| Sources & Links for civic participation On this page you will find information sources and action links about the following global challenge / solution clusters in which EON is involved: Electromagnetic Pollution, Democracy & Human Health Election Integrity & the New Voting Rights Movement Climate Change & Renewable Energy Nuclear Weapons, Power and Waste Health Care Democracy |
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| Electromagnetic Pollution, Democracy & Human Health T-Mobile-Sponsored Bill in California Attacks Local Democracy Action Alert 5-29-06 Where to fax or mail Join the Peoples'Delegation - Tell Lawmakers What You Think in Person This bill could be heard as soon as June 14 or or June 28 and MUST BE STOPPED IN THIS COMMITTEE. SB 1627 - T-Mobile Sponsored Bill in California: * Attacks Local Democracy * Would eliminate Local Authority in decisions regarding proliferating antennas * Sets a dangerous unconstitutional precedent * Removes local zoning authority over the siting of cellular antennas * Prevents municipalities from addressing the public health, safety, and welfare of their citizens and from regulating the placement of antennas as appropriate to the unique circumstances of their communities. California residents, please forward to your lists. SB 1627, a wireless industry-sponsored bill introduced in February 2006 by Sen. Christine Kehoe of San Diego which would further restrict local government control over the siting of cellular towers and antennae, was approved by the California State Senate on May 18 with only Sen. Dick Ackerman, a Republican of Orange County, voting in opposition. SB 1627, would, among other things, eliminate the authority of local California governments to restrict the placement of cellular antennae in certain areas, such as away from school sites or other locations where sensitive populations live and work. According to an April 13, 2006 story in the San Diego Reader, the chief industry sponsor of the bill, T-Mobile USA, Inc., as well as Verizon Wireless and the SBC California Employee Political Action Committee, each gave $1000 to Sen. Kehoe's reelection fund last year. The League of California Cities, along with local governments and grass-roots organizations across the State of California, have been working to stop this wireless industry end-run, but are up against a multi-billion dollar industry and its lobbying apparatus, including their consumer front organizations. At a time when the New York State Legislature is considering a bill that would prohibit cellular antennae within 500 feet of schools in New York State, at the behest of the wireless industry California is moving in exactly the opposite direction. The bill next heads to the Assembly Local Government Committee for a hearing on either June 14 or June 28 and MUST BE STOPPED IN THIS COMMITTEE. SEND LETTERS Please FAX and/or MAIL your letters in opposition to the following address and fax number and reference "SB 1627 - Wireless Telecommunications (Kehoe)": Assembly Local Government Committee Attn: Stacey Sullivan 1020 N Street, Room 157 Sacramento, CA 95814 Fax No. (916) 319-3959 If possible, please also FAX and/or MAIL letters to members of the Committee (and forward this message to anyone you know who lives in their districts): Simon Salinas (Chair) State Capitol P.O. Box 942849 Sacramento, CA 94249-0028 (916) 319-2028 (916) 319-2128 Fax (King City, Greenfield, Soledad, Gonzales, Salinas, Hollister, San Juan Bautista, Watsonville, Gilroy, and parts of San Jose) Bill Emmerson (Vice-Chair) State Capitol Building Room 3149 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: (916)319-2063 Fax: (916)319-2163 (Rancho Cucamonga, Upland, Redlands, San Bernardino, Highland, Loma Linda, Fontana, Grand Terrace, Yucaipa, Moreno Valley, Riverside) Hector De La Torre State Capitol P.O. Box 942849 Sacramento, CA 94249-0050 (916) 319 - 2050 (916) 319 - 2150 fax (Southeast Los Angeles County area cities of Bell, Bellflower, Bell Gardens, Commerce, Cudahy, Downey, Lynwood, South Gate, and the unincorporated communities of Florence-Graham and Walnut Park) Guy Houston State Capitol, Room 2130 P.O. Box 942849 Sacramento, CA 94249 Phone: (916) 319-2015 Fax: (916) 319-2115 (Livermore, Walnut Creek, San Ramon, Danville, Oakley, Brentwood, Elk Grove, Galt, Stockton, Pleasanton) Sally Lieber State Capitol P.O. Box 942849 Sacramento, CA 94249-0022 (916) 319-2022 (916) 319-2122 fax (San Jose, Mountain View, Cupertino, Santa Clara) Joe Nation State Capitol P.O. Box 942849 Sacramento, CA 94249-0006 Phone: (916) 319-2006 Fax: (916) 319-2106 (Marin and Sonoma Counties) Lois Wolk State Capitol P.O. Box 942849 Sacramento, CA 94249-0008 (916) 319-2008 (916) 319-2108 fax (Davis, West Sacramento, Woodland, Winters,Benicia, Dixon, Fairfield, Suisun, and Vacaville) Text of SB 1627: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/bill/sen/sb_1601-1650/sb_1627_bill_20060509_amended_sen.html The following is the text of letter from a City Council member in Albany, California: Dear Senator Perata: