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	<title>Comments on: An Open Letter to Oprah</title>
	<atom:link href="http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/</link>
	<description>I am an astronomer, writer, and skeptic. I likes reality the way it is, and I aims to keep it that way. My real name is Phil Plait, and I run the Bad Astronomy blog.</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:44:03 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>By: Should Someone Sue Oprah? - Vaccines, Hormones, and Responsibility - Advocation.me</title>
		<link>http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/comment-page-2/#comment-188593</link>
		<dc:creator>Should Someone Sue Oprah? - Vaccines, Hormones, and Responsibility - Advocation.me</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 04 Jun 2009 01:15:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/#comment-188593</guid>
		<description>[...] ado is currently being made about Oprah.  For some time now bloggers in the skeptic community have been calling her out for giving a stage to people whose work goes against current science.  This includes Suzanne [...]</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>[...] ado is currently being made about Oprah.  For some time now bloggers in the skeptic community have been calling her out for giving a stage to people whose work goes against current science.  This includes Suzanne [...]</p>
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		<title>By: Newsweek slams Oprah &#124; Bad Astronomy &#124; Discover Magazine</title>
		<link>http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/comment-page-1/#comment-188310</link>
		<dc:creator>Newsweek slams Oprah &#124; Bad Astronomy &#124; Discover Magazine</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 03 Jun 2009 15:30:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/#comment-188310</guid>
		<description>[...] you may know, Oprah recently stepped from the realm of pseudoscience firmly into the realm of dangerous antiscience when she decided to support antivax advocate Jenny McCarthy. The blogosphere went, well, nuts, [...]</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>[...] you may know, Oprah recently stepped from the realm of pseudoscience firmly into the realm of dangerous antiscience when she decided to support antivax advocate Jenny McCarthy. The blogosphere went, well, nuts, [...]</p>
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		<title>By: Yohan</title>
		<link>http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/comment-page-1/#comment-185654</link>
		<dc:creator>Yohan</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 22 May 2009 21:34:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/#comment-185654</guid>
		<description>http://tsuasai.wordpress.com/2009/05/19/responce-to-an-open-letter-to-oprah/

Got that in response to retweeting the letter.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://tsuasai.wordpress.com/2009/05/19/responce-to-an-open-letter-to-oprah/" rel="nofollow">http://tsuasai.wordpress.com/2009/05/19/responce-to-an-open-letter-to-oprah/</a></p>
<p>Got that in response to retweeting the letter.</p>
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		<title>By: Colin</title>
		<link>http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/comment-page-1/#comment-185313</link>
		<dc:creator>Colin</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 22 May 2009 01:37:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/#comment-185313</guid>
		<description>Gaze through a microscope and you think of how huge you are. Gaze through a telescope and you think of how tiny you are. Science and evolution gave you the ability to see it all!</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Gaze through a microscope and you think of how huge you are. Gaze through a telescope and you think of how tiny you are. Science and evolution gave you the ability to see it all!</p>
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		<title>By: Way to go, Shirley. &#171; Building confidence.</title>
		<link>http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/comment-page-1/#comment-185132</link>
		<dc:creator>Way to go, Shirley. &#171; Building confidence.</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 21 May 2009 14:59:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/#comment-185132</guid>
		<description>[...] the non-scientific and dangerous crusade against vaccines lead by Jenny McCarthy, and this got a fair amount of attention, including more than 5000 links and tweats and whatevers in the first 24 hours.   So Shirley had [...]</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>[...] the non-scientific and dangerous crusade against vaccines lead by Jenny McCarthy, and this got a fair amount of attention, including more than 5000 links and tweats and whatevers in the first 24 hours.   So Shirley had [...]</p>
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		<title>By: Rogue Medic</title>
		<link>http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/comment-page-1/#comment-185067</link>
		<dc:creator>Rogue Medic</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 21 May 2009 03:53:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/#comment-185067</guid>
		<description>Thank you for adding the ability to edit after posting comments. Yay!</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thank you for adding the ability to edit after posting comments. Yay!</p>
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		<title>By: Rogue Medic</title>
		<link>http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/comment-page-1/#comment-185066</link>
		<dc:creator>Rogue Medic</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 21 May 2009 03:48:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/#comment-185066</guid>
		<description>Susan,

&lt;blockquote&gt;after my eldest daughter got her DPT vaccination, she stopped breathing that night. &lt;/blockquote&gt;

what if you had not vaccinated your child that day? Then what would you blame the autism on? 

The research has already been done. There is no link to autism. You do not appear to understand what keeping your mind open means.

