Olmsted on Autism: Reagan, AIDS, Obama and Autism

By Dan Olmsted

There's been much comment in our part of the autism community over the new president-elect, whether McCain and Palin would have been better on autism issues, and how to get Obama's ear and make him understand what we understand -- the truth about its origins and what that tells us about how to stop the epidemic, and how to help those who have been affected.

Those are all worthwhile conversations to have (although it's time to let go of the McCain-Palin nostalgia), but there's one additional point I'd like to make: It will be President-Elect Obama's JOB to figure this out and fix it. He's answerable to you and me on that, and ultimately to history.

Let's assume for the moment that Obama will have two terms -- eight years to figure out what's going on with autism. That's plenty of time -- if it can't be done in that period, it's because someone isn't trying (just as Someone hasn't been trying these past eight years).

We all know what needs to happen in terms of research, insurance, treatment protocols and so on, and I won't go into them here. At the deepest level, what needs to happen is for someone with brains and guts to take a fresh look at the situation and act accordingly.

Obama has already said he will launch a top to bottom review of the way the government handles scientific issues. That alone would stir up the muck from the bottom of the CDC cesspool and prompt a realization that the truth has been manipulated, iterated into incoherence, privatized and for all I know kidnapped, sent offshore and waterboarded into saying thimerosal doesn't cause autism.

As I said, that's his job, and it's also an urgent job, as urgent as fixing the financial mess we're in. The most important domestic issue of our time is the declining health of our children, combined with the unwillingness to face that by the people who have caused it. At this point, invoking the sacredness of vaccination is just blowing smoke. It's like Nixon invoking executive privilege to avoid handing over the Watergate tapes. That didn't have anything to do with really defending some sacred governing principle, it had to do with saving his reputation and his job. Ditto the folks who have brought us the autism epidemic and now want to talk about rotavirus in Africa and what iron lungs were like for polio victims.

When I say it's Obama's job to figure this out, a good comparison is the rise of the AIDS epidemic early in Ronald Reagan's first term. Well after it was clear that urgent action was required to head off hundreds of thousands of deaths in the United States and millions worldwide, the NIH was holding thumb-twiddling contests and the Reagan administration was making it impossible for CDC researchers to get a decent laboratory. Ideology trumped science, squeamishness trumped common sense, and the people who made those decisions, or failed to act, have had to live with that knowledge. History doesn't lie.

President Reagan famously would not utter the word AIDS until it was far too late. While Reagan is regarded as an effective president, this was a gigantic moral and scientific failure and a permanent blight on his record. By the end he knew it, too.

Well, here we go again. We have an epidemic that starts with an A. We have government agencies -- the NIH and CDC and FDA in particular -- sitting on their hands and hiding the truth and spouting irrelevant platitudes.

Protecting us physically is the Number One job of the chief executive, and we are threatened from within right now as much as we are challenged from without. And if Obama wants to restore U.S. standing in the world, he can't ignore our exportation of  autism epidemics. Destroying the health, welfare and future of the other six billion people on the planet is not the kind of expansive and inclusive foreign policy he's thinking about.

So let's by all means use every avenue to get his attention, present the message in ways we think he's receptive to, act in concert so disunity does not come across as uncertainty and foster delay.

But let's also create just a little bit of space around our anxiety that things will continue to be the way they have been. Let's expect him to do his job and to understand that history will be his judge. At least for now I have some confidence that he's up to it.
--
Dan Olmsted is editor of Age of Autism.

Comments

[Jack]

You can leave Obama your "Vision for America" or "Your Story" at www.change.gov

[Jeff Stone]

I think the best move President-Elect Obama can make for the autism community is to appoint Congressman Dave Weldon as head of HHS, the FDA, or the CDC.

[CM]

Hi Rachel,

"AT ABOUT 15 MONTHS HE STARTED TO LOSE WORDS AND BY 18 MONTHS ALL WORDS WHERE LOST."

Do you know if your friend's son received any vaccines at his 15 and 18 month old well child visits? According to the current schedule, children are given DTaP at 15 months and Hep A at 18 months. Both of those shots contain aluminum. DTaP contains 170-625 mcg, depending on the manufacturer and the Hepatitis A contains 250 mcg (but the FDA's limit for IV solutions is 25 mcg...)