I am writing to urge you to vote against SB 1627 - Wireless Telecommunications Facilities (Kehoe), which was recently forwarded by committee to the full senate for a vote. I oppose this industry-supported bill because it is an unconstitutional taking away of local zoning authority over the siting of cellular antennas, preventing municipalities from addressing the public health, safety, and welfare of their citizens and from regulating the placement of antennas as appropriate to the unique circumstances of their communities. By denying local governments the right to limit antennas to particular geographic areas, this bill attacks the basis of many local wireless telecommunications ordinances, including the one the city of Albany worked assiduously to draft just last year, carefully taking into account the concerns of both the residents of our small city and the wireless carriers who serve us. This provision of SB 1627 would prevent communities from, for example, keeping antennas away from school sites or other locations where sensitive populations live and work. By requiring that co-located antenna permits be expedited and not subject to environmental review, the bill denies local residents the right to be informed about and object to additional antennas in their communities. It also ignores the fact that co-located antennas create cumulative radio-frequency (RF) exposure conditions. These conditions are poorly understood by science and pose health and safety risks to the citizens whose interests I am elected to protect. By asserting that "co-location" of antennas is "not a municipal affair," the bill not only undermines local zoning authority but sets a precedent for a future determination that municipalities should not have control over placement of any cellular facilities. This assertion is illogical - if the original installation of an antenna site is subject to municipal authority, why would the addition of antennas to that site not also be a matter of concern for the local government? It is also in direct conflict with the intent of the federal Telecommunications Act of 1996, which specifically provides for "preservation of local zoning authority" and the California PUC's Order 159A, which explicitly assumes that local governments will exercise zoning authority over the placement of wireless antennas. The wireless industry would like nothing better than not to have to answer to local communities about the placement and impacts of its facilities. With evidence mounting that the continuous low-level RF exposures from cellular antennas sites are associated with adverse health and biological effects, the passing of this bill would represent a give-away to corporate interests and a serious failure to protect the health and safety of Californians. ================================================ PEOPLES' DELEGATION If you are interested in and available to travel to Sacramento the week of June 5-9 to meet with members of the Assembly Local Government Committee to inform them about SB 1627, Mary Beth Brangan of Marin County is organizing a people's delegation so that our voices are heard on this issue. Please contact Mary Beth by either phone at (415) 868-1900 or e-mail at eon3@earthlink.net as soon as possible with your available dates so she can begin coordinating this important event. Thanks for your ongoing assistance. Thanks to Doug Loranger San Francisco Antenna Free Union (SNAFU) ====================================== Telecommunications Collocation Bill Still Alive - 5-29-06 After reviewing the revised version of SB 1627 (Kehoe), the League of California Cities remains "Opposed Unless Amended." SB 1627 is a bill that would [permit] wireless telecommunications companies to collocate their wireless facilities on a non-discretionary basis will now be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee, which reviews all bills that have monetary impacts to the state or local government. Specifically, in its current form the bill did not provide any substantial or important changes regarding community safeguards, citizen input or local planning control. As per the bill's language, the author indicates that: "Collocation of equipment on an existing structure will be treated as a non-discretionary application only when it is consistent with requirements for color, shape height and number of antennas that were established when the permit was issued. If the application for collocation is inconsistent with the terms of the original permit, then the permit would become discretionary and the city's existing permitting process will govern." Unfortunately, the bill seeks to extract the very process that allows for proper planning, input from residents: "discretion" of the local city council. Each added antenna will include an equipment storage box or building. The overture that SB 1627 will not increase the footprint at all is simply not true. This bill challenges the very local control that is bestowed upon cities proper planning process. The League believes SB 1627 severely limits