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Media Fails The Public By Allowing Michele Bachmann To Spread HPV Vaccine Misinformation

» 112 comments

Within the past 24 hours, I have watched at least three different mainstream journalists allow Rep. Michele Bachmann to claim that the HPV vaccine is “dangerous,” and that it might cause “mental retardation,” without challenging her, or notifying their audiences (of millions) that the vaccine is safe. First, Wolf Blitzer let it sail by during last night’s CNN/Tea Party debate, then CNN’s John King followed suit during a post-debate interview, and The Today Show‘s Matt Lauer skated by it Tuesday morning. These journalists are failing their most important function, to act in the public’s interest.

Wolf Blitzer can be forgiven, somewhat, for not having detailed data about the HPV vaccine handy when Bachmann blurted out that the the “potentially dangerous” drug had “negative effects,” but such a claim should have elicited a followup. Can you imagine if Bachmann had said that about, say, Diet Coke?

Barring that, someone at CNN should have checked it out during the time between Blitzer’s question and John King’s post-debate interview.

But there’s simply no excuse for Lauer’s failure to challenge Bachmann the following morning. She didn’t bring up the HPV vaccine, Lauer did, and he already knew she was going around claiming that it’s harmful. Hell, without knowing anything about HPV, any reporter would challenge the “evidence” as Bachmann presented it.

This isn’t about making Michele Bachmann look stupid. While Blitzer, King, and Lauer could have asked her to respond to the science that refutes her claims, they could also have simply paused to mention that the CDC, the FDA, and every non-quack in the known world says the vaccine is safe. Ten seconds. In each case, though, these journalists were more concerned about refereeing a food fight between Bachmann and Rick Perry, so their massive audiences got a dose of real poison: misinformation about a life-saving drug.

You can see Blitzer’s clip here, and Lauer’s here. Following the debate last night, John King interviewed Bachmann, where her claim that the vaccine would “do its damage” went unchallenged once again. CNN medical expert Elizabeth Cohen, who has a Masters in Public Health, did a creditable job of trying to unring the bell Tuesday, beginning on American Morning. Here are both clips, from CNN:


According to a CNN spokesperson, Elizabeth Cohen has been fact-checking this all day, over at least six segments. However, even if those segments managed to reach the same number of viewers as last night’s high-profile debate, it certainly won’t reach the same ones.

Hopefully, viewers did not get the idea that the weight of scientific data is somehow remotely balanced by anecdotal hysteria. It isn’t. Dr. Cohen is correct that the long-term effects of the vaccine are unknown, but that is true of every new drug or treatment.

Let’s set aside the politics of this for a moment (and I’m biting through my lip to do that). Whether you think the vaccine ought to be mandatory or not, it is imperative that people making the choice whether to vaccinate their kids (or themselves) have accurate information. The HPV vaccine prevents a virus that causes cervical cancer, so this is a life-and-death issue.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the HPV vaccine is as safe, if not safer than, any other vaccine. Only .05% of patients who took the vaccine reported any adverse effects at all, and of those, 8% were considered serious, and none (zero) of them could be linked to the vaccine itself. You’d get more reports than that from people who ate a Tic Tac.

The window in which the vaccine is not unlimited, either. It’s only proven effective for ages 12-26. Whatever your beliefs about the government’s ability to mandate the vaccine, I would hope that everyone would bear in mind that not every sex act is a sin (or even consensual), and that not every sin deserves to be punished with cancer.

Now, people have every right in the world to be skeptical of science, but they need to be told about the science. If even one person dies because Michele Bachmann scared them out of taking the HPV vaccine (well-meaning though she may be), that will be a tragedy, one that could have been avoided if the media did its job.

An NBC spokesperson declined to comment for this article.

Update: Via Twitter, Martin Bashir Live points out that Bashir ran two segments calling Bachmann out, and setting forth the facts about the HPV vaccine. Both segments were specifically pegged to Bachmann’s Today interview.

