An Excuse for Abuse

Age of Autism is full of shit - buy the t-shirt!

Age of Autism has a contributor called Jake Crosby. He's apparently:

Jake Crosby is a college student with Asperger Syndrome at Brandeis University who is double majoring in History and Health: Science, Society and Policy.

(Hey Jake - I hate to tell you, but if you carry on down the anti-vaccine road, you're fucked when it comes to the "Health: Science" part of your college course.)

He apparently believes journalism involves pointing people towards information about people he doesn't like, that's freely available on the web, then either twisting it to claim it shows something it doesn't, or simply telling people it shows that that person is unreliable.

He's tried it with Orac, and today, he's having a go at Brian Deer - the journalist who uncovered a lot of Andrew Wakefield's lies and deceit - simply because he has a page of photos of himself on his personal website. Sorry Jake, but I don't follow the logic.

Conflicted “journalist” Brian Deer’s website is perhaps one of the biggest resources of disinformation on the internet. Even worse, there is likely no better example of one man’s online shrine to himself than briandeer.com – a cesspool of self-adulation. Nothing quite sums this up better than a particular webpage that reads “Brian’s pictures” at the bottom of the homepage. You’d think it would be the many different photos of news events from his journalistic exploits, but a click of the mouse shows that it is in fact – literally – all him. See for yourself.

Still, it provides an excuse for a load of other dribbling sycophants to have a go at Mr Deer.

How Age of Autism can claim any credibility, or claim to speak for anyone when it publishes shite like this is beyond me.

About me

For a while now, "offended" parties (John "Cock" Stone, Clifford Miller, commenters on Age of Autism) have been wondering who I am. So here's a picture. It's not a bad likeness.



Other than that, I'm exactly who I've said I am. Clearly I'm not going to give out much more information, as I find Stone's obsession with me creepy enough as it is.

Edit: Click here if you want a t-shirt! :-)

Kim Stagliano Age of Autism shows its her hateful side

You may have caught the very, very sad story of Saiqa Akhter and her children recently. Ms Akhter is a mother who has been charged with killing her children by choking them with wire, allegedly because they were autistic. It's a terrible story.

However, nothing's been proved yet, no-one's been found guilty, no medical reports have been made public. Nothing.

As a mother myself, I suggest that while nothing can condone this action, any mother who's driven to the extreme of killing her own children is more than likely to be very, very ill herself and in serious need of help - possibly help that's been needed for a long time, but never given.

Whatever the story, it's going to be far more complicated than "woman kills children because they're autistic."

What's the verdict (without hearing testimony, evidence, medical reports etc) of Age of Autism?

The good news is that it happened in Texas and with any luck … this bitch will go to her death courtesy of the Texas Justice system.

Lovely, caring people eh?

No.

Edit: Ironically, the people who support Age of Autism are very often people who believe child abuse murders are usually actually caused by vaccinations.

"Alan Yurko was forced to admit manslaughter to secure release for a crime he didn't do - and to let vaccines off the hook for killing a baby" - Cybertiger

Edit 2: It seems that Kim Stagliano (Managing Editor of Age of Autism) has misjudged her readers on this one, as most of the comments pretty much echo my sentiments above. So I've amended the title.

Autism One hates the UK

It seems my comments on Teri Arranga being a liar have hit home. A poster on the AutismOne website has left the following comment.

Before getting to the bigger picture in subsequent blogs and newsletters let’s have a final look at Ms. Fisher-of-the-UK. As mentioned, in the newsletter, Ms. Fisher decided it would be “okay” to continue the campaign of terror, which originated in the U.K., against Dr. Wakefield in America.
Ms. Fisher-of-the-UK actively attempts to disrupt events where Dr. Wakefield is scheduled to speak. Let me rephrase that. A British subject attempts to cancel an American event. An event hosted by American organizations, paid by American dollars, attended by American citizens, held on American soil.
Granted, the pharma blowhards are strange and awkward people, but Ms. Fisher’s behavior leaves the borders of bizarre far behind and enters a weirdly alternate universe before the Bill of Rights or 911.
Freedom of Speech is the most treasured American right. We view with great concern foreigners who would attempt to impose their limitations here or threaten anyone’s Constitutional rights.
Enjoy your haggis, blood pudding and tripe, Ms. Fisher-of-the-UK, and let the grownups get to work. This is America where we solve problems by listening to what people have to say. And, in a few years, we will again cross the Atlantic and save the U.K. from itself.

