Age Of Ignorance

The Jake's on You

2010-10-28T14:51:00.000-07:00

In a very feeble attempt at mimicking Paul Offit's upcoming blockbuster, which will out sell the Age of Autism fictional history book, Joke Crosby, the Bouy Wonder of the AoA Collective, has published an article today which is, as usual, just poorly researched and bereft of logic.

I thought that a comment was appropriate, and I left it for Jake to moderate. IOW, I do not expect to see it ever again.

If Jake reads this, let me give him some advice:

Spend more time studying
Spend some time trying to find some young ladies to keep you company.
Take a course in logic.
Get a clue.

Jake, one day you will be looking for a real job within your major. If they find your posts, you will be among the chronically underemployed.

The AoA Drones

2010-06-22T05:49:00.000-07:00

Although young Joke Crosby is despicable enough, the drones and sicko-phants are worse. Except for one: Craig Willoughby. He has a shred of logic left, and has not as yet been fully assimilated by the AoA Collective. Willigoughby states:

Come on, guys. I despise Dorkski as much as the rest of you, but is it necessary to post information about his place of employment? I know he's a megalomoniacal douche-bag, but calling his place of work to try to get him fired is petty, people. That's bringing yourselves down to his level.

Posted by: Craig Willoughby | June 21, 2010 at 05:40 PM

Craig, that is really nice of you. You waded into a minefield of morons where anyone disagreeing is virulently attacked.

Of course, Craig, it is your behavior, coupled with that of the former journalists who manage the AoA Collective, and the head drone, JB, who have created the atmosphere by which disgusting things like this can happen.

Craig, before you are fully assimilated, use those remaining grey cells to examine your behavior and perhaps you may see the error of your ways.

And, you claim that bloggers, et al call CPS. A tad of proof of that is warranted.

The Boy Wonder at the Collective Reaches a New Low

2010-06-21T20:58:00.000-07:00

Joke Crosby, a student of history and medical policy at Brandeis University posted one of the most despicable and scurrilous trashings of a blogger I have ever read. Of course, the Al Quaida of Autism Blog hosts his garbage.

Joke trashed Dr. David Gorski with distortions, lies and manufactured ideas. I had trouble reading it, and, of course, the commenters made Joke looked mild. They posted details of Dr. Gorski's practice, and the people with whom he works. He is a surgeon-scientist specializing in breast cancer.

What Joke is too young (stupid?) to realize is that this diatribe on his part is a de facto admission that he cannot win an argument on the merits.

I am asking all the loyal readers to express their revulsion at this attack. Post comments, as many as you feel necessary, to get your point across at the Al Quaida of Autism blog. Since they censor contrary opinions, please feel free to also post your comments here.

You could also suggest this on any other blogs you may read. The editors of AoA have way too much time on their hands, and Joke is off for the summer, and needs to spend some quality time with a thought.

Remember, do not hold back. Express yourselves early and, most importantly, often.

Why They Really Do Not Care About Y O U!

2010-04-19T17:12:00.000-07:00

What has always impressed me is that, in other venues, parents raise concerns about everything but a cure. They seem to be always looking for better education opportunities, for strategies to help them wend their way through the special education minefield, and, for help paying for their child's special needs and the extra-ordinary costs they have because they have a special child.

During the Obama transition, I read several blogs where people were encouraged to raise their issues, and, the autism parents did. They mentioned how health insurance refuses to pay for science based treatments because Autism is considered to be a pre-existing condition. They mentioned how hard it is to get respite care, for themselves and their child. They mentioned so many things, except, finding a "cure" or a cause of Autism. These are the parents who are truly hurting for their kids. Read more...

What continually amazes me is that these parents are uniformly ignored by the likes of JB Handley, Jenny McCarthy, Dan Olmsted, David Kirby, Katie Wright, and the other pied pipers of the AoA/Anti-Vaccination collective. How often is there a blog article about these issues?

What we do know is that Mr. Handley is rich and wrong about just about everything. I've been wondering how much rich plays into this. Handley, the Wrights, Jenny McCarthy--none of them have to think about whether their child will attend a good school, get good therapies and, most of all, whether they will be cared for after their parents are gone. These families are wealthy, and they have taken care of these issues.

To the best of my knowledge, Olmsted and Kirby (who is now pursuing BigFarma) do not have children or family affected by Autism.

Clearly, they are all out of touch with the rank and file of parents, and seem to have zero incentive to advocate for anything really worthwhile for autistic kids or adults.

Does anyone think that they could care less if public schools had better special education classes or if there were programs for autistic (and other disabled) adults to help them live at something above the poverty level? This will not impact their children (unless they lose their fortune in the next collapse) and they seem to be just too narcissistic to care about anyone else.

I wonder what they will do when their child who will still be autistic reaches adulthood. I strongly suspect that they will be quietly placed in an institution or "home" somewhere out of sight.

What seems to aggravate people like Handley, et al, the most is that their child being autistic is - for many of them - is the first problem they've ever encountered that couldn't be solved by money. I would wager that they have hired help at home. Someone to help provide for day-to-day services for their children.

That is not to say that all wealthy people are like this. I personally know one family, who was wealthy before George (Washington, not Bush) was president. They give, and they advocate in more ways than one.

In addition, some of them (JB, for instance) seem equate wealth with high intelligence precisely BECAUSE they are so rich. Has he actually said this? No. However, reading between the lines, and observing his actions, have led me to believe this.

Some of them, notably JB, have repeatedly denigrated real scientists - ALL of whom know more about autism, mercury, vaccines, medicine, biology, chemistry, etc. - than he does (or ever will). They calls them "stupid", pharmashill, or worse. When pressed, their arguments always devolves into some form of "I'm filthy rich and they aren't, so I MUST be smarter than they are."

Of course, it never occurs to these rich people that they GOT that way largely by chance - by birth (the ultimate random event) or by making the right bet in business, stocks, etc. Years ago, I heard a comment about some spoiled rich kid. The person mentioned that the kid was lucky because his father was born before him. When his father died, he took over the business, and ran it into bankruptcy in short order.

With this mindset, all they have left is to want a cure to rid themselves of the inconvenience of having a special needs child.

One other point. The vitriol aimed at some of the scientists and physicians is intense. However, if you, as they say, "follow the money" you will see that the level of bile that these people spill out is directly proportional to the money these scientists have made. This explains why JB, et al, have always made Dr. Paul Offit their number one target. To them, Dr. Offit had the unmitigated nerve of making a lot of money, and then still caring about all children, even autistic ones.

When they will finally "get it" perhaps some of the families who are truly under an onerous task of raising a special child will get help. Until then, the cloud is as dark as the ash cloud from the volcano no one can type or pronounce.

AoA Planning Meeting

2010-03-27T14:25:00.000-07:00

A tape of a recent clandestine meeting of the AoA Collective has surfaced. No further comment is needed.

Where Are They?

2010-02-25T12:39:00.000-08:00

LeftBrainRightBrain picked up on a very serious story, i.e. the United States Department of Justice has instituted an investigation of the Judge Rotenberg Center (JRC) use of aversives, specifically electrical shock, to control the behavior of special needs children. Major kudos to LB/RB for bringing this to the attention of the blogosphere.

In a comment Mike Stanton raises the question of where the advocacy organizations are on this issue. The letter that prompted the investigation is signed by 30 groups. 30? Why not hundreds? There are many more advocacy groups that 30.

Think about this for a moment. Our troops in Iraq could not use these aversive devices against prisoners at Abu Graib, since it would be torture. We cannot use them at Gitmo, for the same reason.

Where are the bloggers who are speaking out on this issue? Why the silence?

I specfically wonder where AoA is? This is an issue where ALL "sides" in the Autism debate should be able to agree.

Where is David Kirby? Promoting his new book?

Where is Dan Olmsted? Looking for the JRC in Florida?

Do not remain silent.

Why is JB Handley so silent? (Hint: He is defend Jenny on the Time Magazine website).

The SILENCE is DEAFENING!

Speak Up!

Wakefield,Baseball and Monkeys

2010-02-12T11:16:00.000-08:00

In a recent post, I tried to help J B Handley find the monkeys he was so worried about finding. Actually, he was trying to promote a monkey study by Andy Wakefield, who had recently been reamed out by the GMC in the UK, and them got another thrashing when the Lancet retracted his "study" that lead to the MMR panic that resulted in thousands of preventable cases of measles and mumps, and several dead children.

Well, Andy and his henchmen had submitted that study to Journal of Neurotoxicology and were awaiting publication, which seemed to be delayed.

Now, as Orac reports, the editors of Neurotoxicology have snatched that paper out of the hopper. Whether it ever goes back in, we will have to wait and see. So...

GMC smackdown....STRIKE ONE!
Lancet retraction....STRIKE TWO!
Neurotoxicology retraction...STRIKE THREE!

YER OUT, ANDY!

As for JB seeing his monkey study....

JB, quick...follow the monkeys....your study is getting away....

He Wants To See Monkeys?

2010-02-10T08:37:00.000-08:00

In a recent post on the Al Quaeda of Autism blog, JB Handley said he wanted to see monkeys. He does not have far to look.

When I saw this, it reminded me of this one I took in Sydney Australia a few years ago.

I do believe that most of what is written on the Al Quaeda of Autism blog is written at a pub, but one much seedier than this one.

Experts Used By the 4th Estate Should be Experts! Right? Well, not really...

2010-01-27T15:07:00.000-08:00

This article is a departure from my usual cogent analysis of the antics of the Al Quaeda of Autism, their lemmings, et al. Here, I want to address the media and let them see just how sloppy they are.

And they are sloppy.

I was reading a newsgroup and came across a link to a video of a news story aired on Fox News dealing with the H1N1 virus and, at that time, the soon to be released vaccine. They included the usual and customary "infectious disease expert".

After I viewed the video, and, as usual, I decided to check out the good doctor, Kent Holtorf. He demonstrated a truly impressive skill set that I have rarely seen.

Since he is an MD, I like to check medical credentials. He is licensed to practice medicine by the Medical Board of California:

License: G 74797
License Type: Physician and Surgeon
Licensee may be a U.S. or Canadian medical school graduate whose pathway to licensure was based on the NBME examination.
Name: KENT ALAN HOLTORF, M.D.

(I redacted his address.)

Address of Record County: LOS ANGELES
License Status: License Renewed & Current
Licensee meets requirements for the practice of medicine in California.
Public Record Action(s): No Public Record Actions available
Original Issue Date: July 28, 1992
Expiration Date: June 30, 2010
School Name: ST. LOUIS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
Year Graduated: 1991

So far, so good. He is licensed and in good standing. No discipline. Next....

Activities In Medicine: PATIENT CARE - 20 TO 29 HOURS
RESEARCH - 20 TO 29 HOURS
TEACHING - 10 TO 19 HOURS
ADMINISTRATION - 20 TO 29 HOURS

Primary Practice Location Zip Code: 90505
Board Certification(s): No board certifications identified

(I expect that any physician who has made the effort to secure board certification would list that with the licensing agency.)