&lt;blockquote&gt;brand new baby brains may not be developed enough to handle a virus being put into their bodies.&lt;/blockquote&gt;

The vaccine does not go into the brain. If they injected your baby&#039;s brain maybe there is a connection to seizures, but that is not the way vaccines are given. The chemical contents of the vaccines are tiny. The baby needs the vaccine before exposure to the illness. All of the illnesses vaccinated against with DPT are potentially fatal and they seem to be returning, due to the refusal of parents to vaccinate their children.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Susan,</p>
<blockquote><p>after my eldest daughter got her DPT vaccination, she stopped breathing that night. </p></blockquote>
<p>what if you had not vaccinated your child that day? Then what would you blame the autism on? </p>
<p>The research has already been done. There is no link to autism. You do not appear to understand what keeping your mind open means.</p>
<blockquote><p>brand new baby brains may not be developed enough to handle a virus being put into their bodies.</p></blockquote>
<p>The vaccine does not go into the brain. If they injected your baby&#8217;s brain maybe there is a connection to seizures, but that is not the way vaccines are given. The chemical contents of the vaccines are tiny. The baby needs the vaccine before exposure to the illness. All of the illnesses vaccinated against with DPT are potentially fatal and they seem to be returning, due to the refusal of parents to vaccinate their children.</p>
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		<title>By: Sharron</title>
		<link>http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/comment-page-1/#comment-185030</link>
		<dc:creator>Sharron</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 21 May 2009 00:25:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/#comment-185030</guid>
		<description>I have a Master&#039;s in Science and I do not pretend to know everything about this issue.  I can say though, after my eldest daughter got her DPT vaccination, she stopped breathing that night.  I thank God that I knew how to revive her.  She has seizures for about three months after.  I didn&#039;t have her vaccinated with the DPT again.

We all noticed a change in behaviour in my grandaughter after her DPT.  Her behaviour was so different that she was taken for tests and she was diagnosed as being autistic.  A friend of mine had her son vaccinated and he seizured as well.  I told her to reconsider re-vaccinating him and she told me that her doctor knew better than I did.  Her son is now severely autisic.

All I ask is for people to consider the notion that some of these brand new baby brains may not be developed enough to handle a virus being put into their bodies.  Perhaps more research into the timing of the vaccinations could be done (?)

That would mean that everyone including me would have to be willing to keep our minds open to any and all findings.

Sharron</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I have a Master&#8217;s in Science and I do not pretend to know everything about this issue.  I can say though, after my eldest daughter got her DPT vaccination, she stopped breathing that night.  I thank God that I knew how to revive her.  She has seizures for about three months after.  I didn&#8217;t have her vaccinated with the DPT again.</p>
<p>We all noticed a change in behaviour in my grandaughter after her DPT.  Her behaviour was so different that she was taken for tests and she was diagnosed as being autistic.  A friend of mine had her son vaccinated and he seizured as well.  I told her to reconsider re-vaccinating him and she told me that her doctor knew better than I did.  Her son is now severely autisic.</p>
<p>All I ask is for people to consider the notion that some of these brand new baby brains may not be developed enough to handle a virus being put into their bodies.  Perhaps more research into the timing of the vaccinations could be done (?)</p>
<p>That would mean that everyone including me would have to be willing to keep our minds open to any and all findings.</p>
<p>Sharron</p>
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		<title>By: WeirdFish</title>
		<link>http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/comment-page-1/#comment-184857</link>
		<dc:creator>WeirdFish</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 20 May 2009 13:56:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/#comment-184857</guid>
		<description>As a follow-up, to argue the point requires being succinct and most importantly, &lt;b&gt;brief.&lt;/b&gt;  It&#039;s easy to cite scientific facts, mathematics, statistics, and so on, but remember that the people who need convincing are those who care little to nothing about the scientific method.

They want the drive-through combo meal so they can get on with their day and not think more than 20 seconds on the issue.

Use everyday analogies.  Whenever I troubleshoot or repair someone&#039;s computer, I liken it to automotive maintenance, because people are more readily able to relate to the relationship between the battery, motor, and ignition than power supply, motherboard, and CPU.

Brevity is key because if writing gets too long (like I&#039;m in danger of doing), readers will skim or skip.  The point will be lost in what they assume to be jargon.

Ironic that Jenny McCarthy seems to be using tactics similar to another McCarthy of history: emotional appeal that subverts reason.  Herein lies science&#039;s weakness, because science inherently can&#039;t compete with emotional response among the layperson when forming an opinion.

