Katie Wright: Mt Sinai Autism Environment Conference Bizarre and Disappointing
“No questions!” bellowed Dr. Phil Landrigan.
“We just listened to a very lengthy speech and I would like to ask a question,” I said into the microphone planted in the aisle of the auditorium (ostensibly so people COULD ask questions.)
“No questions! We are running behind! We don’t have time!” Dr. Landrigan replied.
OK, but whose fault is that? Why is this guy yelling at me? Is it my fault he talked three times longer than he was scheduled? Is it my fault he allowed Dr. Boyle from the CDC drone on for almost an hour, double her allotted time?
The Mt. Sinai conference environmental science in autism and learning disorders was both incredibly bizarre and disappointing.
Sorry to Kristen, Mary, Lisa, Kim, Katie and everyone who got babysitters and traveled from outside the city to attend. If I knew the day was going to be one long diatribe, with no time for questions or discussion I never would have encouraged you to attend.
Initially I was really encouraged that Mt. Sinai, totally AWOL in ASD environmental research was holding an environmental science workshop. Great! I was also very pleased that Autism Speaks was a sponsor and made it possible for parents to attend the event for free. That was a terrific idea.
When I arrived I read the agenda. Dr. Landrigan (good), Dr. Linda Birbaum form the NIEHS (OK), Dr. Coleen Boyle from the CDC (why- they are like the same person), Dr Irva Hertz Pinchero (great!), someone from the National Children’s Study….lots of bureaucrats.
Dr. Birbaum gave a great sales pitch for the NIEHS. This committee, that committee, agent orange, gene + environment….Lots of nonspecifics. To be fair Birbaum did do an excellent job in conveying the dangers of anti-flammable toxins in our clothes and mattresses. She illustrated the ubitiquous nature of unregulated toxins well. Birbaum spoke about the fact that pesticides for commercial use need not undergo ANY consumer safety testing and how that had changed in Europe but not in the US.
Birbaum was conveying a sense of interest that I normally find missing at IACC. But then she got to the Somalis. Almost 3 YEARS ago Lyn Redwood raised the issue of the Somali ASD cluster in Minneapolis. The autism community had urged the CDC and NIEHS to thoroughly investigate potential environmental triggers behind this cluster. Somalis have 17x the rate of ASD as do non Somali Minnesotans! Most Somalis point to over vaccination as the trigger.
What has the NIEHS done about this astounding Somali cluster over the past 3 years- a whole lot nothing. But today there was talk of NIEHS’ vague partnerships counting the population as well as other unspecified activities. OK, I will believe that when I see it. Birbaum would not say “cluster” nor did she share the fact that they have 17x the typical rate of ASD. No Birbaum said “there seems to be an autism issue…more autism among this population…something they are seeing in Sweden too.” What I inferred from that comment was; one: a clumsy effort to minimize this thusfar ignored prime opportunity for environmental science research, and two: a deliberate effort to downplay the idea of a cluster and three, pass the buck to Sweden.
Somalis are over vaccinated in Sweden too! It is the same story. Most Somalis are vaccinated as infants, later in refugee camps and again once they reach their new country of origin. Sometimes they are vaccinated three times for the same disease. Why not address this huge opportunity for research on environmental triggers?
No, Dr. Birbaum was far more excited to talk about the genome and epigenetics as well as environmental triggers like smoking and alcohol consumption. Can we please save these discussions for people would benefit from such knowledge? Maybe there are Americans who do not yet know that smoking and consuming alcohol during pregnancy is terrible for a fetus – but this wasn’t the group. I would further hypothesize that ASD mothers who engaged in these activities comprise a minute % of the population.
I saw Dr. Ken Bock in the audience. Bock is an incredible DAN! doctor and author. He treats children all over the world and has a large practice in . Finally Dr. Birbaum really hit upon something talking about how she is finding disturbing evidence of strange bacteria in the gut of ASD kids. No kidding! If only Dr. Bock or one of the many knowledgeable parents of “gut affected” kids had been allowed to address this issue! But no questions-remember.
Dr. Coleen Boyle of the CDC spoke for almost an hour, at least a half hour longer than her scheduled talk. It was unbearable. Dr. Boyle read off about 50 slides, none of which conveyed any new or insightful information. Boyle fondly reminisced that she had attended a similar autism conference at Mt. Sinai TEN years ago and what “tremendous progress” they have made since. What??? The CDC- has made tremendous progress in autism research? Ten years ago autism affected 1 in 250 kids, now it affects 1 in 110. Millions of children and families are devastated, bankrupt, living in pain, hopeless or constantly at battle with their insurance companies and boards of education. There is not end in sight- ASD is rising over 10% a year! This is the CDC’s idea of “tremendous” progress?
There was no sense of urgency whatsoever in Boyle’s speech. Instead Boyle urged the audience to “learn the signs” and act early! We know and we did. Boyle went into lengthy detail about the CDC’s PR campaign to diagnose autism early and how new materials were being created. It was torture.
Over and over again Boyle spoke about how important autism research is to the CDC and how they work closely with the community. Now that was news to me. I wanted to ask why if the CDC considers autism research so important, why do they spend only $22 million a year on ASD while 100s of millions on avian flu and even more on H1N1? It is a fair question but naturally I was not allowed to ask it. I also wanted to ask about the CDC working with the ASD community? Since when? Where? With who?
Revisiting these lectures is exhausting me. I will finish the second part tomorrow.
Pass the popcorn - "It also means we're a step closer to looking at vaccine ingredients."
