them for several hours. On Friday, 12 May 2006, IOF continued to impose a tightened siege on Tulkarm. They reinforced their presence on the main roads and erected more checkpoints. On Saturday, 13 May 2006, IOF positioned at various checkpoints around Tulkarm imposed additional restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. They stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. IOF positioned at the Tunnel checkpoint, south of Tulkarm, prohibited the movement of Palestinian civilians to and from the town. At approximately 06:00 on Monday, 15 May 2006, IOF closed Jebara checkpoint, south of Tulkarm, and prohibited the movement of Palestinian civilians to and from Tulkar. At approximately 12:00 on the same day, IOF erected a checkpoint at Bala’a intersection on the Tulkarm–Nablus road. They stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. They held dozens of young men who had resorted to using alternative dirt roads. On Tuesday, 16 May 2006, IOF imposed additional restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians at checkpoints around the town.
· Salfit: On Thursday, 11 May 2006, IOF closed Za’tara and Yassouf, north of Salfit, and prevented the movement of residents of Tulkarm towards Ramallah. They also stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. At the same time, IOF erected a checkpoint at the entrance of Kufol Hares village, north of Salfit, and imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. On Friday, 12 May 2006, IOF erected a checkpoint at al-Zawia Bridge, north of Salfit, and prohibited the movement of Palestinian civilians from one village to another. IOF stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. On Sunday, 14 May 2006, IOF closed Deir Ballout checkpoint from 06:00 to 11:00, and prohibited the movement of Palestinian civilians. On Tuesday, 16 May 2006, IOF continued to close the entrances of Bedia and Qarawat Bani Hassan villages, west of Salafit. They also held dozens of young men who had attempted to bypass checkpoints.
· Jenin: IOF have continued to close the northern Jordan Valley. They have closed al-Hamra and Tayseer checkpoints. On Thursday morning, 11 May 2006, IOF erected two checkpoints at the entrances of Tubas and Tammoun villages, southeast of Jenin. They stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. At noon, IOF erected 3 checkpoints near al-Fara’a village, southeast of Jenin. On Monday morning, 15 May 2006, IOF erected a number of checkpoints around the town. They stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. On Wednesday morning, 17 May 2006, IOF erected a checkpoint at the northern entrance of Tubas village, southwest of Jenin. They stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles.
· Qalqilya: At approximately 17:00 on Tuesday, 16 May 2006, IOF positioned at ‘Azzoun–‘Atma checkpoint, east of Qalqilya, arrested Yousef Ahmed Zubaidi, 31, from Jenin refugee camp.
· Hebron: On Wednesday morning, 17 May 2006, IOF positioned at Nabi Younis intersection, north of Hebron, arrested Talal Hassan Jawabra, 24, from al-‘Arroub refugee camp north of Hebron.
3. Construction of the Annexation Wall
IOF have continued to construct the Annexation Wall inside West Bank territory.
· At approximately 13:30 on Friday, 12 May 2006, about 500 Palestinian civilians and 60 international and Israeli solidarity activists organized a peaceful demonstration in Bal’ein village, west of Ramallah, in protest to the construction of the Wall. IOF fired rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs at the demonstrators. Nine demonstrators and a journalist were wounded:
1. ‘Abdul Basset Mohammed Abu Rahma, 15, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the hand;
2. Mohammed Ahmed ‘Eissa, 17, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the thigh;
3. Waleed Mahmoud Abu Rahma, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the foot;
4. ‘Abdul Karim al-Khatib, wounded by two rubber-coated metal bullets to the foot;
5. Ashraf Mohammed Jamal, 19, hit by a tear gas canister to the head;
6. Wajdi Shawkat, 20, hit by a tear gas canister to the chest;
7. Adeeba Suleiman Husni, 60, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the head;
8. An Australian solidarity activist, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the head;
9. A Danish solidarity activist, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the hand; and
10. Jamal al-‘Aarouri, 40, a photographer from the local daily al-Ayyam, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the hand.
· At approximately 15:00 on Saturday, 13 May 2006, about 1500 Palestinian civilian and international and Israeli solidarity activists organized a peaceful demonstration near the entrance of Dahiat al-Barid area, north of Jerusalem, in protest to the construction of the Wall in the area. IOF fired dozens of tear gas canisters at the demonstrators and violently beat a number of them. Nine demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation.
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Recommendations to the International Community
1. PCHR calls upon the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their legal and moral obligations under Article 1 of the Convention to ensure Israel's respect for the Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. PCHR believes that the conspiracy of silence practiced by the international community has encouraged Israel to act as if it is above the law and encourages Israel continue to violate international human rights and humanitarian law.
2. PCHR calls upon the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to convene a conference to take effective steps to ensure Israel's respect of the Convention in the OPT and to provide immediate protection for Palestinian civilians.
3. PCHR calls upon the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to comply with its legal obligations detailed in Article 146 of the Convention to search for and prosecute those responsible for grave breaches, namely war crimes.
4. PCHR recommends international civil society organizations, including human rights organizations, bar associations and NGOs to participate in the process of exposing those accused of grave breaches of international law and to urge their governments to bring these people to justice.
5. PCHR calls upon the European Union to activate Article 2 of the Euro-Israel Association Agreement, which provides that Israel must respect human rights as a precondition for economic cooperation between the EU states and Israel. PCHR further calls upon the EU states to prohibit import of goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements in the OPT.
6. PCHR calls upon the member States of the EU, and all other states, to adopt a voting pattern at the UN bodies, particularly the General Assembly, Security Council and Commission on Human Rights which is keeping with international law.
7. PCHR demands that the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion be immediately implemented by the international community.
8. PCHR calls on the international community to recognize the Gaza disengagement plan for what it is - not an end to occupation but a compounding of the occupation and the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
9. In recognition of the ICRC as the guardian of the Fourth Geneva Convention, PCHR calls upon the ICRC to increase its staff and activities in the OPT, including the facilitation of family visitations to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
10. PCHR appreciates the efforts of international civil society, including human rights organizations, bar associations, unions and NGOs, and urges them to continue their role in pressuring their governments to secure Israel's respect for human rights in the OPT and to end its attacks on Palestinian civilians.
11. In light of the severe restrictions imposed by the Israeli government and its occupying forces on access for international organizations to the OPT, PCHR calls upon European countries to deal with Israeli citizens in a similar manner.
12. PCHR reiterates that any political settlement not based on international human rights law and humanitarian law cannot lead to a peaceful and just solution of the Palestinian question. Rather, such an arrangement can only lead to further suffering and instability in the region. Any peace agreement or process must be based on respect for international law, including international human rights and humanitarian law.
[1] 1 donum is equal to 1000 square meters.
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Public Document
For further information please visit our website (http://www.pchrgaza.org) or contact PCHR’s office in Gaza City, Gaza Strip by email (pchr@pchrgaza.org) or telephone (+972 (0)8 2824776 – 2825893).
http://www.pchrgaza.org
Weekly Report: On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
No. 19/2006
11 - 17 May 2006
The suffering of Palestinian civilians increases with the closure of al-Khader checkpoint which links between Hebron and Bethlehem..
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Escalate Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)
9 Palestinians killed by IOF in the West Bank.
41 Palestinian civilians, including 13 children, were wounded by IOF gunfire.
IOF continued to shell Palestinian areas in the Gaza Strip, especially the northern area.
IOF conducted 43 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and 2 into the Gaza Strip.
For the first time since their redeployment from the Gaza Strip, IOF razed 20 dunums[1] of agricultural land in al-Qarara village near Khan Yunis.
77 Palestinian civilians, including 6 children and a woman, were arrested by IOF.
IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT; IOF have continued to close border crossings of the Gaza Strip; the north of the West Bank has been separated from the south; and IOF arrested two Palestinian civilians at checkpoints in the West Bank.
Summary
Israeli violations of international law continued in the OPT during the reported period (11–17 May 2006):
Killing: During the reported period, IOF killed 9 Palestinians in the West Bank. On Sunday, 14 May 2006, IOF killed 5 Palestinians, including 2 brothers in Qabatya village, southeast of Jenin. One of these Palestinians was killed when he exchanged gunfire with IOF; his brother was killed when he attempted to evacuate him; a third Palestinian was killed when IOF fired shots at stone throwers; and the remaining two Palestinians, who were the target of this attack, were killed when IOF shelled the house where they were hiding in and partially demolished it over them. On the same day, IOF killed a member of the Palestinian General Intelligence Services, while he was guarding the headquarters in Jenin. In Nablus, IOF killed 3 Palestinian militants in two separate incidents. One of these militants was killed by IOF in the old town of Nablus on 12 May 2006, and the other two militants were killed when IOF surrounded a house where they were hiding and opened fire at them. An old Palestinian man also died from a heart attack during the last IOF operation in Nablus.
It is worth noting that IOF have killed 110 Palestinians, mostly civilians, including 17 children, since the beginning of this year, in comparison to 84 Palestinian during the same period in 2005. At least 49 of these Palestinians were extra-judicially executed by IOF. This is an indicator of the escalation in Israeli operations in the OPT, despite redeployment of IOF troops from inside the Gaza Strip.
During the reported period, 41 Palestinians, including 13 children, were wounded by IOF gunfire. In the West Bank, 25 Palestinians were wounded by IOF during incursions into Palestinian communities, and 10 others were wounded when IOF used force to disperse peaceful demonstration organized in protest to the construction of the Annexation Wall. In the Gaza Strip, 4 members of the Palestinian resistance were wounded, when an IOF drone shelled their car. A passing girl was also wounded in the attack. In addition, a farmer was wounded when IOF shelled the northern Gaza Strip.
Incursions: During the reported period, IOF repeatedly moved into Nablus. IOF also conducted 43 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During these incursions, IOF raided houses and arrested 77 Palestinian civilians, including 6 children and a woman. In the Gaza Strip, IOF conducted two incursions into the south and north of the Gaza Strip, during which they razed 20 dunums of agricultural land in al-Qarara village, northeast of Khan Yunis. These incursions have been the first since the IOF’s redeployment from inside the Gaza Strip to the borders, which further proves PCHR’s position that the Israeli occupation is still effective in the Gaza Strip.
Restrictions on Movement: IOF have continued to impose a comprehensive siege on the OPT, in violation of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of Palestinian civilians.
IOF have continued to impose a tightened siege on the Gaza Strip, transforming it into a large prison. IOF have continued to monitor the movement of Palestinian civilians through Rafah International Crossing Point on the Egyptian border. Although IOF have allowed the transportation of food aid from Egypt into the Gaza Strip through Kerem Shalom commercial crossing, southeast of Rafah, the crossing has not yet been officially opened. IOF have also continued to prevent Palestinian workers from the Gaza Strip from reaching their work places in Israel through Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing. They have continued to prevent hundreds of thousands of Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip from traveling to the West Bank. IOF have partially operated al-Mentar (Karni) commercial crossing, east of Gaza City. Since the beginning of this year, IOF have closed the crossing for 62 separate days completely and 70 days partially. As a result of the repeated closures of the crossing, the economic conditions in the Gaza Strip have deteriorated. During the reported period, IOF arrested two Palestinian fishermen while they were fishing near Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.
IOF have continued to impose a tightened siege on Palestinian communities in the West Bank. IOF positioned at various checkpoints in the West Bank have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. IOF have continued to separate the north and south of the West Bank. For this purpose, they have closed Za’tara checkpoint, south of Nablus, and re-established their presence at ‘Attara checkpoint, north of Ramallah. They have also erected two new checkpoints near Ramallah. During the reported period, IOF positioned at various checkpoints around Nablus imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. IOF positioned at various checkpoints in the West Bank abused a number of Palestinian civilians. During the reported period, IOF positioned at checkpoints in the West Bank arrested two Palestinian civilians.
Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (11–17 May 2006)
1. Incursions into Palestinian Areas and Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Property
Thursday, 11 May 2006
· At approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Jenin. They besieged a house belonging to the family of Saleh ‘Abdullah al-Sa’di, 28. They ordered him through megaphones to come outside and surrender. He surrendered, and IOF searched the house and arrested him. At the same time, IOF raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Ahmed Jamal al-Qut, 25, and arrested him.
A few hours later, dozens of Palestinian children gathered and threw stones at IOF vehicles. Immediately, IOF fired rubber-coated metal bullets at the stone throwers, wounding 5 of them:
1. Yazan Nasfat Jarrar, 15, hit in the thigh;
2. Sultan Waleed Qassem, 22, hit in the thigh;
3. Mohammed Suleiman No’airat, 18, hit in the left leg;
4. Mohammed Waleed al-Lahham, 16, hit in the back; and
5. ‘Emad Fawaz Jallad, 12, hit in the left hand.
· At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into al-Fawar refugee camp, south of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested two Palestinian civilians, including a child:
1. Mahmoud Hussein Ehdaib, 33; and
2. Hamed Tawfiq al-Wawi, 17.
· Also at approximately 02:00, IOF moved into al-Zahiriya village, south of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested Bassam al-Tal, 32.
· At approximately 02:30, IOF moved into Kharas village, northwest of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested Bassam Jouda Halahla, 48.
· Also at approximately 02:30, IOF moved into Yatta village, south of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested Taleb Mahmoud al-Najjar, 45.
· At approximately 03:30, IOF moved into Nablus and neighboring refugee camps. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 9 Palestinian civilians, including a child:
1. Ra’ed Smeeh Abu ‘Arab, 27;
2. Majed Khalil Abu ‘Arab, 20;
3. Hussein Husni ‘Atallah, 47;
4. ‘Abdullah ‘Awni Salem, 25;
5. Mohammed Hussein al-Tak, 20;
6. Mohammed Mahmoud Da’das, 19;
7. Fawzi Fayez Bashkar, 24;
8. Amjad Qassem Mabrouk, 24; and
9. Hussein Fadlallah, 17.
· Also at approximately 03:30, IOF moved into Roujib village, east of Nablus. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Firas Hilal Rawajba, 20, and arrested him.
· Also at approximately 03:30, IOF moved into al-Duha village, west of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Mahmoud Nasri Nawawra, 20, and arrested him.
· At approximately 13:30, an IOF undercover unit moved into Bala’a village, east of Tulkarm and besieged a house belonging to Mansour ‘Abdul Rahim Mansour, 42. Soon after, 9 IOF vehicles moved into the village to support the undercover unit. IOF ordered Mansour and his family through megaphones to get out, and they did. IOF then searched the house and arrested him.
· Also at approximately 13:30, IOF moved nearly 200 meters inside the Gaza border into al-Qarara village, northeast of Khan Yunis. They razed and leveled areas of Palestinian agricultural land planted with olives and almonds:
1. A 5-dunum area of agricultural land planted with almonds belonging to ‘Abed Rabbu Ahmed al-Sumairi;
2. A 5-dunum area of agricultural land planted with almonds belonging to Suleiman Ahmed al-Sumairi;
3. A 5-dunum area of agricultural land planted with olives and almonds belonging to Salama Salman al-Sumairi; and
4. A 5-dunum area of agricultural land planted with olives and almonds belonging to ‘Othman Mohammed al-Sumairi.
It is worth noting that this IOF incursion has been the first of its kind into the Gaza Strip following the IOF’s redeployment from inside the Gaza Strip to the borders in September 2005.
· At approximately 17:00, IOF moved into al-Fara’a refugee camp, southeast of Nablus. A number of Palestinian children gathered and threw stones at IOF vehicles. Immediately, IOF fired at the children, wounding 16-year-old Yousef ‘Ali Waked with a rubber-coated metal bullet to the right thigh.
Friday, 12 May 2006
· At approximately 00:00, IOF moved into Thinnaba suburb, east of Tulkarm. They raided and searched a house belonging to Ma’moun Khairi Samara and arrested 4 Palestinian civilians, including the owner’s son:
1. Fadi Ma’moun Samara, 27;
2. Mohammed Sami Noubani, 20;
3. Mohammed Ahmed Barhoush, 23; and
4. ‘Alaa’ ‘Adnan Kilani, 25.
During this house raid, IOF violently beat Khairi Ma’moun Samara, 30, and used his family as human shields. In his testimony to PCHR, Samara said:
“At approximately 00:00 on Friday, 12 May 2006, an IOF undercover unit moved into Thinnaba suburb, east of Tulkarm, traveling in civilian cars with Palestinian registration plates. IOF soldiers were masked and in uniform. They got out of the cars and raided a number of houses located near our house but we did not notice them. My parents, my 5 sisters, my youngest brother and I were on the first floor of our house. We did not know that my brother, 27-year-old Fadi, and 3 of his friends were on the upper floor, as this floor has an independent entrance. We heard sounds of shooting by IOF soldiers outside the house. Gunshots hit all the lights near our house. IOF soldiers pointed their laser-guided guns at our house. We all gathered in one room. At approximately 02:30, IOF ordered us through megaphones to get out of the house. My father and I got out of the house and IOF forced us to take off all our clothes. When they became certain that we did not have anything, they permitted us to put our clothes back on. When my mother and sisters wanted to get out of the house, IOF soldiers prevented them. We were surprised when 3 young men came out from the upper floor of our house. IOF soldiers forced them take off all of their clothes. IOF soldiers then handcuffed the three young men. IOF soldiers put their feet on the three young men’s heads. Soon after, I saw my brother Fadi. I learnt from our neighbors that he had attempted to escape. When he jumped into a neighboring house, he was surprised by theIOF soldiers there. Soon after, IOF soldiers sent trained dogs, equipped with cameras into our house. After the dogs had left the house, IOF soldiers forced the women out of the house and searched it. They damaged the furniture and confiscated a computer set and 7 mobile phones. They also opened fire inside the house. Later, they arrested the four young men, including my brother, and left the area.”
· At approximately 00:10, IOF moved into al-Shyoukh village, north of Hebron. They raided and searched dozens of houses and arrested 3 Palestinian civilians:
1. Mohammed Ahmed ‘Ayaida, 38;
2. Eyad Ameen ‘Ayaida, 33; and
3. Isma’il Salem Halaiqa, 44.
During these raids, IOF violently beat Ameen ‘Ayaida, 65, the second detainee’s father, and his daughters: Hala, 21; and Leila, 45.
· At approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Halhoul village, north of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested two Palestinian civilians:
1. Ibrahim Hamed al-Wawi, 28, a member of the local council of the village; and
2. Tawfiq Mohammed al-Atrash, 55, director of the secondary school in the village.
· At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Nablus, opening fire indiscriminately. They took position at the entrances to the old town. IOF noticed a number of Palestinian militants in the area, so they opened fire at them. One of the militants, 26-year-old Ra’ed Hani Tubaila, was seriously wounded by a live bullet to the head. IOF obstructed his evacuation to the hospital. Later, they allowed a Palestinian ambulance to evacuate him. They forced the driver to travel to Hawara checkpoint, south of Nablus. He was then moved to an Israeli ambulance. At approximately 06:30, IOF declared that Tubaila had died from his wounds.
· Also at approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of ‘Ammar Khamis Abu Mustafa, 22, and arrested him.
Saturday, 13 May 2006
· At approximately 02:30, IOF moved into Seilat al-Harthiya village, west of Jenin. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Ahmed Jaradat, 18, and arrested him.
· Also at approximately 02:30, IOF moved into al-Yamoun village, west of Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses, but no arrests were reported.
Sunday, 14 May 2006
· At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Wad al-Karm neighborhood in the west of Hebron. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of “Mohammed Yusri” Mohammed al-Harbawi, 18, and arrested him. They also confiscated mobile phones belonging to the family.
· At approximately 02:15, IOF moved into Nablus. They besieged al-Aghbar apartment building, which is rented by students from an-Najah National University, in Rafidya neighborhood. They ordered residents of the building through megaphones to get out. They then checked the identity cards of the residents and arrested 3 of them:
1. Wissam Ma’rouf Zaqzouq, 22, from al-Judaida village southeast of Jenin;
2. Bashar Sa’id Salama, 22, from Bedia village near Nablus; and
3. Fadi Joma’a, 20.
· At approximately 05:30, an IOF gunboat intercepted a Palestinian fishing boat opposite Khan Yunis seashore in the southern Gaza Strip. They arrested two Palestinian fishermen who were on board:
1. Ibrahim Khalil al-Bardawil, 31; and
2. Mohammed Isma’il al-Bardawil, 27, both from Khan Yunis refugee camp.
· At approximately 14:30, IOF, reinforced by two helicopters, moved into Qabatya village, southeast of Jenin. They besieged a 150-square-meter, two–storey house belonging to Mustafa ‘Aaref Hamdan Ekmayel, where twenty individuals (four families) live, in the east of the village. They ordered, through megaphones, all those who were inside the house to surrender, threatening to demolish the house over them if they did not comply. A number of Palestinian militants exchanged fire with IOF. One of the militants, 23-year-old Tha’er Subhi Sadiq Hanaisha, was killed by several bullets to the chest and the head. His brother, 21-year-old Mujahed, hurried towards him and attempted to pull him away from the area, but IOF shot at him also. He was killed by several bullets to the chest. According to eyewitnesses, the younger brother was unarmed. When residents of the house went outside, IOF shelled the house and a bulldozer began to demolish it. At approximately 20:30, IOF withdrew from the area. Palestinian civilians and medical and civil defense crews moved to the area and started to remove the debris. They found the bodies of two Palestinians under the debris and evacuated them to Dr. Khalil Suleiman Hospital in Jenin. The two victims were identified as:
1. Elias Khairi Mohammed al-Ashqar, 28, from Baqa al-Sharqia village, hit by shrapnel throughout the body; and
2. Mo’tassem ‘Ali Baheej Ja’ar, 24, from ‘Allar village north of Tulkarm, hit by shrapnel throughout the body.
The two were members of the al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad. According to Israeli media sources, the new Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz praised the attack. The Israeli defense minister's office said, "Peretz personally approved the operation last week, and closely followed its execution." IOF also arrested 17-year-old Mohye al-Din Mustafa Ekmayel.
