Thoughtful piece from The Atlantic. Are masks required in your kids' schools? If so, to what degree?

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The Downsides of Masking Young Students Are Real

The educational cost of face coverings is far better established than the benefits of mandates.

By Vinay Prasad About the author: Vinay Prasad, a hematologist and oncologist, is an associate professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at UC San Francisco.

Scientists have an obligation to strive for honesty. And on the question of whether kids should wear masks in schools—particularly preschools and elementary schools—here is what I conclude: The potential educational harms of mandatory-masking policies are much more firmly established, at least at this point, than their possible benefits in stopping the spread of COVID-19 in schools. To justify continued masking of schoolkids—with no end date in sight—we have to prove that masks benefit kids, and at what ages. States and communities that are considering masking policies just to be safe should recognize that being overly cautious has a cost, while the benefits are uncertain.

For most able-bodied adults, masks in public indoor settings pose only minor inconveniences. But children—who even amid the worrisome Delta-variant surge are experiencing serious outcomes from COVID-19 at far lower rates than people in older age groups are—have different needs and vulnerabilities than adults. Early childhood is a crucial period when humans develop cultural, language, and social skills, including the ability to detect emotion on other people’s faces. Social interactions with friends, parents, and caregivers are integral to fostering children’s growth and well-being.

Cloth masks do filter some aerosols, albeit not the majority, so they might catch some exhaled viral particles. Newly released results from a large trial in rural Bangladesh found that the widespread use of surgical masks by adults yields a significant reduction in the spread of symptomatic COVID-19. (The effect of cloth masks was more ambiguous, and the study did not include children.) But the issue facing educators and parents is whether a policy of mandatory masking makes school safer than a policy of optional masking—and whether the difference is enough to justify the imposition on kids.   Read more at The Atlantic.

Earlier this week we shared a Facebook post that's circulating, proclaiming proud ignorance of many “common” items, including the Covid jab.  If you read it, you probably had a sharp response of your own. One Facebooker, "TM" took the time to write a response. She wrote, "This gem of a narrative is being shared around, so I wanted to participate with some editing:”

The original is in italics, her response is in bold:

I’m vaccinated and, no, I don't know what's in it…

Until my child was injured and then I learned, the hard way.

I trust my doctor when he says it’s needed.

I won’t make that mistake again.

I also don't know what's in Ibuprofen, Tylenol, or other meds, it just cures my headaches & my pains ...

I do and Tylenol depletes glutathione - stop giving it to infants (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15878691/)

I don't know what's in the ink for tattoos, vaping, or every ingredient in my soap or shampoo or even deodorants. 

No tattoos or vaping  - I use natural products because they are safer.

I don’t know the long term effect of cell phone use…

Which is why I turn it off at my bedside.

There's a lot of things I don't know and never will…

But I know in this age of information it is ignorant not to research what is readily available.

I just know one thing: life is short, very short,  and I still want to do something other than just going to work every day or staying locked in my home…..

So that is why I choose to not live in fear.

As a child I've been vaccinated for mumps, measles, rubella, polio, and a few others;

As a child and as an adult I've been vaccinated for mumps, measles, rubella, polio, chicken   your choice,

I am vaccinated, respect my choice ...

Thank you if you have already purchased my book. Because of you, it skyrocketed to “#1 Best Seller” on Saturday. We hope you can help keep the momentum going. If you haven’t already, please buy my book and share this post with your friends, family and social network. I appreciate the help!

Today, Dr. Anthony Fauci is a household hero to half of America. 

Drug companies, government officials and the pharma-funded corporate media invoke his name to justify lockdowns, masks and experimental vaccines. 

A recent editorial in a leading medical journal urged Congress to make it a felony to publicly criticize Dr. Fauci. 

Encouraging his own deification, Dr. Fauci has declared that all those who questioned his pronouncements are “anti-science.”

But who is Dr. Fauci really?

In my new book, I show that Dr. Fauci has done little to earn the sobriquet  "America’s Doctor.” 

Instead, he has survived 50 years as the J. Edgar Hoover of public health by consistently prioritizing Big Pharma profits over the welfare of his countrymen, and through mercenary homage to the chemical and agricultural industry, the military industrial complex, the intelligence apparatus and all the other pushers of pills, potions, powders, poisons, pricks and the police state.

Order your copy today: “The Real Anthony Fauci: Bill Gates, Big Pharma, and the Global War on Democracy and Public Health,” by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. — 100% of proceeds will go directly to fund the work of Children’s Health Defense.

During more than a year of painstaking and meticulous research, I unearthed a shocking story that obliterates the obsequious media’s spin on Dr. Fauci … and that will alarm every American — Democrat or Republican — who cares about democracy, our Constitution and the future of our children’s health.

In my book I reveal how Fauci:

• has been the principal architect of “agency capture” — the subversion of democracy by a drug industry that manipulates regulators like sock puppets.
  
  
• failed dismally over his 50-year career with the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to address the cause, to prevent or cure the exploding epidemics of allergies and chronic disease that Congress charged him with curtailing. The chronic disease pandemic is his enduring legacy. Those ailments now debilitate 54% of American children compared to 6% when he joined NIAID.

“ Flowerpot hats not included.” 

A celebration of ignorance and moral superiority is flooding Facebook in a post being shared all over the place.  No matter your choice (and you know what we mean), base it on personal experience, medical history, conversations with your healthcare provider, the risk of each choice, outcome and due diligence.  None of us knows what might happen if we choose to V or not. Or if we come down with "C" or not. Will we be asymptomatic or asphyxiated? No one that I knows takes any of this lightly. We have a "friend of ours" fighting in the hospital right now.  Imagine saying that an unvaccinated person who gets Covid is "cluttering" a hospital bed. What of every obese person with adult onset diabetes - are they "cluttering" the dialysis centers?  What of every smoker with lung cancer - cluttering oncology wards? We are allowed to make choices for ourselves. Some of them might turn out to be the "wrong choice", in the end. The shaming and glee I see when someone gets sick or dies from Covid is inhuman. I've seen women in my town who ask 100 questions about a paint color before making a choice run this post.  (Unfriend.) This group thinking will lead to inhuman decisions and acts - a de-evolution. (Now the flowerpot hats make sense, yes? Devo.)

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Facebook post circulating this weekend.

I'm vaccinated and, no, I don't know what's in it - neither this vaccine, the ones I had as a child, nor in the Big Mac, or in hot dogs, or in other treatments…whether it's for cancer, AIDS, the one for  polyarthritis, or vaccines for infants or children. I trust my doctor when he/she says it’s needed. 

I also don't know what's in Ibuprofen, Tylenol, or other meds, it just cures my headaches & my pains ...

I don't know what's in the ink for tattoos, vaping, or every ingredient in my soap or shampoo or even deodorants.  I don’t know the long term effect of cell phone use or whether or not that restaurant I just ate at REALLY used clean foods and washed their hands. 

In short ...

There's a lot of things I don't know and never will…

UPDATE from Reuters and other sources: Two die in Japan after shots from suspended Moderna vaccines - Japan govt

TOKYO, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Two people died after receiving Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) COVID-19 vaccine shots that were among lots later suspended following the discovery of contaminants, Japan's health ministry said on Saturday. The men in their 30s died this month within days of receiving their second Moderna doses, the ministry said in a release. Each had a shot from one of three manufacturing lots suspended on Thursday. The causes of death are being investigated.

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Memes are popular on social media.  Like me, I'm sure you've seen some that make you laugh out loud, some that make you cringe, others that simply ring true to some aspect of your life.  I read one this week, but didn't get a snap of it. It said (and I paraphrase) "They aren't conspiracy theories, they're spoilers."   How's that for sharp?