the right of local government to control the placement of cell antennas. The League remains steadfast on its belief that SB 1627 must include the following: • No pre-emption of the local discretionary process • No pre-emption of local authority to regulate collocation based upon aesthetics • Allow the public continued input on placement through the local hearing process We are committed to continuing work with Sen. Kehoe and the bill's sponsor, T-Mobile, to have the aforementioned points included within SB 1627 Telecom: What Cities Need to Know Radical changes telecommunications technology and regulatory approaches are occurring -- and they could dramatically affect YOUR city. Check this page frequently to get the background information and updates you need. (What's Congress Doing? - Link to the Telecom Section of the National League of Cities' website (www.nlc.org) LINKS The Council on Wireless Technology Impacts Citizens and professionals working for the safe use of electromagnetic technologies. Microwave News Microwave News covers the health and safety issues related to exposure to electromagnetic radiation. Includes electromagnetic fields (EMFs) power lines, cellular phones and radar. The EMR Network A national network of citizens and professionals for the responsible use of electromagnetic radiation. Wave Guide EMF/RFR Bioeffects and Public Policy. Less EMF.com - The EMF Safety Superstore Your Ultimate Source for Electromagnetic Pollution Detectors, Shielding Devices and Protection Information. The EMF Guru Roy Beavers' website and news service is a vital infomation plexis point for our growing international movement www.sutro.org Community perspectives on Sutro Tower in San Francisco. This site is privately sponsored and not associated with Sturo Tower, Inc. www.c-a-r-e.org Colorado site with excellent information, including Lookout Mountain. (Lookout Mountain already exceeds FCC power limits, and broadcasters are pushing hard for more transmitters anyway.) www.feb.se For those who read Swedish, a pioneer site for chemically and electromagnetically sensitive people. http://www.emrpolicy.org/ Advancing sound public policy on EMR technology. Back to Top of Page |
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Election Integrity & the New Voting Rights Movement Information, Charts and Sources from Rolling Stone's recent in depth report by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Was the 2004 Election Stolen? Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and ROLLING STONE spent four months investigating the 2004 election in Ohio. To assemble a conservative estimate of the number of voters in the state who were prevented from casting ballots or did not have their votes counted, we interviewed dozens of election officials, pollsters, candidates, voter advocates and political scientists, and reviewed reports by federal officials, statisticians, voter advocates and journalists. Kennedy is president of Waterkeeper Alliance and writes frequently about issues affecting American democracy. His story ''Deadly Immunity'' appeared in RS 977/978. Additional research and reporting for this piece were provided by contributing editor Tim Dickinson, who covers politics for ROLLING STONE, and writes National Affairs Daily, where he will be exploring the article in greater depth in the coming days. Below is a list of sources and additional materials on the 2004 election. A ROLLING STONE Editorial: A Call for Investigation Electronic voting machines pose a grave threat to democracy The Charts: The Tale of the Exit Polls; Ohio's Missing Votes; The Twelve Suspect Counties The Books: How the GOP Stole America's 2004 Election & Is Rigging 2008 by Bob Fitrakis, Harvey Wasserman Fooled Again: How the Right Stole the 2004 Election & Why They'll Steal the Next One Too (Unless We Stop Them) by Mark Crispin Miller Was the 2004 Presidential Election Stolen? : Exit Polls, Election Fraud, and the Official Count by Steve Freeman, Joel Bleifuss The Reports: Preserving Democracy: What Went Wrong in Ohio Democracy at Risk: The 2004 Election in Ohio The DNC investigation Lucas Country Board of Elections -- Results of Investigations Following November 2004 General Election Analyses of Voter Disqualification, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, November 2004 Additional Materials: The Blackwell Fundraising Letter from ROLLING STONE Posted Jun 01, 2006 12:05 PM =============================================== Action Suggestions from Mainstreet Moms Help America Vote...ON PAPER - a citizen call for election integrity 5 CITIZEN ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE While the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) is a federal law having dire impact nationwide, many of the final decisions about voting equipment, policy and election procedures are made at the local level. Successful turnarounds are being achieved county-by-county around the country, by people showing up. Whether by phone, by letter, or in person, a flood of curious and informed citizens (that's you!) have been knocking on the doors of the insular elections officials community. They're demanding a moratorium on touchscreen DRE (Direct Record Electronic) voting machines, and a commitment to paper-ballot-based voting. And they are having an impact. Here's how to dive in: 1. Host! Show the documentary "Help America Vote..ON PAPER" to others ( see sidebar menu ) Build out awareness, hope and action - host your own screenings of this 18-minute DVD In a country redlining on "outrage fatigue," election integrity talk just about rubs people to the bone. But if you can offer evidence, simplicity, progress, and action, anyone can stomach just about any issue. That's where this fast-paced and inspiring 18-minute DVD (from EON Media) comes in. You don't have to be any kind of expert - just show the movie, and get to talking about next steps: ---Preview the film online at MainstreetMoms.org (Quicktime format) or on Google Video: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2189785998591450323 ---Order DVD from filmmakers Eon Media at eon3.net ($15, or ask about bulk pricing) ---Print a How-to-Host kit from MainstreetMoms.org ---Pick a time and place, publicize the event, and test your DVD equipment ahead of time ---Consider mailing this DVD to friends in other states and counties, opinion leaders, press 2. Volunteer to work the polls, get informed (and get paid!) Retake an increasingly privatized election process - be an informed pollworker Come see for yourselves what's up with American elections, while you help voters cast their votes. This is one area of election integrity that actually pays (anywhere from $50-$120 a day). And there's a real need for help in the precincts, as the average age of the American pollworker approaches 72. So if you can possibly do it, grab a friend, get informed, and get a front row seat for the 2006 elections: ---Sign up with your election official as a pollworker (contact info at ovf-eod.org) ---Be prepared for a possible day of training plus a long day on Election Day ---Get informed: Find out what equipment will be in use, and read up. Tech information at VoteTrustUSA.org, background at VotersUnite.org and MainstreetMoms Reading Room ---We want to hear about your Election Day experience: Click JOIN at MainstreetMoms.org so we can send you guidelines, tips and a way to report back As veteran pollworker of Florida Mary Beth Kuznik says, "No one is closer to the voters and sees more of what goes on with the voting machines than the pollworkers." 3. Get press: Letters-to-the-editor, blogging, DVD, press releases Change the national conversation - use the press Many people count on the news to tell them what to care about. And oddly enough, politicians look to the news to tell them what we care about. That's why the long media silence on a deeply flawed technology (electronic voting machines) is dangerous. It's important now to pump the issue of election integrity and voting machines into the press, persistently and creatively. Here's how to get started: ---First check for any election integrity groups already active in your area through VoteTrustUSA.org: They may have a press plan they'd love help with ---Then look for any opening in your local newspapers, local TV coverage, blogs, or local radio to respond with a Letter-to-the-Editor. (Tips at MainstreetMoms.org) ---Concoct an action, start a group, show up at offices, parades or hearings with banners (try 50% Clorox lettering on colored canvas!) - then call people in the press --Ask questions about election integrity and machines at candidate events, hearings, other ---BONUS: Brainstorm with a friend a list of media people and opinion leaders who you think could wake up and make a difference. Get addresses online, email or call with the link for viewing Help America Vote…ON PAPER, and hound them, nicely 4. Call, write, and question your local elections officials Restore transparency -- one question, one letter, one call at a time Every county is different, but under HAVA's absurd 2006 deadline and vendor-friendly language regarding touchscreen DRE (Direct Record Electronic) machines, the nation has undergone a major shift toward that costly, worst-case technology. At the same time, HAVA is mandating every state develop centralized voter databases, which have been wrongly purging new voters at rates of up to 43%. ---Get contact information for officials at www.ovf-eod.org and www.nass.org ---Ask (respectfully, it works better) what voting equipment will be in use in your county ---If your officials are using good equipment (paper-ballot-based), thank them, then ask if they will audit a percentage of votes, and if results will be posted at the precinct. If they're using bad equipment (touchscreen DREs), ask those questions, and many more: ---How will they guarantee the accuracy of the vote totals; Are there preparations for counting a high volume of provisional ballots; Will recounts be possible? ---Finally, will they heed advice from the bi-partisan Carter/Baker Commission? "The machines