Inside the FDA's Shadow-Ban on Kratom

Scott Gottlieb, FDA Chief & prior fentanyl procurer for pharma company Cephalon

Just when you think things are settling down after an ugly, chaotic midterm election season, the dust gets stirred up again.  Kratom dust in this case.  FDA Chief Scott Gottlieb won't let sleeping dogs lie & has resorted to using shady backdoor means of banning kratom since all of his bad science & lies have failed miserably.  According to FDA Import Alert 66-41, the agency is stopping all incoming kratom shipments on the basis that the supplement is an "unapproved drug".

As with the censorship on Reddit & the attack on kratom vendors from payment processors, this move is yet another giant flaming hoop for kratom consumers to jump through that is already making it increasingly difficult to obtain product.  Many stateside vendors are running low on supply already due to a different (related?) problem with Indonesia's postal system refusing to ship kratom packages since about August.  It all feels very shady.  If kratom is truly so deadly, why the need to sneak around & do things in the shadows?  Why aren't the bodies piling up so fast that the carnage speaks for itself?

Because kratom is NOT a toxic drug.  Even in high doses.  

 

The American Kratom Association speculates that the DEA/FDA will be rushing to push their ban on kratom before the 2020 election due to a fear of liberal politicians taking over the House & Senate at that time.  The official plan is to either ban the plant outright, making all its constituents Schedule I controlled substances; OR to ban one of its alkaloids while turning the other into--you guessed it--a prescription medication.  In either scenario, the whole plant will become inaccessible & illegal to the vast majority of those who use it now.  Neither of these things can be allowed to happen.  It will result in mass death in the form of suicide, heroin addiction & illicit fentanyl overdose.  We know this because it's already happened when so many pain patients were kicked off their pain meds without a backup plan.  And that blood is on the government's hands.  How much more do they want? 

Methadone or Suboxone are not workable replacements for kratom.  At least not in their current form.  What about people who live in rural areas, lack transportation or don't have health insurance?  Unless the FDA is going to ship these drugs in the mail to kratom users at reduced prices the same way kratom is delivered, that option will never work.  Kratom works because it's so cheap & abundant.  Plus there's that whole "not stopping your breathing until you die" thing.  It's that feature of kratom that makes Big Pharma's mouth water.  They haven't been able to craft a synthetic opioid yet that can pull that off.  And that's why they want a monopoly on it.

Kratom has become the new marijuana.  It's the Devil's Drug.  Except they want to use it to base their pharmaceuticals on to make a massive profit.  Just look at their patented form of CBD, Epidiolex®.  The cost for a year's supply is about $32,500.  Compare that to the cost of growing a weed that contains CBD & other cannabinoids & you can see why they want the plant outlawed.  It has nothing to do with the public good.  Never has.

How Can I Help?

To help stop this massive injustice, donate to the American Kratom Association here.  They are the leaders in the fight in Washington D.C. to keep kratom legal.  Any amount helps, even $5.  You can also help by posting on social media about this subject under the hashtags #keepkratomlegal, #iamkratom and #kratomsaveslives.  If you spot inaccuracies in news articles, kindly correct them with well-sourced information. 

Other than that, wait for directions from the AKA on when to contact your representatives or sign petitions.  They like to coordinate large well-timed floods of calls & emails for maximum effectiveness.  It's going to take every one of us to push back against this massive fascist attack on our liberties.  The FDA & other government agencies have unlimited amounts of cash to spend on this endeavor because kratom is taking money out of pharma's pocket every day it remains legal.  They're not giving up & neither can we. 

Kurt Cobain: Real Stomach Ailment or Excuse to Get High?

As someone who suffers with chronic pain & fatigue, one of the most hurtful things is when people don't take me at my word that I'm really as unwell as I claim.  I haven't had adequate healthcare for 90% of my life so I don't have all the answers as to WHY I feel so terrible, but I know I'm not functioning at 100% (or even 30% most days) despite looking relatively okay on the outside.  Several conditions have been suggested but I've lacked the funds to chase down a definitive diagnosis.  At the same time, I'm also a user of substances like kratom, cannabis & the (very) occasional opioid painkiller--all things I started experimenting with years AFTER my chronic illness symptoms set in as a child.  I use them both for recreational purposes as well as self-medication.  It's quite possible to do both & do it responsibly. 


