Straw men and projection: Tools of quacks and conspiracy theorists to deflect critical thinking

As hard as it is for me to believe sometimes, I've been at this blogging biz a long time--well over six years now. However, I've been engaged, in one form or another, in combatting pseudoscience, pseudohistory, and crankery online since the late 1990s. Although I try hard not to fall into the same cognitive traps that a certain pediatrician to the stars does, namely considering my own anecdotal experience to be superior to controlled studies, that is not to say that personal experience is without value. At least, that's what I was thinking when I came across Steve Novella's post A failure to engage yesterday. The reason is that it echoed something I've noticed over the years, namely a trait that appears to be shared by virtually every crank with whom I've ever locked horns. That trait is the tendency to assiduously avoid addressing what the actual argument is, the preference instead being to attack a straw man version of what the skeptical argument against the crank position, whatever the position, is.

Steve uses as an example a public debate being held about traditional Chinese medicine in San Francisco on June 11. Basically, it's a three round debate, with half the debaters moving on to the next round until the final question to be debated. The first four prompts being debated are:

  • Resolved: Contemporary Chinese medicine as currently defined by the People's Republic of China is superior to all other international variations of Chinese medicine.
  • Resolved: Acupuncture as a medical intervention technique should be disallowed because its mechanism of action cannot be scientifically proven.
  • Resolved: The replacement of traditional Chinese medical vocabulary (that describes diseases, pathologies and treatments) by modern scientific medical vocabulary is an important development and should be encouraged as the standard.
  • Resolved: Chinese medicine is a fad in the US, and its viability as an independent medical intervention does not have a dynamic future.

Notice number two, which, as Steve notes, is one of the aforementioned massive straw men. It's more than a massive straw man; it's a Burning Man size straw man set ablaze with the napalm of burning stupid. We who advocate science-based medicine do not "disallow" unscientific medicine simply because it postulates a mechanism of action that can't be demonstrated or quantified by science; we reject such modalities because there is no evidence that they work and, in some cases (such as homeopathy) massive quantities of very well-established, well-supported science conclude that they cannot work. There are lots of medications whose mechanisms of action are not well understood; some are even poorly understood or not understood at all. Yet we know they work because clinical trials demonstrate to us that they work. Mechanisms can be worked out later; more importantly, we know that, whatever mechanisms by which such drugs work, they do not involve magical mystical mechanisms outside the realm of science or sympathetic magic, which is in essence what homeopathy is.

Number three is also interesting because it emphasizes the importance of language. Another frequent claim by woo-meisters is that the language of science is not their language, in essence appeals to other ways of knowing. Just as when Dr. Oz told Steve that "Western" science doesn't have the methods to "correctly" study acupuncture. I'm sorry, but science is science, and there is nothing special about acupuncture, homeopathy, or any other "alternative" medicine modality that precludes its study using the methods of science.

There is one aspect of trying to engage with woo-meisters of all stripes, be they CAM advocates, anti-vaccine loons, creationists, or whatever that Steve didn't get into, probably because the article about which he was commenting didn't provide him the opportunity. Last week, however, everybody's favorite all-purpose medical crank, the man for whom there is no quackery that is too quacky and no level of vitriol that is too vitriolic, provided me with just the excuse I needed to point out another frustrating aspect of arguing with pseudoscientists. I'm referring, of course, to their tendency to project their own shortcomings onto skeptics, as Mike Adams did last week in a hilariously un-self-aware post entitled The gullible mind explained. Let's just put it this way. Adams again tops himself. So outrageously off base was this post that I had thought of just posting a link and, in a fit of pure blogging laziness, letting you, my readers, deconstruct it.

But then hubris kicked in. Could Orac do that? Nahhhhh. Particularly not after reading the opening passage:

In light of the string of the blatant falsehoods being announced by the U.S. government these days (FDA, DHS, White House, etc.) it's interesting that so many people still believe whatever they are told by "official" sources. It brings up the question of the functioning of their brains: How could a person swallow official information so gullibly and so completely without even asking commonsense questions about the reliability or factual basis of that information?

