FOOLS RUSH IN

It's an "Age of Autism Instant Replay!" We first ran this piece on April 10th. In light of the IAC letter about the rally, we thought we'd share JB's info again.

By J.B. Handley

You know the response is coming.

For anyone watching the news for the last two months, the “other side” (aka, The Vaccine Lobby) has been getting annihilated in the press, online, in the coffee shops, schools, watercoolers, and, of course, on Larry King Live.

There’s too much power, profits, and prestige at stake for the other side not to fight back, at least a little.

With that as backdrop I was delighted to get an email from a friend with a link to a new, curious website called Voices4Vaccines. 

The website is under construction, but the home page opens with this noble goal:

“Voices for Vaccines has only one goal to provide science-based, accessible, and clear information about the benefits and risks of vaccines and vaccine-preventable diseases. Our leadership consists of scientists and concerned individuals who are totally committed to supporting continued efforts to eradicate vaccine-preventable diseases.”

This new organization also makes a veiled reference to you-know-who and our movement in general:

“But we also know that the loud voices and famous faces are not necessarily giving the best information.”

Most curiously, the site appears to take an entirely new approach, perhaps building on Harvey Karp’s “Which disease would you like to have?” strategy by actually showing color photos of each disease vaccines are supposed to protect. And I don’t mean just providing access to photos, I mean the pictures of these microbes are streaming, in full color, all over the top of the homepage! It’d be like Trojans trying to sell more condoms by showing full-color photos of late-stage syphilis patients…

Like all of us, I instantly wondered, “Who is behind this weak attempt to compete with our side’s presence on the web?”

A group of concerned parents?

You know there’s no chance of that.

Some independent doctors who wanted a voice?

Come on, you know that’s not it, either.

A quick look at the registry showed an Atlanta (yes, that Atlanta) based non-profit called, get ready for this… Task Force for Child Survival.

Unfortunately, you just missed their annual conference, “The 42nd National Immunization Conference.” If you had wanted more information on this conference, their website directs you to…you guessed, our favorite acronym: CDC.

Some more detail, in case you’re not quite cynical enough:

“The Task Force was formed in 1984 as a collaboration between the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the United Nations Development Program, the World Bank, and the Rockefeller Foundation to achieve the goal of universal child immunization by 1990.”

Is this the last will hear of the other side? Not a chance. But, it’s a great example of the pickle our health authorities find themselves in. The reason our side’s position is so compelling is because it’s being spoken by parents who are justifiably outraged and trying to save other parents and children from a similar fate.

We are believable to the outside world because we are telling the truth.

When the other side tries to mimic what we are doing by creating a “Generation Rescue for Vaccinators” website, it comes across as fake and pathetic. And, in every case I have ever seen, it can always be traced back to vested interests.

We’re standing on a mountain of truth. When the pretenders try to rush the mountain, we will pull out our trusty truth hammers and bop them on the head.

If you want, you can let the Executive Director of the Taskforce for Child Survival, Mark Rosenberg, know how you feel about their sneaky new website at: mrosenberg@taskforce.org.

Ask him if he feels confident standing behind this false claim made on the website to try and trick parents (see my email below):

“Our leadership consists of scientists and concerned individuals who are totally committed to supporting continued efforts to eradicate vaccine-preventable diseases. And to earn and keep your trust, although we are a non-profit organization supported by donations, we will not accept donations or funding from government or companies that manufacture or distribute vaccines.”

From: J.B. Handley
Sent: Thursday, April 10, 2008 10:21 AM
To: 'mrosenberg@taskforce.org'
Cc: 'jnguyen@taskforce.org'
Subject: New website: Voices 4 Vaccines

Gentleman:

The following will appear on the Age of Autism blog shortly. Perhaps next time you can just put color photos up of dead children to try and make your point?

I also noticed the “Task Force for Child Survival” makes no mention of autism on the entire website, despite the fact that it impacts 1 in 84 boys. What’s it take for autism to be a priority when thinking about the survival of our children?

J.B. Handley
Generation Rescue

J.B. Handley is Editor at Large for Age of Autism and Co-Founder of Generation Rescue.