I've been trying to read between the lines with everything these days. I look for "weasel words" that deflect blame, obfuscate, and sometimes outright lie, with finesse.  Several vaccination centers have reported that vaccine vials contained foreign matter, according to an announcement from the ministry, which added it will seek to minimize the impact of the withdrawal on the country's inoculation program. The ministry said later in the day that the substance that had been mixed in may have been metal. "It's a substance that reacts to magnets," a ministry official said. "It could be metal."https://asia.nikkei.com

The Japanese ministry said the substance "reacts" to magnets.  Does that mean it attracted or repelled? How was it tested? Three types of metals interact with magnetic fields: ferromagnetic, paramagnetic and diamagnetic metals. Ferromagnetic metals are strongly attracted to magnets; the rest are not. Magnets also attract paramagnetic metals, but very weakly. Diamagnetic metals repel the magnet, though the force is typically very weak.

Do you recall the "reports" that the Covid vaccine was making magnets stick to recipient's arms? Balderdash? Poppycock? Horsepucky?  Conspiracy theory? Can we wonder if there were undetected pieces of metal in those vaccines too? And the dismissal:  Reuters: CORRECTION-Fact Check-'Magnet test' does not prove COVID-19 jabs contain metal or a microchip

Correction Jun 25, 2021: An earlier version of this check incorrectly described the mechanism of MRI scans and gave an incomplete account of the weak magnetic interactions relating to the human body. These sentences have been removed as they have no bearing on the verdict of the check. This article has also been updated to clarify that not all metals are magnetic. Vaccines for COVID-19 do not contain metals or microchips that make recipients magnetic at the site of injection, physics and medical experts have told Reuters.The flawed claim was made in a series of viral videos claiming to show magnets attracted to the arms of alleged jab recipients. Several clips said the supposed phenomenon was proof that people were microchipped

I got the meme shown below in our photo from a "friend of ours" just last night. Seems it's missing something. This week, Japan announced that there may have been metal fragments in some lots of the Moderna vaccine. If this were any other product, a product with even a modicum of liability,  it would be recalled. The optics of offering a product tainted with anything, let alone metals, would be a debacle for any PR department. Any PR department EXCEPT the one in a vaccine company, and certainly in a company making a vaccine for Covid.

Japan Times Reports:

The foreign substance detected in dozens of vials of Moderna Inc.’s COVID-19 vaccine in Japan is thought to have been tiny pieces of metal, but experts have dismissed concerns over significant health problems, saying that the chance of the foreign material actually entering the body is low.

The foreign substance was identified in 39 unused vials, all of which had the lot number 3004667, at eight workplace and large-scale inoculation sites in five prefectures — Aichi, Ibaraki, Gifu, Saitama and Tokyo — with the first discovery having come on Aug. 16. The government on Thursday decided to halt the use of vials belonging to that lot number — as well as those with the lot numbers 3004734 and 3004956, which were produced around the same time and at the same facility — affecting a total of 1.63 million shots....

Safeminds starts an important conversation this week on their site. We ask: 1) Do you have home based services? 2) Can you self-hire? 3) What is your hourly rate of pay?  Safeminds posted:

• According to a new article in the Tennessee Lookout, families who have a special needs member are having a hard time securing home-based care services. Not only is the state encountering a shortage of workers to fill these positions, but the two different agencies that provide caregivers are experiencing pay disparities. Due to these employment difficulties, the Tennessee Justice Center has filed a lawsuit against the Tennessee Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, alleging that the state has violated two federal acts and discriminated against people with intellectual disabilities.
  
  

Here is the article linked

By Anita Wadhwani, Tennessee Lookout

July 29, 2021

MOHAWK, Tenn. — Drama Bryant's entire life has revolved around caring for her little brother, Jay, who — at 32 years old — requires 24/7 assistance as a result of congenital conditions that leave him unable to eat, bathe, go the bathroom, speak or walk unassisted.

Jay Bryant has Down syndrome and autism, suffers seizures, severe reflux disease and eczema and lives with chronic pain. If no one is looking, he will try to eat grass, dirt, rocks or other inedible items. When he's distressed, he hits himself hard enough to leave marks.

His intellectual and physical disabilities qualify him for a program operated by the Tennessee Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities that is supposed to provide Jay with 337 hours of professional care each month in the home he shares with his 69-year-old mom — who herself is disabled and suffering early symptoms of dementia.
Find out what's happening in Across Tennessee with free, real-time updates from Patch.

But his family has gotten no outside help. Instead, it has fallen to Drama Bryant, 38, to step in to care for her brother, full-time, while their desperate search for caregivers continue.

Tennessee, much like the rest of the nation, has long experienced a shortage of workers willing to take the low-pay, high stress jobs that are vital to helping people with severe disabilities live with dignity in their own homes and outside of institutions. The caregiver scarcity has reached crisis proportions during the new COVID-era of labor shortages...  Read more here.

Today's post is excerpted from Children's Health Defense. Businesses across the USA are starting to mandate Covid vaccination.  A local day and residential program service provider is mandating by mid-October.  They will review exemptions, but unvaccinated employees, contractors or board members will be subject to twice weekly testing. The vaccinated CAN contract and spread COVID - but they do NOT need to be tested unless they have symptoms. I see a false security looming. Delta Airlines plans to charge a $200 health insurance penalty to the unvaccinated.  Folks on Facebook are saying "smokers pay a penalty on life insurance, so it's OK." Will actuarial tables be applied to every aspect of life? Meantime, we are a nation rife with obesity - the reason for myriad health issues - which then predict severe Covid. Why haven't we encouraged Americans to LOSE WEIGHT since Spring 2020? At just 5 pounds a month, Americans could have lost some 85 pounds. And greatly improved their health. Lifestyle choices are MORE than whether or not you get vaccinated.

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Dr. Peter McCullough Tells RFK, Jr.: ‘The Vaccines Are Failing’

On the “RFK, Jr. The Defender Podcast,” Dr. Peter McCullough discussed a new study by the Oxford University Clinical Research Group and how the Pfizer’s vaccine, at 17% to 42% efficacy, doesn't meet the regulatory standard of 50% efficacy for vaccines.

Why is the world experiencing such a “prominent outbreak” of the Delta variant when so many people have been vaccinated?

Dr. Peter McCullough, a consultant, cardiologist and vice chief of medicine at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, addressed those questions and more on the “RFK Jr. The Defender Podcast.”

New research shows people who are vaccinated against COVID are more susceptible to the Delta variant, said McCullough, pointing to a pre-print study by the prestigious Oxford University Clinical Research Group published Aug. 10 in The Lancet.  Read more here.

New paper

FDA are expected to vote today to fully license the Pfizer vaccine while hiding the hideous fallout

https://www.scivisionpub.com/pdfs/us-covid19-vaccines-proven-to-cause-more-harm-than-good-based-on-pivotal-clinical-trial-data-analyzed-using-the-proper-scientific--1811.pdf

ABSTRACT

Three COVID-19 vaccines in the US have been released for sale by the FDA under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) based on a clinical trial design employing a surrogate primary endpoint for health, severe infections with COVID-19. This clinical trial design has been proven dangerously misleading. Many fields of medicine, oncology for example, have abandoned the use of disease specific endpoints for the primary endpoint of pivotal clinical trials (cancer deaths for example) and have adopted “all cause mortality or morbidity” as the proper scientific endpoint of a clinical trial. Pivotal clinical trial data from the 3 marketed COVID-19 vaccines was reanalyzed using “all cause severe morbidity", a scientific measure of health, as the primary endpoint. “All cause severe morbidity” in the treatment group and control group was calculated by adding all severe events reported in the clinical trials. Severe events included both severe infections with COVID-19 and all other severe adverse events in the treatment arm and control arm respectively. This analysis gives reduction in severe COVID-19 infections the same weight as adverse events of equivalent severity. Results prove that none of the vaccines provide a health benefit and all pivotal trials show a statically significant increase in “all cause severe morbidity" in the vaccinated group compared to the placebo group. The Moderna immunized group suffered 3,042 more severe events than the control group (p=0.00001). The Pfizer data was grossly incomplete but data provided showed the vaccination group suffered 90 more severe events than the control group (p=0.000014), when only including “unsolicited” adverse events. The Janssen immunized group suffered 264 more severe events than the control group (p=0.00001). These findings contrast the manufacturers’ inappropriate surrogate endpoints: Janssen claims that their vaccine prevents 6 cases of severe COVD-19 requiring medical attention out of 19,630 immunized; Pfizer claims their vaccine prevents 8 cases of severe COVID-19 out of 21,720 immunized; Moderna claims its vaccine prevents 30 cases of severe COVID-19 out of 15,210 immunized. Based on this data it is all but a certainty that mass COVID-19 immunization is hurting the health of the population in general. Scientific principles dictate that the mass immunization with COVID-19 vaccines must be halted immediately because we face a looming vaccine induced public health catastrophe.