This study found that both methymercury and aluminum cause apoptosis (cell death), and that "Mercury and aluminum are considered to be neurotoxic metals, and they are often connected with the onset of neurodegenerative diseases" http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=16222014

The reason I'm so suspicious about aluminum is that in both dialysis dementia (caused by aluminum) and regressive autism, the patients loose prevously aquired skills.

I'm not a doctor, but based on what I've learned about metallothionein (which was in my earlier comment), she should probably have his zinc and uremic copper levels checked (not his blood copper levels because this is usually fine even in patients with copper toxicity). Also, she might want to try the GF/CF diet, and zinc supplementation to prevent further deterioration, and she should probably not let him get any more vaccinations. Plus, since he's actually lost brain matter, the Essential Fatty Acids and B vitamins would probably be very important to assist brain development, and OT would probably be needed to help his brain map new neurological pathways (which is the recommended treatment for patients with physical brain damage such as a stroke). However, **I'm not a doctor**, and every child is different. So she should really find a DAN! doctor to help her know which (if any of these suggestions) would be safe or beneficial for her son. I hope this is helpful, and I'm so sorry to hear this happened to her son :(

She should also contact someone at either TACA Now or Generation Rescue because they have people trained to provide the help she needs.

[Ben's Dad]

Thank you Dan for all of your efforts.

My sister reminded me in an email this week that she was in Portsmouth New Hampshire in August 2007 when she happened upon as Obama event. She informed the security officers about her sons autism so that they would be aware in case he bolted or acted up in any unusual way. In a chance encounter, they came across Obama off by himself, and she told her son they were going to meet him. He shook my sisters hand and put his arm around my nephew, and they had a 3-5 minute conversation about autism. She mentioned the 3 cases of autism in our family tree, and when Obama asked if they all lived in the same state, she told him no – 3 different states. “He was interested, informed, and mentioned that he had a cabinet member with a child with autism and that there will be more funding for services along with the Combatting Autism Act.  I encouraged him to look into environmental issues as well.”

Encouraging today are reports from the Washington Post that Obama's team has quietly been working for months developing a 200 item list of Bush environmental and social actions that could be quickly reversed. There has got to be something on that list that will help our kids to some degree. I think we will know pretty early on if our issues are high on the agenda or not.

However our calendar is bit longer then the short term one referenced in tasks such as stimulating the economy. Autism is a long lead time item. The environmental threats that the children born in 2009 will face are in the production pipeline now, and the affected children won't be diagnosed until the 2012 election cycle is well under way. Despite the longer calendar, we can't loose hope. By the time the next election wraps up, over 100,000 additional children will be diagnosed with autism in the US alone.

Obama did not win and make this moment possible by easing up. Ahead in the polls in late October he stood in the cold rain to talk to whoever showed up in Chester PA. I hope there will be a rally in Washington sooner than later.

I wouldn't expect Michelle Obama to speak at any Green our Vaccines rallies any time soon but you never know. From her comments on The View: "And that's what I like about Laura Bush. You know, just calm, rational approach to these issues. And you know, I'm taking some cues. I mean, there's a balance. There's a reason why people like her. It's because she doesn't, sort of, you know, fuel the fire."

[Rachel Ford]

"In the normal brain, larger amounts of gray matter are associated with higher IQs," Dr. Ashtari said. "But in the autistic brain, increased gray matter does not correspond to IQ, because this gray matter is not functioning properly"

It appears that in some cases a toxic insult may actually decrease the gray matter. Here's what an online friend of mine reported after her son received a thimerosal-containing flu shot:

