Watch Julie Gerberding Not Lie

I was doing a search on Julie Gerberding when I came across some surprising video.  Julie Gerberding talking candidly about smoking.

What was surprising to me was hearing her talk like a normal person.  She spoke off the cuff about her thoughts on smoking and health policy, and she was not the least bit full of crap when she did it.

Now I have only heard her talk about vaccines and autism, and the person that she is when she talks about these two topics is not at all the person I see in the above video.  When she talks about autism and vaccines she is rehearsed and condescending and carefully threads the needle with very specific, very qualified, very evasive language.  (Watch the CNN video again, both the questions and her answers are pretty clearly from a script)  Not in a million years would I expect to hear Julie speak extemporaneously on vaccine safety.

If there was ever any doubt that Julie was spouting bullshit when talking about vaccines and autism, it is dealt a death blow by hearing her talk about something else.

Nothing like hearing some one tell the truth to figure out when they are lying.  

...also it is kinda funny to hear her talk about the stupidity of knowingly giving toxins to kids via cigarettes.

Police Chief Throws Crying Child With Autism From Resturant

So... at current count our children are not allowed to cry in planes or in restaurants. 

At this rate, we should go ahead and ask for some sort of "separate but equal" system since our kids are such a huge problem with people with such delicate sensibilities that hearing a disabled child cry rocks their whole world.

This stuff sucks and it is really starting to make me angry.

Pharma has GOT to Listen to This Man

Ad Age’s Garfield: Pharma Must Clean Up Its Act

Watch the video

AIA 2.0

The blog she is a'changing.  A little.

When I started writing four years ago, things were very different.  New developments or relevant media coverage was few and far between.  Now, even when I am spending hours a day reading, I can't keep up with all the developments.  Autism could have its own news channel.

So I am going to shift things a bit here, but wont change them dramatically.  I assume you have already noticed the new look.  I will be announcing my new sponsor soon, but I will only have one sponsor.  And I will start posting a round up of stories that you may be interested in with limited or no comments, but won't stop posting my usual commentary.

And as Age of Autism is becoming the "newspaper of record" for our community, I will consider my blog an adjunct to it.  My own personal editorial page if you will.

I hope the changes will be helpful to you.

Ginger

Calling All Florida Autism Parents

Your AG has taken note of what happened to Alex Barton and wants to hear your stories of mistreatment in Florida schools. Chances are you have a few. Give him a call. (866) 966-7226

After PSL autistic boy's case, Attorney General weighing more complaints from parents

TALLAHASSEE — Stemming from its investigation into a Port St. Lucie autistic boy voted out of kindergarten, the state Office of the Attorney General is looking at how children with autism are treated in Florida schools.

"We want to understand this issue on a more global scale," said Sandi Copes, press secretary for the Office of the Attorney General in Tallahassee. "To see if there is an underlying problem."

Since the office's initial investigation into the case of 5-year-old Alex Barton, several people with autistic children have come forward with their own complaints, Copes said.

Parents are expressing frustration their complaints haven't been heard, so the Attorney General's office wants to talk with them to see if there's any way to help, she said. Those discussions could take place in the coming weeks, she said.

The investigation began after Alex told his mother, Melissa Barton, he was voted out of his kindergarten class by his fellow students. Morningside Elementary teacher Wendy Portillo told police she wanted Alex to hear from his peers how his behavior affected others. She then took a poll as to whether Alex should be allowed to return to the classroom, according to reports.

Alex lost the vote, 14 to 2.

At the time, he was in the process of being tested for Asperger Syndrome, a type of high-functioning autism. He since has been diagnosed with the disorder, Barton said.

The St. Lucie County School District continues to investigate the incident.

When the Attorney General's office investigated Alex's situation, Barton mentioned other parents who had contacted her regarding the treatment of their autistic children, Copes said.

Barton said she is glad parents finally have someone paying attention to them.

"Finally, things are getting done," she said. "There is some justice in it."

It's no longer just about Alex, she said.

"There are other children out there that have been waiting (for help) a very long time," she said. "No one has been listening forever."

