According to the WSJ, Senator Grassley may leave the Finance Committee
"In what may be the biggest break that the FDA and the pharmaceutical industry have gotten in years, GOP Sen. Charles Grassley is apparently on the verge of stepping out of his leading role on the Senate Finance Committee to take the top Republican spot on the Judiciary Committee.
The potential sea change has had industry lobbyists buzzing today. One who represents a big drug company that has been under fire from Grassley said his client had called his home to ask about “the good news” around 6 a.m.
A former FDA official also said that some current FDA leaders who have been dragged before the Senate to explain various crises at the agency in recent years were exchanging high-fives — seriously, he said — at FDA headquarters in White Oak, Md."
The FDA apparently denies any behavior from leaders and "high-fiving" at the thought of Grassley leaving.
I bet Joseph Biederman, NAMI, the APA and everyone else Grassley has taken on are high-fiving too.
Senator Grassley we need your voice! (read my 'senator grassley' label tag for other articles about Grassley)
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According to Grassley:
"Sen. Chuck Grassley (Iowa) is considering leaving his powerful post as senior Republican on the Finance Committee so that he can become the highest-ranking Republican on the Judiciary panel.To avoid a dramatic shake-up, Grassley is hoping to strike a deal with Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) that would allow him to serve out the next year and a half on Finance before moving to Judiciary.The top GOP spot on the Judiciary Committee, best known for vetting Supreme Court justices, came open when Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.) announced this week he would leave the Republican Party to become a Democrat."
"I made up my mind a long time ago that I wanted to head Republicans on Judiciary,” Grassley told reporters Wednesday. “I hope that decision doesn’t have to be made right now."--Senator Grassley
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3 comments:
Stephany;
Before Short Fuse, NAMI & duh APA go high fivin' demselbs, This might be a blessing in disguise, if it does happen.
With the high handed disregard of Constitutional basis so egregiously wrapping itself in our seated Black Robes from Coast to Coast today, ...... and Grassley's "Take No Prisoners" Integrity, .....
Justice Souter is leaving, and others may follow soon. With our new President's already demonstrated willingness to expand Public largesse to Industry over the Citizenry, .....
It's possible that the aforementioned Psych 'Neer Do Wells' may find their Pharma bankroll becoming answerable to a higher authority:
A reconstituted Judiciary, which will set Supreme Precedents to sue Pharma itself, in every Court across America, into ashes.
Hmmm. I've been thinking about this, since I saw Stan's post about it, yesterday.
Grassley's done a scrupulous job - I'm genuinely impressed by his almost forensic attention to detail, and willingness to follow the chain of causation. And he's made (officially), public a bunch of stuff that a lot of people would rather be kept secret. Eventually, when he's concluded his investigation (assuming he doesn't have to move to the Judiciary Committee, before he's done), I imagine that he will write a report. If that report looks anything like the report into the intimidation of John Buse (in tone), which I seem to recall was written by the SFC, then some big names are going to be publicly humiliated. There will be plenty of people keen to prevent that from happening, because it will de-mystify Pharma as a secretive, powerful force.
However, what Grassley has been piecing together and making official, in terms of understanding the system, has been known by us for a long time. Even if Grassley moves on, tomorrow, the investigation subdued and the report toned down, anybody who has had the misfortune of having been exposed to the mental health system will know that system for the fraud that it is, and nothing will ever change that.
Besides which, scathing report or not, the general public is largely either oblivious or apathetic, which makes them complicit, as far as I'm concerned. That being the case, Grassley's report would be published, and then mothballed, whereupon it will be back to business as usual, and we will be left carrying the torch, once again.
In short, then, Grassley has only validated what we already knew. And I thank him for that, because it provides us with an anchor.
Matt
Yes, one thing for sure is he opened Pandora's box and hopefully public awareness will demand whomever may take his place (if that happens sooner than later)keep the flame burning for truth and exposure.
I commend Grassley for digging into this area, who would imagine all that has come of it just in the last few short months!
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