Hmm. Someone's got a bee in their bonnet about the UK. Or maybe that's just jingoistic nationalism. And what does "but Ms. Fisher’s behavior leaves the borders of bizarre far behind and enters a weirdly alternate universe before the Bill of Rights or 911." mean, for fuck's sake?

In America, where you solve problems by listening to what people have to say, it seems that freedom of speech means "the freedom to fucking lie to people in order to scare them into believing your sick and twisted agenda". Without wanting to stoop to your depths (but I'm going to), Mr AutismOne, you've got a fucking history of that in the States, haven't you. How is the Rev Jim Jones these days?

Anyway, who posted this screed? Oh look, it's someone by the name of Ed Arranga. Does Teri have to have her husband fight her battles for her these days? I notice there's not a sign of a retraction, nor a shred of evidence of my bullying...

What a cock. Let's see if I can make this blogpost the numberone search result in Google for Ed Arranga is a dickhead.

Meryl Dorey - "Die in a fire"???

An interesting communication from Meryl Dorey, head of the AVN (Australian Vaccination Network) has been forwarded onto me. In it, among other bleatings which just went into my brain as "It's not fair! it's not fair! it's not fair!!!" was this paragraph;

"We have had a tumultuous year with our own and our family's personal details published on the internet. Our advertisers and professional members have been subject to severe and vicious harassment due to their support of the AVN. We have had wild accusations made against us stating that we believe in reptilian monsters. And there have been numerous death threats - the most recent of which was published on Twitter recently and retweeted many times stating that I should die in a fire." Ms Dorey concluded.

Wanting Meryl Dorey to die in a fire? That's pretty extreme - I wouldn't wish that on the wackiest of wingnuts (and Meryl fits pretty well into that group). I must see who's doing this. Fortunately, Twitter has pretty good search technology, so let's see what we can find.

Hmm.

Nothing. No results for any combination of "die in a fire", "Meryl", "Dorey", "fountainbeauty" (Meryl's Twitter name), "AVN", or anything else I can think of.

Nothing in Google either.

I suspect Meryl Dorey of making this up, as surely, if it had been "retweeted many times", it would be quite easy to find... Can anyone point me to a single tweet suggesting Meryl Dorey should die in a fire?


PS.

Oh, and as regards the "AVN believe in reptilian monsters" bit - well… Almost. The AVN posted a link to a mad conspiracy theory article about vaccines in Pakistan Daily, which was written by arch-loon David Icke. Who does believe in reptilian monsters. The story's written up in the ThinkingIsReal blog (which you need to be registered for, but you can read it here.

Teri Arranga is a liar

Woo - I'm in the Autism One newsletter! Teri Arranga - who, I should point out, is a liar - is trying to convince her members that there is a conspiracy of violence to shut down that other liar, Andrew Wakefield.

If Teri would can produce evidence that:

• I have sent any more than two emails to the Ritz Carlton Group


• I have ever telephoned the Ritz Carlton Group


• I have ever sent a fax to the Ritz Carlton Group


• I contacted the Ritz Carlton Group on more than one day


• I used language that could be construed as "bullying", "intimidating" or "harrassing" in my two emails (actually just one email, sent to two addresses)


• The Ritz Carlton told me to "take a hike" - or in fact contacted me in any way

then I will retract my allegation that she is a liar, and that she's lying to the members of Autism One.

Rebecca Fisher: Pharma Blowhard or Concerned Citizen?

You can't be a parent in this community without bumping into them. Every article, TV program, blog or radio show brings them out in force. The mention of "autism" or "Dr. Wakefield" brings them scurrying out from under their rocks snapping and snarling and spitting about the wonders of vaccines and their self-anointed roles as concerned citizens in protecting the pubic health.

It's a scam and we all know it. Most of the bloggers, poseurs, and self-ordained autism experts have ties either directly or indirectly to pharma or mainstream medicine (which is really one and the same thing). Age of Autism has done a remarkable job outing Orac and shedding light on the soft underbelly of the vaccine apologists.