During this attack, dozens of Palestinian children and young men gathered near Ekmayel’s house and threw stones at IOF vehicles. Immediately, IOF fired at the stone throwers, killing 20-year-old Jihad ‘Abdul Rahman ‘Omar ‘Assaf, with a live bullet to the head. In addition, 16 other civilians, including seven children and a journalist, were wounded by the IOF gunfire:
1. Qaher Mohammed ‘Assaf, 20, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the right leg;
2. Mohammed Naji Zakarna, 16, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the right leg;
3. Mohammed Saleh Hifnawi, 10, wounded by a live bullet to the left hand;
4. Firas Mohammed Hefnawi, 10, wounded by a live bullet to the left hand;
5. Bassel Faisal Hamamda, 10, wounded by a live bullet to the right shoulder;
6. Mohammed Mahmoud Abu al-Rub, 22, wounded by a live bullet to the right shoulder;
7. Ahmed Mahmoud Nazzal, 21, wounded by a live bullet to the right shoulder;
8. Bassam Ibrahim Abu Shaqra, 22, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the right hand;
9. Ma’moun ‘Abdul Latif Saba’na, 36, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the right leg;
10. Ameen Khaled Abu Zaid, 14, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the face;
11. Mohammed ‘Adnan Nazzal, 14, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the abdomen;
12. Eyad Suleiman Ekmayel, 28, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the right hand;
13. Mohammed ‘Ali Abu al-Rub, 24, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the right hand;
14. Murad Hatem Abu al-Rub, 20, wounded by a live bullet to the left shoulder;
15. Bilal Mustafa Ekmayel, 17, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the left shoulder; and
16. Sameer Ibrahim Abu al-Rub, 40, a journalist, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the back.
· At approximately 14:30, an IOF undercover unit moved into al-Jabriyat neighborhood in the south of Jenin, traveling in a civilian car with a Palestinian registration plate. Soon after, at least fifteen IOF vehicles moved into the town to support the undercover unit. Members of the IOF undercover unit opened fire at ‘Ali ‘Omar Mohammed Jabbarin, 21, from al-Taiba village west of Jenin, killing him with several live bullets to the head, the neck, the chest and the hands. IOF left him bleeding and did not allow anyone to attend to him for 30 minutes. According to eyewitnesses, IOF willfully shot Jabbarin, while he was on duty guarding the headquarters of the Palestinian General Intelligence Services. Later, IOF besieged a house near the headquarters. They opened fire at the house and ordered its residents, through megaphones, to get out. When the residents got out, IOF checked their identity cards and searched the house. Before their withdrawal from the area at approximately 17:00, IOF arrested ‘Essam, ‘Allam and Akram Hassan Samoudi.
· At approximately 19:00, IOF moved into ‘Aaida refugee camp, north of Bethlehem. They chased and fired at a number of Palestinian children, claiming that they had thrown stones at IOF vehicles. Two children were wounded:
1. Ahmed ‘Obaidallah Qaraqe’, 11, wounded by a live bullet to the leg; and
2. Mamdouh Hassan al-Karaja, 12, wounded by a live bullet to the leg.
Monday, 15 May 2006
· At approximately 01:20, IOF moved into Nablus and the neighboring ‘Askar refugee camp. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested two Palestinian civilians:
1. Mohammed Wafa al-Kharraz, 19; and
2. Hatem Ja’ara, 20.
· At approximately 01:30, IOF moved into Tulkarm. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 3 Palestinian civilians:
1. Mo’taz Hassan al-Qareeb, 23;
2. Wa’el Mohammed Maslamani, 21; and
3. ‘Omar Mufeed Eshtaiwi, 20.
· At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Roujib village, east of Nablus. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of ‘Omar Yassin Sha’ban, 16, and arrested him.
· Also at approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Talfit village, southeast of Nablus. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested two Palestinian civilians:
1. Zakaria Ahmed Musallam, 29; and
2. ‘Atiya Musallam, 28.
· Also at approximately 02:00, IOF moved into al-Harayeq neighborhood in the southwest of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses. They violently beat members of Mohammed ‘Awad al-Sharbati’s family, as his son, 25-year-old Zuhdi, escaped arrest. IOF also arrested two Palestinians:
1. Nazmi Mohammed al-Sharbati, 28, a member of the Palestinian Military Intelligence Service; and
2. ‘Abdul Halim Mohammed al-Zeer, 34.
· At approximately 07:00, IOF moved into Hawara village, south of Nablus, and imposed a curfew.
· At approximately 09:00, IOF positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, east of Jabalya, fired a number of artillery shells at Beit Lahia town in the north of the Gaza Strip. One of those shells fell on agricultural land in the north of the town. A Palestinian farmer, 50-year-old Nabeel Sa’id Ma’rouf, was wounded by shrapnel to the left shoulder.
· At approximately 11:30, IOF, reinforced by two tanks and a bulldozer, moved 100 meters into the north of Beit Hanoun. The leveled areas of land along the border. They withdrew from the area at approximately 21:00.
· At approximately 18:40, an IOF drone fired a missile at a civilian car that was traveling towards al-Farrahin Street in ‘Abasan village, east of Khan Yunis. Four members of the al-Aqsa Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad, from Rafah, were traveling in the car. The missile hit the front of the car. The car deviated and collided with stores located under a house belonging to ‘Abdul Hai Ibrahim Abu Daqqa. The four passengers and a girl, who was near her house, were wounded:
1. Hassan Salah al-Halqawi, 35, seriously wounded by shrapnel throughout the body;
2. ‘Omar ‘Abdul Karim Sha’at, 18, wounded by shrapnel throughout the body;
3. Mousa Hussein al-Houli, 19, wounded by shrapnel throughout the body;
4. Ahmed Musallam al-Houli, 23, wounded by shrapnel to the head; and
5. Asmaa’ Yousef Abu Daqqa, 18, wounded by shrapnel to the arms.
An IOF spokesman claimed that IOF targeted a cell of the Islamic Jihad, whose members were launching rockets in the east of Khan Yunis. An IOF drone chased them.
Tuesday, 16 May 2006
· At approximately 00:30, IOF moved into Beit ‘Awa village, southwest of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 5 Palestinian civilians, including a physically disabled man:
1. Ashraf Suleiman al-Masalma, 23, disabled;
2. Ussama ‘Abdul Qader ‘Awad, 25;
3. Mohammed Mahmoud ‘Awad, 23;
4. Hussein Rasmi al-Masalma, 26; and
5. Hadi Easmi al-Masalma, 23.
· At approximately 01:00, IOF moved into al-Hashimiya village, west of Jenin. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of ‘Ali Ahmed Hamran, 42, and arrested him.
· Also at approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Tarqoumia village, northwest of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested two Palestinian civilians:
1. Waleed Kazem Fatafta, 18; and
2. Hussam Mahmoud Shalalda, 20.
· Also at approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Ethna village, west of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested two Palestinian civilians:
1. Ja’far Noufal Selmiya, 29; and
2. Khaled ‘Abdul Fattah Selmiya, 33.
· At approximately 03:00, IOF moved into Nablus, opening fire indiscriminately. They patrolled the streets. They withdrew from the city a few hours later and no arrests were reported.
· At approximately 06:00, IOF moved into ‘Arraba village, south of Jenin, opening fire indiscriminately. They patrolled the streets. They withdrew from the village a few hours later and no arrests were reported.
· Also at approximately 06:00, IOF moved into Artas village, south of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Mahmoud Ahmed Shaheen, 25, and arrested him.
Wednesday, 17 May 2006
· In the early morning, IOF killed two members of the Islamic Jihad and wounded a third member in Nablus. They claimed that the attack targeted a cell of the Islamic Jihad in order to foil an attack inside Israel. An old Palestinian man, living in the house that was attacked by IOF, also died from a heart attack.
According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 22:50 on Tuesday, 16 May 2006, an IOF undercover unit moved into Nablus traveling in a civilian car with a Palestinian registration plate. The car stopped near Nablus ambulance center in the Rafidya neighborhood. Four gunmen in Israeli military uniform, accompanied by two dogs, got out of the car and broke into the center. Soon after, at least 16 IOF jeeps moved into the area. IOF stopped passing civilians and held them on the fifth floor of Ya’ish partment building. At the same time, IOF seized a flat opposite to houses belonging to Sati Mubaslat and ‘Abdul Raziq ‘Ali Ma’ani. At approximately 01:30, IOF opened fire from the flat at the first floor of Ma’ani’s house. A few minutes later, they fired 3 shells at the house. Three Palestinian militants, who were in Ma’ani’s house escaped to Mubaslat’s house. Immediately, IOF opened fire at them, killing two of them, and wounding and arresting the third one. The two victims’ bodies were transferred to Rafidya Hospital, where they were identified as:
1. Mustafa Hussein ‘Abdul Ghani, 23, from Saida village north of Tulkarm, hit by several live bullets; and
2. ‘Othman Qassem Sadaqa, 28, from ‘Anza village south of Jenin, hit by a live bullet to the chest.
Before their withdrawal from the city a few hours later, IOF arrested 6 Palestinian civilians, including a woman and a child:
1. Nadia ‘Akkouba, 31;
2. Mahmoud Mohammed al-Na’na’, 17;
3. Jalal Isma’il Fakhouri, 28;
4. Bashar Darwish Musmar, 21;
5. Mohammed Hussein Hamdi, 22; and
6. Rajab al-Aghbar, 32.
The third militant who was wounded and arrested was identified as Ameen Ahmed Taher ‘Aamer, 25. He was hit by a live bullet to the chest. In addition, the body of Mushref Tawfiq Ahmed Mubaslat, 78, was brought to Rafidya Hospital. According to medical sources, he died from a heart attack, which had been brought on by the stress of the incident.
· At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Janata village, east of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a house belonging to Mustafa ‘Eissa al-‘Arouj, 44, deputy mayor, and arrested him.
· Also at approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Za’tara village, east of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Mohammed Khaled Hussein, 21, and arrested him.
· At approximately 03:00, IOF moved into Salem village, east of Nablus. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Huthaifa ‘Abdullah Eshtayeh, 21, and arrested him.
· At approximately 18:30, IOF moved into ‘Ein Beit al-Maa’ refugee camp, west of Nablus. IOF besieged a house belonging to Fawzi Abu al-Reesh and ordered its residents to surrender. The residents got out of the house, and IOF checked the identity cards of the residents and asked them about a member of the family, ‘Aadel, who was not there. IOF then raided and searched the house. Before their withdrawal at approximately 20:00, IOF arrested the owner’s sons: Ibrahim, 17, and Kareem, 20. IOF arrested the two sons in order to exert pressure on their brother to surrender. IOF also arrested Hassan Abu Safiya, 20.
2. Continued Siege on the OPT
IOF have continued to impose a tightened siege on the OPT and imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Occupied East Jerusalem.
Gaza Strip
Although IOF have been redeployed around the Gaza Strip, they have maintained the occupation of the Gaza Strip through controlling all outlets and crossings.
· Rafah International Crossing Point: Rafah International Crossing Point on the Egyptian border is the sole outlet for the Gaza Strip to the outside world. Daily working hours at the crossing point have been increased to 10 hours. It is noted that, Kerem Shalom commercial crossing to the southeast of Rafah, which is designated for imports under joint Israeli-Palestinian control has not been opened officially. The crossing was opened a few weeks ago to allow the transportation of food aid from Egypt into the Gaza Strip due to the economic crisis in the Gaza Strip caused by repeated closures of al-Mentar (Karni) commercial crossing. IOF have closed the crossing in violation of the Israeli-Palestinian agreement on border crossings.
· Al-Mentar (Karni) Commercial Crossing: The crossing is the only commercial crossing serving the Gaza Strip. IOF frequently close the crossing as a means of imposing collective punishment on Palestinian civilians. During the reported period, IOF partially operated the crossing and allowed the importation of a limited amount of goods, but prohibited the exportation of goods from the Gaza Strip. Since the beginning of May, IOF have prevented the exportation of goods from the Gaza Strip, contrary to IOF’s claims that they would permit exports from the Gaza Strip on 10 May 2006. According to Palestinian official sources, IOF allow only 250 trucks loaded with various goods to enter the Gaza Strip daily. Palestinian traders have sustained large losses due to the high fees of transportation. It is worth noting that IOF have completely closed the crossing for 62 separate days since the beginning of the year. They have also partially closed it for 70 separate days.
· Beit Hanoun (Erez) Crossing: IOF have prevented Palestinian workers from reaching their work places inside Israel through Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip have been prevented from traveling through this crossing. During the reported period, IOF decreased the number of patients permitted to travel to Israeli hospitals from 50 to 20. IOF have allowed international workers and Palestinian National Authority officials who have VIP cards to pass through the crossing, but without their private cars. Concerning patients with serious medical conditions, who need medical care in Israel, IOF prevented them from traveling to Israel and Jerusalem on Sunday and Monday, 7 and 8 May 2006. Palestinian patients are subjected to prolonged and complicated checks by IOF. IOF have prevented patients under 35 from entering Israel, and imposed a condition that patients must be transferred to hospital rather than to clinics and private medical centers. Patients are subjected to prolonged and complicated checks that extend up to 6 hours. IOF have also prevented Palestinian ambulances from entering Israel and therefore families of patients have been forced to hire Israeli ambulances at high prices. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, since the beginning of April, IOF have refused to issue permits to 274 patients to receive medical treatment in Israeli hospitals, and have allowed only 38 out of 178 who have permits to enter Israel. Contrary to Israeli claims concerning the ease of restrictions imposed at the crossing, IOF have allowed only 11 traders who have VIP cards to pass through the crossing, but have continued to prevent workers from traveling to their work places in Israel.
· Sofa crossing: IOF also control Sofa crossing, northeast of Rafah, which is designated for the transportation of construction raw materials. IOF repeatedly close the crossing for no apparent reason. On Wednesday, 17 May 2006, IOF closed the crossing.
The closure of border crossings deprives the Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza Strip of their right to freedom of movement, education and health.
IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions on fishing in the Gaza Strip. Approximately 35,000 people in and around Gaza’s coastal communities rely on the fishing industry, including 2,500 fishermen, 2,500 support staff and their families. Fishermen have been subjected to intensive monitoring by IOF, which use helicopter gunships and gunboats to monitor the fishermen. On a number of occasions the Israeli military has opened fire against the civilian fishermen in order to enforce the 9 nautical mile limit imposed on them. The Oslo Accords make provision for Gaza’s sea to be fished to 20 nautical miles.
The West Bank
IOF have continued to impose a strict siege on Palestinian communities in the West Bank. They have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians and imposed curfews on a number of Palestinian communities.
· Jerusalem: IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in occupied Jerusalem. During the reported period, IOF imposed additional restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians through various checkpoints around the city. IOF also reinforced their presence at these checkpoints. They stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. IOF have imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Jerusalemites since the operation of Qalandya crossing on 4 April 2004. These restrictions coincided with Easter celebrations. During the reported period, and in the context of measures taken to separate the north of the West Bank from the center and south, IOF erected a number of checkpoints at the entrances of Qalandya refugee camp, which are devoted, in addition to Qalandya crossing, to the movement of Palestinian civilians. According to eyewitnesses, IOF positioned at these checkpoints prevented Palestinian civilians coming from the north of the West Bank from entering Ramallah. These latest measures prove that IOF’s claims concerning easing restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians were untrue. IOF have allowed Palestinian patients who have permits to enter Jerusalem through Qalandya crossing, but only following prolonged and humiliating checks. On their way back from the city, patients are forced by IOF to pass through the crossing on foot. On Wednesday morning, 17 May 2006, IOF erected a checkpoint at the entrance of Beit Hanina village, north of Jerusalem, and closed the road the links villages located to the west of Jerusalem with Ramallah.
· Nablus: During the reported period, IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. IOF have also continued to separate the north of the West Bank from the center and south. For this purpose, they erected more checkpoints on the main road linking the north with the south of the West Bank. On Thursday morning, 11 December 2006, IOF positioned at “Yitshar” checkpoint, south of Nablus, imposed additional restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. On Friday morning, 12 May 2006, IOF erected a checkpoint near Jeet intersection, west of Nablus, and prevented Palestinian civilians aged under 30 from crossing the checkpoint. On Saturday morning, 13 May 2006, IOF positioned at Hawara checkpoint, south of Nablus, imposed additional restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians to and from the city. According to eyewitnesses, IOF detained dozens of young men for several hours. At approximately 17:00 on the same day, IOF closed Za’tara checkpoint, south of Nablus, and prohibited the movement of Palestinian civilians. They claimed that they had discovered a suspicious object in the area. On Sunday morning, 14 May 2006, IOF erected a checkpoint near Jeet intersection, west of Nablus, and prevented Palestinian civilians aged under 30 from crossing the checkpoint. They also humiliated and beat a number of civilians. Also on Sunday morning, IOF positioned at Za’tara checkpoint, south of Nablus, conducted prolonged checks on Palestinian civilians. They forced civilians out of vehicles and checked their identity cards. On Monday afternoon, 15 May 2006, IOF closed the northern entrance of Nablus, and prohibited the movement of Palestinian civilians to and from the city. On Tuesday morning, 16 May 2006, IOF erected a checkpoint to the west of Nablus, and prevented residents of Tulkarm and Jenin from entering the city. At the same time, IOF positioned at Za’tara checkpoint, south of Nablus, imposed additional restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians from the north to the south of the West Bank. On Wednesday morning, 17 May 2006, IOF closed Za’tara checkpoint, south of Nablus. They prevented residents from the north of the West Bank from traveling towards Ramallah.
· Ramallah: IOF have imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. They re-established their presence at ‘Attara checkpoint, north of Ramallah. IOF also erected a checkpoint near “Oufra” settlement. According to eyewitnesses, IOF positioned at the two checkpoints prevented Palestinians coming from the northern West Bank from entering the town.
· Tulkarm: IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. On Thursday, 11 May 2006, IOF closed the Tunnel checkpoint, south of Tulkarm, and prohibited the movement of Palestinian civilians. They allowed only residents of Tulkarm to enter the town, carrying out prolonged and humiliating checks. At the same time, IOF closed Ennab checkpoint, east of Tulkarm; the Deir al-Ghosoun–Tulkarm road, south of the town; and an alternative dirt road in the area. IOF also chased Palestinian civilians who had resorted to using alternative dirt roads, and held dozens of them for several hours. On Friday, 12 May 2006, IOF continued to impose a tightened siege on Tulkarm. They reinforced their presence on the main roads and erected more checkpoints. On Saturday, 13 May 2006, IOF positioned at various checkpoints around Tulkarm imposed additional restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. They stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. IOF positioned at the Tunnel checkpoint, south of Tulkarm, prohibited the movement of Palestinian civilians to and from the town. At approximately 06:00 on Monday, 15 May 2006, IOF closed Jebara checkpoint, south of Tulkarm, and prohibited the movement of Palestinian civilians to and from Tulkar. At approximately 12:00 on the same day, IOF erected a checkpoint at Bala’a intersection on the Tulkarm–Nablus road. They stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. They held dozens of young men who had resorted to using alternative dirt roads. On Tuesday, 16 May 2006, IOF imposed additional restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians at checkpoints around the town.
· Salfit: On Thursday, 11 May 2006, IOF closed Za’tara and Yassouf, north of Salfit, and prevented the movement of residents of Tulkarm towards Ramallah. They also stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. At the same time, IOF erected a checkpoint at the entrance of Kufol Hares village, north of Salfit, and imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. On Friday, 12 May 2006, IOF erected a checkpoint at al-Zawia Bridge, north of Salfit, and prohibited the movement of Palestinian civilians from one village to another. IOF stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. On Sunday, 14 May 2006, IOF closed Deir Ballout checkpoint from 06:00 to 11:00, and prohibited the movement of Palestinian civilians. On Tuesday, 16 May 2006, IOF continued to close the entrances of Bedia and Qarawat Bani Hassan villages, west of Salafit. They also held dozens of young men who had attempted to bypass checkpoints.
· Jenin: IOF have continued to close the northern Jordan Valley. They have closed al-Hamra and Tayseer checkpoints. On Thursday morning, 11 May 2006, IOF erected two checkpoints at the entrances of Tubas and Tammoun villages, southeast of Jenin. They stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. At noon, IOF erected 3 checkpoints near al-Fara’a village, southeast of Jenin. On Monday morning, 15 May 2006, IOF erected a number of checkpoints around the town. They stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. On Wednesday morning, 17 May 2006, IOF erected a checkpoint at the northern entrance of Tubas village, southwest of Jenin. They stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles.
