The drug companies are also getting help from powerful lawmakers in Washington. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who has received $873,000 in contributions from the pharmaceutical industry, has been working to immunize vaccine makers from liability in 4,200 lawsuits that have been filed by the parents of injured children. On five separate occasions, Frist has tried to seal all of the government's vaccine-related documents -- including the Simpsonwood transcripts -- and shield Eli Lilly, the developer of thimerosal, from subpoenas. In 2002, the day after Frist quietly slipped a rider known as the "Eli Lilly Protection Act" into a homeland security bill, the company contributed $10,000 to his campaign and bought 5,000 copies of his book on bioterrorism. Congress repealed the measure in 2003 -- but earlier this year, Frist slipped another provision into an anti-terrorism bill that would deny compensation to children suffering from vaccine-related brain disorders. "The lawsuits are of such magnitude that they could put vaccine producers out of business and limit our capacity to deal with a biological attack by terrorists," says Dean Rosen, health policy advisor to Frist.

I guess it wouldn't do to put public health and safety before drug company profits, especially since the sales of such vaccines are mandated by school entry requirements, would it?  But at least between this and the Medicare drug benefit scam he'll have a promising career as a lobbyist for big pharma awaiting him after his failed presidential run.

Which means one will probably be the next President.

Speaking of the NYT, whaddya think of their new web design? I think it's horrible. My first thought this morning was that the guy who thought up "New Coke" found a job on W. 43rd St.

And that's saying something.

...the cat, TOTALLY out of the bag...unless you're Bill Frist, in which case, the cat is totally in the bag, because it's dead.

Can't hear ya, Peach!