Good point! Bring it on! Like WILLIE said in another AoA thread, we should set up our own privately-funded analytical labs. It is INDISPUTABLE that vaccines are impure. This fact, alone, makes them ALL dangerous.
http://www.i-sis.org.uk/Viruses_and_Virus_Nucleic_Acid_Contaminate_Vaccines.php
http://www.know-vaccines.org/wp/PDF/DangerousImpurities.pdf
“Vaccine Damnation: Retired Vaccine Researcher Speaks Out on Vaccine Dangers”
http://www.healthfreedomusa.org/?p=743
Posted by: patrons99 | December 15, 2010 at 08:35 PM
I COMPLETELY AGREE - Mike Kohloff's comment is very well-stated and makes multiple insightful points. btw - I visited Mike's website and will be ramping-up on pyroluria.
Posted by: patrons99 | December 13, 2010 at 08:24 AM
Dear Mike Kohloff:
EXCELLENT POINTS that should be adopted by autism organizations/parents en mass.
Posted by: Autism and Anti-Vaccine Advocate | December 12, 2010 at 06:57 PM
Mike Kohloff, you've made some fundamental points, thank you.
And thank you for being outraged at the sham that is put forth by the NIH and CDC Establishment whose main purpose is to protect their own corrupted positions and fat salaries.
Mike, your point about males being 4 to 1 higher autism cases is an atomic-bomb clue the Establishment doesn't want to think about.
Why? Gee, it may have to do with the basic biological fact that females develop faster than males, thus massive vaccine toxins injected at the earliest time of 1 day, 2 months, 4 months, do in fact poison female infants differently than male infants.
Posted by: david burd | December 11, 2010 at 10:04 PM
Re: Post by Jim Thompson
"John le Carré wrote fiction with this theme--The Constant Gardener.
John said this regarding the book:
"...she engages in charitable work and comes upon evidence that a big pharmaceutical company is using a bunch of people in a village in Africa, in Kenya, as human guinea pigs. They sign the consent forms. They don’t know what they’re signing. They’re bullied into it by the local representatives of the pharmaceutical company..."
This reminds me of what happened to my daughter and so many other parents regarding vaccines. Our children are "human guinea pigs"...My daughter objected to vaccines so she was "bullied into it" by "representatives of the pharmaceutical company" (namely hospital staff doctors) who threatened removal of custody through Child Protective Services if she didn't "sign the consent forms" to give her son vaccines. She also "didn't know what she was signing" because they lied to her about how many vaccine doses were given in two injections. She wanted only ONE dose but they forced her to compromise with TWO, when in fact they were giving him NINE.
I saw this movie and I recognized the author's intention to make a statement about the immense corruption of the pharmaceutical industry. Then I watched the added feature with an interview of the author of the book "The Constant Gardener", John le Carré (who is an ex British spy by the way) and I am stating his comments from memory, but basically he said that when he was organizing in Africa to make this movie with the director, they were approached by a pharmaceutical big whig who objected to their theme, not wanting the public to get "confused by fiction imitating reality", so he asked this CEO "What would he do if something like this really happened?" and the guy actually admitted that IF anything like this REALLY happened, they would have no choice but to DENY it."
Well that is exactly what they do, DENY the reality of the extreme damages caused by their toxic vaccines and poisonous drugs, and then if someone does get the evidence on their conspiracy (according to the storyline) they cause those whistle blowers to die under mysterious circumstances.
I believe the author's previous experience as an espionage agent provided the factual background for this "fictional" story. So maybe it's not just the money and job security that keeps potential whistle blowers from coming forth with evidence of the truth, but maybe they are also afraid of ending up dead.
Posted by: Autism Grandma | December 11, 2010 at 08:49 PM
Patricia Lemer, here is an interesting article on the new vitamin d recommendations which many are finding to be ridiculously low given new research. People in the field are very underwhelmed by this move. It all starts to seem so very predictable!
articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/12/11/vitamin-d-update-carole-baggerly-and-dr-cannel.aspx
Posted by: Jen | December 11, 2010 at 05:20 PM
Sarah is right.
We need to stay focused on the good news that "scientific consensus" has shifted, which will ceretainly mean less funding for genetic studies. It also means we're a step closer to looking at vaccine ingredients.
Posted by: Pass the popcorn | December 11, 2010 at 01:43 PM
I wonder is Congressman Keith Ellison (MN 5th District) could help the Somali community get answers from the medical establishment. He's been an advocate for their community and is very passionate about enviromental toxins.
Posted by: H | December 11, 2010 at 12:04 PM
I know it helps to vent, we all need that but we have to keep an open dialogue going even though these experts irritate us they are ackowledging toxic exposures are involved. This is a huge admission.
We need to keep the spotlight on environmental factors and use their expertise to get the word out.
This is interesting excerpt from
"Pesticides in the Diets of Infants and Children"
Perinatal and Pediatric Toxicity
http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=2126&page=49
Posted by: Sarah | December 11, 2010 at 09:52 AM
Why isn't anyone talking about Vitamin D and the Somalis? Just compare their sun exposure from their native country to that of Minnesota and Sweden! This is a BIG duh!
Phil Landrigan is a good guy in bad hands. Let's get him on our programs and manage him properly!
Patricia Lemer
Developmental Delay Resources
www.devdelay.org
Posted by: Patricia Lemer | December 11, 2010 at 09:47 AM
"The majority of the paid autism research INDUSTRY has their scientific heads stuck up their scientific asses so far, they wouldn't say shit if their mouth were full it."
Posted by: michael framson
Dear Michael Framson:
I love your analogy!!!!
