Obama Administration Gives UK Blog Federal Autism Committee Representation
By Jake Crosby
Leftbrain/Rightbrain, a pharma-friendly UK blog, has now been given as much representation on the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) as the world’s largest autism charity, Autism Speaks. The UK blog is actually cited on the HHS website as a leading reason Matt Carey (Click here for photo), who anonymously blogs on the site under a pseudonym - the cartoon character “Sullivan,” - was made a public member of the IACC, even though Leftbrain/Rightbrain is neither owned by a US citizen nor has a registered US domain name. Meanwhile, the following US autism organizations have no representation on the only federal committee that advises HHS solely on autism policy:
National Autism Association (NAA)
Carey was falsely cited by HHS as having blogged frequently for a U.S. autism organization when in fact he had only written one blog post for it prior to his nomination. He has written many hundreds of posts for the UK's LeftBrain/Rightbrain.
Despite the fact that the vaccine-autism controversy is a dominant issue in the autism community, the Obama Administration appointed numerous promoters of vaccine industry talking points and only one person sympathetic to the other side. This violates the HHS’ own policy for federal committees, as stated on the IACC Call for Nominations:
The Department strives to ensure that the membership of HHS Federal advisory committees is fairly balanced in terms of points of view represented and the committee’s function.
Of the total 15 public members, only two are known to have cited the role vaccines may play in causing autism. The remaining 13 members include a former Merck VP, a vaccine industry front group president, an academic colleague of a millionaire vaccine industrialist and a Simpsonwood attendee who wrote Pediatrics urging the journal to publish Poul Thorsen’s fraudulent thimerosal study. And of course, that list includes Matt Carey.
Years before Carey disclosed his identity as the lead writer on LeftBrain/RightBrain, he authored a post for the blog called:
Why Generation Rescue shouldn’t be on the IACC
Unlike any member of Generation Rescue however, Matt Carey does not even represent an American autism organization. He complained that Generation Rescue was “lobbying hard for a seat on the IACC.” and claimed that all groups representing the “’autism is caused by vaccines’ segment of the community” should be represented by IACC member Lyn Redwood. Carey blatantly advocates for tokenism on a federal committee - a violation of HHS policy cited above which calls for committees to be “balanced in terms of points of view.”
There are many other examples of Carey’s behavior that should have disqualified him from participating in a federal autism committee. Under another of Carey’s Leftbrain/Rightbrain posts, freelance writer Brian Deer left several comments blaming parents for their children’s autism:
And they wonder why their children have problems with their brains.
…
The festering nastiness, the creepy repetitiveness, the weasly, deceitful, obsessiveness, all signal pathology to me.
Despite being an autism parent, Matt Carey allowed the abhorrent, anti-science comments to remain on the blog without denouncing them.
And now, the Secretary of Health and Human Services - Kathleen Sebelius - appears to have rewarded Matt Carey for supporting her efforts to censor vaccine safety science in the media with public membership to the IACC – on the day the latest autism numbers were released no less. His bio on the IACC website reads thusly:
Dr. Matthew Carey is the father of a young child with multiple disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder, and is a frequent contributor to the Left Brain/Right Brain blog and the Autism Science Foundation Blog. His writing focuses on reviewing current autism research in an understandable way for the public and he is deeply committed to communicating the importance of getting the science right for autism.
The sole blog post Carey contributed to an American autism organization was to the Autism Science Foundation – a pharma front group already represented on the IACC by Alison Singer (Click here for photo) who runs ASF with vaccine developer Paul Offit. The only thing “frequent contributor” accurately describes is Carey’s blogging for Leftbrain/Rightbrain, owned by a British Web Designer named Kevin Leitch. What “communicating the importance of getting the science right” means to Matt Carey is obviously censoring of science.
Two years ago, in an interview with Arthur Allen for Reader’s Digest, Sebelius revealed a major strategy of her department in covering up vaccine injury:
"There are groups out there that insist that vaccines are responsible for a variety of problems despite all scientific evidence to the contrary. We have reached out to media outlets to try to get them to not give the views of these people equal weight in their reporting to what science has shown and continues to show about the safety of vaccines.”
Carey supported this cover-up and the silencing of thousands of people in the autism community:
“I agree with what Secretary Sebelius says—don’t give equal weight.”
He goes even further:
“I have to say, I even take issue with the idea that this is some suppression of the voices of the “Vaccine Safety Voices”. Really? Vaccine safety?”
Really, vaccine safety. Carey has openly supported Sebelius’ efforts to cover up vaccine injury, and now he has the IACC seat he’s earned.