These people, it turns out, are operating from what I called The Gullible Mind. It is a psychological processing malfunction that filters out information based on its source rather than its integrity. People who operate from The Gullible Mind tend to have misplaced trust in governments, institutions, mainstream news networks, doctors, scientists or anyone who wears the garb of apparent authority.

When I read this, I tittered a little bit and stifled it. It didn't work. A chuckle gurgled up from deep within me, then a guffaw, and then uproarious laughter so strong that I could hardly breathe. Truly, this was one of the funniest things I've read in many a moon. Mike Adams, the man for whom no quackery is too pseudoscientific, no conspiracy theory too implausible or insane, no nonsense too illogical, actually claims that skeptics are "gullible"? Projection this massive should be reserved for 3D movies in IMAX theaters.

I kid you not. The core of Adams' argument is that scientists, skeptics, and just people with a modicum of critical thinking skills won't accept the nonsense he is laying down not because they are skeptical but rather because they are so gullible that they believe anything someone in authority tells them. That authority can be the government, scientists, doctors, or any other person or group whom society elevates to positions of trust and authority. The reason is not trust but because, according to Mike Adams, they have...The Gullible Mind. (Cue the ominous-sounding drums.)

And what does the Gullible Mind mean? Apparently, according to Adams, it means that you and I and anyone else with a modicum of critical thinking abilities have a pathological need to believe whatever anyone in authority tells us. Particularly hilarious is this straw man that Adams attacks:

But how does this work inside their heads? It's an interesting process. Gullible Mind people do believe it is possible for a government (or institution) to lie; but they believe that governments, institutions and doctors choose NOT to lie even when it would serve their own self interests to do so.

Follow this carefully, because this is the fascinating part. These Gullible Mind people effectively believe that even though a government official could lie about something, they would never actually do so. And why wouldn't they? Because, ultimately, the Gullible Mind crowd believes that governments, institutions and mainstream media outlets operate from a sort of honor code. So even if it were in the interests of our own government to lie to us, it would never happen because that would violate this imaginary honor code.

And:

This is how The Gullible Mind person believes that network news always reports the truth. The news networks have a sense of "honor," they believe, and this sense of honor requires them to always report the truth and never manipulate the news for any nefarious purposes. So news networks never "shape" the news and they only report what is factually true without any consideration whatsoever of politics or advertiser profits.

This is a huge, slimy, stinky truckload of fetid dingos' kidneys, of course. Do you know anyone who thinks that the government never lies? Or that the news never spins the news or slants its reporting? Me, neither. It's a straw man based on Adams' concept of what skeptics must be like. Because they don't agree with Adams, it can't be because he's so laughably, ridiculously wrong. Oh, no. It must be because they are so incredibly gullible that they can't see all the conspiracies around them that Adams can see!

But that's not all. Here's the most unintentionally spot-on description of Adams himself and people who think like him. Too bad it's coming from Adams projecting like a an anti-aircraft spotlight trying to illuminate the bombers of reason so that Adams' ack-ack of stupid can shoot them down:

Interestingly, the Gullible Mind is also inwardly gullible because it does not recognize its own gullibility. Instead, it believes it is operating as a Rational Mind. This false Rational Mind believes it functions as a critical filter of incoming information, but even this is self deception. In truth, this false Rational Mind is on "auto filter" so that it filters out any information that conflicts with the information it is receiving from official sources.

A better description of Adams himself I can't think of, which leads him to yet another unintentionally hilarious assertions. After trying to use a fantastical example of the government telling its people that the Easter Bunny killed Osama bin Laden and how The Gullible Mind would accept that, Adams opines:

At this point, their rational mind is completely shut off on the topic. No accumulation of facts can, at that point, rattle their "reality." For example, a person who believes the government's story of 9/11 has already embraced the Easter Bunny version of terrorists flying airplanes into the World Trade Center towers. So how did this act cause the WTC 7 building to collapse in a demolition-style free-fall a few hours later, when WTC 7 was never struck by airplanes? How can a steel and concrete building suddenly and magically collapse in perfect structural synchronicity merely from being on fire?