42% of reports and 60% of fatal reports to VAERS (started in 1990) are for Covid products since December: fatal vaccine reports to Yellow Cards are more than 20,000% up on the year

By John Stone

This is a brief investigation into the public data as it stands in mid August 2021. I would add that the point is not that this is the highest quality data but that it is the only data there is - we are being deliberately deprived of real data through negligence at best, as the FDA confessed to the New York Times early on. They had not got the machinery running - or more likely  they had it running and were just were not telling us about it. And so we get back  to VAERS which was diagnosed in 2010 as being so deficient it was picking up less than 1% of events (at which point US government agencies evidently realised that they were on to a good thing and decided not to streamline it). So here are two relative measurements.

42% of all reports to VAERS from 1990 to August 13, 2021 are for Covid vaccines (595,662/1,409,664)

60% of all reports to VAERS “where patient died” from 1990 to August 13, 2021 are for Covid vaccines (13,068/21,936)

I am not saying that we should just multiply these figures simplistically by 100 but they are indicative that there is something drastically amiss.

Meanwhile, we have a different collection of data from the United Kingdom to August 11. Here we should bear in mind that the population of the UK is one fifth of the US and the licensing body, the MHRA, generally reckons that reports represent about 10% of cases.

To date there have been 347,032 Yellow Cards, 1,151,768 Adverse Events, 1,596 Fatal 

This breaks down as follows:

Pfizer 36.6m doses 104,446 (1 Yellow Card in 350) 293,779 Adverse Events (2.8 per card) 501 Fatalites (1 in 73,054)

Astra Zeneca 48.6m doses 228,239 Yellow Cards  (1 in 213) 813,622 Adverse Events (3.6 per card) 1,053 Fatalities (1 in 46,154)

Moderna 2m doses 13,325 Yellow Cards (1 in 150) 41,274 Adverse Events (3 per card) 14 Fatalities (1 in 142,857)

Brand unspecified 1,022  Yellow Cards 3,093 Adverse Events 28 Fatalities

The fact that three brands have such distinct adverse event profiles argues strongly against this being background noise, however there are overwhelming reasons why most reports would never get made: people will not report because they don’t know to, because they don’t know how to, because the ethos is overwhelmingly hostile and they think it is the wrong thing to do or they are scared, or because they are too sick or even dead. By comparison the average number of vaccine reports for the previous ten years was 3,039 with 8 fatalities: 200 times the fatalities and we are not a year in: off the scale and the world is run by madmen.

Sometimes snark is a necessary educational tool, The beauty of running AofA as chief, cook and bottle washer is that we can use humor and sarcasm to send a message at will.

I was listening to Sirius XM and an ad for the Doctor Radio channel came on about back to school advice for parents. The focus? "Anxiety, depression, self-esteem."  I remember hoping to get the 4 ink Bic pen and real book covers instead of paper bags.

I read the words below on on a local Facebook group.  The group is very much Hate Has No Home Here - and yet? I showcase this loveliness and respectful engagement with the community because I am disheartened and dismayed by what I see everywhere. Friends turning against friends. Family shunning family. A virus came. And society either changed, or  the masks that so many wore to hide their vitriole toward one another came off. Oh, the irony. Her post is vulgar too, and she is getting high fives and likes and attagirls from townfolk. What the hell are we becoming? ALL HATE, as far as I can see.

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I believe that it is your duty as a human being to care about and protect other human beings lives. There are many ways we do this everyday, washing hands, covering sneezes, personal hygiene.  Wearing a mask is no different.  You know what? Wearing a bra isn't comfortable either. But yet women do it everyday so that men aren't triggered by nipples. The horror. 

If I have to wear underwires that frequently try to murder me thru the ribs so some guy doesn't get an inconvenient hard on you can wear a freaking mask to stop someone dying you selfish POS.

REDCON1, America's #1 Supplement Brand, Will No Longer Support the Arnold Classic, "Screw Your Freedom"

The division continues.  Arnold Schwarzenegger's "Screw your freedom," comment about those who do not want to get a Covid vaccine has cost him a gig.  Now, he's Arnold, and surely this isn't going to hit his wallet hard. Still, it's a message. I don't know much about this supplement company.  I'm happy to take my Vit D gummies every day.

I don't know a soul who is worried about the effect of masks or the vaccines who is taking a pure "freedom" stance.  I use the quotes on purpose. This isn't a toddler's "you're not the boss of me," moment. It's not an impulsive refusal. The most hesitant? PhDs.  Hardly a group that can be disparaged as anti-science or ignorant. In terms of education levels, people with a high school education or less had the largest decrease in vaccine hesitancy during the study period, while hesitancy held constant among those with a PhD, which was the most hesitant group by May. Who's Most Likely to Refuse a COVID Vaccine? And among AofA readers? So many of us have seen the dark side of vaccination side effects, of being abandoned by medical professionals, and have had our trust shattered.  Now family, friends, employers are lining up to disparage us, take away our jobs, our basic right to earn a living, participate in society.  Our kids have already been "screwed" Arnold, we aren't thinking of our "freedom." We're thinking of how to protect our children for further harm.

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REDCON1, America's #1 Supplement Brand, Will No Longer Support the Arnold Classic, "Screw Your Freedom"

BOCA RATON, Fla., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- REDCON1, the fastest-growing sports nutrition brand in the world, announced today with a heavy heart that it has discontinued all support for the Arnold Classic and the other Arnold-related events globally after Arnold Schwarzenegger's Anti-American comments.

With such prodigious influence Arnold beholds, making the public declaration, "screw your freedoms", is dangerous and anti-America. REDCON1 is a patriotic pro-freedom brand and community. We support everyone's individual freedoms.

"Arnold entered America with passion that he, too, could achieve the American dream. Of course, it wasn't easy, and he pushed through language barriers, poverty, and dramatic cultural differences. His dedication to the sport and perseverance helped him not only reach but achieve more than he ever imagined. A guy who had nothing and no advantages, who never made an excuse, and created tremendous success. He became an icon based on his work ethic, his charisma, and his grit. " Aaron Singerman, Founder.

We've spent hundreds of thousands of dollars being a top sponsor of the event, and this year the exclusive sponsor of the webcast, but we can't in good conscience continue to support & be involved with someone who has such diametrically opposed beliefs.

Excerpted from The Defender, from Children's Health Defense>

Will Vaccination Become the Price of Admission to Society?

By Dr. Joseph Mercola

An Aug. 2 op-ed by the San Francisco Chronicle editorial board suggested we ought to “make vaccination the price of admission to society.” One way to evaluate the reasonableness of such a proposition is to replace COVID “vaccination” with anything else.

Story at-a-glance:

In June, the U.S. National Security Council released a new National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism document. While it’s being largely framed as a tool to fight extremism, the definition of what constitutes a “domestic terrorist” is incredibly vague and based on ideologies rather than specific behaviors.

This policy can easily be used to silence political opposition simply by labeling anyone who disagrees with the government as a domestic terrorist and charging them with a hate crime, and we’re already seeing signs of this.

Dr. Peter Hotez recently published a paper in PLOS Biology, in which he suggests criticizing Dr. Anthony Fauci and other scientists ought to be labeled a “hate crime.”

Former assistant secretary for Homeland Security Juliette Kayyem is urging the U.S. government to put unvaccinated citizens on a no-fly list.