Right on.
Basically you can't trust any of the FAT BASTARDS and why as taxpayers we should start demanding from our Washington DC legislative representatives to cut the funding of the Dept. of HHS. If enough of us do this then a lot of these FAT BASTARDS will be sitting on their asses unemployed.....deservedly so!!!!
Posted by: Autism and Anti-Vaccine Advocate | December 11, 2010 at 09:45 AM
It is all eugenics. The vaccine schedule has increased 3 fold since 1990. The chronic childhood diseases have increased 3 fold as well. Do we see a pattern here? Perhaps the evil elite want to get rid of most of the population.
Posted by: b | December 11, 2010 at 08:21 AM
Katie,
The fact they haven't researched what is going on with the Somali population in Minnesota says it all, doesn't it? The refusal to answer any questions......they are insulting.
Posted by: Sandra Lopriore | December 11, 2010 at 05:37 AM
Thankyou Katie, for your good work.
And now we know that they are trying out a new card in their deck - This one says: "Autism may be caused by a STRANGE bacteria in childrens' guts" . I have to say, I think this is a terrific card, in various ways. I can hear the doctors now- discussing it in the cafeteria. Its perfect, because of late, doctors have been hearing about new discoveries regarding gut bacteria, so they are already primed for the new discovery of the cause of autism.
And its suitable for conning the public too- Hey! If bacteria can live in super heated ocean vents and sulphur ponds, surely they are capable of causing autism.
I believe that what this tells us is that we have to take the direction which Safeminds is now taking - The direction of educating the public. All that is required is for an individual to discover that ONE thing is amiss in vaccines, to send him scurrying to his computer to learn one hundred more things.
Posted by: Cherry Sperlin Misra | December 11, 2010 at 03:34 AM
I just read this on pubmed
Abstract
In the past, quality control of vaccines depended on use of a variety of testing methods to ensure that the products were safe and potent. These methods were developed for vaccines whose safety and efficacy were based on several years worth of data. However, as vaccine production technologies have developed, so have the testing technologies. Tests are now able to detect potential hazards with a sensitivity not possible a few years ago, and an increasing array of physicochemical methods allows a much better characterization of the product. In addition to sophisticated tests, vaccine regulation entails a number of other procedures to ensure safety. These include characterization of starting materials by supplier audits, cell banking, seed lot systems, compliance with the principles of good manufacturing practices, independent release of vaccines on a lot-by-lot basis by national regulatory authorities, and enhanced pre- and post-marketing surveillance for possible adverse events following immunization. These procedures help assure vaccine efficacy and safety, and some examples are given in this article. However, some contaminants of vaccines that can be detected by newer assays raise theoretical safety concerns but their presence may be less hazardous than not giving the vaccines. Thus risk-benefit decisions must be well informed and based on scientific evidence.
MAY BE LESS?? but they don't know!
Why can't we know what they are..sure we all know about the simian virus and the malignant tumors found in grandchildren of the recipients...enough to shudder..and we know about bacillus cereus in hib (my son took the recalled shot) and mycoplasma is common..what about clostridium? is that the unusual bacteria in the gut of mmr recipients?
So much profit and so little effort to ensure safety = criminality
Posted by: barbaraj | December 11, 2010 at 03:13 AM
The conference was NOT bizarre, it was intelligently managed. You don't need heavy handed information control unless you have something to hide.
You people are way, way too polite. What happened to hissing, booing, rushing the mic, & throwing things? Worst case scenario is that if you got arrested, it would make the news. Remember: "Don't Taze me, bro"? These people are paid by PharmaKorp Nazis & are worse than child molesters, they don't deserve your courtesy.
Fact: Autistic boys far outnumber Autistic girls, by about 4 to 1.
This is often noted, but rarely explained as to "WHY?"
This is a Tremendous Clue as to the true cause of Autism & therefore must be passed over & generally ignored by Big Medicine & the Big Media which is strongly influenced by Drug advertising money. (The next time you watch the evening news, please count the number of PharmaKorp ads.) Therefore you should Not expect to receive the truth about any heavy advertiser on TV, or for that matter, in Medical Journals either.
Knowing the mechanics of the damage of Autism points a big finger at the Cause. What is the difference between girls & boys? (Don't get cute, I'm talking about the Bio-chemistry difference.)
Estrogen is itself a powerful antioxidant, neuro protector, & immune system enhancement. Infant girls also have higher glutathione levels, also a powerful antioxidant & immune enhancer. Boys lack one & have less of the other. That's the main Biochemical difference between boys & girls. Who said females were the weaker sex?
Therefore the cause of Autism is likely to be connected to oxidative stress (free radical damage by a powerful oxidant), something which damages brain tissue, something which challenges the immune system, demands & uses up large amounts of glutathione, or perhaps an active virus or bacterial infection. Perhaps all the above.
Injection of a vaccine with Squalene, antifreeze, mercury, formaldehyde, aluminum, a live virus or two, & other immune system stressors (adjuvants) would be very effective at producing all the above. So it's NOT just the Mercury.
Now a push is underway to dismiss the gender factor by explaining it away as better or different reporting, & that girls have close to the same Autism rates as boys but just "display Autism less obviously than boys" & other misrepresentations (hogwash).
But it is critical that the cause of Autism Must be believed to be some vague general pollution, parental neglect, or Genetics. That way nobody has to pay $3 million to care for every child with Autism for the rest of their lives.
I estimate over 3 million Autistic kids in North America & Europe alone (& increasing yearly) for a total of about 10 Trillion Dollars. The Goldman-Sachs & Bank bailout was only 700 Billion. We're beginning to talk about some serious money, people.
