AVN taking nominations for Yossarian Award; ceremony, anthrax press conf. & rally Sept. 15, Lansing

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends, Troops, Vets, and Family Members:

This is a press release and flier announcing the nominations for the first

annual Yossarian Awards, to be presented at the national press conference, rally

and panel discussion concerning the military's mandatory Anthrax Vaccine

Immunization Program in Lansing, Michigan on September 15, 2001. We hope you

will be able to attend; we hope you'll nominate a person or persons for the

Yossarian Award by the Aug. 31 deadline (you can simply reply to this e-mail

with a name, position, and factual, non-emotional account of why the award is

deserved) - and we also ask that you forward this e-mail on to at least 6 other

people, preferably troops, veterans and their families. Thank you!!! Please

remember that the name to use concerning the Anthrax Vaccine Network is Sonnie

Bates, as he is our public spokesperson; and the names connected with the rally

are Robin Hawes and Randi Allaire. All their numbers are below.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: AUGUST 2, 2001

CONTACT: RANDI ALLAIRE, (616) 317-3614; ROBIN SMITH HAWES,

(616) 660-0729; or SONNIE BATES, (302) 430-0279

NATIONAL ANTHRAX VACCINE NETWORK TO PRESENT FIRST " YOSSARIAN AWARD " AT NATIONAL

PROTEST RALLY IN LANDING SEPT. 15

LANSING, MI: The national Anthrax Vaccine Network, a group formed of active-duty

troops, veterans, and their family members who have been adversely affected by

the military's mandatory Anthrax Vaccine Immunization Program will present the

first annual " Yossarian Award " at a major anti-anthrax rally and press

conference from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15, on the Capital Steps in

Lansing, Michigan. Sponsored by the Anthrax Vaccine Network and N.O. A.B.U.S.E.

(the National Organization of Americans Battling Unnecessary Servicemember

Endangerment), the rally, panel discussion and press conference will include

experts on the anthrax vaccine as well as troops and veterans who have become

seriously ill from taking the vaccine or who have lost their careers because of

their refusal to take the vaccine (flier attached).

Named after the lead character in ph Heller's Catch-22, the Yossarian Award

will be presented to the person or group of people who have most effectively

kept troops mired between risking their health or having a federal felony

hanging over their heads for the rest of their lives; or in some other way

managed to mangle reason, justice, common sense, and medical treatment.

Nominations to date include:

- Lt. Col. Mark Allred, the military judge who presided at Captain Buck's

court-martial after Dr. Buck, an emergency room physician at Keesler AFB, MS,

refused the vaccine -- for refusing to allow any evidence presented that would

have proven the orders to take the vaccine were illegal, thereby declaring the

orders legal by default;

- the FDA, for leaving in its wake a litany of recalled and problematic

vaccines, conflict of interest accusations by the Government Reform Committee

and other experts, approval of experimentation in the Gulf War, and consistent

stonewalling over anthrax vaccine problems;

- the Navy-Marine Court of Criminal Appeals, which stated that 1) Congress needs

a Presidential Executive Order to put into effect legislation that has already

been properly passed and signed into law; 2) a federal statute and Executive

Order specifically stating that servicemembers may not be given an

investigational vaccine without their consent do not really provide rights to a

servicemember to refuse a shot; 3), the aforementioned federal statute and

Executive Order have no real effect on military members, despite the fact that

the Dept. of Defense has adopted a detailed policy stating that servicemembers

are not to be given investigational or experimental vaccines without informed

consent, and 4), that the anthrax vaccine is not an investigational drug because

the Chief of Naval Operations has issued an order saying that the vaccine is

safe.

Other nominees include Major General A. Weaver, Jr., director of the Air

National Guard; former President Jefferson Clinton; and Marine Maj. Gen.

Randy L. West, special adviser to the secretary of defense for anthrax and

bio-defense affairs. The deadline for nominations is August 31, 2001.

For more information on problems with the military's Anthrax Vaccine

Immunization Program, please log on to either or

For more information about " Rolling Resistance 2001, " please call Randi Allaire,

(616) 317-3613; Robin Hawes, (616) 660-0729, or Sonnie Bates, (302)

430-0279.

###

Flier follows for Rolling Resistance 2001 Rally, with speakers' biographies

ROLLING RESISTANCE

2001

Join us to support American citizens in uniform suffering from the Pentagon's

mandatory Anthrax Vaccine

Victims and Experts Discuss Corruption & Consequences

September 15, 2001

12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Lansing, Michigan

Steps of the State Capitol

Live band beginning at 11:30 a.m.

Sponsored in part by:

The Anthrax Vaccine Network (AVN) The National Organization of

Americans Battling Unnecessary Servicemember Endangerment (NO ABUSE)

Hosted by: Ms. Randi Allaire, and Mrs. Robin Hawes (formerly -Groll)

Ms. Allaire served in the Armed Forces for nine years, and was a member of the

110th Fighter Wing, Air National Guard, MI, for 3 ½ years. She re-ceived her 4th

shot in March of 1999, and be-came very ill from short-term memory loss,

vertigo, chronic fatigue, migraines, shortness of breath and aching

joints/muscles. She received no medical treatment from the military, only

denials. Due to her continuing illness, she refused the 5th shot, and was

ultimately discharged under Honorable Conditions. She has testi-fied in front of

Congress, and has devoted her spare time to helping and supporting service

members with the same challenges.