In that same blog post, Carey also lied about Arthur Allen’s removal from the Washington D.C. Green Our Vaccines Rally:
“Mr. Allen was removed from the rally for no other reason than he disagrees.”
No, he was removed from the rally because he told NAA President Wendy Fournier:
“I want to talk to someone less full of shit.” And this was according to Arthur Allen’s own description of events.
Neither Fournier nor her organization possesses a public seat on IACC.
What is ironic though is that when pressed on Sebelius’ quote supporting censorship, her department replied:
“No one here can remember or determine that this quote is factual.”
However, Sebelius has never officially retracted or denied the quote attributed to her, leaving room for speculation that she might or might not have said it. I guess her appointment of Matt Carey answers this question.
Carey also supported the ouster of an individual with autism (myself) from Seth Mnookin’s event on the topic of autism in December, commenting on “Science”Blogs:
Seth Mnookin has commented via twitter: "I would have preferred responding (& tried to), altho the person wanted to grandstand not talk"
If true, and I tend to give Seth Mnookin a lot more credibility than Jake Crosby, then this would be a reason to eject Mr. Crosby.
However, after Mnookin claimed to blogger Shannon Rosa (Click here for photo) that he played no role in my ouster and that he probably would have preferred that I stayed, Carey did a complete 180, commenting on Mnookin’s blog:
I think it was unfortunate that Mr. Crosby was asked to leave.
Carey later denied that Mnookin had me removed even though a security guard quoted Seth Mnookin’s false accusation as the reason for my removal: “You were being disruptive!”
When I exposed Seth Mnookin’s pharma ties, Leftbrain/Rightbrain’s owner Kevin Leitch retaliated by claiming that I “abused a man with a psychiatric disorder” because I had noted that Mnookin was a former drug dealer and burglar who bit a policeman, as Mnookin stated in his own article.
Running true to form, Carey showed up in the comments of Leftbrain/Rightbrain, pseudonymously endorsing Leitch’s obvious attempt to silence me:
Jake Crosby is an adult. He should be close to graduating college. He should be given the respect of being criticized for his mistakes as an adult.
No actual errors or “mistakes” were identified by either man.
Matt Carey has supported the lies of multiple writers on LeftBrain/Rightbrain while hiding behind his pseudonym. He even moderated a blog post alleging that an official university document posted by Age of Autism was fabricated; the university document implicated Poul Thorsen in fraud. Carey censored critical comments underneath the libelous, conspiracy-theorist rant, which ran for days before it was quietly removed altogether without comment or apology.
And the Obama Administration gave a man who writes under a pseudonym a public seat on a federal committee because of such fallacious writing on a blog neither owned by a US citizen nor registered under a US domain name?
It is time for a change – time for Barack Obama to get out of the White House. Contact your legislators to let them know the IACC is in violation of stated HHS policy that federal committees be “fairly balanced in terms of points of view represented,” Two vaccine safety voices out of 15 do not constitute balance, and a UK blog should not be represented on the IACC.
Jake Crosby has Asperger Syndrome and is a contributing editor to Age of Autism. Jake is a 2011 graduate of Brandeis University with a BA in both History and Health: Science, Society and Policy. He currently attends The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services where he is studying for an MPH in epidemiology. Jake was nominated for an IACC public position but did not expect to be appointed by Kathleen Sebelius.
My son was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome in August of 2008. Since then I have been on a mission to learn all that I can about this challenge he has. I really hate using the term disability because, in my opinion, he is just different – not disabled. There has been a lot of discussion lately about whether to do away with the term Aspergers Syndrome and just use the Autism diagnosis instead. There are pros and cons to both but I am leaning towards no.
Aspergers is considered by many as high functioning Autism although they are really very different. While they both fall on the Pervasive Development Disorder (PDD) scale, they have some vast differences. Typically, Autistic people do not want to socialize while Asperger’s (Aspies) do want to be social but they just don’t have social skills. One of the other differences in the language delay, those with Autism are typically delayed in developing language skills while Aspies are not.
http://www.angmoore.com/aspergers-syndrome/asperger%E2%80%99s-vs-autism/
Posted by: Aspergers | April 20, 2012 at 09:53 AM
I have had it with this man. Insel has got to go!
http://adventuresinautism.blogspot.com/2012/04/fire-tom-insel.html
Posted by: Ginger Taylor | April 13, 2012 at 09:46 AM
May be we should encourage Ron Paul to run as independent, having Donald Trump as vice president? They both care about the people, unlike all the others. Obama looks like all sold out to big pharma interests and Romney probably too. I wonder if obamacare would not even force vaccines of poor people, like the totalitarian regimes forcing vaccines on children in many other countries.