The answers don't matter to The Gullible Mind, you see. There is no room for facts inside their heads, because all the space has been taken up with what is essentially a cult-like belief in institutions of authority.

Even my super-duper heavy duty, ultra-reinforced irony meter couldn't withstand reading the two paragraphs above. Imagine, Adams accusing someone of having a Gullible Mind, using as his rationale the fact that that person rejects one of the silliest, most heavily refuted conspiracy theories in the world, namely the 9/11 "Truth" movement that claims that 9/11 was an "inside job." Adams even appears to be buying into the "no plane" conspiracy theory that states that no actual jetliners ever actually hit the World Trade Center towers. He even lists as other examples of "gullible mind" beliefs these:

There's no such thing as a cure for cancer - The ultimate pessimists, the Gullible Mind crowd believes cancer has never been cured! And if a cancer cure did exist, we would know about it by now, right? (Because our scientists already know everything that's worth knowing, you see...)

Actually, this isn't true. Cancer can be cured. Well, not exactly. Specific cancers can be cured with various combinations of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Breast cancer, for instance. Testicular cancer can even be cured when it's advanced. And you know what does it? Science. Not quackery. Not magic. Not belief in various mystical forces. Science.

After a long tirade that purports to tell you--yes, you!-- to "awaken" and stop being a gullible mind. You can read it for yourself if you want to torture yourself, but to boil it down it involves asking a lot of "questions" about everything, namely questions along the lines of "Why did Obama suddenly announce the death of Bin Laden in the middle of his 'birther' crisis?" Indeed, these questions made me wonder if there is any conspiracy theory that Adams doesn't subscribe to. 9/11 Truth? Adams is into it. Birtherism? Yep. All manner of medical conspiracy theories. Them too. Adams even links to a list of conspiracy theories that have allegedly turned out to be true, one of which links Jared Lee Loughner to MK Ultra and the claim that the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan was a conspiracy. Of course, one of the listed conspiracy theories was the Manhattan Project, which did indeed involve a conspiracy by the government to keep a secret weapons program--oh, you know--secret. It was also revealed after the war was over.

You get the logic, though, don't you? Just because conspiracies like the Manhattan Project, Iran-Contra, and Watergate were real, 9/11 Truthers, Birthers, and many other varieties of loony conspiracy theories must be real, too!

And, according to Adams, these are examples of "awakened" people:

  • Alex Jones
  • Jeff Rense
  • Charlotte Gerson
  • Jonathan Landsman
  • David Icke
  • Jesse Ventura
  • Gerald Celente
  • Ron Paul
  • Robert Scott Bell
  • Dr. Andrew Wakefield
  • Suzanne Somers
  • Dr. James Forsythe
  • George Noorey

David Icke? The guy who thinks that shape-shifting reptilians are ruling the world? Alex Jones? The guy who never met a conspiracy theory he didn't like, even when it conflicts with other conspiracy theories he believes? Andrew Wakefield? Suzanne Somers? Charlotte Gerson?

Apparently, "awakened" does not mean what we commonly think it to mean.

I sometimes wonder if all these straw men and this projection convince anyone other than believers, or whether they serve any purpose other than to overcome the self-doubt of those who use arguments like this. Adams uses an extreme version of the sorts of fallacious straw men arguments and techniques of projection, but less obviously nutty versions are used all the time by cranks. Regardless of why believers in pseudoscience use arguments like this, they represent a profound roadblock to engaging with supporters of pseudoscience and educating them in critical thinking.