Primary Practice Area(s): FAMILY PRACTICE
Secondary Practice Area(s): ENDOCRINOLOGY
Post Graduate Training Years: 3 YEARS

3 years is an adequate period of post graduate training for someone to qualify for board certification. It seems to be getting stranger by the moment

(I do not answer these questions, either, and this really is not germane:)
Ethnic Background: Declined to Disclose
Foreign Language(s): Declined to Disclose
Gender: Declined to Disclose

Since the video calls him an expert in infectious diseases. Well, that would usually mean he would be board certified in that discipline. Since he did not list board certification in his license (I know it is not required), I decided to check with the American Board of Medical Specialties. You'll have to register, but, it is free and does not generate spam.

I was shocked to find that Dr. Holtorf is not listed by the ABMS as being board certified. Didn't Fox News say he was in infectious disease EXPERT?

Since he listed his main practice area as Family Practice, one the harder disciplines, and endocrinology as his secondary, I thought I would check to see whether he has any published research. His licensing information states that he spends 20 TO 29 HOURS a week engaged in research, and this should generate a peer reviewed study or three .

So, I went to PubMed and, searching on "Holtorf K", which would give me the widest search parameters I found:

The bioidentical hormone debate: are bioidentical hormones (estradiol, estriol, and progesterone) safer or more efficacious than commonly used synthetic versions in hormone replacement therapy?

Holtorf K.

Postgrad Med. 2009 Jan;121(1):73-85. Review.
PMID: 19179815

Hmmm....this is not peer reviewed, and it is a review of other research.

and then this one...

Hormones in wellness and disease prevention: common practices, current state of the evidence, and questions for the future.

Schwartz ET, Holtorf K.

Prim Care. 2008 Dec;35(4):669-705.
PMID: 18928825 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

I am glad to see he is sharing his knowledge, but, neither are research articles. So, I then looked at his websites:. The first I looked at, led me to the second.

I looked high and low, every page, and found nothing showing that the good doctor has published any peer reviewed research on infectious diseases, not has he listed any training or other experience in that field.

What I did find was interesting, thought. Using the search tool on the website, I did a search on vaccine and was referred to a page where his appearances on rush Limboob, Sean Insanity (Hannity), Glen Beck, et al, are referenced and linked. They all refer to him as an expert on infectious diseases. Thus, my search for proof that he is a true expert on infectious disease led to nothing. I was disappointed in that.

However, not all was lost. The simple fact is, the good doctor has managed to demonstrate just how easy it is to bamboozle the media. Either they never bothered to check his credentials, or, because he was spouting their party line, it did not matter.

Furthermore, I did some additional Googling of his name and found that the NY Daily News, the newspaper of my youth, the one I delivered, the one which used to have the best sports section in the world, had several articles where he is referred to as a board certified endocrinologist in one article, and a specialist in women's health in another. (There is no board certification in women's health, unless they meant OB-GYN, and he is not board certified in that, either). In another article, concerning the Haitian tragedy that is still unfolding as I write, he comments on how high humidity could increase survival times while buried in the rubble.

Thus, the good doctor has demonstrated just how lousy an idea it is to rely on the media for medical advice and information. Utterly sloppy of these august organs of the 4th Estate.

Please note that I was not surprised with my findings. I expected nothing more that this from Fox News, and those who bought the line. Their "research" seems to consist of determining whether a good story can hit the media, and whether it may be controversial. Having homeopathic like expertise is another criteria.

As for the Daily News, they have NO excuses. Their own internal archives demonstrate that there is a question regarding the doctor's "expertise". They should be ashamed of themselves.

Al-Qaeda of Autism

2010-01-23T08:31:00.000-08:00

When I first started this blog, I did so because I had been censored on AoA, and came up with the idea that they exemplify the Age of Ignorance. I have no doubt, confirmed over the months since then, they are the cesspool of ignorance. However, out of every cesspool grows something. The past few months have shown that the growth is truly worthy of being born in a cesspool.

AoA has moved on from the mere censorship that had initially concerned me. Granted, I wrote here and here about some of their more nefarious tactics, most specifically "outing". "Outing" occurs when a person who has chosen a degree of anonymity by using a pseudonym has their real name linked. I have been outed by some of the drones of the AoA collective.

However, outing, and their other old tactics, are merely annoyances in the scheme of things. What has happened recently is that the True Believers of the AoA collective have taken several quantum steps further.

Back around Thanksgiving time 2009, the Collective posted an article which had a photoshopped image of several people sitting around what looked to be a Thanksgiving dinner table, preparing to eat a baby. Who were these people? The post includes a poorly photoshopped picture of prominent science-based medicine proponents feasting on a dead baby. The guests were journalist Alison Singer, the NIH's head honcho Tom Insel, journalist Trine Tsouderos, Science and Science Based Medicine Blogger and Editor Steve Novella, Amy Wallace and the "One They Fear The Most" bogeyman extraordinaire, vaccine developer, saver of the lives of thousand of children, Dr. Paul Offit.

The blogosphere was in an uproar, and the intellectual cowards of the AoA Collective removed the offending post. The photo is available elsewhere. I will not link to it.

Did this event constitute a set-back for the Drones? Not at all. It appears to have energized them into perpetrating even more outrageous attacks on those who have the nerve to disagree.

Fortunately, Trine Tsouderos and her editors at the courageous Chicago Tribune (I would live there if it were warmer in the winter) was not intimidated by the initial attack. Following the heritage of great journalists, the ones I learned about in my college course on the History of Journalism which was part of my minor in Journalism, they forged ahead, and continued to investigate and study the Evil Empire of the anti-vaccinationists masquerading as "pro-safe vaccines" advocates that infest the Autism community.

On January 17, 2010, the Tribune published the third article in Trine Tsouderos three part series. In this article she exposes Dr. Boyd Haley's probable illegal marketing of an industrial chemical agent as a supplement, to be administered to children with Autism.

Just who is Boyd Haley? Simple, he is the darling of the AoA Collective. However, a look at his record does show something interesting about this retired professor of chemistry.

Peter Bowditch of Ratbags asked Haley about "claim that mercury is 50% of thimerosal". Have you taken high school chemistry? If so, find your old text books and check out whether this has any meaning what-so-ever. While it is true that the one atom of Mercury comprises approximately 50% of the molecular weight of thimerosal, does this have any chemical or toxicological significance? Peter's exchange with Haley would lead anyone who has not taken high school chemistry to think so.

Now he is marketing this industrial chelator for human consumption, and IGNORING THE FDA's requests for information. Haley said, "... that the compound had been tested on rats and that a food safety study was conducted on 10 people[and himself, do the math = 11]". When she asked him to "...provide documentation of the studies, he stopped communicating with the Tribune."

Instead, the Drones of the Collective took over and, AoA mercilessly hunted down Tsouderos' family and outed them. Read Orac's excellent article and the one by Ken Reibel at LeftBrain/RightBrain. I am sure there are more, and I invite links in the comments. Please.

There have been many other attacks, too numerous for me to compile here. Others have, and links in the comments would be appreciated.

Now, what does this all mean? Simple, and it truly is. We now know that the Drones of the AoA collective will stoop as low as they can go and stop at nothing to silence those with whom they disagree. Initially, their tactics reminded me of the response by Scientology to the Time Magazine article by Behar. Do your own search, and see how ugly that got.

Orac mentioned in one of his articles (I cannot find it) that this also reminded him of Scientology.

However, we are both wrong. The tactics being used, and the overall strategy are pure terrorist based tactics that are being used to stifle and silence critics.

And, that is why the Age of Autism is now most correctly referred to as the Al-Qaeda of Autism.

I truly hope that the Tribune, and other news sources, pick up on this story and begin a year long counterattack on the terrorism. The power of the press, in Oliver Wendell Holmes' Free Market Place of Ideas, is the most potent weapon in the battle for truth.

Heckenlively's Fallacious Analysis of the Cedillo Appeal Decision Rebutted

2009-10-17T10:59:00.000-07:00

Kent Heckenlively, Esq., a regular contributer to the AoA Collective posted his analysis of the Cedillo Appeal, and, as usual, got it completely wrong. How did he manage to be so wrong, considering that he is so educated?

A guest Blogger, PeterP, will explain:

Heckenlively claims to be a lawyer, like most lawyers his skill is therefore to cherry-pick the bits of evidence that suits him rather than looking at it all. This suits an adversarial court system but does not lend itself to finding the truth in science.

>Reading the decision in the Cedillo appeal gives me a greater appreciation
>of that story. It doesn't seem to matter what's presented, the Special
>Masters are still going to deny any connection between vaccines and autism.

Probably because no one has managed to show there is one. The Cedillo case certainly didn't.

>The Cedillo case depended a great deal of the identification of the measles
>virus discovered in an intestinal biopsy taken from Michelle Cedillo and
>analyzed by the Unigenetics Laboratory of Dr. John O'Leary. The court
>agreed that "the general reputations of Unigenetics and Dr. O'Leary are
>good." (P. 11) It also agreed that the reliability of the Unigenetics
>Laboratory was "the single-most critical issue in the case." (P. 10)

Having considered both the general reputation and specific work on measles it concluded :

"However, I conclude that the overall evidence weighs strongly in favor of a conclusion that, whatever the general caliber of the work of the O'Leary laboratory group, the group's measles virus detection work, done largely under the Unigenetics Ltd. name, simply is not reliable. The overall evidence specific to that measles virus detection issue is simply too strong to be outweighed by mere evidence of a good general reputation concerning other work.

In this regard, two further observations are relevant. First, as noted above, the measles virus detection work was done, at least for the most part, under the Unigenetics Ltd. name. Dr. Bustin testified that Unigenetics Ltd. was not accredited, and that Unigenetics Ltd. declined to participate in a quality control program, so that there was never any independent quality assessment made of any of the work that was carried out by Unigenetics. (Tr. 2034, 2057A.)

Significantly, petitioners never attempted to rebut that aspect of Dr. Bustin's testimony.

Second, the record also indicates that Unigenetics Ltd. is no longer in business, and there is no evidence that the O'Leary laboratory has ever published any work defending the reliability of the Uhlmann study, despite the criticism of that study. Thus, it seems that the O'Leary laboratory has not publicly defended the reliability of its efforts at measles virus detection during the early 2000s.

Accordingly, considering all of the evidence of record, I conclude that, regardless of whether the O'Leary laboratory might have a solid reputation with respect to its other work, nevertheless that laboratory's efforts to detect measles virus in the early 2000s were flawed and unreliable."

>There was discussion of other studies, namely the Uhlmann study which
>supported the finding of a measles infection in the guts of children with
>autism,

Using the same Unigenetics Lab as Wakefield. Remember also that Unigenetics was not a university laboratory but a private "for profit" company specifically established to test for an MMR/measles link on behalf of the UK MMR litigants. It was closed in 2005.

>On the issue of DNA contamination, though, the testimony was pretty clear
>that DNA contamination is an issue only if there are relatively low numbers
>of the virus detected. Michelle Cedillo's test results showed high levels
>of the measles virus, and thus even from the testimony, should not be
>something cited by the Special Masters in their review.

