With God on Their Side - "HHS Truth Squad"- Works to suppress accurate fact sheets on condom effectiveness and results of large studies showing no association between abortion and an increased risk of breast cancer in women.
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HHS Deputy Sec Claude Allan (2nd from left); Pat Ware former director of Bush's presidential AIDS advisory council (2nd from right ) |
Wade Horn (standing), assistant secretary for family support and the brains behind Bushes' initiative to promote marriage among the poor. |
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Maggie Wynne (left) , pro life activist and former staffer to Congressional Values Action Team (VAT) member Chris Smith (right) |
Dr. Alma Golden Deputy assistant secretary for Population affairs |
The truth squad are invisible staff people in the health secretary's office from radically conservative backgrounds who serve as enforcers. These are people who genuinely don't care what the mainstream medical associations think. If your message doesn't fit their mold, they just pull it.
They have vetoed National Institute of Health (NIH) nomineees to advisory committees, and stopped by NIH grant review meetings to observe and intimidate, and have even interfered with civil service hires. Accordiing to several sources, the position of director for the division of HIV prevention remained unfilled 3.5 years into the Bush administration in spite of a qualified candidate. Frank Beadle de Palmo was the top choice for the position by the director of the CDC's Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention. After a positive interview with CDC head Julie Gerberding his name was forwarded , completely outside of protocol to the top guns at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). HHS officials asked Palomo's stance on condom effectiveness, ties to the AIDS community and his support for gay rights.
(information from "With God on their Side"