Comments

[Julie]

Maybe a little off topic, but this is great!! Histerical but true, comedian Bill Maher on the Pharmaceutical industry. (Only 4 minutes long)

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/10/27/when-comedians-understand-health-truth-you-know-we-are-making-progress.aspx

[MS]

Here's another published comment from Lisa Randall. It's a gem:

http://blogs.clevescene.com/cnotes/2006/11/treating_autistic_kids_as_puzz.php

the parents are an attractive and sociable couple for whom having an autistic child "wasn't part of the plan."

Their unwillingness to accept their son's autism led them to embrace a drug regimen for which a coherent scientific rationale has yet to be proposed and which, in a more aggressive form, killed a Pennsylvania boy last year.

There is another approach. Many families of autistic children take the view that autism is a part of human diversity and direct their efforts not toward stamping out their children's autism but toward nurturing them as individuals with unique potential.

I doubt that any autistic kid benefits from being considered chiefly a puzzle for his or her parents to solve.

Lisa Randall

[Tracy Stewart]

I was at the Vaccine Safety meeting where Lisa Randall spoke about her fears of her normal kid getting measles because we are scaring people to not vaccinate. It was touching, really (eyeroll). Here's the email I sent to the good old task force you mention J.B.:
I met a woman named Lisa Randall at the Vaccine Safety Working group representing Voices 4 Vaccines, who in her testimony admitted being a paid consultant for her work. Rest assured, she will be revealed as the worst kind of whore, paid to screw children. Nice. Contrary to her admitted non-scientist declarations, the science is not complete. The IOM reports note the potential points for further study. I hope you enjoy the many emails you get on the subject.

Tracy Stewart

[Lisa]

The only thing Lisa Randall and I agree upon is "The most dangerous vaccine is the one that does not get used"

Yea - because if its a flu vaccine and not used you have to dispose of it like toxic waste.

Its a matter of time for all Americans to figure out that there is issues with our vaccine supply and policies. Then a majority will demand change. In my opinion, its close to tipping point. Change is super close.

[Heather]

Here's the links to her published writing on the Poling case:

http://washingtonindependent.com/view/the-autism-vaccine#comment_16913

lrandall
Posted 03/07/2008 09:23am with +0 votes

This is such an important distinction, and one that can’t be effectively addressed as long as the parents and their representatives are the only ones allowed to speak on the case. From what I can tell, Hannah Poling is not really autistic now, which adds doubt to the contention that she was ever really autistic to start with, “autistic symptoms” or no.

http://www.twincities.com/opinion/ci_8694687

Published: March 26, 2008
Actually, the case at issue concerns a mitochondrial disorder — one which, according to the head of the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, has never been shown to be environmentally acquired. The autistic features that the child developed were among a complex set of symptoms.

[Heather]

Cobblestone - after I re-read your post a few times, your sarcasm sunk in. Ha-ha

If you listened to the NVAC, Vaccine Safety Working Group call today, Lisa Randall embarrassed herself. In the "How to Effectively Engage the Public" Lisa Randall:

Stated she is a paid consultant for the Immunization Action Coalition (a group funded by multiple PHARMA cos. and the CDC)

Stated that prolonging research into the connection between vaccines and autism is harmful. All of the science is complete.

Stated that she wants to solicit opinions of parents who haven't made vaccine activism the main mission in their life (but isn't that her mission?)

Stated "The most dangerous vaccine is the one that does not get used"

Several public commenters criticized Lisa Randall on her qualifications and her "presentation"

Terri Poling was a public commenter. Look below where Lisa Randall writes that Hannah Poling never had autism and mitochondrial disorders have never been environmentally acquired.

What an embarrassment to vaccine safety.

I hope there's a transcript of this meeting.

[Cobblestone]

"Cobblestone - I'm not really sure what you are staying"

My mistake. I should have inserted "dripping sarcasm" after the first sentence.

By "you" in sentence 3 I meant people like Lisa Randall in general.

Sorry about the mis-communication.

[Heather]

Cobblestone - I'm not really sure what you are staying, but personally, I don't think Lisa Randall will fulfill the duty of a "interacting with the public" vaccine safety representative.

I think her quotes speak for themselves.

But you can decide for yourself.

[Cobblestone]

"Decide for yourself if these published quotes from Lisa Randall add up to someone who should represent vaccine safety (in chronological order):"

Heather she makes a perfect "advocate" for vaccine safety. Nevermind the efficacy of it. How you can blather on about safety with all evidence to the contrary beats me. Here's the thing - if you can take a look at the Hannah Poling evidence, which her parents have so kindly shared with the world, and still not see the connection, you should be deemed unfit to make any pronouncement about vaccine safety for any organisation. In fact people out there in your camp should put you on a tight leash with a gag order in effect because your verbal diarrhea has the ability to hurt their case, howsoever irrelevant it might be. At least there should be some *appearance* of sanity. At the minimum.