MY SON RECIEVE A FLU SHOT AT THE AGE OF ONE. AT ABOUT 15 MONTHS HE STARTED TO LOSE WORDS AND BY 18 MONTHS ALL WORDS WHERE LOST. AT 21 MONTHS HE HAD A MRI DONE THAT SHOWED THAT THE WHITE AND GRAY MATTER IN HIS BRAIN WAS DECREASING ON THE LEFT SIDE. IT DID EVENTUALLY STOP, BUT THE NEURO STILL DON'T HAVE A CLUE AS TO WHAT CAUSED IT AND IN THE MIST OF HIS BRAIN DECREASING HE NOW SUFFERS FROM SEIZURES AND THERE HARD TO CONTROL WITH MEDICINE. HE'S BEEN TO SEE GENETICS, WHITE MATTER CLINIC AND NO ONE HAS A CLUE, BUT IF YOU ASK ME I THINK IT WAS THE FLU SHOT. MY SON WAS NORMAL SPEAKING AT 8 MONTHS AND WAS SAYING ABOUT 6-8 WORDS INCLUDING HAMBUGER. IF ANYONE HAD THIS EXPERIENCE OR KNOW OF A GOOD DOCTOR THAT CAN HELP I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE IT.

[Jan]

-As a huge Obama fan I was very excited to hear that Robert Kennedy Jr was being considered to head the EPA and deeply disapointed to later hear that both Democrat and Republican operatives were screaming that this would be a HORRIBLE choice. I'd hate to see Obama back down but equally I'd hate to see him ripped apart for picking R.K.Jr.
I was also concerned to hear the David Axelrod is in the "vaccines don't cause Autism" camp.
I can only hope that President Obama will listen to people in the know, and those of us who live it, and not just just those who have so much to loose dollar wise (big pharma and those who prositute for them)
In my heart I believe that he is the kind of man who is wise enough to looking deeply into what is going on and not just gloss over this huge challenge facing way to many people (and more to come) in the US.

[Carolyn]

Chris.....GREAT post!!

I think it needs repeating, in case people have not heard.

"The fact that Obama is considering Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for the head of the EPA is a very exciting and hopeful prospect."

(See prior post by Chris to see link to Rollingstone article)

My personal thought is that having Robert Kennedy, as head of the EPA, is very telling. It gives me a glimmer of hope.

[Kerbob1]

Hi All,

The 2008 Presidential Election is over and "to the victor go the spoils." Spoils is not nostalgia, but rather historical fact.

The spoils system began with the election of General Andrew Jackson to POTUS in 1828. It is simply foolish to believe that things are different in this modern age.

Since the Jacksonian era established a second party system, life of an issue has been a struggle to stave off elimination.

I have read can of corn after can of corn about how wonderful it's going to be with change. However, I think the fact that so many are soliciting at this time is, indeed, most telling.

What it should tell all of us is the glass isn't half-empty nor half-full. It's an empty glass.

However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results. - Winston Churchill

[Sandy Waters]

President Elect Barack Obama has a job ahead of him but he seems like a sincere person. If he cares about everyone of us like he says he does than autism is part of the equation. It is our job to keep at him about it. I live in his home state of Illinois and we definitely need change here as well as the rest of the country.

[Maurine Meleck]

Thanks, Dan, for this important message. Nothing bothers me more than those who give up before they have begun. Nobody said this was going to be easy. I look at the gay rights movement(no matter which way one feels) in California and say "Now there's a group of fighters." I'm sure nobody needs or wants a pep talk from me, but no matter. We need everybody out there, not just a few.
BTW, the South Carolina insurance bill may be something more than nothing, but it is truly lacking in substance. It covers no bio-med treatments and is really mainly based on behavioral therapies and so is appropriate only for newly diagnosed children doing ABA or young children. We need to push far beyond these pathetic limitations in every state.
Maurine Meleck
South Carolina

[Chris]

The fact that Obama is considering Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for the head of the EPA is a very exciting and hopeful prospect. He has been one of our community's staunchest allies and will have the president's ear should he be appointed. He has already said that he will gladly serve the next administration if asked.

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/7395411/deadly_immunity/

[Elizabeth]

Our issues are about as important to the president as last Sunday's dog show. THEY DON'T CARE....and if you think they do you are kidding yourself. They are going to let their "experts" deal with this problem. These "experts" happen to be the same people who sponsored their campaign.

The only way things are going to change is if WE SHOW UP and CHANGE THEM OURSELVES. There is power in numbers, where is thimerosal made? We could strategically stop the process...

[Raymond Gallup]

ANDY WARHOL:

They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.

