Chris Christie expressed concern about vaccine autism link in ‘09

[riversedge]

Source: msnbc




Chris Christie expressed concern about vaccine autism link in ‘09
http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/chris-christie-expressed-concern-about-vaccine-autism-link-09

02/02/15 11:54 AM—Updated 02/02/15 12:06 PM

By Benjy Sarlin

...............

Louise Kuo Habakus, an anti-vaccination activist who runs the site FearlessParent.org, provided a letter to MSNBC Monday in which Christie purportedly endorsed her concern that vaccines may be linked to autism – a concern long discredited by public health officials. She shared a photo showing Christie meeting with her and what she said were other anti-vaccination activists with her organization, the NJ Vaccination Choice Coalition, as well as other autism groups at a meeting they organized with the then-candidate in August 2009.

“I have met with families affected by autism from across the state and have been struck by their incredible grace and courage,” Christie wrote in the letter. “Many of these families have expressed their concern over New Jersey’s highest-in-the nation vaccine mandates. I stand with them now, and will stand with them as their governor in their fight for greater parental involvement in vaccination decisions that affect their children.”

A spokesman for Christie did not immediately respond to repeated requests for comment.

“I spent a lot of time with Governor Christie working on this,” Habakus said. “He’s been absolutely constant on this issue since I first met with him in 2008.”

Read more: http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/chris-christie-expressed-concern-about-vaccine-autism-link-09

[AtheistCrusader]

1. The man is a blight on the public discourse.

What the fuck is wrong with New Jersey? Is this really the best among you, to lead?
Ugh.

[ellennelle]

2. RACHEL???

IS ANYONE ELSE HAVING TROUBLE WATCHING TRMS ONLINE??

i can't get any of the other shows to show,either; had the trouble all weekend.

given i heard they showed morning joe in her friday slot, i wonder wtf is going on there!!????!!

[Omaha Steve]

3. OOPS!

Seems the Gov. has memory issues will be the first comment from a competitor very soon!!!

[ReRe]

5. Oops...

... was the first thing that came to my mind, OS. Oops indeed.

[proverbialwisdom]

4. More.

About the Authors

Louise Kuo Habakus is the Executive Director and co-founder of the Center for Personal Rights. She is also the Executive Director of the Freedom of Health Foundation. Louise was a managing director for Putnam Investments, a corporate vice president for Prudential Financial, and a consultant with Bain & Company. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford University, where she also received a graduate degree in international policy studies. In her advocacy work, she lectures and writes frequently and has appeared in numerous media outlets, including ABC World News Tonight, Fox & Friends, and the New York Times.

[geek tragedy]

7. Proof that smart people can be dumbasses. nt

[Cryptoad]

9. Prooof,,,,

that people can be educated beyond their intelligence?

[proverbialwisdom]

10. Habakus holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from Stanford, like JB Handley and his wife, Lisa.

Personal experience led to sustained in-depth study of primary sources. Have you done the same? #chatautism

The autism rate among 8 year olds in 2008 in NJ is 1 in 45 overall, 1 in 28 boys (latest CDC numbers): http://www.autismnj.org/prevalence-rates
75% of these children are nonverbal.

http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/1490212040.html

...It is well known that New Jersey, Autism Capital of the world, is also Ground Zero for mandated shots for school.

http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/02/02/christie-says-parents-should-have-choice-on-vaccinations/

...Mr. Christie said that “not every vaccine is created equal, and not every disease type is as great a public health threat as others.”

Meanwhile, New York’s Senior US Senator Charles Schumer recently gave opening remarks at a symposium described in the following (out-of-date) petition:

PETITION: October is Vaccine Injury Awareness Month. And I would like to invite you to meet with New York families who are dealing with vaccine-injured family members. We notice that you presented last week at an event at the Langone Medical Center featuring speakers such as Art Caplan, Seth Mnookin, Paul Offit, Bill Gates and Julie Gerberding who all routinely dismiss the possibility of vaccine injury, denigrate our families' experience and deny the reality of our loved ones' injuries.

Now that you have participated in an event with highly-compensated representatives of the vaccine industry I am sure that in the interest of fairness and the truth you would like to hear from your own constituents who have family members who have been injured by the same products promoted at the event last week, and New York organizations that work on issues of vaccine safety.

I look forward to hearing of a time and place when this meeting will take place.

Fair?

[geek tragedy]

11. people like you are why we have measles outbreaks in this country.

Vaccines do not fucking cause autism. You anti-vaxxers are worse than Holocaust deniers. You actively endanger and help kill people.

[msanthrope]

6. Give that lady a microphone....nt

[riversedge]

8. "I spent a lot of time with @GovChristie working on this” -

Tweet

"I spent a lot of time with @GovChristie working on this” - Anti-vaccine activist to @BenjySarlin http://on.msnbc.com/1AjC8M7 #wipolitics #p2

[proverbialwisdom]

12. More.

http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/02/christie_concludes_british_trip_by_refusing_to_tak.html

Christie concludes Britain trip by refusing to take questions
By Matt Arco | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on February 03, 2015 at 2:05 PM, updated February 03, 2015 at 8:40 PM

...If the trip — which political observers agreed was more of an opportunity for Christie to bolster his foreign credentials in the lead-up to 2016 than boosting trade deals between New Jersey and the Britain — was meant as an opportunity to cross-off a box on a presidential campaign checklist, then consider it done.

But in between the appearances with foreign dignitaries, the governor sparked controversy back home for talking about vaccinations and faced some more when the New York Times today published a story about his lavish travel.

The Republican governor's comments on foreign soil about the need for "a balance" between the government and a parent's right to choose whether a child is vaccinated prompted his office back in Trenton to take the unusual step of issuing a statement modifying Christie's remarks.

A little more than 12 hours later, The Times reported on Christie's tendency for luxury travel paid for by others, including some $30,000 in hotel bills for Christie, his family and their guests at the luxurious Kempinski Hotel in Jordan in 2012.

Although Christie's aides wouldn't confirm it, the timing of the reports suggested why the governor scrapped the two planned Q&A sessions that were on his original schedule.

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Also: http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/02/christies_office_modifies_guvs_comments_on_vaccina.html