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Orac--I bet this tickles your "I must debate him just so I can see this in action" ganglion just a bit, doesn't it? Talk about an ego of epic proportions! Oh, and I actually laughed out loud at Wakefield being "awakened." The only thing Wakers is "awakened" to is the fact he is a total fraud.

@Marc,
Wakefield is also awakened to the smell of money and the sound of his supplicants. He is an 'extra-awakened' or 'super-awakened' being.

Orac said "something I've noticed over the years, namely a trait that appears to be shared by virtually every crank with whom I've ever locked horns. That trait is the tendency to assiduously avoid addressing what the actual argument is"

Since Orac repeatedly and visibly refuses to address actual questions of fact about "catastrophuc warming", LNT or I assume his relationship to Tom Cobley that self defines Orac as a crank.

Who could disagree.

David Icke! Is he still going? Went from being the goalie/host to announcing he was the son of god. Kind of a sideways career move.

By SomeGuyWanderingBy (not verified) on 10 May 2011 #permalink

So essentially, Adams lives in a world of doublespeak, where truth is lies, lies truth, fiction is history and history is to be debunked. It'd be scary if it weren't so gawdawful silly.

"Notice number two..."

I noticed a lot of number 2! but that's woo's answer to the energy crisis, isn't it - endless supplies of number 2? Great blog.

We have to add the Adamser to the Birther, Truther, Deather etc. Defined as a person who knows that when reality conflicts with one's opinion it's a conspiracy by the universe against the freedom of the individual.

I heartily recommend "The Great Derangement" by Matt Taibbi - it goes into great detail why people can & do adopt fringe beliefs (and conspiracies) as a defense mechanism against their own feelings of powerlessness & dissatisfaction with government and mainstream culture.

Actually, most, if not all of our trolls fall nicely into the categories of fringers detailed in the book.

A very informative, if also very depressing read.

I first became aware of politics during Watergate; "the government is lying" is not an odd or unlikely assertion. The thing is, I tend to think people have some reason for lying: profit, genuine self-delusion, fear, and desire to be accepted are common ones. Nixon and his people had good reason to lie during Watergate; that doesn't mean that everyone in government lies about everything.

Adams's problem isn't that skeptics accept authority: it's that we don't accept his authority. Why does he think that his "Dr." trumps someone else's?

There is a certain "emperor's new clothes" element to Mike Adams, isn't there? You'll only understand and believe what he says if you are really really smart and "awakened" and not gullible. And like the emperor's new clothes (and also stone soup), it's also a classic con artist strategy. It definitely works, and Adams is not the first to realize that.

By Calli Arcale (not verified) on 10 May 2011 #permalink

(As I noted previously, Mikey *is* out in Tucson and it *was* Cinco de Mayo so he probably sampled his home-made vat of organic, non-GMO, fermented agave nectar too early in the day. What's his excuse on the other 364 days?)

I expect that when woo-meisters "debate" it is not to spar with us but rather to put on a show displaying their "talents" and "ideas" to their audience. Null, as raconteur, lovingly details how he has won every debate hands-down for "over 35 years". I only heard one of these over the air: he really didn't let the guy speak ( lee-phillips.org) and then sued him. "Science" by debate, press release, and courtroom- tried and true methods of education. Sure.

There's something more insidious here: both of these charlatans, grasping for increased acceptance by the general public in order to create a larger market- are trying to implement their nonsense in schools. And not just med schools. Adams gives an award of $1000- via his charity- to grade school classrooms who want to "improve their health" by following his lead. As we've learned with anti-vax, the way to a parent's heart ( and pocket book) is through *die Kinder*. Null does him one better by implementing "lifestyle change protocols" for kids and adults in the less-regulated charter schools ( Gray Charter School, Newark, NJ- see website/ health lecture); due to his incredible "success" (with ADHD, asthma,obesity, bp, blood glucose), more schools** are due to sign up in the Fall.