In June, the U.S. National Security Council released a new “National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism” document. While it’s being largely framed as a tool to fight white supremacy and political extremism, the definition of what constitutes a “domestic terrorist” is incredibly vague and based on ideologies rather than specific behaviors.

It’s not difficult to imagine this policy being used to silence political opposition simply by labeling anyone who disagrees with the government as a domestic terrorist and charging them with a hate crime.  Read more at The Defender.

Scenario: Direct Support staff in special needs day program is exposed to Covid by a fully vaccinated family member in his home.

A) He is vaccinated for Covid. He calls work, tells his boss he has been exposed to Covid. Boss tells him he is to report to work, because he is fully vaccinated, and to go get a test.

B) He is unvaccinated. He calls work, tells his boss he has been exposed to Covid. Boss tells him to stay home until he has a negative test because he is unvaccinated.

Which person do you want working with your loved one in the testing interim?

Give me some credit. I tried to stay civil after reading this Tweet on our Age of Autism Twitter feed yesterday.

"A 15 our overnight shift. The worst pandemic of our lifetime...."   Dr.Ama.

15 hours a day is like a part time job to most of us, right?  How many pediatricians have kicked out our kids? How many have disparaged, disbelieved our reports of what is or was happening with our children? How many pediatricians have refused to listen to us, brushed us off? And then gone home after an 8 hour shift with nurses and and administrators who manage the basics of the job, the phones, the records, the billing. With a cleaning staff that comes in late at night while we're still praying our kids might stop jumping or spinning or screaming or pacing. And with a paycheck most of us can never imagine PLUS the oohs and aahs and admiration of everyone at the cocktail party. "Oh! DOCtor Jones? Tell me more!"  My kids never had a single vision test at the pediatrician. They couldn't access the test. My kids never had a single hearing test at the pediatrician. They couldn't access the test. I was labeled a REFUSER on their paperwork.

So excuse me, Dr. Meade, if my tiny violin is out of commission for you. I wonder if she has ever heard of Dr. William Thompson from the CDC - take a look at her cover photo on Twitter. I'm sure she'd be too tired to listen to his information anyway. 15 hours. My stars and garters, what a trooper.

Trust. They say love is blind. I think today, trust is blind. Love is brave.

Stay brave.

Last night, we had an active shooter in the Danbury Fair Mall, in Danbury, Connecticut. It's not my closest mall, but folks in town go there for certain stores regularly. If your son or daughter or husband or Mom or friend was working or shopping there, you might search for it on Facebook, which touts itself as a reliable source of news. Except, you would have seen the photo on the left.  Facebook blocked out any and all searches related to the Danbury Mall. Wow. I didn't think I was naive, but that blew me away. "See more when you're back online."  Back online?? I AM online!

A local newspaper reported that a female was shot, and her wound(s) were non-life-threatening. Thank goodness.  Police: Person shot inside Danbury mall, suspect remains at large

You couldn't even search for the Carousel, that's famous in the mall.

I can't take credit for the headline, "DN" gets that.  Ciao Cuomo, piccolo uomo. Translation: Goodbye Cuomo, little man. Stronzo on the mask in the photo? Look it up, this is a PG site. Hint: We all have one and the sun doesn't shine there. Capisci?

This guy: From some Oprah site.

• Andrew Cuomo was named one of People's Sexiest Men Alive in 2020, as well as one of the most "desirable man in New York City."
• Currently, the third-term governor is single—he split from his longtime girlfriend, author and former Food Network star Sandra Lee, in September 2019.
• Cuomo was previously married to Kerry Kennedy for 13 years.

Sexiest man alive????  Desirable? Why? His power? Is that still what makes a man "desirable???"

This very sexy, desirable Andrew Cuomo, now facing a scandalous outing of his treatment of women, just resigned from his position as Governor of New York.

Over the years, he was brutally dismissive of our community. Under his watch, 26,000 healthy children were kicked out of school, long before Covid shut down classrooms, when he eliminated the religious exemption.  BSK posted on FB:

He may never pay for the nursing home scandal. But this? This will do. He is losing his dream, and bringing shame to his family and the Cuomo name. Let him feel one tenth of what my child felt being kicked out of his school/second home and losing his IEP back on 6/13/19 - when families like mine also had #FourteenDays to figure out what the hell we were going to do following the stroke of his pen.

His behavior toward women is indicative of many who call us names and actively work against us, and our children. And he has THREE DAUGHTERS! There is a misogyny so deep, so vicious, that it's hard to explain to men and even more-so to the WOMEN who support men like Cuomo.  He tried to use his Italian heritage as a crutch. Mamma mia.  He should be walked out in handcuffs, instead he gets 2 weeks to saunter out to his next gig, surely at a trough, like most "ex"-politicians.

I saw this meme on Facebook. I guess the person who posted it wants to keep cats safe. Laudable. I’m allergic to cats, and have never had a pet cat. But if I did, I would want her safe. (I would have a female cat, name her Toonces, and she would have a litter box shaped like a car.) But what does safety mean? Does that mean she should never feel sunshine from the sky, not just through a window? Or chase a chipmunk? Or live her authentic cat life? Aren't we all about living our authentic lives today, whether we have one or nine? Or are we scaredy cats - willing to cower at home instead of finding ways to stay strong, be strong. Live strong.

The 2020 lockdown taught us what it might feel like to be an indoor cat.  We discovered that it's a lot like what you scoop out of a litter box.  Mental health tanked. Businesses failed. Families separated. And now we live like the Hatfields and the McCoys pitted against each other in anger and fear, instead of banding together with American spirit of ingenuity.  We are allowed only 1 solution (3 brands, all in a syringe.)

The cat meme invoked the worst case, alarmist information that is fomenting anger across the country.  That if we DO NOT live the indoor life - we face nothing but danger and death.

I can't live that way. Paranoid. Anxious. Full of FUD - fear, uncertainty and doubt. I can live smart. I can make active choices to protect myself and my family. I can make fully informed choices. And like most of us here at AofA, I can NOT afford to be hospitalized, let alone die.  I have taken Covid seriously since the day it appeared on the scene in all its spikey gloomy (sic.)  I still take it seriously. Anyone who thinks otherwise, is a very dumb dog.

Remember this scene from Finding Nemo? Nemo tells his anxious Dad, "I CAN DO THIS!" But his Dad, who has lived his entire life in fear, say, "NO YOU CAN'T!" And then he considers the option of not trying, of not trusting  his son, who has learned many lessons on his journey. He considers the consequences of his fear - letting Dory get swept up in the net and killed. He sets aside his fear and starts barking orders to listen to his son. Pixar is smart. And not just because of the cool hopping lamp intro that our kids like to watch so much.  Many of us feel that we are in the net. And certainly our children are in the net. SWIM DOWN.

Note: We first ran this post on August 14, 2020. The rabbit hole now reaches to the center of the earth.

By Laura Hayes

I went grocery shopping this past Saturday, first time in 30 days. I find seeing my fellow humans masked, including young children, to be soul-stripping, and I come home angry and depressed. For some reason, I thought I would not be the only unmasked person at this stage of the insanity, but I was wrong. The store was more crowded than I had seen it to date, and yet, I saw no other shopper, or employee, not wearing a mask…nearly 6 months into this global machination.

In the event you haven’t noticed, things are getting worse, not better. And I am not talking about “Covid-19”, whatever that is or isn’t (no way for us to know, as we have been lied to from the get-go). I am talking about the state of our God-given rights, many of which our U.S. Constitution was created to protect, rights that include: the right to breathe freely, minus dangerous impediments; the right to communicate and socialize with others, minus facial covering and physical distancing requirements; the right to move about freely, including frequenting businesses of our choosing, minus finding businesses forcibly closed, and minus absurd shopping and walking around town rules; the right to conduct business, minus being deemed non-essential, minus being restricted in scope and ability to conduct business, and minus being coerced to enforce dangerous and absurd requirements of employees and customers; the right to assemble, minus ridiculous and arbitrary physical distancing and maximum number restrictions, and minus the forced covering of the majority of one’s face; the right to seek medical, dental, and eye care, minus temperature checks, facial masking, and in some cases, Covid-19 testing requirements (with the nasal swab testing causing harm and damage to some of those being tested that way); the right to practice one’s religion, and to congregate and fellowship with others, minus rules and requirements which prevent one from doing so; and the right to pursue life, liberty, and happiness, minus unwarranted, unconstitutional, and unacceptable government interference.

