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Health Freedom Movement Uniting! The United States Health Freedom Assembly increased its numbers and strengthened forces in its recent reconvening session, developing Action Plans that will provide guidance to leaders of the United States health freedom movement. The 2008 Assembly was hosted by National Health Freedom Coalition during its 2008 United States Health Freedom Assembly and Leadership Training. Collaborative Decision-Making This was not your typical talking heads conference! Members rolled up their sleeves and went to work! In dialoguing together to find commonality, the Voting Members of the Assembly honed in on key aspects of needed change and how they could better collaborate to make change happen. Together, they made decisions on priorities for action and ways to work together more effectively. US Assembly Voting Members Thirty (30) health freedom organizations attended the 2008 US Health Freedom Assembly, bringing the ongoing total Voting Member roster to include 42 organizations working for health freedom in the United States! Who qualified to become Voting Members of the United States Health Freedom Assembly? Read here for qualifications, and find out how your organization can become a Voting Member of the upcoming 2009 United States Health Freedom Congress! Standing Committees of the Assembly The Assembly Communications Committee kicked off the event, reporting that they are ready to launch their plan to help all groups be in touch with each other for greatest effectiveness. There is power in numbers! By combining our grass roots communication tools we will achieve greater success. Stay tuned - you will definitely be hearing from the United States Health Freedom Assembly Communications Committee! Two new Committees were launched this year, one on US State issues, and one on International and Federal issues. Committee members huddled in break-out rooms developing action plans for leaders to follow. After lively discussion, the State Issues Committee proposed an amendment to the 2007 resolution on safe harbor laws that clarified its position on registration to read: “The United States Health Assembly supports the concept and passage of Safe Harbor Health Freedom Exemption bills in the healing arts, and does not support registration, certification or licensure in any form that would force persons to gain a privilege from the government before they engage in a healing act, when such an act does not pose an imminent and significant risk of significant and direct harm.” The International and Federal Issues Committee came up with action plans that will provide guidance to leaders in the arena of product law and freedom of speech. They also called for the endorsement and promotion in Congress of a new Codex Resolution holding FDA accountable and demanding that the FDA, representing the United States, oppose maximum upper limits on Vitamins and Minerals, and support the voice of the people of the US when representing the US in global forums. Link to Codex resolution Inspiring Presentations! Specifically on CODEX Scott Tips, President and Legal Counsel for National Health Federation, educated the Assembly on the challenges and action needed regarding Codex Alimentarius. Clinton Miller, long-time health freedom activist and lobbyist, presented his new Codex Congressional Resolution. A Codex Resolution letter has been drafted and is ready for distribution as part of the Assembly’s Action Plans for activists. (Click here for Codex Resolution demanding that US Agency employees represent the wishes of the American people for no upper limits on Vitamins and Minerals). Keynote Speakers and Awardees Banquet Keynote Speaker, Michael McCormack, JD, President of Citizens for Health, is an attorney working in Washington State to defend natural health practitioners and to pass safe harbor exemption legislation. McCormack presented a riveting speech and power point presentation on the history of healing, the power and influence of medicine wars, the cultural role of attorneys in the healing of communities, and the vision of the future as we evolve into more wholistic people. The title of his talk was “Toward a More Balanced Health System: Healing Through the Lens of Freedom.” NHFC gave McCormack a 2008 Health Freedom Award for his supreme tenacity at protecting unlicensed healing practitioners in Washington against the Washington Department of Health. Friday Evening Keynote Speaker, Autumn Stringam, is author of A Promise of Hope: The Astonishing True Story of a Woman Afflicted with Bipolar Disorder and the Miraculous Treatment that Cured Her. Stringam drew Assembly members into her own deeply personal story of her experiences of mental illness and eventual complete cure by the use of her father’s supplements, bringing tears to everyone’s eyes. In addition, Autumn gave a remarkable recounting by Power Point of the history of psychiatric medicine and treatments, including the human atrocities in the name of medicine, and the evolution of the care of patients with mental symptoms to the present day options that patients have. Included in Autumn’s presentation was the state of affairs in the Canadian health freedom movement and her part as a founder of the Women with Red Umbrellas, to protect Canadian citizens’ access to nutritional supplements. NHFC presented to Autumn Stringam a 2008 Health Freedom Award for her courage to heal, her courage to work to change the world to protect options for all consumers, and for being a founder of the Women with Red Umbrellas. 2008 Health Freedom Awardee, Larry Hanus, was presented an award for his tenacity and courage to protect the right of mercury-free dentists to practice, through his own story in Iowa of losing his dental license, and working 13 years to obtain it back. After receiving his award, Larry, Board Member of NHFA, and Voting delegate for Iowa Health Freedom Coalition, gave a heart-warming account of his story - his work to regain his license and his gratitude for the health freedom movement and their support of his journey. 2008 Health Freedom Awardee Rick Jaffe, attorney and author, Galileo’s Lawyer, was given an award for his passion for the truth in law and healing, and for vigorously defending people who are doing great healing work in the world. Attorney Jaffe was unable to attend and the award was received by Texas Assembly delegate, Gwen Johnson. Jaffe will receive his award in person at the Texas Health Freedom Coalition meeting in Austin at the Texas state capitol on November 15, 2008. 2008 Health Freedom Awardee Julie Kline, President of Trinity College, was given an award for her dedication to carrying on the work of health freedom and the grand initiation and implementation of the Health Freedom Expos now successfully being held around the country by Healthkeepers Alliance. Clinton Miller received her award in her absence, and Healthkeepers looks forward to seeing us all at the February Health Freedom Expo in Los Angeles 2009 Leadership Training Day Passing Legislation in Your State for Health Freedom. The Leadership Day was a hands-on work day for state leaders. Diane Miller gave a presentation on language for safe harbor exemption laws and other practitioner laws that will preserve access to all practitioners. There was a panel on fundraising, made up of leaders that had successfully raised over $1,000, and their stories of how they had accomplished that task. Later there were teaching tables set up and activists had opportunities to spend time with experienced leaders on specific topics, such as how to create an action team for health freedom in your state, how to design solutions, how to fundraise, how to lobby to pass good legislation, how to kill bad bills that threaten health freedom, how to use the web and communication systems to your best advantage, and how to use one-page faxes and letter campaigns. The Closing Circle of the Leadership Day was a deep sigh of gratitude for new friendships made, and of resolve and excitement to go forth and work for health freedom. If you would like to find an existing health freedom organization in your state working for practitioners right to practice, go to www.nationalhealthfreedom.org/state_organizations.html. If your state does not yet have a health freedom group up and running, we are here to help you! Go to www.nationalhealthfreedom.org/starting_organization.html. We invite YOU to get involved in the health freedom movement! Go to www.nationalhealthfreedom.org NHFC Gratefully Acknowledges our Conference Sponsors:
National Health Freedom Coalition For more information: Call (507) 663-9018; Email similars@aol.com
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