The testing was by PCR, I assume Heckenlively knows little about this procedure and how sensitive it is to contamination. To say that "DNA contamination is an issue only if there are relatively low numbers of the virus detected" shows remarkable ignorance.

One of the telling points against Unigenetics was that they produced positive results when it was simply impossible. They omitted the Reverse Transcriptase step in their tests. Measles virus exists as an RNA molecule. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay amplifies DNA. Thus to detect an RNA molecule in a PCR assay, the RNA must first be copied (by the reverse transcriptase enzyme) into DNA, which can then be amplified. Bustin showed that the O'Leary lab reported positive results even when they could not possibly have detected an RNA molecule because they had left out the step to copy that RNA into DNA. Thus the positive results reported for such test were, without any doubt at all, false positives.

>On the issue of reliability, it's curious that while the court admits that the general
>reputation of the lab and Dr. O'Leary are good, they unaccountably failed in
>this instance.

See above. That they failed, and failed abysmally, is beyond question. Why they failed may have something to do with their sole source of funding. They were for example using older instruments, and on some of these faults were discovered by Bustin. For example there was a huge variation in the heating and cooling characteristics across the sample block producing variable results depending on where sample tubes were placed on the instrument.

>(Author's note - The U.S. government later hired Dr. John
>O'Leary to set up two labs for the Hornig/Lipkin study on the prevalence of
>the measles virus in the guts of children with autism. Amazing how one day
>the government is trying to destroy your reputation and soliciting your help
>on another.)

The US government did not "hire" O'leary, and by the time of Hornig/Lipkin Unigenetics had been closed. Three laboratories were utilised by Hornig/Lipkin, O'Learys Trinity College laboratory at Coombe Women's Hospital,. The Center for Infection and Immunity, New York; and the Measles, Mumps,Rubella, and Herpes virus Laboratory Branch, CDC, Atlanta.

>And this is where the independent judgment of the court is supposed to come
>in. One side says you didn't perform the tests the way you should. That's
>fair game and deserves to be explored. The other side says, you can't find
>the measles virus in the red blood cells of affected children, only in the
>gut which you can biopsy, or the brain, which short of an autopsy, is
>exceedingly difficult. You should consider that claim as well.

The fact was that no measles virus was detected in the gut. This was the conclusion reached by Chadwick, working with Wakefield, before Unigenetics came into being. As it wasn't the answer which was wanted the work was taken away from a University laboratory and given to a commercial one set up for the purpose.

As a matter of interest the vast majority of samples from autistic tested for MV by O'Leary in the Unigenetics lab in Dublin were from blood, not gut tissue.

>But that didn't happen in the Cedillo case. The Special Masters accepted
>one side, and paid no attention to the other. I acknowledge these are
>confusing issues, but where's the evidence disputing the claim that measles
>virus is not present in red blood cells, but only affected organs?

There is nothing confusing about there being no credible evidence that measles was in the gut. This is the simple fact that the author seems to ignore.

The Unigenetics findings were false. Unigenetics claimed to have found measles virus in _both_ blood and gut samples. Bustin's lengthy report clearly showed their results were as a result of poor laboratory practice. As Bustin, far more of an expert in PCR than O'Leary ever will be, aid :-

"My clear conclusion then was that O'Leary's results were caused by
defective experimental technique and inappropriate interpretation of
results, since he was detecting DNA, and measles virus does not exist
as DNA. "

> The
>Court acted as if these issues weren't even worthy of consideration. And if
>Dr. O'Leary's lab was so incompetent in detecting the measles virus, why did
>our own government later hire him to set up two such labs?

It didn't. He collaborated as a professor at the Department of Histopathology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, not as Managing Director of the closed Unigenetics Laboratory Ltd. Unigenetics had some specific problems associated with trying to do things cheaply. Many of the "staff" were undergraduates. Unigenetics was also not an accredited laboratory and Unigenetics had no external quality controls.

>A similar narrowness of vision was present in other parts of the decision.
>The third criterion to be satisfied to obtain recovery is a "proximate
>temporal relationship between vaccination and injury." The medical records
>for Michelle Cedillo are actually quite compelling in establishing a short
>time period between her vaccinations and the development of her problems.

Actually, together with recordings of her made beforehand, they were very compelling in showing symptoms of ASD long before she received MMR.

>"A May 2, 1997 letter from an Arizona neurologist, Dr. William Masland,
>deserves particular mention. After examining Michelle Cedillo on May 2,
>1997, Dr. Masland noted that Michelle lost her speaking ability after her
>post-MMR fever episodes. He further stated 'it would appear that there was
>some neurological harm done at the time of the fevers.' He added, 'whether
>this was a post-immunization phenomenon or a separate occurrence, would be
>very difficult to say.' The Special Master concluded that Dr. Masland's
>letter, at most, speculated as to whether the MMR vaccine was causing
>Michelle's neurologic abnormality and did not constitute an opinion that the
>MMR vaccine caused Michelle's autism." (P. 20-21)

That's correct, it was an opinion of an observer. It could equally well have been made about the temporal association between visiting McDonalds and losing her speaking ability.

>I know this will be disputed by some, but the fault in Cedillo wasn't with
>the evidence, or the way the attorneys presented the case. The fault was
>with the Special Masters and may lie in a prejudice that even they don't
>fully appreciate.

However you try to spin it the evidence was overwhelmingly against the claimant. Look at the authors of the Hornig/Lipkin study :- Lack of Association between Measles Virus Vaccine and Autism with Enteropathy: A Case-Control Study Mady Hornig, Thomas Briese, Timothy Buie, MargaretL.Bauman, Gregory Lauwers, Ulrike Siemetzki, Kimberly Hummel, Paul A. Rota, William J. Bellini, ,John J. O'Leary, Orla Sheils, Errol Alden, Larry Pickering, W.Ian Lipkin O'Leary and Sheils are co-authors. If they were that convinced that their Unigenetics work was right why did they support this later studies conclusion which was :-

"This study provides strong evidence against association of autism
with persistent MV RNA in the GI tract or MMR exposure. "
Was it simply because they realised they had been wrong with
Unigenetics and this later, properly conducted, properly documented
and properly supervised work, clearly showed that?

Another Suppository of Ignorance

2009-07-07T06:45:00.000-07:00

Not on the same par as AoA, so far, but this blog that calls itself Child Health Safety, is headed in that direction.

I posted in the thread using my Nom-de-Blog, FreeSpeaker, and was promptly outed by the blogger, since he posted my real name, which is no big secret.

I then posted a response, citing s/h/it's antics, and that post was removed.

I was responding to s/h/its comments:

ED: What a pile of drivel. So it looks like you are expecting the UK's GMC to acquit him. And just like The Sunday Glaxo you want to start all sorts of new unfounded accusations to keep the MMR controversy running forever? Smart move.

So when are you going to start accusing CHS of lying? Bowditch can hardly ever write a sentence without accusing people of lying and you normally do much the same.

Looks like someone eise is desperate that they thought sending in you two characters might be worth doing.]

He was responding to my comment:

Let’s see…you make a claim that the PCC ordered Deer to removethe articles, and, Peter Bowditch says that the PCC website does not mention it. Then, you personally attack Pter Bowditch. Sounds like you are desperate.

As for Wakefield, the testimony during the Omnibus hearings should be use to indict him for gross negligence, willful harming of children and being a lying quack in the first degree. I read the entire transcript, every single word, and listened to much of the testimony. The experts submitted by the government destroyed any pretense of objectivity and competence that Wakefield may pretend to have.

Clearly, this blogger does not have a clue as too truth or logic. Another woefully blinded supporter of Wakefield.

Now, here is a serious question...Does anyone know what Wakefield is doing behind closed doors at Thoughtful House in Austin, Texas? He does not have a license to practice medicine anywhere in the US, and hopefully, will not have one in the UK soon.

Oh, and I expect the UK's GMC not to acquit Wakefield, but to strip him of his license and publicly tar and feather him. This is Britain, you know. :)

UPDATE

I went back to this suppository of ignorance and found that yet, again, another response of mine was deleted. Thus, I wrote:

This is fast becoming a bastion of censorship. Now I have had two posts censored.
However, the purely ad hominem attack on Peter Bowditch remains, and the drivel from John Stone, where he tortures logic and twists the facts to blame The Times and Brian Deer, when it was the duplicitous Wakefield who broke the gentlemen's agreement, remains intact.

Yes, this blog has become another suppository of censorship, run by a pro-infectious disease merchant of disability amd death.

What are these people so damn afraid of? Why can't they engage in discussion?

What does the bull do after he stops?

2009-05-23T10:08:00.000-07:00

Kelli Ann supplied them with the tag-line "The Bull Stops Here!"

This drove me to think? What does a bull do when he stops? After reading AoA, one can only conclude that he leaves his thoughts behind.

This merely demonstrates the quantity of the "thinking" of the AoA Collective. It in no way reflects that true lack of quality.

The AoA Collective

2009-04-20T07:51:00.000-07:00

Clearly, recent postings to the cesspool of the AoA Collective demonstrate that they want to be more offensive that they usually are. Paul Offit is attacked, again, and Michael Fitzpatrick is attacked in an article that fails to mention that he is a parent of an autistic child.

They have tacitly announced their Spring Offensive, and the target is your mind. I will suggest some reading that is "mental kevlar."

This is clearly more AoA Collective "thinking", where they would love to have the opposition realize that refuting their male bovine excreta with facts is futile, and if you have the temerity to do so, you will be mercilessly attacked.

Recently, J.B. decided to put up another website where he uses his uncanny lack of intelligence and dearth of scientific knowledge to feebly discredit scientific studies which do not neatly fit into CollectiveThink. He calls it 14 Studies. I call it proof that the Collective Leader has no scientific knowledge what-so-ever. Both Steve Novella, and Dave Gorski eviscerate the site, with anyone who has a high school diploma, and stayed awake through biology and chemistry, can understand. That, of course, leaves out the Collective and their drones.

Read 14 Studies and then read Steve Novella and Dave Gorski. You will know why this blog is called the Age of Ignorance.

Honoring The Leaders of the AoA Collective

2009-04-17T07:10:00.000-07:00

Shocking isn't it? AoI wants to honor the leaders of the collective? How could this be possible?

The idea came to me out of the blue. Well, out of the early morning sky. I have been a skywatcher since childhood. I recall watching for the ECHO passive communications satellite pass over head every two hours. For those who do not recall, or never heard of the ECHO satellite, it was a large aluminized mylar balloon which radio and television signals were bounced off. Being that large and reflective, it was clearly visible from the ground.

A few mornings ago, on one of our clear days in these parts, the ISS few overhead. A beautiful sight.

I read Phil Plait's BadAstronomy every day. He is a good writer and has a wonderful sense of wonderment about our universe. I could spend long nights with him watching the sky. In fact, when I went to his blog to get the URL, I found a great article which I read before coming back to continue to write this article.

Phil had several articles about the recent attempt at Space Piracy by the fans of Stephen Colbert. They attempted to hijack the vote for the name of a new node on the ISS, but NASA rejected their ploy, and, instead, named the node Tranquility, after the site of the first moon landing, which I watched live in black and white on TV at my cousin's house in Boston.