I've always idolized Kurt Cobain who seemed to share these dual realities.  While hanging around some Nirvana forums, I've run into a few self-assured jerks who just KNOW that Kurt's well-documented stomach condition was a farce--either something he used to score pills from doctors or an excuse to use heroin.  Even one of his acquaintances from the band The Melvins, Buzz Osbourne, claims to know with certainty that Kurt's stomach condition was "bullshit".  Because "heroin addicts puke.  It's called puking with a smile on your face."

Mmmkay.

That contrasts starkly with the medical report from Kurt's doctor when he was only 10 years old, claiming he was hospitalized for "failure to thrive" (malnutrition).  There are references to this hospitalization in both Heavier Than Heaven and this book about ADHD.  He always claimed his stomach pain went back to childhood & that his mom suffered from the same problem for a time.  In "Montage of Heck" we see various scenes where Kurt describes his vague diagnosis of a "red irritation" that's not quite an ulcer but obviously significant enough to be noted upon endoscopy.  What's cut out of the film is a scene in which Kurt's just had an endoscopy & recounts the horrors of waking up during the procedure with a tube down his throat as he attempts to eat his dinner next to a bucket of puke.  It's a truly heart-wrenching scene.

Who would subject themselves to endoscopy after endoscopy & nauseating meds like ampicillin if they're just "faking" a stomach problem?  Kurt could get any drug he wanted on the black market--he didn't need to fake pain to score pills.  This was a very ill man & his diet was restricted to only the blandest foods all his life:  macaroni & cheese, white bread, milkshakes, potatoes.  Again, that's a big sacrifice to make if you're just putting on a show & pretending to be sick. He was chronically underweight long before the opioid use started, as you'll see in the photos below.

There was one MTV interview near the end of his life where Kurt referred to his stomach issues as "psychosomatic" & "irritable bowel," though I get the impression that's just the conclusion he's come to after years of doctors throwing these wastebasket diagnoses at him.  I can certainly relate.  IBS doesn't cause you to vomit blood though.  It's an intestinal disorder, not a stomach disease.  It's far more likely Kurt suffered from H. pylori infection, Celiac disease or even some rare manifestation of Crohn's than simple IBS.

And just for fun, let's look at some pictures of Kurt before he started abusing heroin & other hard drugs on a regular basis.  Note how pale & gaunt he looks even in the earliest days of his aspiring career:

1987

1988

1989

1990: The year before heroin started to become a habit

In any case, his problems reached a breaking point on April 5th, 1994 when he exited this world via gunshot wound to the head.  While the stomach pain wasn't the ONLY contributing factor in his death, it was undoubtedly a decades-long agonizing problem that helped drive him over the edge.  How do we know?  Because he mentions it in his final address to the world--his suicide note.  "Thank you all from the pit of my nauseous, burning stomach for your letters & concern during the past years."  Guess that's just one last attempt at sympathy seeking for good measure, eh?  Not like he'll be around to reap the benefits of saying something like that, but what the heck.  Why not include a total lie in your suicide note to the world & your family?  😒

Let's assume for just a moment that Kurt also benefited from opioids mentally & emotionally.  Maybe even recreationally at times.  He was bipolar & suffered severe bouts of depression from about age 9 onward and was diagnosed with ADHD at a very young age.  Why is feeling good a crime?  And if it happened to help his intestinal symptoms, EVEN BETTER!  Right?  Heroin slows down GI movements (peristalsis) which results in constipation in people with healthy bowel function but can have a normalizing effect on people with diarrhea & overactive bowels.  He claimed to be "fatter & healthier" while using drugs in one interview, which supports the assertion that heroin did help his stomach condition. 


Perhaps Kurt didn't need something as strong as heroin when he was just a nobody couch-surfing in Aberdeen, but when he hit it big & was forced to tour & perform & record constantly, that changes things.  You can't afford to miss engagements when you're an A-list rockstar.  I don't think most fans grasp just how strong the pressure is & how little sleep/downtime these celebrities get.  They're expected to create art while being pushed to their physical limits with concerts, tours, interviews & other engagements with no time to recharge.  We all saw what happened near the end of his life when he declined to play Lollapalooza & chose instead to take some time off after his overdose & bout with bronchitis in Rome.  His label, band & wife gave him an ultimatum:  go to treatment or we're all done with you.  You're the golden goose...start acting like it.