are likely to break down. Have enough paper ballots on hand as back-up" NOTE: Titles of elections officials vary across states, such as Registrar, Clerk, or Elections Chief; and comprise varied levels of government: Sec. of State, Boards of Supervisors, County Commissioners 5. Letter-writing to leverage the lawsuits: Evidence is evidence is evidence There are big cases already built against Diebold, Sequoia, and DREs - use them like a hammer The biggest, best turnaround to date on the machines front first happened in New Mexico, where Governor Bill Richardson responded to tangible evidence, citizen action, and VoterAction's Sequoia DREs lawsuit by coming out for all-paper-ballot voting using optiscans. Use this and other cases now from VoterAction.org. Here's how: ---Sleuthing: Find out which counties in your state are going with Diebold, which with Sequoia, and which with other touchscreens (check VerifiedVoting.org, or Sec. of State) ---Go to VoterAction.org, download and deliver (or mail) to your elections officials the NM legal case for Sequoia counties, and the CA legal case for Diebold counties. They're very long - consider sending just the summary or make clear reference to the site in your letter ---If you're hand-delivering to a Supervisors or Commissioners meeting, call the press Finally, send this guilt-free rabblerousing sheet of actions to friends of yours in other states and counties. Option (Mac) or Alt (PC) click here to Download PDF LINKS FreePress.org a one-stop source for up-to-date reporting and action tips. Its editors, Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman - called by Rev. Jesse Jackson the "Woodward & Bernstein of the 2004 Election" - are the co-authors of How the GOP stole America's 2004 election and is rigging 2008, A Special Investigative Report Revealing Massive Voter Theft, Fraud and Illegalities in Ohio's Presidential Balloting Mainstreet Moms an education-in-action project committed to big change through the accelerated and year-round engagement of citizens, particularly the 83.5 million Americans who identify as mothers. Mainstreet Moms is a strictly guilt-free enterprise started by moms, but open to absolutely everyone. Check here for 'bite-size, guilt-free actions.' Mark Crispin Miller Scholar, author, investigative reporter Miller's site is packed with incisive reporting. Most recently, Miller wrote Fooled Again , in which he argues that it wasn't moral values that swung the election-it was theft. BradBlog (a.k.a. Brad Friedman) A Leading Voice in America's Pro-Democracy Movement. (Yes, we now have one in America! Can you believe it?!) Verified Voting are advocates of reliable and publicly verifiable elections. Voters Unite a source for action on voting rights and of information on voting problems. Voter Action a not-for-profit organization that provides legal, research and organizing support to ensure election integrity in the United States. Black Box Voting home to true-blue hero, Bev Harris. She has the mind of a criminal investigator, a kick-ass sense of humor, the guts to use the F-word (that would be fraud) and the stamina to back it all up with FACTS Back to Top of Page |
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| Climate Change and Rewnewable Energy Climate chaos, peak oil and the 'energy rush' to renewable power sources intertwine into a major challenge/opportunity cluster. The current buzz about AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH, directed by Davis Guggenheim and produced by Laurie David, Lawrence Bender and Scott Z. Burns. Jeff Skoll and Davis Guggenheim, which presents Al Gore's briefing on the issue of climate change is a good place to start. Go to www.climatecrisis.net for more information. You can view the trailer here. But for the full story, and what to do about it, check the links below. LINKS Donald Aitken Former Senior Scientist for the Union of Concerned Scientists, physicist, architect, solar design pioneer Dr. Donald Aitken is a major educator and campaigner for sustainable energy solutions. Find out more here. Post Carbon Institute Reduce consumption. Produce locally. Post Carbon Institute is a think, action and education tank offering research, project tools, education and information to implement proactive strategies to adapt to an energy constrained world. Ross Gelbspan the Pulizer Prize-winning author of The Heat is On and Boiling Point, broke the story of climate change and is helping to foster the planetary movement to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Global Public Media High Noon for Natural Gas author/activist Julian Darley's public service broadcasting for a post carbon world. Richard Heinberg The Party's Over and Powerdown author Richard Heinberg is a major cruncher of useful information about global energy challenges and planetarian solutions. Here's where you can find out more about his Depletion Protocol Project and his Powerdown Project. Local Power is now helping California communities and state regulators implement the state's new 2002 