· Qalqilya: At approximately 17:00 on Tuesday, 16 May 2006, IOF positioned at ‘Azzoun–‘Atma checkpoint, east of Qalqilya, arrested Yousef Ahmed Zubaidi, 31, from Jenin refugee camp.
· Hebron: On Wednesday morning, 17 May 2006, IOF positioned at Nabi Younis intersection, north of Hebron, arrested Talal Hassan Jawabra, 24, from al-‘Arroub refugee camp north of Hebron.
3. Construction of the Annexation Wall
IOF have continued to construct the Annexation Wall inside West Bank territory.
· At approximately 13:30 on Friday, 12 May 2006, about 500 Palestinian civilians and 60 international and Israeli solidarity activists organized a peaceful demonstration in Bal’ein village, west of Ramallah, in protest to the construction of the Wall. IOF fired rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs at the demonstrators. Nine demonstrators and a journalist were wounded:
1. ‘Abdul Basset Mohammed Abu Rahma, 15, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the hand;
2. Mohammed Ahmed ‘Eissa, 17, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the thigh;
3. Waleed Mahmoud Abu Rahma, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the foot;
4. ‘Abdul Karim al-Khatib, wounded by two rubber-coated metal bullets to the foot;
5. Ashraf Mohammed Jamal, 19, hit by a tear gas canister to the head;
6. Wajdi Shawkat, 20, hit by a tear gas canister to the chest;
7. Adeeba Suleiman Husni, 60, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the head;
8. An Australian solidarity activist, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the head;
9. A Danish solidarity activist, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the hand; and
10. Jamal al-‘Aarouri, 40, a photographer from the local daily al-Ayyam, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the hand.
· At approximately 15:00 on Saturday, 13 May 2006, about 1500 Palestinian civilian and international and Israeli solidarity activists organized a peaceful demonstration near the entrance of Dahiat al-Barid area, north of Jerusalem, in protest to the construction of the Wall in the area. IOF fired dozens of tear gas canisters at the demonstrators and violently beat a number of them. Nine demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation.
……………………………………………………………
Recommendations to the International Community
1. PCHR calls upon the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their legal and moral obligations under Article 1 of the Convention to ensure Israel's respect for the Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. PCHR believes that the conspiracy of silence practiced by the international community has encouraged Israel to act as if it is above the law and encourages Israel continue to violate international human rights and humanitarian law.
2. PCHR calls upon the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to convene a conference to take effective steps to ensure Israel's respect of the Convention in the OPT and to provide immediate protection for Palestinian civilians.
3. PCHR calls upon the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to comply with its legal obligations detailed in Article 146 of the Convention to search for and prosecute those responsible for grave breaches, namely war crimes.
4. PCHR recommends international civil society organizations, including human rights organizations, bar associations and NGOs to participate in the process of exposing those accused of grave breaches of international law and to urge their governments to bring these people to justice.
5. PCHR calls upon the European Union to activate Article 2 of the Euro-Israel Association Agreement, which provides that Israel must respect human rights as a precondition for economic cooperation between the EU states and Israel. PCHR further calls upon the EU states to prohibit import of goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements in the OPT.
6. PCHR calls upon the member States of the EU, and all other states, to adopt a voting pattern at the UN bodies, particularly the General Assembly, Security Council and Commission on Human Rights which is keeping with international law.
7. PCHR demands that the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion be immediately implemented by the international community.
8. PCHR calls on the international community to recognize the Gaza disengagement plan for what it is - not an end to occupation but a compounding of the occupation and the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
9. In recognition of the ICRC as the guardian of the Fourth Geneva Convention, PCHR calls upon the ICRC to increase its staff and activities in the OPT, including the facilitation of family visitations to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
10. PCHR appreciates the efforts of international civil society, including human rights organizations, bar associations, unions and NGOs, and urges them to continue their role in pressuring their governments to secure Israel's respect for human rights in the OPT and to end its attacks on Palestinian civilians.
11. In light of the severe restrictions imposed by the Israeli government and its occupying forces on access for international organizations to the OPT, PCHR calls upon European countries to deal with Israeli citizens in a similar manner.
12. PCHR reiterates that any political settlement not based on international human rights law and humanitarian law cannot lead to a peaceful and just solution of the Palestinian question. Rather, such an arrangement can only lead to further suffering and instability in the region. Any peace agreement or process must be based on respect for international law, including international human rights and humanitarian law.
[1] 1 donum is equal to 1000 square meters.
…………………………………………………………
Public Document
For further information please visit our website (http://www.pchrgaza.org) or contact PCHR’s office in Gaza City, Gaza Strip by email (pchr@pchrgaza.org) or telephone (+972 (0)8 2824776 – 2825893).
Friday, May 19, 2006
New York Cabbie Multimedia Nightdriver Blues and Not So Blues
No way I'll b e able to blog my taxi stories and keep up with Child Protective Services and my take on world events all in the same blog. So here is my new blog. Enjoy it and visit often.
http://newyorkcabbie.blogspot.com/
http://newyorkcabbie.blogspot.com/
Worl Net Daily wingnut froths at mouth, looks like they wiped off the spittle...
I'm two days behind half the blogosphere but I have to join the pile on and make a comment. Wingnut Vox Day of World Net Daily had written that it would be easier for the United States to remove its Mexican population than it was for Germany to remove its Jews. His often quoted words were:
"...he (Bush) lied when he said: "Massive deportation of the people here is unrealistic – it's just not going to work."
Not only will it work, but one can easily estimate how long it would take. If it took the Germans less than four years to rid themselves of 6 million Jews, many of whom spoke German and were fully integrated into German society, it couldn't possibly take more than eight years to deport 12 million illegal aliens, many of whom don't speak English and are not integrated into American society."
I went to World Net this morning and read the wingnut's article and used word search too and could not find these words. Why would WND want to erase and back off from this probably true remark by Vox? Can't find it cached on Google or Yahoo either.
There's a bunch of Republicans with feet in mouths and egg on faces...
Thursday, May 18, 2006
About "illegal" workers - I disagree with Alex Jones and Paul Joseph Watson
Alex Jones and his associate Paul Joseph Watson are in my opinion very often very right. On the matter of immigration however they've come out on the wrong side of the argument.In their article "Bush's Border Smoke and Mirrors" they are on the side of the worst police state advocates, a strange place for guys who are dedicated to fighting the "Prison Planet." Militarizing a frontier that stretches from the Gulf Of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean that separates families and somehow "doing something about" eight to twelve million people who for the most part are here quietly doing mostly hard and monotonous work at wages we won't accept is to have a police state that would make Hitler or Stalin jealous. I told them so>
I would not want to live in a country that would round up eight or twelve million people, most of whom are working quietly at feeding their families and home villages in Mexico that were devastated by NAFTA. I would shudder at the thought of what a police state would have to exist just to try to carry that out.
I recently read a story in the New York Times about high rise buildings going up in Manhattan being built by "illegal aliens" while American union members are standing on the sidewalks shouting and carrying signs. I do not want such a large number of people who are in fact here and are in fact not going anywhere to be further marginalized and illegalized so that they can be even more exploited and drag down our living standards even more.
Amnesty is the only way to go. To keep them illegal is to cut the throats of American workers too and to round them up is impossible and unthinkable.
))))))))))))
Over at OpEdNews.com Mike Whitney got it right in his article
Send us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses; just no Mexicans, please .
by Mike Whitney
"...Bush never should have taken on immigration. The Republican Party has spent a decade trying to recreate themselves as the “party of new ideas”. That whole travesty cracked and shattered into a million pieces last night.
What ideas; discrimination and greed?
Even now, with the rubble strewn from New Orleans to Baghdad, the hard-right is still fueled by two main issues; tax cuts and immigration.Intolerance and gluttony; these are forces that need to be recognized and controlled, not lauded as political vision..."
To which I said>
You got it right Mike, one hundred percent right.
Thank you for clarifying this whole immigration nonesense. You're right, anyone from Mexico who wants to come here and pursue a better life and be a productive human being should be welcomed with open arms, respect and even gratitude.
No one will or can or should round up the millions of Mexicans and other "illegals" already here. We Americans should be glad also that they have reminded us of how to stand up and fight in their magnificent marches and boycotts. We all ought to be marching, boycotting and striking.
Speaking of OpEDNews.Com they printed an Op Ed that I had written for the New York Times that the Gray Lady declined to publish. Here it is> AIDS Drug Test Scandal Still Haunts NYC Child Welfare Bigs
May 14, 2006AIDS Drug Test Scandal Still Haunts NYC Child Welfare Bigs
document.write ("" www.opednews.com http:>
document.write ("")
They Promised An investigation A Year Ago - Where Is It?
by Eugene Weixel
http://www.opednews.com/
I would not want to live in a country that would round up eight or twelve million people, most of whom are working quietly at feeding their families and home villages in Mexico that were devastated by NAFTA. I would shudder at the thought of what a police state would have to exist just to try to carry that out.
I recently read a story in the New York Times about high rise buildings going up in Manhattan being built by "illegal aliens" while American union members are standing on the sidewalks shouting and carrying signs. I do not want such a large number of people who are in fact here and are in fact not going anywhere to be further marginalized and illegalized so that they can be even more exploited and drag down our living standards even more.
Amnesty is the only way to go. To keep them illegal is to cut the throats of American workers too and to round them up is impossible and unthinkable.
))))))))))))
Over at OpEdNews.com Mike Whitney got it right in his article
Send us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses; just no Mexicans, please .
by Mike Whitney
"...Bush never should have taken on immigration. The Republican Party has spent a decade trying to recreate themselves as the “party of new ideas”. That whole travesty cracked and shattered into a million pieces last night.
What ideas; discrimination and greed?
Even now, with the rubble strewn from New Orleans to Baghdad, the hard-right is still fueled by two main issues; tax cuts and immigration.Intolerance and gluttony; these are forces that need to be recognized and controlled, not lauded as political vision..."
To which I said>
You got it right Mike, one hundred percent right.
Thank you for clarifying this whole immigration nonesense. You're right, anyone from Mexico who wants to come here and pursue a better life and be a productive human being should be welcomed with open arms, respect and even gratitude.
No one will or can or should round up the millions of Mexicans and other "illegals" already here. We Americans should be glad also that they have reminded us of how to stand up and fight in their magnificent marches and boycotts. We all ought to be marching, boycotting and striking.
Speaking of OpEDNews.Com they printed an Op Ed that I had written for the New York Times that the Gray Lady declined to publish. Here it is> AIDS Drug Test Scandal Still Haunts NYC Child Welfare Bigs
May 14, 2006AIDS Drug Test Scandal Still Haunts NYC Child Welfare Bigs
document.write ("" www.opednews.com http:>
document.write ("")
They Promised An investigation A Year Ago - Where Is It?
by Eugene Weixel
http://www.opednews.com/
I submitted this Op Ed Piece to The New York Times, but for whatever reason they aren't going to print it. It touches on a festering scandal.
Back in December of 2004 the BBC aired a television program that was called "Guinea Pig Kids." This program exposed unethical and cruel drug experiments made on New York City foster children who were presumed to be HIV positive during the decades of the 80's and 90's. At the time the program created a stir and ACS Commissioner Mattingly, while defending the actions of his agency, announced that he was commissioning the VERA Institute for Justice (An ACS contract agency) to investigate the matter.
Leslie Kaufman reported this in these pages on April 23, 2005 in an article entitled "Private Firm to Investigate AIDS Charges Against City." At that time Ms. Kaufman did not note the already existing relationship between ACS and VERA. Be that as it may, more than a year has passed since Mr. Mattingly announced this investigation.
The charges leveled in the BBC television production were neither trifling nor originating from marginal sources. BBC quoted a well respected New York attorney, David Lansner, as saying of The Administration for Children's Services (ACS):
"They're essentially out of control, I've had many ACS case workers tell me: 'We're ACS, we can do whatever we want' and they usually get away with it."
Dr. David Rasnick, visiting scholar at the University of Berkeley said of some of the experiments:"We're talking about serious, serious side-effects. These children are going to be absolutely miserable. They're going to have cramps, diarrhea and their joints are going to swell up. They're going to roll around the ground and you can't touch them."
Dr. Rasnick described some of the drugs, supplied by major international pharmaceutical houses, as "lethal."
BBC reported that recalcitrant children were force fed the medications in these Phase I and Phase II tests by peg tube through the stomach at Incarnation House, one of the social service agencies that hosted the experiments.
Phase I and Phase II tests are the initial rounds of testing on experimental drugs conducted not to provide any therapeutic value but to see how poisonous the drug is and to see if the drug has any impact whatever on the disease being treated. There was no scientific basis at all to assume that the drugs were not dangerous to the children and that they had any therapeutic value at all.
It's been a year now since Commissioner Mattingly announced that the Vera Foundation for Justice, an ACS contract agency with no known medical expertise, was going to investigate the tests. Vera announced that it was going to "provide the public with information about what happened to these children and help shape future policies regarding clinical trials and children in government custody."
An objective investigation would be more specific. It' would be find out who authorized these experiments on foster children in order that they answer appropriately for their actions.
Eugene Weixel
I am a ten year veteran child protective worker, with extensive experience in the most difficult types of child abuse cases and long time whistle blower at ACS. I am currently fighting an unlawful dismissal from the agency.
I can be reached at 917-680-xxxx and my weblog is www.fatoldjewishguywholivesintheprojects.com
www.fatoldjewishguywholivesintheprojects.blogspot.com
60 year old veteran child abuse investigator, whistleblower and night cabbie in New York City.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Progress report- my case with ACS-when will I be driving a cab again-This blog's value increases
My blog is worth $22,581.60.
How much is your blog worth?
The Technorati rating has gone from zero to eleven and change to thirteen and change to fifteen and change to twenty and change to this new figure. Those of you who like to visit this blog and who find it interesting or informative or entertaining please bookmark me because soon I will not be running the ads that I know some of you returners look for and click on me. Also please email this blog to people who you think would be inerested in any aspect of it. You will not get such a raw and honest look from inside child protective services anywhere else.
As far as getting my hack license a combination of my laziness and Murphy's Law took over putting the big day back a bit. I had taken the mandatory Defensive Driver class with AARP and that was fine, except the Taxi and Limousine Commission did not accept the documentaion that I was given and would not process my application. The AARP class had set me back ten bucks. The TLC was nice enough to give me a list of some schools and I took the class again today - forty - five bucks. Okay and a set back because the class is all day and I have to go again tomorrow and wait again and so forth. I should have done this a couple weeks ago but I have to say I was enjoying this time (ACS is still paying me for back vacation days and back sick days) and was not as energetic as I might have been were the situation really urgent. One good thing - at the place I went to take the class my old friend from night driving days was there giving one of the classes (it's a licensed Taxi Driver candidate school.) So now I have a certificate that the TLC will accept I have the medical clearance all the right money orders (no cash changes hands in these transactions due to the unfortunate history of the taxi business) and so tomorrow they should be taking my application and finger prints. My old arrests from Vietnam era protest days shouldn't be much of a problem but this is post 9/11 so we shall see...
I also found out there's a new taxi fleet but three and a half blocks from where I live! I just never have had reason to walk by that way so I was in the dark about it.
Mr. Jean-Philippe the director of Emergency Children's Services (A thuggish subculture> Administration for Children's Services) gave the first expected response to my grievance Friday was my birthday- the big six oh and I have filed Step Two. This is probably going to be a long tango. I should be getting a reply from ACS Labor Relations in about two weeks, and then it's on to Step Three which can be delayed months or even years. They don't have the leagal authority to not allow me to rescind my resignation which I did in plenty of time prior to the customary two weeks notice deadline and so I do believe that ultimately I win, but one never knows, this town is not reputed for niceties and adherence to legalities as a reader of this blog will know.
Anyway, I will have time to produce a broadside and hawk it for contributions on the streets here in NYC while I wait for the hack license to come through.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
AIDS Drug Experiment Scandal Update
From:
EWeixel@aol.com
Date:
Tue, 16 May 2006 17:04:06 EDT
Subject:
Re: Clinical Trials
To:
RCampbell@Vera.org
HTML Attachment [ Download File Save to Yahoo! Briefcase ]
In a message dated 5/15/2006 10:54:48 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, RCampbell@Vera.org writes:
We have been posting quarterly updates on our web site. The URL linking to the updates is http://www.vera.org/project/project1_3.asp?section_id=5&project_id=79&sub_section_id=38. Another update is expected soon.
If you send us me your full contact information, I will add you to the notification list for future updates.
Best regards,
Robin Campbell
-----Original Message-----From: EWeixel@aol.com [mailto:EWeixel@aol.com] Sent: Sunday, May 14, 2006 7:04 PMTo: rcampbell@vera.orgSubject: Re: Clinical Trials
How is the investigation coming along? It's been a while.
Dear Robin Campbell,
Thank you for your reply. Actually I had been aware of the URL you sent me. For one thing there seems to be a problem with downloading the report of January. I find this on two unrelated computers, while I continue to be able to download other PDF files, so it may be that your webmaster ought to take a look at it.
Also, I am aware of the investigation and its scope. From what I see the investigation is not going to have any findings regarding the culpability of those who unlawfully subjected child wards of the state to Phase I and Phase II drug trials. It does appear that Federal Law was violated and there are journalist reports of children having been harmed by and dying from the drug trials. Read Liam Scheff's "The House That Aids Built" "Guinea Pig Kids".
EWeixel@aol.com
Date:
Tue, 16 May 2006 17:04:06 EDT
Subject:
Re: Clinical Trials
To:
RCampbell@Vera.org
HTML Attachment [ Download File Save to Yahoo! Briefcase ]
In a message dated 5/15/2006 10:54:48 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, RCampbell@Vera.org writes:
We have been posting quarterly updates on our web site. The URL linking to the updates is http://www.vera.org/project/project1_3.asp?section_id=5&project_id=79&sub_section_id=38. Another update is expected soon.
If you send us me your full contact information, I will add you to the notification list for future updates.
Best regards,
Robin Campbell
-----Original Message-----From: EWeixel@aol.com [mailto:EWeixel@aol.com] Sent: Sunday, May 14, 2006 7:04 PMTo: rcampbell@vera.orgSubject: Re: Clinical Trials
How is the investigation coming along? It's been a while.
Dear Robin Campbell,
Thank you for your reply. Actually I had been aware of the URL you sent me. For one thing there seems to be a problem with downloading the report of January. I find this on two unrelated computers, while I continue to be able to download other PDF files, so it may be that your webmaster ought to take a look at it.
Also, I am aware of the investigation and its scope. From what I see the investigation is not going to have any findings regarding the culpability of those who unlawfully subjected child wards of the state to Phase I and Phase II drug trials. It does appear that Federal Law was violated and there are journalist reports of children having been harmed by and dying from the drug trials. Read Liam Scheff's "The House That Aids Built" "Guinea Pig Kids".
Thanks to Mr. Scheff's report, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Human Research Protections investigating the clinical trials on Black and Hispanic orphans at ICC has found that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Columbia Presbyterian Hospital acted unethically.
"The guidelines of both the State Department of Health and the New York City Agency for Children's Services--"Enrollment Procedures for ACS-Approved Clinical Trials" - violate federal regulations that restrict the use of children who are wards of the state as experimental subjects.
We further believe that the concerted effort by New York State / City agencies to use foster care children in Phase I and Phase II safety trials violates federal regulations for the protection of human subjects (45 CFR 46).
Research involving human subjects "must comply with all sections" of these federal regulations. States may issue regulations "which provide additional protections for human subjects," but may not decrease the protections specified in federal guidelines. See: 45 CFR 46.101(6)(e)(f)"Specifically, the Code of Federal Regulations (45 CFR 46.409 and 21 CFR 50.56) prohibits the use of children who are wards of the state from being subjected to experiments involving greater than minimal risk. 45 CFR 46.409 (Wards) states:(a) Children who are wards of the State or any other agency, institution, or entity can be included in research approved under 46.406 or 46.407 only if such research is:related to their status as wards; or conducted in schools, camps, hospitals, institutions, or similar setting in which the majority of children involved as subjects are not wards.(b) If the research is approved under paragraph (a) of this section, the IRB shall require appointment of an advocate for each child who is a ward, in addition to any other individual acting on behalf of the child as guardian or in loco parentis.
"The advocate shall be an individual who has the background and experience to act in, and agrees to act in, the best interests of the child for the duration of the child's participation in the research and who is not associated in any way (except in the role as advocate or member of the IRB) with the research, the investigator(s), or the guardian organization.
The HIV experiments in question are unrelated to the status of the children as wards. The focus of the ACS guidelines is on facilitating rapid enrollment of as many foster children as possible - rather than ensuring that the trials are in the children's best interest and their vulnerability is not being exploited, as herewith stated:"'ACS will review clinical trials protocols for HIV-infected children as soon as such protocols become available, before a specific hospital decides to participate in the study. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and pediatric AIDS specialists throughout New York State will make ACS aware of protocols as soon as they are in final form, before hospitals are ready to enroll children. This procedure will expedite ACS' decision-making even before physicians are ready to start treating children in the protocols.