Ms. Hawes served in the Armed Forces for over 14 years. She was a member of the

110th Fighter Wing, Air National Guard, Battle Creek, MI. She received her 4th

anthrax vaccination in March of 1999. Following the vaccination she be-came

extremely ill with tremors in her right arm, chronic fatigue, migraines, rashes,

vertigo, shortness of breath, abdom-inal cramping and memory loss. The National

Guard Bureau medically disquali-fied her from continued military service.

Subsequently she was discharged from the 110th Fighter Wing. Robin has also

testified in front of Congress. She is the mother of four children.

For information on the Anthrax Vaccine:

http://www.anthraxvaccine.org . http://www.majorbates.com .

http://www.enter.net/~jfsorg

http://www.jamesmadisonproject.org . http://www.anthraxvaccine.net .

http://www.dallasnw.quik.com/cyberella

For further information contact: rollingresistance@... or

contact@...

Speaker Biographies

Dr. Meryl Nass - Dr. Nass is a practicing physician in her civilian occupation.

She has been actively researching the anthrax vac-cine for over ten years, and

is considered an expert in this field. By default, she has become an activist

against the A.V.I.P. She has testified numerous times before congress and the

House Sub-Committee. Her testi-monies are yet to be refuted by the Depart-ment

of Defense. For more information about Dr. Nass, please visit her website at:

http://www.anthraxvaccine.org

SRA (former) Tom Colosimo - SRA Tom Colosimo has had over 700 blackouts since

receiving the Anthrax Vaccine. He has ex-treme chemical sensitivity where almost

any chemical will send him into a delirium epi-sode. The Air Force awarded him a

mere 64% disability. Currently he is unemploy-able. He has been rated by Social

Security as 100% disabled, and now waits a decision from the Veteran's

Administration (VA). To find out more information about Tom, please visit his

website at: http://www.tomcolosimo.com

MAJ (Former) Sonnie Bates - MAJ Sonnie Bates was transferred to Dover Air Force

Base (AFB) in August of 1999. He was the Chief Operations and Analysis Branch

for the 436th Operations Group. MAJ Bates began noticing severe side effects in

the pilots of the unit who had received the Anthrax Vaccination and began his

own investigation of the cluster. Of 252 questionnaires sent to the pilots of

Dover AFB, 139 were completed and re-turned. The reactions he discovered among

this group ran parallel with Gulf War Syn-drome (GWS). MAJ Bates then refused to

receive the Anthrax Vaccine. Ultimately, he received an Honorable Discharge

Under General Conditions, despite his exemplary record and accomplishments. To

learn more about MAJ Bates and the information he has discovered through

research, visit his web-site at http://www.majorbates.com

MAJ Jon Irelan - MAJ Jon Irelan re-ceived four anthrax vaccinations. After

receiving his 4th vaccination, he began to develop loss of facial hair, severe

loss of testosterone, rapid weight gain, mood swings, severe groin pain, a

substantial loss of muscular strength and severe fatigue. Military physicians

refused to connect his symptoms to the anthrax vaccine. A report recording

symptoms was never even filed by the military on his behalf.

COL. (Retired) Redmond Handy - a vocal critic of the military's mandatory

Anthrax Vaccination Immunization Policy (A.V.I.P.). He founded the National

Organization of Americans Battling Unnecessary Service member Endangerment (NO

ABUSE). After extensive research, and meeting those ill from the shots, Mr.

Handy retired in protest from his Pentagon position as a full Colonel in the Air

Force Reserve. He has testified before the House National Security Subcommittee

and the House Armed Services Personnel Sub-committee. Mr. Handy has helped

vaccine victims legitimately avoid further shots, obtain Congressional

assistance, and receive shot-related disability rulings from the Veteran's

Administration. As an expert witness, he has discussed the vaccine's problems on

many national and local media forums and has written several articles.

How You Can Help

Ben lin has been credited as saying, " Justice will not be served until

those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are. " Until the public

becomes out-raged at the unethical treatment of our national heroes who keep the

world safe for democracy, experiments like the A.V.I.P. will continue. This

program is only the beginning -- the Pentagon has 18 new biowarfare vaccines

under development, along with an HIV/AIDS shot. Our men and women of the Armed

Forces are not second-class citizens to be used as guinea pigs. You can: 1. Seek

state legislation that prohibits National Guard commanders from using

experimental medicines. 2. Write and call your Representatives and Senators and

demand better for our fighting force. 3. If our elected Government officials

cannot provide better for our soldiers, demand and vote for an official who

will! 4. And when you have an opportunity, please thank a veteran for preserving

our rights of free speech and voting power.

For further information contact: rollingresistance@... or

contact@...