POP QUIZ: What's another phrase for Ten Trillion Dollars?
Answer: Immense Motive.
People have been murdered for the spare cash in their wallets. What might a group of rich, powerful, & politically connected Corporations & their executives & political minions do to avoid losing Ten Trillion Dollars?
Wait for it, that does not include attorney fees, court fees, pain & suffering, additional punitive damages, the "perp walk," or prison time in a small cell with Ice Pick Johnson or the social director for the local chapter of the Aryan Nation.
All of that is very powerful motivation to lie, cover up, bribe politicians, fund slanted & fraudulent medical studies to exonerate vaccines, & delay & stall, stall, stall, so the guilty can enjoy their lives in freedom & luxury till their personal clocks run out.
And they are not in it alone. The school districts that required vaccinations, the Doctors that gave them, the Military that ordered them (Gulf War Syndrome), the State & Federal Governments that approved them are all guilty as (H-)well. And to stop the vaccinations could be seen as an admission that something is wrong with them. So the damage goes on.
The deep pockets on the expensive pants covering so many rich & powerful butts must be protected at all costs. The lives of the children of the insignificant (us) are of no consequence.
The recent Banking & Mortgage fraud is small change in comparison. That was just about stealing money. Autism is about stealing lives. The lives of our innocent & helpless children.
Let's all dare the PharmaKorp executives to publicly take the full child vaccination schedule with the dose adjusted upward based on body mass to PROVE it is safe.
Mike Kohloff
www.55fix.com
Posted by: Mike Kohloff | December 10, 2010 at 11:46 PM
Thank you Katie.
Posted by: Henderson | December 10, 2010 at 10:22 PM
Concerned Mom,
Thanks. It conjures up a sort of a monty python image to me. :)
Posted by: Adam M | December 10, 2010 at 08:48 PM
Well the jig is up for the pharma people with respect to MS. Pretty soon the ASD "genetic"crap may go down the drain, too. I am so excited for my friend. She could barely walk anymore and just got back from her vascular surgery and is feeling fantastic (can walk, has circulation,warmth in extremities, can feel hands, feet etc.). The doctor did more with her valves ( which is apparently more effective than just ballooning the veins open). The MS societies are pathetically trying to garner some credibility or money with some new myelin rebuilding drug but the surgery is where I think it's at for a lot of MS sufferers. No one could have predicted this with MS but the dam has burst. It will happen for autism, too.
Posted by: Jen | December 10, 2010 at 08:10 PM
These scientists are supposed to be the crème de la crème.
Anne, let me put it another way.
The majority of the paid autism research INDUSTRY has their scientific heads stuck up their scientific asses so far, they wouldn't say shit if their mouth were full it.
Posted by: michael framson | December 10, 2010 at 07:57 PM
Adam M,
LOL!! I love the chamberpot imagery! Right on!!
Posted by: Concerned Mom | December 10, 2010 at 07:48 PM
Dear John Stone,
Per............
"I believe it is still vital for Katie to highlight what is going on: effectively the longest filibuster in history."
Parents and organizations have been doing this from the 1990s to the present. After awhile I realized it was a waste of time. If parents like Katie Wright want to waste their time then that is their right. The "longest filibuster in history" will not make a breakthrough with these idiots. These idiots will stonewall until hell freezes over or a comet hits the earth and blows it up.
I agree with Kathy Blanco and others that say it is a waste of time. Also I agree with the suggestion to stop the funding for the EPA and CDC. In the case of the CDC I would include the NIH and FDA too (in fact the whole HHS agency). As taxpayers it is just a matter of a concerted effort of parents writing their Federal legislative representatives in Washington, DC and ask that in these hard times you want cuts there. Now that is a better effort than to go to these conferences where a parent wastes their time on these yahoos.
Posted by: Autism and Anti-Vaccine Advocate | December 10, 2010 at 07:07 PM
Polliwog,
You are right..our kids were indeed poisoned..let's call it what it is.
mass POISONING!!!
Posted by: Sarah | December 10, 2010 at 07:01 PM
All these so called meetings and conferences remind me of that song "Here we go 'round the mulberry bush"...Thier professional job description is the Beat Around the Bush game to avoid the obvious truth for as long as possible. If anyone believes that all of these "professional experts" really just don't know the truth about the vaccines, well that is impossible. They ALL KNOW and they ALL KNOW it's their job on the line if they don't tow the line and keep the coverup going. Apparently all of these people have made the choice to engage in this conspiracy and therefore they are not concerned with the ongoing vaccine injuries...40,000 new cases of autism each year and this doesn't even count all of the other vaccine damages.
I have prayed that God would strike just one of these insiders with lightning to wake their conscience up and blow the whistle. God doesn't usually force anyone to do anything, but He did cause Pharoah to let his people go from Egypt, and to me the new Egypt is the vaccine industry which has enslaved our precious children and all of our families. And I believe that this is a situation that requires Divine Intervention to expose the truth, so I am going to KEEP PRAYING. [But in the meantime I keep sharing the truth with as many people as I can]
Posted by: Autism Grandma | December 10, 2010 at 06:46 PM
Anne McElroy Dachel;
That is exactly what he says plus he said that by elimanating diseases, helped rid society of consequences of those diseases, how be it: mental retardation!
Now, I could look past someone besides Tome Insel saying this. Even if that someone else was in a high government position, even if that someone works for the NIH, or CDC, or EPA - but Tom Insel - "HOW BE IT" is the head of IACC.