My original response, was how dare they do this? Then, I got to thinking and concluded that they deserved an appropriate response. I posted to BadAstronomy that the latrine aboard the ISS should be named after Colbert. It did not catch on, unfortunately.

Then, I read a few articles at AoA. This always gets me thinking. The brain wheels turned. The throught processes churned. It then struck me!

Anything aboard the ISS should be named after someone who has affected science. Now, how could the pure science of the ISS and the anti-science non-science of AoA merge into one? Galaxies merge. Companies merge. How could I blend the two just right? More thinking.

During one of humankind's morning necessities it came to me. I would say "out of the blue" but, I am not talking blue this time. The ISS was recently upgraded to allow for a larger crew.

Therefore, I hereby propose that the new liquid recycling system be named after the founder and GR Collective Leader, J. B. Handley. It should henceforth be referred to as the H.A.N.D.L.E.Y. or Human Automatic Node Detoxifying Liquids Even Yellow ones.

Of course, the HANDLEY needs input, so the newly upgraded latrine should also be named after one of AoA's most prolific lemmings. Therefore, the latrine should be named after Kim Stagliano, and henceforth be referred to as the S.T.A.G.L.I.A.N.O. or Simplified Toilet Accommodating Gravitational Levels In AbNormal Outlets.

There you have it. Honoring the most anti-science of the Anti-vaccination Collective in the most appropriate manner.

Next job: Petition NASA.

Banned!

2009-04-13T13:09:00.000-07:00

The open minded Collective known as the AoA has apparently banned me from posting to their cesspool. Today, I tried to post to the yarn about 14 Studies, and could not. The "Send" button never operated.

Does this upset me? Nah. I feel honored.

You may post your congratulatory messages below.

14 Studies or 14 Words?

2009-04-13T07:24:00.000-07:00

I just learned that I am banned from posting on AoA. I tried to post, and could not. I guess it is their Borg-like Collective Mentality that cannot handle contrary comments.

This was my post:

14 Studies or "14 Words"...with the lemmings of AoA and the Collective Mentality, I believe that it is more like the mind-set of 14 Words...

For a superb take-down of those studies...see Dave Gorski's article at Science Based Medicine.

Keep Looking Dan

2009-04-09T13:21:00.000-07:00

Dan O, the big cheese editor at AoA wrote a series of articles where he wondered where the Autistic Amish were. He looked everywhere, and could not find them. Of course, he missed the Clinic For Special Children....

Pediatr Neurol. 2009 Apr;40(4):310-3.
Gene associated with seizures, autism, and hepatomegaly in an amish girl.
Jackman C, Horn ND, Molleston JP, Sokol DK.

Pediatrics section, Department of Neurology, Indiana University School ofMedicine, Indianapolis, Indiana.

A genetic defect causing autism and epilepsy involving the contactin associatedprotein-like 2 gene (CNTNAP2) has been discovered in a selected cohort of Amishchildren. These children were found to have focal seizures and autisticregression. Surgical biopsy of the anterior temporal lobe of two such childrenrevealed cortical dysplasia and a single nucleotide polymorphismmutation of this gene. The present case is that of a related but geographically distant probandwith a similar phenotype but a single-base-pair deletion in the CNTNAP2 gene.This patient exhibited the additional features of periventricular leukomalaciaand hepatomegaly.

I know that the ignorant at AoA will dismiss this as not being true, vaccine caused, autism, but, clearly Dan missed these people, too.

On Becoming a Born Again Parent

2009-04-09T00:44:00.000-07:00

I have been giving a lot of thought to why AoA pisses me off as much as they do. I read an article, or one of the sycophant's comments, and my blood pressure rises, my face feels flushed, and I feel my heart pounding. I keep asking myself why?

A few days ago I read an article about healing. Iwish I could recall where, and post a link. Unfortunately, no matter how I rack my brain, nothing happens. Still cannot recall.

However, shortly after reading that article, it struck me why AoA so pisses me off. Those creeps are actually preventing healing of those parents who react most strongly to having a child with Autism (read that as any disability).

When my oldest son was five, we had his little brother. In the space of a few short weeks, we learned that my oldest has Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. We also learned that my youngest has cerebral palsy. We were devastated. We want to lash out and blame everyone and anyone. Did the OB do everything correctly? What mistakes were made? and so on and so forth.

Week after week, all we did was to discuss how angry we were, without ever mentioning that we were angry. We were hurting beyond belief. Two lifetimes of diability.

This went on for around a year. It was consuming all of our time, and thought. We spoke of nothing else. Our friends left us, because we discussed nothing else. Our anger became our reason for living.

Our oldest son completed his first year in school and seemed happy. Our youngest was in an early intervention pre-school program. Both made strides in dealing with their uniqueness. Slow, but steady.

This went on for over two years. One day we met an old friend, one we had not seen for a long time. He had lost his oldest son, a year before, who was the same age as our oldest. He appeared to be happy, though.

We began talking, and talking, and talking. He, too, wanted to blame someone for his tragic loss. He went to lawyers, doctors, and just about anyone who would listen, to discuss the death of his son.

Finally, he came to realize that no matter what he did, it would not bring his son back. His son was gone. Period. He was devastated but, moved on. He had other children, and they needed him. They all seemed rather happy and content. We were still angry and could not figure him out. Why was he not angry?

One day my older son comes to me and asks why we are spending so much time trying to "fix" him. He says that he is not broken, just different. He was angry that we took him to so many doctors, tried so many "treatments" and never seemed to be happy with him the way he was.

Although I assured him that I did not feel that he was broken, he made me start thinking. The following week, we decided to try something and we skipped his supplements, and there was no change in his behaviors. He still needed constant refocusing.

Gradually, over time, we stopped all the treatment, except for his medications, which even he agreed he needed. He had gone to school one day without them, and told me that he never wanted that to happen again.

Our younger son was also making progress. He was sitting up, using a cup with a straw, and was finger feeding. He seemed happy, and enjoyed physical and occupational therapy (we had great therapists). He liked his early intervention program, and was making friends.

We began to see the positives in both children. We began to see them as two kids with more opportunites for them to show us how much progress they are making. We began to take delight in their progress.

We stopped trying to find blame. We stopped using the boys as laboratory test subjects. We stopped being angry.

And, we were born again parents. Parenting was a joy. Hard work, but still a joy.

Addendum...

Now, why AoA makes me so angry....

AoA stokes the anger in parents to prevent them from moving on as we did. AoA NEEDS parents to look at themselves as victims. Without the victim mentality, AoA and their ilk would have no audience. None.

To think that this does not affect the children is just abhorent to me. My son, at his age, proved otherwise. What motivated me was the fact that he was comfortable enough with us to express his feelings. When a kid is treated like a lab rat, having useless treatments, running from this diet to the next, it eventually takes it toll on the child.

And, we moved on, and NEVER, ever, looked back.

The Blonde Boob

2009-04-01T14:27:00.000-07:00

Regular readers of AoA know that it is the mouthpiece of GR and J.B. Handley. They have adopted the Blonde Boob, who has recently told Time.com:

I do believe sadly it's going to take some diseases coming back to realize that we need to change and develop vaccines that are safe. If the vaccine companies are not listening to us, it's their f___ing fault that the diseases are coming back. They're making a product that's s___. If you give us a safe vaccine, we'll use it. It shouldn't be polio versus autism.

This scientifically illierate moron is actually advocating that children become ill with serious diseases known to cause disability and death. She then blathered:

People have the misconception that we want to eliminate vaccines. Please understand that we are not an antivaccine group. We are demanding safe vaccines. We want to reduce the schedule and reduce the toxins. If you ask a parent of an autistic child if they want the measles or the autism, we will stand in line for the f___ing measles.

One has to wonder if she ever took even a junior high school science course? The Blonde Boob is incapable of understanding simple science, and is spreading, like a deadly virus, her bilge all over.

Her handlers have scheduled a whirlwind tour to promote her new book (no advertisement from me).

I will contact ever single one of them and tell them that they are culpable in fear mongering over vaccines, just as Wakefield did in the UK.

I hope every reader will do the same.

The expert will speak...

2009-03-21T11:32:00.000-07:00

One of the mouthpieces over at AoA is David Kirby. He is the author of (NO)Evidence of Harm, one of the leading causes of the anti-vaccination fear mongering causing death and disability.

It appears that he has not had any recent employment other than spewing his anti-vaccination bilge there and at the HuffPoop blog.

Now, finally, he floats to the surface with this:

"the waste produced by ... cattle"

Finally, something Kirby is writing about as an expert. Can the Kennedy kid be far behnd?

That word...

2009-03-21T11:20:00.000-07:00

Personal matters have kept me from posting. This is not about AoA, but, nonetheless, it expands on some ignorance.

There was an event this week that annoyed me, and Sullivan at LeftBrain/RightBrain posted which triggers this response from me:

Good post. However, it is not just a word, but an institutionalized attitude that needs to be addressed.

Most people think that handicapped sports is merely “cute.” Far from it.

My son was the pen-ultimate torch bearer in the USA for the 2000 Sydney Paraolympics. Was there any media coverage? Heck no.

One may ask when and where the Paraolympics are held? Most people do not know. The answer is simple, immediately following the Olympics on the same venue. Paraolympians have it easier, though. Smaller non-crowds, and those pesky cameras and media types just do not clutter up the landscape.

Every marathon in the US has three divisions, male, female and wheelchair. Do the winners of all three get invited to the Monday morning talk shows?

New York State sponsors The empire State Parks Games for the Physically Challenged at a world class facility (thank you Ted Turner for the now defunct Friendship Games). Come on down! No pesky media types to get in your way. Just 1500 athletes from around the region and Ireland competing. We used to have athletes come from Alabama, Boston, Philadelphia and other locales, but, the benign neglect under former governor George Pataki ended that.

As for Obama’s remark, it is merely an example of non-thinking. It is nothing new.

BTW my son’s bowling average is higher than Obama’s.

What annoyed me most is the fact that Obama was criticized by just those in the media who perpetuate ignoring the Special Athlete.

Hypocrites All.

February 13, 2009, Day 1 of the Post AoA Era

2009-02-13T09:15:00.000-08:00

With the unanimous decisions of the "Vaccine Court" being handed down yesterday, the issue of vaccines causing autism has finally been decided.

Yes, I know that the there are vestiges of those who still want to promote the failed theory, but, anyone who actually reads the decisions will see that there is no tomorrow for the anti-vaccination junta and their lemmings at AoA. They have ceased being relevant.

It is now time to move on to actually helping parents and persons with Autism live better lives, and to stop throwing money at the failed hypothesis.

Dan, are you looking to get fired?

2009-02-06T06:12:00.000-08:00

In today's edition of AoA, Dan Olmsted, the former journalist now turned propagandist for GRrrrrrr, wrote:

"Olmsted on Autism: He Shoots! He Scores! Fire the Coach!
By Dan Olmsted

I had a strange reaction to this week's story about the high school basketball team manager in Maine. As USA Today reported: "Patrick Thibodeau, who has Down Syndrome, trotted onto the floor Tuesday night for the team's final home game of the season. When the time came to shoot, he nailed a 3-pointer for the second basket of the game. He hit another at the final buzzer."

