ABOVE THE LAW

DOUG AND LAURIE FRI'S 6-9 PM EST ABOUT THE ISSUES OF THE DAY
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LAURIE ROTH SHOW ARCHIVES 2011-DOUG-LAURIE ON MOST FRIDAYS FOR 3 HRS
http://therothshow.com/show-archives/january-2011/
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HAGMANN & HAGMANN-JUDI MCLEOD REPORT SAT'S 8-10PM ON BLOGTALK RADIO
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LAURIE ROTHS SITE
http://therothshow.com/
DOUG HAGMANNS SITES
http://homelandsecurityus.com/
https://hagmann-pi.com/Home.html
http://theneinblog.blogspot.com/
CANADA FREE PRESS-JUDI MCLEOD
http://www.canadafreepress.com/
I-Q'S SITE
http://www.al-rassooli.com/
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OLIVE TREE MINISTRIES SHOWS
http://olivetreeradio.com/OTM2011_10_15A.mp3
http://olivetreeradio.com/OTM2011_10_15B.mp3
http://olivetreeradio.com/OTM2011_10_08A.mp3
http://olivetreeradio.com/OTM2011_10_08B.mp3
http://olivetreeradio.com/OTM2011_10_01A.mp3
http://olivetreeradio.com/OTM2011_10_01B.mp3
JACK VAN IMPES LATEST SHOWS-VIDEO)
http://wm.thegospel.com/jvi/jvi1147.wmv (NOV 19,11)
http://wm.thegospel.com/jvi/jvi1146.wmv (NOV 12,11)
http://wm.thegospel.com/jvi/jvi1145.wmv (NOV 05,11)
http://wm.thegospel.com/jvi/jvi1144.wmv (OCT 29,11)
http://wm.thegospel.com/jvi/jvi1143.wmv (OCT 22,11)
http://wm.thegospel.com/jvi/jvi1142.wmv (OCT 15,11)
http://wm.thegospel.com/jvi/jvi1141.wmv (OCT 08,11)
http://wm.thegospel.com/jvi/jvi1140.wmv (OCT 01,11)
http://wm.thegospel.com/jvi/jvi1139.wmv (SEPT 24,11)
http://wm.thegospel.com/jvi/jvi1138.wmv (SEPT 21,11)
http://wm.thegospel.com/jvi/jvi1137.wmv (SEPT 14,11)
http://wm.thegospel.com/jvi/jvi1136.wmv (SEPT 07,11)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_qlu3KTMRAY
Sprint Launches Soon To Be Mandatory Emergency Alert Messages-Americans will be forced to receive spurious terror alerts Paul Joseph Watson Infowars.com Friday, November 18, 2011

Telecommunications giant Sprint has announced the launch of its Wireless Emergency Alerts program that will deliver messages from the federal government directly to millions of Americans as part of a system set to become mandatory on all new cellphones.

PLAN

Wireless Emergency Alerts allow the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to accept and deliver warning messages to wireless networks from the president of the United States, the National Weather Service and state and local emergency operations centers. Sprint customers will be able to effectively and accurately receive warnings and safety information via text alerts to mobile phones that are equipped with the enabling software and based on their geographic location,states the press release.Although existing mobile handsets can only receive the messages if their users have opted-in to the scheme, all new models will be designed so as to force Americans to receive the messages whether they want to or not.The federal government is keen to implement a centralized system of control over all communications, with the recent announcement that all new cell phones will be required to comply with the PLAN program (Personal Localized Alerting Network), which will broadcast emergency alert messages directly to Americans’ cell phones using a special chip embedded in the receiver. The system will be operational by the end of the year in New York and Washington, with the rest of the country set to follow in 2012.

Assurances that the system will be voluntary for wireless carriers are completely meaningless given the fact that all the big boys, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon, have already indicated they will participate.Customers will have no choice whether to opt-in or not, they will automatically be signed up by their carrier.
Consumers will have the option….to block all PLAN alerts except for those issued by the president, reports the L.A. Times.In other words, for the first time ever the feds will have a direct line to the millions of Americans who use cell phones and be able to use the messages to transmit whatever they like, whether that be genuine safety information, fearmongering about spurious terror alerts, or political propaganda.The special chip that the government will use to reach Americans is already present in high-end phones like the latest iPhone.The 90-character alerts will be delivered at no charge to the customer and have a distinctive vibration cadence and audio tone similar to what is heard for emergency alerts on broadcast television and radio. Additionally, notification of a wireless emergency alert will be distinguished in the handset’s messaging inbox with a distinctive icon, notes the press release, adding, Wireless users can opt out of all message types with the exception of presidential alerts.As we reported last week, concerns about the public’s reaction to a national broadcast test of the Emergency Alert System prompted the test to be shortened from an initial 3 and a half minutes to just 30 seconds.Before the end of the year, Sprint plans to team up with the New York City Office of Emergency Management, the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate, and FEMA to conduct a test of the new mobile alert system.