Which gets me to my other gripe: the diagnosis and treatment of illness, both physical and psychological, by charlatans. I should preface that with the *unprosecuted* diagnosis and treatment of illness. There's a name for that and it's a crime.

** students are poor and mostly African-American in the NYC area.

By Denice Walter (not verified) on 10 May 2011 #permalink

I know someone who's one of Mike's gullible followers. She regularly links to his articles on her blog.

Her most recent rant is about a local school system doing a contest for students who get vaccinated.
Isn't that great, a contest with a laptop or ipod for winners who only need to get a jab or three! The sponsers are a family who lost their college aged daughter to a meningococcal infection. Here's a link to info on the contest: http://www2.chccs.k12.nc.us/education/components/board/default.php?sect…

Anyway, it looks as if she's getting more commenters on these blog entries and I wish she would get some from commenters here. (I do hate to increase her traffic, but....) Here's her blog: http://movingstronglyforward.typepad.com/moving_strongly_forward/

I have no real authority in the vaccine discussion, but would love it if someone who did would point out the flaws in her anti vax arguments. She spreads her psuedoscience all over the place.
Thanks all.

By Lynn Wilhelm (not verified) on 10 May 2011 #permalink

Did my part & posted a link to Todd's standard anti-anti-vax site. We'll see what response that gets.

I first became aware of politics during Watergate; "the government is lying" is not an odd or unlikely assertion. The thing is, I tend to think people have some reason for lying: profit, genuine self-delusion, fear, and desire to be accepted are common ones. Nixon and his people had good reason to lie during Watergate; that doesn't mean that everyone in government lies about everything.

One problem I have with the sentiment that "the government lies" is, what does that have to do with the FDA or CDC?

The CDC is NOT "the government." The CDC is made up of doctors and scientists and others who work FOR the government, but they are not a governing body in any way. They have no legislating authority, and are not elected. While some of them end up being presidential appointments, it is certainly not all, and there has been almost no presidential effect on their approaches. They do not govern anyone.

The policies of the FDA and CDC aren't even really decided by staff people, employees of the FDA or CDC, but are determined by panels of experts convened by those organizations to advise them.

This is done all the time for "governmentally supported institutions." I serve on NSF panels every year. Does that make me part of the government? Not in the friggin least. The NSF is not "the government" either.

That Richard Nixon or any other politician is corrupt has no relationship to the work done by the experts that serve government agencies.

By Marry Me, Mind… (not verified) on 10 May 2011 #permalink

Forget Mike Adams: Health Ranger. It should be Mike Adams: Destroyer of Irony Meters.

I have no real authority in the vaccine discussion, but would love it if someone who did would point out the flaws in her anti vax arguments. She spreads her psuedoscience all over the place.

Your acquaintance apparently believes that the fact that the annual death toll from meningococcal disease is greater than that from adverse reactions to all vaccines in combination[1] is an argument against vaccination. It's rather hard to know where to start with such blatant stupidity.

[1] As measured by VAERS, of all places.

@Lawrence,
Thanks for the comment on her posts, but I don't think it will last long. She's deleted mine already! I suppose she only likes supportive comments on her blog.

By Lynn Wilhelm (not verified) on 10 May 2011 #permalink

No problem Lynn - I'd be surprised if the posts survive, but perhaps something will get through.

Although, she is definitely on the "Woo-Train" with anti-vax, homeopathy, oriental medicine, etc.

Good luck with that.

The CDC is NOT "the government." The CDC is made up of doctors and scientists and others who work FOR the government, but they are not a governing body in any way. They have no legislating authority, and are not elected. While some of them end up being presidential appointments, it is certainly not all, and there has been almost no presidential effect on their approaches. They do not govern anyone.

The policies of the FDA and CDC aren't even really decided by staff people, employees of the FDA or CDC, but are determined by panels of experts convened by those organizations to advise them.

This is done all the time for "governmentally supported institutions." I serve on NSF panels every year. Does that make me part of the government? Not in the friggin least. The NSF is not "the government" either.

