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Comments from Don Kasarda, Albany, California
 
I have read the posting by Herb Bolz on the FDA and the follow-up postings
by AMS and Jim Barron.  I strongly support the views expressed by Herb Bolz
and consider them well balanced and reasonable.  As someone who has worked
as a scientist in private industry (Du Pont, the old AT&T Bell Labs), at the
University of California, and for a long time as a government scientist with
the Agricultural Research Service of the US Department of Agriculture, I
would say that the FDA is an outstanding agency, one that functions better
than most (conservative adjective) private companies, and that Dr. Kessler
is an outstanding director. We are all are quite fortunate to have this
organization protecting us.  It isn't perfect--I haven't seen an
organization that is--but I think the insulting comments about FDA employees
by AMS are highly unwarranted.  My personal feeling is that we need to seek
balance and reason in our views, and that the approaches recommended by AMS
and Jim Barron will achieve little for celiac patients in the long run.