The test will deliver a series of different geo-targeted wireless alerts to multiple Sprint mobile phones strategically located in Brooklyn, The Bronx, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island, according to the press release.The PLAN program is part of the wider move on behalf of Homeland Security to create a public environment dominated by a pervasive sense of fear and paranoia, a context in which the safe exercise of constitutional freedoms doesn’t normally thrive.As we have documented, not only is Big Sis already telling Americans to report on each other via Orwellian Wal-Mart telescreens, but new street lights now being installed in major cities have the ability not only to record people’s conversations but also to display emergency alerts issued by the federal government.

Above the law - Doug Hagmann Thursday, November 17, 2011

Following the American Civil War, Jesse James earned the reputation of being a notorious bank robber and criminal gang member in the United States. It is also important to note that public opinion of Jesse James was swayed by the print media of the day, which turned Jesse James the outlaw into a symbol of confederacy defiance of the reconstruction of the South. His innocence was proclaimed and his reputation romanticized by founding editor of the Kansas City Times John Newman Edwards, who wrote prolifically about James for political cause.Nearly a century-and-a-half later, the looting of people’s money is no longer done with a gun and a scarf. It is accomplished openly by individuals who have been given the means and opportunity by virtue of their position in the financial sector. Additionally, the looters appear to be well above the law, as those who regulate and prosecute have been co-opted by the merger of state and corporate powers. And the media, much like John Newman Edwards composites, are facilitating the financial terrorism of today through their selective reporting and protection of political and corporate interests.One has to look no further than MF Global and Jon Corzine to understand what is taking place, en masse, in the U.S. and globally.

Criminal charges… anyone?

Based on my experience as an investigator in the private sector for the last 26 years and my research and investigation into the MF Global debacle, MF Global and Jon Corzine could serve as textbook examples of the financial terrorism that is taking place today on wholesale levels, openly, and without shame. It is the looting of the so-called 99 percent, except it is done through convoluted transactions that could keep teams of forensic accountants and an unsullied justice department, if we had one, busy for a long time. It is this type of financial terrorism, obfuscated by an unnecessarily complex lexicon of financial terms, that is at the core of a global monetary takeover by the one percent. It is this type of financial terrorism that will propel our justice department and the Department of Homeland Security to impose financial martial law on the citizens of the United States. It is a globalist’s dream and an American nightmare, and the nightmare will not end unless or until the masses are awakened from their slumber.

How it began

MF Global was a large financial derivative broker that had its origins in eighteenth century England. After multiple corporate splits and changes, MF Global became autonomous in 2007. They achieved the much coveted primary dealer status while under the leadership of former Goldman Sachs CEO, former New Jersey Governor and United States Senator Jon Corzine. The status of primary dealer allowed the company to trade directly with the Federal Reserve and underwrite and distribute financial instruments of the U.S. Treasury.After failing to be reelected as New Jersey governor, Jon Corzine was appointed as Chairman and CEO of MF Global on March 23, 2010. In that capacity, Corzine reportedly invested heavily in the European derivatives market, leveraging investors’ money at a ratio of 40-to-1. In other words, Corzine allegedly invested forty dollars for every one dollar of investors’ money in what could be described as a global casino.It is both relevant and important to point out that this activity was done under the watchful eye of the agency that is supposed to regulate MF Global and other such companies, the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The CFTC is headed by Gary Gensler, a former partner at Goldman Sachs during Corzine’s leadership, a former Undersecretary of the U.S. Treasury, and a former senior advisor to both Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Hussein Obama. Gensler was appointed to his position at the CFTC by Obama in May, 2009. Gensler also contributed to Jon Corzne’s campaign and was a senate aide during Corzine’s tenure as senator.