And so long as TMZ, American Idol, and Rock of Love reaches households across America, we&#039;re doomed.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>As a follow-up, to argue the point requires being succinct and most importantly, <b>brief.</b>  It&#8217;s easy to cite scientific facts, mathematics, statistics, and so on, but remember that the people who need convincing are those who care little to nothing about the scientific method.</p>
<p>They want the drive-through combo meal so they can get on with their day and not think more than 20 seconds on the issue.</p>
<p>Use everyday analogies.  Whenever I troubleshoot or repair someone&#8217;s computer, I liken it to automotive maintenance, because people are more readily able to relate to the relationship between the battery, motor, and ignition than power supply, motherboard, and CPU.</p>
<p>Brevity is key because if writing gets too long (like I&#8217;m in danger of doing), readers will skim or skip.  The point will be lost in what they assume to be jargon.</p>
<p>Ironic that Jenny McCarthy seems to be using tactics similar to another McCarthy of history: emotional appeal that subverts reason.  Herein lies science&#8217;s weakness, because science inherently can&#8217;t compete with emotional response among the layperson when forming an opinion.</p>
<p>And so long as TMZ, American Idol, and Rock of Love reaches households across America, we&#8217;re doomed.</p>
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		<title>By: WeirdFish</title>
		<link>http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/comment-page-1/#comment-184852</link>
		<dc:creator>WeirdFish</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 20 May 2009 13:47:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/#comment-184852</guid>
		<description>To explain the &quot;why people listen to Jenny and Oprah:&quot;

&quot;Science is &lt;i&gt;hard&lt;/i&gt;, Barbie!&quot;

Critical thinking, analysis, and exploration require effort.  Hearing information spoken with conviction (regardless of accuracy or even truth) requires minimal to no effort.  Hence, the rise of reality shows and competition programming.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>To explain the &#8220;why people listen to Jenny and Oprah:&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Science is <i>hard</i>, Barbie!&#8221;</p>
<p>Critical thinking, analysis, and exploration require effort.  Hearing information spoken with conviction (regardless of accuracy or even truth) requires minimal to no effort.  Hence, the rise of reality shows and competition programming.</p>
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		<title>By: Colin</title>
		<link>http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/comment-page-1/#comment-184818</link>
		<dc:creator>Colin</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 20 May 2009 10:46:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/#comment-184818</guid>
		<description>The BBC reported yesterday on an outbrake of measles in Wales 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/8057661.stm
Over 100 children infected.
Well done anitvaxers! Pat yourselves on the back, especially John Fryer</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The BBC reported yesterday on an outbrake of measles in Wales<br />
<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/8057661.stm" rel="nofollow">http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/8057661.stm</a><br />
Over 100 children infected.<br />
Well done anitvaxers! Pat yourselves on the back, especially John Fryer</p>
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		<title>By: Rogue Medic</title>
		<link>http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/comment-page-1/#comment-184790</link>
		<dc:creator>Rogue Medic</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 20 May 2009 05:34:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/#comment-184790</guid>
		<description>Forgot to close a tag, again. The last few paragraphs should read:

&lt;blockquote&gt;Time to break up the monopolies and support those companies that keep children healthy and not keep them as lucrative customers.&lt;/blockquote&gt;

The vaccine companies keep children healthy. The prodisease movement opposes healthy children.

&lt;blockquote&gt;I would be interested in research that shows vaccines are safe not epidemiological evidence that somehow manages to overlook a catastrophic child health situation.&lt;/blockquote&gt;

In other words, you do not understand what you are writing about.

&lt;blockquote&gt;How can you survey children where everyone gets vaccines and one in three is ill and say vaccines are proven safe?&lt;/blockquote&gt;

One in three are not ill. That is another of your lies.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Forgot to close a tag, again. The last few paragraphs should read:</p>
<blockquote><p>Time to break up the monopolies and support those companies that keep children healthy and not keep them as lucrative customers.</p></blockquote>
<p>The vaccine companies keep children healthy. The prodisease movement opposes healthy children.</p>
<blockquote><p>I would be interested in research that shows vaccines are safe not epidemiological evidence that somehow manages to overlook a catastrophic child health situation.</p></blockquote>
<p>In other words, you do not understand what you are writing about.</p>
<blockquote><p>How can you survey children where everyone gets vaccines and one in three is ill and say vaccines are proven safe?</p></blockquote>
<p>One in three are not ill. That is another of your lies.</p>
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		<title>By: Rogue Medic</title>
		<link>http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/comment-page-1/#comment-184773</link>
		<dc:creator>Rogue Medic</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 20 May 2009 03:26:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/#comment-184773</guid>
		<description>John Fryer,

&lt;blockquote&gt;Since 1969 the USA has had more than 1 million dead babies for which there is no known explanation for the death and the experts say it is “SIDS”.&lt;/blockquote&gt;

&lt;blockquote&gt;SIDS and vaccine death share the same clinical signs.&lt;/blockquote&gt;

&lt;blockquote&gt;In fact more than a million babies may have died from vaccines. Its called SIDS.&lt;/blockquote&gt;

You have an amazing way of drawing conclusions. &lt;i&gt;no known explanation for the death and the experts say it is “SIDS”.&lt;/i&gt; Then you claim that SIDS and &lt;i&gt;vaccine death&lt;/i&gt; are the same thing. 

