Far Right and Far Left Team Up Against Swine Flu Vaccine

[SpartanDem]

Swine flu may have an unexpected side effect: political unity. The far left and far right agree that they're sure as heck not getting vaccinated against swine flu.

On the anti-government right, swine flu vaccinations are seen as an example of government overreach. Last week, Rush Limbaugh made headlines by announcing that he would not be getting a shot. "Screw you, Ms. Sebelius," he said on his radio show, referring to Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius. "I'm not going to take it precisely because you're now telling me I must." Glenn Beck has declined to say whether he's getting vaccinated. But he's made his position pretty clear, suggesting that the vaccine may turn out to be "deadly," raising the specter of mandatory vaccines (they're voluntary), and saying he wants the "U.S. out of my bloodstream."

On the left, there are prominent doctors, lawyers, and Hollywood celebrities skeptical of vaccines in general—and the swine flu vaccine especially. In a September article written for the Huffington Post, Dr. Frank Lipman recommended against getting vaccinated, arguing that the virus seems benign and the vaccine is unproven. Earlier this year, Jim Carrey—yes, that Jim Carrey—penned a HuffPost column reiterating the oft-made (and widely discredited) point that vaccines may cause autism. Robert F. Kennedy made a similar argument in a famous (and also largely discredited) 2005 article that appeared in Rolling Stone and Salon. The anti-vaccination movement is hardly exclusive to the left wing, but declines in vaccination rates have occurred in large part because of affluent parents in states like California.

Now, thanks to the government's plan to ship 250 million doses of H1N1 flu vaccine to all 50 states this month, the two sides have finally found common cause. They may hold different political opinions, but they share a worldview: distrust—of doctors and modern medicine or of government. There's even some overlap. Beck, for example, said that "you don't know if this is gonna cause neurological damage like it did in the 1970s"—a fear commonly cited by vaccine skeptics. (Claims that the 1976 flu vaccine caused Guillain-Barré syndrome have not been proven.) Meanwhile, those who fear the needle aren't all that confident in their government, either: Dr. Lipman warns that HHS has given the drug companies manufacturing the vaccines immunity from lawsuits.

http://www.slate.com/id/2232187/

[chaplainM]

1. What would happen if...

"Screw you, Ms. Sebelius," he said on his radio show, referring to Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius. "I'm not going to take it precisely because you're now telling me I must."

I wonder what would happen if Sibelius told Limbaugh, "You must continue breathing."

[Purveyor]

2. "HHS has given the drug companies manufacturing the vaccines immunity from lawsuits."

That is all I needed to know about the vaccine.

[RepublicanElephant]

19. exactly! and thom hartmann said canada and mexico won't even approve the vaccine. nt

[LovinLife]

36. Yeah that says it all. I don't think the Obama Admin. should advocate people getting this either. nt

[damntexdem]

3. Some anti-vaccine nutcases claim to be left.

But how leftist is their anti-science orientation?

[thereismore]

10. don't make a leap from being anti-vaccine to being anti-science. nt

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

12. No need to make a leap.

Anti-vaccine and anti-science attitudes are irrevocably joined at the hip.

[thereismore]

14. Very scientifically stated.

:rofl:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

21. It's not a scientific argument.

Just a factual argument.

[depakid]

11. Part and parcel to the general phenomena of science illiteracy in America

[Peacetrain]

4. Finally Bi-Partisanship works

:rofl:

[vaberella]

28. I was thinking that. n/t

[WeDidIt]

5. Well, that pretty much settles that

if wingnuts on both the right and the left are agin' it, I'll be getting the shot.

[Ichingcarpenter]

6. "I would refuse to let my child have the flu vaccine "

if he hadn't died of measles earlier this year."

The Onion..... I do think this makes a statement.

BYW
I would just watch which batches turn up bad
I think most will be OK.

I'm getting mine but in another country.

[buddysmellgood]

7. My reluctance is based on my discomfort with for-profit big pharma and weak government regulation.

[windbreeze]

16. I stand with you...for exactly the same reasons...

and because I've bookmarked every article I've found about this vaccine, and I find I am not impressed...This vaccine has been rushed into production and has not been tested sufficiently..Doesn't anyone question why was it necessary for the powers that be, to protect the manufacturers of the vaccine from a lawsuit/s if someone/s die from taking it?? Either it's safe, or it isn't...there is no halfway, and it seems to me that IF the product was safe, the manufacturers should/would stand behind it 100%..wb

[PVnRT]

20. You've never actually had to work under FDA regulations, then

Calling them weak is laughable.

[Oregone]

8. The far left is clearly evil

They want healthcare for all, the end of wars, and free ponies for everyone!

[thereismore]

9. Rush does not fear no swine flu. He is the incubator of it. nt

[kestrel91316]

13. False, Slate. I am far left, and will gladly be getting my H1N1 vaccine when

it becomes available.