Americans should find it shocking, frightening, and intolerable that acting on our God-given fundamental rights as human beings has now been deemed illegal behavior and can result in being charged with a crime in a growing number of situations and locations. Stop and think about that for a few minutes. That which prior to 2020 were considered basic human rights, including the rights to breathe, smile at others, communicate, entertain, move about, congregate, shop, conduct business, seek care and services, and go to church, have instantaneously been labeled dangerous behaviors if done in a free, unregulated, and unimpeded manner, deemed worthy of fines, ostracization, shaming, social isolation, forced quarantine, closures, lockdowns, lawsuits, and no doubt very soon, prison time and “re-education camps”. Perhaps this is why nearly half of U.S. states have released thousands of prisoners before their sentences were completed, including those who have committed violent crimes…to make room for those who will refuse to comply with rights-stripping, unconstitutional, life-destroying edicts made and enforced by those abusing their positions of power.

In short order, we have been put under mask requirements, physical distancing requirements, quarantining of healthy people, business closures, lockdowns, required testing (or lose your job, or be denied services), contact tracing (how long will it take for literally every American to be put on someone’s list…I predict that could be accomplished in less than 2 weeks), and soon dissenters will be victims of knocks on their doors, removal to quarantine centers and/or re-education camps, forced vaccinations while being held down, and prison time, followed by “suicides” and unexplained deaths.

We’ve been barred from Google News for years. Our stories used to be indexed and shared often. Good to see Google is disseminating important information for families. This alert came through in my email for "autism".  Testing anecdotal evidence on... puppets. Maybe Bert and Ernie will take over care for our kids when we die?  

Points if you get the headline joke.  If not, here you go.

Who remembers Andrew "Diceman" Clay’s filthy nursery rhymes in the 80s??  My ex had a tape in his car. (Insert hindsight emoji.) Here’s one I just made up! Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a shot that’s falsy. Dice Clay was down & now he frowns because he got Bell’s Palsy.

Full  Disclaimer - I have NO idea how he got Bell's Palsy. None. I am making a joke about the jab, which has included BP as a side effect. And we know about “side effects.”  Becasue if we don't laugh a little, we will all go stark raving mad.

And of course, we send thoughts and prayers for a full and complete recovery.  I was thinking of seeing him live next month here in Connecticut. 

By the way, If you get a chance to see Jim Breuer on his Live and Let Laugh tour, GO! I saw him last weekend and he slayed the audience with his take on the last 16 months. Trust me, our readers would howl with laughter.

The real story for Dice Clay isn't that he's angry at the media for their dismissal of his career, it is that so far, none of the comments say, "Did you get the Covid or any other vaccine that lists Bell's Palsy as a side effect?" No one dares or no one has connected the dots, I don't know. I'm not in the mood to have my arse handed to me on a silver platter, so I did not bother to  chime in with what is to our readers, a logical question.

From his Facebook page: Read it here.

I Really Don’t Understand Why This Bells Palsy Thing Has Taken On A Media Blitz. It’s Not Like I Tried To Hide It. It’s A Temporary Issue And I’m Still Just As Gorgeous With It! The Most Untruthful Thing About These Articles…Is About My Hiatus For 20 Years From The World Of Stand Up Comedy. I Have Never Stopped Performing Live. One Of The Reasons Why People Call Journalism Fake News…Please, Just The Facts From Now On. I Am Working Out Constantly As You Can See From My Posts And Have Been Killing It With My Live Performances. See You At @citywinerynyc Monday Night!

I tried to sum up Covid vaccine hesitation and outright refusal in a Tweet.  I'm pretty sure Twitter is holding back our Tweets - our likes and RTs are very low given we have over 30,000 followers.  Still, I persevere.  Follow us at @AgeofAutism

Why are we supposed to be Kerri Strug, 1996 Olympics gymnast who was encouraged - coerced - to vault on a badly turned ankle to appease her coach, her team, her nation?

We are asking to be treated with respect and understanding, like Simone Biles. 

 Looks like I triggered bots and anything but’ers yesterday. Look at the knee-jerk dismissal. The anger. Buyers Remorse is as contagious as Covid. I don’t dare tell them I wrote for HuffPo for almost 10 years. My name change has really been a savior! A few folks are chiming in with agreement that asking is in order, and that's encouraging. I especially liked one comment that "There is no evidence that this vaccine could do that!" There's no evidence I ate the last chocolate cookie on the plate at midnight either. Not even a crumb.

Jjhhg

Got this Facebook friend request yesterday, Friday. It makes a much sense as most of what we read and hear these days! And we could use the laugh. THIS is the true meaning our of "current AFFAIRS" category. LOL! Have a good weekend.

via GIPHY

Got your jab? Congratulations!  And God bless you.  No, really.  From The Mirror:

Brits who catch coronavirus after receiving the jab are more likely to sneeze than those who have not been vaccinated, according to the UK ZOE Covid Symptom Study app

Vaccinated Brits who have caught coronavirus are reporting a unique symptom of the disease.

The most common indicators of the virus are a temperature, a new persistent cough and a loss or change of taste or smell.

But people who have undergone the jab are more likely to report sneezing as a symptom than those yet to receive the vaccine, according to King's College London.

Finally, something we can all DO about avoiding COVID without needing Doc or feeling Grumpy. Don't be Dopey! Run away from people who are sneezing up a storm. 

FUD: fear, uncertainty and doubt, usually evoked intentionally in order to put a competitor at a disadvantage.

Two Olympians were in the news yesterday, and not for their amazing skills or record shattering accomplishments. 

'I have to focus on my mental health,' says Simone Biles after withdrawing from gold medal event

Tennis star Naomi Osaka eliminated from Olympics, cites pressureTennis star Naomi Osaka eliminated from Olympics, cites pressure

What is happening to young people? These women are the cream of the crop, yet crumbling. I think social media plays a huge role in the pressure. Everyone's a critic has never been truer. Also, being a female. And both are females of color. Last night on NPR, the guest was the author of a book called, "The Revolt of the Black Athlete." Again relating the rebellion of black athletes to a larger spirit of revolt among black citizens, Edwards moves his story forward to our era of protests, boycotts, and the dramatic politicization of athletes by Black Lives Matter. Incisive yet ultimately hopeful, The Revolt of the Black Athlete is the still-essential study of the conflicts at the interface of sport, race, and society. I caught a good portion, and it was an eye opening segment.

In 1980, men's hockey had the weight of the Cold War on their shoulders as they skated against the Soviets for the win. I worry that Simone and Naomi may one day be parents, like so many of us are, and face pressure and exhaustion of a different sort. Where there are no medals. No breaks. Think about it:

When you wiped blood off your face after an autism rage, did you get to take a break?
When you cleaned up shattered drywall and broken glass, did you get to take a break?
When the your son had his 6th seizure of the day, did you get to take a break?

Last, week, the Wall Street Journal ran an opinion piece by Joseph A. Ladapo and Harvey A. Risch. It was a breath of fresh air in this stale, overtly political summer.  I spent some time on Twitter yesterday, and I seriously needed a shower afterward. The anger. The vitriole. The pitchforks and torches raised high to bludgeon and burn the unvaccinated was astounding. Even from people who should know better from bitter experience with their own children (read into that what you will.) Choice? Never! Rational thought! No way! Risk analysis? You are a traitor to America! You are a moron. You are a DANGER. Patriotism as a concept has been rode hard and put away wet. From Bluegressives I see this anger. From Redservatives I see less name calling and outrage, but pure dismissiveness of those who genuinely are concerned for their health.  I no longer say Republican or Democrat, because I think both parties have been eviscerated, splintered, co-opted and shattered by extremes.  Folks are digging in their heels against one another. Watch the Olympics - I noticed that many of the stories of the athletes mentioned their mental health difficulties. One athlete has  had such bad OCD since age 12  that she had to take one hour showers.  An ad mentioned "respecting athlete's mental health," which is a fine thing and yes we should. But that's an ad benefit for a product?  What about respecting the huge anxiety many of of us who have lived vaccine injury suffer every day? Lordy, no, we do not count. The Covid vaccines carry risk.  Covid carries risk. Are we so stupid now that we can not make decisions for ourselves?  A whole lot of this nation thinks the answer is "YES!" Freedom means not having to make personal decisions, just do what you're forced or told. I don't get it.

