What do Bill Maher, Louis Farrakhan and Glenn Beck have in common?

[Are_grits_groceries]

By Troy Davis:

Enter the neutral zone
What do Bill Maher, Louis Farrakhan and Glenn Beck have in common? Usually not much, but this flu season, they have all been irresponsible voices who could potentially constitute a greater public health threat than the H1N1 virus.

As we enter what could be a difficult flu season — President Barack Obama just declared a national emergency — we face a number of challenges to our public health infrastructure. Some of these challenges are typical and expected, such as the difficulties of distributing materials across a huge country with more than 300 million people in it or the complexities of producing in a short time frame a new vaccine that is safe and effective.

Others, however, are surprises, such as public skepticism from commentators like Maher regarding both public-safety measures like vaccines to prevent the spread of the illness and messages from public health officials. How elected leaders — and public commentators themselves — respond will determine our ability to be successful in facing the challenges of both seasonal and H1N1 influenza, as well as other potential biological events in the future.

Successfully dealing with any kind of bio event requires three steps: preparation, education and execution. The federal government is good at the first two steps, but recent evidence has shown that the third area may be lacking.
<snip>
The third stage is execution, and this is the area where partisan sentiments can get in the way of effective event management. The event you plan for is rarely the event that takes place, and this disconnect is what separates theoretical cooperation in a government playbook with actual execution by individuals in the state, local and private-sector arenas. One thing that has made the execution part harder this season is the many loud voices, on both the left and the right, who are telling their listeners not to get vaccines because they distrust the government.

The worst offender in this has been Maher, who has called people who get flu shots “idiots” and has spread misinformation such as the idea that getting a vaccine is putting a live virus into your arm. In fact, the flu shot is a killed virus. In contrast, the nasal mist is a (weakened) live virus. But Maher is part of a larger phenomenon, in which people take political differences with elected leaders and apply them to anything the government says. Farrakhan, for his part, has been saying that the flu vaccine was designed to kill people, and that wise people won’t take it. And some conservatives are even telling their listeners to discount the recommendations from public health experts. As Glenn Beck put it, “If somebody had the swine flu right now, I would have them cough on me. I’d do the exact opposite of what Homeland Security says.”

Politicians cannot control political commentators — nor should they. But on this issue, elected officials of the left and the right need to band together, reach out to thought leaders outside government and recognize that their supporters are skeptical of the opposing party, just as the opposing party faithful is skeptical of them. This skepticism has consequences for national readiness.
<snip>
As we look to the future, it is time to declare potential bio events a “neutral zone” — a place beyond politics that should be entered by both parties together.

This approach would be far more likely to grab Americans’ attention, as the public knows all too well that on most issues, our politicians are constantly at war. But on public health issues essential to the safety of the American people, we need elected leaders who understand the skepticism of citizens and reach out in a bipartisan way with an intelligent, informative, respectful message that helps turn hard government work on preparation and education into successful execution.
http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=972794B1-18FE-70B2-A8A04550DC60E156

I think he is right about a neutral zone.

I'm not sure if Maher is any worse than the other 2. He doesn't have as wide an audience as Beck, and unfortunately people believe what Beck says is gospel.

[izquierdista]

1. Maher and "idiots"

In this case, "it takes one to know one" is fitting. It shows that he is operating at a low level of intelligence. High enough to be skeptical of stories about talking snakes and magic underwear, but not quite high enough to use statistical reasoning. He will probably be one of the first to wring his hands about the very, very small number who get an adverse reaction to a vaccine, while ignoring the millions who don't get sick, just as the vaccine was intended.

[Ian David]

3. Maybe smoking pot prevents the flu?

Or maybe just the pot that Bill Maher smokes.

[izquierdista]

7. It has an effect on brain cells

I noticed that in college, when last year's most die-hard potheads failed to show up for the fall semester.

[Ian David]

2. I have no problem with Conservatives leading their followers off the virus cliff.

However, Bill Maher has a presumably Liberal audience, and he may lead well-intentioned good-hearted morons to their doom.

[Are_grits_groceries]

4. The problem is that

Conservatives aren't confined where they can't infect other people. They need to be vaccinated too in order to try to stop a large outbreak.

[Ian David]

6. But right now, the bottleneck on the flu vaccines are supply, not compliance.

You can't convince MORE people to get vaccinated when the vaccine supply is limited.

However, you can at least convince the RIGHT people to get vaccinated this year-- or stop trying to convince the wrong people.

Of course, this is just true for the flu.

But now that the guy who invented the myth that the MMR Vaccine is dangerous has admitted it was all a hoax, nobody is so morbidly ignorant and stupid to believe him anymore.

