Mysterious Marching Soldiers in Lakemont, Roswell

The following was submitted to the Weekly Universe from Lorraine Christie:

I live in the Lakemont area of Roswell.

This evening [February 22, 2010], at around 9 p.m., I was sitting on my back porch with my dogs. Suddenly, the dogs and I could hear what at first sounded like lone footsteps walking through the leaves in my back yard.

My yard is fenced.

The noise became more intense, and grew into what seemed like a group of soldiers marching (if wearily) through my yard. My lab was especially spooked and growled like crazy. I froze and simply listened for a while.

The sound kept coming, then fading out periodically. I didn't hear any voices, just weary trudging of boots on leaves and mud.

I walked down into the yard and saw nothing, but still heard the sound of marching men. My dogs were very spooked by something, but didn't seem to want to rush out and chase after anyone. They seemed confused by the sound.

Can anyone explain what this might have been? It was so bizarre and unexpected.

Do YOU know what Lorraine Christie heard? Her email is studiolc at bellsouth dot net.

===========================

Stop Washington From Regulating YOUR Vitamins!

Senator John McCain has introduced S. 3002, the Dietary Supplement Safety Act (DSSA).

This bill will . . .

* control your ability to use vitamins,
* for the benefit of the major sports leagues

The following welfare queens endorsed McCain's bill within hours of its introduction . . .

* The National Football League
* The National Basketball Association
* Major League Baseball
* National Hockey League
* The NCAA
* The Professional Golf Association
* The U.S. Olympic Committee

Nearly all of these entities receive tax funding to build the stadiums they play in. Now they want to make your supplements more expensive so that none of their rich athletes will accidentally ingest anything banned by league rules. But you can take action to kill this bill.

It's crucial to understand that most vitamins and supplements aren't drugs. Your food that grows in the ground, or on the hoof, is full of these substances. That's one reason why previous government attempts to label these nutritional supplements as drugs, and regulate them, have met with fierce public opposition. Indeed . . .

Prior to the Internet, one such government power grab generated what may have been the biggest barrage of letters to Congress in American history. That power grab failed, because public pressure works!

Instead of regulating supplements Congress passed the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 DSHEA).

That law states that most nutritional substances do not require FDA pre-approval before going to market, and cannot be re-classified as drugs.

Now, John McCain seeks to repeal key provisions of the DSHEA. Yet in his remarks introducing S.3002 . . .

* he provides no evidence that the relatively free-market approach of the DHSEA has failed

* he cites no evidence that dietary supplements, consumed by 150 million Americans, are unsafe or a threat to public health

And the DSSA is completely unnecessary to address the (minor) steroid problem. In fact, the problems McCain does cite were already addressed by current law, which has not been competently enforced by the FDA!

* the FDA already has authority to ban any substance containing anabolic steroids

* and products are already required to list all their ingredients

To make matters worse, ". . . the bill reverses common law, which assumes all is legal unless restricted. DSSA would allow only what is permitted to be legal."

The DSSA is nothing but regulatory "corporate welfare" for major sports leagues (and multi-national drug companies). It will put the FDA in the business of helping the NFL, Major League Baseball, etc. enforce their substance policies -- at your expense.

This bill will deny you freedom of choice, place expensive burdens on small enterprises, and do nothing to protect your health. It will actually make you less healthy, by causing nutritional substances to be less available and more expensive.

Please use these talking points to tell your Representative and your two Senators to oppose S. 3002, John McCain's Dietary Supplement Safety Act.

And if you're excited about DownsizeDC.org's work, please do one or both of the following:

1) Start a monthly pledge or make a one-time donation.

2) Commit to sharing this campaign with ten other people who would be interested in this issue.

Both methods will help grow the Downsize DC Army,

Jim Babka, President, DownsizeDC.org, Inc.

===================