Subject:  Re Citizens right to sue (Raunio)(Fist).
Date:     Thu, 12 Oct 2000 040739 -0500
From:     Roy Beavers 
To:       guru 
--------------------------------------------------

.........Response from EMF-L........

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: Citizens right to sue (Raunio)...
Date: Thu, 12 Oct 2000 13:44:48 +1100
From: Stewart Fist 
Reply-To: fist@ozemail.com.au
Organization: Independent writer and columnist
To: roy@emfguru.com
References: <39E4E812.B7ED12A1@emfguru.com>

These attempts to change the legal liability laws have been around for most of
the decade in the USA (and some of the extreme examples do deserve some examination).

They stem primarily from the attacks on John Manville over asbestos, which put
the frighteners on the tobacco industry.  Philip Morris then turned its
secretive "grassroots lobby" organisers, APCO & Associates loose with enough
funding to organise a coalition of P&Ps (Poisoning and Polluting industries)
to fight for tort reform and a reduction in liability.

You can see a key document at the Phillip Morris website
 in an APCO document No.2023921990  (just key in the
number). Also search on Huber,P  

APCO ran the Business Roundtable organisation of big-company CEOs at that
time, and this appears to have been the overall organising group.  They have a
number of tame Senators and Representatives in Congress.

APCO also runs TASSC (The Advancement of Sound Science Coalition) which is now
the owner of Steve Milloy's Junkscience site.  APCO/TASSC/Junkscience employs
hacks like Michael Gough, Steve Milloy, Peter Huber and Michael Fumento to
write anti-lawyer articles and plant them in major publications like the WSJ
and New York Times and the smaller US newspaper chains as "independent
analysis".  The Cato Institute is also involved here.

Since Ralph Nader has been the foremost critic of such moves to limite product
liability for most of the decade, maybe US readers should consider the third option.




-- 
Stewart Fist - writer and columnist
See http://www.australianIT.com.au/opinion/crossroads/
       http://www.abc.net.au/http/sfist/         (some archives)
       http://www.electric-words.com              (main archives)
70 Middle Harbour Road, Lindfield, 2070,   N.S.W,   Australia
Phone +61 2 9416 7458                        Fax  +61 2 9416 4582


Archive provided courtesy of WaveGuide, http://www.wave-guide.org
Reprinted with permission of Roy Beavers, http://www.emfguru.com