Hmm... Orac is an Oncologist. Demonstrating his links to "mainstream medicine" isn't going to be too hard, even for the morons at AoA…

Rebecca Fisher of the UK has been very busy lately. Blogging here under the title "JABS Loonies - Justice, Awareness, Basic Support and Mind Blowing Stupidity," Rebecca recently left the Internet safety of anonymity to engage in more concrete acts of aggression against our community.

"Concrete acts of aggression"??? What - have I started actually attacking people in the manner of an anti-abortion activist? Or have I started performing colonoscopies on children who don't need them or something?

Rebecca's current mission is attempting to frighten, bully or pressure venues Dr. Wakefield is scheduled to speak at on his current book tour into canceling the event. Hotels are under siege by email, fax, and phone demanding they cancel Dr. Wakefield's appearance.

Maybe, but not from me. I've written a couple of emails, suggesting, not demanding.

For a week before this past Saturday, Rebecca attempted to intimidate the Phoenix Ritz-Carlton site of Dr. Wakefield's latest talk into capitulation. To their credit the Ritz told her, in essence, to take a hike.

No. Last Wednesday I wrote two (non-threatening) emails, one to the contact address on the Ritz-Carlton (Phoenix)'s website, and, because that looked very dodgy (phxrz.leads@ritzcarlton.com) (ETA: Actually, I've just worked that one out - phxrz - Phoenix Ritz. D'oh.), one to the main comments email address for Ritz Carlton hotels (comments@ritzcarlton.com). That's it. I did not phone, I did not fax, I did not try and intimidate anyone for a whole week. The Ritz did not tell me to "take a hike" - they never even replied, which is, of course, their right.

Teri Arranga, you are a liar. You are trying to frighten your members even more than you do already. You are inventing some sort of campaign of violence where none exists.

Rebecca, who also blogs as Becky Fisseux, will continue to act in a dangerous and reckless fashion until she is outed and her connections to pharma publically revealed.

Still the attacks will continue until we take legal and other appropriate actions necessary to incur real costs on those who spread lies and misinformation.

My connections to pharma? You'll have to look a long way Teri. I don't have any.

And "dangerous and reckless"? Coming from someone who promotes reintroducing measles and other lethal diseases as though they were some kind of endangered animal that's a bit fucking rich.

Anyway, here's the email I sent:

Andrew Wakefield June 26 at The Ritz in Phoenix

Dear Sir / Madam,

I'm writing to express my extreme disappointment that such a well thought of hotel as the Ritz is playing host to this event on Saturday.

Disappointingly, The Autism Society of Greater Phoenix has chosen your venue to promote unsupported quack therapies and to support Andrew Wakefield, a man whose scaremongering has led to disastrous falls in vaccination levels among children. Levels have fallen so far that measles - a potentially fatal or crippling disease, even in countries with good levels of health care such as the UK - is now reported as once again being endemic here. Vaccination is arguably the greatest medical invention or discovery of our age, and has without doubt saved more lives worldwide than any other medical procedure. Hosting a book signing by Mr Wakefield would only indicate support for his unethical methods (including taking blood from children at a birthday party, and carrying out colonoscopies on vunerable autistic children for non-medically indicated reasons)

Many anti-vaccine activists want to return us to an age of deaths from preventable illnesses, claiming, against all evidence that vaccines are harmful, simply in order to promote their own agenda.

Andrew Wakefield is not a brave, maverick doctor, fighting the establishment, as The Autism Society of Greater Phoenix would have it; rather he has recently been struck off the medical register for horrific breaches of ethics involving non-indicated clinical procedures on children and undisclosed conflicts of interest.

Should you allow this event to go ahead, I fear your company's reputation will be seriously tarnished, and respectfully ask you to reconsider your decision.

Best regards,

Rebecca Fisher

Andrew Wakefield - GMC ruling: http://www.gmc-uk.org/Wakefield_SPM_and_SANCTION.pdf_32595267.pdf
Vaccine preventable diseases - American Academy Of Paediatrics: http://www.aap.org/pressroom/aappr-photos.htm

A wind-up, surely

The joys of the junior anti-vaxer.

Is it possible to have a natural immunity to MMR without having contracted the disease or being vaccinated.

No-one has thought to point out that MMR isn't a disease.

Maybe that's a bit harsh - after all, we talk about the "MMR vaccine" in the same way we discuss the "'flu vaccine". Perhaps this is someone asking for some help with a school project. However, JABS is hardly the place to get good information…