Posted by: veritas | April 12, 2012 at 08:27 PM
Elaine
That is what they want us to think.
For years off and on - I thought it was just our family, but for a rare event I sure kept running across folks out here that this happened to too -- and I mean surprisely a lot!
I am not talking internet - I am talking out here in the real world. We are not rare, many have put their heads down and got to work with what they have - but they know and they are mad.
Posted by: Benedetta | April 12, 2012 at 08:03 PM
I agree that it is definitely time for Barack Obama to leave the White House. He and his administration have done absolutely NOTHING to help our affected children; he himself has only raised the subject of autism in order to use us and our children as a weapon against his political opponents.
The selection of these members of the IACC - predominantly pro-pharma and deficient in members who have severely affected children - will only serve to harm children with autism and their families.
Posted by: Carolyn M | April 12, 2012 at 07:51 PM
History Lesson;
Don't count on it, they are the political Pharisees, not out to be converted but to save their belief system no matter if it crucifies Jesus Christ or small helpless children.
Katie Wright; I am so sorry; you have fought like a lioness and puts me to shame!
Posted by: Benedetta | April 12, 2012 at 06:08 PM
Wow, Jake, I wonder if there is enough clout to make any impression on Obama, even if everyone who reads this blog was to raise a fuss. It's a pretty small group of people, many with memberships in more than one org - TACA, Safeminds, The Canary Party, etc. - I bet there are no more than 5000 members in any of these orgs. Do you have any membership statistics you could share? You are fighting an uphill battle here.
Posted by: Elaine Hill | April 12, 2012 at 06:00 PM
This new IACC is clearly the result of the HHS failure to even feign real interest in autism. I am sure they asked who they could appoint who are most comfortable w the status quo.
Putting the vaccine issue aside no one other than Lyn has a child remotely like mine. None of the new appointees can represent all the kids dealing with regression, loss of speech or biological problems. Our kids are not 1% ers like all the super HF ASD members. At least 50% of kids regress, almost 70% struggle w GI disease.... Comparably what is the % of people w super HF ASD? 5%? Then why did they receive almost 30% of the public seats? It is absurd. There are no biomedical treatment appointees either - but the usual dozen psychologists who can do nothing for our kids. Clearly these appointees have made IACC less diverse than ever.
Posted by: Katie Wright | April 12, 2012 at 03:51 PM
Here's an interesting historical piece from Jake surrounding Leftbrianer Kev Leitch. Hasn't been around much lately and it seems Matt Carey has taken over editorial duties. Or did he purchase the site ? Hmmm...interesting times over at Left Brain seems that the Wakefield attack machine has been very quiet since the Walker-Smith exoneration and the damning words of the UK High Court.
http://www.ageofautism.com/2010/01/kevin-leitchs-jab-in-the-dark.html
Perhaps there was a sudden Road to Damascus moment and they realised that ...ooops perhaps they had been disingenuously misled.
Something the BMJ Editorial staff might be undergoing ...
Posted by: History Lesson | April 12, 2012 at 09:05 AM
In other related news the Sunday Times is now being clearly linked with infamous 'hack mechanik' Steve Whittamore.
Paul Staines, who blogs as Guido Fawkes publishes some of the apparent 300 journos that accessed his 'services'.
http://order-order.com/2012/04/10/britains-biggest-establishment-cover-up-conspiracy-thousands-of-crimes-committed-by-over-300-journalists-protected-from-exposure-by-a-judge-and-newspaper-editors/
It seems as though the Times and the Sunday Times was up to it's neck in some interesting behaviour.
Posted by: Sunday Times Update | April 11, 2012 at 10:07 PM
Matt has the righ to commentary as we all do ...
unfortunately he has been proven substantially wrong in his opinion after the many years of attacking the ethical research
conducted by John Walker-Smith and his team at the Royal Free Hospital. His close alignment with infamous Sunday Times / Newscorp journalist Brian Deer should send warning bells amongst government officials, senators and congressman.
Posted by: Warning Bells | April 11, 2012 at 09:55 PM
"To date no pro-cure autistic has ever been appointed to the IACC. "
@Jonathan
That pretty much sums up this country's agenda when it comes to "Combating Autism."
It's an act, alright.
Posted by: pass the popcorn | April 11, 2012 at 07:10 PM
Our current president once made the statement (2008) that if one of his daughters made a mistake (were to become pregnant prior to marriage) he wouldn't want them to have to live with that burden. He is pro-abortion. If he has such little regard for life at that stage, he never will/would after birth.