The beginning of the end

As the European markets descended into chaos, so did the investments made by Corzine at MF Global. As a result, MF Global filed for bankruptcy protection earlier this month. It was then discovered that $630 million of investors’ money was missing.It is alleged by some that at some point, at least $600 million in investors’ money was illegally co-mingled with MF Global funds at the direction of Corzine to hedge his bets and subsequent losses. The disposition of over $600 million of money belonging to others remains a mystery and is being investigated by none other than Gary Gensler, of course.It should be noted that before the dust settled on the MF Global implosion, Corzine resigned as CEO on November 4, 2011, but only after having retained the services of the high-profile, white collar crime defense attorney Andrew J. Levander.While the above is an admittedly simplified illustration of the events surrounding MF Global and Jon Corzine, it is an essentially accurate illustration.

Where’s the justice?

While it might be premature to call for the head of Jon Corzine, it is not unreasonable to demand an immediate and public investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice and other pertinent federal regulatory agencies. Of course, Gensler should recuse himself based on his close relationship with Corzine, and a suitable replacement should be appointed.Additionally, the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of the Treasury, through their FinCEN unit, should immediately being independent investigations of not only MF Global and Corzine, but members of congress who have profited from numerous financial transactions over the last three years with all Wall Street agencies.So far, the U.S. Justice Department and the U.S. Department of the Treasury have been AWOL in investigating any financial crimes on Wall Street. Obviously, it would not likely be in Treasury Secretary Tim Geitner’s best interests to do so, considering his incestuous involvement with Goldman Sachs and other corporate houses of perceived corruption.It is not just unfortunate, but reprehensible that the American media has been silent about the financial terrorism that has taken place on Wall Street. It is understandable, though, as any serious investigation would most certainly identify the most elite of the elite, including the bosses and owners of the half-dozen media conglomerates that control the entire U.S. news industry.Postscript: In a remarkable display of the selective administration of justice, the state of New York proudly announced today the indictment of former Soprano’s actor John Marinacci for his role in an alleged gambling ring. A distinction without a difference, perhaps?

It is time for REAL leadership and REAL vision for America By LAURI ROTH,(PRES CANDIDATE 2012) on November 18th, 2011

No one wants a bull in a China closet for a President who breaths emotional fire out their nose and creates wars everywhere while pushing their agenda. However, we desperately need real inspiration and vision, with a passion for keeping our freedoms and American traditions whole and safe. That means drawing lines in the sand and sticking to them, whether the pollsters and political class like those lines or not. That means old fashioned, America courage.A few weeks ago I declared my intention to run for the office of the President of the US. I sent out press releases. Some of you saw the headline article posted by WND.com and other sites. I knew I was starting in as a total outsider, non lawyer, non politician and non millionaire. However, I knew I was a patriot, a visionary, veteran Talk show host who had always represented the cutting edge issues of the American people, and most importantly I was called to do this by God. Some of you immediately think religious cook or fringe at the notion of me even saying that. The truth is, I have never fantasized or imagined being President of the United States. This hasn’t been a career move or positioning for my ego. Instead, God asked me to run, a commoner, a survivor, Mom and patriot with REAL ideas of service for a time such as this. I said yes, knowing how it would sound. He has asked me to simply trust Him through the long process, running as an Independent conservative, not Republican or Democrat.As shared before, my strategy: 1) be in prayer 2) continue to speak my mind in my published articles and do my radio talk show every day 3) contact various, independent political parties to see if some will align with me and get me on the ballot in their region or states represented. The American Independent party of California has said they would put me on the ballot in that state. 4) pull together volunteers to obtain the signatures needed to get me on the ballot in other states. 5) post several 3-5 minute videos, being made as we speak. They will soon be seen on www.youtube.com/teamlaurieroth2012

