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Mary Ruart Seeks Post as FDA Commissioner

From: Dr. Mary Ruart

Dear Friend,

We have a great opportunity, Health Freedom Lovers! Nancy Lord Johnson
contacted me a few months ago on behalf of the American Preventative
Medical Association to suggest that I ask to be appointed as commissioner
of the FDA. I have done so and am getting a great deal of support.

Although I'm a "dark horse," Bush has already appointed a couple of small
"l" libertarians (e.g., Gale Norton and Lynne Scarlett). Perhaps we have a
real possibility here. However, I need YOUR help to give this campaign the
best possible chance.

I sent the following letter to President Bush, along with a copy of my
resume (attached as a Word file). Briefly, I received my BS in Biochemistry and PhD in Biophysics from Michigan State University, spent a couple years at St. Louis Unviersity's Department of Surgery as Instructor and Assistant Professor, then joined the Upjohn Company where I was a research scientist for 19 years. For the last five years, my husband and I
have taught scientists how to present their data through 1 and 2 day courses. Please visit my web site to learn more general information about me or get a free download of my book, "Healing Our World" (www.ruwart.com).

Dear President Bush,

I am enclosing my Presidential Personnel Application Form and resume in order that you might consider my appointment as FDA Commissioner. Because you have already invited a number of market-minded individuals to your
team, I hope that you will look favorably on my pro-market orientation.

My nomination for FDA Commissioner is likely to enjoy widespread support,
especially from the groups listed below.

1. Pharmaceutical industry. For almost twenty years, I was a research scientist at a major pharmaceutical company and understand the impact of regulatory delays. Former FDA Commissioner, Alexander Schmidt, once remarked that "The failure to approve an important new drug can be as detrimental to the public health as the approval of a potentially bad
drug." As your appointee, I would pursue a more cooperative approach with
pharmaceutical firms in order to speed the delivery of new, life-saving medications to the American public.

2. Physicians. Doctors often prescribe approved medications for off-label
uses in order to give their patients the best health care options. However, the FDA discourages drug companies from sharing information that would educate physicians about these choices for their
patients. As your appointee, I would make this valuable knowledge on off-label use available to our dedicated health care practitioners.

3. Alternative practitioners. Health care professionals who utilize non-traditional methods of treatment are often subjected to prejudicial treatment by the FDA, even in the absence of patient complaints. As your appointee, I would intervene only when patients were at risk, thereby
broadening our health care choices.

4. American public. Whenever Congress considered giving the FDA more control over nutritional supplements, voters inundated their representatives with protests. The American public clearly wants the freedom to choose what vitamins and minerals to take. As your appointee, I would honor the choice of my fellow Americans.

5. Dedicated FDA employees. FDA examiners are in a no-win situation. If
they delay approving a drug with life-saving potential, many Americans,
especially those with terminal diseases, die needlessly. If the FDA approves a drug and unpredictable side effects occur, the FDA is blamed. As your appointee, I will alleviate this situation, by allowing terminally ill patients to "opt-out" of the approval process. They will
then have access to potentially life-saving medications which are not yet through FDA review.

In 1999, a Federal Appellate Court ruled 11-0 that the FDA must abide by
the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and permit truthful health
claims for antioxidants, fiber, folic acid, and omega-3 fatty acids (Pearson vs. Shalala). The FDA ignored this decision and in February of this year was censured by the court for its failure to comply. As your appointee, I would make sure that the FDA abides by our Constitution, the
law of the land.

As your appointee, my goal will be to facilitate the conversion of the FDA
from a bureaucratic regulatory regime into a market-oriented support system
that maximizes our access to life-savings medications. Of course, only a team effort will achieve this dramatic shift. Win-win strategies, such as the ones described above, can help create alignment among groups who may
sometimes be at odds with each other. I believe that I have the experience
and the skills to create such an environment.

I hope that you will seriously consider moving the FDA in a direction that
will stimulate innovative drug development. After all, before we are
politicians or special interest groups, we are human beings. Whether we
enjoy a long life or a short one will largely depend on the availability of life-saving medications. I would be honored, as your appointee, to help the American people--and yourself--achieve the longest, most productive life possible.

Of course, Bush might not even see my application, since the White House
Personnel Office screens it first. That's where you come in. We need to get as many people as possible to write President Bush and ask him to appoint me as the new FDA Commissioner. I don't think that any other candidate can generate as much public interest. Indeed, the Life Extension Foundation (www.lef.org) has generously offered to mail to their 65,000 person list and urge them to deluge the White House with letters.

However, please don't think that this large effort means that I don't need YOUR help. We need to make my appointment THE letter-writing campaign of the year to overcome the resistance that Bush might have to appointing a libertarian to such a powerful position. Please use the material in my letter or any of the following statements and write out a letter to Bush NOW:

Dear President Bush:

I respectfully urge you to appoint Mary Ruwart, Ph.D. to be the next Commissioner of FDA.

I am concerned that other contenders for this office will simply continue to add burdensome and unnecessary bureaurcatic hurdles to drug development. This hurts everyone and increases the cost of life-saving medicine.

In her letter to you, Dr. Ruwart stated:

"My goal will be to facilitate the conversion of the FDA from a bureaucratic regulatory regime into a market-oriented support system that
maximizes our access to life-savings medications."

This is the solution that we need---more choices, more health care freedom. This is an extremely important issue to me and should be to you too. We all want life-saving medications to be availabe when we need them. I therefore urge you to appoint Dr. Ruwart as the next Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.

Address your letter to: President George W. Bush, The White House, Washington, D.C. 20500. If you have professional letterhead, so much the better.

I believe that I will easily get the endorsement of the alternative care
practitioners. However, if any of you are involved with a group we should target, by all means send them this information for them to pass on to heir people.

It will be more difficult to get the endorsement of AMA physicians and
pharmaceutical groups, because some of the other candidates also come from
industry
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/elec

t2000/pres/news2/20010318/t0000236

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Therefore, any ideas/contacts that you have in this area would be greatly
appreciated.

Eventually, I need to get the support of Congress as well, especially those
involved in approving the FDA appointment. However, first I need to get
the attention of President Bush with your personal endorsement! Please write TODAY! Thanks for your help and support!

Regards,

Dr. Mary Ruart