Now what does IACC stand for? Well it couldn't be autism for the AAAAAAAAAAAAA in IACC now could it???
Posted by: Benedetta | December 10, 2010 at 06:41 PM
What I've always wondered is that no one points out that OUR moms (for us older moms) or Grandma's (for young mom's) WERE smoking and drinking during pregnancy - and autism was what 0 1 in 10,000?
Now, no one smokes or drinks during pregnancy. Very few smoke anymore, and the drinking only really starts after your kid gets diagnosed.....
so what is the big difference?
Oh, the vaccines!
I remember my dad offering me a half glass of wine at Christmas while pregnant. I was horrified and refused it. He shrugged it off and said "one half glass of wine once, while pregnant, won't hurt anything." Yet I did not think twice when they came at me with the flu jab.
Katie, you go girl. I admire your patience and persistance.
Posted by: Lisa | December 10, 2010 at 06:26 PM
Fed up, that's what I am, fed up. "Learn the early signs"...I suppose a sophisticated early childhood lab could probably see the damage at 2 months as the Hep B happens at birth. What are we going to do, promote ABA starting in infancy? I am so tired of people getting excited about how they can identify Autism earlier and earlier. How about getting excited about getting rid of it? How about getting serious about researching bio markers? Our kids are full of them. As parents we are so much more medically sophisticated than this ridiculous conference. It's embarrassing. The CDC is embarrassing. These are the same people who covered up for two years the lead crisis in the inner city DC drinking water. The CDC needs to be shamed for the damage their hand-wringing and time wasting and mewing about "not knowing" is doing to a generation of children. Our children are sick and the blood (or diarrhea at my house) is on the CDC's hands.
Posted by: Alison MacNeil | December 10, 2010 at 06:01 PM
Same dance, different music. Their motivation is to quiet the masses. They thought you would shut up after they took mercury out of vaccines. So the latest tactic-de-juer is environmental causes for autism. "Environmental causes" was first thought to be an opening to address vaccine damage as a possibility. It has simply morphed into another bone thrown at the autism community by saying "see we're looking into it, now SHUT UP!"
Posted by: Cynthia Cournoyer | December 10, 2010 at 05:37 PM
Pehaps at the next meeting, those with an interest could "ring little bells" to keep the meeting on schedule...
A "gong show gong" might be made available to "gong poor speakers" with poor topics. This could quickly get the meeting well ahead of schedule.
I am sure the intellects speaking had the "shazamm/ were behind schedule, no questions" planned well in advance at a meeting before the meeting about the meeting.
Posted by: cmo | December 10, 2010 at 05:26 PM
Katie, seriously, I don't know how you bring yourself to climb these ivory towers just to hear a bunch of over paid royalty take turns filling their chamber pots and then dump them out the window on us commoners.
Posted by: Adam M | December 10, 2010 at 04:27 PM
Theodore Van Oosbree :
Thank you for the information regarding Wikileaks.
John le Carré wrote fiction with this theme--The Constant Gardener.
Here is an excellent interview of John le Carré at http://www.democracynow.org/seo/2010/10/11/exclusive_british_novelist_john_le_carr
John said this regarding the book:
"And they go off to Kenya, and she engages in charitable work and comes upon evidence that a big pharmaceutical company is using a bunch of people in a village in Africa, in Kenya, as human guinea pigs. They sign the consent forms. They don’t know what they’re signing. They’re bullied into it by the local representatives of the pharmaceutical company. Everything is outsourced. Everything is given away to other people, so that the company itself is never directly responsible."
John said this about corporations:
"So, ask me what corporate power means to me, it means the ability of the individual to sacrifice his own instincts, his own decent instincts, in the name of the corporation, that people will do things to—on behalf of the corporation, to a group of people, which they would never do to their next-door neighbor, so that all the decent humanity seems to be set aside the moment they walk through the corporate doors."
Posted by: Jim Thompson | December 10, 2010 at 04:17 PM
Thank you, kathy blanco -
"The wingnuts have it right." You've nailed it. Thanks so much for speaking on our behalf. I believe that you and I might be kindred spirits.
Sincerely, much maligned, delusional wingnut. :>)
Posted by: patrons99 | December 10, 2010 at 02:27 PM
Drop the A word!!!!
Couldn't have said it better myself Polliwog!!!
My son is LABELED with autism, what he HAS is vaccine injury.
Posted by: rileysmom | December 10, 2010 at 02:23 PM
I don't know why anyone bothers going to these conferences. There is NO interest in the general medical community to help children and adults with autism. These conferences are all a big waste of time, dog and pony show to give the illusion that the 'experts' really CARE. They don't. They never will. Wether it's because there's no money in helping these patients, or conflicts of interest, or the process is too complicated, or it interferes with a round of golf, or they just plain hate our kids because autism disgusts them (and I HAVE seen that reaction from doctors), they are not interested in helping individuals affected with autism. Parents are forced to go it alone and short of a miracle, nothing is going to change that. Forget the bureaucrats, and the high-level 'experts.' Find a real doctor who actually cares, has a well-documented and proven track record of dealing with autism, and is willing to LISTEN and work within a parent's means. This kind of doctor is few and far-between but they ARE out there and worth searching for. These conferences, however, are not worth it.
Posted by: Concerned Mom | December 10, 2010 at 01:59 PM
The only person missing at this conference was Dr. Thomas Insel telling everyone that the cause may never be known--there are just too many possible triggers out there like he did at MIT last Dec.
http://www.ageofautism.com/2010/06/iacc-head-dr-tom-insel-talks-about-autism-at-mitdec-2009.html
These were some of his comments:
"I said before this isn't just genetics... There have to be environmental factors."