Some lines in the sand that must be drawn

Get America out of the UN and stop all funding to it

The UN has long ago morphed into and Anti Semitic, anti American, money sucking machine. Dictatorship and Islamic nations usually vote us down and continue to assault our best alley in the Middle East, Israel. They have sought to get international taxes from us for mythological environmental disasters of warming, push ‘Rights for the Child’ Treaties, taking away parents rights, tried to get an international court system we all bow down to and sought to have a one world currency. Former ambassador to the UN, and former candidate for President, Alan Keys has also demanded we get out of the UN. Why have we given them 7.7 billion in tax payer dollars? It is time America says no to all this and starts a new international association of countries who promote human rights and freedom. Perhaps our real friends and freedom loving countries could get some important things done without controlling and stealing from the people, or trying to destroy Israel.Demand an outside audit for the Federal Reserve and honest accountability. The Federal Reserve has never had an outside audit since 1913 yet controls our entire economy and all our money. How is it remotely possible that anyone, especially Herman Cain doesn’t want an outside audit for the FED, unless of course you are protecting thieves and money crooks. It is more then a little concerning to me that he was a high up FED official. House cleaning and an outside audit of the FED is only common sense and I think a national security issue. Waste must stop and audits must happen with all Government departments.Stop all federal abortion money supporting any abortions, starting with Planned Parenthood. Let me be plain. Abortion is murder and the complete violation of an American Citizen’s first right according to our Declaration of Independence….The Right to life Get it? It is the President’s job to defend the right to life for all citizens, young and old, imperfect and needy. Life is precious and unique, end of story.Secure our borders and stop all illegal aliens from coming across. Also stop the 200 billion a year in drug trade.

I would do this by putting 20-50,000 national guard troops on the border, tripling border patrol, using virtual and real fences, have surveillance fly overs and use satellite technology. Only then, when the mystery people have stopped coming over our borders and drugs stopped, would I offer an approach for illegal aliens already here. It would have accountability, common sense and compassion. It is completely pointless to discuss any intervention with illegals already here when we do not have a secured border. Administration after administration has not had the will to do so. I will! I will take all steps to gut and destroy the completely unconstitutional health care bill, now being reviewed by the Supreme Court.I will take all steps possible to undo the Start treaty with Russia and put our Nuclear program back where it should be, number 1 in the world.We will be the leading exporter of energy in the world within 4 years and disconnect from OPEC.It is completely absurd that with all our oil, nuclear ability and having the largest natural gas reserves in the world that we still import energy. How dumb is that? We have had no oil or nuclear facilities built since the 1070s. All types of energy will bolt forward under my watch, and quickly. I will close down the incompetent Dept. of energy. If they had been doing their job we should have been energy independent decades ago. Bye Bye energy dept.My final passion and plan if you elect me is my 2% point of purchase tax. I’m so excited about this because it is simple. I’m not a mathematician but a common sense chick. If you include taxing all Government transactions that is nearly 900 trillion a year, yes trillion. That would give America 10-20 trillion a year for her bills and plans. Think of it. No more income tax, payroll tax, excise tax, gas tax, capital gains tax…..any Federal tax! They would all stop. Instead, you would pay 2% when you buy a watermelon, 2% when you buy a car or 2% if you by a stock package. That is it and most simple…..no sneaky or layered taxes anymore.

This would bring in enough money to immediately deliver individuals and businesses from Tax hell and oppression, get us out of our 15 trillion in debt in less then 4 years, build up Social security, Medicare, Medicaid and chips, develop energy and infrastructure projects, while enhancing our military and funding what needs to be funded.No more mice in the bay area studies studying prostitutes using condoms in China and underground turtle tunnels. Those were all great talk show material but beyond corrupt and idiotic.A quick review of the cards in my deck and they are not trick cards.2% point of purchase tax overhaul and stoppage of all other federal tax; leading exporter of energy in the world; real border security and stopping of drug trade; creation of 20 million jobs in energy infrastructure projects, new businesses due to huge tax relief; courting back of manufacturing by cutting intrusive and controlling regulations, taxation and litigation; stopping of all abortion funding of any kind, and the cherry on the cake. Restore our Judeo Christian values and Constitutional core without apology.
Find out more at: www.rothrevolution.ning.com, www.therothshow.com, www.laurieroth2012.com, www.youtube.com/teamlaurieroth2012
Spread the word, sign up as a volunteer and pray that God’s will shine on our country again.