Community Choice Law, AB117 , allowing communities to choose alternative electricity service providers, locally control the content of the energy they buy, set their own rates, and locally control millions of dollars per year in funds by their residents, businesses and public agencies for local energy efficiency programs. As authors of both California's 2002 Community Choice law and San Francisco's 2001 "Solar Bond Authority" approved by voters to finance renewable energy and conservation facilities, Local Power is uniquely qualified and uniquely committed to helping Communities establish energy independence and sustainability. Women’s Energy Matters (WEM) a network of women and men who approach energy issues from a woman’s point of view. WEM works for a rapid transition to an efficient, renewable energy system, in order to promote healthy communities and ecosystems and improve international relations. WEM also celebrates the ways women have used their own energy through the ages to work for the public good. This website provides a sampling of the information WEM is gathering and actions we are taking, and links to other sites addressing these issues. Apollo Alliance has a simple goal: Three million new jobs. Freedom from foreign oil. In one generation. Back to Top of Page |
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| Nuclear Weapons, Power and Waste LINKS NIRS/WISE - Nuclear Information and Resource Service & World Information Service on Energy NIRS/WISE is the information and networking center for citizens and environmental organizations concerned about nuclear power, radioactive waste, radiation, and sustainable energy issues. Nuclear Radiation Bulletin an up-to-date information service and library archive on nuclear issues maintained by the Abalone Alliance. Tri-Valley Cares Tri-Valley CAREs works to strengthen global security by stopping the development of new nuclear weapons in the US and promoting the elimination of nuclear weapons globally. Nuclear weapons decrease rather than increase human security. Nuclear weapons pose one of the great social, economic and ecological challenges of our time. Tri-Valley CAREs monitors nuclear weapons and environmental clean-up activities throughout the US nuclear weapons complex, with a special focus on Livermore Lab and the surrounding communities. Bay Area Nuclear (BAN) Waste Coalition BAN Waste was formed in 1991 to stop the proposal for a nuclear waste dump in the east Mojave desert at a place called Ward Valley. In an historic victory for environmental justice and the earth, BAN Waste, in concert with a coalition of environmental, social justice organizations, Indian tribes and indigenous rights activists, successfully halted the proposed project. BAN Waste is now promoting oversight of the nuclear industry through potent new laws; opposes the proliferation of nuclear power and nuclear weapons; is working with other groups to stop the proposal for nuclear waste dumps at Yucca Mountain in Nevada and the Goshute Indian Reservation in Utah; opposes nuclear weapons testing on traditional Western Shoshone lands in Nevada; and other issues. Western States Legal Foundation Western States Legal Foundation (WSLF) is a non-profit, public interest organization founded in 1982, which monitors and analyzes U.S. nuclear weapons programs and policies and related high technology energy and weapons programs, with a focus on the national nuclear weapons laboratories. WSLF recognizes that nuclear weapons affect the environment, the economy, the role of violence in society, and democracy itself. Rather than enhancing our "national" security, nuclear weapons threaten our fundamental human security. WSLF seeks to abolish nuclear weapons, compel open public environmental review of nuclear technologies, and ensure appropriate management of nuclear waste. Grounded in nonviolence and rooted in both international and environmental law, the principle guiding WSLF's activities is democratization of decision making affecting nuclear weapons and related technologies Back to Top of Page |
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Health Care Democracy LINKS Citizens for Health the national nonprofit consumer advocacy group working to broaden health care options, create an integrative health system based on wellness, and advance the freedom to make health choices. Natural Solutions Foundation The Natural Solutions Foundation (NSF) was created to protect, promote and defend Health Freedom when Rima E. Laibow, M.D. and Major General Albert N. Stubblebine III (U.S. Army, Ret.) took stock of the dismal state of health freedom in the United States... National Association of Nutritional Professionals - NANP a non-profit business league of nutrition professionals. The NANP mission is to enhance the integrity of the holistic nutrition profession through self-governance, educational standards, a rigorous code of ethics, and professional registration of holistic nutritionists. Back to Top of Page |
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