Sharon Kramer: Letter from Drs. Shoemaker and Thrasher in Her Support

[Guest guest]

To All Members: Below is the letter that Drs. Shoemaker and Thrasher

have sent out on behalf of Sharon Kramer. Sharon has worked

tirelessly behind the scenes to exposed the deceit with respect to

water intrusion and microbial growth. Any amount that you can afford

will help alleviate Sharo's situation. Also, fee free to send this

letter to individuals you know who are in a position to help. Jack

D. Thrasher, Ph.D.

Dear Friends,

As a remarkable mold advocate, Mrs. Sharon Kramer has worked

tirelessly for the past 4 years to advance public recognition of mold

related illnesses and to bring fair treatment to victims of mold

exposure. Sharon has been instrumental in causing a Federal

Government Accountability Office Audit into the mold issue. She has

been working toward Congressional hearings into the conflicts of

interest in medicine that have stifled and confused the understanding

of these illnesses. Indeed, Sharon's research and writings were the

information that interested the Wall Street Journal writer,

Armstrong, to author a front page article published January 2007 and

entitled " Court of Opinion, Amid Suits Over Mold Experts Wear Two

Hats, Authors of Science Paper Cited By Defense Also Help In

Litigation " . In large part because of her efforts, many others now

know and understand about a deceit in medicine with national

ramifications. Sharon has fearlessly spoken out to cause change:

Indoor Environment Connections, IAQ Trade Newspaper December 2006,

Best & Worst of the Year.

WORST " …Which leads directly to the second on my Worst list. No, it's

not the ACOEM and their position statement as reported in the Sharon

Kramer interview last month. Rather, it's the silence of all those in

the know. And there seems to be a lot of them. I've had conversations

with " a number " of people since I wrote that interview who

essentially confirm the disingenuousness of that paper. Some even add

additional evidence and further wrongdoing. Yet not a one, not a

single one, is willing to go public with their information. When I

ask them why I can't use their name, or why they don't write a

rebuttal, they all offer essentially the same answer: the fear of

retribution. " Carl Grimes, President, Healthy Habitats, Denver,

Colorado

NOW SHARON URGENTLY NEEDS OUR HELP!

As you may know, Sharon has been involved in a defamation suit

with authors of the American College of Occupational and

Environmental Medicine, Position Statement on Mold (ACOEM Paper) who

are also authors of the US Chamber of Commerce Statement on Mold,

(Chamber Paper). The papers' authors and the suers are prolific mold

litigation expert witness, Bruce Kelman, and his corporation,

VeriTox, Inc. (GlobalTox, Inc.). VeriTox co-principal and expert

witness, Hardin, is an additional author of the two papers. He

is also a Retired Deputy Director, Assistant Surgeon General of the

National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), which

is a branch of the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Their ACOEM Paper, that came out in 2002, is presented to the

courts and to medical communities as unbiased science, fully endorsed

by thousands of physician members of a nationally influential medical

association. Despite thousands of research papers indicating that

moldy buildings can indeed cause serious illness, their Chamber Paper

came out in 2003 and concluded " Thus the notion that `toxic mold' is

an insidious secret `killer' as so many media reports and trial

lawyers would claim is `Junk Science' unsupported by actual

scientific study. "

VeriTox was paid $40,000 to do this paper for the US Chamber of

Commerce (note: Dr. Kelman now says the payment for the Chamber Paper

was $25,000. It came from the conservative agenda think-tank, the

Manhattan Institute) Dr. Hardin has stated under oath that the

understood purpose of the Chamber paper was for lobbying by

commerce. Dr. Kelman has stated under oath that it was meant to

educate judges. The authors have stated that the meaning of

the " science " ACOEM Paper and the " lobbying " Chamber Paper are the

same.

With all that Sharon has written challenging the validity,

science and motivations of the two papers, she is being accused of

libel for only five written words - Dr. Kelman " altered his under

oath statements " - during a 2005 testimony in a trial in Oregon when

discussing the relationship of the two controversial papers in front

of a jury. Tellingly, no other of her thousands of words written

about a deceit in medicine are being claimed as libelous through this

action.