'"Once the hospital and ACS have executed an agreement for the trial, ACS consents to enrollment of all children who fall within the parameters of the approved protocol; provided that the child's parents consents (if parental rights have been terminated such parental consent is not necessary)."The ACS guidelines apply to foster care children only, thus, the research fails to meet federal regulatory requirements under paragraph (a) of section 409. Furthermore, federal regulations mandate that children who are wards of the state must be protected by a personal advocate for each child for the duration of the research. Such an advocate must agree to act in the best interest of the child, and may not be "associated in any wayÅ with the research, the investigator(s), or the guardian organization.
"The New York City ACS guidelines waive a foster child's right to individual consent, as herewith stated: "Separate consent need not be obtained for each child."This waiver, we believe, denies these children their basic human dignity and ascribes to them the status of guinea pigs.The ACS guidelines are in violation of federally mandated protections for children, as herewith stated:"After obtaining the parental consent of the agency, or certification of a diligent search, the physician may immediately enroll the child into the Phase I or Phase II clinical trial and then simply inform the Pediatric AIDS Unit of such enrollment provided that dosage and toxicity of the trial has already been tested in previous studies."The New York State Department of Health (DOH) guidelines for Clinical Care of Adolescents and Children with HIV Infection note:". . . in the uninfected infant, passively acquired maternal lgG antibodies disappear on average in 7 to 10 months, but may occasionally persist until 18 months. Therefore, a positive HIV antibody test in the young infant merely confirms maternal HIV infection but is not diagnostic for HIV infection specific to the infant." See: http://www.hivdent.org/pediatrics/_doh/1section1iii.htmYet, one, three, and six month old infants have been subjected to toxic experimental drugs in Phase I clinical trials.
Furthermore, whereas NYS law requires written informed consent of a child's parent or legal guardian before a child can be tested for HIV, "all children entering the foster care system are required to be assessed for capacity to consent and to have an HIV risk assessment within 5 days of placement."
All in all your investigation appears to be a slow motion wild goose chase that does not address the issues. It is set up to not even do that. Look how long it's taken since the first reports were made public for the investigation to come to any conclusion at all.
Vera Institute does many good things. This investigation done on and for a government agency that Vera receives funding is not one of them.
Thank you,
Eugene Weixel
www.fatoldjewishguywholivesintheprojects.com
AIDS foster child Drug Tests. A scandal - Pro and Con.
Sex Offenders and Foster Children Do Mix...
Searching Sex Offenders
Well, I knew it was true but that was only by dint of logic, and not with any hard facts. New York City's Administration for Children's Services located their Children's Center right smack dab next to a building that is loaded with male sex offenders.
I was one case worker who was very upset about that move for that reason and for several other reasons too and so prior to the move I had the balls to email virtually every State and Local elected official in or from New York City with my several objections to the move. Actually the move got stalled for a few months (I think that's partly what I've been paid back for of late).
Now, you might shrug when I tell you that they put a shelter for kids that have been rescued from abusive or negligent parents, or who were placed outside their homes because their parents had petitioned Family Court that these particular kids were out of control and beyond parental authority. That's why I am going to draw you a word picture.
These children are not locked into the building. They can and some do leave whenever they so feel like doing. Also many of them once they run away from foster care placements and find that life is too hard wander back to the Children's Center on their own steam. The Center is a good two thirds of a mile or so from the nearest subway stop. For an example, and not an unheard of example, a run away foster child who gets tossed out of her friend's home or the crash pad of an adult male who is not satisfied with services rendered by said friend's mother or said dissatisfied male in the middle of the night often will decide to make the journey back to the Children's Center herself.
Now, this building loaded with sex offenders is a shelter that houses unattached unemployed just out of jail or the mental ward men. In the pre dawn hours one will find some of them wandering the area, and nothing prevents this nor can prevent it as this facility is not a lock up, and in fact the most disruptive of these men may be put out onto the street by the authorities themselves.
See the chemistry????
http://crime.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=crime&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fcriminaljustice.state.ny.us%2Fnsor%2Findex.htm
I'm talking zip code 10016. The Children's Center is at 492 First Avenue NYC NY 10016 and the Men's Shelter is at 400 East 30 th Street, like I told you, and told everyone who ought to be concerned, right next door to this building filled with sex offenders. We're talking six years now that this men's shelter was supposedly going to be relocated.
Searched by Zip Code: 10016
Offender Name
ARPS, JEROME
BALAN, GARY
BARNWELL, BRUCE
BENKA, MICHAEL
BRAND, JOHN
BRANDT, JOHN
BRANT, JOSEPH
BROWN, BARON
BRUCE, BARNWELL
BUSS, ROBERT
BYFIELD, RAYMOND
CARLOS, RODRIGUEZ
CARRUTH, ANDRE
CRUZ, HECTOR
DELGADO, ANTONIO
DELGADO, JOE
DELGADO, PEDRO
DELGADO, PURO
ETHERIDGE, ALAN L
ETHRIDGE, ALAN L
FERRER, JOSE
FIELDS, RAY
FIELDS, ROY
FIGUEROA, PABLO
FLACO, JOSE
GERARDO, LUKE
GONZALEZ, DANNY
GONZALEZ, SANTIAGO
GRIFFIN, CARL
HERNANDEZ, GEORGE
HERNANDEZ, JORGE
HERNANDEZ, PEDRO
ISRAEL, JOHN
ISRAEL, JOHNNY C
ISRAEL, JOHNNY CURTIS
JIMENEZ, IVAN
JOHNSON, TONY
JONES, JEROME
JONES, MILTON
JOSE, FERRER
KERRER, JOSE
LEWIS, GEORGE
LYDE, VERNE
MADONADO, ANTHONY
MARTINEZ, ANGEL
MCCARY, JOHNNY
MERCADO, RANDY
MORENO, DAVID
NINJA, LUKE
O'CONNELL, LARRY
O'CONNELL, NATTER
OCONNELL, LAWRENCE M
ORTIZ, PEDRO
ORTIZ, VICTOR M
ORTIZ, VICTOR
PAGAN, DENIS
PAGAN, DENNIS
PAGAN, JOSE
PASQUALE, PEDRO
PERKINS, DURAN
PERKINS, GARY P
RASELLO, RAFAEL
RAYMOND, RAYSKEE
RODRIGUEZ, CARLOS
RODRIGUEZ, DENNIS
RODRIGUEZ, RAYMOND
RUIZ, VICTOR
SANCHEZ, FERNANDO
SMART, ALBERT
SMITH, LARRY
SOTO, GERARDO
SOTO, JOSE
THOMPSON, JAMES
TORRES, JOSE
VANDIVER, ERIC
VARGAS, RANDY
VASTION, HENRY
VASTION, JOE
WARD, EDDIE
WHITEFIELD, RAY
WILLIAMS, DAVID T
WILLIAMS, TICEY
DCJS Home
ACS- The Ugliness Inside -- AIDS HIV Foster child drug trial ...
Other items relating to ACS-- As you see, I have a lot to say about Administration for Children's Services..No Doubt.I ask The New York Times How AIDS drug torture investigation is coming along. A Letter to Amy Goodman of Democracy Now About The Unethical AIDS Drug Experiments Year Old News That Seems To Have Faded Away - The Ugliness that is ACS The Administration for Children's Services has put out a nasty and un American Gag order. Friday was my birthday- the big six oh RICO AND THE GOVERNMENT Reading comprehension is a problem for busy social workers. A thuggish subculture> Administration for Children's ServicesAdministration for Children's Services has a beef with me. I'll keep you posted about me getting disciplined by ACS, me leaving Child Protective Services, Upcoming Public Appearances And My Soon To Be Produced I revoke my request to have my resignation accepted. Press Release-NYC Child Protective Veteran Urges Marijuana Decriminalization Child had been driven to suicide by school. Where is the commotion? CPS "Marijuana Cure" Shakedown Racket Starasia's nightmare Enough With The Broken Windows Already ! TO STOP GIULIANI- NYC CHILD WELFARE MESS IS HIS LEGACY AND ACHILES ... On my own in more ways than one as I face disciplinary charges as ... Nixzmary Brown, 7 Is Dead, Known to Child Welfare Authorities On Being a Cop for the Shelter System: Shove it! Quick Index for surfers and readers - Nixzmary/ACS Baby Snatching Fools- Giuliani time returns. The Nixzmary Brown Case - Daily News gets its hands on the case ... Special Victims, Nixzmary, Instant Responses, Emergency Children's ... "We did everything we could" Dear Fellow ACS workers who are members of local 371: Betsy Gotbaum Is a Pretty High Ranking Person In New York City Me to Bloomberg and the media: Where were you for all the other ... Me, the Inspector General, the Whitick case, Ramon Vargas and ... An Answer to Henry Stern Regarding Mattingly and Scopetta from an anonymous cps worker in nyc to the world Civil Service Paper Allows DA to Trash ACS Workers INTAKE REPORT FROM UPTOWN GENERAL HOSPITAL TO THE NEW YORK STATE ... A Cold Night In Hell Ms., Ms, How Stupid Do We Look To You?
Well, I knew it was true but that was only by dint of logic, and not with any hard facts. New York City's Administration for Children's Services located their Children's Center right smack dab next to a building that is loaded with male sex offenders.
I was one case worker who was very upset about that move for that reason and for several other reasons too and so prior to the move I had the balls to email virtually every State and Local elected official in or from New York City with my several objections to the move. Actually the move got stalled for a few months (I think that's partly what I've been paid back for of late).
Now, you might shrug when I tell you that they put a shelter for kids that have been rescued from abusive or negligent parents, or who were placed outside their homes because their parents had petitioned Family Court that these particular kids were out of control and beyond parental authority. That's why I am going to draw you a word picture.
These children are not locked into the building. They can and some do leave whenever they so feel like doing. Also many of them once they run away from foster care placements and find that life is too hard wander back to the Children's Center on their own steam. The Center is a good two thirds of a mile or so from the nearest subway stop. For an example, and not an unheard of example, a run away foster child who gets tossed out of her friend's home or the crash pad of an adult male who is not satisfied with services rendered by said friend's mother or said dissatisfied male in the middle of the night often will decide to make the journey back to the Children's Center herself.
Now, this building loaded with sex offenders is a shelter that houses unattached unemployed just out of jail or the mental ward men. In the pre dawn hours one will find some of them wandering the area, and nothing prevents this nor can prevent it as this facility is not a lock up, and in fact the most disruptive of these men may be put out onto the street by the authorities themselves.
See the chemistry????
http://crime.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=crime&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fcriminaljustice.state.ny.us%2Fnsor%2Findex.htm
I'm talking zip code 10016. The Children's Center is at 492 First Avenue NYC NY 10016 and the Men's Shelter is at 400 East 30 th Street, like I told you, and told everyone who ought to be concerned, right next door to this building filled with sex offenders. We're talking six years now that this men's shelter was supposedly going to be relocated.
Searched by Zip Code: 10016
Offender Name
ARPS, JEROME
BALAN, GARY
BARNWELL, BRUCE
BENKA, MICHAEL
BRAND, JOHN
BRANDT, JOHN
BRANT, JOSEPH
BROWN, BARON
BRUCE, BARNWELL
BUSS, ROBERT
BYFIELD, RAYMOND
CARLOS, RODRIGUEZ
CARRUTH, ANDRE
CRUZ, HECTOR
DELGADO, ANTONIO
DELGADO, JOE
DELGADO, PEDRO
DELGADO, PURO
ETHERIDGE, ALAN L
ETHRIDGE, ALAN L
FERRER, JOSE
FIELDS, RAY
FIELDS, ROY
FIGUEROA, PABLO
FLACO, JOSE
GERARDO, LUKE
GONZALEZ, DANNY
GONZALEZ, SANTIAGO
GRIFFIN, CARL
HERNANDEZ, GEORGE
HERNANDEZ, JORGE
HERNANDEZ, PEDRO
ISRAEL, JOHN
ISRAEL, JOHNNY C
ISRAEL, JOHNNY CURTIS
JIMENEZ, IVAN
JOHNSON, TONY
JONES, JEROME
JONES, MILTON
JOSE, FERRER
KERRER, JOSE
LEWIS, GEORGE
LYDE, VERNE
MADONADO, ANTHONY
MARTINEZ, ANGEL
MCCARY, JOHNNY
MERCADO, RANDY
MORENO, DAVID
NINJA, LUKE
O'CONNELL, LARRY
O'CONNELL, NATTER
OCONNELL, LAWRENCE M
ORTIZ, PEDRO
ORTIZ, VICTOR M
ORTIZ, VICTOR
PAGAN, DENIS
PAGAN, DENNIS
PAGAN, JOSE
PASQUALE, PEDRO
PERKINS, DURAN
PERKINS, GARY P
RASELLO, RAFAEL
RAYMOND, RAYSKEE
RODRIGUEZ, CARLOS
RODRIGUEZ, DENNIS
RODRIGUEZ, RAYMOND
RUIZ, VICTOR
SANCHEZ, FERNANDO
SMART, ALBERT
SMITH, LARRY
SOTO, GERARDO
SOTO, JOSE
THOMPSON, JAMES
TORRES, JOSE
VANDIVER, ERIC
VARGAS, RANDY
VASTION, HENRY
VASTION, JOE
WARD, EDDIE
WHITEFIELD, RAY
WILLIAMS, DAVID T
WILLIAMS, TICEY
DCJS Home
ACS- The Ugliness Inside -- AIDS HIV Foster child drug trial ...
Other items relating to ACS-- As you see, I have a lot to say about Administration for Children's Services..No Doubt.I ask The New York Times How AIDS drug torture investigation is coming along. A Letter to Amy Goodman of Democracy Now About The Unethical AIDS Drug Experiments Year Old News That Seems To Have Faded Away - The Ugliness that is ACS The Administration for Children's Services has put out a nasty and un American Gag order. Friday was my birthday- the big six oh RICO AND THE GOVERNMENT Reading comprehension is a problem for busy social workers. A thuggish subculture> Administration for Children's ServicesAdministration for Children's Services has a beef with me. I'll keep you posted about me getting disciplined by ACS, me leaving Child Protective Services, Upcoming Public Appearances And My Soon To Be Produced I revoke my request to have my resignation accepted. Press Release-NYC Child Protective Veteran Urges Marijuana Decriminalization Child had been driven to suicide by school. Where is the commotion? CPS "Marijuana Cure" Shakedown Racket Starasia's nightmare Enough With The Broken Windows Already ! TO STOP GIULIANI- NYC CHILD WELFARE MESS IS HIS LEGACY AND ACHILES ... On my own in more ways than one as I face disciplinary charges as ... Nixzmary Brown, 7 Is Dead, Known to Child Welfare Authorities On Being a Cop for the Shelter System: Shove it! Quick Index for surfers and readers - Nixzmary/ACS Baby Snatching Fools- Giuliani time returns. The Nixzmary Brown Case - Daily News gets its hands on the case ... Special Victims, Nixzmary, Instant Responses, Emergency Children's ... "We did everything we could" Dear Fellow ACS workers who are members of local 371: Betsy Gotbaum Is a Pretty High Ranking Person In New York City Me to Bloomberg and the media: Where were you for all the other ... Me, the Inspector General, the Whitick case, Ramon Vargas and ... An Answer to Henry Stern Regarding Mattingly and Scopetta from an anonymous cps worker in nyc to the world Civil Service Paper Allows DA to Trash ACS Workers INTAKE REPORT FROM UPTOWN GENERAL HOSPITAL TO THE NEW YORK STATE ... A Cold Night In Hell Ms., Ms, How Stupid Do We Look To You?
“Am building nukes. R U angry? LOL.”
Andy Borowitz -- Bush Demands That Iran Halt Production of Long Letters
Email Print
Posted on May 12, 2006
By Andy Borowitz
Days after receiving an 18-page letter from Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President George W. Bush called the lengthy missive “an act of war” and demanded that Iran halt its production of long letters at once.
At the White House, aides said that writing a letter of such length to President Bush, who is known for his extreme distaste for reading, was the most provocative act Mr. Ahmadinejad could have possibly committed.
“Everyone knows that the last book the president read was ‘My Pet Goat,’” one aide said. “Expecting him to read an 18-page letter is really asking for it, and that Iranian dude must have known that.”
According to those close to Mr. Bush, the president was infuriated upon receipt of the 18-page letter and asked aides if it was some kind of joke.
The president then demanded that the letter be boiled down to a one- or two-page format, or possibly adapted to a DVD version, just as he had ordered for news reports on Hurricane Katrina.
In Tehran, President Ahmadinejad said he was “taken aback” by Mr. Bush’s refusal to read an 18-page letter, but said that all his future communications to the U.S. president would be in short, easy-to-read instant-messaging format.
In his first IM to President Bush, released to the press today, President Ahmadinejad writes, “Am building nukes. R U angry? LOL.”
Elsewhere, Air Force Gen. Michael V. Hayden vowed today that as director of the CIA he would push the agency to find new and better sources of false intelligence.
Award-winning humorist, television personality and film actor Andy Borowitz is author of the new book “The Borowitz Report: The Big Book of Shockers.” To find out more about Andy Borowitz and read his past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
Email Print
Posted on May 12, 2006
By Andy Borowitz
Days after receiving an 18-page letter from Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President George W. Bush called the lengthy missive “an act of war” and demanded that Iran halt its production of long letters at once.
At the White House, aides said that writing a letter of such length to President Bush, who is known for his extreme distaste for reading, was the most provocative act Mr. Ahmadinejad could have possibly committed.
“Everyone knows that the last book the president read was ‘My Pet Goat,’” one aide said. “Expecting him to read an 18-page letter is really asking for it, and that Iranian dude must have known that.”
According to those close to Mr. Bush, the president was infuriated upon receipt of the 18-page letter and asked aides if it was some kind of joke.
The president then demanded that the letter be boiled down to a one- or two-page format, or possibly adapted to a DVD version, just as he had ordered for news reports on Hurricane Katrina.
In Tehran, President Ahmadinejad said he was “taken aback” by Mr. Bush’s refusal to read an 18-page letter, but said that all his future communications to the U.S. president would be in short, easy-to-read instant-messaging format.
In his first IM to President Bush, released to the press today, President Ahmadinejad writes, “Am building nukes. R U angry? LOL.”
Elsewhere, Air Force Gen. Michael V. Hayden vowed today that as director of the CIA he would push the agency to find new and better sources of false intelligence.
Award-winning humorist, television personality and film actor Andy Borowitz is author of the new book “The Borowitz Report: The Big Book of Shockers.” To find out more about Andy Borowitz and read his past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
Monday, May 15, 2006
I Knew The Real Ignatowski
Eyecandy For Men and Women of All Persuasions From My Posters.
Poster stores. They suit every taste there is and are high quality ...
My First Love is in the public domain. (Marilyn Monroe)
Fun Searches - Googling Giuliani and Formaldehyde and Children...
SCOPETTA FORMALDEHYDE
"foster children" "600 homeless men"
giuliani baby snatching
"when in doubt pull them out"
whitick investigation
whitick investigation children results disclosed"
This calls for some special recognition, awards of some sort.
Sex Sells Stuff, and here comes the cavalry whoop dee doo
Sunday, May 14, 2006
ACS/Vera Institute begin third year of AIDS foster children experiment stonewalling.
It was April 23, 2004 that NYC ACS Commissioner John Mattingly announced he was commissioning the Vera Institute of Justice a supposedly independent agency with contracts with and offices on ACS premises to begin the investigation into the AIDS drug experiments that were looked at by the New York City Council on May 5, 2005. Perhaps I've been a little harsh demanding that some result of the investigation be made public by now. Perhaps I'm being unfair to The New York Times, to ACS, to Columbia University and to Vera Intitute. HEre is the timeline of their slower than molasses already alibi'd "investigation" You be the judge, do you think the government is serious about finding out the facts? Anytime soon?
Clinical Trials Project: Progress Report 2Vera Institute of Justice
Download now PDF: 174 KB/17 pagespublished: January 2006 (Not working today.)
Here is the "progress" since Liam Scheff and BBC broke the story in 2004 in NYC government contractor the Vera Institute's own words:
Spring of 2005" ACS "asked Vera to explore issues related to the enrollment of approximately 465 foster children in clinical trials of HIV and AIDS treatments during the late 1980s and 1990s."