"We have barely been able to scratch the surface."
"There are something like 80,000 potential toxicants."
I can't imagine why Insel wasn't there. He's got all the denials memorized and talks about the approahing autism tsunami that will bankrupt this country with a confident smile on his face.
The scariest part of all this is the fact that these people are supposed to be the crème de la crème of the medical world. All they ever seem to do is get together and reaffirm their ignorance. THEY NEVER HAVE ANY ANSWERS, despite flushing millions down into worthless gene studies.
Their mission it seems is to look busy, sound impressive, and do nothing of substance. The autism rate could be one in 25, and no one would show any alarm. We'd somehow all just adjust. I marvel that experts are even willing to sign on to participate. I can't imagine how they can even come up with an agenda when they have nothing to talk about.
The only important point they all know for sure is that THE CAUSE COULD BE ANYTHING---EXCEPT THE UNSAFE, UNCHECKED VACCINATION SCHEDULE.
Anne Dachel
Media
Posted by: Anne McElroy Dachel | December 10, 2010 at 01:36 PM
Here's someone who's not phoning it in. Below is a recently posted video of Andrew Wakefield speaking at the Boulder Public Library on October 20, 2010.
It's an hour and a half talk and, unlike most of the conference participants mentioned in the article,
Wakefield actually had something to say and took many questions:
http://www.vaccinesafetycoalition.com/event-video.html
Posted by: Carol | December 10, 2010 at 01:28 PM
Off topic but relevant:
Pfizer Vaccine Killed 11 Children, Disabled Dozens of Others
Pfizer hired investigators to pressure Nigeria’s attorney general to drop lawsuit
Reuters
Friday, December 10, 2010
NEW YORK, Dec 10 (Reuters) – U.S. drugmaker Pfizer hired investigators to find evidence of corruption against Nigeria’s attorney general to convince him to drop legal action against the company over a drug trial involving children, the Guardian newspaper reported, citing U.S. diplomatic cables made public by WikiLeaks.
Nigeria’s Kano state sued the world’s largest drugmaker in May 2007 for $2 billion over testing of the meningitis drug Trovan. State authorities said the tests killed 11 children and left dozens disabled.
The Guardian reported on its website on Thursday that a memo leaked by WikiLeaks referenced a meeting between Pfizer’s country manager, Enrico Liggeri, and U.S. officials suggesting the drug company did not want to pay to settle two cases brought by Nigeria’s federal government. The Guardian linked to the cables on its website, www.guardian.co.uk/.
“According to Liggeri, Pfizer had hired investigators to uncover corruption links to federal Attorney General Michael Aondoakaa to expose him and put pressure on him to drop the federal cases,” according to an April 2009 cable from Economic Counselor Robert Tansey of the U.S. Embassy in Abuja, cited in the Guardian report. “He said Pfizer’s investigators were passing this information to local media.”
Posted by: Theodore Van Oosbree | December 10, 2010 at 12:56 PM
Submit your questions in writing,,, demand and answer and an action... But again... The Autism these so called experts at the CDC are talking about has nothing to do with what is effecting most of today's ASD labeled kids. We all must prove our kids are poisoned and then demand treatment without the use of the labels. The labels are being used against the children quite happily by the medical community at large. They are talking about an incurable neurological disorder... When with the Autism Community get that it is a game of semantics. We are smarter than them... Or at least we can be if we wanted. Right now they are winning their wee game of semantics and spin. Drop the A word!!!!
Posted by: polliwog | December 10, 2010 at 12:13 PM
Since the Simpsonwood transcripts surfaced why would anyone expect something useful or edifying to come out of this ilk ??????? We all know or should know exactly whats at stake here. They have deliberately lied to and deceived the public at every turn. At least from Simpsonwood forward to today. Even after the vaccine court confessed that autism is caused in some cases by vaccines. They have painted themselves into a dark, dark corner. The backlash from the public now, if they ever did come clean and admit to the fraud and betrayal of the public trust, would turn the entire medical world upside down. Think of how decisions in medicine are made based on faith and trust that the "authorities" are trust worthy and honest. Think of how worthless and irrelevant the CDC, FDA, AAP & would become to our civilization. And at that point why would we continue to write them a paycheck. Why wouldn't people start taking control of their health again and start looking into so called alternative medicine. Heaven forbid that a proper diet devoid of processed food and instead loaded with vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids & antioxidants from whole food sources might help more than just autistic kids recover from their illness. (Please read Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston A. Price first published over 70 yrs ago. My how the world would be a different place if his teaching and research had been mainstreamed back then.) Their entire system is on the line, good old boy Pharma-politician-bureaucrat network and all. They will never admit that far beyond any other trigger that may be involved VACCINES CAUSE AUTISM and many other problems.
Posted by: Adam M | December 10, 2010 at 11:59 AM
"... ISN'T THAT RIGHT, MS. GERBERDING???"
You are damn right Erik! HAHAHA Don’t ever forget about the revolving door people!
Thank you Katie and to the other parents for representing us and these asinine ‘workshops’. Even though so far it has seemed so Quixotic, our fight is paying off. Our very presence there screams, "WE AREN'T GOING ANYWHERE!!"
Keep fighting the windmills people!!!