The Attorney General's office is trying to compile a list of participants to meet and talk about their issues, Copes said. The investigation is statewide and not concentrating on one area in particular, she said.

Meanwhile, Barton said parents are trying to mobilize. She said now is the time for parents with complaints to come forward.

The Office of the Attorney General is interested in talking with parents of children with autism who have concerns about their child's treatment in schools. Parents with concerns can call the citizen services hotline at (866) 966-7226.

Our Children Change Us

Paul's tribute to his son:

"And all the roads we have to walk are winding
And all the lights that lead us there are blinding
There are many things that I would
Like to say to you
But I don’t know how
Because maybe
You’re gonna be the one that saves me
And after all
You’re my wonderwall

-Wonderwall by Noel Gallagher

Wonderwall is a lyrically fantastic, hauntingly sung song. I’m sure the lyrics above resonate with many people and for differing reasons.


When I hear Wonderwall on the radio I think of the current journey I’m on and the most influential person in shaping my life.

And all the roads we have to walk are winding
And all the lights that lead us there are blinding

I never signed up for having an autistic child. I thought I signed up for a straight line path through life. Obviously, that isn’t the case. Lacking control and knowledge of the future has rocked me to the core, but has provided a real kick in the pants wake up call to live life. The unknown brings exciting potential, but also has anxiety riddled possibilities. I need to accept the unknown and do my best in the now to help my son. The now matters, the future will take care of itself.

There are many things that I would
Like to say to you
But I don’t know how

No single person has taught me more about life than my son. I don’t know if many 7 year olds hold this type of impact on their fathers. He has taught me (or maybe more correctly exposed my shortcomings) about faith, unconditional love, responsibility, critical thinking, friendship and patience. He holds the sweetest spirit and beautifully pure naive view of life.

It is doubtful that I’ll ever be able to adequately express my feelings to my son. I’m not sure how much understanding he will have about this part of his life or what lies ahead for him going forward. I have to accept doing my best for him and trying to minimize my failings of him.

Because maybe
You’re gonna be the one that saves me
And after all
You’re my wonderwall"

12 Babies from Poor Families Die in Glaxo Vaccine Trials

"Buenos Aires, Jul 10, 2008 (EFE via COMTEX) -- At least 12 babies who were part of a clinical study to test the effectiveness of a vaccine against pneumonia have died over the past year in Argentina, the local press reported Thursday.

The study was sponsored by global drug giant GlaxoSmithKline and uses children from poor families, who are "pressured and forced into signing consent forms," the Argentine Federation of Health Professionals, or Fesprosa, said.
"This occurs without any type of state control" and "does not comply with minimum ethical requirements," Fesprosa said.

The vaccine trial is still ongoing despite the denunciations, and those in charge of the study were cited by the Critica newspaper as saying that the procedures are being carried out in a lawful manner."...

Glaxo Exec Resigns from Ofsted

From Pharmalot:

—– Original Message —–
From: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk
To: fiddaman64
Sent: Wednesday, July 09, 2008 1:22 PM
Subject: Fw: Appointment of GSK Vice President to Ofsted

Dear Mr Fiddaman

Further to my email to you this morning, please be advised as follows:

Paul Blackburn resigned as a non executive member of the Ofsted Board on 5th July. His resignation follows public concerns about the activities of his employer GSK. Paul did not want any negative press interest to detract from the excellent work of Ofsted and therefore resigned. As far as Ofsted is concerned the matter is now concluded.

Should you require any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact us.

Regards,
Alan O’Neal
Customer Service Advisor
Ofsted - National Business Unit

Autism Speaks Supresses the Free Speech of People with Autism

Rather than listening to the legitimate criticism that Autism Speaks is being offered from the neurodiversity community (like the fact that people with autism are not allowed to speak at their events, even though their name is "Autism Speaks"), AS instead threatens to sue them.

Even for legal parodies, even for t-shirts that say, "Autism Speaks can go away. I have autism. I can speak for myself."