That Richard Nixon or any other politician is corrupt has no relationship to the work done by the experts that serve government agencies.

Pablo, my only quibble is that in fact politicians DO lean on the CDC and other supposedly autonomous government agencies, because they have the key to the funding the agencies need in order to carry out their mandate. I re-read Randy Shilts' "And the Band Played On" recently, which details a good deal of political interference retarding the ability of the CDC to respond as swiftly to an emerging public health crisis in the early 1980's as the scientists working there would have liked.

Mind you, Shilts never claims that the political masters tried to make CDC scientists lie about their scientific results. They just starved researchers and public health experts of funds because the public health crisis in question occurred in despised minority groups with little political power or access to the mainstream media. It's political interference by a government, but it's not at a conspiracy level. And the CDC's (and other agencies') lack of *total* autonomy doesn't make it any more likely that the CDC is engaging in a criminal conspiracy to obscure the "fact" that childhood vaccines are causing an autism epidemic.

Mike Adams, conspiracy theorist:

Gullible Mind people do believe it is possible for a government (or institution) to lie; but they believe that governments, institutions and doctors choose NOT to lie even when it would serve their own self interests to do so.

Actually, you can tell when people are lying and when they're not. It's called evidence. We know Big Tobacco lied because of all the studies linking smoking to lung cancer (and mouth cancer, and throat cancer...) We know when Pharma companies lie because of large numbers of contrary studies with larger sample sizes, emails leaked by competitors, and whistle-blowing scientists.

We know Mikey's beloved Alternative Medicines are founded in lies because of a shortage of robust scientific studies supporting them, reliance on a very few, small, often unblinded studies to claim support, and abundant special pleading (science cannot test my hypotheses!) goalpost shifting, ad hominem attacks (shill gambit), argumentum ad populum, anecdotes, and silencing critics with lawsuits.

So when Mikey says:

People who operate from The Gullible Mind tend to have misplaced trust in governments, institutions, mainstream news networks, doctors, scientists or anyone who wears the garb of apparent authority.

he revealingly says nothing about the content of what was said. It's all about the speaker. Evidence be damned, what matters is having blind disbelief in authority figures. Anyone reaching different conclusions must be blindly trusting speakers they should blindly reject. Examining the content of what people say isn't even on the radar.

By Scott Cunningham (not verified) on 10 May 2011 #permalink

Raincitygirl - I don't disagree with your comment, but just reiterate, even given what you say, that doesn't make the FDA or the people who work there "the government"

"Gullible Mind people do believe it is possible for Mike Adams to lie; but they believe that Mike Adams chooses NOT to lie even when it would serve his own self interests to do so"

There, I fixed it for him. I won't bother adding in the part about where it's possible for him to be wrong without him intentionally, consciously lying.

-Karl Withakay

Although, she is definitely on the "Woo-Train" with anti-vax, homeopathy, oriental medicine, etc.

I will never figure out why WAPFers find it necessary to rename plain old stock "bone broth," post instructional videos, discuss it endlessly on MDC, etc., and generally behave as if it's some mysterious new discovery rather than an elementary culinary item.

If they admitted it was just broth, they would have to stop insisting that people put in horrible stinky herbs. (A friend of mine's partner is doing stuff with Oriental medicine, and my friend finds the smell disturbing. It was worse before the practitioner said the partner could add ginger to the mix.)

By Vicki, Chief A… (not verified) on 10 May 2011 #permalink

It sounds to me that "The Gullible Mind" is very similar to "Pharma Shill". This is something I have been accused of being, even though I have never been a doctor or associated in any way with a pharmaceutical company. It just means, you follow the evidence instead of listening to me.

Pablo, agreed. Government is not a monolith. And speaking as a government worker myself, though not in the USA, we civil servants are terrible gossips! Any vast conspiracy to poison children would quickly run into difficulties with FDA or CDC people who are in on the conspiracy blabbing about it accidentally.