So I really was surprised that the authors asked a simple question.  Are Covid Vaccines Riskier Than Advertised? There are concerning trends on blood clots and low platelets, not that the authorities will tell you.

I know, it's only rock and roll, but I like it, like it, yes I do.

Huge thanks to Eric Clapton for standing up for what rock and roll is all about. FREEDOM. Why? Because he experienced the fear, worry and danger of vaccine injury himself.

He is putting his money where his microphone is, and refusing to play in venues that discriminate based on Covid vaccine status. Unlike Bruce Springsteen and Foo Fighters, who sold their fans down the pharma river.

Eric Clapton Will Not Play Shows Where Proof of Vaccine Is Required

Eric Clapton said he will not perform at any venues that require attendees to prove that they’ve been vaccinated against Covid-19.

Clapton issued his statement in response to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement on Monday, July 19th, that vaccine passes would be required to enter nightclubs and venues. Clapton’s statement was shared via the Telegram account of film producer and architect Robin Monotti, who has also been skeptical of the Covid-19 vaccine and expressed other doubts about the U.K. government’s response to the pandemic. (Clapton previously shared a message about his “disastrous” health experience after receiving the Covid-19 vaccine on Monotti’s Telegram page.)

This ad for a probiotic was on my Facebook feed yesterday. Take a look at the verbiage describing the product:

It's NOT a "cure" for autism.

I responded politely but firmly from within the autism is treatable universe.

Can you think of ANY other serious medical diagnosis for which "cure" is verboten? I was unable to do so until COVID came to town and said, "thanks for greasing the wheel, autism, we'll take it from here."  Think about it. We are NOT able to ask where did COVID come from or we'll be branded as racist. We are NOT able to ask about who might have known about COVID and hushed it up or we'll be branded as Q-spiracy theorists. We are NOT able to talk about how to cure COVID with cheap, over the counter and decades long established medical interventions. There is only pandemic lockdown, masks and vaccinations, the approved topics of discussion. Kind of like educational, behavioral and genetics for autism.

Agree?

I saw a Tweet yesterday from a doctor who was complaining about how poorly she felt after treating people with COVID. After I wiped a tear from my eye, I thought about what she was really saying, and then looked her up.  Dr. Claudia William is the founder of La Vie MD, a CONCIERGE medical practice in Florida that also sells upscale clothing, home decor, lifestyle thingies and more.  Concierge is a fancy term for CASH ONLY, FEE FOR SERVICE, NO INSURANCE, and is often a choice for wealthy, older patients for whom Medicare is a hassle. Dr. William happens to be in West Palm Beach, Florida. Dr. Williams indicates she has a breakthrough infection, hours after treating more than 60 patients with COVID.

Why Pay a $35-75 co-pay at an urgent care, & wait over an 1 hour to be seen for 10 minutes?

At La Vie MD pay $125 with no wait times & see the SAME doctor every time for an hour, in person or online.

At La Vie MD We Are All About Easy, Fast & Convenient Care

If she saw 60+ patients at her practice, she made at least $7,500 based on the $125 appointment fee. Not sure how she could see that many patients in 2 days, but we’ll take her word for it. That should buy her a fair amount of tissues, but it won't buy her empathy for her cash carrying patients, or understanding that the vaccine SHE TOOK for Covid is a FAILURE. By her photos, she’s part of the TikTok Prom King and Queen era of medicine, where looks sell. 

Congratulations to authors Mark Blaxill (Age of Autism Editor-At-Large), Toby Rogers and Cynthia Nevison.

Blaxill, M., Rogers, T. & Nevison, C. Autism Tsunami: the Impact of Rising Prevalence on the Societal Cost of Autism in the United States. J Autism Dev Disord (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-05120-7

Abstract

The cost of ASD in the U.S. is estimated using a forecast model that for the first time accounts for the true historical increase in ASD. Model inputs include ASD prevalence, census population projections, six cost categories, ten age brackets, inflation projections, and three future prevalence scenarios. Future ASD costs increase dramatically: total base-case costs of $223 (175–271) billion/year are estimated in 2020; $589 billion/year in 2030, $1.36 trillion/year in 2040, and $5.54 (4.29–6.78) trillion/year by 2060, with substantial potential savings through ASD prevention. Rising prevalence, the shift from child to adult-dominated costs, the transfer of costs from parents onto government, and the soaring total costs raise pressing policy questions and demand an urgent focus on prevention strategies. Read here: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-05120-7

The Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders is the leading peer-reviewed, scholarly periodical focusing on all aspects of autism spectrum disorders and related developmental disabilities.

By Anne Dachel

Back in 2007 I wrote a piece called,Autism: An Epidemic of Fairly Recent Origin

It was all about the explosion in autism from a relatively rare condition to one affecting one in every 150 (2007).  

One of my sources for that story was a 2007 piece from the Boston Globe, With Rise in Autism, Programs Strained.

Globe reporter Carey Goldberg wrote about parents having to wait nine months for an autism diagnosis and as long as five years to get their child into a special school.

Goldberg wrote, “Statewide, the number of schoolchildren diagnosed with autism has nearly doubled over the last five years, from 4,080 to 7,521, according to soon-to-be-published data from the Department of Education.”

Clearly the autism phenomenon was putting huge pressures on the education system and services.

When she wrote the story in 2007, Goldberg did not explain why these numbers were jumping off the page. This seemed odd since anyone reading her autism statistics would logically want to know why this was happening.

Fourteen years ago I used to politely write to reporters when I saw stories like this and ask those logical questions. I’m sure I wrote to Goldberg and most likely she didn’t respond, since reporters covering autism rarely show any real interest.

Now a recent Boston Gobe story on autism has my attention.

On July 16, 2021, Kara Baskin wrote the Globe piece, What happens to autistic children once they become adults?

In the story she interviewed autism parent Cammie McGovern about her soon-to-be-released book “Hard Landings: Looking into the Future for a Child With Autism.”

Foo Fighters postponed tour dates after a member of their team contracted Covid. They made the news several weeks ago when they announced their “Vaxxed Only” tour starting at Madison Square Garden, in New York.

Comments at Twitter are brutal and remind me of Palm Sunday: "Crucify him! Crucify him!" as the assumption is this MUST be an unvaccinated person. 

We hope the person recovers quickly, whether vaccinated or not. We're human that way.

From CNN:

Foo Fighters postpone concert after confirmed Covid-19 case

Weeks after the Foo Fighters played the first capacity show at Madison Square Garden, they have announced they must postpone their Los Angeles concert due to a confirmed case of Covid-19 within their organization.

The band had been scheduled to play the Los Angeles Forum on Saturday.

On Wednesday, they announced via their verified Twitter account: "Despite having made every effort to follow CDC COVID protocols and local laws, there has been a confirmed COVID-19 case within the Foo Fighters organization...