Pretty poor behavior for the org that refers to itself as Autism's "Big Tent".

(But really, if they don't listen to fellow parents like us who are looking for treatments and supposedly have the same goals as them, are we surprised that they don't listen to adults with autism who oppose "cures"?)

And its weird because, really, the point of all the of the stuff that we are doing to make our kids better is so that they CAN one day advocate for themselves, right?  I mean, I disagree whole heartedly with the idea that finding a "cure" for autism is wrong, and somehow devalues people with autism, but I earnestly pray that my son will be an adult who is healthy and functional enough to process complex abstract ideas like human value and have t-shirts printed up to espouse his thoughts on the matter should he get a hankerin' to do so.

I know this may sound odd, but the fact that there are people with autism out there that can use cogent arguments to tell me that they think that I am jerk is encouraging to me.  It means that it is possible that my son who wouldn't see danger coming if it was wearing a t-shirt that said, "I am danger" on it, might one day not only be able to comprehend and defend himself against concrete threats to his safety, but abstract, theoretical threats to his self image.

It gives me the hope that someday, Chandler could be a sixteen year old that borrows the car and stays out past curfew, yelling "I hate you, you have ruined my life" when he gets grounded and can't go to the foot ball game on Friday, just like most every other teen age boy has done at one time or another.  ... and the idea of loosing an arguement with him, and having to apologize to him, is just to beautiful a thought for me to hope for.

If AS first priority is squelching criticism of their organization by people with autism, there is a much cheaper way to do that.  Stop looking for a cure and don't teach people with autism how to talk.  That way, you save money on both ends, you don't have to spend it on research and speech therapy now, NOR do you have to spend it on lawyers to get them to shut up later!

When reaching your goals for autism means stepping on people with autism, it is time for you to get out of the autism game and just go back to being a corporation that just steps on the regular ol'e consumer.

UPDATE:  So it appears that in the case of the t-shirt, they did not threaten to sue over that specifically, but since they had contacted the tshirt company before about shirts with their name on it, said company decided to nix the one in qestion pre-emptively.

He jumped to the conclusion that AS did it.

But they still bullied a 14 year old over a parody site.

Amanda Peet Thinks Parents Who Don't Vaccinate Are "Parasites"

Vaccine patent holder Paul Offit, whose Rotateq vaccine has already generated more adverse reactions than the last Rota virus vaccines that was pulled from the market, whose Rotateq vaccine has already killed a child, who believes that it is safe to inject a baby with 100,000 vaccines at once, and who was reprimanded by congress for his ethics problems, has personally schooled Ms. Peet in vaccine safety.

From Cookie Magazine:

"...Peet's analytical urges are comical when she's talking about kids' gear, but not when she's discussing a subject she feels is among today's most pressing public-health issues: infant vaccinations. "As soon as I was pregnant, the neuroses kicked in," says Peet, 36, who is married to screenwriter David Benioff. She began calling her older sister's husband, a Philadelphia pediatrician, "every five minutes" with all kinds of questions, especially about shots. "I asked him, 'Why are all of these necessary? Why are some people staggering them?'?" Eventually her brother-in-law arranged a series of phone calls between Peet and his own mentor, Paul Offit, M.D., who is chief of infectious diseases at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, a co-inventor of the rotavirus vaccine, and a board member of Every Child by Two, a pro-vaccine organization cofounded in 1991 by former first lady Rosalynn Carter.

"Once we had spoken, I was shocked at the amount of misinformation floating around, particularly in Hollywood," says Peet, who quickly boned up on the hot-button controversies surrounding the topic, including the unproven link between certain vaccines and autism; the safety of preservatives like mercury-based thimerosal; and the fear that the relatively high number of shots kids receive today can overwhelm young immune systems. Her conclusion? Well, not only is Frankie up-to-date on her vaccines (with no staggering), but her mom will soon appear in public-service announcements for Every Child by Two. "I buy 99 percent organic food for Frankie, and I don't like to give her medicine or put sunscreen on her," says Peet. "But now that I've done my research, vaccines do not concern me." What does concern her is the growing number of unvaccinated children who are benefiting from the "shield" created by the inoculated—we are protected from viruses only if everyone, or most everyone, is immunized: "Frankly, I feel that parents who don't vaccinate their children are parasites."