I believe it's time for the autism community to realize what is happening to the children of this country (and the world) is part of a bigger plan to depopulate. GMO, vaccine's and "additives" cause infertility and have - in many cases - severed the limbs of our family trees. Enough of "what are you going to do about it, government?" It needs to be shouted "We know what you're doing!!!" If you ask the government to help, don't be to surprised at the anchor - for - a -life preserver you are thrown.
We need a president who follows the Constitution. Only then will we ever return to being free. Free to chose our own healthcare, education and way of life. Period. If not now. . when. We are getting ever closer to being completely run by the United Nations.
Posted by: Leslie McElroy | April 11, 2012 at 07:02 PM
This seems to be an obvious quid pro quo. My question is: what else are they doing?
Posted by: Carol | April 11, 2012 at 06:12 PM
Now, now, Harry T. Let's not get ahead of ourselves here.
ahem....--- I second that --- JAKE CROSBY for IACC!!!!!!
I couldn't help myself either. And yes, I yelled it louder.
Posted by: Not an MD | April 11, 2012 at 05:55 PM
Let's start a petition on Change.org to recall Insel and IACC and nominate a more representative group.
Posted by: Cassandra | April 11, 2012 at 05:13 PM
It doesn't seem like many of the committee members, "public" or whatever else they supposedly represent, are actually interested in "Combating Autism," unless you take the mindset that getting out the truth of the autism epidemic is the "real threat." The government/industry has already used more than enough resources on bad research and misleading PR and placate and delay tactics to have vindicated vaccines several times over simply with good research, assuming honest study of the data would vindicate vaccines. So what do they think we are supposed to think about their years of stonewalling.
My personal political opinion (for as little as it is probably worth): Obama, Romney, neither of these would be held up to us as "frontrunners" of the two party system we are for some reason channeled into, if either held any determinations that threatened major vested financial interests that seem to include a no retrench, no liability policy on vaccination. It looks to me like, that for some time now, any candidate honestly for individual rights and the truth no matter how unpopular, at least with the 1% of the 1%, would have to gain such an obvious, undeniable margin of widespread support among the rest of us that he or she (or you and I) could not be cheated or marginalized out of the "democratic" process, except by force.
Posted by: Jeannette Bishop | April 11, 2012 at 04:21 PM
Jake
You make a nice distinction - you wonder how many politicians are literate enough these day to follow it, but a captive market is the opposite of a free market. Also you have that magnificent word in the US, though I don't here it used so often anymore "boondoggle". Yes, free-marketeers should be against vaccine mandates, and to be consistent they also ought to be in favour of product liability. But even if you are not a free-marketeer it is still fraud:
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Economics/FreeMarketFraudGalbraith.html
John
Posted by: John Stone | April 11, 2012 at 03:26 PM
"that doesn't mean that we should vote Obama out. Does anyone seriously think Romney would be be *less* biased on this topic? The evidence suggests that Romney would lean any way big business tells him to."
@Sandy
Lyn Redwood, the only IACC member who is an outspoken advocate for researching the vaccine/autism link, was appointed during the Bush administration. In contrast, Obama has not appointed a single person who advocates for vaccine/autism research and his HHS secretary is among the worst - attempting to censor us. Obama's administration gave Ari Ne'eman not just one, but two federal appointments. Ne'eman fought against the wandering code and he claims there's no autism epidemic, doesn't want autism cured, etc.
Political party affiliation is not a predictor of anything when it comes to this issue. You have to look at the individual. Rep Dan Burton and former Rep. Dave Weldon, MD are republicans who have been among our best allies. At least Bush's CDC director publicly admitted Hannah Poling's autism resulted from vaccinations.
I think we have to have an open mind about every candidate, Romney included. If I have to wear a clothespin on my nose while I vote for president, it's not going to be because the candidate stinks when it comes to autism research. I don't know of any widespread human suffering in this country that compares to autism.
Posted by: Vote against autism | April 11, 2012 at 03:22 PM
@Josh:
Carey is a doctor, but not a medical one. He has a Ph.D. in physics.
@Sandy:
Romney has invoked the free market a lot, but that could be a good thing as well as a bad thing. He certainly came out against Perry's Gardasil mandate, and vaccination mandates in general are certainly not a free market practice. It certainly is not a free market practice to absolve the vaccine manufacturers of liability either. Meanwhile, we have Obama saying he is not for selective vaccination because he thinks it will bring back polio. His administration also backed Wyeth in the Bruesewitz v. Wyeth decision, which found that all vaccine makers are exempt from litigation. And then of course, you've got all the people like Matt Carey that Obama has put in positions of power. I say we vote him out.