You do not define &lt;i&gt;vaccine death&lt;/i&gt;. That should not be surprising, since we are looking at medicine and you do not seem to have any understanding of medicine. What is this thing you call &lt;i&gt;vaccine death&lt;/i&gt;? 

Where do you get this information? 

Why haven&#039;t doctors noticed this?

How do you conclude that this is the same as SIDS?

&lt;blockquote&gt;Vaccines do save lives and it is false to say people like Jenny et al are anti vaccine.&lt;/blockquote&gt;

You have told this lie before. You have been corrected on it. You continue with this lie.

Jenny &lt;i&gt;Killer&lt;/i&gt; McCarthy has repeatedly stated that she wants people to stop getting vaccinated. Jenny &lt;i&gt;Killer&lt;/i&gt; McCarthy has stated that she wants the diseases, that are preventable by vaccination, to return. 

&lt;blockquote&gt;Pressure and common sense will mean single measles vaccine will be brought back for use and common sense dictates this is safer than exposing babies to three pathogenic organisms at the same time.&lt;/blockquote&gt;

If there were some basis for your claim, this would be true, but there is not. You state that the pertussis vaccine is not as safe in adults as in children. Then you state that we need to avoid vaccinating children. Why shouldn&#039;t children be protected from pertussis? Why do you claim that the vaccine is not safe in children? 

I have seen too many children with pertussis recently. I should not see any. This is the fault of Jenny &lt;i&gt;Killer&lt;/i&gt; McCarthy and the prodisease movement.

&lt;blockquote&gt;Vaccines are emotive and if they work its great but many vaccines have been given up for lack of doing what they are supposed to. Includes several types of MMR vaccines, TB, polio etc.&lt;/blockquote&gt;

Emotive? Vaccines are replaced by safer vaccines, not because they are given up. There is continual progress in vaccines, while the prodisease movement is opposed to progress.

&lt;blockquote&gt;Time to break up the monopolies and support those companies that keep children healthy and not keep them as lucrative customers.&lt;blockquote&gt;

The vaccine companies keep children healthy. The prodisease movement opposes healthy children.

&lt;blockquote&gt;I would be interested in research that shows vaccines are safe not epidemiological evidence that somehow manages to overlook a catastrophic child health situation.&lt;/blockquote&gt;

In other words, you do not understand what you are writing about.

&lt;blockquote&gt;How can you survey children where everyone gets vaccines and one in three is ill and say vaccines are proven safe?&lt;/blockquote&gt;

One in three are not ill. That is another of your lies.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>John Fryer,</p>
<blockquote><p>Since 1969 the USA has had more than 1 million dead babies for which there is no known explanation for the death and the experts say it is “SIDS”.</p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p>SIDS and vaccine death share the same clinical signs.</p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p>In fact more than a million babies may have died from vaccines. Its called SIDS.</p></blockquote>
<p>You have an amazing way of drawing conclusions. <i>no known explanation for the death and the experts say it is “SIDS”.</i> Then you claim that SIDS and <i>vaccine death</i> are the same thing. </p>
<p>You do not define <i>vaccine death</i>. That should not be surprising, since we are looking at medicine and you do not seem to have any understanding of medicine. What is this thing you call <i>vaccine death</i>? </p>
<p>Where do you get this information? </p>
<p>Why haven&#8217;t doctors noticed this?</p>
<p>How do you conclude that this is the same as SIDS?</p>
<blockquote><p>Vaccines do save lives and it is false to say people like Jenny et al are anti vaccine.</p></blockquote>
<p>You have told this lie before. You have been corrected on it. You continue with this lie.</p>
<p>Jenny <i>Killer</i> McCarthy has repeatedly stated that she wants people to stop getting vaccinated. Jenny <i>Killer</i> McCarthy has stated that she wants the diseases, that are preventable by vaccination, to return. </p>
<blockquote><p>Pressure and common sense will mean single measles vaccine will be brought back for use and common sense dictates this is safer than exposing babies to three pathogenic organisms at the same time.</p></blockquote>
<p>If there were some basis for your claim, this would be true, but there is not. You state that the pertussis vaccine is not as safe in adults as in children. Then you state that we need to avoid vaccinating children. Why shouldn&#8217;t children be protected from pertussis? Why do you claim that the vaccine is not safe in children? </p>
<p>I have seen too many children with pertussis recently. I should not see any. This is the fault of Jenny <i>Killer</i> McCarthy and the prodisease movement.</p>
<blockquote><p>Vaccines are emotive and if they work its great but many vaccines have been given up for lack of doing what they are supposed to. Includes several types of MMR vaccines, TB, polio etc.</p></blockquote>
<p>Emotive? Vaccines are replaced by safer vaccines, not because they are given up. There is continual progress in vaccines, while the prodisease movement is opposed to progress.</p>
<blockquote><p>Time to break up the monopolies and support those companies that keep children healthy and not keep them as lucrative customers.<br />
<blockquote>
<p>The vaccine companies keep children healthy. The prodisease movement opposes healthy children.</p>
<blockquote><p>I would be interested in research that shows vaccines are safe not epidemiological evidence that somehow manages to overlook a catastrophic child health situation.</p></blockquote>
<p>In other words, you do not understand what you are writing about.</p>
<blockquote><p>How can you survey children where everyone gets vaccines and one in three is ill and say vaccines are proven safe?</p></blockquote>
<p>One in three are not ill. That is another of your lies.</p></blockquote>
</blockquote>
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		<title>By: ND</title>
		<link>http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/comment-page-1/#comment-184713</link>
		<dc:creator>ND</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 20 May 2009 00:23:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/#comment-184713</guid>
		<description>John Fryer: &quot;A serial killer in a big city might kill 6 people and leave ten million unaffected. Does this make serial killers SAFE to be loose in a city?&quot;