How did Dr. Kelman " alter his under oath statements " ? In a 2004

testimony, in a case in Arizona, Dr. Kelman described the

relationship of the Chamber Paper to the ACOEM Paper as " I would

characterize it – I mean, they literally asked for a lay translation

of that article. " Question " Well, translation is an interesting

word. They're both in English, correct? " Reply: " Yes " . In the 2005

Oregon testimony, when forced to discuss the two papers' connections

in front of the jury and after testifying to the purported unbiased

peer review process of the ACOEM Paper, Dr. Kelman described the two

papers as a " lay version " , " lay translation " ; then " two separate

works " , " two separate activities " . He then flip-flopped back to " lay

translation " . . If those are not " altered under oath statements "

when forced to describe the questioned connection of two questioned

papers that together have been used to establish national policy

regarding mold illnesses, then…….What is?!!!

Even after filing the suit against Sharon, Dr Kelman has

continued to alter his description of the papers created by himself

and Dr. Hardin. In 2007, when deposed in this libel action against

Sharon and asked " But lay translation is not a way that you would

describe it? " Dr. Kelman replied, " That's the way the Manhattan

Institute describes it. I have never viewed it as a translation. They

are both in English. " Now in his 2008 declaration in this libel

action, the Chamber Paper is a " lay manuscript " but not a " lay

translation " or a " revision " of the ACOEM Paper.

Through this defamation suit, Dr. Kelman and VeriTox have sought

to require Sharon to apologize for not only those five words - which

she firmly stands by as correct - but much more beyond the scope of

the lawsuit that is contradictory to her published writings in

medical journals regarding conflicts of interest and contrary to her

advocacy work on behalf of the sick and injured. Basically, they have

required that she retract her statement and endorse their courtroom

testimonies as being correct science before dismissing the lawsuit.

Sharon has refused to do so as too many lives hang in the balance.

With all the families who have lost everything because of the

misinformation over the mold issue, Dr. Kelman is claiming the

words " altered his under oath statements " have caused him emotional

distress.

NOW SHARON URGENTLY NEEDS

OUR HELP!!

Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker, my colleague and nationally recognized

leader in the treatment of mold related illnesses, is graciously

providing a way for donations to be made to help Sharon. Her legal

cost for defending freedom of speech over an issue of national

implications for many ill people are currently at approximately

$150,000. Several responded to our initial request for help in

December. Approximately $30,000 was raised and is greatly appreciated

by the Kramer family. However, Sharon needs more assistance so that

she is not forced to jeopardize the ownership of her family's home

because she dared to speak out for the families of others.

I ask that you join us and consider a generous donation to

the " Sharon Kramer Legal Defense Fund " . The outstanding progress she

is making that helps thousands of mold injured families could be

greatly limited if she is not able to receive financial assistance.

If she is not defended and her advocacy is allowed to be forced to

stop, we all suffer for her loss.

If you are willing and able to help, please send a check or

money order to Dr. Shoemaker and made out to the " Sharon Kramer Legal

Defense Fund " . For convenience, there is also a PayPal account set up

at the web site of www.MoldWarriors.Com Bruce Kelman's testimony and

Sharon's writings may also be viewed at the website.

No amount is too small…..or too large!

By Mail:

Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker

" Sharon Kramer Legal Defense Fund "

500 Market St. 102

Pocomoke, land 21851

Online through PayPal

www.MoldWarriors.Com

Sincerely,

Dr. Jack D. Thrasher

Mrs. Kramer is represented by libel and media specialists,

Lincoln Bandlow and Aronoff

Spillane, Shaeffer, Aronoff, Bandlow LLP.

1880 Century Park East, Suite 1004

Los Angeles, California 92067

Please help! And please forward this request to others who

can help us, help Sharon!