I am assume that when she makes her PSA, they will ask her to leave out the part where she calls non vaxing parents, "parasites".

Aluminum in Vaccines

AOA has a piece on Dr. Sears Mothering article.  He assumed aluminum had been safety tested before putting in vaccines.

Never assume that just because a toxin is being injected into babies at high levels, that it has been safety tested.

It appears that we have removed mercury, an adjuvant that causes autoimmune disorders, mitochondrial disorders and kills brain cells, and we have replaced it with aluminum, an adjuvant that causes autoimmune disorders, mitochondrial disorders and kills brain cells.

I should add that Heath Advocacy in the Public Interest randomly tested vaccines and found that one had 1,117 mcg of aluminum in it. (their site seems to be down right now)

UPDATE:  I stand corrected by Quantumerik and Boyd Haley.  I sent the question to Dr. Haley and this was his response:

"Thimerosal is not an adjuvant, it does not enhance the immune response to an antigen as does aluminum.  It is only added as a preservative.  The pharmaceutical companies and their supporters would like for thimerosal to be an adjuvant, then they could not be sued for adulterating their vaccines and all costs would have to fall on the government programs for vaccine injury.  -boyd"

Congressmen and 9/11 Responders Pissed at Bush/Gerberding for Firing John Howard

Congress Members, Responders Decry NIOSH Director’s Firing

... and if our Julie responds like usual, she will just ignore them.

"Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), accompanied by World Trade Center responders gathered Tuesday at Ground Zero to demand that the Bush administration reverse its decision to fire Dr. John Howard, Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. As NIOSH director, Howard administered federally funded health care programs for 9/11 first responders exposed to Ground Zero toxins.

Also yesterday, Maloney, Nadler, and Reps. Eliot Engel and Edolphus Towns sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Julie Gerberding demanding a meeting this week to discuss Howard’s firing. In a related effort, New York Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Charles Schumer also on Tuesday sent a letter to Leavitt urging him to reconsider the termination of Howard and calling for a detailed account of the reasons he was removed from his position.

“Only the Bush Administration would fire a respected public servant who has received near-universal praise for doing a good job,” Maloney said. “Dr. Howard is out of a job because he wanted to help the heroes of 9/11 and his superiors didn’t. We demand that the administration take back this outrageous slap at sick 9/11 responders and reappoint Dr. Howard to a well-deserved second term.”..."

Gerberding should have been fired years ago. I have lost track of all the things people have wanted her fired for.

Why does she still have a job?

Oh... because she does whatever the administration tells her to, even if it is completely unethical, constitutes lying to the American Public and endangers the health of those it is her job to protect.

Cheney's staff censored EPA, ex-official alleges

Has anyone noticed that there is a thread running through all her malfeasance?

All of it is in defense of toxins in one form or another.

The New Autism Dictionary

Last month and the Green Our Vaccines Rally, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. mentioned a new term in his description of Paul Offit:

Biostitute - (by.AWS.tuh.toot) n. A biologist who supports a company or activity that is harmful to people, living creatures or the environment in exchange for pay, fame or career advancement.

Today, in a comment on the Age of Autism site Kim Stagliano found the term for Offit's religion.  I have taken the liberty of defining it:

Vaccinianity - (Vax.e.an.eh.te) n. The worship of Vaccination.  The belief that Vaccine is inherently Good and therefore cannot cause damage.  If damage does occur, it is not because Vaccine was bad, but because the injured party was a poor receptacle for the inherently Good Vaccine.  (ie.  hanna poling was hurt when she came into contact with Vaccine, not because the Vaccine was harmful, but because her DNA was not to par or because her mitochondrial disorder was to blame.)  Vaccine is presumed to have rights that supersede the rights of the individual, while the human person's rights must defer to Vaccine.

 That Paul Offit is one inspirational man.