Day 2
June 13, 2006
In this hot, dusty Africa country, the seat of government is not the same city as the seat of commerce. One lands at the city where business is conducted for the whole region. But Parliament meets in the other city. And they are 500 km (415 miles) apart.
That’s 415 miles on an unfinished road, by the way, with unpaved detours, no roadside amenities or service stations during most of the run and huge oil and cargo lorries barreling down upon you in the other of the two lanes (which you are in to pass the barely moving car in front of you).
So there is a good deal of adrenal workout on an ordinary drive.
ital just before that time and walked into a dark, empty set of corridors with heavy padlocks on white painted wrought iron gates over every office door and one open door: the Minister’s.
I won’t tell you about the unbelievable conditions we passed, nor the fact that when we ran out of gas along the way and pulled into a dilapidated and disserted gas station (whose two goats were the only living creatures we could find), nor about stopping by the desolate side of the road and having 4 or 5 men magically appear with a large jerry can and hose and begin to fill up the tank with illegal gas using an illegal and dangerous method: pouring leaking gas into the gas tank while all of them smoked and the engine was running. I won’t tell you how they gathered around us in a frightening demand for money (and more) when suddenly they recognized the NGO Facilitator as the National Beauty Queen and simple smiled to be seen with her. We got back in the car and whizzed off toward the Capital. I also won’t even begin to tell you about the toilets. You really, really do not want to know.
But when we got to the Minister’s office we found a direct, sincere, humble and decent human being, an American trained Gastroenterologist, who had never heard of Codex but listened with deep attention and growing distress as we explained both the past and present, and then added the future of Codex to the discussion. He took our materials (Nutricide, the DVD, which you can have, too, by going to (http://www.healthfreedomusa.org/aboutcodex/dvd.shtml) and the hard copy version of the Codex eBook, available at http://www.healthfreedomusa.org/aboutcodex/dvd.shtml). We explained that the eBook demonstrated the application of our International Strategy for correcting every problem raised by Codex and for protecting the health of his people. We explained, too, that we are facing a great opportunity: South Africa’s “Ottawa Beachhead” in which the 11 point guidelines for the implementation of the pro-health “Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health” gave Codex for the first time a potential focus on Optimal Health needs to be supported and adopted at the upcoming Codex Alimentarius Commission meeting, July 3-7, 2006 (Geneva). We asked the Minister of Health to help make sure that his country’s voice was raised loud, clear and firmly in favor of these principles at this meeting.
His answer? “You have caught my attention. I will certainly read your materials but you understand that I am not able to make policy on my own. I will consult with the appropriate people and contact you!” It was a highly successful and positive meeting with a thoughtful and careful policy maker who did not brush us off and took us very seriously. Tomorrow we meet with the Codex Committee of the country to further this effort here.
But wait! There’s more to this adventure! By now it was late and there was no way that it was safe to drive the road back to the commercial center both because of the brigands we did not meet, but were much more likely to meet after dark and because of the sheer physical danger of the road at night. (Shoulders? Don’t be absurd! Road accidents, by the way, are a hugely significant cause of death here.)
But when we started out we were told that there was a very important ceremony in the Political Capital that day and that the one decent hotel in town would be filled with both the Members of Parliament and with the dignitaries gathered for the ceremony. We had clearly seen on the way to the Capital that there was nothing even vaguely resembling a hotel, let alone one that we would consider staying in.
So we left the Minister’s office very pleased for the intermediate term but very concerned for the immediate one. Nonetheless, we drove to the hotel and made inquiries. Yes, there was a double room for the General and the Doctor. Yes, there was a double room for the lovely young lady and yes, the driver and our contact could share a single bed in the last room. “NO!” was the reply from our contact so, magically, although it was unavailable just moments before, the 4th room materialized and we checked in.
During and after dinner, our lovely, capable and well-known NGO facilitator greeted Member of Parliament after Member of Parliament. She introduced us to them and we told them about the reason for our visit. In an hour or so we met a dozen Members of the Parliament of this dynamic nation and introduced them to the Codex issue. Several of them wanted to talk about it more deeply and so we did, leaving our materials with them as well. We lobbied the MP’s to think about Codex and how they could protect their people while preventing trade sanctions from the World Trade Organization while doing so. To say that they were interested is a woeful understatement.