But a serial killer does not go around saving tens of thousands of lives at the same time. Seriously, what kind of analogy is this? You&#039;re completely ignoring the lives that vaccines save here.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>John Fryer: &#8220;A serial killer in a big city might kill 6 people and leave ten million unaffected. Does this make serial killers SAFE to be loose in a city?&#8221;</p>
<p>But a serial killer does not go around saving tens of thousands of lives at the same time. Seriously, what kind of analogy is this? You&#8217;re completely ignoring the lives that vaccines save here.</p>
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		<title>By: John Fryer</title>
		<link>http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/comment-page-1/#comment-184682</link>
		<dc:creator>John Fryer</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 May 2009 22:08:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/#comment-184682</guid>
		<description>Hi Jeff

You say vaccines have been proven safe over and over again

In fact they are used over and over again with no &quot;apparent&quot; adverse effects to the vast majority.

A serial killer in a big city might kill 6 people and leave ten million unaffected. Does this make serial killers SAFE to be loose in a city?

In fact by law a baby must be completely healthy before getting vaccines. If only a very few got ill or died from these vaccines we have the serial killer syndrome for the use of vaccines.

In fact more than a million babies may have died from vaccines. Its called SIDS.

Evidence from science tells us that any vaccine has a risk and some research shows anaphylaxis as the unwanted natural effect of vaccines. This can be lethal for the child.

I would rather see fewer vaccines chased up by contact and other medical progress to eliminate illness in the way we did for smallpox.

To leave small pools of measles around means we protect children when they may get over a bout of illness only to allow them to get ill when they are older and suffer serious illness, possible brain damage and death.

Bizarrely just such happenings are blamed on anti vaccine people who are in reality pro safe vaccine and often with neurologically damaged children from vaccines and later unvaccinated healthy children.

Vaccines are emotive and if they work its great but many vaccines have been given up  for lack of doing what they are supposed to. Includes several types of MMR vaccines, TB, polio etc.

One child in three in USA has long term illness and needs medical drugs to help them.

If this illness is caused from too many vaccines and science that tells us of the risks - eg read vaccine inserts for example - then we have the very organisation that made children ill and profiting from the illness they themselves initiated.

Time to break up the monopolies and support those companies that keep children healthy and not keep them as lucrative customers.

I would be interested in research that shows vaccines are safe not epidemiological evidence that somehow manages to overlook a catastrophic child health situation.

How can you survey children where everyone gets vaccines and one in three is ill and say vaccines are proven safe?

