Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for February 20, 2011

How would we make it day to day without Trudeau’s help?

There’s got to be a few who aren’t black widow wannabes.

I approach GARY with fear each morning. Will I be a Tea Party member at a free government health fair or will I soar with my boyhood fantasies freeing the world with Red Rascal? Luckily the nurses keep the computer room locked until after medication. Oh nurse, is this thing turned on?

What amount would you estimate the Playboy issue containing Barbara Ann Boopstein’s pictorial would sell for now?

Take it to “The Antiques Road Show”, and find out!

Show of hands of the number of guys who would like to be reincarnated as a young Hugh Hefner….

I thought so.

Well, Chikuku, I for one am glad Jenny’s anecdotal evidence is sooooo much more reliable than actual medical science.

…the earth is flat…or was until God killed the dinosaurs,then He made it round.He made it round so democrats wouldn’t fall off trying to return empty coke bottles(true story)As a Tea Party wantta be I can believe what ever I want..and because I believe it..it’s true.One of the things I believe is that Sarah Palin is as smart as a whip..ie…who needs Droids and I-Phones,if I hit you with my whip it would smart more than any smart phone..My job here is done..time to troll onto Comedy Central…

@3hourtour, what’s the problem with returning Coke bottles? Aren’t they flat?

Oh, I see - you’re referring to the ones that contained (gasp) forbidden substances.

And what’s wrong with her face? Looks ok to me!

@Chikuku: the study which started this whole panic was intentional fraud. BMJ (British Medical Journal, an international peer-reviewed medical journal) conducted an investigation and found that even the parents of those children who were the subjects of the study refuted the claims made. So those who stood to benefit from the lawsuits still corrected the records on the timeline of events, which ruled out any and all links to causation. http://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.c5347.short As a parent, I am disgusted to learn of the intentional fraud perpetrated with the intent to commit perjury and reap rewards from lawsuits which took advantage of parents’ desperation.

@chikuku: it’s been long established that the mercury content in the MMR vaccine (and the vaccine as a whole) is not related to autism, yet the antivaxers continue to harp on it. It’s also long been established that you consume more mercury by eating a tuna sandwich. Also, “Jenny McCarthy has plenty of cases of Autistic children who have been helped, even cured, by a dairy-free diet.”. No, she doesn’t. She has people that she’s made think that, or that mistakenly claim that, but no evidence of any of it. All McCarthy has is the preventable deaths of 656 individuals on her head. http://www.jennymccarthybodycount.com

@Richard S. Russell

Excellent.

Problems experienced with vaccinations are often connected to egg allergies, because they are cultured in eggs. This anecdote from one of the guinea pigs that provided the datum.

Jenny should get a tiny modicum of slack. She’s not intentionally trying to deceive us all. Rather, she’s convinced HERSELF that she’s right and science is wrong. She has an autistic child and is very frustrated that we haven’t a clue whay caused it or what to do about it. So she’s made up this fantasy and refuses to stray from it. By the way, does she have any degrees in science?

Leaving aside the particulars of the causes of autism, it’s an unfortunate fact that a medicine that successfully treats or prevents a disease in millions may be lethal to some others, whether the adverse reactions are measured in the dozens or the thousands. Maybe someday genetic screening can be used to identify those who should not be given a particular treatment, and I’m sure they’re working on that even as we speak, but we aren’t there yet.

Clark Kent: “Barb, if your little boy was autistic you’d also be a bit suspicious of anything that might possibly have caused it.”

Seablood has it right. It’s psychologically natural to look for someone or something to blame for any catastrophic misfortune. I may have sympathy for McCarthy’s frustrations, but that doesn’t excuse her pushing a disproven (and irresponsible) theory to scare other parents into declining vaccinations.

Preventive, not preventative

During Vietnam, They marched us bare armed through a gauntlet of vaccine guns, many containing 3 or more vaccines. It all depended where you stood in line but have you noticed who has the highest incidence of HEP C? These are only statistics, if they had been actual facts they would have been hidden by the VA. Hey wait, they did.

Maybe Jenny McCarthy deserves sympathy, but what about the people giving her a platform to shout her self-delusions to the world? Anyone hear about her recent fundraiser at the Playboy mansion? Several people there were infected with Legionnaires’ disease. There may be no vaccine for it but talk about poetic justice.

And anyone who thinks you can get mercury poisoning from thimerosal (not even used in routine childhood vaccinations for about a decade now) probably failed chemistry class after claiming water was flammable.

I have heard this before, that studies have proven that there is no link between vaccinations and autism.

However, when I asked for and received documentation for that, I was presented with studies that failed to find the link. This is not the same as proving that there is no link. This is the same logic that some creationists use, to say that the fact that no “missing link” has been found proves that there are none.

I am also aware that there have been fraudulent studies that meant to prove a link between vaccines and autism.

Likewise, the presence of such studies is not proof that there is no link.

I’m still waiting for documentation that proves that there is no link between autism and vaccines. It is possible that it exists but I haven’t seen it. So let me see it so I can agree with the common wisdom.

Now that the fraudulent study has panicked many people into not having their children vaccinated, it should be fairly straightforward to do a study to see if the ratio of the autistic people who were vaccinated is similar to the ratio of the general population who were vaccinated.

Why has this not been done (or if it has let me know)? Is there a reason? Could it be that vaccines are so important that it is acceptable to sacrifice a certain number to autism if such a link is real?

Fritzoid, true enough, but some people have a tendency to blame anything that goes wrong on someone else. My cousin’s son is autistic, but he never fell for the nonsense that vaccines were the cause. This case of vaccine fraud was interesting in that it was found that trial lawyers funded the “research” that led to these false causality claims.

