2009 is almost over and 2010 will bring a whole new set of challenges that may be every bit as difficult as those we have faced this year. But I would like to pause during this season of remembrance and celebration to give thanks to those who made 2009 special for this small charity working to prevent vaccine injuries and deaths through public education and defend the informed consent ethic in medicine.
On the nearly 30 year journey that those of us at the National Vaccine Information Center have taken, every year men and women of conscience and conviction have stepped forward to help us protect those who have no voice and have no choice:
Dr. Joe Mercola & TechStars
Thank you, Dr. Joe Mercola of Mercola.com and the IT team led by Steve Rye and Techstars, for your generous in-kind donations of time and expertise to redesign and update the new NVIC website, which was launched in February 2009.
Dr. Mercola was given NVIC's Visionary Award for speaking out about why it is so important for all of us to take back control of our health as individuals and as a nation. He has been a leader this year in communicating the truth about H1N1 swine flu after NVIC launched a national public education program in April 2009 when the government declared a pandemic influenza public health emergency.
NVIC Conference Speakers & Attendees
I also want to thank the courageous, intellectually honest scientists, doctors, ethicists, journalists, legal experts, and health freedom advocates, who took the stage October 2-4, 2009 at NVIC's Fourth International Public Conference on Vaccination. You demonstrated why our call to "Show Us the Science and Give Us the Choice" is being taken seriously by millions of Americans defending their right to know and freedom to decide when making choices that affect their health and the health of their children.
And we can't forget the nearly 700 men and women from 44 states and 11 nations, who attended NVIC's Conference and raised more than $100,000 to launch a fund raising campaign for scientific research into the long term health outcomes of vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. That groundbreaking research promises to fill in the big gaps in scientific knowledge about the vaccine benefit and risk equation for different people.
Principled Journalists
And I want to thank the principled journalists researching and writing for newspapers, radio, television and on the world wide web - who have not forgotten how to fairly report both sides of a story and have accurately and without prejudice reported what I and others working at the National Vaccine Information Center say and do. You give us hope that our decades of work to institute vaccine safety and informed consent protections in the mass vaccination system will be understood and acknowledged someday, even by fellow journalists and others attempting to demonize, isolate and stop what we are doing to make vaccines and public health polices safer. Responsible journalism contributes to responsible government, corporate accountability and truth in medicine and you should have confidence that millions of people in America and around the world are watching you and are grateful for your journalistic professionalism, integrity and courage.
Health Care Workers & Citizen Activists
And thank you to the health care workers and average Americans all across this country, who took it upon themselves in 2009 to become more educated about infectious disease, chronic disease and vaccination. Because you became informed and showed up at federally sponsored public engagement town hall meetings; and because you blogged and tweeted, and posted comments on media response boards; and because you became the kind of citizen activists needed to make a participatory democracy work, you helped to inform government about why the massive H1N1 swine flu vaccination campaign should remain voluntary in America, and why it is not a good idea to fast track unapproved and potentially reactive adjuvants into vaccines without thorough testing.
NVIC Staff & Donor Supporters
And I want to thank the small staff and group of volunteers at NVIC and the loyal, big-hearted donor supporters of NVIC - both those who have stood by us for three decades - and those of you who have joined us this year. You are making it possible for this little non-profit to be the mouse that roared. Special thanks to Albert and Claire Dwoskin; Dr. Stephanie Christner; Dr. Julian Whittaker; Dr. Troy Dukowitz and the good doctors of chiropractic at EPOC or believing that - together - we can make a difference with what we have to give.
Join With Us
In this season of thanksgiving and remembrance, I hope you will join us by adopting NVIC as one of your favorite charities. Your tax deductible donation given during the last few weeks of 2009 will help NVIC continue our public education, informed consent advocacy and scientific research programs in 2010. You will be taking a stand to protect your health, the health of our children and our nation.
Thank you to everyone who made 2009 a year filled with as many blessings to count as there were challenges to meet.
Happy holidays!
Click here to view a video of this commentary with live links to references and to post a comment.
THE ONE CLICK: Activist Mom Anchors Breaking Vaccine News in Europe
Jane Bryant is a mother and an extraordinary activist journalist who founded The One Click Group, a UK-based international healthy advocacy pressure group that tells it like it is. Jane was a journalist moderator at NVIC's Fourth International Public Conference on Vaccination and wrote an article recounting her experiences at NVIC's conference, which has become one of the most viewed articles on her information-packed website. Click here to read it.
Jane has endured years of harrassment which has gone beyond personal and professional criticism for cutting edge, hard hitting reporting of controversial vaccine and other health and government policy issues. She funds The One Click out of her own pocket. Do check out her website at www.theone clickgroup.co.uk and hit the "Donate" button at the right top of the homepage and make a donation to help keep this beacon of of truth light shining in the UK, throughout Europe and around the world.
National Vaccine Information Center ________________________________________
email: news@nvic.org voice: 703-938-dpt3 web: http://www.nvic.org NVIC E-News is a free service of the National Vaccine Information Center and is supported through membership donations.
NVIC is funded through the financial support of its members and does not receive any government subsidies. Barbara Loe Fisher, President and Co- founder.
Learn more about vaccines, diseases and how to protect your informed consent rights at http://www.nvic.org
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