It's attitudes like these that drive drug users & mentally ill people over the edge.  Please put yourselves in our shoes & realize that self-medication with illicit drugs is often a last stop before suicide.  We've tried everything else available & aren't willing to be blamed or shamed for our illnesses--mental or physical--any longer.  Before demanding total sobriety & restrictive rehab, look into harm reduction.  Work with us & listen when we open up about our personal struggles.  Look beyond the addiction & realize it's a symptom of a much bigger problem & will never get better until that underlying problem is solved.

At the same time, hold us accountable for keeping ourselves & others safe by not letting us drive while intoxicated, not bringing drugs around children or going off our prescribed psych medications without a doctor's supervision.  Insist on using protection to avoid unplanned pregnancy if you or your partner is an addict.  If a loved one engages in these dangerous/irresponsible behaviors, file a police report (if applicable) & then leave.  Don't enable bad behavior.  But don't treat us like children either.  That's how you can support people like Kurt instead of driving them over the cliff with your self-righteous demands.

(Note:  I fully appreciate how hard it is to live with an addict & constantly worry that they're going to drop dead of an overdose at any minute, so I don't begrudge his loved ones the right to hold an intervention.  I just think the timing & methods were all wrong.  Courtney was clearly pissed he dropped out of Lollapalooza for financial reasons & was very likely cheating on him if what their close friends say is true.  Never mind the fact she had her own polydrug abuse issues. Kurt DID owe it to his daughter to be a sober & present father, but you can't force an addict to get clean.  You can only support them until they're ready to change & refuse to enable them directly with money or favors).

If Kurt had been a strong-willed confident man, perhaps he could've told them all to fuck off & taken some time off to do drugs & paint or write songs like he wanted.  But he wasn't a confident man:  he'd been rejected by his parents, failed at getting clean multiple times & had his name dragged through the mud by journalists who called him every name in the book & got CPS involved.  He couldn't handle another divorce, especially one as public as his & Courtney's would be.  Mostly, he couldn't subject his daughter to that pain--the very pain he'd always claimed ruined his life as a child--so he did the unthinkable. And that really sucks.










 










 

[Review] - Yocan Evolve Plus Vape Pen

Product:  Yocan Evolve Plus
Price:  $19.50
Vendor:  thorz_thunder08 (eBay.com)
Location:  Midwestern USA

Rating:  4.8 of 5 stars

Yocan Evolve Plus:  Limited Edition designs

I don't have a lot of experience with vaping (not to the extent that some of y'all vape-o-philes do!) and am certainly no expert.  I only use vapes to ingest CBD shatter, which I have a ton of thanks to a very generous vendor.  My vaping journey started with those 510-thread batteries that are used to vape liquid CBD.  From there, I moved up to a (counterfeit) dry herb G-Pen that I turned into a makeshift shatter-vaping device.  It lasted much longer than I could've hoped for, but eventually crapped out. 

What I look for in a vape pen is, first and foremost, safety.  I need it to not blow up in my face & kill me.  But affordability is a close second.  My price range is sadly in the teens up to about $45.  Maybe $50 if it's a birthday or Xmas.  So what's in that price range that can be used for solids like CBD shatter?  Well, I asked around on Reddit & got a few grumpy answers.  Yocan was a brand that kept coming up a lot, so I narrowed it down to which model was most popular & it appears that's the Evolve Plus, which has a double quartz coil & some other nice features like a little wax storage compartment on the bottom.

I bought mine from a seller on eBay named thorz_thunder08, who has a 100% feedback rating.  Very rare for anyone with as many sales as he has.  Thor'z prices aren't the lowest on eBay but they're significantly lower than Yocan's price for this model, which is $49.99.  I paid $19.50 for mine.  Something to keep in mind when shopping for a vape on eBay is that there are a ton of counterfeits & models that didn't pass safety inspections being sold as the real deal.  It's tempting to buy them for super cheap, but if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.  Here's one person's firsthand comparison of a genuine Yocan Evolve Plus with a counterfeit.  You can see several differences in the packaging as well as the parts of the pen itself.  This helped me immensely when shopping for mine.

Yocan Evolve Plus pens come in a variety of basic colors, plus a couple of "special editions" like Rainbow, Rasta & Midnight.  Then there are the "Limited Edition" models that are adorned with cute designs like eyeballs & flowers and peace signs.  I went for the basic blue model since it was cheap & available. And pretty. 