Note: After his death we know that Professor Sir Richard Doll epidemiologist got 1 500 pounds (3 000 dollars a day) from one chemical company. What exactly did he do for this money?</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hi Jeff</p>
<p>You say vaccines have been proven safe over and over again</p>
<p>In fact they are used over and over again with no &#8220;apparent&#8221; adverse effects to the vast majority.</p>
<p>A serial killer in a big city might kill 6 people and leave ten million unaffected. Does this make serial killers SAFE to be loose in a city?</p>
<p>In fact by law a baby must be completely healthy before getting vaccines. If only a very few got ill or died from these vaccines we have the serial killer syndrome for the use of vaccines.</p>
<p>In fact more than a million babies may have died from vaccines. Its called SIDS.</p>
<p>Evidence from science tells us that any vaccine has a risk and some research shows anaphylaxis as the unwanted natural effect of vaccines. This can be lethal for the child.</p>
<p>I would rather see fewer vaccines chased up by contact and other medical progress to eliminate illness in the way we did for smallpox.</p>
<p>To leave small pools of measles around means we protect children when they may get over a bout of illness only to allow them to get ill when they are older and suffer serious illness, possible brain damage and death.</p>
<p>Bizarrely just such happenings are blamed on anti vaccine people who are in reality pro safe vaccine and often with neurologically damaged children from vaccines and later unvaccinated healthy children.</p>
<p>Vaccines are emotive and if they work its great but many vaccines have been given up  for lack of doing what they are supposed to. Includes several types of MMR vaccines, TB, polio etc.</p>
<p>One child in three in USA has long term illness and needs medical drugs to help them.</p>
<p>If this illness is caused from too many vaccines and science that tells us of the risks &#8211; eg read vaccine inserts for example &#8211; then we have the very organisation that made children ill and profiting from the illness they themselves initiated.</p>
<p>Time to break up the monopolies and support those companies that keep children healthy and not keep them as lucrative customers.</p>
<p>I would be interested in research that shows vaccines are safe not epidemiological evidence that somehow manages to overlook a catastrophic child health situation.</p>
<p>How can you survey children where everyone gets vaccines and one in three is ill and say vaccines are proven safe?</p>
<p>Note: After his death we know that Professor Sir Richard Doll epidemiologist got 1 500 pounds (3 000 dollars a day) from one chemical company. What exactly did he do for this money?</p>
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		<title>By: John Fryer</title>
		<link>http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/comment-page-1/#comment-184672</link>
		<dc:creator>John Fryer</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 May 2009 21:45:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/#comment-184672</guid>
		<description>Nobel Prize winner Professor Charles Richet found repeat vaccines could lead to anaphylaxis and death.

We give three lots of Hep B vaccines to babies.

We give three lots of DTP vaccines to babies.

Since 1969 the USA has had more than  1 million dead babies for which there is no known explanation for the death and the experts say it is &quot;SIDS&quot;.

SIDS and vaccine death share the same clinical signs.

Vaccines do save lives and it is false to say people like Jenny et al are anti vaccine.

Countries that do not repeat vaccines, give vaccines at more mature ages and give less vaccines have much less death and more important much less numbers of neurological type illness often more than ten times less.

I am not aware of ant safety checks on vaccines for infants or for giving several vaccines at the same time.

Safety checks are done on adults and adults should be able to withstand vaccines better than infants but in fact many vaccines that are given to babies are prohibited from adults as they cause too many adverse reactions in adults - often higher than 50 per cent. It is not clear how these unsafe vaccines for adults came to be proscribed for babies - eg the pertussis vaccine.