This reminds us of the awesome J-Mac, Jason McElwain, the team manager with autism who when he finally got the chance scored 6 three pointers in the last 4 minutes of the last game of his senior year. But here's my question: Let's say a third-string player on one of these teams hadn't been in a game all year -- or ever. Coach puts him in the last game. Just so mom and dad can cheer. Kid goes wild! Hits from DOWNTOWN!!! Is un-CON-scious! ... all those sportscaster phrases.

Wouldn't people say, What was this coach thinking? He had one of his best players sitting at the other end of the bench for four long years and didn't know it? Aren't we trying to win here? (We sure were back at Danville High School in Illinois.)

Maybe I'm missing something -- some health concern, some Title IX thing, some nuance. If so, tell me. But geez, if the kid can play, let him play, not pick up sweaty towels. Don't make inclusion on the court or on the field a "very special," made-for-TV story. Make it typical."

I was utterly shocked when I read this. Dan Olmsted, who could not find the Clinic For Special Children in Amish Country, has now found:

NEURODIVERSITY!

Dan, I hope you have a day job.

The Deafening Silence

2009-01-30T14:10:00.000-08:00

The Grand Exalted One over at AoI runs a company that manufactures food products using soy. He clearly represents BigSoy. At least one blogger has had one product tested and reported:

A Genisoy Chunky Peanut Butter Fudge bar was submitted to this laboratory out of concern for levels of heavy metals in soy. Soy is known to have high levels of aluminum and cadmium. The found that this particular soy protein bar contained 8.5 ppb of mercury. The form of mercury in this bar is most likely methyl mercury the kind found in tuna and other fish. Mercury at any dose is unsafe according to mercury expert Dr. Boyd Haley of University of Kentucky and others. According to one expert contacted 8.5 ppb of mercury per Genisoy bar is approximately .5 microgram of mercury per bar.

We know that Dr. Haley speaks only the truth about mercury.

Now we have been told that the corn syrup that may be used in the manufacture of these products may also be laced with mercury.

Is there a cover-up?
Why is BigSoy silent?
Is this mercury somehow magically safer?

Vomiting

2009-01-27T13:42:00.000-08:00

In a recent article posted on the AoA site, The Exalted One, gives lessons on how to vomit. He uses this to feebly attempt to discredit a study where the results do not neatly fit into his preconceived ideas.

I do defer to him as he is the Blogosphere's leading expert on vomit. He, and his lemmings do provide quite a bit of it.

One can always visit the AoA website and get their daily dose of vomit.

(NOTE: Come to think of it, I could have named this blog the Age-Of-Vomit since it discusses AoA.)

Balance from the UN-balanced...what are they thinking?

2009-01-26T08:19:00.000-08:00

One of the things about "The Media" that constantly annoys the cleanse by-products out of me is their obsessive need for "balance". I am sure you have read articles where the reporter includes "both sides" of the issues addressed.

Sometimes, there is no need for "balance". for example, if the article is discussing the Holocaust, why would anyone need input from a Holocaust Denier? Their ideas have been totally discredited, and the historical event known as the Holocaust happened, whether they like it or not.

In my scientifically and fact based opinion, the same thing goes for the manufactured questions over the need for a robust vaccination program. To any intelligent sentient being, the history of vaccination proves that they are effective and have eradicated diseases such as small pox, and polio (from the western world). Balance is not required.

However, like I said, reporters need to report balance. That is what they do. If they did not, they would be "taking sides" and that is something that journalism schools frown upon. So, I do understand.

However, who do they go to for balance? Well, it seems to me that their favorite interview subject, the Exalted One of GR, is their favorite. Even the recent NY times article, Book Is Rallying Resistance to the Antivaccine Crusade, by Donald McNeil, quoted the EO. Let's take a look at the antics of the Exalted One...

Prior to publication of that article, Mr. O'Neil contacted the Exalted One to obtain his opinion on the issues the article would be addressing, and afterwards, the Exalted One, posted this article.

This article was then followed by a diatribe ostensibly written by the Spoiled Brat of Autism.

Since it is a given that ALL articles on AoA advance the purposes of the Exalted One, GRrrrr, and the Junta, there is no doubt that the Brat's article was published with their full blessings.

Further, the SBofA also takes a few nasty shots at Dr. Nancy Snyderman, the medical reporter from the Today Show. There is no doubt that the Exalted One, GRrrr and the Junta despise her to no end. After all, she uses facts to base her opinions on.

There is no doubt that being quoted in the New York Times, or, for that matter, in any reputable media outlet, gives credence to the person and their opinions. This is certainly true in their minds.

When Amanda Peet, an actress, expressed her personal opinion concerning vaccinations and those who refuse them, the Junta at AoA got on her case, and posted phone numbers and addresses of her agent, etc. and then encouraged the lemming to mail bomb them.

And, recently, one poster on the EoH Yahoo group did not like an article and posted the reporter's home address and phone number. The moderator of the group did remove it (however, it was up for a while, and, one can only wonder if he would have removed it had their not been an outcry?).

So, the question that begs to be asked is this:

Why is the media still quoting these vicious know-nothings?

I suggest freezing them out. There are anti-vaxxer who are, at least, civil.

The Fully Loaded 10CC Syringe Award

2009-01-10T09:15:00.000-08:00

Since this blog has been needling the AoAers, they hangers-on and their lemmings, what is more appropriate than to award them the Fully Loaded 10CC Syringe Award? The syringe is loaded with rationality and sanity, thus, the dose will be appropriate for each recipient.

Note that I use a multi-dose vial, and that it is possible for a recipient to win more than once.

The 1CC Award

So many candidates, so little time.....and the winner is...

Jim Carrey, for starring in the role of second fiddle boob to his squeeze, Jenny McCarthy. Jimmy answered Arthur Allen's question about which vaccine could be skipped by saying that some parents are skipping the tetanus vaccine. Equally important was his claim at the Green Our Vaccines rally that he is an advocate disability but proceeded to make fun of people with when he called restless leg syndrome "lazy ass syndrome".

He has not yet proven he needs a full dose, yet.

The 2CC Award

Another difficult choice....and the winner is...

Cliff Shoemaker. The reasons are so varied, and each is a gem in it's own right. One of the most glaring was the ridiculous subpoena against Kathleen Seidel of neurodiversity fame. If you google ridiculous subpoena, the top three links are about that event. He wound up being sanctioned for his actions. Not a good day for him.

Then there is his strange billing practice, which has become so egregious that the Special Master's who are hearing these claims are willing to spend their valuable time checking his bills line by line. Cliff makes a list, and the SM's check it twice, deleting what they find that is naughty and not nice.

The 3CC Award

And the winner is....

Kim Stagliano for supporting a group that promotes autism as vaccine injury while having (correct me if I am wrong) at least one unvaccinated kid with autism.

Does anyone wonder why rational people consider AoA and their lemmings to be anti-vaccinators?

The 4CC Award

goes to Kent Heckenlively for his absolute refusal to accept the tests that show no evidence of mercury poisoning and chelating his kid for two years anyway.

This is surpassed by his amazing decision to pursue stem cell therapy with no idea of what it is supposed to do, and having his child's grandparents pay for it. What's more, he went to Central America for the therapy. Just how could he be so sure that what he pumped into his child were human stem cells?

Kent manages to demonstrate the fact that one doesn't need any understanding of science or the scientific method in order to teach science in U.S. schools.

The 5CC Award

AoA professes to be some sort of newspaper. There are two pseudo-journalists who hang out there, and occasionally post something that makes one wonder about whether they learned fact checking in journalism school.

The 5CC award goes to Dan Olmsted, for his tired efforts to retroactively cover his butt about his failure to find the Clinic For Special Children in Autism Country. I know he tried...

The 6CC Award

and the winner is....David Kirby, for his untiring efforts to post without checking his facts (when he finds some). Recently, David made two boo-boos in a three day period. At HuffPOOP, he posted an article where he imagined that the IACC meeting approved spending a couple of million dollars on vaccine research to prove the imaginary connection Autism. Strangely, no one else remembers this coming to a vote.

Kevin, at LeftBrain/Right Brain, also addressed some of Kirby's boo-boos.

The 7CC Award

Things are getting tougher to figure out who is deserving of a bigger dose. Let's face it, AoA provides so much "good stuff" that picking out the best is not an easy task.

However, the 7CC Award goes to Jenny McCarthy, who, admittedly does not post there, but, is the darling of the loonies. Jenny has done so much this year to garner this award, that it is nigh impossible for one blogger to list them all. However, some of her "accomplishments" include continuing to treat her son after she cured him of Autism, the Green Vaccine gambit, and gouging her main squeeze, Jim Carrey, for a cool $50,000,000.

I hope that Jenny adds this award to her her pathetic resume as an "actor" so that she can get her failed career back on track. Maybe if she was busy making movies, and flashing her boobs, no one would notice what a boob she really is.

The 8CC Award

This award does no go to a person, but to AoA itself for their practice of using Autistic children and their willingness to tolerate any parent turning their child into a lab rat to promote their false ideas.

The 9CC Award

goes to J. B. Handley. Who else has promoted the AoA party line, used offensive tactics such as threatening litigation, "outing", flooding emails and other disgusting tactics to feebly attempt to silence those who disagree with him. Handley has lead the charge to attempt to discredit Paul Offit, M.D., impliedly asked his lemmings, the AoA faithful to attack Amanda Peet by contacting her publicists and others, and has outed posters with whom he disagrees.

Being obnoxious appears to be his labor of love, and he labors long and hard. He would deserve a larger award.

The Fully Loaded 10CC Syringe Award

goes to none other than the AoA lemmings, their incredibly credulous commenters who will believe anything the AoA Junta claims to be true.

These lemmings are of great concern to me, as their utter lack of critical thinking skills, lack of basic scientific understanding, and their astounding willingness to abuse their children by having the kids undergo one after another useless treatments clearly justifies their being presented this award.

And, there you have it. Ten awards for AoA, which can now claim to be the most award winning blog in the blogosphere. Hmmm...the only thing I do not have is a cute little graphic for the award.

Just to "tease" my loyal and faithful readership, I will, during the next year, periodically award a "booster shot" from the same, multi-dose vial, when I see that AoAers are slipping. Does anyone know of a large warehouse where I can store a multi-gallon vial?

The Year In Reivew

2008-12-31T23:59:00.000-08:00

On December 11, 2008 Dan Olmsted posted an article: Olmsted on Autism: The Decline and Fall of (Almost) Everything

Dan, what you do mean by "(Almost) Everything"??? The past year has not gone well for you and the other anti-vaccinators at AoA, and their lemmings. let us review the year.

Probably the biggest failure, as you see it, is the total and utter refutation of Wakefield's bogus claim that the MMR causes Autism. We started the years knowing that he was highly conflicted, and a hired gun for the attorneys in the now defunct British litigation.