Joe Bite-Me’s Birthday - Judi McLeod Friday, November 18, 2011

It’s Veep Joe Bite Me Biden’s birthday on Sunday and while the whole country is not exactly rehearsing the Happy Birthday song for him, his wife Jill has sent out an email to all asking people to sign his card.I know I don’t usually send you emails, but Joe has a birthday coming up this Sunday, and I’m trying something new, Biden’s wife Jill wrote on an email, (see below), Paid for by Obama for America. The First Family and I are putting together a special card for him, and we’d like as many supporters of this campaign as possible to add their names and messages for Joe.Don’t know whether Mrs. Biden’s little boy Joey was the type to fib about the date of his birthday just to get gifts from his school chums, but I’m with Andy Hefty, of North Star Writers Group, who wrote in June 2010 that he’s had enough of the arrogance of our political class in America and Vice President Joe Biden is at the top of the list.If you haven’t heard already, His High Exalted Vice Messiah Joe Bite Me Biden decided to waltz into a frozen custard shop in Milwaukee the other day. The media was waiting for him with cameras rolling. Can you say Staged event? What’s the first thing he says? Where’s all the ice cream? Joe’s as camera happy as his boss The Messiah. (And they say an old dog can’t learn new tricks.)Back to Joe when he thought he was at the ice cream shop and Andy Hefty. When he’s ready to pay, he asks the manager what he owes. The manager says, Don’t worry. It’s on us…Lower our taxes and we’ll call it even.Apparently, that didn’t sit well with Vice President Thin-Skinned. He eventually walks up to the manager and says (and I quote): Why don’t you say something nice instead of being a smartass all the time? Say something nice.

Hefty concluded his remarks about Joe’s custard shop caper with these words about the pattern he’s observed in politicians, especially those on the ultra-liberal left: Say something to the slightest opposition or ask a pointed question about policy or ethics, and you are liable to get a pie in the face, a camera shoved up our nose, a profanity-laced tirade, or even arrest and harassment.And if writing this makes me a smartass, then so be it. I’ll gladly join as a charter member.Meanwhile, Joe’s birthday this falls around Thanksgiving and many Americans who are not the First Family but still put their families first will be out using food stamps trying to cobble together a good Thanksgiving dinner.Trying something new from Americans scraping their way through Recession would be Stop Spending America into Oblivion.

From: Jill Biden info@barackobama.com
Subject: Sign Joe’s card
Date: 18 November, 2011 3:49:01 PM EST
To:cfp@canadafreepress.com
Reply-To: info@barackobama.com


Friend—I know I don’t usually send you emails, but Joe has a birthday coming up this Sunday, and I’m trying something new.The First Family and I are putting together a special card for him, and we’d like as many supporters of this campaign as possible to add their names and messages for Joe.Because the year ahead is going to be a big one—not just for Joe and me, but for all of us. We’ve all got some work to do.So help us make this birthday a memorable one for Joe. Add your names, and, if you like, your own notes and well-wishes for the year ahead:
http://my.barackobama.com/For-Joe
Thanks,Jill

Israel’s Plan to Destroy Iran’s Civilian Infrastructure Kurt Nimmo Infowars.com November 18, 2011

Israel plans not only to attack Iran’s fledgling nuclear program, but also its civilian infrastructure.Eli Lake, writing for The Daily Beast, cites current and former U.S. intelligence officials who say Israel’s target list includes Iran’s electric grid, internet, cellphone network, and emergency frequencies for firemen and police officers.Officials say Israel has developed a weapon that simulates a maintenance cellphone signal commanding cell networks to sleep and stopping transmissions. It also has electronic jammers that can interrupt emergency frequencies for first responders and police.Iran’s civilian electric grids are connected to the internet and vulnerable to cyberattack with computer viruses such as Stuxnet, a sophisticated version of malware developed by the United States and the Israelis. A retired senior military intelligence officer told the Daily Beast the Israelis also have the capability to launch a denial-of-service attack on Iran’s command and control system that is connected to the Internet.The Israelis will likely use an unmanned drone known as Eitan to deliver a blow to Iran’s civilian infrastructure. The Eitan can fly for 20 straight hours and carry a payload of one ton. Another version of the drone, however, can fly up to 45 straight hours, according to U.S. and Israeli officials, The Daily Beast reports. The Eitan is part of Israel’s special electronic air force unit known as the Sky Crows, which concentrates on electronic warfare.

The existence of a program designed to cripple crucial civilian infrastructure not related to Iran’s nuclear program reveals that the Israeli-U.S. plan is to reduce the country to a Stone Age condition much the same way Iraq was leveled in 2003.
Beginning in 1991 with Bush Senior’s illegal invasion, Iraqi civilians and their infrastructure were deliberately targeted by the U.S. military. The savage bombardment had a near apocalyptic impact on Iraq and had transformed the country into a pre-industrial age nation, which “had been until January a rather highly urbanized and mechanized society, writes author William Blum, citing United Nations observations.

Iraq’s civilian infrastructure targeted.