The anti-vaccine diatribe has also been a foundation for anti-Jewish propaganda, since many of the folks who develop and recommend vaccines are Jewish, and the topic has been featured in neonazi/skinhead hate groups. It’s interesting what commonalities those in the “culture of blame” have with others of the same ilk.

I feel sorry for the parents of those children with autism, but even more for the kids whose parents bought into this malarkey and never were immunized properly. We’re seeing an outbreak of some of these diseases again in some population centers. If it was your 12-year old daughter dying of smallpox in front of you, would you admit to her what a gullible fool you were to take medical advice from Jenny McCarthy?

Anyone who doesn’t think that there may be some kind of side effects to pumping a bunch of toxins, such as formaldehyde, mercury, and lead, (to name a few of the so called ‘stabilizers’ found in vaccines) into the human body, is truly delusional. The only reason diseases of the past are resurfacing, is because our wonderful vaccines are reintroducing them. The fact that fear has lead so many people into entrusting their lives and their health to doctors who are monetarily rewarded to push drugs onto patients, without even knowing whats in the drug, let alone ALL of the side effects, truly shows our level of ignorance. It’s all good until it’s You, or someone you love, dies from this insane, money hoarding system, you currently buy into. Wake up people, and please, do your homework before you post.

“…it is clear that taking the kids off dairy really helps them to recover from Autism.”

Where is the research supporting that published?

ummm folks.. especially Chikuku.. yes, it was a ‘tiny, fraudulent study’ and you obviously missed it but Jenny herself admitted last year that her son is NOT autistic at all. It is some other disorder.. also not having to do with vaccines. Everytime another child dies of whooping cough I think ‘another nail in Jenny McCarthy’s coffin’..

Lewreader,

Can we get in tough off of this site, please? Concerning the use of the jetguns. My Bro-in-law suspects he got Hep-C from them and is trying to get a VA Disability Comp due to blood clots, etc. gslater1950@yahoo.com Thanks Yuggib

Only PART public menace?

@3hourtour

At last, I get it - a reference to The Gods Must be Crazy!

I’m like Amtrak, slow but I always get there eventually.

Given the stuff on the internet, Playboy still seems the most respectful of adult media. Heck, even Hustler is more subtle than these online things.

why on earth is Jenny McCarthy’s opinion on a matter of epidemiology important in the first place? The real harm to preventative health care comes in a culture that looks to celebs for scientific information. Chikuku should get on well with all the ‘gun-facts’ dudes.

Thanx for saving us the trouble of finding out for ourselves, VanPelt.

I have an autistic child, and I have video documentation of him prior to receiving the specific vaccine in question and after. You can see the changes. I am not one that thinks it’s only the vaccine. But it is a catalyst. And for the record, Jenny MacCarthy has never claimed any of the children are cured, they are recovered. Autism is not something that goes away, it is always there. Also, the vaccine theary has never been debunked, there is research that is frequently argued and attmpted to be disputed showing links to the high amounts of preservatives in the vaccines. If all children are different, why aren’t all vaccines different to taylor to the child? Oh, that’s right, it cost too much, who cares if it hurts the kids.

Wow, joseph.grizich used his own child for a scientific study? Now that’s hardcore.

3hourtour said, 2 days ago

…the earth is flat…or was until God killed the dinosaurs,then He made it round.He made it round so democrats wouldn’t fall off trying to return empty coke bottles(true story)

Man, the gods must be crazy!

Clark … there are a billion things that could possibly cause autism …….. vaccines are not among the billion.

Actually, Jenny McCartney Is far rom the first to claim their is a link between autism and vaccinations…Hannah Polling’s family received a $25 MILLION settlement, From The UNITED STATES Government, along with a statement “her Autism ReSULTED from VACCINATIONS”. The head of the CDC, has said, on Camera, they do know in certain case’s vaccinations, lead to fever, and is linked to Autism. Do yourself a favor, and research for yourself, or don’t, and keep putting innocent children in harm’s way! Btw, the Supreme Court just ruled, last week, that YOU could NOT SUE, if your child is vaccine injured….I wonder why, other then there are over 5000 cases back logged in the Court’s, currently. But, if makes you feel all safe and warm inside to make fun, belittle, and degrade a mother, for TELLING THE TRUTH, have had it…with 1 out of 91 children getting diagnosed with regressive autism, it won’t be long until it’s a feature presentation at your house.

Actually, Jenny McCartney Is far rom the first to claim their is a link between autism and vaccinations…Hannah Polling’s family received a $25 MILLION settlement, From The UNITED STATES Government, along with a statement “her Autism ReSULTED from VACCINATIONS”. The head of the CDC, has said, on Camera, they do know in certain case’s vaccinations, lead to fever, and is linked to Autism. Do yourself a favor, and research for yourself, or don’t, and keep putting innocent children in harm’s way! Btw, the Supreme Court just ruled, last week, that YOU could NOT SUE, if your child is vaccine injured….I wonder why, other then there are over 5000 cases back logged in the Court’s, currently. But, if makes you feel all safe and warm inside to make fun, belittle, and degrade a mother, for TELLING THE TRUTH, have had it…with 1 out of 91 children getting diagnosed with regressive autism, it won’t be long until it’s a feature presentation at your house.

Why do a lot of men and some women, feel so incredibly threatened when an attractive woman knows what she is talking about. They react by talking about her boobs and Playboy! They trash her for not having a degree in Science? It is apparent how much she loves her child and how much of her life is dedicated to this casue. Most of us that are in her shoes cannot get press, so she is out there speaking for us, the parents affected by this EPIDEMIC! The rest of you, shallow people, can go back to your shallow lives and talk trash amongst yourselves and stop talking about something you know nothing about!