Later, we learned, through testimony of the leading experts in their fields, that Wakefield was told that the laboratory tests were tainted, and showed false positives. However, that did not stop him, and he published the paper anyway.

This led to the current Measles epidemic in Great Britain where children are being needlessly hospitalized. Then, the epidemic popped up in the US. All among unvaccinated children whose parents were terrorized by Wakefield into not vaccinating their kids. How many have had permanent damage?

Now, Prof. Stephen Bustin, relying on his unique expertise, and the recent Hornig study, has called on two of the other investigators who used Wakefield's tainted samples to repudiate his findings. What has the anti-vaccinators done? They are trying to twist the study to say that its supports Wakefield. Hogwash, and anyone with a reading comprehension level above elementary, knows it.

By the way, the Hornig study lists numerous articles, case control studies, etc. that show that Wakefield has not been replicated. Period.

So, Wakefield and the MMR scare declined, and is about to fall, assuming that the last few anti-vaccinators will find a shred of intellectual honest.

And, this entire affair resurrects Mady Hornig, of Columbia University, and brings her back into the realm of science.

With the new President coming into office, AoA was hoping that they would score a big appointment with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. being appointed to head the EPA. RFK, Jr. wrote a rather poorly researched and science devoid article supporting the mercury causes autism mantra.

With the extensive proof that there is no link, Forbes Magazine, which is not one of my favorite periodicals, skewered that nicely. In an article entitled, Dangerous Kook At The EPA? Kennedy's deficiencies to run a cabinet level agency were clearly outlined.

Kennedy did not get that appointment. It seems that President Elect Obama has high standards, and a Kook does not fit in. AoA's hopes surely did decline and fall.

Another problem for the anti-vaccinators was the fact that the California autism numbers just would not fall as they had hoped. Dr. Robert Schechter reported:

"The DDS data do not show any recent decrease in autism in California despite the exclusion of more than trace levels of thimerosal from nearly all childhood vaccines. The DDS data do not support the hypothesis that exposure to thimerosal during childhood is a primary cause of autism. "

Yes, those pesky numbers just would not go down like they were supposed to. Time to move the goal posts again...

Things did not go well in Congress, either. Congressman Henry Waxman, chair of the Congressional Committee on Oversight and Reform, sent out an excellent letter to his colleagues in Congress which lays out the issues quite clearly. You can read about it here.

The sweetest part of this event was the fact that he repudiated his colleague, Dan Burton, who "investigated" Autism and vaccines a few years ago with hearings that provided a stage for modern day snake oil sales creeps. That was a waste of taxpayer money.

And, of course, it cause major conniptions.

All of this would make a great year for evidence based autism and vaccination studies. It would be nice to just quit here. But, there is more.

Dr. Paul Offit, who appears to be the one single most scary person to the AoAers and their lemmings, had his book, Autism's False Prophets published. The AoAers were apoplectic! They whinneyed and whined about what was written (without actually reading it), and bleated and brayed about Dr. Offit's supposed conflicts of interests (all of which were fully disclosed, and well explained.)

The AoAers and their lemmings posted some of the most disgusting and hate filled comments about Dr. Offit. They were particularly upset that RotaTEQ, the vaccine he developed, was shown to saving thousands of lives. I guess that the AoAers and their lemmings prefer dead children.

It got better. Amanda Peet, an actor, made a statement where she called parents who do not vaccinate Parasites. Ms. Peet caused some howling and hollering on the part of the lemmings, and she apologized for saying they were lemmings.

She said that after she had heard of the evils of vaccination, she conferred with Dr. Offit and went ahead and vaccinated her children. They AoAers were apoplectic! They posted the email address of her agent, etc. and encouraged emailing them. They proposed that her movies be boycotted.

This was rather humorous. The AoAers love Jenny McCarthy whose career started, and apparently reached its high point, when she exposed her all for Playboy (sorry, no link). Ms. Peet's career is still growing. She is a spokesperson for Every Child By Two, founded by former First Lady, Rosalynn Carter.

Ms. Peet kicks Jenny's butt when she tells people not to listen to celebrities, but to go to the scientists for their advice.

My only complaint about Ms. Peet is that she wimped out and apologized for calling non-vaccinating parents parasites. They ARE parasites and freeloaders. Why apologize for telling the truth?

And, then Barack Obama was elected President. It has now turned out that this one single event may very well beckon the end of pseudo-science. His appointments have all been well grounded in science. Even his Attorney General designee, Eric Holder, got his start in a high school known for teaching science and mathematics.

All-in-all the AoAers and their lemmings have had a very bad year. They lost as much as the Dow Jones.

And the Dow is expected to recover.

The Agony of The Feet

2008-12-18T12:13:00.000-08:00

During the last few days, the fearless leader of the Vaccine Vanguard, formerly known as the Mercury Militia, had several hissy fits just because a veteran New York Times reporter named Donald McNeil insisted that J.B. get his story straight.

It all started with Mr. McNeil contacting Fearless Leader to discuss his upcoming article reviewing Dr. Paul Offit's new book, Autism's False Prophets. Mr. McNeil, you see, is a real journalist, with credentials and experience far beyond that of J.B.'s paid mouthpiece, David Kirby. J.B. actually cites some of Mr. McNeil's experience. However, he strangely leaves out this from the official biography:

He has won several awards: For a series on patent monopolies on AIDS drugs in Africa, for a series on AIDS in one South African town, for a series on six diseases on the brink of eradication and for a series on third world cancer victims dying without morphine.

Oh, so Mr. McNeil is an award winning journalist who just happens to be very knowledgeable on the subject of vaccination? J.B. cannot handle that. So he leaves it out. Intellectual chicken.

Speaking of chickens, J.B. has been eviscerated by Orac, over at Respectful Insolence, and at Autism News Beat. I suspect that other bloggers will pile on, since J.B. leaves so much to discuss wherever he goes.

And, let us not underestimate J.B. He never, ever, passes up an opportunity to shoot himself in his foot. His first article concerning Mr. McNeil was on December 15, 2008, and, true to form, J.B could not resist providing his other foot with another wound on December 17, 2008.

J.B. must hate his feet. No sooner than Orac posting his excellent article, J.B. posts more of his bleatings and brayings in a comment to Orac's article. Once again, J.B. attacks his feet and is promptly disemboweled by Orac and his commenters.

That is three times J.B. has shot himself in his foot (The Handley Hat-trick) over just one teensy-weensy article THAT HAS YET TO BE PUBLISHED in the New York Times. But is it a teensy-weensy article?

I submit that it is not. It gives Dr. Offit's book continuing coverage in THE publication that is synonymous with book reviews and BEST SELLERS. Make no mistake, J.B. is deeply concerned that AFP will get a good review and become more generally available. He even mentions the sales ranking on Amazon.com.

J.B. is, of course, using a logical fallacy to prove that AFP is not worth reading. If AoA ever uses logic, it is fallacious logic. I doubt J.B. has read it. If so, he did not understand it. He has never demonstrated an ability to understand science.

I just checked our library system on line catalog. All of the editions of EOH are on the shelves, and none of editions of AFP are available. Some libraries have waiting list, or restrict access to community members.

And now we know why J.B. has such a rotten disposition. He is suffering from the Agony of The Feet.

Special note: Recently, I was told that I was being too hard on Mr. Kirby and I should respect his "experience", etc. I do. However, his background pales in the light of Mr. McNeil's. I trust that this blogger will have an article posted forthwith criticizing J.B. for his attack on Mr. McNeil.

David, check your sources....

2008-12-07T18:46:00.000-08:00

The old saying, engage brain before shooting from the lip is excellent advise. David did not bother to, as Kevin points out here David Kirby didn’t look before he leapt.

Lisa chastised me for being hard on Kirby because he has a good resume. The problem is, that he has abandoned his resume for AoA and HuffPoop, where being anti-vaccination is more important than keeping up with the facts.

When Kirby returns to acting like a true journalist and bids AoA farewell, I will soften. Until then, in my opinion, he is no better than the anti-vac liars who operate and infest the sewer.

Another ALTERNATIVE Contest

2008-12-01T06:05:00.001-08:00

On Monday, December 1, 2008, Dan Olmsted posted:

"Calling all Readers! Nominations for the AOA AWARDS '08
Editor's Note: Again this year, Age of Autism will name the year's winners and warriors (and a few sinners) -- and we want your nominations. Please send them by Dec. 10 to me at [his email address]. There are several obvious categories involving people, events, publications and media moments. But true to our reader-inspired spirit here at AOA, we'll let you decide. Past winners -- who are thus ineligible though much appreciated -- include Jenny McCarthy as Person of the Year, Michelle Cedillo as Child of the Year, Ashley Reynolds as Media Person of the Year. But think creatively -- what mattered most in '08 and who or what deserves to be honored? Tell us why, too, and we'll run many of your comments, along with winners and runners-up, over the year-end holidays. (Worst moments, lousiest books, dumbest quotes also are welcome! We wouldn't want to leave anyone off-it) -- Dan Olmsted"

No, I do not expect to be nominated, except maybe for Rookie of The Year. That would be fun.

However, there are many deserving people that this blog would like to promote. Feel free to suggest.

NOTE: I would never suggest visiting AoA and nominating anyone, like EoH for lousiest book, or anything posted there for worst quote.

Do they teach logic in Journalism School?

2008-12-01T05:48:00.000-08:00

On November 30, 2008 Mr. Kirby posted an article on AoA entitled "The List Keeps Growing: David Kirby on the Autism Vaccine Connection" where he is chortling over Dr. Peter Fletcher, former Chief Scientific Officer at the UK Department of Health comment thus adding him to the list Mr. Kirby maintains of people who have expressed opinions about Autism and whether there should be more research.

If they do teach logic in journalism school. Mr. Kirby must have snoozed through the class on the Appeal to Authority, and/or (most likely and) the Appeal to Popularity.

In the former, "Appeals to authority are always deductively fallacious; even a legitimate authority speaking on his area of expertise may affirm a falsehood, so no testimony of any authority is guaranteed to be true." (Emphasis added).

In the latter, "...popular opinion can be, and quite often is, mistaken. Hindsight makes this clear: there were times when the majority of the population believed that the Earth is the still centre of the universe, and that diseases are caused by evil spirits; neither of these ideas was true, despite its popularity. ..."

Do not be confused by this. I do want more research, especially into the genetic areas. If, during the course of genetic research it is shown that there is some likelihood that environmental factors do play a role in causation, then that finding should be followed-up. I consider it a waste of money to focus on environmental causation simply because there is no evidence to sugges that this exists. Spend the limited research money on areas which are likely to produce results.

AoA is replete with numerous instances of the use of logical fallacies. In fact, if they did not use logical fallacies, they would use no logic at all.

An ALTERNATIVE Contest

2008-11-28T13:16:00.000-08:00

On November 28, 2008 A of A announced a Contest:

"T-shirt Tagline

We're designing Age of Autism t-shirts and you're invited to submit your idea(s) for the tagline. We're looking for a pithy, "so that's what they're all about" sentence to run under our logo. Submit your ideas in the comments section. Have fun. Be creative. (But remember, your kids will read the t-shirt too.) We'll announce the winner in a couple of days."

