"I agree! Me and kitty never get shots, do we snookums? Viva McCain!"
Posted on 03/09/2008 6:17:55 PM PDT by raybbr
"It's indisputable that autism is on the rise among children," Senator John McCain said while campaigning recently in Texas. "The question is what's causing it. And we go back and forth and there's strong evidence that indicates that it's got to do with a preservative in vaccines."
With that comment, McCain marked his entry into one of the most politicized scientific issues in a generation.
McCain is correct that autism diagnoses have increased in recent decades; indeed, no one disputes that. He is on much shakier ground when talking about the preservative as a cause.
While some parents' groups and lawmakers assert that the preservative, called thimerosal, has caused an epidemic of new autism cases, most mainstream researchers strongly disagree.
Several large-scale studies have found no evidence of a link between thimerosal and autism, and medical groups including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Institute of Medicine and the American Academy of Pediatrics have publicly stated as much. In January, the state of California reported an increase in autism cases, despite the removal of thimerosal from most vaccines.
(Excerpt) Read more at iht.com ...
ping
a lot of people don’t want the govt to force vaccination on their kids because of this issue
McCain needs to stay away from things he’s not well informed about in or he will get savaged.
I know. My wife and I worried a lot when our boys were vaccinated.
McCain just can't keep from adding fuel to every fire started by a liberal.
"I agree! Me and kitty never get shots, do we snookums? Viva McCain!"
Based on his comments on this issue, I'd have to just ask "Does he ever think, period?". His comments on this topic reveal an frighteningly shallow understanding of science and epidemiology. We need to keep this man's hands OFF our medical system.
If he followed that guideline he would hardly ever speak.
Regards
I have heard that bundling so many vaccines together and scheduling injections when children are very young and still developing their immune systems could be a cause.
Used to be the shrinks said it was a result of a weak father and a cold mother (or was that homosexuality).
Whatever, it is almost exclusively a Caucasion disease.
Hmmm, and we thought John Edwards was out of this campaign.
Well, that and death. Myself? My kids? We have a number of natural immunities that keep us from dying from a lot of this stuff ~ and alas, you probably don’t. We can take them or leave them (except for the chicken pox thing).
To paraphrase Homer Simpson: “Science. Is there anything politicians don’t know?”
The definition of autism has broadened, which is one reason why cases are up.
Diagnosis is not by lab test, but by observation.
Could be caused by genetics, pre-natal environment, birth complications... no one knows.
Might be the year to address this issue. A 62-1 longshot named Autism Awareness won the El Camino Real Derby yesterday and may be headed to the Kentucky Derby. This horse was purchased for a mere $1,000. The child of the owner is autistic, thus the name selection. Story here:
http://tcm.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=43986
McCain cares nothing about the truth. He is a scientism kool aid drinker. I guarantee he doesn’t even know that autism rates have risen despite the preservative being taken out of vaccines. McCain is an idiot plain and simple and he is the best we got.
thanks, bfl
the point is to err on the side of liberty and life.
It works both ways. Most scientists believe in global warming and think that those who deny it are quacks. But we should err on the side of liberty (which global warming solutions tend to be in conflict with) and mcCain should consider the skeptics on that issue.
They say the vaccines aren’t the cause of autism but haven’t addressed the issue - what is the cause - only that vaccines don’t. Their emphasis seems on their CTA than getting to the root of the cause. It’s been around long enough to have some knowledge of the cause.
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