Then, on to our room where we found a triangular frame hanging from the ceiling over the bed with a circle of steel suspended over the bed from which hung a very large mosquito netting which was wound up into a series of knots hanging over the center of the bed and a large table fan attached to the ceiling. Spread the netting out (which did not have fist size holes in it like the netting we encountered in Adama, Ethiopia earlier this year which we stuffed with underwear), turn on the fan because the netting blocks all movement of air which is not very forceful (making sleeping unbearable if the air does not move inside the net) and dropped off to sleep.
And then the phone (which does not work in this country) rang at 4 AM local time. It was a US product manufacturer who wanted me to be a spokesperson for his products. They are not organic. I declined and asked him not to call at 4AM again. After I hung up I realized that he must have been pretty puzzled since where he was calling from (the East Coast), it was 2 in the afternoon!)
Day 3
June 14, 2006
Good news! The Minister of Energy and Mining wants to meet with us about Codex! Be ready at 8 AM because he has a meeting just after that and he can give us only 5 minutes. Right! Ready! Prepared! And frustrated: No car, no driver, nobody but the NGO facilitator and us. About 45 minutes later, a government truck drives up and we are told to get in at once! Off we go to the Minister’s office for a quick cup of coffee and a very quick discussion. Again, the kind and straightforward Minister told us that he had never heard of Codex and it was clearly not his responsibility but he would read our material carefully because when it came to a Cabinet discussion he wanted to be informed to help guide his country to health.
And then back to the hotel, gather our bags up and prepare for the drive back to the seat of commerce for a crucial meeting with the Codex Committee of this country. YES!
No! You have forgotten about the car and the driver, haven’t you? Well, we certainly did. Where were they? Who knows? Certainly not in front of the hotel waiting to drive we back to the commercial city at a reasonable pace (or at any pace, for that matter). MIA: Missing in Action.
So we waited, watching the precious minutes tick away while our crucial meeting began to evaporate. And that is exactly what happened. The bad news is that they could no longer wait for us because we started off so late that no amount of insane speed could make up for the delay (whose cause is still not known to me).
Oh, did I mention that we had air conditioning for about 12 minutes on the trip and then a ball bearing in the air conditioning unit (?) went out on us (don’t you just hate it when good bearings go bad?) and we were back to open windows with no possibility of breathing because of the dust or no possibility of surviving with the windows closed because of the heat. We vacillated back and forth between the two options for that whole long, terrifying drive. Neither option was satisfactory.
So we missed the appointment. Not to worry, though, we will meet with them tomorrow, we are told. We have asked to leave at 9:30 SHARP, SHARP, SHARP. But this is Africa. We will see what time is like tomorrow.
At any rate, we had time (AAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHH!) because of the missed appointment so we went into the only store here that is believed to sell organic food. The company is South African so a good deal is imported from there. But the produce is primarily gown in this country. It is not labeled as either organic or not and when we asked the manager, she told us that pesticide and other chemicals are virtually unknown in this country. Farmers use traditional means of growing their crops and, in the main, cannot afford the chemicals. This is a country, after all, where less than 10% of the population has access to electricity, let alone spare cash to buy chemicals.
I also took a look around beyond the produce area. The meat counter had locally gown and produced meats in the same kind of packaging we are used to. It also had meat for which a premium was charged: South African meat. It was grey. It had been irradiated. The local meat was, of course, satisfyingly red.
When I explained to our companions the fact that irradiation of food creates huge free radical concentrations which are, in the absence of sufficient anti oxidants, significantly toxic to human beings and the animals which are also fed these toxic meats. Without adequate anti-oxidants (made inaccessible by the Vitamin and Mineral Guideline and the extention of it by World Health Organization to all nutrients) there is no way to neutralize these dangerous metabolic fires which will damages pancreases, brains, eyes, lungs and the immune system. I also found myself explaining that the fats in meats can be transformed by the irradiation process itself into cancer-causing compounds like benzene.
Together we asked ourselves how many “excess cancer deaths” do we need to calculate before we look at the biochemical information on the dangers of free radical excess whether or not Codex wants it?
Then back to the hotel for an outstanding, and inexpensive, seafood buffet dinner.
Tomorrow, the missed appointments! I hope!
In the meantime, the General is already asleep and I will finish my report to you and join him.
Yours in health and freedom,
Dr. Laibow
Medical Director