An interesting firing took place in Tennessee over parental consent and marketing vaccines directly to minors.  Whether you want the Covid vaccine for yourself or not, allowing children as young as 12 to make healthcare decisions for themselves without parental knowledge can be frightening to consider.  We can play devil's advocate. For instance,  if teens are going to be sexually active, obtaining birth control without parental consent could be seen as  verboten (to some) or common sense (to others) as teen pregnancy carries serious consequences.  But, birth control pills and implantable IUDs carry health risk. The risk of teen pregnancy for both the boy and the girl can be life changing. But what about Covid vaccination? Is the risk reward equation similar? Especially for a vaccine that is still in the experimental stages and has incomplete data on risk to children, including their future fertility and their cardiac status. Both scenarios depend on the parents' politics, upbringing, life experience, maybe religion and personal point of view. Troubling to me, is that I read that Dr. Fiscus was sent a muzzle anonymously in the mail. She perceived it as a threat to keep quiet - and who could blame her? But what if it was sent from someone telling her she should not be muzzled? Either way, it's intimidating  and I feel for her and her family, as she is likely worried about her safety. Just as many of us are worried about our kids' safety if vaccinated. And we know from muzzles. What a world.

This firing took place in Tennessee. You might recall that Nurse Tiffany Pontes-Dover was vaccinated for COVID on camera during a press event at her Chattanooga hospital back in December. Nurse Dover fainted on camera. Without getting into cloak and dagger territory, her formerly active social media Instagram account was ceased, and despite thousands of requests for proof she survived, there are questions as to whether she is alive or not. Has anyone asked Dr. Fiscus if she has been in contact with Nurse Dover, as a former senior vaccination official in the state?

###

NPR: She Says She Was Fired For Saying That Teens Don't Need Parental Consent For Vaccines

Tennessee's top vaccine official says she has been fired as punishment for doing her job in the face of political pushback.

Dr. Michelle Fiscus was caught up in a controversy after she passed along legal guidance to health providers saying teenagers do not need parents' consent to receive a COVID-19 vaccine shot — a position established by decades of state law.

"Specifically, it was MY job to provide evidence-based education and vaccine access so that Tennesseans could protect themselves against COVID-19," Fiscus said in a scathing statement about her firing. "I have now been terminated for doing exactly that."

Tennessee's leaders have betrayed the public trust, Fiscus said, accusing them of putting their own political gains ahead of the people's well-being. She defended her colleagues in the health sector who have been fighting the pandemic — and she notably took umbrage that a lawmaker had called the state Department of Health's actions "reprehensible."

Fiscus said that "the 'leaders' of this state who have put their heads in the sand and denied the existence of COVID-19 or who thought they knew better than the scientists who have spent their lives working to prevent disease ... they are what is 'reprehensible.' I am ashamed of them. I am afraid for my state."

Because of the pushback from lawmakers, Fiscus said, Tennessee is halting all of its vaccination outreach efforts for teenagers and children – not only for COVID-19 but also for measles and other illnesses.

When you see it.....

Thank you to Alison Chapman in Massachusetts for sharing this opinion piece that ran in the Boston Globe. Surprising that they ran it, but I learned a saying decades ago, "Don't punish progress," and this opinion piece is important information that could help thousands of families whose kids face expulsion from school.

###

OPINION

COVID-19 vaccines illustrate the transformative power of vaccination to control infectious illness, and some schools have implemented mandates. In this context, the Massachusetts Legislature is considering two vaccination bills that would end or limit access to school, day care, or even college for the roughly 1 percent of Massachusetts children or young adults using a religious exemption. One of the bills would also allow vaccination of children without parental consent or knowledge — irrespective of age or capacity—and would also limit medical exemptions. While broad vaccine coverage is important to control infectious illness, it is imperative that citizens appreciate the destructive consequences of these bills.

With the highest vaccination rates in the country, Massachusetts is largely protected from disease outbreaks. Over the past decade, vaccination rates have improved and the religious exemption, used most often to forgo one or two vaccines, has held steady at roughly 1 percent. Simply put, there is no vaccination problem in Massachusetts. Excluding children from school risks creating larger, more serious, public health problems.

Note: So happy to share this post from Jennifer Rose, author of It's Not a Perfect World, But I'll take it.

By Jennifer Rose

Growing up autistic wasn’t always easy for me. Not only did my disability make it rather difficult for me to make friends, but there weren’t a lot of girls “like me” at my old school. So my mother, god bless her, often took me to see other special needs families, with varying degrees of success. However, one friendship that stands out from all the rest is my friendship with Olivia.

Now, Olivia is significantly more disabled than I am, or even my younger sister- the contrast between the two of us is incredibly significant. It’s much easier for me to go out and make friends than it is for McKenna to. And yet, whenever we meet up, it’s like a beautiful bond has connected between us.

We’ve known each other literally since grade school. She was one of the first families Mom had encountered during her autism journey, and she was known as something of a “cool mom.” She and Olivia would always have very stylish clothes when they went out, and Olivia became known around Morristown, New Jersey for her singing with her therapist Jammin Jenn. We became even closer when she moved to my elementary school for a while, as we got to see each other more often. Likewise, her mom and my mom had a fantastic bond created by similar circumstances.

Several years ago, my mother had plans to go out with her mom to go out for pizza. She asked me if I wanted to come, and I was ambivalent at first. Not that I didn’t like seeing them, but I honestly wasn’t sure I’d be interested. Eventually, I figured “Ah, what the hell, it would be nice to get out of the house”- I was bored at home and often spent my time watching movies or playing video games- so I agreed to her offer. And also, who passes up on a nice warm slice of pizza?

When we met up at the restaurant, her mom was there to happily greet us.

“Oh, hi!” my mom told her mom. “We haven’t seen each other in ages!”

Olivia didn’t talk much, but I knew that, deep down, she appreciated me and my company

“I know, right?” said her mom. “I’m so glad to see you! You know, Olivia went to a party at her school, and a group of boys approached her, and offered her to dance!”

“Oh wow, Olivia!” I said in a delightful tone of voice. “That’s amazing!”

Eventually, the chatter spilled out into the typical chatter of special needs mothers.

“It seems as though we “need” an Autism Awareness Month, or we wouldn’t know that autism exists!” said Mom.

“What do you think about that?” I asked her.

“I honestly don’t think it’s doing much for the cause,” said Mom.

“Yeah, the other “awareness” months tend to be more effectual, like Lyme Disease Awareness Month” I said.

“Soon, everyone’s going to be autistic,” said Mom. “I mean, Asperger’s no longer exists!”

Why not? They bring everything else to your door. And now, prescription drugs. Can you imagine a patient telling her doctor, "No, not that pill, I want to get Amazon Prime."  And what about the safety of drivers who will now have drugs in the trucks? When word gets out, they will be at risk of violent crime. Especially the pills that make people.... SMILE.

This Tweet from President Biden scrolled down my Twitter today and I felt compelled to answer. Answer for real. Answer politely. Or rather, ask a question politely. I wasn't raised to be rude to the POTUS, elephant or donkey.

The President suggests that we need to totally revamp and rebuild our economy. And I asked, "How",  given the plight of the younger generation, including my 3 daughters. President Trump also had lofty goals that he called Making America Great Again. Both sides of the aisle have ignored the past and present health catastrophe facing babies, children, teens and young adults. Many years ago, the American Academy of Pediatrics reported that 50% of children had a chronic illness. Given the trend, that number is surely higher in 2021. And adults have not fared any better. Diabetes, heart disease, cancer of all sorts, mental health issues, obesity.

Politics aside, how the heck do we improve upon the “can do!” attitude of the post-War boom that was fueled by the Cold War? Post-Covid is producing weaker, less fit, more frightened, anxious, divided, hesitant, Americans who are afraid to think and act for themselves or listen to those on “the other side.”  Who is going to build this new economy?

You might notice that we have some changes in the near future, starting with updating our email feed.  Of course, I hit a tech glitch - they DENIED us the ability to transfer, and I sure am hoping it's nothing.... personal. If you know what I mean.  You might not get us in your inbox for a while.

I'll keep you posted as I continue to try to keep the light shining.  Thanks. KIM

Below is an excerpt and link to an interview with Dr. Bret Weinstein by Jan Jekielek.  The world has been enrolled in a clinical trial - for the first time - en masse. Without any of the controls required of a clinical trial. How has this become the "Patriotic" thing to do here in the USA, and across the globe?