"In September, the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) approved the request from New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services (Children’s Services) that Vera review case files and administrative data, in essence officially granting Vera permission to conduct the review. Also in September, Vera’s Institutional Review Board approved the process that Vera staff proposed for the stages of the review, including an initial planning stage followed by subsequent IRB meetings to review the more detailed study design. That planning process is now underway." (October 2005)
"Vera staff attended committee hearings held by the New York City Council on May 5,2005, and the New York State Assembly on September 8, 2005. Both hearings concernedthe enrollment of HIV-infected and -exposed foster children in clinical trials. At thesehearings, we heard the views of advocates, parents, lawyers, researchers, doctors, childwelfare providers, and government officials. In September, we met with Children’sServices’ HIV/AIDS Health Care Advisory Board—a group of community health serviceproviders that is chaired by Debra Fraser-Howze, the CEO and President of the NationalBlack Leadership Commission on AIDS (NBLCA). In October, we plan to attend theannual meeting of the Pediatric AIDS Clinical Trials Group (PACTG). PACTG is agroup of doctors and medical researchers working to improve treatment for pediatricHIV/AIDS and is part of the federal government’s National Institutes of Health. We havealso had discussions with Dr. Robert Johnson, chair of Children’s Services’ MedicalOversight Committee, and met with the New York City Department of Investigation todiscuss their concerns." (October 2005)
"The actual file review process—which will begin upon approval from Vera’s IRB—isexpected to be lengthy: the files housed at Children’s Services alone fill approximatelysixty lateral file drawers. This does not include files kept by the contract agencies, thePediatric AIDS Unit, or the medical centers that provided most of the medical care thechildren received. The few cases we have reviewed so far suggest that it can take hours toreview a single file, though other files take much less time. Consequently, even thoughwe are eager to provide information about the many questions that prompted this review,the completion of a quality analysis will take time. In addition, Vera may need to locateand obtain permission from the youth themselves or their guardians to access certainfiles. If this occurs, additional time will be added to complete the review." (October 2005)
A second quarterly "Progress Report(!?)" was issued January of 2006. It is not actually available at Vera's website as of today. The PDF (there is no HTML or Word version) was not functioning today. I'll be coming back for it from time to time and will drop Vera a line about it but here is the summary they do have in HTML>
Clinical Trials Project: Progress Report 2Vera Institute of Justice
Download now PDF: 174 KB/17 pagespublished: January 2006
This report is the second in a series of quarterly progress reports describing the Vera Institute of Justice's review of issues related to the enrollment of foster children in clinical trials of HIV and AIDS treatments during the late 1980s and 1990s. It covers the quarter running from October 1, 2005 to December 30, 2005. The current report describes:
Lessons learned from the planning process;
Development of a research protocol and IRB submission;
Advisory Board and IRB member recruitment;
Outreach activities;
Testimony at City Council hearing; and
Next steps. This report also contains two appendices: charts that describe some of the characteristics of the foster children believed to have enrolled in clinical trials and the testimony of Vera's director, Michael Jacobson, at a recent hearing before the New York City Council.
!!!!!!!
They've actually alibi 'd an endless and inconclusive "investigation." One other bad sign is the absence in total of any reference to the 3rd quarterly progress report that should have been published in April 2006. (Today is May 14,2006). Note they don't have an exact day of when they were "asked" to start the investigation, however it's known to be April 23, 2005.
An investigation by the appropriate agencies would be New York City's Department of Investigations, The New York State Attorney General, The New York City Council, The New York State Assembly and Senate. And in the world of journalism it should not be left to a nearly peniless blogger to get the investigation on track.
Clinical Trials Project: Progress Report 2Vera Institute of Justice
Download now PDF: 174 KB/17 pagespublished: January 2006 (Not working today.)
Here is the "progress" since Liam Scheff and BBC broke the story in 2004 in NYC government contractor the Vera Institute's own words:
Spring of 2005" ACS "asked Vera to explore issues related to the enrollment of approximately 465 foster children in clinical trials of HIV and AIDS treatments during the late 1980s and 1990s."
"In September, the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) approved the request from New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services (Children’s Services) that Vera review case files and administrative data, in essence officially granting Vera permission to conduct the review. Also in September, Vera’s Institutional Review Board approved the process that Vera staff proposed for the stages of the review, including an initial planning stage followed by subsequent IRB meetings to review the more detailed study design. That planning process is now underway." (October 2005)
"Vera staff attended committee hearings held by the New York City Council on May 5,2005, and the New York State Assembly on September 8, 2005. Both hearings concernedthe enrollment of HIV-infected and -exposed foster children in clinical trials. At thesehearings, we heard the views of advocates, parents, lawyers, researchers, doctors, childwelfare providers, and government officials. In September, we met with Children’sServices’ HIV/AIDS Health Care Advisory Board—a group of community health serviceproviders that is chaired by Debra Fraser-Howze, the CEO and President of the NationalBlack Leadership Commission on AIDS (NBLCA). In October, we plan to attend theannual meeting of the Pediatric AIDS Clinical Trials Group (PACTG). PACTG is agroup of doctors and medical researchers working to improve treatment for pediatricHIV/AIDS and is part of the federal government’s National Institutes of Health. We havealso had discussions with Dr. Robert Johnson, chair of Children’s Services’ MedicalOversight Committee, and met with the New York City Department of Investigation todiscuss their concerns." (October 2005)
"The actual file review process—which will begin upon approval from Vera’s IRB—isexpected to be lengthy: the files housed at Children’s Services alone fill approximatelysixty lateral file drawers. This does not include files kept by the contract agencies, thePediatric AIDS Unit, or the medical centers that provided most of the medical care thechildren received. The few cases we have reviewed so far suggest that it can take hours toreview a single file, though other files take much less time. Consequently, even thoughwe are eager to provide information about the many questions that prompted this review,the completion of a quality analysis will take time. In addition, Vera may need to locateand obtain permission from the youth themselves or their guardians to access certainfiles. If this occurs, additional time will be added to complete the review." (October 2005)
A second quarterly "Progress Report(!?)" was issued January of 2006. It is not actually available at Vera's website as of today. The PDF (there is no HTML or Word version) was not functioning today. I'll be coming back for it from time to time and will drop Vera a line about it but here is the summary they do have in HTML>
Clinical Trials Project: Progress Report 2Vera Institute of Justice
Download now PDF: 174 KB/17 pagespublished: January 2006
This report is the second in a series of quarterly progress reports describing the Vera Institute of Justice's review of issues related to the enrollment of foster children in clinical trials of HIV and AIDS treatments during the late 1980s and 1990s. It covers the quarter running from October 1, 2005 to December 30, 2005. The current report describes:
Lessons learned from the planning process;
Development of a research protocol and IRB submission;
Advisory Board and IRB member recruitment;
Outreach activities;
Testimony at City Council hearing; and
Next steps. This report also contains two appendices: charts that describe some of the characteristics of the foster children believed to have enrolled in clinical trials and the testimony of Vera's director, Michael Jacobson, at a recent hearing before the New York City Council.
!!!!!!!
They've actually alibi 'd an endless and inconclusive "investigation." One other bad sign is the absence in total of any reference to the 3rd quarterly progress report that should have been published in April 2006. (Today is May 14,2006). Note they don't have an exact day of when they were "asked" to start the investigation, however it's known to be April 23, 2005.
An investigation by the appropriate agencies would be New York City's Department of Investigations, The New York State Attorney General, The New York City Council, The New York State Assembly and Senate. And in the world of journalism it should not be left to a nearly peniless blogger to get the investigation on track.
Old Taxi Stories
From the old days when I used to drive a taxi at night, which I will soon be doing once again...
I Knew The Real Ignatowski
HOMAGE TO MY DAY DRIVER (WHY I HATE GAY BASHERS)
Autobiographical: How I tripped (over a wrinkle in the Uniform Code of Military Justice
I Knew The Real Ignatowski
HOMAGE TO MY DAY DRIVER (WHY I HATE GAY BASHERS)
Autobiographical: How I tripped (over a wrinkle in the Uniform Code of Military Justice
Saturday, May 13, 2006
New Yorkers Are Going To Know About The Racist AIDS Drug Experiments and The ACS/Vera Institute/Columbia University/Bloomberg/New York Times Coverup
HIV Negative - "Noble Doctors Try New Drugs on AIDS Orphans"
It's time for me to take this to the streets of New York City and let
the good and fair people of my hometown know what is being covered up.
It's been a year since our City Council met and since ACS's Mattingly promised
an investigation. Well, it's time to see what the investigation found! It's time
to not let this story die!
(Much of this post is taken from "From The Wilderness" and
their defense of Liam Scheff against sliming by The New York Times. I felt that I
should put an introduction to this story into my own words but I wish to credit
FTW for taking on The New York Times early. http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3
/071905_Liam_scheff.shtml)
Hello ACS Commissioner John Mattingly of New York City, Hello
Vera Institute for Justice, Hello Mayor Michael Bloomberg - Where
the hell is the investigation you promised a year ago?????????????
I ask The New York Times How AIDS drug torture
investigation is coming along.
A Letter to Amy Goodman of Democracy Now About The
Unethical AIDS Drug Experiments
Year Old News That Seems To Have Faded Away -
The Ugliness that is ACS
Liam Scheff went undercover in a home for orphans and neglected and abused
children in New York City; he found and exposed widespread medical abuse and
a disgusting disregard for the wellbeing of the kids - he exposed force-feeding of
drugs whose toxic effects were already admitted to by their manufacturers.
Anybody who knows the stories of racist medical experimentation from racist
US experiments at Tuskegee to racist German experiments at Auschwitz will
recognize this story all too well. If this all seems crazy or if it sounds like another
"aluminum foil hat internet story", read Scheff's original report,
"The House That AIDS Built." Read what legitimate researcher
Christine Maggiore wrote. Listen to her.
Yet New York Times retainers Janny Scott and Leslie Kaufman went on the attack
last July 17 in an item dubbed "Belated Charges Ignite Furor Over AIDS Drug Trial."
They implied that Liam Scheff was lyingabout forced drugging of Black and Latino
wards of the State at incarnation House. Forced feedings of drugs previously admitted by
their manufacturers as having toxic effects.
Nevirapine manufactured by Boeringer-Ingelheim, lists the following warnings on its label:
"Patients should be informed of: the possibility of severe liver disease or skin reactions
associated with Viramune that may result in death."
"Severe, life-threatening and in some cases fatal hepatotoxicity [liver damage], including
hepatic necrosis [liver death] and hepatic failure, has been reported in patients
treated with Viramune."
"Severe, life-threatening skin reactions, including fatal cases…have included
cases of Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis [skin death]…"
From the Wilderness>
Another Attack on Authentic Investigative Journalism
An Open Letter to the New York Times in Defense of Liam Scheff
by
Michael Kane, Jamey Hecht, and Michael C. Ruppert
janscott@nytimes.com, leslie@nytimes.com, letters@nytimes.com
In the July 17, 2005, piece titled "Belated Charges Ignite Furor Over AIDS Drug Trial,"
by Janny Scott and Leslie Kaufman, the New York Times seemingly accuses journalist
Liam Scheff of having fabricated the findings of his report regarding the forced drugging
of Black and Latino children at the Incarnation Children's Center (ICC). Despite their multiple
known and admitted toxicities, these drugs were administered through tubes surgically
inserted in the children's stomachs.
Your claim that there is no "official evidence" presented in Mr. Scheff's reports
is simply false.
First, Mr. Scheff shows that the drugs being given to these children have extremely toxic
side effects, which are listed by the manufacturer on the packaging. For example,
Nevirapine (Viramune), manufactured by Boeringer-Ingelheim, lists the following
warnings:
"Patients should be informed of: the possibility of severe liver disease or skin reactions
associated with Viramune that may result in death."
"Severe, life-threatening and in some cases fatal hepatotoxicity [liver damage], including
hepatic necrosis [liver death] and hepatic failure, has been reported in patients treated
with Viramune."
"Severe, life-threatening skin reactions, including fatal cases…have included cases of
Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis [skin death]…"
Nevirapine is a drug given to pregnant African women who test HIV positive. And
here's what toxic epidermal necrolysis actually looks like:
A baby with Steven-Johnsons Syndrome. SJS can be caused by Nevirapine.
Steven-Johnsons Syndrome or Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis related to Nevirapine.
Two related European studies on
Nevirapine toxicity: http://www.altheal.org/pdf/nevirapine1.pdf
http://www.altheal.org/pdf/nevirapine2.pdf
In fact, all of the drugs given at ICC have known toxicities which the manufacturers
themselves admit. This is most certainly true for AZT, whose side effects are amply
documented in the medical literature: they include liver swelling, severe anemia,
muscle wasting, fat degeneration, and blood toxicity, all of which appear on the
manufacturer's label.
Mr. Scheff interviewed ICC's medical director, Dr. Katherine Painter, where she stated
that inserting a surgical tube into a child's abdomen to force them to take drugs is done
"when other interventions to help a child take a medicine by mouth have failed."
So when the children don't want to take drugs with known toxicities, a surgical tube
forces them to ingest them against their will.
The Times states that Mr. Scheff "claims" children are being "force-fed" drugs. This is
not a mere claim by Mr. Scheff; it is confirmed by the medical director of ICC. Tube-
feeding drugs directly into the stomach is certainly a form of "force feeding," especially
if there is no parental consent.
In some cases, children were forced to stay at ICC if their guardian refused to administer
the drugs. Such a guardian is deemed a "negligent parent." This is the case with Mona
Newberg who is no longer the legal guardian of her niece's daughter Dana. At the time
Mr. Scheff wrote the article, 16 year old Dana was removed from her aunt's home into ICC.
Her brother Sean had been remanded to ICC for refusing to take medications. Sean
was interviewed in the BBC film "Guinea Pig Kids" in which he talked about his desire
to quit the medication regimen:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/this_world/4035345.stm
Mr. Scheff also interviewed Nurse Jacklyn Herger, who had worked at ICC throughout the
90's. She adopted two HIV positive children from ICC and confirmed to Mr. Scheff that it wasn't
until she took the two children off the drugs that their health started to improve. Herger concluded
that the drugs "not only weren't helping the girls, they were making them ill."
She also confirmed that ICC had been conducting clinical trials since the early 1990's. ICC is
always conducting multiple clinical trials, as was confirmed by Dr. Katherine Painter in an
interview with Mr. Scheff.
Thanks to Mr. Scheff's report, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Human
Research Protections investigating the clinical trials on Black and Hispanic orphans at ICC has
found that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Columbia Presbyterian Hospital acted
unethically.
In the Times article, you write:All this is happening despite the fact that there is little evidence
that the trials were anything but a medical success.
Oh really?
Where is the evidence that the trials were a success? The Times states:
By 2000, the number of children under 20 who died of AIDS in the city that year dropped
to 13 from more than 100 per year less than a decade before.
However, the following is also admitted in your article:
In March, the child welfare agency handed its critics new ammunition. It revised its count of
the number of children in the trials, to 465 from 89, saying it had discovered an additional box
of documents in the basement.
If there were nearly 400 children at ICC who were 'unknown' because their documentation was
"in the basement," can it honestly be said that we know how many of them died in 2000 when
the overwhelming majority didn't even have an accessible file? Many of these children were
orphans. If they died, few people outside of ICC would be likely to learn of it.
Would it be in ICC's interest to cover up such deaths?
Still, you feel very safe in stating that, "many (at ICC) said they remembered no fatal reactions."
But a source told Mr. Scheff that two children at ICC did in fact die while Scheff was investigating
the Center. He shared that source's name with you so that the Times could follow up with due
diligence, but that does not seem to have happened. Why no mention of this? To repeat: you were
given the contact information for the source of Mr. Scheff's claim regarding the two deaths. Did you
attempt to contact that source?
Perhaps the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Human Research Protections will
be able to conduct a proper investigation and determine once and for all who is telling the truth here
and who has a hidden agenda.
It seems the position of the Times is that Black and Latino children were indeed forced to take drugs
with known toxicities against their will, but that this was done for their own good.
In closing, one of the biggest bombshells put forth by Mr. Scheff comes from ICC's own
published history:
"Early in the [AIDS] epidemic, HIV disease of childhood was considered to be a downhill course
leading to death. But in the late 1980's, before AZT was available, many very ill children
admitted to ICC got dramatically better with proper nurturing and high quality medical and nursing care."
If ICC has documented this, then why in God's name are they now forcing toxic drugs into the
stomachs of Black and Latino children in Washington Heights, NY? Cui Bono?
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Michael KaneJamey HechtMichael C. Ruppert
From The Wilderness Publications
***Liam Scheff's series on ICC can be accessed here:http://www.altheal.org/toxicity/toxicity.htm
The Times report can be read here:
Here is Liam's response to the Times report:
NY Times To The Rescue!
16 Jul 2005Liam Scheff
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
Just when you thought that those poor folks at the NIH and Columbia University could find no one to stick up for them for using orphans in clinical trials….Here Comes The New York Times!
So, Are Columbia University and the NIH the good cops for offering AZT to orphans through no-chewing-required tubes?
Or, am I the bad cop for blowing the whistle on forced-surgery on orphans as part of AZT and Nevirapine Trials?
Read on and see….
Once you've figured it out, feel free to write me at liamscheff@yahoo.com and/or write the New York Times, for making us all feel better about not worrying about it:
letters@nytimes.com
In response to NY Times article on ICC:
Dear Editor,
Thanks for covering the Incarnation Children's Center story.
You might have showed a little bias in your reporting, however.
If I didn't know better, I'd say from reading what you wrote that I, Liam Scheff, independent journalist, somehow managed to get everyone who covered the story - the Alliance for Human Resource Protection, the New York Post, the UK Observer, and the BBC - all to dispense with their fact-checking and research departments and take my 'word' for what I discovered at ICC.
That's quite a remarkable story.
I'm sure you'll stick to it, but it's far from true.
Your piece claimed that I presented no 'official evidence' in my reporting on Incarnation Children's Center. In fact, I've presented piles of official evidence - NIH clinical trial documents, drug manufacturer's package inserts and warning labels, multiple citations from the Physician's Desk Reference, NIH and FDA policy papers on the use of wards of the state - to name a few.
You wrote that I made claims in my article about the death of two children at ICC. I was reporting from sources, one of whom I made available to the New York Times reporters after they interviewed me. I stand by that claim, and those sources.
You generously quoted Dr. Stephen Nicholas on the helpful nature of AZT in preventing mother-to-child transmission of AZT. You didn't, however, bother to quote the medical literature.
There are several studies on AZT and transmission. The NIH study Nicholas quoted (ACTG 076) is the only one with a significantly favorable outcome. Other mainstream studies on AZT rate it similar to or worse than placebo or no treatment regarding maternal HIV transmission (for a list of citations on AZT see http://www.aras.ab.ca/azt.html ).
You also omitted reporting on the consistent downgrading of AZT (also called Zidovudine) in the medical literature - from "life-saving AIDS drug" to a drug which actually increases the rate of disease progression and death in children born to mothers who were given AZT.
There are so many contradictions in the medical literature regarding AZT and other AIDS drugs, you have to work hard to ignore them (find a few below).
Finally, you did not mention that I interviewed the medical director of ICC Dr. Catherine Painter, who told me, in no uncertain terms, how the medication regimen would be enforced if a child was unable to swallow pills which tend to cause abdominal distress (vomiting and diarrhea). The method, I was told, is a surgery to implant a gastric tube into the abdomen of these children, for the purpose of strict adherence to the drug regimen.
It's one thing to say that AZT is a life-saving drug and that these orphans have been treated with the highest standard of care. It's another to print it as fact in the pages of the New York Times, without reporting the significant evidence to the contrary. Instead of digging to the roots of this story, you have instead successfully colored it against further investigation in your pages. And that's a shame for people who think you really are the paper of record.
Sincerely,
Liam ScheffIndependent JournalistSeattle, Washington
Here are some examples of AZT in the med lit:
"The probability of developing severe disease at 3 years of life was significantly higher in children born to ZDV+ [Zidovudine, AZT treated] mothers than in those born to ZDV- [no AZT] mothers…The same pattern was observed for severe immune suppression…
Finally, survival probability was lower in children born to ZDV+ [AZT treated] mothers compared with children born to ZDV- [no AZT] mothers. "Rapid disease progression in HIV-1 perinatally infected children born to mothers receiving zidovudine monotherapy during pregnancy. AIDS. 13(8):927-933, May 28, 1999.
"Children of study women who were prescribed ZDV [Zidovudine, AZT] had increased adjusted odds of any anomaly…[T]he lack of data on potential adverse effects of this therapy is still a concern….
Babies whose mothers had ZDV [AZT] exposure during pregnancy had a greater incidence of major malformations than those whose mothers did not. "Newschaffer CJ et al. Prenatal Zidovudine Use and Congenital Anomalies in a Medicaid Population. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2000 Jul 1; 24(3): 249-256.
"The study cohort included 92 HIV-1-infected and 439 uninfected children…Antiretroviral therapy (nonprotease inhibitor) was independently associated with FTT [Failure to Thrive] in our cohort…ZDV [Zidovudine, AZT], in particular, alters mitochondrial metabolism and may have direct nutritional effects "
Miller TL et al. Maternal and infant factors associated with failure to thrive in children with vertically transmitted Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 infection: the prospective, P2C2 Human Immunodeficiency Virus Multicenter study. Pediatrics. 2001 Dec; 108(6): 1287-96.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
From The New York Times July 17, 2005>
" Missing Records
The most thorough of the investigations will not be completed for months. In the meantime, some critics' suspicions have been stoked by admissions by city officials that their own records are inadequate or missing. The city's child welfare agency, the Administration for Children's Services, which has been through four changes in administration since the trials began, cannot even say conclusively how many foster children were involved.
More worrisome, the agency now expects that the current independent investigation will find that there are inadequate records of parental consent.
''We don't believe we have all the permissions by any means,'' said Sharman Stein, director of communications for the children's services agency.
