People are afraid of spreading diseases… naturally. The whole history of man is peppered with stories of periodic bouts with diseases that wiped out portions of the population. Bubonic Plague, Small Pox, Cholera, Yellow Fever, Tuberculosis, The 1918 outbreak of Spanish Flu, which claimed the lives of some of my own relatives, Whooping Cough, Polio, Ebola, Meningitis, SARS, and Malaria.
Now Measles (our most recent stimulus to panic and sacrifice because of the outbreak in California) is rather tame in a sense, compared to some of these, killing few,[1] but still our instinct for self-preservation is easily provoked when any contagious disease is involved. Even flu vaccines and chicken pox vaccines have become mandatory in many people’s minds. Of course, we are told that our vaccines will only truly work if EVERYONE gets them, which would eradicate test groups, who are the scientist’s only hope of measuring the true worth and ultimate cost of any medical procedure.[2] Tut, tut… who cares about that… we are so confident in our program (ignoring its natural weakness and sordid history) that we needn’t worry about silly little things like test groups.
Few bother to actually study the diseases that send them into a panic, or the history of these diseases in terms of the natural waxing and waning of them even before we developed our concepts of vaccination. Is it not a wonder that any human beings lived long enough to discover the pristine perfect solution for all disease and heath—vaccines? Facts and being scientific are of little account, even for many a scientist, when there is fear mongering to do, however, and power to steal and masses to manipulate… when there are egos to stoke.
Indeed, few do anything in a panic but look for someone to blame and for someone to save them… at any cost.
It is through this lens that I see the recent volcanic eruption of accusation and threat against those in this country who do not wish to participate in the vaccination programs advocated by the American Medical Association. Vicious epitaphs are flying about the internet (Words like “insane,” “stupid,” “anti-science,” “dangerous,” “irresponsible,” and the like) and from political power seekers calling for “something to be done” about these dangerous people who pose a profound threat to our children because they idiotically fail to prescribe to the “BEST SCIENCE.” They are Neanderthal minded fools who must not be allowed to exercise basic freedoms of choice for themselves or their children.[3] They must be stopped at any cost… whether in money or freedoms.
See: The Measles Hysteria By Kathryn Muratore [4]
That’s right… we are in such a panic that we are willing to sell away our natural rights (in the name of taking away other people’s natural rights) in order to gain a sense of security against nature. [Dear Diary… There is no real security against nature, only measures taken to diminish risks… measures that have costs and risks of their own.]
We, like our ancient ancestors, seek to secure a sense of control over our destinies and when something happens that threatens that sense of control we sell anything to regain it, and we look for villains to blame. Someone must be made to take responsibility for the imperfection of our situation!!!!
The ancients developed systems of sympathetic magic, idol worship, pagan rituals and the like to give them power to manipulate the divine, turning the power of the gods to their own wills in order to protect themselves from forces spiritual and natural at work in the known world and in the secret world of the gods. Anyone who refused to worship their gods, was, of course, a threat to the system. The whole system only worked if everyone was forced to participate… it was a type of “herd worship”[5] that alone could secure their protection from gods and nature. [Please, do not imagine that OUR group think rallying cries are of a different nature just because we imagine that “science” is on our side.]
We are a litigious society the bulk of whom believe that government is the ultimate recourse for all societal solutions and that science has provided us all that we need to protect ourselves from nature in all its terrible fury. And what good are freedom and basic human rights when Measles is spreading?!! We accuse non-vaccinators of being “unscientific” while we bandy about unscientific accusations and believe unscientific promises of peace and safety from those in power and from those who stand to make billions on the products they are trying to force EVERYONE to buy… whether with their own money or with someone else’s. By the way, when the government forces you to buy the product, the company is no longer liable for the very real statistical consequences of using it. It’s a win win for billion dollar industry.
It is in moments of crisis, when the masses are stirred into a panic, clamoring for someone to save them, looking for someone to blame for their fear that the people forge the chains that will bind them.
If you had to choose between freedom and false promises of safety, which would you choose? On a calm day, you’d most likely say, “freedom.” In a panic, however, sense is lost, false promises seem a solid bet, and you just might give away anything for a little more time, a little more security, a little more peace of mind.
We live in a fallen world, a messy world, a diseased world, a sinful world, an imperfect world. In such a place, there are no solutions only trade-offs.
Trade well.
See: How vaccine hysteria could spark totalitarian nightmare by Dr. Lee Hieb [6]
Beware of making other people pay the price of their freedom for your panicked grasping at false promises of protection. You want shots and are more afraid of the disease than the risks of the shots… then get your shots… just don’t force other people to make the same choice if they fear the shot more than the disease. The vaccination program has a long sordid history and these folks have well researched reasons for weighing their risks differently than you do.
One of the most basic natural rights that a person has is to make choices for themselves and their children. Be slow to strip that natural right away just because you are afraid. The great scientific gains that we have made as a species has been built on the back of a system that protected the natural rights of individuals from intrusive government… are you sure you want to erode that foundation for just a little more peace of mind?
[1] Worldwide only 0.2% of those who get it die, (in the US and UK the numbers are more akin to 1 in 2500) and those who die usually do so because of poor care during their illness or because of previously weakened systems. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Measles
[2] So, to those who volunteer to be a part of the test group, risking to provide the rest with a measure of the worth of what they do… I say… THANK YOU. Even if there is something to vaccinations, which I DO NOT DOUBT, these groups allow us to measure what the actual cost is for gaining it… and there are always costs. Vaccines are not 100% safe, and there is more than pure angelic vaccination in those shots. These non-participating groups may force us to improve our processes, iron out the kinks, eliminate unsafe elements or practices.
[3] In truth, these folks are typically highly educated, careful thinking souls, who have looked into these issues and have made informed choices about what they will and won’t do. The AMA (American Medical Association) can’t stand the fact that anyone would question their policies on anything, and so make bold pronouncements about the inviolate nature of their every thought, but this is mere blustering. The entire history of medicine is a history of how a lot of well-meaning people helped some people and killed and maimed a lot of others as they bumbled about trying to make the world a healthier place. Humanity is still bumbling about whatever these may claim, and those who don’t trust them, withhold their trust for informed reasons. Like politicians, the AMA, as well as pharmaceutical, companies bandy about falsified numbers about their successes, dismissing their failures, and vilifying dissenters. One might find A SHOT IN THE DARK by H. Coulter an interesting read. It is dated, but telling, given the changes made to some shots because of this medical historians research.
[4]Kathryn Muratore is a former Chemistry professor. She holds a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology from UC Berkeley.
[5] “Herd health” is the weasel word of the day, tossed about by those who are so enamored with their own sense of superiority over non-conformists in order to victimize those who won’t obey them. It is a dangerous term designed to manipulate the masses into vilifying their neighbors and bullying them into submission. If vaccines work, they should work even when exposed to the actual disease… that’s the point right? Most of the world is not part of our medical system and global travel brings us into constant contact with those who have not participated… get over it. Life is risk.
[6] Dr. Lee Hieb is an orthopaedic surgeon specializing in spinal surgery. She is past president of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons.