###

Bret Weinstein: ‘Perverse Incentives’ in the Vaccine Rollout and the Censorship of Science

“We are exposing a huge fraction of the population to what is in effect a scientific experiment, except that it isn’t a scientific experiment because we are deliberately avoiding collecting data that would allow us to evaluate the impact,” says Dr. Bret Weinstein, an evolutionary biologist and co-host of the DarkHorse podcast.

In this deep-dive with Dr. Weinstein, we discuss COVID-19 vaccine safety, the efficacy of repurposed drugs, the Wuhan lab leak theory, and this new age of censorship. What scientific data and information is currently being denied to the public?

Below is a rush transcript of this American Thought Leaders episode from July 3, 2021. This transcript may not be in its final form and may be updated.

Jan Jekielek: Bret Weinstein, such a pleasure to have you on American Thought Leaders.

Dr. Bret Weinstein: Thanks for having me.

We're taking our very first Summer break.

Enjoy the long weekend. We'll be back on Tuesday, July 6!

Register now for Webinar and Q&A Session Regarding the main brief CHD filed in its case against the OTARD rule allowing base station antennas on homes. 

What is the OTARD Rule? Read here

When: Wednesday, June 30, 2:30 pm ET, 11:30 am PT. REGISTER NOW. 

We will explain the various arguments that we raised in the brief to simplify them for non-attorneys among us. We recommend you read the brief before the webinar. 

We will be joined also by the attorneys who are submitting an Amicus Brief in the case on behalf of many dozens of US safe tech organizations. We will have a 30 minutes public Q&A session.

Speakers: Attorneys Dafna Tachover, CHD Director of 5G and Wireless Harms Project; Scott McCollough, CHD lead attorney in the OTARD case; Petra Brokken from Minnesota Safe Technology; Stephen Díaz Gavin, attorney for the Amicus. 

For those readers whose kids are still in school, are you starting extended school year services this week?  We have a one month program, five days per week from 8:45 - 1:34pm.   Services are 50% of what is offered during the school year.  Our public school program is 4 days per week. My daughter and I prefer 5! What do you have? If anything? And what would you prefer?

Note: When I turned on The Howard Stern Show at about 7:30 yesterday morning, he began his non-stop fear of Covid, and love for the vaccinations the moment I tuned in. Imagine my surprise when he began talking about the V Is For Vaccine protest outside the Springsteen on Broadway - which was for vaccinated only.  He hates the unvaccinated and fears Covid with all his heart and soul and OCD. He used to turn his cruelty into comedy. I was so annoyed, I snapped a screen shot.

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Protest Against Segregation at Bruce Springsteen Concert for  "Vaccinated Only" Attendees

New York, NY - On June 26, 2021 the largest public vaccine risk education organization, V is for Vaccine, protested what they are calling discrimination and modern segregation outside the first show of the new Bruce Springsteen concert series at the St. James Theater. Springsteen's shows are open to "vaccinated only", allowing only attendees who have received the COVID-19 vaccine. Concert goers were required to show proof of vaccination for COVID-19 to enter the venue.

The protest aimed to highlight how segregating vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals is a violation of civil and equal rights, with activists holding signs that replicated protest signs from the Civil Rights era. One such sign read "Segregation is morally wrong!"

Segregation is defined as the action or state of setting someone or something apart from other people, or things being set apart. There and many reasons people do not vaccinate, including previous vaccine injury or medical or genetic predisposition to an adverse reaction.

Springsteen isn't the first performer to impose this requirement. Just last week V is for Vaccine also organized a protest at the The Foo Fighters concert on the west coast, which was the very first full capacity "vaccinated only" concert in the country.

V is for Vaccine co-founder Joshua Coleman stated, "Our goal is to point out how this medically and scientifically unjustified discrimination is setting a dangerous precedent. We are supposed to be in an age where we have moved past treating others unfairly based upon prejudices and unfounded fears. It seems in this case history is repeating itself."

As the risk of myocarditis and pericarditis post Covid vaccination, becomes more evident, I have a simple question for all of us with children who can not communicate their health status to us either accurately or at all. 

If your child with autism was experiencing a fast-beating, fluttering, or pounding heart, would he or she have the ability to tell you? 

In my home, that answer is a resounding NO, NO, and NO.  Let's say that your child could communicate, or you were able to figure out the problem through your super duper autism parent intuition special secret life decoder skills.  Would your child tolerate any of the tests that would be run at the Emergency Room?

Worse that that, your doctor might not be to diagnose correctly! Classified as a rare disease, myocarditis is misdiagnosed by physicians and is the 3rd leading cause of sudden death in young people. Source: Myocarditis Foundation

Diagnosis of myocarditis is hard because it looks like so many other diseases. The diagnosis is made first by the history and a physical examination by a doctor. A physical exam may show a fast heart rate, abnormal blood pressure, and fast breathing rate, an abnormal examination of the heart and lungs, and sometimes an enlarged liver. Special tests such as an x-ray of the chest, electrocardiogram and echocardiogram may help with the diagnosis. Sometimes blood tests are obtained to help show the presence or cause of inflammation. Myocarditis can best be diagnosed by examining a small piece of heart muscle under a microscope. Samples of the heart muscle are taken with a bioptome, a thin, flexible tube with small cutting jaws at its tip. The bioptome is inserted through a vein in the patient's neck and positioned in the heart. Once the bioptome is in position, it withdraws very small heart muscle samples for analysis.

Source: Children's Hospital of Chicago

Last week, we had a student pass out in Karate class. He stumbled toward me as we were lining up, and collapsed in my arms. Thank God he came to quickly and was able to speak and focus.We hope it was due to dehydration snd heat. We don’t know.

The FDA released this information updating the fact sheets via a press release last week as reports continue to come in on the global experiment called Covid vaccination:

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Source: FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continued to take action in the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic:

Today, the FDA is announcing revisions to the patient and provider fact sheets for the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines regarding the suggested increased risks of myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and pericarditis (inflammation of the tissue surrounding the heart) following vaccination. For each vaccine, the Fact Sheet for Healthcare Providers Administering Vaccine (Vaccination Providers) has been revised to include a warning about myocarditis and pericarditis and the Fact Sheet for Recipients and Caregivers has been revised to include information about myocarditis and pericarditis. This update follows an extensive review of information and the discussion by CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meeting on Wednesday. The data presented at this meeting reinforced the FDA’s decision to revise the fact sheets and further informed the specific revisions. The warning in the Fact Sheets for Healthcare Providers Administering Vaccines notes that reports of adverse events suggest increased risks of myocarditis and pericarditis, particularly following the second dose and with onset of symptoms within a few days after vaccination. Additionally, the Fact Sheets for Recipients and Caregivers for these vaccines note that vaccine recipients should seek medical attention right away if they have chest pain, shortness of breath, or feelings of having a fast-beating, fluttering, or pounding heart after vaccination. The FDA and CDC are monitoring the reports, collecting more information, and will follow-up to assess longer-term outcomes over several months.

2006, Madison Square Garden

The hero of the every-man,  of the working class, downtrodden, cheated, lied to, put out of work, hungry, homeless, disenfranchised, Bruce Springteen, has a show on Broadway that made headlines this week for its vaccine policy and about face.
I call it "The Clot in the USA Tour."

First, reports said that no one vaccinated with the Astra-Zeneca brand could attend.  ‘Springsteen On Broadway’ Off Limits For Fans Vaccinated With AstraZeneca Then, that rule was relaxed to be more inclusive, so that non-Americans could attend the show.  Good news for Canadian tourists. The unvaxxed are canucked....

If you aren't vaccinated, Bruce suggests you go down to the Jersey Shore and ask Madam Marie to tell you if you will ever be able to attend any of his shows ever again. Meanwhile.... The vaxxed will have a homecoming, on Broadway later this month. And the magic rats drive their  pharma campaigns, over the democracy line.

Vaxxed up girls walkin' in the lobby drinking white wine across the velvet ropes
And the unvaxxed outside live just like shadows, always quiet, holding their tongue...

As we make our stand.... down in Pharmaland!