People who refuse the vaccine should be taxed to pay for the care of and compensation in the case of death of people who couldn't GET the vaccine due to medical contraindications, or unavailability, ir whatever. Call it the Typhoid Mary Tax.

[windbreeze]

17. I can't believe I just read this....

The manufacturers of the vaccine do not believe in their product 100%..they have made sure they are exempt from being punished if anyone dies from taking their vaccine, yet you feel that any individual who chooses NOT take a chance with it, should be punished somehow??...did I read somewhere that back in 1976 when the last swine flu came around, that more people died from taking the vaccine than died from the actual flu...??

I choose not to have mercury, squalene, or thimerasol injected into my blood stream, tyvm...I may go to town 2/3 times a month...otherwise, I'm not a gadabout person, I'd probably be one of the least likely to spread or get this flu, due to non exposure....I'm all for science...however...I have my limits...and I have a bad time with reactions to medications of any sort...so I should be punished?? unbelievable...I could believe I'd read such a thing on FR...but I'm surprised to find such a mindset being expounded here on DU...

Whatever happened to freedom of choice???wb

[stevenleser]

23. You think the rest of us should have to pay for your choice?

You are free to not get the vaccine and possibly get sick and possibly die if that is what you want, but you should have to pay the full cost of your health care out of your own pocket if that happens.

That's only fair, dontcha think?

[WinkyDink]

24. And what if you get sick, anyway? Should you pay?

[stevenleser]

34. If I took the CDC approved steps to prevent getting a communicable disease during a Pandemic? No

Otherwise, yes.

[windbreeze]

29. IOW....

You feel everyone should be held down and given this vaccine, whether or not they want to take it?? I have read reports from researchers and doctors who say they will not take it, and advise others not to...but you know more than they do, perhaps??...

How about thinking about this...I said, I stay home 95% of the time...I know how to wash my hands, and cover my face when I sneeze...I go shopping early in the morning or at night when there are hardly any people shopping...I take precautions and I have adverse affects from medications, to the point that I've been put in the hospital to counteract medications I was prescribed...so I will take my chances...and if you don't agree...that's too bad..

I would never force my choices upon you..and I wouldn't want you to force me to do what you feel is right for you...but at the same time, I do have to wonder what you would say to those people in 1976 who died from the vaccine, not the swine flu?? Seems to me, that they are just as dead...

OH, and by the way...whether or not I get the flu...seems to me, that I am the one paying, either way...so IF I get sick...all that money I've paid into medical insurance for the last 30 years, and not used...should come into play, shouldn't it??? It seems to me, that you are all in favor of anyone paying their total health care costs if they do something you see as a threat to their health...would you include, diet, smoking, drinking, sexual choices/behavior, or even driving too fast, or not wearing a seat belt too? or do you just see not taking the vaccine, as the lone qualifier for that privilege?? wb

[stevenleser]

35. See my #34 above. thanks

You might leave off the Fox quality spin next time

[windbreeze]

37. ?? .

Fox quality spin??? meaning?? that you assume I watch Faux..???Did I say something that wasn't true?? Would that be like me assuming you hold stock in the vaccine production, since you seem determined that everyone should just shut up and take it because someone says they should, and not ask questions or have their own opinions about it??...

My problem is...allowing someone to inject anything into my body, that contains an adjuvant such as Mercury, Squalene, or Thimerasol...(all known poisons to the human body, especially the brain)...A vaccine that the manufacturers themselves do NOT believe is safe...one that THEY have a blanket legal immunity from prosecution for...

IF said manufacturers will guarantee me, that this vaccine IS 100% safe, can/will do me NO harm, and WILL ABSOLUTELY prevent me from getting any version of swine flu that circulates this coming winter(or has it already mutated from the version the vaccine was originally made for?)...then I may even reconsider...BUT...We both know, they can't and won't guarantee anything of the sort.....by the way...do you know what lab is manufacturing the vaccines, or what country they are being manufactured in? Britain, France, Germany, China, Mexico?? the US? Sure hope the lab is not Baxter (the lab that sent contaminated vaccines to 18 countries a year or so ago) and I know I wouldn't trust the lab that Rumsfeld (Tamiflu) is involved with either, after all Rumsfeld's disease, Aspartame..the FDA..is an interesting story...and one reason not to believe everything you're told, even by those supposedly in the know, or in power..

as an afterthought here...I do happen to be in the age group, that it is said, most likely has a natural immunity to this illness..the age group the vaccine is not necessarily recommended for...wb

[olegramps]

40. CDC states that those who have had a reaction to flu shots:

If you have had a reaction then you could be allergic to the medium that contains the "dead virus" and you should not take any more flu shots. This could be a reaction to those who are allergic to eggs.