Unboxed

So the cool thing about this vape is that it works with both dual quarts coils AND ceramic donut style coils.  According to Redditors you can also interchange various other components with other Yocan vape models, but I'm not that advanced in my vape game yet.  I got the quartz coils because that's what it came with.  They work very well & produce a thick, smooth cloud of vapor.  The battery is an 1100mah...whatever that means.  My Yocan came with the atomizer with pre-installed dual quartz coil, 1100mah battery, 1 replacement quartz coil, a wax tool & 1 USB charger.  Rock on! 

Now for the unboxing & testing.  First up is the Watermelon terpsolate that tastes so good when eaten but upsets my stomach due to the strong terps.  First thing I notice is how SMOOTH this vape hits compared to that last piece of trash I rigged up.  It was actually painful to vape CBD shatter to the point I was concerned about my lung health.  No such harshness here, I assume due to the coil cap that filters out nasty impurities.  My first few clouds are underwhelmingly small until I get the hang of how to hit it for max effect.

I follow the Watermelon up with some Pineapple Express CBD shatter, which is my least favorite of the 4 but might be better when vaped.  It is!  Very smooth, tropical flavor in the Yocan.  In fact it has an entirely different taste...none of that overpowering putrid flavor it has when eaten.  Next up is Gorilla Glue, which has sort of a minty, piney smell in the jar.  Hard to describe.  Tastes quite similar in the Yocan...not unlike vaping pine needles with a hint of mint.  Finally we round it out with Blueberry Yum Yum, which is my favorite flavor when taken orally.  Yep.  This one is still the reigning king for me.  The berry flavor is still present in the vape & it's just so damn tasty.  My new rankings in the Yocan:  1st place:  Blueberry;  2nd place:  Watermelon;  3rd place:  Pineapple; 4th place:  Gorilla.  

The cool thing about buying from this vendor is that the product comes with a 90-day warranty, which usually bumps the cost up to at least $39 on eBay.  Since my previous vapes have tended to break down on me before 90 days, this might just come in handy.  I scratched off the authentication code thingy on the back of the box & checked it online:  the product is indeed authentic & new.

Despite only using it a couple times, I'm gonna go ahead & give the Yocan Evolve Plus from Thor'z Thunder a 4.8 out of 5 stars.  It's a solid quality product with a warranty that is totally affordable...even for me.  Seems like the perfect vape for beginners or a stocking stuffer for friends.  And the shipping was lightning fast. Ordered on Friday & received on a Monday.  Winning!

Cannabis Rescheduling Comment

This comment is in support of descheduling cannabis & particularly cannabidiol (CBD). The cannabis plant has been consumed for a variety of medicinal, spiritual, recreational & social uses throughout human history. In all this time there has never been a single documented death by overdose unlike most currently accepted social & medical drugs. Its potential applications are vast & include the production of textiles & fuels; medicines for conditions ranging from glaucoma to seizures; fighting deforestation & absorbing 400% more CO2 than agroforestry when grown as hemp.

The history of cannabis prohibition is rooted in racism & paranoia. Even the term "marijuana"--Spanish for "Mary Jane"--is meant to conjure images of slack-jawed Mexican immigrants getting high on the Devil's Drug. Like opium & the Chinese rail workers and cocaine & the Blacks before it, cannabis was linked to a hated minority group with the sole intention of banning the drug to criminalize a people. This worked so well it was later applied to LSD & the hippies in the 1960s. We've continued it right up to the present day.

Problem is, these drug laws are based in fear & political rhetoric, not science & medicine. The result has been an ever-growing prison population (currently the largest on Earth) of disproportionately Black & Latino people, 50% of whom are locked up on non-violent drug charges. Not only that, but our illicit drug supply is brimming with adulterants like fentanyl, carfentanil & synthetic cannabinoids like AB-FUBINACA and the JWH series, all of which are more deadly than the drugs they're meant to mimic. These substances simply wouldn't exist if not for prohibition. They are the moonshine of the Drug War.