Bombing of Iraqi cities served no military purpose but was designed to destroy the civilian infrastructure. War games in July 1990 in South Carolina trained pilots to bomb civilian targets and Pentagon statements about plans to bomb civilian targets in August and September 1990 are evidence that these targets were set well in advance of January 15, 1991,writes David Model in his book, Lying for Empire: How to Commit War Crimes With A Straight Face.Critical elements of the civilian infrastructure were destroyed including communication systems, oil refineries, electric generators, water treatment facilities, dams, and transportation centers, Model continues. Over 90 percent of Iraq’s electrical capacity was destroyed in the first days of the bombing.Iraq’s water supply was specifically targeted and resulted in the death of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi children. Iraq’s capacity to produce food was also destroyed by attacks on agriculture, food processing, food storage and the food distribution system. Half of Iraq’s agricultural output depended on irrigation systems which were also destroyed.In addition to hundreds of hospitals, health centers, mosques and schools, Bush’s Pentagon bombed densely populated cities, killing thousands. Civilian highway traffic was targeted and vehicles such as buses and cars were bombed repeatedly.Following the decimation of Iraq, the United Nations imposed draconian sanctions on the country that resulted in the death of more than a million, including over 500,000 children. When that failed to unseat Iraq’s dictator Saddam Hussein (a former CIA asset), Bush’s son launched another invasion of the country in 2003. As a result, more than a million people have died.
6 years after war, Iraq still in ruins.

Israel and the United States plan to do the same to Iran, using its nuclear program as an excuse the same way Bush and the neocons used Saddam’s alleged weapons as of mass destruction as an excuse to level the country.Prior to Bush Senior’s invasion, Iraq was an industrialized country with a modern infrastructure with electricity and water available to the entire country. Following the first invasion and the imposition of medieval sanctions, the country was on par with failed states in Africa.Iran, despite its fledgling nuclear program, does not threaten either Israel or the United States. The problem, according to the international bankers and the globalists, is that Iran is not a vassal state mired in poverty and misery like many of its neighbors. It does not take orders from Wall Street and the City of London.
Even the IMF is obliged to note that Iran’s economy grew by 3.2 percent this year on the strength of greater agriculture production and higher oil prices. It is not indebted to the bankers and refuses to kowtow to Israel’s insatiable hegemonic drive, so it has to be reduced to rubble.

Supreme Court Blocks Government Plan To Claim Ownership Of DNA-Collecting and storing every newborn’s blood violates Genetic Privacy Act Steve Watson Prisonplanet.com November 18, 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=bM-kqcxpHKk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBu6Tpvq_9w&feature=player_embedded#!
http://www.infowars.com/supreme-court-blocks-government-plan-to-claim-ownership-of-dna/

In a long running case, a Supreme Court has ruled to limit the use of blood samples collected from newborns by the government.

The case has exposed the fact that there is an ongoing semi-covert movement by state and federal governments to claim ownership of every newborn baby’s DNA for the purpose of genetic research without the consent of individual citizens.The Minnesota Court ruled Wednesday that the Minnesota Department of Health is violating the law in storing, using and disseminating newborn screening test results and newborn DNA.
Overruling a lower court’s decision, the state Supreme Court found that the samples are Genetic Information under the State Genetic Privacy Act, and held that unless otherwise provided, the Department must have written informed consent to collect, use, store, or disseminate [the blood samples].In 2003, The Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom (CCHF), formerly known as The Citizens’ Council on Health Care (CCHC), discovered that The Minnesota Department of Health had been indefinitely storing the blood of newborns since the mid 1980s, and using the samples for purposes beyond the State’s newborn screening program since 1997.The state treated the activity as an opt out program, whereby if the parents of the newborn infant do not specifically opt out of the process, the state presumes its has informed consent and that the parents have opted in.Consequently, the DNA of nearly a million children is considered government property under Minnesota law.Without the knowledge or consent of the person or their parents, the government has been selling the DNA for genetic research purposes.In 2008, state Health Department officials began seeking exemption for the so called DNA Warehouse from Minnesota privacy law.