Benjamin Franklin:

Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that the stuff life is made of.
(Benjamin Franklin, born January 17, 1706 Eric Gallup, born January 17, 1985)

Mark Twain:

Time and tide wait for no man. A pompous and self-satisfied proverb, and was true for a billion years; but in our day of electric wires and water-ballast we turn it around: Man waits not for time nor tide.

Thomas Paine:

Time makes more converts than reason.

If on January 20, 2009 and there after President Obama puts the American people first regards to autism matters, economic and foreign policy, then he wins. If not, well………………..

Ray Gallup

[Kim Davis]

Kim,

You're absolutely right. I was just coming on to say the same thing; the election is over, we have a new president, and we should now be thinking of how to unite behind our common cause.

I supported McCain and was bitterly dissappointed that he was not elected. That doesn't mean that I'm not willing to give President Obama a chance to do the right thing. I am. In this, as in all of the other problems our country is facing, I wish, hope and pray for him to succeed.

Kim Davis

[Grace]

I'm watching, but so far I haven't seen anything from Obama that doesn't say politics as usual but with a vengeance. He's already demonstrated that he's into the whole government as parent "we know better than you" ideology. So I'll be patient - after all, what choice do I have? But I sure won't be holding my breath.

Meanwhile, Kerbob was a McCain supporter so we shouldn't pay any attention to what he's saying? Oy vey. That's the same kind of garbage we have to put up with from the neurodiversity crowd - don't address the issue being raised, go after the source instead.

You may not like the source, but Kerbob wasn't making it up and he actually was merely the messenger not the source - so you need to find a way to discredit the UK Telegraph instead. And all the other newspapers (like the Chicago Trib as cited below) that tell us that apparently the Obama plan for reaching across the aisle is so they can grab the opposition by the throat.

This article is long, but at least check out the last line of this article even if you don't want to read the whole thing -
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-rahm-emanuel,0,7573633.story
This guy sounds like he has some serious issues of his own. Talk about your warm fuzzies...

[Tim Kasemodel]

Dan,

Great job rounding out a cohesive argument for cooperation going forward - regardless of who we suported before Nov. 4th.

But when you wrote:

"Well, here we go again."..... - I had to chuckle at the humor of it all... I can still see Reagan spewing that silly little line.....

I was 18 in 1980 and voted for the Independant -Anderson I think - not only because I thought Reagan was a nutcase bent on nuclear fricken holocaust, but because the other guy wanted to legalize pot....

Kidding aside, your comparison about AIDS is appropo..... but even if Carter had been president he would likely have ignored as well I think.

WHO IS PLANNING THE NEXT MARCH ON WASHINGTON???????

I think we could double the Green our vaccines Rally numbers - People might actually believe someone with younger kids might understand the whole vaccine issue more.

Any way to get a clue what Michelle O thinks about all this???

Tim

[Stagmom]

Dan, this is an important article. My God, if Kerry supporters didn't storm the Bastille in November of 2004, surely those who supported McCain can realize that it's in the best interest of our children to forge ahead. If if's and buts were candy and nuts.... "You go to war with the army you have, not the army you wish you had." Isn't that what Rumsfeld said?

Let's get to work.

Kim

[CM]

Rachel, you mentioned the Hep B vaccine, and I think you're absolutely right that the Hep B vaccine for all newborns is a BIG problem.

I agree that thimerosal is one part of the problem for many reasons including:
One CDC study that found that among males, increased prenatal exposure to thimerosal was associated with, "poorer performance with attention and executive functioning". There was also a huge increase in the autism percentage rate in 1998 (right after the thimerosal-containing flu shot was first recommended for pregnant women in 8/97).

However, I also think the aluminum in vaccines is also a significant contributor:
The FDA set a limit of 25 mcg for injectable solutions because aluminum was causing neurological delays in preemies, so WHY is the 250 mcg Hep B vaccine given to all newborns INCLUDING premature babies?? Another study found that "Low birth weight and preterm birth increase the risk of autism in infants by about twofold, but more so for girls than for boys". Estrogen is believed to increase absorption of certain metals, which might explain why girls in this category would have a higher risk.