Plus, many government workers have children, or at least nieces and nephews. In the event of a conspiracy, you'd expect to see a huge amount of vaccine non-compliance among children related to the conspirators.

By Raincitygirl (not verified) on 10 May 2011 #permalink

I will never figure out why WAPFers find it necessary to rename plain old stock "bone broth," post instructional videos, discuss it endlessly on MDC, etc., and generally behave as if it's some mysterious new discovery rather than an elementary culinary item.

She loves the GAPS diet too.
Love the broth stuff. But, you know, everything old is new again!

By Lynn Wilhelm (not verified) on 10 May 2011 #permalink

Hi again Pablo. And I forgot to mention the part where I totally agree with you that even if someone's paycheque comes from a government source, that does not make the CDC etc. "the government".

By Raincitygirl (not verified) on 10 May 2011 #permalink

MESSAGE BEGINS-----------------------------

Shills and Minions,

Enough is enough. As you all know, I've been a bit preoccupied with hatchlings for the last few weeks, but at last the Ve'heraach maat (culling and swarming phase) is over and the survivors are now The Creche of 36 and shall soon take their rightful place among the masters of this sector.

So I see that Mr. Adams is up to his old tricks again. Now, our cybernetic host is doing a marvelous job with his campaign of mockery and disinformation, but this new offensive disturbs me with its devastating accuracy and revelations of our planetary subjugation efforts.

His list of the awakened is most edifiying as it contains not only our known enemies (the dreaded Icke), but some we up here at Orbital haven't seen yet.

New orders will be forthcoming. Remain vigilant and ever so slightly eeeeeevil at all times.

Lord Draconis Zeneca, VC, iH7L
Forward Mavoon of the Great Fleet, Suzerain of V'tar and Pharmaca Magna of Terra and SeedFather Progenitor of the Creche of 36

PharmaCOM Orbital HQ
0010101101001

-------------------------MESSAGE ENDS

Lynn, Lynn, Lynn....what have you done to me. When over there & posted a couple of comments & wow - the woo is strong with that one.

I loved the quote from her that she's more than happy to delete any and all comments that she disagrees with.

I posted a rebuttal - let's see if she responds to it.

Yeah, she's deleted my comments. I've never commented on her blog before, but I haven't seen her being so anti vax.

That laura short is truly nutty too. Laura, who's blog it is, seems a very nice person and her kid is sweet, he's my daughter's age. Poor kid. She likes to experiement on him--he seems to have lots of problems--wonder why?

I really shouldn't go to her blog at all, but I like to know what kind of crap she's spreading--she is in an women's email group I'm in.

Maybe some more folks will comment there. Please. She'll just say we're friends, but it's no lie to say we don't know each other, right. I think that laura short thinks you are my sock puppet, Lawrence!

By the way, laura short linked to a Faux news report about some people speaking up about vaccine damage settlements. It starts out all anti vax, but ends much better: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXp4hM3eQuI
Anyone know more about this announcement? I hope Orac will post on it.

By Lynn Wilhelm (not verified) on 10 May 2011 #permalink

@ Lynn Wilhelm: Orac has posted on the Faux News report:

A press conference touting "proof" that vaccines cause autism and government has admitted it? (May 7, 2011 12 PM)

Sashay over to the article and give us your opinion.

My dearest Lord Draconis, most forward of Mavoons and Suzeraine of my heart,

Take it easy there, Mr! Stress is not good for your species. Did you take your meds? Don't you worry your lovely, crested head about these so-called "Awakened"- I know all about them- I have files on all of them! : why do you think I got my rank upped a level to DL? They may think themselves to be the "toast of the town" when they are merely *toast*. If they are so friggen "awakened" why do they always manage to put me right to sleep? Did you ever hear Celente speak? I rest my case.