Right, "Ignored?"


MMR doctor 'broke medical rules'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6903073.stm

See also:

Andrew Wakefield
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

<snip>

Retraction of an interpretation

Twenty-four hours before the Sunday Times report, the Lancet responded to the investigation in a public statement, describing Wakefield's research as "fatally flawed," an allegation he has denied. The Lancet's editor said the paper would have been rejected as biased if the peer reviewers had been aware of Wakefield's conflict of interest.<23>

Ten of Wakefield's twelve co-authors of the Lancet paper later published a retraction of an interpretation:<24> The section of the paper retracted read as follows:

"Interpretation. We identified associated gastrointestinal disease and developmental regression in a group of previously normal children, which was generally associated in time with possible environmental triggers."

The retraction stated:<24>

"We wish to make it clear that in this paper no causal link was established between (the) vaccine and autism, as the data were insufficient. However the possibility of such a link was raised, and consequent events have had major implications for public health. In view of this, we consider now is the appropriate time that we should together formally retract the interpretation placed upon these findings in the paper, according to precedent."<25>

In November, 2004, the UK's Channel 4 Television broadcast a one-hour investigation by reporter Brian Deer, which alleged that before the Lancet paper was published, Wakefield had filed a patent application<26> for a single measles vaccine, and that his laboratory had failed to find measles virus in the children.<27> In November 2005, the scope of the allegations facing Wakefield, which he denies, were set out in a High Court judgment.<28> In December 2006, the Legal Services Commission revealed that it had paid £435,643 in fees to Wakefield<29>—payments which The Sunday Times reported had begun two years before the Lancet paper.<22>

In January 2007 Wakefield dropped his action against Channel 4 rather than have it come to court, and was required to pay all their legal costs.<30>

Professional misconduct charges

A 2007 hearing with the General Medical Council is examining charges of professional misconduct against Wakefield and two colleagues involved in the Lancet paper.<36><37> The charges include:

* He was being paid to conduct the study by solicitors representing parents who believed their children had been harmed by MMR, and failed to disclose this in his IRB.
* He ordered investigations "without the requisite paediatric qualifications".
* Acting "dishonestly and irresponsibly" in failing to disclose how patients were recruited for the study, and that some were paid to take part.
* Performing colonoscopies, colon biopsies and lumbar punctures ("spinal taps") on his research subjects without proper approval and contrary to the children's clinical interests, when these diagnostic tests were not indicated by the children's symptoms or medical history.
* Conducting the study on a basis which was not approved by the hospital's ethics committee.
* Purchasing blood samples - for £5 each - from children present at his son's birthday party, as described by Wakefield himself in a videotaped public conference.

Wakefield denies the charges. On 27 March, 2008, Wakefield began his defence in the hearing.<38>
Data fixing allegations

In February 2009, The Sunday Times reported that a further investigation by the newspaper had revealed that Wakefield "changed and misreported results in his research, creating the appearance of a possible link with autism", citing evidence obtained by the newspaper from medical records and interviews with witnesses, and supported by evidence presented to the GMC. The newspaper went on to state that the rates of inoculation fell from 92% (very slightly below measles herd immunity) to below 80% after the publication of Wakefield's study, and that confirmed cases of measles in England and Wales have risen from 56 in 1998 to 1348 in 2008, with two child fatalities,<10> as well as others seriously ill on ventilators.<34>

More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Wakefield

[Are_grits_groceries]

8. Those people are doing a lot of harm.

It takes such a long time to make people understand that something isn't true. By the time they hear all the to and fro, they don't know what to believe.

[Warpy]

11. Maher appeals to skeptics, too

and his audience is more literate than the other two can boast. Most of them will read about the flu, who it's killing, and what the vaccine does.

In other words, Maher won't see a depletion of his audience on quite the scale that either Beck or Farrakhan will.

Lockstep followers don't tune into Maher.

[Timmy5835]

16. Maher's audience also looks at alternatives

Many people think that Western Medicine is the ONLY answer. Many look at alternatives such as Chinese Medicine as a proven alternative. Remember, Western Medicine is not only profit based but has only really been around since the Civil War with a poor record on chronic illness. Chinese Medicine, on the other had, has been around for over 5000 years with proven benefits. I am NOT saying Western Medicine is ALL bad but that their are other choices out there that even Maher has commented on.