Already, one federal agency, the Office of Human Research Protections, found in June that one New York hospital had approved four of the trials without gathering enough information about the selection of foster children as subjects, or about the process for getting their parents' or guardians' permission. It made no finding as to whether any children were harmed or selected improperly. "
New York City ACS Commissioner John Mattingly "doesn't believe" that any wards of the State kids were killed by the medications they were forced to take in drug experiments (Phase I and Phasse II Trials) yet he admitted that he had not even known how many ACS children had been enrolled into the experiments, because a lot of their records were not known about until someone "found them in the basement." Now, if we don't know who these kids were, how many of them there were, where their records are, if any of them were tested without consent of any kind, if we've found all of the records, who the heck was in charge, how do we know that none of them were harmed by the test drugs?
Read Liam Scheff's report that was carried in The New York Press. Inside Incarnation NY Press July/Aug 2005 This is the scandal that Michael Bloomberg, John Mattingly and Columbia University want to make "go away."
Friday, May 12, 2006
They know with whom you're chatting and where you buy your steaks...
and if you've registered Democrat, so don't do that, for goodness sakes!...
Check out Greg Palast>
The Times and USA Today have Missed the Bigger Story -- Again
By Greg Palast
...Worried about Dick Cheney listening in Sunday on your call to Mom? That ain't nothing. You should be more concerned that they are linking this info to your medical records, your bill purchases and your entire personal profile including, not incidentally, your voting registration. Five years ago, I discovered that ChoicePoint had already gathered 16 billion data files on Americans -- and I know they've expanded their ops at an explosive rate.
They are paid to keep an eye on you -- because the FBI can't. For the government to collect this stuff is against the law unless you're suspected of a crime. (The law in question is the Constitution.) But ChoicePoint can collect if for "commercial" purchases -- and under the Bush Administration's suspect reading of the Patriot Act -- our domestic spying apparatchiks can then BUY the info from ChoicePoint.
Who ARE these guys selling George Bush a piece of you?
ChoicePoint's board has more Republicans than a Palm Beach country club. It was funded, and its board stocked, by such Republican sugar daddies as billionaires Bernie Marcus and Ken Langone -- even after Langone was charged by the Securities Exchange Commission with abuse of inside information....
Check out Greg Palast>
The Times and USA Today have Missed the Bigger Story -- Again
By Greg Palast
...Worried about Dick Cheney listening in Sunday on your call to Mom? That ain't nothing. You should be more concerned that they are linking this info to your medical records, your bill purchases and your entire personal profile including, not incidentally, your voting registration. Five years ago, I discovered that ChoicePoint had already gathered 16 billion data files on Americans -- and I know they've expanded their ops at an explosive rate.
They are paid to keep an eye on you -- because the FBI can't. For the government to collect this stuff is against the law unless you're suspected of a crime. (The law in question is the Constitution.) But ChoicePoint can collect if for "commercial" purchases -- and under the Bush Administration's suspect reading of the Patriot Act -- our domestic spying apparatchiks can then BUY the info from ChoicePoint.
Who ARE these guys selling George Bush a piece of you?
ChoicePoint's board has more Republicans than a Palm Beach country club. It was funded, and its board stocked, by such Republican sugar daddies as billionaires Bernie Marcus and Ken Langone -- even after Langone was charged by the Securities Exchange Commission with abuse of inside information....
Thursday, May 11, 2006
These are the figures of the US Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They tell us that the numbers of children diagnosed with AIDS in the US has been going down rapidly. Foster Care drug experiment advocates and defenders tell us that their experiments have greatly lowered the numbers of children dying of AIDS. What these figures tell us is that fewer and fewer children have AIDS year by year. This would not be the result of AIDS drugs. This is the result of everyday people being more conscientious and aware in their actions, thereby sparing children both the disease and the "cures" (of which there are none and none claimed by any drug manufacturer).Figure 1. Estimated numbers of AIDS cases in children <13 years of age, by year of diagnosis, 1992–2004—United States
&&&&&&&&&&&&
Mother with the following risk factor for, or documented, HIV infection
122(year 2000) 113(Year 2001) 105(Year 2002) 68 (Year 2003) 47 (Year 2004) 8,779 Total
~~ Injection drug use 23(2000) 14(2001) 9(2002) 9(2003) 5(2004) 3,338 (Total)
~~ Sex with injection drug user 15(2000) 7(2001) 4(2002) 7(2003) 2(2004) 1,524(Total)
~~ Sex with bisexual male 3(2000) 3(2001) 3(2002) 0(2003) 2(2004) 201(Total)
~~ Sex with person with hemophilia 0(2000) 1(2001) 0(2002) 0(2003) 0(2004) 37(Total)(Total)
~~ Sex with HIV-infected transfusion recipient 0(2000) 0(2001) 0(2002) 0 0(2004) 27(Total)
~~ Sex with HIV-infected person, risk factor not specified 35(2000) 36(2001) 38(2002) 20 18(2004) 1,515
~~ Receipt of blood transfusion, blood components, or tissue 2(2000) 1(2001) 2(2002) 1(2003) 0(2004) 152(Total)
~~ Has HIV infection, risk factor not specified 45(2000) 49(2001) 48(2002) 31(2003) 19(2004) 1,984(Total)
Receipt of blood transfusion, blood components, or tissue 1(2000) 0(2001) 2(2002) 0(2003) 0(2004) 389(Total)
Other/risk factor not reported or identified 1(2000) 3(2001) 1(2002) 1(2003) 0 45
Totalb 124(2000) 115(2001) 109(2002) 69(2003) 48(2004) 9,443(Total)
These numbers do not represent reported case counts. Rather, these numbers are point estimates, which result from adjustments of reported case counts. The reported case counts are adjusted for reporting delays and for redistribution of cases in persons initially reported without an identified risk factor. The estimates do not include adjustment for incomplete reporting.
a Includes children with a diagnosis of AIDS, from the beginning of the epidemic through 2004.
b Includes children of unknown race or multiple races. Cumulative total includes 24 children of unknown race or multiple races. Because column totals were calculated independently of the values for the subpopulations, the values in each column may not sum to the column total.
This page last reviewed: Wednesday, February 01, 2006
So, it looks like mothers and mothers to be are less and less those who are at risk of AIDS. This has nothing to do with any drug trial.
Liam Scheff about ongoing and continuing dangerous drug trials on foster children - Any sign of slowing down? Nope.
I sent an email to journalist Liam Scheff. He's the man who broke the story about the drug trials on New York City foster children asking him if he knows what happened with the ACS/Vera Institute "Investigation" that was announced a year ago by ACS Commissioner Mattingly. This is what I asked and this is what Mr. Scheff replied:
Subject:
ACS/VERA Institute Investigation- it's been a year since promised.
Date:
5/11/2006 9:39:58 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time
From:
EWeixel
Reply To:
To:
liamscheff@yahoo.com
Dear Mr. Scheff:
Regarding the Phase One and Phase Two AIDS drug trials on foster children and your groundbreaking story about Incarnaton Children's Center I've seen nothing about this investigation or its findings since it was promised by ACS. Is there any more information you have?
Thank you
Eugene Weixel
www.fatoldjewishguywholivesintheprojects.blogspot.com
Subject:
Re: ACS/VERA Institute Investigation- it's been a year since promised.
Date:
5/11/2006 11:09:53 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time
From:
liamscheff@yahoo.com
Reply To:
To:
EWeixel@aol.com
CC:
BCC:
Sent on:
Sent from the Internet (Details)
Hi Eugene,
Well, not much was done, to my knowledge.
What I know I wrote in these two articles:
http://liam.gnn.tv/articles/1475/The_NIH_Scandal_and_the_Future_of_
AIDS_Research
Here Dr. Jonathan Fishbein of the NIH tells me what he knows and what hetried to accomplish for the story (second half of article):
http://www.gnn.tv/articles/2058/Exclusive_The_Good_Man_at_the_NIH
The bottom line is this:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct/search?term=hiv%2C+children%2C+new+york&submit=Search
Here's where you can see the current drug trials. Trials with all the samedrugs, on all the same populations.
Note these studies -
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show/NCT00069004?order=11
Studies on kids who have been physically/metabolically-damaged by the drugs. "Despite advances in HIV care associated with HAART, many patients on HAART regimens develop physical and metabolic problems, including changes in bodyfat distribution (lipodystrophy), osteopenia and osteoporosis, dyslipidemia,and hyperlactatemia. Early studies suggest that protease inhibitors (PIs)were directly responsible for HIV Lipodystrophy Syndrome (HLS) and skeletalcomplications in HAART-treated patients. "And this one - because the drugs damage their hearts (organs, cells,mitochondria, and on):
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show/NCT00260806?order=3
"HIV-infected children are often given HAART to reduce HIV-associated disease. The long-term effects and toxicities associated with this chronic therapy in children are unknown, but severe cardiotoxicity has been suggested in animal models. "And here's a study whose primary outcome is to see how high a drug level canbe pushed until it causes "life-threatening adverse events":
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show/NCT00084058?order=4
"Primary Outcomes: Life-threatening adverse events attributable to studydrugs; dose-limiting toxicity, defined as adverse events of Grade 3 orgreater attributable to study drug and require dose reduction or interruptionbut are not judged to be life-threatening by the protocol team.
"What'd'ya know? That one's recruiting at Columbia Presbyterian, ICC's parent hospital - and Harlem hospital, too - where a lot of ICC kids are seen.
On any of the trials, click the little box in the upper left-hand corner to see all trials ("include trials that are no longer recruiting patients"). You can look at bottom to see how many and which hospitals are conducting the studies. Dozens, hundreds..
Any sign of slowing down? Nope.
I think that's the uncomfortable truth.
Thanks for your interest. I ran across your blog once - notable for the very funny title.
Bests to you,
Liam Scheff
Subject:
ACS/VERA Institute Investigation- it's been a year since promised.
Date:
5/11/2006 9:39:58 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time
From:
EWeixel
Reply To:
To:
liamscheff@yahoo.com
Dear Mr. Scheff:
Regarding the Phase One and Phase Two AIDS drug trials on foster children and your groundbreaking story about Incarnaton Children's Center I've seen nothing about this investigation or its findings since it was promised by ACS. Is there any more information you have?
Thank you
Eugene Weixel
www.fatoldjewishguywholivesintheprojects.blogspot.com
Subject:
Re: ACS/VERA Institute Investigation- it's been a year since promised.
Date:
5/11/2006 11:09:53 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time
From:
liamscheff@yahoo.com
Reply To:
To:
EWeixel@aol.com
CC:
BCC:
Sent on:
Sent from the Internet (Details)
Hi Eugene,
Well, not much was done, to my knowledge.
What I know I wrote in these two articles:
http://liam.gnn.tv/articles/1475/The_NIH_Scandal_and_the_Future_of_
AIDS_Research
Here Dr. Jonathan Fishbein of the NIH tells me what he knows and what hetried to accomplish for the story (second half of article):
http://www.gnn.tv/articles/2058/Exclusive_The_Good_Man_at_the_NIH
The bottom line is this:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct/search?term=hiv%2C+children%2C+new+york&submit=Search
Here's where you can see the current drug trials. Trials with all the samedrugs, on all the same populations.
Note these studies -
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show/NCT00069004?order=11
Studies on kids who have been physically/metabolically-damaged by the drugs. "Despite advances in HIV care associated with HAART, many patients on HAART regimens develop physical and metabolic problems, including changes in bodyfat distribution (lipodystrophy), osteopenia and osteoporosis, dyslipidemia,and hyperlactatemia. Early studies suggest that protease inhibitors (PIs)were directly responsible for HIV Lipodystrophy Syndrome (HLS) and skeletalcomplications in HAART-treated patients. "And this one - because the drugs damage their hearts (organs, cells,mitochondria, and on):
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show/NCT00260806?order=3
"HIV-infected children are often given HAART to reduce HIV-associated disease. The long-term effects and toxicities associated with this chronic therapy in children are unknown, but severe cardiotoxicity has been suggested in animal models. "And here's a study whose primary outcome is to see how high a drug level canbe pushed until it causes "life-threatening adverse events":
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show/NCT00084058?order=4
"Primary Outcomes: Life-threatening adverse events attributable to studydrugs; dose-limiting toxicity, defined as adverse events of Grade 3 orgreater attributable to study drug and require dose reduction or interruptionbut are not judged to be life-threatening by the protocol team.
"What'd'ya know? That one's recruiting at Columbia Presbyterian, ICC's parent hospital - and Harlem hospital, too - where a lot of ICC kids are seen.
On any of the trials, click the little box in the upper left-hand corner to see all trials ("include trials that are no longer recruiting patients"). You can look at bottom to see how many and which hospitals are conducting the studies. Dozens, hundreds..
Any sign of slowing down? Nope.
I think that's the uncomfortable truth.
Thanks for your interest. I ran across your blog once - notable for the very funny title.
Bests to you,
Liam Scheff
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Eyecandy For Men and Women of All Persuasions From My Posters.
Eyecandy, now that's a sexist, exploitative MCP word, right? Well in my humble opinion men and women who are blessed to be healthy, are in the prime of life and take care of their bodies are joys to behold. Us humans ideally are quite nice to look at. Don't you think so?
I haven't decided how often I'll be bringing you new eye candy but trust me, it'll be frequently.
babes, cheesecake, beefcake, models, sexy, handsome, beautiful, gorgeous, erotic, esthetic, nice.
I haven't decided how often I'll be bringing you new eye candy but trust me, it'll be frequently.
babes, cheesecake, beefcake, models, sexy, handsome, beautiful, gorgeous, erotic, esthetic, nice.
The Officer Eric Hernandez Story
Man Arraigned For Kicking Police Officers Ass Just Before Other Officers Finished The Job With Bullets
New York Daily News:
Stuck on White Castle tape Surveillance tapes will help clear the six Bronx men accused of beating an off-duty NYPD cop before he was fatally shot, a defense lawyer said yesterday after he got a Full Story
Now it looks like the cop had pulled his gun on the men who were defending themselves. He must have been doing something crazy, after all it's his fellow cop who shot him dead back on January 28 at the White Castle restaurant in the Bronx. Yet the men have been painted as ogres and called "assailants" in the media while the cop who shot him was cleared of all wrongdoing. Yes, it was as if these men had come into the White Castle with a gun and shot an unarmed off duty cop.
New York Daily News:
Stuck on White Castle tape Surveillance tapes will help clear the six Bronx men accused of beating an off-duty NYPD cop before he was fatally shot, a defense lawyer said yesterday after he got a Full Story
Now it looks like the cop had pulled his gun on the men who were defending themselves. He must have been doing something crazy, after all it's his fellow cop who shot him dead back on January 28 at the White Castle restaurant in the Bronx. Yet the men have been painted as ogres and called "assailants" in the media while the cop who shot him was cleared of all wrongdoing. Yes, it was as if these men had come into the White Castle with a gun and shot an unarmed off duty cop.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
AIDS foster child Drug Tests. A scandal - Pro and Con.
New York Assemblyman Keith Wright News-Medical.Net focuses on the outrage and includes these questions raised by New York State Assemblyman Keith Wright:
--Who made the decision to administer the drugs?
--How old were the children, and where were they from?
--Given that this program began in an era when people had yet to fully comprehend the how and why people contracted HIV, were the children made aware of what medications they were taking, and for what they were taking them?
---Given that medical science was not nearly advanced at the time this program began, was sound medical science utilized in administration of these drugs?
--Were the foster or birth parents made aware, and was permission given?
Meanwhile, the AP has lots of info on the controversy and offers this on what comes next:
The review also will examine whether the children fit the medical criteria to be included in the tests and if the enrollments were appropriate given the medical knowledge of the time, according to the ACS.
Mattingly said he did not believe that any children had died from their participation in the research.
The Cons are represented by previous posts: ACS- The Ugliness Inside -- AIDS HIV Foster child drug trial scandal- The last word from Vera Institute for Justice, but maybe not the final word.... ; Year Old News That Seems To Have Faded Away - The Ugliness that is ACS ;No Doubt. A Letter to Amy Goodman of Democracy Now About The Unethical AIDS Drug Experiments
ACS staff who may be reading this may also want to read this link. http://www.childlaw.us/child_welfare_news/. We´ve touched on Social Worker difficulties with reading comprehension. Have someone read and explain the link to you if you have any trouble understanding the lead article. It could save you a lot of money and grief.
For the Pros we have Dr. David Rasnick, New York Assemblyman Keith Wright and the Alliance for Human Research Protection.
For the Cons we have ACS Commissioner John Mattingly, The Vera Institute for Justice and a wall of silence and media indifference stretching back a year.
Now, What do the pros say?
Vera Hasner Sharav of Alliance for Human Research Protection On the Board of that organization are David Cohen, Ph.D.Karen Effrem, M.D. Allen Jones Meryl Nass, M.D. Herbert Needleman, M.D. John H. Noble, Jr., Ph.D. Sally Rogow, Ed.D. Vera Hassner Sharav, M.L.S., Stefan Kruszewski M.D.
From the Alliance for Human Research Protection:
Phase I Drug Trials Used Foster Care children in Violation of 45 CFR 46.409 and 21 CFR 50.56
ALLIANCE FOR HUMAN RESEARCH PROTECTION
Tel. 212-595-8974 (AHRP) Fax: 212-595-9086http://www.ahrp.org142 West End Ave. Suite 28PNew York, NY 10023
March 10, 2004
Dr. Michael CaromeChief of ComplianceOffice of Human Research Protections
David Horowitz Director, Office of Compliance Food & Drug Administration Dept. of Health and Human Services
cc: Dr. Bernard Schwetz, Director, OHRP Dr. David Lepay, FDA Dr. Mark McLellan, Director, FDA
RE: Phase I Drug trials used foster children in violation of 45 CFR 46.409 and 21 CFR 50.56
Dear Dr. Carome and Dr. Howrowiz:
The Alliance for Human Research Protection (AHRP) has reason to believe that federal regulations for the protection of children as research subjects have been seriously violated in federally funded HIV research.
We have learned that a series of Phase I and Phase II drug experiments were conducted on infants and children who were under the guardianship of the New York City Agency for Children's Services (ACS), and living at Incarnation Children's Center, a foster care facility under contract with ACS. The test subjects were children diagnosed with HIV infection - in some cases infants who were merely "presumed" to be HIV-infected. Phase I and Phase II experiments involve the greatest level of risk and discomfort for children insofar as they test the safety and toxicity of the drugs as well as maximum dose tolerance.
The New York State Department of Health guidelines for children and adolescents, and those of the New York City Agency for Children's Services, facilitate and encourage the enrollment of vulnerable children in foster care - who are wards of the state - in experimental research that exposes them to significant risks of drug toxicity and adverse drug side-effects. Such experiments are unlikely to have any benefit for the test subjects.
The AHRP believes that the guidelines of both the State Department of Health and the New York City Agency for Children's Services--"Enrollment Procedures for ACS-Approved Clinical Trials" - violate federal regulations that restrict the use of children who are wards of the state as experimental subjects. We further believe that the concerted effort by New York State / City agencies to use foster care children in Phase I and Phase II safety trials violates federal regulations for the protection of human subjects (45 CFR 46). Research involving human subjects "must comply with all sections" of these federal regulations. States may issue regulations "which provide additional protections for human subjects," but may not decrease the protections specified in federal guidelines. See: 45 CFR 46.101(6)(e)(f)
Specifically, the Code of Federal Regulations (45 CFR 46.409 and 21 CFR 50.56) prohibits the use of children who are wards of the state from being subjected to experiments involving greater than minimal risk. 45 CFR 46.409 (Wards) states:
(a) Children who are wards of the State or any other agency, institution, or entity can be included in research approved under 46.406 or 46.407 only if such research is:
related to their status as wards; or
conducted in schools, camps, hospitals, institutions, or similar setting in which the majority of children involved as subjects are not wards.
(b) If the research is approved under paragraph (a) of this section, the IRB shall require appointment of an advocate for each child who is a ward, in addition to any other individual acting on behalf of the child as guardian or in loco parentis.
The advocate shall be an individual who has the background and experience to act in, and agrees to act in, the best interests of the child for the duration of the child's participation in the research and who is not associated in any way (except in the role as advocate or member of the IRB) with the research, the investigator(s), or the guardian organization.
The HIV experiments in question are unrelated to the status of the children as wards. The focus of the ACS guidelines is on facilitating rapid enrollment of as many foster children as possible - rather than ensuring that the trials are in the children's best interest and their vulnerability is not being exploited, as herewith stated:
"ACS will review clinical trials protocols for HIV-infected children as soon as such protocols become available, before a specific hospital decides to participate in the study. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and pediatric AIDS specialists throughout New York State will make ACS aware of protocols as soon as they are in final form, before hospitals are ready to enroll children. This procedure will expedite ACS' decision-making even before physicians are ready to start treating children in the protocols."
"Once the hospital and ACS have executed an agreement for the trial, ACS consents to enrollment of all children who fall within the parameters of the approved protocol; provided that the child's parents consents (if parental rights have been terminated such parental consent is not necessary)."
The ACS guidelines apply to foster care children only, thus, the research fails to meet federal regulatory requirements under paragraph (a) of section 409. Furthermore, federal regulations mandate that children who are wards of the state must be protected by a personal advocate for each child for the duration of the research. Such an advocate must agree to act in the best interest of the child, and may not be "associated in any wayŠwith the research, the investigator(s), or the guardian organization."