You just go ahead and relax and leave it all to D! It's all going to be alright. All of your loyal servants here on Terra are watching out for you: I talk with all of them all of the time. Why just my lovely sister minions here @ RI *alone* can do major league damage to *anyone* who would even _dare_ *think* about interfering with our plans. In 90mm heels. And the "Dreaded" Icke? No, darling, more like the "shredded" Icke.
Now go chill, my love. K?

Most sincerely yours, DW, the DL of suchlike and whatever

I loved the quote from her that she's more than happy to delete any and all comments that she disagrees with.

Eh, it won't even let me post in the first place. I was curious whether she bothered to ascertain which serogroup caused Ms. Harrison's fatal meningococcemia or just started jumping up and down like Sue Lyon with the distributor head in Night of the Iguana.

Someone somewhat close to me thinks like this. She pretty much told me that scientists lie and are biased. That peer reviewed science is bull. She loves Deepak Chopra and "physics", his version of course. Alternative medicine is her favorite topic which of course which includes "heart math" and "naturopathy" and of course astrology. It leaves me wanting to stab my ear drums. When mercury is in retrograde she gains special abilites. Healing touch? No problem for the enlightened type like her! People like me are just materialistic and blind to the truth! No amount of logic or reason works. Then again, people like this don't care for logic or reason. They want to feel special, as if they have some special abilities or knowledge others do not.

Orac has posted on the Faux News report:

A press conference touting "proof" that vaccines cause autism and government has admitted it? (May 7, 2011 12 PM)

Sashay over to the article and give us your opinion.

My bad, I didn't realize this was the same thing that video was discussing. I don't always get a chance to read all of Orac's posts. Faux News sure blew this way out of proportion, touting the vaccine/autism connection. By the end of both reports they did concede that there might not be a connection. Brought up Hannah Poling way too often.

Has anyone seen the actual news conference from today? Is there any chance any of the antivaxxers will actually hear that the "government" hasn't "admitted" any kind of link? Not too much of a chance. Just more fuel for quote mining.

By Lynn Wilhelm (not verified) on 10 May 2011 #permalink

@ Lynn Wilhelm: I saw the news conference; if you really must see it. It was just more of the same and no they really did downplay the "conspiracy" angle mentioning numbers of kids they "discovered" during their research who were awarded money for vaccine injuries..."and that's just the tip of the iceberg!". A few parents of these children actually said their children had severe reactions, high fevers resulting in seizures and resulting mental retardation...with autistic features. I didn't see any crowds there and when the "audience" clapped, I estimated that no more that 15-20 people were applauding the show. View the video at:

www.upstream.tv/recorded/14611371

Obviously this is a minor point, but I think you are misinterpreting his Truther claim. He seems to be saying that no plane hit Tower #7, specifically, not that planes did not hit other towers. That, of course, doesn't really make his position any more reasonable. His pathology is profound.

By randyextry (not verified) on 10 May 2011 #permalink

It's funny that as detestable as Ron Paul is, even he has publicly stated repeatedly that he does not subscribe to the "inside job" theory of 9/11...and yet that doesn't stop 9/11 deniers like Mike Adams to embrace him as the new messiah.

"The core of Adams' argument is that scientists, skeptics, and just people with a modicum of critical thinking skills won't accept the nonsense he is laying down not because they are skeptical but rather because they are so gullible that they believe anything someone in authority tells them."

Sadly I was met with such an argument recently, too, when I argued against "alternative medicines" and for scientific methods. I was told that I am *not critical enough* and should get my head checked for believing in science "unquestioningly".

Ignorance wins.

"The core of Adams' argument is that scientists, skeptics, and just people with a modicum of critical thinking skills won't accept the nonsense he is laying down not because they are skeptical but rather because they are so gullible that they believe anything someone in authority tells them."

Sadly I was met with such an argument recently, too, when I argued against "alternative medicines" and for scientific methods. I was told that I am *not critical enough* and should get my head checked for believing in science "unquestioningly".

Ignorance wins.

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