Posted by: casey | December 10, 2010 at 11:31 AM
the complicity has got to stop, and more money and efforts in the causes and cures of autism. I don't think most "I am not antivaccine" autism parents would ever vaccinate again based upon their experience...but yet, they go there so as to not appear zealoutous, wingnutty and kooky. Well guess what? The wingnuts have it right. The entire vaccine program is an evil capitilistic eugenics movement, and murderous infantacidal minion of money grubbing maniacs. All it takes is a glance at a VAERS reports along with disease statistics, or reports, immunology 101, if not the entire crowd at a DAN meeting, to realize, that vaccines have no value or worth, have never ameliorated, or prevented innocuous childhood diseases and have caused new ones for which there is hardly a cure for. We have innoculated ourselves with oncogenic viruses, a minion of retroviruses, neuroloving damaging toxins, and yet we can sit back and say, green a vaccine, make it a slower schedule sounbites? Really? I know everyone has their freedom to choose to what end they will protect their children, but, I for one, and in my house, will NEVER believe a vaccine can be made safe or safer, be greened, cleaned, or be leaned to protect us from autism and other neuroimmune/gastrointestinal endocrine mitochondrial collapse futures. The science does not support such notions that vaccines can EVER be made safe. It's time to get out of the chattle and cattle lines for the slaughter, and line up for new legistlation that you have your own medical decisions and belief, hold up exemption laws, and get into the business of funding independent striking implicating research which prove these connections. Although the premise of autism is environmentally caused, notice how they deflect from the products of mankind for which a hospital profits by? Money, money, money, is all they are concerned about, not peoples hellish lives.
Posted by: kathy blanco | December 10, 2010 at 11:29 AM
CDC's mantra "learn the signs and act early"...
When the CDC says this, I imagine this huge fishing net scooping up our children. Our kids are now helplessly caught in the net, desperate for air and struggling to break free. The lucky ones escape.
If this early diagnosing is the way the CDC defines progress, then pray tell, what definiton of progress are they using. Does "progress" mean weeding out the most vulnerable?
The CDC has proven itself to be woefully inept inept at helping our kids while at the same time acting as an agent for the drug industry. The CDC needs to go or just get out of our way. They are part of the problem.
Posted by: Sarah | December 10, 2010 at 10:55 AM
The last thing these people want is to be asked a "simple question on camera" that they have no clue how to answer. The video then ends up in the public domain where they will look like the fools and elite bastards they are.
No cause, no cure, no fault, no clue, no questions, no answers... thank you all for coming...
I know few from the Autistic community are ever allowed inside the CDC... but if you could ever get back to the research labs you would find this sign...
"Experience is a wonderful thing, it enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again."
Posted by: cmo | December 10, 2010 at 10:22 AM
The CDC knows vaccines are causing the autism epidemic. Dr. Mark Geier told our cameras that during his congressionally-mandated examination of the VSD database... the CDC was throwing up every possible roadblock to prevent Dr. Geier and his son from finding anything of substance. But an insider pulled them aside, said "yeah, we know vaccines are a factor in autism" or something to that effect... and proceeded to help them get what they could out of the database.
They know everything. But they're scared out of their wits and must continue the lie for as long as possible... and pass the lie onto their successors... who also must continue the lie to save their jobs for as long as possible. Or for as long as it takes to get a job working for a vaccine manufacturer... ISN'T THAT RIGHT, MS. GERBERDING???
Posted by: Erik Nanstiel | December 10, 2010 at 09:56 AM
Perhaps I need to show these people how conducting workshops, presentations, and round table discussion is done!! It's pretty sad that I'm the aspie and I can see why it's a good idea to plan ahead and leave a nice chunk of time for Q & A!!
Whenever I design my workshops (which is almost a daily occurence, since no one seems to have a clue about autism around here, ESPECIALLY ASPERGERS SYNDROME and I am considered to be the expert in the AS area in these parts) I make sure to leave a good 15 minutes open for Q & A afterward.
After all, there are so many questions, and I have often found that the Q & A session ends up helping the audience more than the presentation! So why skip on such an intregal part of ANY presentation or session? Can't they handle the challenge?
Maybe I should conduct a workshop on how to conduct a workshop and put it on youtube and make sure it is idiot proof! But then, they would have to have enough dedication to the people they claim to care about to actually watch it.
Just goes to show, the so called experts are not experts, they are usually more clueless than the parents and the person on the spectrum! After all, why else would someone like me be in such high demand to go to these "professionals" and TEACH them about AS, including specifics such as symptoms and what provokes them?
Thanks Katie, for speaking up, and for putting up with such things. You have far more paitence than I do! I would have walked out and packed up after they had said that, after saying what I thought about it for the room to hear with some colorful words added of course! :P
Posted by: Theodora Trudorn | December 10, 2010 at 09:38 AM
Autism and Anti-Vaccine Advocate
I believe it is still vital for Katie to highlight what is going on: effectively the longest filibuster in history.
Posted by: John Stone | December 10, 2010 at 09:26 AM
An educational professor in college once told us teachers; That no matter what the subject, or the content, or the situation, and no matter how complicated the idea that you are trying to convey; it can always be done by a single speaker in 15 minutes.
I have to bit my tongue on Sunday mornings when the preacher has 30 and then runs late at that!
I hope you were able to at least get out the words, "Well whose fault is that?"
Another thing:
Recently there has been a big deal about some town that is extremely affected by zonalite being used as late as 98 for insulation of attics causing mesathelomia.
Sounds about like this deal with vaccines causing autism - the EPA put its head in the sand about this too.
The EPA has been too busy faking temperature changes and claiming global warming for cap and trade get rich games, or like Chicken Little yelling about a whole in the sky - down at the South Pole--to really do its job and make sure people are not being poisoned.