The New York City ACS guidelines waive a foster child's right to individual consent, as herewith stated: "Separate consent need not be obtained for each child."
This waiver, we believe, denies these children their basic human dignity and ascribes to them the status of guinea pigs.
The ACS guidelines are in violation of federally mandated protections for children, as herewith stated:
"After obtaining the parental consent of the agency, or certification of a diligent search, the physician may immediately enroll the child into the Phase I or Phase II clinical trial and then simply inform the Pediatric AIDS Unit of such enrollment provided that dosage and toxicity of the trial has already been tested in previous studies."
The New York State Department of Health (DOH) guidelines for Clinical Care of Adolescents and Children with HIV Infection note:
". . . in the uninfected infant, passively acquired maternal lgG antibodies disappear on average in 7 to 10 months, but may occasionally persist until 18 months. Therefore, a positive HIV antibody test in the young infant merely confirms maternal HIV infection but is not diagnostic for HIV infection specific to the infant." See: http://www.hivdent.org/pediatrics/_doh/1section1iii.htm
Yet, one, three, and six month old infants have been subjected to toxic experimental drugs in Phase I clinical trials. Furthermore, whereas NYS law requires written informed consent of a child's parent or legal guardian before a child can be tested for HIV, "all children entering the foster care system are required to be assessed for capacity to consent and to have an HIV risk assessment within 5 days of placement."
The DOH guidelines misrepresent clinical trials, stating "Such trials minimize patients' exposure to ineffective or potentially harmful experimental treatments" - when by their nature, clinical trials involve risk, expose subjects to possible ineffective and potentially harmful experimental treatments. The Department of Health guidelines acknowledges children's "lack of political power" noting that children have "few advocacy groups " but the guidelines imply that these deprivations are "barriers to enrollment in clinical trials."
Under the section "children who are wards of the state," the DOH guidelines specifically direct interested parties to the New York City Administration for Children's Services for information about how to enroll foster care children "whose parents are deceased, or cannot be located, or when parental rights have been terminated or surrendered."
See: http://www.hivdent.org/pediatrics/_doh/3section3vi.htm
Among the Phase I and Phase II experiments testing the safety and maximum dose tolerance in foster care children are the following:
Phase I, safety trial: A Study to Test the Safety of Recombinant Interleukin-2 (rIL-2) in HIV- Infected Children. ACTG #299
According to study records (abstract) "IL-2 has not been tested in HIV-infected children. Experience with IL-2 in pediatric populations is extremely limited." The experiment was conducted on 3 to 12 year old children. The experiment was sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
Phase I Trial: Safety and Effectiveness of Four Anti-HIV Drug Combinations in HIV-Infected Children and Teens. ACTG #377
Infants 4 months of age and children up to 17 years of age were the subjects. These experiments were sponsored by NIAID and INCHD.
Phase I Safety Trial: A Placebo-Controlled, Phase I Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Safety and Immunogenicity of Reombinanat Envelope Proteins of HIV-1 gp160 and gp120 in Children >=1Month Old with Assymptomatic HIV Infection. ACTG #218
Children were randomized to test one of three vaccines at both low and high doses, testing these experimental treatments even before tests in adults had been shown to be safe and effective: "This immunotherapy trialŠis currently being tested in [ ] adult counterparts." The trial was sponsored by NIAID, Genentech, and MicroGeneSystems.
Phase I Trial: The Safety and Effectiveness of Valacyclovir HCI in the Treatment of Hepes Simplex or Varicella/Zoster Infections in HIV-1 Infected Children. ACTG #253.
Test subjects were children 4 to 12 years of age. Purpose was "to obtain tolerance, safety and pharmacokinetic data." The experiment was terminated
Phase I / II Trial: Subcutaneous IL-2 with Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy in HIV-Infected Children with Immunosuppression. ACTG # 402
Children 2 to 18 years tested anti-HIV drugs and received different vaccine combinations (tetanus vaccine, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis vaccine). An amendment to this study, 5/3/-2001, "strongly recommended, but not required, that the first and second cycles of IL-2 are given in the hospital on an inpatient basis.' This suggests that there were serious adverse effects requiring hospitalization. The study was sponsored by NIAID and NICHD.
Phase I/ II Trial: The Safety and Immunogenicity of Live-Attenuated Varicella Vaccine (Varivax) in HIV-Infected Children. ACTG # 265
Children 12 month to 8 years of age who were "either asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic for HIV infection" were used as test subjects, This is a VZV vaccine. According to the study abstract, "VZV can cause many serious complications in HIV-infected children." Changes in the study protocol, on September 9, 1999, exclude children with VZV infections. This raise concern about what happened to children with VZV infections who had been exposed to the vaccine before the change went into effect? This study was sponsored by the NIAID and NICHD.
Phase I /II Study: Ritonavir Therapy in HIV-I Infected infants and Children. ACTG # 345.
This Safety Study tests the safety of ritonavir alone and in combination with other anti-HIV drugs in infants 1 month to 2 years of age who are "either presumed HIV infected or have already been shown to be HIV-infected." The infants are "presumed" HIV infected because their mothers were infected. However,
Phase I Study: A Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial of the Safety and Immunogenicity of a Seven Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine in Presumed-HIV-Infected Infants. ACTG # 292.
Infants 2 to 6 months of age were the subjects of this Phase I vaccine trial "to assess whether this vaccine is more immunogenic than placebo following the third vaccination." Additionally these infants received PNU-IMUNE 23 vaccine at 24 months of age
The experiment was sponsored by Lederle-Praxis Biologicals
A Freedom of Information request for adverse event reports from these trials was rejected by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) citing exemptions 4 and 6. It is difficult to justify the invocation of exemption 4, "Trade secrets & confidential commercial or financial information," and exemption 6, "Unwarranted invasion of privacy."
The Alliance for Human Research Protection calls for a moratorium on the enrollment of foster care children with or without HIV-infection for Phase I clinical trials. We ask for an investigation into the recruitment practices; compliance with 45 CFR 46.409; full disclosure of the adverse effects suffered by these children; disclosure of institutional and physician conflicts of interest; and the children's condition following their participation in clinical trials.
Sincerely,
Vera Hassner Sharav, President The Alliance for Human Research Protecti
BAM! Okay, and what did Dr. Rasnick tell British Broadcasting? BBC asked Dr David Rasnick, visiting scholar at the University of Berkeley, for his opinion on some of the experiments. Dr. Rasnick is internationally renowned for his work on numerous diseases, including cancer, He said: "We're talking about serious, serious side-effects. These children are going to be absolutely miserable. They're going to have cramps, diarrhoea and their joints are going to swell up. They're going to roll around the ground and you can't touch them."
He went on to describe some of the drugs - supplied by major drug manufacturers including Glaxo SmithKline - as "lethal".
Dr. David Rasnick
Why do I harp on this issue? Why don't I just let it go? Unless we demand full disclosure and a real independent investigation we are giving the government dictatorial powers of the kind Hitler used against those he considered to be inferior. I have devoted the last ten years of my life to protecting the children of New York City. I will be damned in hell before I sit still while perpetrators of horrenduous drug trials on helpless children here in my city that amount to torture go scott free and others see how easily they can get away with the same sorts of crimes.
Monday, May 08, 2006
Bloomberg's school cell phone ban is a wack attack.
As if parents do not have enough to worry about as their middle school and high school kids traipse across miles on subways and buses and walk blocks through unfamiliar and sometimes dangerous neighborhoods to get to their classes, and as if these kids might not find themselves in detention, or attending a club meeting they forgot to tell their folks about, or stuck in traffic or on a stalled train and as if his cops don't ever, ever - would absolutely and positively postively never be quota driven, or be just plain nasty enough to round kids up for truancy as they try to enter their schools a bit late, Mayor Michael Bloomberg for no apparent reason and to no apparent gain has banned cell phones in the public schools.
What can I say? The man is very out of touch or maybe he's just evil, I don't know. I do know that my two new daughters are in this category of middle schoolers who need to let their parents know that they are okay, that they're going to be a little late, whatever! It's very hard to find a working pay phone on the streets and there are none in the schools.
Parents of public school kids worry about their kids Mike, does that surprise you? Maybe somehow this stunt plays well to your blue haired Forest Hills base but to the majority of New Yorkers it's one more proof that you are nowhere, man.
What can I say? The man is very out of touch or maybe he's just evil, I don't know. I do know that my two new daughters are in this category of middle schoolers who need to let their parents know that they are okay, that they're going to be a little late, whatever! It's very hard to find a working pay phone on the streets and there are none in the schools.
Parents of public school kids worry about their kids Mike, does that surprise you? Maybe somehow this stunt plays well to your blue haired Forest Hills base but to the majority of New Yorkers it's one more proof that you are nowhere, man.
Sunday, May 07, 2006
I get My Answer From The New York Times.
AIt's not much of an answer and they do believe they can just make this matter of the New York City Government running immoral illegal and cruel AIDS HIV drug experiments on non white foster children just go away and they may be right in ther guess, but not if I can help it.
As far as The New York Times goes the next step for me is to submit an OpEd piece which I will be working on today. Who knows? Maybe they'll print it?
From:
"Public/NYT/NYTIMES"Add to Address Book Add Mobile Alert
To:
ecsredeye@yahoo.com
Date:
Sun, 7 May 2006 11:35:11 -0400
Thank you for your comments. Everything sent to this mailbox is read by
either me or my associate, Joseph Plambeck. If a further reply is
appropriate, you will be hearing from us shortly.
Requests for corrections should be submitted to http://us.f542.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=nytnews@nytimes.com&YY=89085&order=
down&sort=date&pos=0&view=a&head=b.
If you are dissatisfied with the response, please let us know.
When referring to a specific article, please include its date, section
and headline.
If you do not wish to have your message published or relayed to other
editors and reporters, please make that clear.
Sincerely,
Byron Calame
Public Editor
The Public Editor's Web page is at
http://www.nytimes.com/top/opinion/thepubliceditor/index.html.
....
As far as The New York Times goes the next step for me is to submit an OpEd piece which I will be working on today. Who knows? Maybe they'll print it?
From:
"Public/NYT/NYTIMES"
To:
ecsredeye@yahoo.com
Date:
Sun, 7 May 2006 11:35:11 -0400
Thank you for your comments. Everything sent to this mailbox is read by
either me or my associate, Joseph Plambeck. If a further reply is
appropriate, you will be hearing from us shortly.
Requests for corrections should be submitted to http://us.f542.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=nytnews@nytimes.com&YY=89085&order=
down&sort=date&pos=0&view=a&head=b.
If you are dissatisfied with the response, please let us know.
When referring to a specific article, please include its date, section
and headline.
If you do not wish to have your message published or relayed to other
editors and reporters, please make that clear.
Sincerely,
Byron Calame
Public Editor
The Public Editor's Web page is at
http://www.nytimes.com/top/opinion/thepubliceditor/index.html.
....
On The Road Again. (A good thing).
Long time readers of this blog know that I used to drive yellow taxi at night on the New York City streets. It looks like I'm coming back. This is the result of ACS refusing (so far) to accept the fact that I rescinded my resignation in a timely manner. They insist that I am gone but I have a union grievance filed and as slow as the process may be I believe in the end they will owe me my job back and the money I would have earned, too. Of course I am not rich and my pension will be a paltry one and so I must end my vacation of the past two weeks and get a job.
I went a week ago to my old garage in the Bronx and it was a sad visit. The ownership has changed, my old friend Jake who did the hiring and firing and who used to drive nights back in the days at Dover in the Village, he was gone and gone was the old structure of being able to buy seniority a week at a time, called "weekly deals" which guaranteed work to the driver willing to committ to six shifts, as opposed to the catch as catch can of the shape up. I used to be called "Weekly Weixel" and at my age I'm not about to sit around for threee hours and then get sent home without work, which is the way of life of many New York cabbies.
Friday I went to another garage, the last one that's in a central Manhattan location that I know of (it's around twenty-five minutes from my home to the garage if the subways are running right) got my driver's license checked and started the process. Monday I take the eight hour safe driver class and hopefully within two or three weeks my finger prints will come back and I'll have my hack license. I'm still getting paid by ACS for all the vacation days and sick days I did not use and will be okay for that long.
This gives me the opportunity to work on making this blog a real New York City thing. Not just the two or three weeks waiting time, which I am going to use to publicize this blog locally, but once I am driving too.
The fact is New York taxi customers are not used to drivers with local accents and knowledge of the City's streets, history and folklore. That was true when last I drove around ten years ago and it's more true now. There just are not many college educated, English as a first language speaking born in Brooklyn Jewish Americans pushing hacks these days. People will want to know who I am and by golly if they ask, I'll have something to show and tell.
Oh, here are some of the stories I wrote inspired by my taxi days in whole or in part:
I Knew The Real Ignatowski is an absolutely true story with names changed to protect people{s privacy.
HOMAGE TO MY DAY DRIVER (WHY I HATE GAY BASHERS) Also a true story. I miss my old day guy and I only wish I could have helped him.
About God, me being Jewish and such, including my own taxi God.
Autobiographical: How I tripped (over a wrinkle in the Uniform Code Of Military Justice)... Is a story that is also real as rain except for people's names and it stretches from my Army days into my Taxi Driver days.
UNIFORM CODE OF MILITARY JUSTICE "814. ART. 14. DELIVERY OF OFFENDERS TO CIVIL AUTHORITIES (a) Under such regulations as the Secretary concerned may prescribe, a member of the armed forces accused of an offense against civil authority ... (That was me - a member of the armed forces accused of an offense against the civil authorities.)
I went a week ago to my old garage in the Bronx and it was a sad visit. The ownership has changed, my old friend Jake who did the hiring and firing and who used to drive nights back in the days at Dover in the Village, he was gone and gone was the old structure of being able to buy seniority a week at a time, called "weekly deals" which guaranteed work to the driver willing to committ to six shifts, as opposed to the catch as catch can of the shape up. I used to be called "Weekly Weixel" and at my age I'm not about to sit around for threee hours and then get sent home without work, which is the way of life of many New York cabbies.
Friday I went to another garage, the last one that's in a central Manhattan location that I know of (it's around twenty-five minutes from my home to the garage if the subways are running right) got my driver's license checked and started the process. Monday I take the eight hour safe driver class and hopefully within two or three weeks my finger prints will come back and I'll have my hack license. I'm still getting paid by ACS for all the vacation days and sick days I did not use and will be okay for that long.
This gives me the opportunity to work on making this blog a real New York City thing. Not just the two or three weeks waiting time, which I am going to use to publicize this blog locally, but once I am driving too.
The fact is New York taxi customers are not used to drivers with local accents and knowledge of the City's streets, history and folklore. That was true when last I drove around ten years ago and it's more true now. There just are not many college educated, English as a first language speaking born in Brooklyn Jewish Americans pushing hacks these days. People will want to know who I am and by golly if they ask, I'll have something to show and tell.
Oh, here are some of the stories I wrote inspired by my taxi days in whole or in part:
I Knew The Real Ignatowski is an absolutely true story with names changed to protect people{s privacy.
HOMAGE TO MY DAY DRIVER (WHY I HATE GAY BASHERS) Also a true story. I miss my old day guy and I only wish I could have helped him.
About God, me being Jewish and such, including my own taxi God.
Autobiographical: How I tripped (over a wrinkle in the Uniform Code Of Military Justice)... Is a story that is also real as rain except for people's names and it stretches from my Army days into my Taxi Driver days.
UNIFORM CODE OF MILITARY JUSTICE "814. ART. 14. DELIVERY OF OFFENDERS TO CIVIL AUTHORITIES (a) Under such regulations as the Secretary concerned may prescribe, a member of the armed forces accused of an offense against civil authority ... (That was me - a member of the armed forces accused of an offense against the civil authorities.)
Saturday, May 06, 2006
ACS- The Ugliness Inside -- AIDS HIV Foster child drug trial scandal- The last word from Vera Institute for Justice, but maybe not the final word....
It would appear that Vera Institute For Justice is more interested in tracking down victims than tracking down perpetrators. Well, they are but social workers on the city payroll, that's what they could be expected to do....
Examining the Participation of Foster Children in Clinical HIV/AIDS Trials
In the late 1980s, medical researchers began including New York City foster children with HIV and AIDS in clinical drug trials. Most of the trials including foster children took place through the early 1990s, although a handful continued into 2001. Recently, some community groups and media have alleged that the city government's Administration for Children's Services (ACS) did not properly enroll and monitor the children—mostly African American and Latino—who participated in these trials. [New York Times, July 17, 2005]. ACS Commissioner John Mattingly asked researchers at Vera to find out how these foster children were enrolled and monitored and how they are doing today. Our independent review will provide the public with information about what happened to these children and help shape future policies regarding clinical trials and children in government custody.
Other items relating to ACS-- As you see, I have a lot to say about Administration for Children's Services..
No Doubt.
I ask The New York Times How AIDS drug torture investigation is coming along.
A Letter to Amy Goodman of Democracy Now About The Unethical AIDS Drug Experiments
Year Old News That Seems To Have Faded Away - The Ugliness that is ACS
The Administration for Children's Services has put out a nasty and un American Gag order.
Friday was my birthday- the big six oh
RICO AND THE GOVERNMENT
Reading comprehension is a problem for busy social workers.
A thuggish subculture> Administration for Children's Services
Administration for Children's Services has a beef with me.
I'll keep you posted about me getting disciplined by ACS, me leaving Child Protective Services, Upcoming Public Appearances And My Soon To Be Produced
I revoke my request to have my resignation accepted.
Press Release-NYC Child Protective Veteran Urges Marijuana Decriminalization
Child had been driven to suicide by school. Where is the commotion?
CPS "Marijuana Cure" Shakedown Racket
Starasia's nightmare
Enough With The Broken Windows Already !
TO STOP GIULIANI- NYC CHILD WELFARE MESS IS HIS LEGACY AND ACHILES ...
On my own in more ways than one as I face disciplinary charges as ...
Nixzmary Brown, 7 Is Dead, Known to Child Welfare Authorities
On Being a Cop for the Shelter System: Shove it!
Quick Index for surfers and readers - Nixzmary/ACS
Baby Snatching Fools- Giuliani time returns.
The Nixzmary Brown Case - Daily News gets its hands on the case ...
Special Victims, Nixzmary, Instant Responses, Emergency Children's ...
"We did everything we could"
Dear Fellow ACS workers who are members of local 371:
Betsy Gotbaum Is a Pretty High Ranking Person In New York City
Me to Bloomberg and the media: Where were you for all the other ...
Me, the Inspector General, the Whitick case, Ramon Vargas and ...
An Answer to Henry Stern Regarding Mattingly and Scopetta
from an anonymous cps worker in nyc to the world
Civil Service Paper Allows DA to Trash ACS Workers
INTAKE REPORT FROM UPTOWN GENERAL HOSPITAL TO THE NEW YORK STATE ...
A Cold Night In Hell
Ms., Ms, How Stupid Do We Look To You?
Examining the Participation of Foster Children in Clinical HIV/AIDS Trials
In the late 1980s, medical researchers began including New York City foster children with HIV and AIDS in clinical drug trials. Most of the trials including foster children took place through the early 1990s, although a handful continued into 2001. Recently, some community groups and media have alleged that the city government's Administration for Children's Services (ACS) did not properly enroll and monitor the children—mostly African American and Latino—who participated in these trials. [New York Times, July 17, 2005]. ACS Commissioner John Mattingly asked researchers at Vera to find out how these foster children were enrolled and monitored and how they are doing today. Our independent review will provide the public with information about what happened to these children and help shape future policies regarding clinical trials and children in government custody.
Other items relating to ACS-- As you see, I have a lot to say about Administration for Children's Services..
No Doubt.
I ask The New York Times How AIDS drug torture investigation is coming along.
A Letter to Amy Goodman of Democracy Now About The Unethical AIDS Drug Experiments
Year Old News That Seems To Have Faded Away - The Ugliness that is ACS
The Administration for Children's Services has put out a nasty and un American Gag order.
Friday was my birthday- the big six oh
RICO AND THE GOVERNMENT
Reading comprehension is a problem for busy social workers.
A thuggish subculture> Administration for Children's Services
Administration for Children's Services has a beef with me.
I'll keep you posted about me getting disciplined by ACS, me leaving Child Protective Services, Upcoming Public Appearances And My Soon To Be Produced
I revoke my request to have my resignation accepted.
Press Release-NYC Child Protective Veteran Urges Marijuana Decriminalization
Child had been driven to suicide by school. Where is the commotion?
CPS "Marijuana Cure" Shakedown Racket
Starasia's nightmare
Enough With The Broken Windows Already !
TO STOP GIULIANI- NYC CHILD WELFARE MESS IS HIS LEGACY AND ACHILES ...
On my own in more ways than one as I face disciplinary charges as ...
Nixzmary Brown, 7 Is Dead, Known to Child Welfare Authorities
On Being a Cop for the Shelter System: Shove it!
Quick Index for surfers and readers - Nixzmary/ACS
Baby Snatching Fools- Giuliani time returns.
The Nixzmary Brown Case - Daily News gets its hands on the case ...
Special Victims, Nixzmary, Instant Responses, Emergency Children's ...
