In a just-released statement, District 7 Texas State Senator Dan Patrick offered the following comment on Gov. Rick Perry’s HPV executive order:

“I am disappointed in the Governor’s recent decision. There are many questions left to be answered concerning this vaccination, its effectiveness, its cost, its application and its long term effect. With no communication prior to the order from the Governor’s office about the immediate health impact many are left wondering ‘what’s the rush.’ Still worse, why would this Governor seek to circumvent the legislative process in this manner.

“The research I have come across indicates there are at least 100 strains of the Human Papillomavirus and the vaccination, Gardasil, only treats four of them. The American Cancer Society reports most women do not get cervical cancer from HPV and the National Institutes of Health report more than 90% of all HPV cases are harmless and go away without treatment. Currently, some parents opt to have their daughters vaccinated without a state mandate. At this point, I believe the optional vaccination alternative is the correct approach.

“For some, a mandatory HPV vaccination of all girls between the age of 11 and 12 may prove to be a well reasoned decision, but this process leads many to think there is much we don’t yet know about the Governor’s decision.

“The Governor owes it to the Legislature and to the public as to why these emergency actions are justified. Governor, is HPV the new black plague? If not, then we should respect the elected representative process. Let us debate these issues in public as it was intended.”

Symptoms of this plague include nanny-statism, generous campaign contributions and insider lobbying.

Sen. Glen Hegar (R) filed SB-438 today in an attempt to undo the damage to conservative Republicans that Gov. Perry’s forced vaccination order inflicted.

(b-1)  Immunization against the human papilloma virus may not be required for a person’s admission to any elementary or secondary school. This subsection preempts all contrary executive orders of the governor.

Got your attention with that headline, no? A commenter to my post about Sen. Ellis (D) proposing condom distribution in the Texas prison system says:

HIV rates in prison are many times higher than in the outside world. Last I saw, AIDS was the third leading cause of death in Texas prisons behind heart attacks and cancer. Lifetime treatment costs can run into six figures per person for HIV+ prisoners. HIV drugs cost today 40% of the state prison system’s pharmacy budget. And who pays? You and I, though our taxes.

And he is absolutely correct. HIV rates are higher amongst prisoners than in the free world; and you and I do pay. So, in the spirit of cost savings let’s commit to eliminating AID’s transmission in our prison system, okay? I’ll support your condom distribution plan if you support:

1. Mandatory HIV testing for all incoming prisoners.
2. Segregation of all prisoners testing positive for HIV.
3. Forced circumcision for all prisoners.

On item one, AG Abbott says it is legal to do this but leaves it up to the TDCJ. Gov. Perry could issue an order requiring TDCJ to do this but is busy requiring little girls to be injected with a vaccine that will do who knows what to their bodies 30 years from now.

On item two, remember, it’s all about saving us money! Right? So, what is the best way to keep AID’s out of the general prison population? And improve their health care?

Miles away at the Stiles Unit in Beaumont, Texas, HIV-positive prisoners are segregated for a different reason-to better manage their disease.

And lest you think item 3 is a joke, consider this:

According to researchers, male circumcision eliminates the cells most vulnerable to HIV. In addition, a circumcised penis develops thicker skin that is resistant to HIV infection.

Remember, testing/segregation/circumcision REALLY WILL, SAVE YOU MONEY!

Edd Hendee and Pat Gray can carp and moan on the radio at Gov. Rick Perry all morning long if they want to, but the simple fact is that adding Gardasil to the cocktail of vaccines mandated for Texas schoolchildren was discussed and promoted during last year’s gubernatorial campaign.

Courtesy The Daily Texan, 9/28/06:

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris Bell said he wants to ensure that all girls in Texas are vaccinated at the age of 11 or 12 to prevent cervical cancer and other sexually transmitted diseases, in a conference call Wednesday.

The Federal Drug Administration approved Gardasil, the first vaccine developed to prevent cervical cancer and genital warts due to the Human Papilloma Virus on June 8 after six months of evaluation, according the FDA Web site.

Gardasil is nearly 100 percent effective against four strands of HPV: types 16 and 18, which cause 70 percent of cervical cancers, and against types 6 and 11, which cause 90 percent of genital warts, according to the FDA.

“There is no denying that the vaccine works,” Bell said. “Now a decision needs to be made about how and where we can provide the vaccine for everyone.”

Bell said he wanted the vaccine to be added to the list of vaccinations required of children in Texas schools, along with vaccines for measles and tetanus.