Also aluminum has been linked to the following problems:
*Aluminum Causes Dialysis Dementia
*Aluminum affects mitochondrial functions, which leads to ROS production (which results in oxidative stress)
*The CDC found that Aluminum Toxicity causes neurological delays and thin bones, AND the CDC found that children with autism have thinner bones than the control groups.

*Aluminum Damages the Blood Brain Barrier
>Even live-virus vaccines that don't contain thimerosal or aluminum (such as the MMR) could be more dangerous for children with a more permeable BBB (caused by previously received vaccines that DO contain aluminum).

In 1983, children were only given 5 doses of aluminum-containing vaccines by 2 years. Now, children receive 18 doses by 18 months. (And by 6 months of age, the doses were 3 in 1983 and 13 in 2008!!) Why are we supposed to believe that is safe??? Use of this much aluminum in babies is too new to say that there is a proven record of safety.

Also, dialysis dementia was first proposed to be "due to aluminum intoxication because they found increased aluminum content in brain, muscle, and bone tissues of affected patients; the *brain gray-matter aluminum content* was higher in ALL of their patients with the [dialysis dementia] syndrome than in any of the controls or other uremics."
Keeping that in mind, I wonder if this next finding is just a coincidence, or does it suggest causalty?
"In the normal brain, larger amounts of gray matter are associated with higher IQs," Dr. Ashtari said. "But in the autistic brain, increased gray matter does not correspond to IQ, because this gray matter is not functioning properly"

References for all this information can be found at http://autism-genetic-risk-factor.blogspot.com/

[M Mutsch]

Obama's appreciation of the huge cost associated with autism treatment got big points with me over McCain's "awareness" legislation. But now I can't help wonder if I haven't been fooled again after reading in a back issue of Age of Autism that Gov. Corzine, an avowed member of Obama's "brain trust", approved mandatory vaccinations for school children in NJ.

[Rachel Ford]

Excellent article, Dan. I hope Obama and/or his staffers are reading it.
Karen says "The clock is ticking, soon this mass of children will be adults.
We need change NOW!"

The children with autsim are *already* starting to become adults and this is only the tip of the iceberg, of course. I work as a psychotherapist at a large state university counseling center. We are seeing more and more students with a diagnosis of "High Functioning Autism" and Aspergers than ever before. Two years ago, I was informed by Disability Services that over 250 students were enrolled having an ASD diagnosis (I'm sure it is much higher this year). We are running an active weekly support group for eight of these individuals and see quite a few others individually.

We are also seeing more and more students with ADD/ADHD. It seems that every other male student I meet with (maybe even 2 out of 3, and we are working with more male students than ever before) has either already been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD or is struggling so much with attention, focus and time management that they are failing despite excellent grades in high school and high SAT scores. All of the counselors in our center are complaining that this is the busiest fall (BY FAR) that we have ever experienced. The 18-year-old freshmen this year comprise the birth cohort of 1990, when the thimerosal-containing HepB vaccine was added to the recommended vaccine schedule. Coincidence??

[Allison]

"So let's by all means use every avenue to get his attention, present the message in ways we think he's receptive to, act in concert so disunity does not come across as uncertainty and foster delay."

Excellent statement Dan!! I completely agree with everything you wrote. Let's work in concert, let's get our point across in intelligent terms and stand strong, not letting emotions skew our credibility. We have a great contribution to make, how we present it is going to be so important.
Thank you Dan!

[Kelli Ann Davis]

“Just in case all of you have not heard but Obama has just introduced legislation based on the original version of Ryan's Law in SC that had no age limits or dollar limits for ABA, requiring insurance parity for autism!!! Now that is keeping his word!!!”

Lorri,

The legislation you’re referencing is the *SAME* 39 page bill that is posted over on Ginger’s blog:

http://adventuresinautism.blogspot.com/2008/11/i-endorse-john-mccain-for-president.htmlin

The insurance language is ONE part of the legislation which as it stands NOW would do the following:

Task the CDC and HRSA to set up a "National Center” in order to:

(A) Provide training and technical assistance to frontline autism service providers; and;

(B) Enhance autism program evaluation support in order to—

(i) facilitate the rapid dissemination of evidence-based and promising practices

And:

INTERVENTIONS: the term means “the educational methods and positive behavioral support strategies designed to improve or ameliorate symptoms associated with autism."