Pressure and common sense will mean single measles vaccine will be brought back for use and common sense dictates this is safer than exposing babies to three pathogenic organisms at the same time.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Nobel Prize winner Professor Charles Richet found repeat vaccines could lead to anaphylaxis and death.</p>
<p>We give three lots of Hep B vaccines to babies.</p>
<p>We give three lots of DTP vaccines to babies.</p>
<p>Since 1969 the USA has had more than  1 million dead babies for which there is no known explanation for the death and the experts say it is &#8220;SIDS&#8221;.</p>
<p>SIDS and vaccine death share the same clinical signs.</p>
<p>Vaccines do save lives and it is false to say people like Jenny et al are anti vaccine.</p>
<p>Countries that do not repeat vaccines, give vaccines at more mature ages and give less vaccines have much less death and more important much less numbers of neurological type illness often more than ten times less.</p>
<p>I am not aware of ant safety checks on vaccines for infants or for giving several vaccines at the same time.</p>
<p>Safety checks are done on adults and adults should be able to withstand vaccines better than infants but in fact many vaccines that are given to babies are prohibited from adults as they cause too many adverse reactions in adults &#8211; often higher than 50 per cent. It is not clear how these unsafe vaccines for adults came to be proscribed for babies &#8211; eg the pertussis vaccine.</p>
<p>Pressure and common sense will mean single measles vaccine will be brought back for use and common sense dictates this is safer than exposing babies to three pathogenic organisms at the same time.</p>
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		<title>By: TsuaSai</title>
		<link>http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/comment-page-1/#comment-184660</link>
		<dc:creator>TsuaSai</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 May 2009 21:08:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/#comment-184660</guid>
		<description>I love how people like to post things that have done zero research.  Might be best to research both sides next time.  Vaccines are far from full proof or safe and the CDC will even tell you that. I am pro choice, if you wanna shot your child up for of toxins go for it. If you really believe they work than you shouldn&#039;t mind the people who choice not to. If you worried about &quot;herd immunity&quot; then might want to check the CDC for the adult vaccine records. Adult are far from caught up on booters. Are we not part of the &quot;herd?&quot; I don&#039;t see us all running around with polio...
A Response to an open letter to Oprah.
http://tsuasai.wordpress.com/2009/05/19/responce-to-an-open-letter-to-oprah/</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I love how people like to post things that have done zero research.  Might be best to research both sides next time.  Vaccines are far from full proof or safe and the CDC will even tell you that. I am pro choice, if you wanna shot your child up for of toxins go for it. If you really believe they work than you shouldn&#8217;t mind the people who choice not to. If you worried about &#8220;herd immunity&#8221; then might want to check the CDC for the adult vaccine records. Adult are far from caught up on booters. Are we not part of the &#8220;herd?&#8221; I don&#8217;t see us all running around with polio&#8230;<br />
A Response to an open letter to Oprah.<br />
<a href="http://tsuasai.wordpress.com/2009/05/19/responce-to-an-open-letter-to-oprah/" rel="nofollow">http://tsuasai.wordpress.com/2009/05/19/responce-to-an-open-letter-to-oprah/</a></p>
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		<title>By: Ares Vista</title>
		<link>http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/comment-page-1/#comment-184633</link>
		<dc:creator>Ares Vista</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 May 2009 20:03:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/#comment-184633</guid>
		<description>Anyone who get their medical advice and counsel from Jenny McCarthy is a fool. Are you kidding me? Do we really have to beg Oprah to stop supporting Jenny so that people won&#039;t be idiots? This is insane. Are people really stupid enough to listen to a dumb-ass celebrity? Of course they are.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Anyone who get their medical advice and counsel from Jenny McCarthy is a fool. Are you kidding me? Do we really have to beg Oprah to stop supporting Jenny so that people won&#8217;t be idiots? This is insane. Are people really stupid enough to listen to a dumb-ass celebrity? Of course they are.</p>
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		<title>By: Gary Ansorge</title>
		<link>http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/comment-page-1/#comment-184629</link>
		<dc:creator>Gary Ansorge</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 May 2009 19:54:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/#comment-184629</guid>
		<description>I once imagined a modification of the painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel of God and Adam, wherein God is handing a joint to Adam. 
That made a whole lot more sense to me than all the do NOTS we constantly hear,,,

GAry 7</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I once imagined a modification of the painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel of God and Adam, wherein God is handing a joint to Adam.<br />
That made a whole lot more sense to me than all the do NOTS we constantly hear,,,</p>
<p>GAry 7</p>
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		<title>By: Winter Solstice Man</title>
		<link>http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/comment-page-1/#comment-184600</link>
		<dc:creator>Winter Solstice Man</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 May 2009 18:32:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/#comment-184600</guid>
		<description>If God were a smokin&#039; Rastafarian, I would so go back to church.

That may explain why he is pretty cool, though he was a pretty cranky badass in the Old Testament.  But someone told me after he became Jesus he personally knew how lousy we talking monkeys have it on a daily basis, so he mellowed out some.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>If God were a smokin&#8217; Rastafarian, I would so go back to church.</p>
<p>That may explain why he is pretty cool, though he was a pretty cranky badass in the Old Testament.  But someone told me after he became Jesus he personally knew how lousy we talking monkeys have it on a daily basis, so he mellowed out some.</p>
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		<title>By: Gary Ansorge</title>
		<link>http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/comment-page-1/#comment-184566</link>
		<dc:creator>Gary Ansorge</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 May 2009 16:58:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/#comment-184566</guid>
		<description>Winter Solstice Man: 
&quot;Western Christian backgrounds, so not one example of someone from a different religion who came back,,,&quot;

So, you want someone w/o such a background?
How about me?
I&#039;m a rational/materialist who experienced the &quot;mystics high&quot;.
It really is a &quot;high&quot; and  as the rastafarians say, &quot;de higher you are Mon, de closer you are to God&quot;.
That particular experience encouraged/incited poetry and a passionate desire to accept other folks differences,ie tolerance to human faults.
Was it a direct experience of God? Beats the hell out of me but I expect it WAS what other mystics have THOUGHT/believed was the God experience. 

However,,,(for those who have paid attention, I usually have a caveat,,,), my research into this experience leads me to believe it was an accidental trigger of a particular neural system(perhaps the god module so beloved in popular fiction,,,er, I mean news media).

,,,and I expect Oprah would be extremely unlikely to interview me, since I have absolutely no love for organized religions. They seem to exist for no other reason than to extract resources from the gullible, using the babblings of a mystic as justification for their dogma.