Posted by: Jake Crosby | April 11, 2012 at 03:00 PM
Great, another sociopath among sociopaths. And the guy's a doctor. Why am I not surprised?
Posted by: Josh Day | April 11, 2012 at 02:10 PM
Thank you Jake for finding and publicizing this very interesting and unfortunate news.
I would add that while Secretary Sebelius, and by extension President Obama, should be put on notice that those of us who are serious about treating autism, finding its true causes and preventing it are aware of this action and do not approve, that doesn't mean that we should vote Obama out. Does anyone seriously think Romney would be be *less* biased on this topic? The evidence suggests that Romney would lean any way big business tells him to.
Posted by: Sandy MacInnis | April 11, 2012 at 01:52 PM
Are there any agencies represented that are being proactive in recovery kids? Thanks Jake, I just called and wrote the whitehouse and told them that I will not be voting for the President unless he takes a new path for autism in the coming days that includes meeting with the good folk who held the press conference last week in Manhattan. For those who are reading this... if you haven't called or written yet,,,,, why haven't you.
Posted by: maggie | April 11, 2012 at 12:11 PM
This is so absurd. Someone tell the Donald to Tweet about it.
Posted by: maggie | April 11, 2012 at 11:35 AM
To date no pro-cure autistic has ever been appointed to the IACC. That's certainly not balanced as we are the ones for whom the law was created if I'm not mistaken. I don't think public members of the IACC really have much power though (I may be wrong about this) so I doubt Carey or any other member deemed undesirable really has much clout in influencing autism research.
I'm not sure why we even need to have an IACC with public membership or what good the combating autism act does in helping those of us on the spectrum or ultimately curing autism.
Posted by: jonathan Mitchell | April 11, 2012 at 11:21 AM
Thank you for this work Jake. I have visited the blog Left Brain/Right Brain and my impression was that it was a group of paid shills talking to each other and attacking the occasional human that wandered in.
Posted by: Mfischer | April 11, 2012 at 10:38 AM
So, "Hazmat" got hired by Uncle Sam. Matt Carey, defender of injectable mercury and other toxins had very little to say about his child on the old Autism Speaks forum. His entire raison d'etre was to defend vaccines and mercury and to spew hatred toward anyone who stood in his way. I see Hazmat (as he was referred to by some) is still searching for "the right kind of science" - that which absolves him of responsibility for trusting the government's one-size-fits-all, mercury laden vaccines that were administered to his son.
The government has found the perfect stooge in Matt Carey who desperately needs to prove to himself and the world that he did right by his child. Poor tortured soul. There are many "Matts" out there and the vaccine industry eagerly embraces them.
Matt Carey's choice of words, "the right kind of science" is laughably revealing. He all but proclaims that he is agenda driven. A true scientist knows that there is not a right kind of science or a wrong kind of science. There is only science.
Posted by: Hazmat is back. Matt Carey, defender of mercury. | April 11, 2012 at 10:22 AM
It is absurd beyond belief that Carey would be appointed to the IACC based on any contribution he has made to the autism communiyt, because he has made none. An anonymous commenter on an english blog. Pathetic. It is believable only, if we recognize the obvious that they were simply looking for people who unquestioningly defend the vaccine industry. Thanks Jake for focusing needed attention on this blatant stacking of the IACC.
Posted by: John Gilmore | April 11, 2012 at 09:26 AM
Jake Crosby for IACC !!!!!!
Posted by: Harry T | April 11, 2012 at 09:22 AM
At least the identity of 'Sullivan' is now 'outed' by this. The Left Brain/ Right Brain blog is nothing more than a 'showcase' for pharma sponsored lies and smears, including Brian Deer's now famous vile comments regarding the parents of autistic, possibly vaccine damaged children.
Posted by: Jenny Allan | April 11, 2012 at 08:11 AM
Vladimir Llyich Lenin wrote:
“The best way to control the opposition is to lead it ourselves.”
Taken in this context .. Matt Carey's appointment to the IACC makes perfect sense.
Posted by: Bob Moffitt | April 11, 2012 at 08:02 AM
Not surprised by this one bit. Matt (as he was known on the old AS boards) always leaned this way, it was only later on that he leaned further, ultimately standing sideways with the likes of Camille Clark and Kevin Leitch. Too bad that AS saw fit to remove any record of those old message boards as there was quite a bit of "dirt" on some of these cranks.
Posted by: Samsdad | April 11, 2012 at 07:13 AM