[Sue M]

I also came across this little gem from Lisa Randall: (talk about pompous):

Letters to Health
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Another mercury precaution: mother's milk

In "The quest for a flu vaccine without mercury" (Health & Science, Nov. 22), Amy McConnell Schaarsmith is clearly striving to be a good mom. She was so diligent about avoiding the mercury in a regular flu shot, I'm sure she'll keep her baby far away from another mercury-containing substance, one to which many newborns are exposed every single day: breast milk.

The average breast-fed child will take in 15 flu shots' worth of mercury over its nursing career, and the mercury compound in breast milk has a greater tendency to accumulate in the body.

Ms. Schaarsmith would do well to spend more time talking to her pediatrician and less time cruising the Internet collecting scary rumors about vaccines.

LISA RANDALL
Baltimore, Md.

[Heather]

Here’s a link to the first page of a Google search on “Lisa Randall” and vaccine and autism

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=t&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4SUNA_en___US267&q=%22lisa+Randall%22+and+vaccine+and+autism

Decide for yourself if these published quotes from Lisa Randall add up to someone who should represent vaccine safety (in chronological order):

“Hysteria distilled in the groupthink of autism advocacy groups that insist thimerosal causes autism contrary to all reputable science and cast anyone who says otherwise as a member of a global conspiracy to poison children.
Money for shady personal injury lawyers who lick their chops at the prospect of presenting a jury with a disabled child, some sophisticated-sounding pseudoscience, and the ominous fact that certain states have banned thimerosal.”

“Many children who would once have been diagnosed with mental retardation or childhood schizophrenia are now slotted into the autism category; the formerly "odd kid" is now recognized as being on the autism spectrum. In addition, the availability of specialized programs for autistics has made this diagnosis more attractive to professionals and parents”

. “The fact that the president of the Institute of Medicine found it necessary to appear on television to debunk the thimerosal hypothesis is not a sign that the idea is credible, but rather a sad indicator of a lack of scientific sophistication among Americans. We love a good conspiracy theory, even when it's a tale concocted by professional expert witnesses, bought into by distraught parents and aired by the more gullible of the press.”

“I believe all the influenza formulations intended for children are thimerosal-free; it is still possible for them to get a half-dose of an adult thimerosal-containing flu shot, but the pediatric version is preferred.”

“It's very easy for parents to get a whiff of the idea that vaccines might be dangerous and just decide they're going to opt out of the whole business. It doesn't take very many of them doing that to create an opportunity for a nasty outbreak.”

“I wonder how one can describe herself as pro-vaccine if she's never met a vaccine she liked. Just musing.
Unlocking Autism is a "national organization" in much the way that my family can be said to be a "national organization" due to its having members in three states.”

” Yes, there are quacks out there who will diagnose "mercury toxicity" in anyone, and they can even come up with lab reports that look like they back it up, thanks to shoddy labs and misleading testing protocols.”

“a bill that would limit the use of vaccines containing thimerosal, …there's been no more than trace amounts of thimerosal in childhood vaccines made since 2001, and more autism than ever in kids too young to have been exposed to it. This isn't just bad science: it's the Legislature telling parents they can't trust their pediatricians, and giving credence to the quacks who want to treat autistic kids with chelation, homeopathy, hyperbaric oxygen, high-dose vitamin supplements, and all manner of other dubious remedies.”

“It’s really disappointing that McCain didn’t take the time to think two steps out and consider the effect of telling the American people that their pediatricians have been lying when they said it was safe to immunize their kids.
If he has poor enough judgment to accept what some anti-vaccine zealot tells him without checking it against any kind of expert, it’s pretty scary to think of how he would make decisions as president.”

“From what I can tell, Hannah Poling is not really autistic now, which adds doubt to the contention that she was ever really autistic to start with, “autistic symptoms” or no.”

“Actually, the case at issue concerns a mitochondrial disorder — one which, according to the head of the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, has never been shown to be environmentally acquired.”

“Funny that after 10 studies showing its safety in vaccines, thimerosal is about the only thing that we know doesn't cause autism, yet some can't stop perseverating on it.”