"We did everything we could"
Dear Fellow ACS workers who are members of local 371:
Betsy Gotbaum Is a Pretty High Ranking Person In New York City
Me to Bloomberg and the media: Where were you for all the other ...
Me, the Inspector General, the Whitick case, Ramon Vargas and ...
An Answer to Henry Stern Regarding Mattingly and Scopetta
from an anonymous cps worker in nyc to the world
Civil Service Paper Allows DA to Trash ACS Workers
INTAKE REPORT FROM UPTOWN GENERAL HOSPITAL TO THE NEW YORK STATE ...
A Cold Night In Hell
Ms., Ms, How Stupid Do We Look To You?
No Doubt.
FROM BBC NEWS INTERNATIONAL TUESDAY, 
NOVEMBER 30, 2004
New York's HIV experiment
By Jamie Doran Reporter/producer, Guinea Pig Kids
"I've had many ACS case workers tell me: 'We're ACS, we can do whatever we want' "
David Lansner, family lawyer
Keywords: Giuliani, Nicholas Scopetta, William Bell, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, ACS Commissioner John Mattingly, Child Abuse, AIDS, HIV, Tyranny, Government amuck, corporative media, government stenographers, zionist press,Administration for Children's Services,New York Times, BBC, Vera Institute for Justice, sham investigation, You can't fight city hall.
NOVEMBER 30, 2004New York's HIV experiment
By Jamie Doran Reporter/producer, Guinea Pig Kids
"I've had many ACS case workers tell me: 'We're ACS, we can do whatever we want' "
David Lansner, family lawyer
Keywords: Giuliani, Nicholas Scopetta, William Bell, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, ACS Commissioner John Mattingly, Child Abuse, AIDS, HIV, Tyranny, Government amuck, corporative media, government stenographers, zionist press,Administration for Children's Services,New York Times, BBC, Vera Institute for Justice, sham investigation, You can't fight city hall.
I ask The New York Times How AIDS drug torture investigation is coming along.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/23/nyregion/23aids.html?ex=1147060800&en=6cd4f4625c2e7e8b&ei=5070
Date: Sat, 6 May 2006 08:58:25 EDT
Subject: April 23, 2005 "Private Firm to Investigate AIDS Charges" follow up?
To: public@nytimes.com
CC: ecsredeye@yahoo.com
Dear Mr. Calame:
Back in December of 2004 the BBC aired a television program that was called "Guinea Pig Kids." This program exposed unethical and cruel drug experiments made on New York City foster children who were presumed to be HIV positive during the decades of the 80's and 90's. At the time the program created a stir and ACS Commissioner Mattingly, while defending the actions of his agency, announced that he was commissioning the VERA Institute for Justice (An ACS contract agency) to investigate the matter.
Your Leslie Kaufman reported this on April 23, 2005 in an article entitled "Private Firm to Investigate AIDS Charges Against City." At that time Ms. Kaufman did not note the already existing relationship between ACS and VERA. Be that as it may, more than a year has passed since Mattingly announced this investigation, (be it objective or incestuous.)
I'm wondering if the New York Times is planning (any time soon) to contact either Mattingly or VERA and ask how the investigation is coming along ?
My readers and I would be most interested.
Eugene Weixel,
editor of the weblog "Fat Old Jewish Guy Who Lives In the Projects"
www.fatoldjewishguywholivesintheprojects.com
(Mr. Calame is the public's representative or ombudsman, at The New York Times.)
Keywords: Giuliani, Nicholas Scopetta, William Bell, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, ACS Commissioner John Mattingly, Child Abuse, AIDS, HIV, Tyranny, Government amuck, corporative media, government stenographers, zionist press,Administration for Children's Services,New York Times, BBC, Vera Institute for Justice, sham investigation, You can't fight city hall.
Date: Sat, 6 May 2006 08:58:25 EDT
Subject: April 23, 2005 "Private Firm to Investigate AIDS Charges" follow up?
To: public@nytimes.com
CC: ecsredeye@yahoo.com
Dear Mr. Calame:
Back in December of 2004 the BBC aired a television program that was called "Guinea Pig Kids." This program exposed unethical and cruel drug experiments made on New York City foster children who were presumed to be HIV positive during the decades of the 80's and 90's. At the time the program created a stir and ACS Commissioner Mattingly, while defending the actions of his agency, announced that he was commissioning the VERA Institute for Justice (An ACS contract agency) to investigate the matter.
Your Leslie Kaufman reported this on April 23, 2005 in an article entitled "Private Firm to Investigate AIDS Charges Against City." At that time Ms. Kaufman did not note the already existing relationship between ACS and VERA. Be that as it may, more than a year has passed since Mattingly announced this investigation, (be it objective or incestuous.)
I'm wondering if the New York Times is planning (any time soon) to contact either Mattingly or VERA and ask how the investigation is coming along ?
My readers and I would be most interested.
Eugene Weixel,
editor of the weblog "Fat Old Jewish Guy Who Lives In the Projects"
www.fatoldjewishguywholivesintheprojects.com
(Mr. Calame is the public's representative or ombudsman, at The New York Times.)
Keywords: Giuliani, Nicholas Scopetta, William Bell, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, ACS Commissioner John Mattingly, Child Abuse, AIDS, HIV, Tyranny, Government amuck, corporative media, government stenographers, zionist press,Administration for Children's Services,New York Times, BBC, Vera Institute for Justice, sham investigation, You can't fight city hall.
A Letter to Amy Goodman of Democracy Now About The Unethical AIDS Drug Experiments
From:
EWeixel@aol.com
Date:Sat, 6 May 2006 04:37:59 EDT
Subject:
NYC ACS Drug Experimentation on Children - One Year Later
To:
mail@democracynow.org
CC:
ecsredeye@yahoo.com
Dear Ms. Goodman:
Around a year ago you interviewed John Mattingly, Commissioner of New York City's Administration for Children's Services. It appeared that there would be a follow up to discuss the process of the investigation of allegations of unethical and cruel experimentation on children presumed to be HIV positive. It was also alleged that parents who would not cooperate with these experiments had their children removed from their care. I'd be interested in knowing if any of these parents contested these removals in New York State Family Court and if so what the outcomes were, but what brings me to send you this letter is my curiosity about the VERA Institute's investigation of this matter.
At the end of your interview with Mattingly on May 2nd, 2005 he indicated a willingness to "talk" again with you about the case. What has happened? A search of your archives shows that there has been no follow up interview with Mattingly.
Thank You,
Eugene Weixel
Editor of the Weblog
Fat Old Jewish Guy Who Lives In the Projects
http://www.fatoldjewishguywholivesintheprojects.com/
Keywords: Giuliani, Nicholas Scopetta, William Bell, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, ACS Commissioner John Mattingly, Child Abuse, AIDS, HIV, Tyranny, Government amuck, corporative media, government stenographers, zionist press,Administration for Children's Services,New York Times, BBC, Vera Institute for Justice, sham investigation, You can't fight city hall.
EWeixel@aol.com
Date:Sat, 6 May 2006 04:37:59 EDT
Subject:
NYC ACS Drug Experimentation on Children - One Year Later
To:
mail@democracynow.org
CC:
ecsredeye@yahoo.com
Dear Ms. Goodman:
Around a year ago you interviewed John Mattingly, Commissioner of New York City's Administration for Children's Services. It appeared that there would be a follow up to discuss the process of the investigation of allegations of unethical and cruel experimentation on children presumed to be HIV positive. It was also alleged that parents who would not cooperate with these experiments had their children removed from their care. I'd be interested in knowing if any of these parents contested these removals in New York State Family Court and if so what the outcomes were, but what brings me to send you this letter is my curiosity about the VERA Institute's investigation of this matter.
At the end of your interview with Mattingly on May 2nd, 2005 he indicated a willingness to "talk" again with you about the case. What has happened? A search of your archives shows that there has been no follow up interview with Mattingly.
Thank You,
Eugene Weixel
Editor of the Weblog
Fat Old Jewish Guy Who Lives In the Projects
http://www.fatoldjewishguywholivesintheprojects.com/
Keywords: Giuliani, Nicholas Scopetta, William Bell, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, ACS Commissioner John Mattingly, Child Abuse, AIDS, HIV, Tyranny, Government amuck, corporative media, government stenographers, zionist press,Administration for Children's Services,New York Times, BBC, Vera Institute for Justice, sham investigation, You can't fight city hall.
Friday, May 05, 2006
Year Old News That Seems To Have Faded Away - The Ugliness that is ACS
PUBLIC HEARINGS IN NEW YORK CITY COUNCILThe New York City Administration for Children's Services David Lane
Posted on 05/02/2005 2:59:22 PM PDT by David Lane
PUBLIC HEARINGS IN NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL ACS DRUG EXPERIMENTS ON BLACK & LATINO CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2005, AT 10:00 AM CITY HALL, DOWNTOWN NYC
The New York City Administration for Children's Services (ACS) has admitted that at least 465 allegedly HIV positive children in foster care were used to test highly toxic and possibly lethal experimental AIDS drugs during the1980s and 1990s. ACS Commissioner John Mattingly has stated that the agency has hired an outside research firm (Vera Institute of Justice) to investigate. The British Broadcasting Company documentary entitled Guinea Pig Kids exposed the scurrilous relationship between ACS, Incarnation Children's Center (which is owned by the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York), Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, and several pharmaceutical companies including Glaxo Smith Kline, and their abuse of innocent primarily Black andLatino children in foster care for profit. This heinous act was a clear violation of their human rights.
The December 12th Movement and the Millions for Reparations organizationslaunched a campaign in December 2004 demanding an immediate halt to theexperiments and a public hearing in the City Council and State Assembly. The City Council Public Hearings will take place on Thursday, May 5, 2005 at10:00 AM, at City Hall, Downtown New York City. For Information call (718) 398-1766. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------- FACT SHEET ON ACS ABUSE OF BLACK & LATINO CHILDREN AS GUINEA PIGS FOR TESTING OF AIDS DRUGS
January 2004: Investigative Reporter Liam Scheff publishes The House that AIDS Built. The article documents ACSTs (NYC Administration for Childrens Services) use of Black and Latino children in foster care asguinea pigs for trials of toxic AIDS drugs. Drugs were given to children as young as 1 month old. The article cites deaths of at least four of thechildren at the Incarnation Childrenâ?Ts Center (ICC), the main site of the testing, which is run by the Catholic Archdiocese of New York. The trials went on from the mid-1980s through the beginning of this century.
March 2004: Vera Sharav of the Alliance for Human Research Protection contacts several Federal agencies to get them to investigate and put a halt to ACSs violations of Federal regulations for the protection of children as research subjects. March-June, 2004: ACS, in a series of private correspondences in response to inquiries from City Councilmen deBlasio and Perkins, assures them that ACS had done nothing wrong. No further inquiry was made or public hearingdemanded by the Councilmen.
December 2004: The December 12th Movement (D12) and Millions for Reparations (MFR) became aware of the issue through a newly-released BBC documentary, Guinea Pig Kids, which documented the abuses of ICC. The twoorganizations viewed health care in the Black and Latino communities in general and the human rights violations suffered by the children at ICC, in particular, as an important part of the demand for Reparations. They immediately launched a multi-faceted campaign to inform the community ofthis issue. It included: weekly demonstrations in front of ICC; presentationof a letter to the Commissioner of ACS requesting answers to specific questions on what had occurred at ICC; a letter writing campaign to local,state and federal elected officials demanding that they hold public hearingson these drug trials.
January 27, 2005: A representative of D12 met with Councilman deBlasio,Chair of the General Welfare Committee, in an unsuccessful attempt to have him hold a public hearing on the ICC. February 8, 2005: In response to D12's December 30th letter to ACS Commissioner Mattingly, ACS called for a meeting. It was held between representatives of D12, MFR, the Center for Law and Social Justice, Young, Gifted and Black and a high level delegation of ACS and the NYC Law Department.
The community representatives left dissatisfied. Many of their questions went unanswered, including: i) what were the causes of death of children in the clinical trials; and ii) what were the long-term side effects of the drugs used. ACS told them that 76 children had been involved in clinical trials and promised to get back to them after they had compiled the information which had been originally requested in December, 2004.April 22, 2005: ACS, which had still not gotten back to D12 and MFR,announced that it had hired an outside research facility to investigate them. It also announced that 465 children, not the 76 they told us in February, had been "guinea pigs." The actual number may grow.
April 24, 2005: D12 and MFR hold press conference on steps of City Hall,with Councilmen Barron and Perkins, as well as Vera Sharav. Councilman deBlasio, through Councilman Barron, announces that he has finally decided to hold a hearing. MFR, D12 and Parents in Action call for a city-wide demonstration at ICC on April 30th to Shut It Down May 5, 2005 - NYC Council holds Public Hearing on Administration for Children's Services and the testing of experimental AIDS drugs on allegedly HIV positive children in foster care.
MILLIONS FOR REPARATIONS: 456 Nostrand Avenue; Brooklyn, NY 11216; (718) 398-1766 (tel); (718) 623-1855 (fax);
See also: -
http://groups.msn.com/GlaxoWellcomeKleineexposed
TOPICS: Health/MedicineKEYWORDS: AIDS; AIDSHIV; AIDSMEDS; CHILDABUSE; CHILDREN; DRUGSCOMPANIES; GLAXCO; GLAXCOKLEINE; GLAXCOWELCOM; HIV; HIVAIDS; WELLCOM; ACS; Giuliani; John Mattingly;Nicholas Scopetta; Michael Bloomberg; Racism; Government Press; Prostitute Press; Zionist Press., Vera Institute For Justice.
This news is more than a year old. I have some questions. Do You? What has happened since May 5, 2005 when the City Council had its public hearing. Is anyone in jail for this attrocity? Mattingly told the community activists a year ago that the VERA Institute would be investigating this matter. Now, VERA has a wholesome sounding name and is known as good guys who help underdog ex cons get on their feet. Nice PR job Mattingly>http://aolsearch.aol.com/aol/search?invocationType=topsearchbox.search&query=Vera+ACS+contractweb results
enhanced by page 1 of 250
Vera Institute of Justice Support for Government Officials MOBI...
Soon thereafter, ACS signed a three-year $1.2 million contract with the Vera Institute to provide research, technical assistance, and evaluation services in ...http://www.vera.org/support/support_95.asp
Exploring the Intersections Between Child Welfare and Juvenile ...
Vera Institute of Justice. 15. ACS and the Juvenile Justice System. Lizzie, Jean, and Diana, all 15, were living in an ACS contract diagnostic center. ...http://www.vera.org/publication_pdf/pathways.pdf
MMRTFA
In the six months between July and December 2002, ACS contract preventive service ... by the Vera Institute and ACS to resolve issues in juvenile justice, ...
http://aolsearch.aol.com/aol/search?invocationType=topsearchbox.search&query=ACS+Vera+%22children%27s+center%22
Vera has operations right inside ACS offices.
So I have a few questions. Is VERA an objective outside agency or the ACS House Detective? Just where are we in this investigation?
HERE IS WHAT I PUBLISHED ON THIS WEBLOG REGARDING THIS SITUATION IN THE EARLY DAYS OF IT'S EXISTENCE>
Saturday, December 24, 2005
AHRP Testimony: Protections for Foster Children Enrolled in Clinical Trials
READ THE WHOLE REPORT ON THIS TESTIMONY!
Unethical Experimentation on Foster ChildrenTimeline and Links - Unethical Experimentation on Foster ChildrenLetters Challenge NY Times Report re: AIDS drug/ vaccine experiments on foster childrenOHRP preliminary findings fault Columbia University Medical CenterCongressional Hearings - Testimony by Roberta Harris, Deputy Secretary, Wisconsin Dept. of Health / Family ServicesCongressional Hearings - AHRP statement and recommendations for the recorA National Scandal: AIDS Drug Experiments on Foster Care Children - AHRP Letter of Complaint:
Keywords: Giuliani, Nicholas Scopetta, William Bell, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, ACS Commissioner John Mattingly, Child Abuse, AIDS, HIV, Tyranny, Government amuck, corporative media, government stenographers, zionist press,Administration for Children's Services,New York Times, BBC, Vera Institute for Justice, sham investigation, You can't fight city hall.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Okay I'm changing up on that money making scheme below.
I'm going to make it easier for you. Dave has got his due so he's gone. I'll move my name to the top and you put your name on the bottom and email it to your friends (After you've made your donation if you are so inclined.
My blog is worth $20,323.44.
How much is your blog worth?
Monday, May 01, 2006
Turn Five Dollars Into Twenty Thousand In Three Weeks. Attention Read This Take Action Urgent Hurry Act Now
Those of you who read this blog know that I am a veteran child abuse investigator who just turned sixty years old on the day I was put out of my job, Friday, April 21, 2006. Of course I am fighting to get it back and I think eventually I will win. If you've read my items regarding Administration for Children's Services you know I am straightforward and honest, and that they need to continuously b e under the spotlight and challenged. If you read what I have said about The Middle East and Judaism, Zionism, etc., and if you've read some of the autobiographical pieces I have put up here you know that I have not gone out of my way to ingratiate myself with people who might be of help to me here in New York. I just can't get into that butt kissing mode.
In politics, in show business, in life in general, logic and rationality ought to reign supreme but I don't think they do, do you? Cultists and hucksters know this and they successfully use techniques that deliberately bypass the logical mind. Take for example my chats with the Larouchies presented in posts below this one. They have an aim and it's to get me or you or whomever busy advancing their cause without thinking. They use emotional pressure, shame, prey on loneliness, and push urgency and the old "if you can't dazzle 'emwith your brilliance then baffle them with bullshit" technique - throwing around words and expressions and terminology that most won't understand or be able to debate or reply to, leaving some listeners embarassed to disagree and also awed by the intellectual prowess of the cultist or cult leader.
Those of you who've been following this blog know that I had these chats with some LaRouchies, one at a literature table they had set up near the Municipal building and another over the phone with a guy named Bob.
I described the conversation with Bob which had a tone of urgency about it that characterizes the cult approach to recruitment and also this type of approach to membership maintenance - keep -em busy putting out imaginary fires or rescuing damsels in distress out of imaginary castles.
Now Bob painted a breathless picture of a total collapse of the economy - go to the ATM and it won't be working, go to the supermarket and the shelve will be bare and so forth and a way for me to help stop this disaster from taking place - by donating money so that the Larouchies could give their literature to Democrats who will then find the courage and the way to get rid of Bush by this August and incidentally, in so doing, avert the above described catastrophe.
I have a proposition to make to all of you. I want you to contribute to my work here on this blog, especially to my battle with Administration for Children's Services. Now, I don't believe in something for nothing. I want to share a rare oppotunity that was sent to me in this morning's email, whereby we all may gain and even prosper!
I've altered it for reasons you will understand once you read through it all. While the thing was sent to me by someone named Dave, I've put my own name on it. I've replaced one email address with one of my own. Here it is it's a real live offer.
Hi Friends,
You can leverage $5 into thousands today!
Do this, it`s SO simple...!!!! ..........
Follow the directions below and in two weeks you`ll have at least
20,000 dollars because most people respond due to low investment and
high profit potential. We believe the return rate is currently as good
as 80%! ...........
If you need to open a PayPal account go here:
Just donate five dollars ($5.00) to one (1) person! After the first
time, you`ll see how EASY it is and it DOES work! Now let me tell you
the simple details! ..................
*Log into your PayPal account, and send $5.00 to:
NEXT DUE: eweixel@aol.com
Who is currently the next person in line. PayPal will ask to
select a type. Select "Service", and put "E-Donation" for the subject.
*Next, move this address: PENDING>....................eweixel@aol.com (Put your paypal email address here)
P
"PENDING" up into the "NEXT DUE" slot and put your own e-mail address into
the "PENDING" slot. After you have retyped the names in the new order,
send this e-mail to as many people as possible IMMEDIATELY! (Using a
Bulk Email Service will really boost your donations), use blasters,
safelists, whatever you have. (You can get a bulk email blaster for life that is 100%
opt-in to get a huge response !. you can order here: Email 81 million prospects a month without spam.
That`s ALL there is to it! When your name reaches the first
position in about 2 days (or less), it will be YOUR turn to receive
donations! .........................
They will be sent to you by approximately TWO THOUSAND people like
yourself who are willing to invest $5 to receive $2o,000!!!! Because
there are only two (2) names on the list, you can anticipate your donations coming
incredibly FAST, a lot faster than similar programs with 4, 5, or 6 names on the list.
......................
And DON`T CHEAT! If you send to 50 prospects with yourself in
NEXT DUE, you might see $250. If you follow the instructions correctly,
then in ONE or TWO days (it`s FAST!) you should receive donations from around
2000 people! ......................
Most people spend more than $5 on lottery every week or two with
no real hope of ever winning. Remember - TIME is of the essence! YOU
can choose to live paycheck to paycheck or live FREE from FINANCIAL
BONDAGE ! THIS is the answer to your prayers! GET BUSY!!!! ..............
To your success and God Bless you... ...................
Your Friend,
eugene.
*Just copy and paste this letter to notepad or similar text
editor,then make the next due and pending-..----you can then copy and paste it into
your ad blaster or whatever, and send it out today!!! Thanks.
--------------------------
This message was sent by: Eugene
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