Well, what a great idea. What is AoA all about? Let's run a contest of our own. Assume that AoA would use the most factually accurate entry, not one that promotes what they promote, and leave it in your comments.

In all fairness, I must tell you that the prize is the joy of writing. Nothing more. Nothing less. And, of course, it will be published.

They Got Kirby & AoA In Their Sights

2008-11-24T01:42:00.000-08:00

On November 21, 2008, AoA published this letter. It seems that AoA and David Kirby are in the sights of some very annoyed people. Here is the letter that got AoA into a group thermonuclear wedgie (as reported on the AoA site):

September 24, 2008

Congressperson Carolyn Maloney
1651 3 Avenue, Suite 31
New York, NY 101 28-3679

Dear Congressperson Maloney

We are concerned about misinformation you may have heard at a recent briefing presenting the non-scientific, irrational proposals espoused by David Kirby, and the Age of Autism with regard to a supposed link between autism and vaccines. Vaccines save lives. Study after study has shown absolutely no link between vaccines and autism.

As pediatricians, teachers, nurses, child care providers and parents across New York State and in your District, we are very aware of the struggles that the families of children with autism face and the challenges that test the children themselves. In your position as a political leader, it is important that you have the information you need to support the science, the research and the continued work toward identifyirg the causes, triggers and evidence based treatment for children with autism and autism spectrum disorders.

All of the research, including the most recent and exhaustive study done by the Columbia University School of Public Health, has proven no link between vaccines and autism. And yet a few people, some of whom are making a great deal of money from the suffering and false hope of frightened parents, continue to beat the drum for this discredited position. Many others offer dangerous and unscientific approaches to "cures."

We urge you to stand with us against the forces working to bring irrational fears and "junk science" into the world of children's health. As you know, immunizationasre one of our greatest public health victories along with clean water.

Childhood diseases that can kill and maim our children are just a plane ride away, and yet the anti-immunization groups continue to push for less and less protection for our children. Just this year the Centers for Disease Control reported the largest outbreak of measles in decades. New York was one of the states that experienced a significant outbreak of serious disease. You might also be interested in knowing that the measles that was imported into the US came, not from the third world, but from Europe and from Israel: Developed areas that are experiencing significant outbreaks of disease due to weak public health policy.

We highly recommend that you read Dr. Paul Offit's recent, very well reviewed book, Autism's False Prophets. We have included a review from The Wall Street Journal and an editorial from the New York Times.

We will be contacting your local District Office to schedule a time to come in and talk with you about this very important issue. We know you want to work with us to help protect the children of New York and the children across the country.

Sincerely,

Elie Ward, MSW
Co-Chair, NYS Immunization Coalition

Enclosures (2)

AAP DISTRICT OFFICES
240 Washington Ave. Ext. Suite 505
Albany, NY 12203

Phone: 5181456-0951
Fax: 518/456-8573

420 Lakeville Road Suite 244
Lake Success, NY 11042

Phone: 516-326-0310
Fax: 516-326-0316

WOW! Real scientists. Now I know why the AoAers are worried. Congresswoman Maloney may actually get an education. She sure needs one in this regard. Perhaps she should spend a bit of time at some of the excellent medical and educational facilities in and around her district. If she does, maybe she'll get on board to expand the availability of high quality services to all families of special children, regardless of disability.

ADDENDUM:

On November 24, 2008, Davey posted a letter he sent to David T. Tayloe, Jr., MD, FAAP President, American Academy of Pediatrics demanding a response. Seems he was a bit upset at having his presentation to some congresscritters referred to as ""misinformation” as well as “unscientific, irrational proposals” to staff members of more than 90 House and Senate offices, as well as two US Representatives who were in the room.

The letter also accuses “a few people, some of whom are making a great deal of money from the suffering and false hope of frightened parents,” of continuing to “beat the drum for this discredited position.” "

True to form the A-MEN Chorus of anti-vaccinators at AoA hooted and howled.

Elie Ward's letter to Rep. Maloney attacking you and Age of Autism is proof once again that if you can't discredit your oponent's claims, you slam their character. These are truly desperate times. I'm sure Maloney's far too informed to listen to them. It's amazing that they even try.

Anne Dachel Media editor
Posted by: Anne Dachel November 24, 2008 at 09:39 AM

Dear Ms. Dachel:

You comment just destroyed a brand new hypocrisy meter. If any blog or persons are guilty of character slamming as you call it, it is the cesspool of AoA. Your "writers" have posted diatribes about Orac, Dr. Offit, et al.

If one looks objectively at the history of AoA, as I have, one can only conlcude that "personal slamming" is the reason for your existence.

Too Little, Too Late?

2008-11-22T08:06:00.000-08:00

The critters at AoA love to claim that they are not anti-vaccinators. Anyone with an open mind, and a reading comprehension level above first grade, know otherwise. Their mantra includes "Green our Vaccines", "Too Many Too Soon", "Safer Vaccines" ad nauseum, and they chant it every chance they get.

Like the Lone Ranger appearing just in the nick of time. Mark Crislip shows up on the horizon of knowledge, and writes The Infection Schedule versus the Vaccination Schedule over at Science Blogs (one of the best sites in the blogosphere).

There, Dr. Crislip explains just why the anti-vaccinators are passing flatulence when they claim "Too Many, Too Soon" and why Paul Offit, M.D. was right on the money when he made the claim that a child can handle 10,000 vaccines. And, of course, he explains why getting the dieases is far worse that getting vaccinated, even assuming that "Too Many, Too Soon" has some degree of medical validity:

From the data I can find, compared to the vaccines, the diseases lead to far more exposure to both antigens and organisms. If the alleged ill effects of the vaccine are due to too many antigens, or too much antigens, or too frequent antigens, the diseases should be far worse than the vaccine in causing autism and autoimmune diseases. Unless, of course, the effects of the vaccines follow the principals of homeopathy: the less the exposure, the greater the effects.

For the reading comprehenion impaired lemmings from AoA, that means that getting dieases exposes the body to farm more antigens than the vaccines do. He makes this most excellent, and fully supported by his article, analogy:

No matter how you slice it, the vaccine schedule represents a miniscule exposure to antigens and organims compared to what people encounter as part of life. Worrying about the exposure from the vaccine schedule is like worrying about a thimble of water getting you wet when you are swimming in an ocean.

Now, when anyone bleats and brays "Too Many, Too Soon" it is fair to tell them to jump in the ocean.

Compensation Is Not A Synonym For "Give It Away"

2008-11-21T06:02:00.000-08:00

On November 21, 2008 Barbara Loe Fisher uttered:

Vaccine Injury Compensation: A Failed Experiment in Tort Reform?

Managing Editor's Note: Barbara Loe Fisher, president of the National Vaccination MIS-Information Center spoke in front of the Advisory Commission on Childhood Vaccines last Tuesday.

Blah, blah, blah about the history of the VIC program.

During its two-decade history, two out of three individuals applying for federal vaccine injury compensation have been turned away empty-handed even though to date $1.8B has been awarded to more than 2,200 plaintiff's out of some 12,000 who have applied. Today, nearly 5,000 vaccine injury claims are sitting in limbo because they represent children, who suffered brain and immune system dysfunction after vaccination but have been diagnosed with regressive autism, which is not recognized by the program as a compensable event. There is $2.7B sitting in the Trust Fund which could have been awarded to vaccine victims.

Dear Barbie:

The title of the program is "Vaccine Injury Compensation" not "give it away to anyone who comes up with a nutty theory" of why they should get some bucks. Those people who were validly injured by vaccines were compensated. Those who were not, were denied compensation.

Since the level of proof is so low, it is obvious that since they were turned away, they did not have a reasonably supported claim.

Imagine if the utterly rotten and bogus "science" of Andy Wakefield was the basis for a few thousand claims. Prof. Bustin recently ripped Andy a new one, on his use of the lousy "science" to cause the fear mongering in England where kids have died. Prof. Bustin recently published RT-qPCR and Molecular Diagnostics: No Evidence for Measles Virus in the GI Tract of Autistic Children, where he said:

"Astonishingly, there is no attempt to retract the original report, and the admission that these results are in direct contradiction of the previously reported ones are thoroughly disingenuous"

Disingenuous? Is that the word that REAL academic scientists use when they cannot spell intellectually bankrupt? I think it is.

Imagine how many incorrect payments would be made if Wakefield were accepted. I suggest that all of the MMR claims in the Omnibus are doomed.

Yes, Barbie, the system is working, just as it was intended.

P. S. Why are you anti-vaccinators still leading people into false beliefs?

Shame on you.

JBullying #1

2008-11-19T07:11:00.000-08:00

On November 18, 2008 J.B. Handley posted his foot-stomping, whining tantrum under the heading "Paul Offit's Lies: I got me a lawyer".

It seems that J.B. has a thermonuclear wedgie caused by an alleged "lie" in Paul Offit's recent, and most excellent, book, Autism's False Prophets. J.B. claims that Dr. Offit tried to make him look bad.

"There's probably not a lawyer on the planet who wouldn't agree that blogging publicly about a legal proceeding is a bad idea. And, they’d probably be right.But, Paul Offit is a lying jerk and offends our entire community, so I wanted to bring you along for the ride. Consider this my "public legal journal."Moreover, I have nothing to hide. Offit lied blatantly in his book, and I'd like a little justice.

J.B. claims "it" was a lie. It appears from the opening paragraph of this diatribe that J.B. cannot possibly conceptualize the idea that Dr. Offit may have merely made a mistake. No, to J.B. it has got to be a lie. Nothing else will do.

He did it to try and make me look bad. I think he succeeded, and he had to lie to make it happen. That makes me unhappy.

J.B., let me be the first to break it to you...and I know this may disappoint you, NO ONE has to try to make you look bad. NO ONE.

You are quite capable of doing that all by your little old self. You do that by your bullying and your whiny threats of litigation whenever someone criticizes your antics. You do that by your use of bad logic and poor science.

By the way, J. B. why didn't you point out what the egregious actions of Dr. Offit are? What did he say that was a lie? All you need to prove your so far baseless allegation is to point this out. Are you afraid you would look like a fool if you did?

And, it's a pattern from him that we have seen for a long time on many issues related to vaccines and autism. Someone needs to stand up to this jerk, and I'm happy to do it. As you may have figured out, it's not often I back down from a fight.

You are the big tough guy. You neither walk softly, nor carry a small stick. Reminds me of another "leader" who we'll be rid of in two more months.

Anyway, I found me a great attorney who eats nails for breakfast and believes in truth. He'll remain nameless for now because he didn't sign up to be part of this public journal, but here's a copy of the letter we sent, certified mail, to Dr. Proffit himself and Columbia University Press:Paul A. Offit, M.D.c/o Columbia University Press61 West 62nd StreetNew York, NY 10023Re: Autism's False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure by Paul A. Offit, M.D.Gentlemen:I represent J.B. Handley, who is referred in the book Autism's False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure. The conversation reported at page 143 of the book never occurred. The writing that the author refers to was in a different time and place.