Gary 7</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Winter Solstice Man:<br />
&#8220;Western Christian backgrounds, so not one example of someone from a different religion who came back,,,&#8221;</p>
<p>So, you want someone w/o such a background?<br />
How about me?<br />
I&#8217;m a rational/materialist who experienced the &#8220;mystics high&#8221;.<br />
It really is a &#8220;high&#8221; and  as the rastafarians say, &#8220;de higher you are Mon, de closer you are to God&#8221;.<br />
That particular experience encouraged/incited poetry and a passionate desire to accept other folks differences,ie tolerance to human faults.<br />
Was it a direct experience of God? Beats the hell out of me but I expect it WAS what other mystics have THOUGHT/believed was the God experience. </p>
<p>However,,,(for those who have paid attention, I usually have a caveat,,,), my research into this experience leads me to believe it was an accidental trigger of a particular neural system(perhaps the god module so beloved in popular fiction,,,er, I mean news media).</p>
<p>,,,and I expect Oprah would be extremely unlikely to interview me, since I have absolutely no love for organized religions. They seem to exist for no other reason than to extract resources from the gullible, using the babblings of a mystic as justification for their dogma.</p>
<p>Gary 7</p>
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		<title>By: Ann</title>
		<link>http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/comment-page-1/#comment-184560</link>
		<dc:creator>Ann</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 May 2009 16:31:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/#comment-184560</guid>
		<description>Bought frigging time.  For smart people, you sure can act dumb.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Bought frigging time.  For smart people, you sure can act dumb.</p>
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		<title>By: Daffy</title>
		<link>http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/comment-page-1/#comment-184541</link>
		<dc:creator>Daffy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 May 2009 14:35:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/#comment-184541</guid>
		<description>It&#039;s true: Oprah has a HUGE influence. And I DON&#039;T like it. How sad that effort has to be made to influence such person. But I agree it&#039;s necessary.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It&#8217;s true: Oprah has a HUGE influence. And I DON&#8217;T like it. How sad that effort has to be made to influence such person. But I agree it&#8217;s necessary.</p>
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		<title>By: Winter Solstice Man</title>
		<link>http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/comment-page-1/#comment-184515</link>
		<dc:creator>Winter Solstice Man</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 May 2009 13:29:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/#comment-184515</guid>
		<description>Ages ago she had a program on people who said they had life after death experiences.  All of their stories were accepted with no one questioning or critiquing them.  And they were all from Western Christian backgrounds, so not one example of someone from a different religion who came back after being clinically dead was examined for comparison.

Don&#039;t expect science from this woman.  But do expect her to make sure her name and face are prominently displayed everywhere.  Like she needs it.

By the way, anyone who remembers her early shows will recall they were more along the lines of Jerry Springer than her attempts to look so noble and distinguished now.  Males strippers, trailer trash, and everything else one might expect from the likes of Springer.  Phil Donohue on the other hand was always intelligent and always had dignified programs, but of course the networks took him off the air.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Ages ago she had a program on people who said they had life after death experiences.  All of their stories were accepted with no one questioning or critiquing them.  And they were all from Western Christian backgrounds, so not one example of someone from a different religion who came back after being clinically dead was examined for comparison.</p>
<p>Don&#8217;t expect science from this woman.  But do expect her to make sure her name and face are prominently displayed everywhere.  Like she needs it.</p>
<p>By the way, anyone who remembers her early shows will recall they were more along the lines of Jerry Springer than her attempts to look so noble and distinguished now.  Males strippers, trailer trash, and everything else one might expect from the likes of Springer.  Phil Donohue on the other hand was always intelligent and always had dignified programs, but of course the networks took him off the air.</p>
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		<title>By: Jim Ernst</title>
		<link>http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/comment-page-1/#comment-184499</link>
		<dc:creator>Jim Ernst</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 May 2009 11:54:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/18/an-open-letter-to-oprah/#comment-184499</guid>
		<description>From the comments on the other blog...

Tell Oprah what you want McCarthy to cover on her show!
https://www.oprah.com/plugform.jsp?plugId=1985511&amp;referer=http://www.oprah.com/ord/

See the McCarthy body count--
http://www.jennymccarthybodycount.com/Jenny_McCarthy_Body_Count/Home.html</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>From the comments on the other blog&#8230;</p>
<p>Tell Oprah what you want McCarthy to cover on her show!<br />
<a href="https://www.oprah.com/plugform.jsp?plugId=1985511&#038;referer=http://www.oprah.com/ord/" rel="nofollow">https://www.oprah.com/plugform.jsp?plugId=1985511&#038;referer=http://www.oprah.com/ord/</a></p>
<p>See the McCarthy body count&#8211;<br />
<a href="http://www.jennymccarthybodycount.com/Jenny_McCarthy_Body_Count/Home.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.jennymccarthybodycount.com/Jenny_McCarthy_Body_Count/Home.html</a></p>
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