Wake Up

“The Senate approved legislation to establish a Department of Homeland Security and it will soon be signed into law by the president. Buried in this massive bill, snuck into it in the dark of night by persons unknown (actually, it’s fair to say by Republican persons unknown), was a provision that — incredibly — will protect Eli Lilly and a few other big pharmaceutical outfits from lawsuits by parents who believe their children were harmed by thimerosal.

Now this has nothing to do with homeland security. Nothing. This is not a provision that will in any way protect us from the ferocious evil of Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda. So why is it there? Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that the major drug companies have become a gigantic collective cash machine for politicians, and that the vast majority of that cash goes to Republicans.”

Bob Herbert wrote this excellent column just before Thanksgiving, and shortly after the Homeland Security bill was passed, taking a look at one of the major boondogles in the legislation. In case you still weren’t sure that the U.S. government was bought and paid for, read what he has to say about how Congress put the profits of Eli Lilly ahead of the interests of children who may have been harmed by thimerosal.

You can find the whole column here [registration required].