[Ginger Taylor]

I have written some follow up to JB's story. http://adventuresinautism.blogspot.com/2008/04/lisa-randall-vaccine-safety-working.html

[Tim Kasemodel]

The VFV rep at todays meeting, Lisa Randall works for the wonderful Immuniaztaion Action Coalition, $750,000 funding from CDC, $750,000 funding from Pharma.

http://www.immunize.org/aboutus/iacstaff.asp

Look at the bottom of the page under "not pictured". She is policy consultant / basically legal counsel.

Concerned parent and citizen my ass.

[Sue M]

I wonder if the gurus behind this website will learn anything from the mistakes of FamiliesFightingFlu website. As soon as you see Pr(Offit)'s wife, Bonnie, as one of the first comments on that site... you have to shake your head in disbelief. I wonder if they will also be lurking on EoH as the FamiliesFightingFlu gurus do (or did). I commented on the FamiliesFightingFlu website previously twice. The first comment (not surprisingly) was not approved. Basically, I wrote that we need to be careful in regards to thimerosal containing vaccinations... Ask for thimerosal-free vaccinations. So, my second comment (as a test) was very pro-vaccine something similar to... "Thank you so much for putting this website together. We really need every child to be vaccinated against the flu". Of course, that comment was posted soon after. Soon after it was posted, I posted on EoH about the obviously selected comments put on the website. Within a day -- my comment was taken off the website. Clearly, they found out that I was simply using them to prove a point... For those who don't think that these people "lurk" and listen to us... They do... (Of course, the idiots could have just kept the comment on there instead of drawing attention to the fact that they are lurking idiots with ulterior motives).

[Heather]

Speaking of Google, let's hope they Google: "Lisa Randall" and vaccines and autism

http://www.google.com/search?q=%22Lisa+Randall%22+and+vaccine+and+autism&hl=en&rls=GGIC,GGIC:2006-51,GGIC:en&start=10&sa=N

No wonder Randall is VfV's NVAC- How to Effectively Engage the Public presenter.

[John]

Julie,
Regarding Familiesfightingflu.org
the name was registered by Medimmune years before the organization was founded

[Hillary]

Let's just hope that parents who google "vaccines" and end up on voices4vaccines are thinking enough to find out the source of the website. I teach college students and I'm always frustrated by how seriously they'll take any website they find, without looking into the true source.

[Marty Brown]

“Our leadership consists of scientists and concerned individuals who are totally committed to supporting continued efforts to eradicate vaccine-preventable diseases."

Well, the scientists and the concerned individuals are failing badly. In an attempt to control vaccine-preventable diseases, there has been a huge cost to overall public health in that STDs of old are up and rising for the last 7 years for no conceivable reason, auto-immune disorders have increased exponentially, people are sucuumbing to rare diseases that are generally misdiagnosed to begin with, people with disabilities are rising to the extent that the system is bursting at the seams and placing them on waiting lists.

If all was well and wonderful, the rest of the statistics would not look the way they do. I mean, come on. Exactly who are you kidding?

[Monica]

I do hope they will share my story. In the "join us" section, under "stories you would like to share" I shared- "I would like to share the dangers in using live virus vaccines in those with Primary Immunodeficiencies. These vaccines can cause encephalitis, and even death in an immunodeficient individual. I do encourage Voices 4 Vaccines to publish statements from the CDC and NIH regarding the contraindication of vaccinating individuals with Primary Immunodeficiency, and even include the 10 warning signs of Primary Immunodeficiency."

Funny how dangerous it is, vaccinating people with Primary Immunodeficiency, yet you NEVER hear of it being a contraindication, well, except for buried in the WHO and CDC websites, and maybe after your child suffers a reaction.

[Hilary Butler]

Sounds incredibly similar, to the "come into my parlour" People For Immunization blurb that Paul Offit handed out at a recent ACIP meeting.

You know.

The one that wasnt' going to accept government funding so as to be seen to be independant? People for Immunization, was going to be Paul Offit et al, funded by the people of USA et al, so that in their new stripy skin, these tigers could advocate for lots more vaccines. And of course, no donation would be too small, and if everyone in the public, funded Paul offit and his fellow provaccine mates at People for Immunization, that would mean they could not have "vested interests". That would make them "independant".

Right. Not.

Honestly, do they really think we are so stupid that we can't see through the games they play?