TREATMENTS.—the term means “the health services, including mental health services, designed to improve or ameliorate symptoms associated with autism.”

Now, as you know the term “evidence-based” is important when drafting any type of insurance bill and RIGHT NOW it is included in Obama and Durbin’s legislation. Look again at the language above – the CDC/HRSA will be in charge of “evaluating” what constitutes “evidence-based and promising practices” -- I don’t know about you, but I *definitely* don’t get any warm fuzzies when I think of CDC and HRSA *calling the shots* on anything relating to research and treatments – especially considering they’ve got oodles to lose if vaccines are implicated in any way, shape or form.

As it stands now, the bill has NOT been introduced *yet* (although it was slated to be introduced during the up coming lame-duck session) but nevertheless, we’ve already been in touch with the appropriate folks who are drafting the bill to let them know that we’d like input on it once January rolls around. (It most likely won’t see traction during the lame-duck session and would have to be reintroduced during the new Congress next year.)

Bottom Line: “Keeping your word” entails more than just *introducing* a bill – it’s what’s INSIDE the bill that ultimately matters. And in this case, as it stands RIGHT NOW, this bill does more harm than good in my opinion.

[karenatlanta]

So aptly said.
Everyday I pray that good people at the top, will do the right thing by our kids.
The clock is ticking, soon this mass of children will be adults.
We need change NOW!
May Obama step up to the plate and stop the unchecked CDC/FDA vaccine madness.
The future of this country is at stake here.

[Twyla]

Thanks very much, Dan, for this article which is full of so much good sense.

Regardless of whether we are Republicans, Democrats, Independents, Libertarians, or of any other political persuasion, I think we can be united now in our hopes, prayers, and actions aimed at bringing about vaccine reform.

[Ray Hausler]

I would suggest two things worth considering.First, the Autism community should make its voice heard when it comes to the new appointments President Obama will make -- to head the CDC, FDA, NIH, etc. Second, before long into the Obama
Administration's first term we will start getting the first Thimerosal decisions from the Vaccine Court. Those early decisions could be HUGE in awakening the Administration to what is going on.

[jennifer]

Understanding autism: "If it can't be done in that period, it's because someone isn't trying." What a powerful, succinct way of putting it, Dan!!

[Anne Dachel]

"We have an epidemic that starts with an A. We have government agencies -- the NIH and CDC and FDA in particular -- sitting on their hands and hiding the truth and spouting irrelevant platitudes."

Dan, you said it perfectly. Officials have been lying to the public for years. Sick kids everywhere and no one cares. I can't image people more irrelevant.

Anne Dachel
Media editor

[sdtech]

This is an excellent assessment of our present situation. We all are hopeful that his actions will “…prompt a realization that the truth has been manipulated, iterated into incoherence, privatized…” President Elect Obama certainly has the intelligence and integrity to recognize the conflict of interest and bias once it is revealed. For our part we must remain vigilant and continue our role by reading the research and calling out the half truths. The profit motivations still exist that led to “…the NIH and CDC and FDA in particular -- sitting on their hands and hiding the truth and spouting irrelevant platitudes.” And it is not just over the past eight years that we have seen the prediction of Orwell’s “Ministry of Truth” fulfilled.

Thank you Dan.

[Derrick]

Just in case all of you have not heard but Obama has just introduced legislation based on the original version of Ryan's Law in SC that had no age limits or dollar limits for ABA, requiring insurance parity for autism!!! Now that is keeping his word!!!
This is an e-mail from Lorri Unumb I received yesterday. Lorri is the author of Ryan's Law in SC. I tried to attach the attachment but couldn't

Attached is the relevant part of a federal autism bill that President-Elect Obama is introducing in the Senate. If this passes, the federal government will mandate that insurers provide coverage for autism treatments, following South Carolina's lead over a year ago. It is a very exciting development and could be the answer to many of our prayers.