Meanwhile, cannabidiol is not intoxicating & has a number of medical properties of its own. The descheduling of the patented form of CBD ("Epidiolex") is a hypocritical & unfair form of favoritism shown to the pharmaceutical companies who are getting rich off the same plant compound that's found in nature (and currently Schedule I). There is no reason this drug should enjoy a legal status that other CBD products do not. The same applies to Marinol, Nabilone & all other synthetic pharmaceutical versions of plant-based compounds, many of which are more toxic than their natural counterparts & less effective therapeutically.

Regardless of where you sit on the political spectrum, descheduling cannabis just makes good sense. Upwards of 61% of Americans support legalization & even countries like Malaysia that once threatened the death penalty for cannabis offenses are now getting on board. Legalizing would take all financial motive away from the cartels, gangs & dealers and give them to the companies & governments while allowing the application of age restrictions and quality controls that don't currently exist in the black market. No more wondering if your cannabis is sprayed with a synthetic cannabinoid like "Spice" or K2. No more selling to children. Just a taxable, well-regulated product for the consenting adults who wish to consume it at home.

For once, America could lead the way in sensible drug policy. We could be a shining example for the rest of the world and stand on the right side of history.

Thank you.

CBD Didn't Work for You? Try This.

CBD (cannabidiol) is a rising star in the supplement world that's touted as a remedy for everything from seizures to migraines to anxiety & insomnia.  But along with the many success stories are tales of disappointment--people who tried CBD products & felt no benefits whatsoever.  "Why didn't CBD work for me?  What am I doing wrong?  What should I be feeling?" they ask.  

Fortunately there are some things you can do to boost the effectiveness of CBD.  Not all forms are created equal.  Oral products like candies, capsules & oils are less effective in general for good reason.  CBD taken by mouth has to pass through the stomach's acidic environment, the kidneys & liver before getting into the bloodstream, all of which destroy some of its activity.  If you want the full effects, choose a sublingual or vaporized/smoked type of CBD.  These methods deliver the medicine directly to your bloodstream where it can do its work.  If you choose a sublingual product, leave it under your tongue for at least 5 minutes before swallowing it to ensure maximum absorption.   

CBD Shatter

Secondly, many of the products sold as CBD sadly contain little or no actual CBD.  It's still an unregulated market with deceptive advertising running rampant.  If the label says "hemp oil" or "hempseed oil" with no reference to cannabidiol, that's probably not what you want.  Make sure the actual amount of CBD is listed on the label, as that's the active ingredient.  Full-spectrum products are fine but CBD content is of foremost importance.  A third-party lab report should be a requirement when shopping for CBD since some deadly synthetic "Spice" cannabinoids have been found in a few brands.  

The third point to consider is that CBD is most effective when combined with other cannabinoids such as THC, CBG, CBN & terpenes--all of which occur naturally in the cannabis plant.  This is known as the "entourage effect".  Only trace amounts of these are needed to boost CBD's efficacy.  You don't need to get high to experience the benefits of the entourage effect.  Look for a full-spectrum product such as hemp buds or CBD shatter with terpenes ("terpsolate").  However, if you suffer from cannabis-induced anxiety, you might want to stick to plain CBD isolate since it's less likely to trigger feelings of paranoia & unease.  Some people are extremely sensitive to the effects of THC but in general most folks can handle full-spectrum products.  

Finally, CBD works best when taken consistently over a long period of time.  It builds up in your system & helps regulate your endocannabinoid system rather than just masking symptoms as they arise.  In other words, it's better as a preventative than a rescue med for acute symptoms.  In the short term you can expect to feel mild relaxation from CBD, but the real benefits come with long-term consistent use.  And the changes can be so subtle you don't even know it's working until you wake up one day & realize you haven't had a migraine/seizure/panic attack/whatever since you started using it.  

I've tried numerous methods of ingesting CBD and my personal favorite is vaping isolate or shatter with a vape pen like the Yocan Evolve Plus (shown below).  This type of vape has little coils where you put the CBD & they heat up to create vapor that's inhaled.  It's a little painful/harsh but has no known health risks since it's just vapor.  There are also the small vape pens that use "juice" (liquid), but those are less healthy since they often contain carrier oils that contain lipids, which in theory could cause lipid pneumonia.  

If you try all of these things and still aren't getting any relief after 3-6 months, maybe CBD isn't right for you.  As with any medication or supplement, everyone is different & responds uniquely to CBD.  Maybe your endocannabinoid system is working properly & your problem lies in another area (endorphins, dopamine, hormones, etc).  But at least you don't need a prescription and expensive doctor's visit to try CBD and the side effects are minimal compared to other substances.  So it was worth a shot. 