To the best of my knowledge the actual cause of Guillian-Barre syndrome is still a mystery. People can catch a cold or some virus and be recovering and come down with it. A person could have the flu without having the vaccine and come down with Guillian-Barre. It is a temporary inflammation of the nerves, causing pain, weakness, and paralysis in the extremities and often progressing to the chest and face. It typically occurs after recovery from a viral infection or, in rare cases, following immunization for influenza.

[fugop]

15. Interesting

In the very Democratic Montgomery County, Maryland, I just got back from getting my swine flu shot. Both my kids, too. Took us about 2 1/2 hours of standing in line with a load of other families (and a parking lot of Obama stickers). But who knows? I guess those of us who want it all rushed out when it became available. It's was pretty wacky!

[AngryAmish]

18. It is just the stupid who are against swine flu shots

fear there are too many of them.

[WinkyDink]

25. Why? Because the gov't is always to be trusted? Thalidomide to you.

[nonpareil]

26. There'll be fewer of them soon. I'm just sad that so many will be kids. nt

[mzteris]

22. idiocy knows no party.

Tell my cousin's family "don't get the vaccine". He just died - today - from swine flu. white male 40's - otherwise HEALTHY.

[vaberella]

27. Oh God. My heart goes out to you and your family.

Dear God almighty. I was always planning on getting vaccinated although I'm scared of the stuff. This is terrible news. This proves the stupidity of some people. When I saw Bill Maher going on out of his ass...I just had to shake my head. Idiots all over the place.

[Better Believe It]

30. A handful of people does not constitute or represent the "left" in America

[TheKentuckian]

31. Far left??? Far Right? Maybe, but I see it as more the anti-intellectual portion of the populists

movements on both ends and in the middle.

[old mark]

32. Lots of arrogance and small mindness on both extremes, left and right. nt

[neverforget]

33. Stupid doesn't know political boundaries

[Alexander]

38. I've been suffering from swine flu this past week...

So it's a little late for me.

[olegramps]

39. Just the facts, sir, just the facts.

Misinformation based on one-time 1976 tragedy add to swine flu vaccine confusion
By Robert Farley, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Thursday, October 15, 2009


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Glenn Beck

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Public health officials making the pitch for the H1N1 vaccine to a wary public are having to overcome an unprecedented torrent of misinformation.

PolitiFact looked into several of the claims making the rounds in chain e-mails and from political talk show hosts.

And therein lies the problem, some health officials say: The issue has somehow become political.

At the start of a program dedicated to the H1N1 virus, radio and TV personality Glenn Beck put it succinctly: "Will you take the vaccine and give it to your children? How much do you trust your government? I think that's the main question."

Beck raised a popular concern on his Oct. 8 radio show when he said, "You don't know if this (H1N1 vaccine) is going to cause neurological damage like it did in the 1970s."

Beck is referring here to a huge effort to immunize Americans after a 1976 swine flu outbreak at Fort Dix in New Jersey. The flu never went beyond Fort Dix, and the immunization program was halted. But among the 45 million who received the vaccine, more than 500 people got a rare neurological illness called Guillain-Barré syndrome. Two dozen people died from it. A medical panel convened in 2003 by the Institute for Medicine concluded "the evidence favored acceptance of a causal relationship" between the vaccine and Guillain-Barré in adults.

But the panel also found that in nearly 30 years of using the seasonal flu vaccine since then, there was no proof that the vaccines had caused any more cases of Guillain-Barré or any other neurological diseases.

The government has conducted clinical trials on more than 4,000 people who got the H1N1 vaccine this year, and the only side effects so far amount to little more than sore arms and stuffy noses. That's too small a sample to rule out a connection to Guillain-Barré, but the H1N1 vaccine was made essentially the same way seasonal flu vaccines have been made for more than 20 years, said Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. Those seasonal flu vaccines have been given to hundreds of millions of people a year worldwide without any provable links to neurological problems, he said.

For failing to adequately balance the track record of the seasonal flu vaccine over more than two decades with that one year in 1976, we gave Beck a Barely True rating.

PolitiFact was less generous with a bogus claim from a chain e-mail that an Iowa policy "provides for a state roundup of Iowa citizens who might be exposed to the swine flu virus." Some bloggers likened it to concentration camps for people with H1N1.

In the spring, when H1N1 was feared to be a much more deadly threat, Iowa officials did create a template in the event they would need to quarantine some people. But when H1N1 proved only as potent as the average seasonal flu, the plan was scrapped. No states are considering quarantining people with H1N1.

"Given that the virus is already widespread in the United States and worldwide and is presenting the same sort of disease we see with regular seasonal flu, CDC does not intend to issue quarantine or isolation orders for 2009 H1N1 flu at this time," said Christine Pearson of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In short, no mandatory vaccines; no quarantines.

We ruled the e-mail claim False.