Essentially this would mean that eventually every person’s DNA would be collected at birth, warehoused by the state in what is known as a genomic biobank, and sold or given away to private or governmental genetic researchers, who may manipulate, alter or splice the DNA in any way they see fit. Hundreds of samples have already been used in government comissioned studies.Such information would represent a goldmine to employers, insurance companies, medical institutions, and big pharma.Under such conditions we are faced with the prospect of a society that is literally the mirror image of the nightmarish vision outlined by Aldous Huxley in his 1932 novel Brave New World, where individuals are categorized in a social hierarchy according to their genetic traits.In a statement, Justice Helen M. Meyer, voicing the majority opinion in this week’s ruling, writes:The Genetic Privacy Act … restricts the collection, use, storage, and dissemination of blood samples collected pursuant to the newborn screening statutes…The newborn screening statutes provide an express exception to the Genetic Privacy Act only to the extent that the Department is authorized to administer newborn screening by testing the samples for heritable and congenital disorders, recording and reporting those test results, maintaining a registry of positive cases for the purpose of follow-up services, and storing those test results as required by federal law.The case was brought by 9-families who sued the Minnesota Department of Health for violation of the state genetic privacy law.

The following video shows the oral argument brought before the court back in March and breaks down the issue in much more detail:In a press release concerning the court ruling, Twila Brase, president of CCHF writes:We are cheered by this good news, says. When our organization discovered the state health department’s Baby DNA warehouse in 2003 and the use of newborn DNA for genetic research without parent consent, we determined to do all that we could to stop this practice. No state law expressly permits these activities.We are pleased that these nine families were willing to sue the State of Minnesota, adds Brase. Their action and this decision now secures the genetic privacy rights and informed written consent rights of all Minnesota parents and newborn citizens.Ms. Brase has been warning of the ongoing move for a a number of years. In January 2007 she issued a written testimony to the Minnesota legislature on the unethical and hidden uses of harvested DNA by the state.
Watch Twila Brase explain the possible consequences of the pending DNA profiling legislation:Though the Minnesota case has received recent public attention, such DNA harvesting is not restricted to that state and is being undertaken nationwide.The National Conference of State Legislatures lists for all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, the various statutes or regulatory provisions under which newborns’ DNA is being collected.DNA of newborns has been harvested, tested, stored and experimented with by all 50 states. In addition, all 50 states are now routinely providing these results to the Department of Homeland Security.

In April 2008, President Bush signed into law a bill which formerly announced the process that the federal government has been engaged in for years, screening the DNA of all newborn babies in the U.S. within six months of birth.Described as a national contingency plan the justification for the law S. 1858, known as The Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of 2007, is that it represents preparation for any sort of public health emergency.The bill states that the federal government should continue to carry out, coordinate, and expand research in newborn screening and maintain a central clearinghouse of current information on newborn screening… ensuring that the clearinghouse is available on the internet and is updated at least quarterly.
Sections of the bill also make it clear that DNA may be used in genetic experiments and tests, both by the government and by researchers chosen to handle the DNA samples and the information that goes with them.Read the full bill here.Many have described the law as the first step towards the establishment of a national DNA database, like the one in the UK.In 2006 and 2007, then Senator Obama filed legislation that would create a national DNA database. The same bill was filed by Sen. Patrick Kennedy in 2008. The bills required parental consent, but all three died in the Senate.In certain states, authorities are required to destroy a child’s DNA sample if a parent demands they do so. Ludicrously, parents wishing to do this must fill in a form like this one from Texas.In other states, parents have to put their request in writing, however, there is no legal requirement for states to destroy the samples.

The subject made national headlines last year as CNN’s Senior Medical Correspondent probed the issue:The practice of taking DNA from all newborns is not limited to the U.S.In the UK, a similar DNA harvesting program was rejected in 2005 by The Human Genetics Commission, who cited cost and ethical problems in a report to government ministers.However, DNA profiling of all newborn babies has since been called for by lawmakers and senior police officers.In December 2009, a Dublin hospital was revealed to have built a secret database containing the DNA of almost every person born in the country since 1984 without their knowledge.The retention of newborn screening cards has also caused controversy in Australia and New Zealand where the DNA has been used by police to help to solve crimes. A sample in New Zealand was used to identify the father of a dead child against the wishes of the mother.There is no doubt that the practice is in operation all over the developed world.The Minnesota Supreme Court ruling is a small victory on this issue. However, unless this practice is further exposed, publicized, and taken to courts across the country, and indeed the world, we could find ourselves sleepwalking towards the basis for a new eugenics movement, the practice of perfecting the human race through genetic manipulation, previously endorsed by Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger, and toyed with by the likes of Adolf Hitler.