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