[Ian David]

17. Have you tried unicorn horn? Presumably they exist in your universe. n/t

[Timmy5835]

25. I hope you can stay well......

You like many including myself have been sold this line that Western Medicine is the ONLY answer and that only your doctor knows all. When really the other way is true. YOU are your best doctor. You're the only one that knows how you really feel. This does mean you need to be more proactive when it comes to your health, which is hard to do in this passive society we now live. I know. I've had MS for nearly 15 years. Thanks to Chinese Medicine my symptoms have all greatly decreased and continue to do do. So, no I have not tried unicorn horn but maybe you should.

[Warpy]

19. Oh, hell, I'm the biggest skeptic out there

and I use some Chinese stuff when my asthma starts acting up. The main ingredient is dried, ground gecko and it's the foulest tasting stuff I've ever been near, and I'm an RN who used to taste a little of the liquid medicine to see if there was anything I could disguise or chase it with for the poor patient who had to take it.

Acupuncture has measurable effects within the brain, that's been pretty well established for quite a few years now.

Chinese medicine is more evidence based now than it was just 50 years ago, although the Chinese consider double blind testing on sick people to be unethical. Within that limitation, they are testing and comparing and paring their own medicine down to what works.

The two systems are becoming more alike than they are different, with western practitioners now suggesting acupuncture and China using western medications and procedures.

But that Chinese stuff works even better than jacking up the prednisone and with fewer side effects. Well, I do gag for an hour when I burp it, but at least I can breathe more easily after.

[Confusious]

30. Maybe

But "western medicine" was a little busy eradicating things like small pox, which killed hundreds of millions over the past 5000 years, or protecting people from typhus, tuberculosis, malaria, rubella, measles, mumps, polio, etc.

Sorry about that. Now about that corn on your toe.....

[ChairmanAgnostic]

5. XY chromosomes?

[MissMarple]

9. I was going for overweening , egotistical.

As in Dennis Miller, and I dare say, Joe Lieberman.

[grantcart]

10. After watching Bill Maher make an idiot out of himself on H1N1 I went to the CDC

home page and found peer review results on all of the things he talked about - effectiveness of the vaccine, danger of H1N1, risk of the vaccine.

The results were completely unambigous and without controversy in the medical field.


The whole thing took me less than 5 minutes.


You really have to wonder about Maher using his platform making statements, even arguing with a doctor, on points that could result in the death of someone when he doesn't have enough interest to simply click to the recognized unbiased scientific experts.

From now on everything Maher says (even though I agree with a lot of it) has to be suspect in terms of research.

[Warpy]

12. Thanks for proving my post above

Maher gets all his "medical" information from Gary Null.

That doesn't mean his audience will.

[mmonk]

13. I don't think people consider him an expert on the issue or make their

decisions based on what he says. His audience is not a Beck audience.

[Peregrine]

14. It isn't just vaccines

Maher doesn't accept Germ Theory and he pressed the lie that Pasteur refuted Germ Theory on his death bed. Maher believes illness is caused by toxins in your system and not germs. But I bet he takes antibiotics when he is sick, oh wait, that's tight he never has been sick. He is an advocate for alternative "medicine."

[SemiCharmedQuark]

21. He praised the work of Christine Maggiore-AIDS denialist

The same Christine Maggiore who died last year from AIDS related pneumonia

[Therellas]

15. wow haters?

boy this thread surprised me.
i watch a lot of news
and mahers panels have many times been the best discussion on a topic by far.

[LeftishBrit]

18. I wish someone *would *cough on people like Glenn Beck

or that Homeland Security would tell them NOT to take a long walk on a short pier.

And the equivalent goes for everyone here who writes for The Sun and the Daily Mail.

[ZombieHorde]

20. I believe Mahr's intense interest in food and nutrition makes him weird on some health issues. nt

[Jennicut]

22. Other then all being egotistical, sexist assholes?

Hey, it is more vaccine for those of us that need it. I am a diabetic and on a waiting list.

[dana_b]

23. I hope you get it soon

and although I agree with a lot of what Maher says in regards to politics, you are right. He is very egotistical, sexist and condescending.

[Jennicut]

24. I agree with him on many things too but he is all those things as well.

And I just looked at the health clinic in my town and can get it on Wednesday...my daughter too, she is only 4 and has asthma.

[dana_b]

26. wel - there is good news then

people who are most susceptible are getting first access to the vaccine BUT it seems that you have to hunt for it

[flyarm]

27. they are alll bullshit artists and only know parts of anything and nothing of substance? am i close?

do i win the prize??..is there a prize??

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

28. Great post.

[Ratty]

29. I think it has to do with Libertarianism

Public health and vaccinations are one of the shining triumphs of modern government. But government is evil, ergo...

Ron Paul Speaks Out Against Dangerous Vaccines

Libertarian morons. They're worse than republicans. Seriously.