Throwback Thursday: Rapper Big Lurch Cannibalizes Friend on PCP

The title says it all.  In 2002, the towering 6'7" rapper Antron Singleton--better known as "Big Lurch"--got high on his drug of choice and went on a murderous rampage, killing & eating parts of his female friend's intestine & lung.  The drug was PCP & the victim was 21-year-old Tynisha Ysais. He claims to remember none of it & believes he was on a mission to save the world by "killing the devil before the world ended". He woke up in a psyche ward & received a life sentence for his grisly crime.

While this story cannot be blamed entirely on a drug, it's worth noting that PCP is known for causing manic delirious states & temporary amnesia that can exacerbate mental illness or simply make a bad day much worse. As such, you should stick to a low dose & accept responsibility for whatever you do under its effects BEFORE trying it.

Better yet, just don't try it.

Car Crash Death Blamed on Kratom Overdose

The FDA has officially hit a new low in their war against kratom.  During Scott Gottlieb's manic Twitter ravings in the past few days, he's claimed that kratom has claimed the lives of two people:  Ryan Jones & Caleb Sturgis of Philadelphia.  These deaths are being attributed solely to kratom as no other drugs are present in the toxicology reports, which supposedly makes them more damning than all the rest.  Several news outlets including the NBC 10 Philadelphia, Pennlive.com & WCHE 1520 AM have picked up the story.

The problem?  CALEB J. STURGIS OF PA DIED IN A CAR ACCIDENT, not of "acute mitragynine toxicity" as stated in the articles.  Here is the proof:

ARTICLE 1:

Coroner: New drug claims two lives in Chester County

The Chester County Coroner’s Office is reporting two deaths attributed to mitragynine toxicity due to consumption of kratom, an herbal supplement marketed as a natural painkiller.

Ryan Jones of Caln Township died April 30 with the cause of death determined to be mitragynine toxicity with hypertensive cardiovascular disease as a contributing condition. Caleb Jonathan Sturgis of West Bradford Township died June 27 of acute mitragynine intoxication.

The manner of death was accidental in both cases, according to the Chester County Coroner’s Office.

...they then go on to talk about kratom's unknown risks of toxicity & health complications for the rest of the article, telling healthcare professionals to "be on the lookout" for this "new & deadly" drug.  Typical drug war media hype.      

ARTICLE 2: 

Caleb J. Sturgis, 25, care manager for the deaf, dies in car accident

Caleb Jonathan Sturgis, 25, of West Chester, a care manager at a Glenside agency that offers support for the deaf, died Wednesday, June 27, in a one-car accident on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Tredyffrin Township.

State police said Mr. Sturgis was eastbound when his Toyota Corolla veered onto the Valley Forge Plaza exit ramp and struck a curb, causing the vehicle to flip onto its roof. Mr. Sturgis was pronounced dead at Paoli Hospital.   

Mr. Sturgis, who was deaf, had just started a job in May with PAHrtners Deaf Services, which offers behavioral, developmental, and therapeutic support to deaf people. He was on his way to work Wednesday morning when the crash occurred.

...and the rest of THAT article goes on about how Mr. Sturgis was an upstanding citizen who worked with the deaf.  Not a word is uttered about kratom, mitragynine toxicity or anything related.

__________________________________________________

So which is it?  Did he die in a car crash or of "acute mitragynine toxicity?"  Because it can't be both.  Acute mitragynine toxicity implies that he overdosed on kratom, not that he had a seizure or other medical event.  But as everyone knows, it's nearly impossible to overdose on kratom alone as it does not depress breathing like opioids.  The kratom article doesn't even mention the car accident in passing, nor does the car article mention kratom, which should raise huge red flags to anyone paying attention.  The other man (Ryan Jones) who was alleged to have died from kratom alone suffered from hypertension & was "a little overweight," so it's likely kratom wasn't the only contributing factor in his death either.  

This blatant propaganda is an insult to the intelligence of the American people.  I encourage anyone reading this--kratom user or not--to send comments to the websites & stations regurgitating this nonsense story.  I linked a few of them above.  Let them know you won't tolerate this level of lazy, irresponsible journalism any longer.  That's the only way they'll ever get the message.  If they'll lie about this topic, what else are they willing to lie about?