This bill is very similar to Ryan's Law as it was originally introduced in South Carolina by Rep. Nathan Ballentine and Sen. Ray Cleary in 2005 -- i.e., it contains neither monetary caps on coverage nor artificial age limits (which the insurers forced us to include in the bill that ultimately passed). Also, this bill would reach self-insured companies.

I'll keep you posted on the progress of this federal bill.

Thanks once again to our legislators in South Carolina for bravely leading the way on this issue and starting a national trend toward insurance coverage for our kids!!!

Thanks -- Lorri :-)

[Andrea for Jeff]

Jeff,

Kerbob was a McCain supporter. Kerbob is displeased with America's choice as new President. While Emanuel's background is concerning we do not know for certain if he will be plotting to block the truth about vaccines and autism. We have no idea what Obama will do about all of this. I am so accustomed to Bush ignoring this issue and his agencies working against us. It's like we all live with an injury we can call- Post Traumatic Bush Syndrome. Just the thought things may be different under Obama is almost too hard to imagine becasue of how things have been. Time will tell. We have to continue to meet with our government officials and enlighten them at all levels. We have to move forward and with an attitude that this is Obama's job. I am not being naive. I am hopeful something will change and progress will be made. Should I not be? And if I should not be hopeful then what should I do? Sit at home and expect Obama will be worse then Bush? That too, is too hard to imagine.

I think Dan's piece here is exactly what we need:

"So let's by all means use every avenue to get his attention, present the message in ways we think he's receptive to, act in concert so disunity does not comes across as uncertainty and foster delay."

What else can we do?

[dan olmsted]

Hi Jeff R.,

This is why I'm saying, chill just a little bit and get some sleep! Whatever Rahm's personal experience and past policy choices around the issue of vaccines are, it's a new day. And HE is not the president. I think there's some over-reading of the tea leaves going on in the autism world. It's understandable and inevitable -- the past eight years have been a waking nightmare of denial not just about autism but about so many self-evident truths that lying almost seems enshrined in our Constitution, like some secret Amendment that got slipped in there -- but anticipating the worst may be excessive and not a useful expenditure of emotional energy. Having a smart -- very smart -- and intellectually curious individual at the top is kinda different than we're used to. We haven't totally absorbed it yet. Give it til Jan. 20, at least! He's not even prez yet.

Best, Dan

[Jeff R.]

Dan, I have high hopes for Obama but, if this is true it will be a long 4 years, this story is why I am up at 6am on Saturday, I could not sleep after reading this that I found on AOA.

http://kerboblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/be-very-careful-of-obama.html

Since naming Rahm Emanuel as chief of staff.

"In 1993 it was Rahm Emanuel who engineered Hillarycare. His father was a pediatrician and his mom had been in nursing making him the most likely person to help Hillary Clinton push for more vaccines and that meant more doses of vaccines that had Thimerosal in them.

It was young Rahm Emanuel that sliced his finger in the fast food joint, and, instead of getting it stitched up, went swimming in Lake Michigan. His finger was most likely infected so badly with Tetanus that he almost died. This would certainly add to his pro feelings toward vaccinations.

As you know the only part of Hillarycare that made it through Congress was the part that began to inject increasing amounts of neurotoxic ethylmercury into the bodies of America's infants and toddlers. Unofficially kept statistics indicate Autism climbed 6000% since Hillary Clinton nationalized her first lady of Arkansas program of vaccinating every child by two.

Thimerosal is still in the shots. They're just telling America it's not. Vaccine makers don't have to tell us how much mercury is in the shots and the FDA has a don't ask and don't test ethylmercury policy. The CDC, IOM, AAP, etc. have a long-standing no-show policy which thanks to Autism Speaks legislation prohibits federal dollars for Thimerosal and vaccine research.

Incredibly, the federal government is still substituting tuna mercury numbers for their lack of a Thimerosal safe exposure one. They have done nothing in the nine years since they first discovered that there was no such thing as a safe exposure to Thimerosal. This will not change in the next four years.

I have little doubt that Mr. Rahm Emanuel (evidently not related to God With Us) is pre-disposed to inappropriately influence the new White House concerning the still currently pending Thimerosal issue. Adding weight to concern is the fact that our children and families have so precious few allies."

I hope this is not true!!!.. See why I could not sleep?