… Gov. Rick Perry believes parents need to have the authority to decide if their minor daughter receives a vaccination for cervical cancer, Perry campaign spokesman Ted Royer said.

If you are confused, I suspect you are not alone.

In actual fairness to Perry, my understanding is that his executive order includes provisions that will allow parents with “religious or philosophical” objections to have their daughters opt-out of the vaccination requirement.

So in that sense, parents do still “have the authority to decide,” although the burden is on them to opt out, not on others to “opt-in.”

Which probably makes sense from a public health perspective–my intuition tells me that parents with religious objections are less likely to produce daughters that need the vaccine, while “parents” who produce daughters that could most benefit from the vaccine are least likely to be responsible enough to “opt-in.”

But it all works to the benefit of Gardasil manufacturer Merck & Co., whose public affairs and lobbying team deserves a raise for a job well done.

Our beloved hometown rag has quite a few corrections of prominent errors in Friday’s paper:

•The Texas Department of Transportation will spend nearly $1.1 million to hire lobbying firms to advance its interests in Washington under a 13-month agreement that runs through the end of this year. A story on Page A1 Friday misstated the total amount.

•Supporters who each pledged to raise $30,000 for Republican Rudolph Giuliani’s presidential campaign exploratory committee were invited to a Houston dinner with the former New York mayor, with individual donors limited under the law to giving $2,100. A story on Page A1 Friday misstated the amount of contributions from each person invited to the dinner.

•Astros minor-league prospect Max Sapp bats left-handed. It was reported incorrectly on Page C1 of Friday’s editions.

•In a story on Page C9 Friday, the third-place team in District 20-5A was misidentified. Madison is the third-place team and Lamar is fourth.

•A chart on Page D1 Friday on the 2006 net incomes of some large U.S. companies, which accompanied a story on Exxon Mobil’s earnings, incorrectly labeled a column that listed the net incomes.

For those of you keeping score at home, that’s two goofs on the paper’s front page, one on the front of the sports section and one on the front of the business section.

Whoops!

Well, it’s Monday, and that means one thing: Houston police chief Harold Hurtt is back from another relaxing weekend in sunny Phoenix.

Here’s a quick rundown on what the chief missed:

Three wounded in gunfire at SW Houston apartment complex

Amidst a hail of gunfire, three people in Houston emerged injured, but still alive. It happened Saturday afternoon at an apartment complex near the intersection of Ashford Meadows at Ashford Park.

More than 20 shell casings were recovered.

Man shot to death at gas station after argument at club

A man was shot and killed at a gas station and police are looking for the shooter.

It happened Saturday night in southwest Houston. Witnesses told police the victim got into an argument inside a club near the gas station.

The man got out of his car and started arguing with the driver in another vehicle. Police say the passenger in that car got out and fired three shots.

Car stolen with toddler inside

There were some tense moments in southwest Houston Friday night when a family’s car was stolen, with their little boy still inside.

The car was stolen from outside a cleaners on South Post Oak and found a short time later. It was a few blocks away on Diamond Ridge near Samoa. Fortunately, a neighbor alerted police to the car within an hour of the call for help. It was found with the boy inside, unharmed.

Gunshot victim found dead in southeast Houston parking lot

A man was found dead tonight from apparent gunshot wounds in a southeast Houston parking lot, police said.

Houston Police Department homicide detectives said the man was shot about 9:30 p.m. in the 3300 block of Winbern.

Welcome “home,” Chief!

BENZION ADDS– For the rest of us, why not get licenced to carry a concealed handgun? New licenses $100 (classes approximately every other week), recertification $80 (done weekly). Price includes all range fee, fingerprinting, notary work and photographs. Basic training available for persons who want a license but have little or no experience with a firearm. Ask about special group classes. Contact Austin Arrington 281-948-8373.

Solutions for Schools and Families– Genia Development provides intelligent, sensitive and practical solutions to parents and educators, including psychotherapy & counseling, parent coaching, staff and parent workshops and both home and classroom environment design.

(click to learn more)

All services can be customized to fit your needs. Let us help you meet the challenges of caring for children. Contact us at 832-286-3308, or learn more at geniadevelopment.com

Get paid to tell us what you think– Register to participate in one of our focus groups; earn money telling us what you think about politics, your community and consumer goods. Click here to learn more and sign-up!

——————–

——————–

Dawn Wolf Design– LST’s full-service graphic designer of choice. Talented, professional, competitively priced; a generous LST volunteer, we could not recommend her more highly. | 713-781-8900 | website

——————–