The CDC has been doing the same thing, not doing its real intended job. The only thing I have seen them involved in the community - personally - was to call me after I had written a letter to a medical pamphlet about how the MMR was so safe!
In a time of economic downturn and trying to save money and all - I would love to see these two glutinous JABBA the HUTS federal agencies shut down.
Posted by: Benedetta | December 10, 2010 at 09:18 AM
"a deliberate effort to downplay the idea of a cluster and...pass the buck to Sweden."
EXACTLY! Pass the buck to Sweden where the despicable Poul Thorsen is behind the scenes pulling shrill puppet strings and cooking the epidemiology books as we speak.
This is an outrage! No questions?!
Next time bring your cream pies and let 'em launch!!
Posted by: Disgusted | December 10, 2010 at 09:15 AM
I sincerely hope that Birnbaum was not speaking of prenatal alcohol/smoking risk in the context of the Somali autism rates. Because that would be patently ridiculous, as most Somalis are Muslim and would not be smoking or drinking alcohol anyway.
Posted by: ASusan | December 10, 2010 at 09:14 AM
I would lodge a complaint with the conference organizers and say people traveled a great distance and Q & A are generally the most valuable part of any conference where there is an opportunity to ask questions of experts. Add that the moderator should manage the speaker time better or allow greater time for questions. Especially if they charged a conference fee.
Usually conference organizers look for feedback so they can make changes for future conferences. I will say though that a conference that is about looking at environmental issues (vs genetic) is a step in the right direction.
I'm very disappointed that NIEHS still hasn't begun a study on the Somalis. I thought they were interested in looking at Somalis when Birnbaum and other experts testified before the US Senate panel last August. I think even Barbara Boxer said she supports a cluster study of this group.
I have to wonder why they are avoiding this.
Posted by: Sarah | December 10, 2010 at 08:40 AM
Dear Katie,
Going to these conferences where the NIH/CDC spokespeople speak is a stacked deck. You will never win because these people have links to the drug companies....why else do they either work for the CDC/NIH/FDA or such companies as Merck, Smith-Kline, etc. In fact you find them jumping back and forth professionally between the Federal government and drug company jobs.
It would be better to not attend these conferences and not have to get mad and frustrated wasting your precious time (I found that to be the case for me after doing this for several years....my time is more important than wasting my time with these idiots and getting crumbs from these fat bastards).
Now I give advice to parents when they listen to not vaccinate their kids because all these vaccine products are full of crap (I could use the other four letter word beginning with s but I won't).
A word of advice from one who has been down this road of hard knocks trying to get these knuckleheads to listen but they won't......believe me.
Posted by: Autism and Anti-Vaccine Advocate | December 10, 2010 at 08:34 AM
Thank you for attending Katie! I try and listen to many meetings that are offered online, however most make me ill very quickly. Very few offer any insightful or new information. If any corporate head, worth his/her salt, was to get the kind of results the CDC, IACC, NIEHS, have, or lack of results, over the years they've been given, they would all have been fired by now.
They are so far behind the curve of knowledge of parents and Doctors that have been treating these kids for years they look silly. The unfortunate fact is that their time wasting, useless 'meeting happy', ignorance is detrimental to our children's present and near future ability to have medical treatments developed. There's more than enough science to realize that our children have underlying biological differences and many studies correlating those differences to Autism severity, it's unfathomable that they are 'surprised' about bacteria levels or that they are still having the discussion of whether or not the kids are sick or how to test for it.
These meetings have been a very hard pill to swallow, I really appreciate you taking time out of your life to wake them up and knock some sense into them. Even when you are hardly given the chance to speak. Thank you!
Posted by: Allison | December 10, 2010 at 08:26 AM
Katie, it's exasperating just reading about the conferences. I can't imagine being there!! Thank you for standing up for the ASD community and for all of the effort and time you put into these...these...what do you call them?....these "let's all pat ourselves on the back because we are gathering to talk about autism and yet have no idea what the hell we are doing" presentations.
Posted by: Catherine | December 10, 2010 at 08:21 AM
Thank you Katie for all your work on behalf of my son and millions of others. I do not have the energy to fight some days and I am thankful there are people like you who keep the dialog alive.
Posted by: Ali | December 10, 2010 at 07:39 AM
But they know now if they did ever have to answer any questions they wouldn't be able to.
Posted by: John Stone | December 10, 2010 at 07:26 AM
Katie .. God bless you and the other warrior moms who went to great lengths to attend the alleged "conference" at Mt. Sinai on environmental science in autism and learning disorders. I cannot imagine how frustrating it must have been .. attending what amounted to a "dog and pony" show .. listening to endless, boring, self-promoting speakers .. congratulate themselves and their bureaucracies for their pitiful performance over recent decades.
No questions???? Shame on THEM!!!
Posted by: Bob Moffitt | December 10, 2010 at 07:16 AM
Thank you Katie.
The web site for this conference says "The goal of the workshop will be to develop new strategies for discovery of the unrecognized environmental causes of autism, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and other neurodevelopmental disabilities in children."
Since the CDC promotes vaccines and gives grants to states to give free flu shots with Thimerosal to children (see http://www.gov.louisiana.gov/index.cfm?md=newsroom&tmp=detail&catID=2&articleID=1653&navID=3 ) then the conflict of interest between Pharma and CDC here screams “we are going to ignore the existing recognized risks and look elsewhere for causes of autism.” This is sort of like tobacco scientists looking for the unrecognized causes of lung cancer.
Posted by: Jim Thompson | December 10, 2010 at 07:00 AM