Oh, so Dr. Offit made a MISTAKE! However, in a narrow mind, it just has to be a lie to make you look bad (see above). He said something in one context that you feel makes you look bad. Hmmm...if he has said the same thing in the proper context, would that have made you look bad? Somehow, because you refuse to post it, I believe it would make you look bad in any context. Just my opinion, mind you, but, you offer no proof to the contrary.

When a book such as this is published, it is carefully reviewed by the publisher, often by their lawyers, and it then goes to press. What makes J.B "think" that this process was not followed, especially since this publisher is no fool?

The creation of that conversation and the juxtaposition of that conversation with Mr. Handley's writing are false, libelous and damaging.Within ten days you must advise me that the author will write a written apology to Mr. Handley and that you will take out all reference to that conversation in any future printings, or we will explore our legal alternative.

So, you want an apology. Hmmm...I'll save Dr. Offit's lawyers the trouble of composing one (giving J.B. the benefit of the doubt).

Dear Mr. Handley:

I made a mistake. It will be fixed in the subsequent printings, as accuracy is important to me.
You are still a false prophet.

/s/

I think that covers it quite well.

First shot fired. As we all know, the right thing to do is to apologize and make the change to the book. Offit lied. He screwed up in trying a little too hard to make me look bad. He completely fictionalized an exchange that never happened. And, I can prove it. If he does me that simple justice, I'll move on, even though I think damaging my reputation should include compensation.

Again, could he have just been mistaken, you know, an honest error? Nah, that would not suit J.B.'s purpose.

As for compensation, that would require 1) that there was damage to J.B.'s reputation, and 2) that he has a reputation of worth.

OK. I'll toss in the first $0.25 for the dollar.

Oh, and did I mention I found the Rescue Angel mom? The one who was getting mudslinged and prompted my post at EOH that Offit fictionalized into an exchange with Kathleen Seidel? Well, I did. She read my last post, and she found me. The power of AoA!

The power of AoA is merely olfactory. However, I do expect that J.B. will focus on Kathleen in the near future, since J.B. cannot handle any criticism what-so-ever. I find that to be a sure sign of intellectual bankruptcy.

Did I also mention I already got the response from Offit's lawyer to the above letter? I did. And, it's a doozy. It wasn't very polite nor was it an offer to do the right thing. I will be printing the whole letter from Offit's attorney on AoA next week. Stay tuned.

It is a doozy? The entire blogosphere is waiting and holding their breaths (prevents olfactory offense from reading AoA).

There will be more articles on the bullying tactics used by the AoAers.

Who is the PharmaShill????

2008-11-19T06:06:00.000-08:00

On November 19, 2008 AoA has this INFOMERCIAL from one of their main monetary supporters:

Lee Silsby Introduces Enhansa Curcumin Supplement for Autism
Lee Silsby Compounding Pharmacy, the leader in custom compounded medications for autism, announces its newest product, Enhansa, Enhanced Absorption Curcumin Supplement. Curcumin is the principal curcuminoid found in the popular Indian spice turmeric. Enhansa was created by Lee Silsby Compounding Pharmacy. To date, several hundred patients on the spectrum are using Enhansa. Current product order rates indicate a high level of both patient and physician satisfaction.

Now, what were they saying about being a PharmaShill? Where is the science to support this chemical concoction?

And, of course, the logical fallacies abound.

News flash! Just in!

It seems that there will be a problem at AoA. Their love affair with high profile media types (you know who they are) may be over.

Jenny, et al, seem to have fled the cesspool, for another one.

Could this be the classic case of rats leaving a sinking ship. We should be so lucky.

Hmmm...now what about the WWE endorsement?

David Kirby...your mission...if you decide to accept it...

2008-11-17T09:01:00.000-08:00

Mr. Kirby has wirtten an article on the Huffington Post, a suppository of anti-vaccination fear mongering, that he references on the AoA blog. It concers autism among Somali children in Minnesota.

His "...reporter's instinct told ...[him] it could be a very big story...". It may well be. Now that he has identified such a story, he must take his investigative journalist skills and head off to Somalia to see if he can "...demonstrate[d] that US-born children of Somali refugees are more prone to autism than the other kids of ... Somalia...".

This should not be too difficult for an investigative reporter of Mr. Kirby's skills. If it is, then he can always call on his henchman, Dany Olmsted, ace investigative reporter who could not find the Clinic For Special Children in Amsih Country, along with him.

And, Mr. Kirby is right. If Somali children have the same incidence of autism in Somalia as they do here, it will mean that there is nothing out of the ordinary for them in the US.

Let's make sure that Mr. Kirby is properly equipped for such a journey, a quest for knowledge. First, he needs a packet of pencils to enter data in his Ace Reporter notebook. (Pencils are recommended, to allow for ewasy adjusting or data if the facts do not fit.) OK, that's it for his reporter's equipment.

Next, and possibly more important, he'll need some personal protection. No, I do not mean underarm deodorant. I mean vaccinations. Here is what the CDC recommends:

Vaccination or Disease
Recommendations or Requirements for Vaccine-Preventable Diseases

Routine
Recommended if you are not up-to-date with routine shots such as, measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine, diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus (DPT) vaccine, poliovirus vaccine, etc.

Yellow Fever
CDC yellow fever vaccination recommendation for travelers to Somalia: For all travelers >9 months of age Somalia requires travelers arriving from countries where yellow fever is present to present proof of yellow fever vaccination. Vaccination should be given 10 days before travel and at 10 year intervals if there is on-going risk.
Hepatitis A or immune globulin (IG)
Recommended for all unvaccinated people traveling to or working in countries with an intermediate or high level of hepatitis A virus infection (see map) where exposure might occur through food or water. Cases of travel-related hepatitis A can also occur in travelers to developing countries with "standard" tourist itineraries, accommodations, and food consumption behaviors.
Hepatitis B
Recommended for all unvaccinated persons traveling to or working in countries with intermediate to high levels of endemic HBV transmission (see map), especially those who might be exposed to blood or body fluids, have sexual contact with the local population, or be exposed through medical treatment (e.g., for an accident).
Typhoid
Recommended for all unvaccinated people traveling to or working in East Africa, especially if visiting smaller cities, villages, or rural areas and staying with friends or relatives where exposure might occur through food or water.

Rabies
Recommended for travelers spending a lot of time outdoors, especially in rural areas, involved in activities such as bicycling, camping, or hiking. Also recommended for travelers with significant occupational risks (such as veterinarians), for long-term travelers and expatriates living in areas with a significant risk of exposure, and for travelers involved in any activities that might bring them into direct contact with bats. Children are considered at higher risk because they tend to play with animals, may receive more severe bites, or may not report bites. Note: Rabies vaccine is temporarily in limited supply. For updates on the rabies vaccine supply, please check the Rabies News and Highlights page regularly.

Polio
Recommended for adult travelers who have received a primary series with either inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) or oral polio vaccine (OPV). They should receive another dose of IPV before departure. For adults, available data do not indicate the need for more than a single lifetime booster dose with IPV.

Mr. Kirby should not forget:

Drugs to Prevent Malaria (antimalarial drugs)
If you will be visiting a malaria risk area in Somalia, you will need to take one of the following antimalarial drugs: atovaquone/proguanil, doxycycline, or mefloquine (primaquine in special circumstances and only after G6PD testing).
Note: Chloroquine is NOT an effective antimalarial drug in Somalia and should not be taken to prevent malaria in this region.Malaria risk area in Somalia: All

Now, David, I have had malaria. The first time was when I was 20. It was miserable. I was miserable. I also had a relapse when I was 50. Don't forget to take your pills. You will thank me later.

Just remember, Somalia is a war zone. It is NOT a healthy environment. The US State Department cautions about venturing there.

David, Bon Voyage!

One further comment. What Kirby, et al, are doing with the poor people of Somalia, i.e. using them to further their agenda, disgusts me. The people of Somalia are living in some of the poorest conditions in the world. They are being subjected to war, war where people die, where people are psychologically damaged with PTSD, depression, etc. They are uprooted and forced to leave their homes to protect their families. It is well known that children of the victims of war, e.g. survivors of the Holocaust, develop psychological problems.

Welcome-A-Blog

2008-11-06T13:59:00.000-08:00

This is the Age Of Ignorance. Specifically, the ignorance of blogs which refuse to publish views, opinions and criticism of their contents. Censorship disgusts me. I have posted many comments that were critical of the articles and commenters on the Age Of Autism blog, and have had the comments disappear. They are the most notorious of censors.

Thus, AgeOfAutism blog has motived me to create this blog, where I can respond to my hearts content. AoA is written by a cabal of anti-vaccinators, people who I characterize as being pro-infectious disease merchants of disability and death. None of them have ever seen a vaccine that they could not trash for some reason.

What I plan to do is respond to posts on AoA right here. Censorship be damned. When I deem it necessary, I will post their articles here, so that I can comment on them without their censorship. This is fair use.

You may ask why I choose AoA? Fair question. It is infested with the leading woo mongers and purveyors of false theories and treatments regarding Autism and hatred of vaccinations. In my OPINION, it is a cabal of people interested in furthering their own selves, and the truth be damned.

It even has two "newspapermen" in residence. However, in my OPINION, they are not true newspapermen, who cherish the protection of a free press as contained in the First Amendment to our Constitution. When Kathleen Seidel at Neurodiversity was being attacked by an attorney they had to be shamed into commenting. By the time they got around to it, the entire blogosphere had already excoriated that attorney.

Why do I want to enter this cesspool? Simple, I know that vaccination has been one of the most, if not the most, important developments of scientific medicine in the last two hundred years. Yes, sanitation and flush toilets did decrease disease incidence, but, that last stubborn rate of infection was resistant, until killed off by vaccination. My family and I have been affected by what are now vaccine preventable diseases.

My paternal grandparents died in the 1918-1919 worldwide flu pandemic. Two of their children, who would have been my aunts, also died. That left four young boys, with my dad being the oldest at 16, to fend for themselves. My father quit school and went to work along with one of his younger brothers. They raised themselves in the 1920's and suffered during the Depression of the 1930's. All because of a disease which is not vaccine preventable.

I recall that when I attended elementary school in the 1950s there were classmates who did not come back to school in September. One was in an iron lung, whatever that was, and another was going to a school for the deaf. Funny, he was not deaf in June. He had something called the mumps.

In Vietnam I saw people die from many causes. One entire village was infected with plague. Fortunately, we had been vaccinated against it.

In the early 1980's a close friend, a pediatric neurologist, watch as his son's brain was destroyed by what is now a vaccine preventable form of meningitis.

And, it is people who spout the IGNORANCE on AoA that want these diseases to return.

I do reserve the right to decide which posts can be posted here. It is, after all, my blog, and I do not purport to be a newspaper, as AoA does. I will not tolerate certain tactics, e.g., "outing", false characterizations, etc. since these are the tactics of those who censor.

Now, some people might think that I am a paid shill for bigPharma. I wish I were. If it were possible to sign up for their largess, I would. If you know the address where I can apply, please post that address forthwith. Do not stall. If you send me the link and your snail mail address, I'll send you a slice (a small one, but, a slice.)