In the second segment, Bashir delivers a forceful commentary about the serious danger of such misinformation:


I asked whoever runs the Bashir Live Twitter feed if Matt Lauer had a duty to challenge Bachmann. They haven’t responded, as yet.

This post has been updated to reflect that Elizabeth Cohen has a Masters in Public Health, not an MD.

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  • Michelle

    Wow, is Tommy defending drug companies!?  I think I’ll call my father, who works for Merck and tell him that Hell has frozen over. 

  • Pit Boss

    To be fair to the beautiful, sexy Ms. Bachmann, she did specifically say a woman told her about HPV causing her child’s mental retardation. It wasn’t exactly a claim she was making.

    As for her making claims about its safety, you know she’s not going to give you scientifically-derived information because, well, she’s a religious kook who thinks you can “pray the gay away.” Scientific evidence means nothing to her.

    I would still bang her if I weren’t married, though.

  • Anonymous

    The wider media who are better informed really need to challenge the misinformation that she has imparted. It’s funny and ridiculous at the same time. 

    Nobody needs the manufactured hysteria that she will encourage. 

    I’ve no doubt she’ll trip herself up again, in any event.

  • Darladoon

    again, our “liberal” media in action

  • Darladoon

    (misses point)

  • DietCokeHead

    Unfortunately for you, and your parents, you’re right, you can’t “pray the gay away”.

  • Anonymous

    I’m with Tommy on this, but why would anybody be surprised that the media are a bunch of lazy hacks pushing the most sensational aspects of a story?

    That’s the reason that nimrods like Jenny McCarthy with her quack data from her quack doctor get to spread misinformation, because the media gives her a platform due to it uncritically.  Hell, Opera has made a career out of pushing pseudoscience.

  • DietCokeHead

    Any idea when Tommy will get around to being pissed that the media lets Obama run around claiming Porkulus worked?

  • Anonymous

    Do you need to get her out of your system? 

    …Otherwise she could become the ruin of you.

  • Michelle

    (never has a point)

  • Michelle

    And how about something on the virtual media blackout of the Solyndra scandal?!  But this is much more important, eh TC.

  • The_Reasonable_Lib

    It seems like Tommy is defending truth. I know you conservatives hate that and all but please do try to keep up.

  • http://thefunemployed.blogspot.com/ rance

    For once, I actually agree with Tommy.  Bachmann’s political rhetoric is spreading misinformation.  It pissed me off when Oprah had Jenny Mccarthy on her show trying to convince parents that vaccines will do massive harm to your kids, as if she was a medical expert.  And it pisses me off when Michelle Bachmann does it.  It is irresponsible of any Presidential candidate to use misinformation to score a political point.  Bachmann needs to knock it off…but it looks like that isn’t going to happen.  She has doubled down on stupid.
     

  • The_Reasonable_Lib

    In the long run this just shows that Bachmann’s realized her grip on the crazy demographic has slipped to Perry so she’s trying to do what she can to take him down. Gotta love the breaking of the 11th commandment.

  • Pit Boss

    No, I need to get into her system, if you know what I mean.

  • Anonymous

    I thought the one on the top of her head counted?  
     
     

  • Anonymous

     ”To be fair to the beautiful, sexy Ms. Bachmann, she did specifically say
    a woman told her about HPV causing her child’s mental retardation.”

    Yeah, but that was Sarah Palin talking about Bristol.
    Not exactly an unbiased source.

  • Anonymous

    It’s the stare right?

    …It’s the stare!

  • Moosenuts99

    Yeah, thankfully the clip up top disputing the information is from FOX

    Oh wait…

  • Anonymous

    Yup.

    I wasn’t going to go partisan, but did you know that more liberals believe in ghosts, tarot cards, and astrology.  Also reincarnation, and the presence of spiritual energy in physical objects.

    “Seventeen percent of Republicans say they believe in reincarnation,
    while 30 percent of Democrats do. Fourteen percent of Republicans say
    they believe in astrology, while 31 percent of Democrats do. Fifteen
    percent of Republicans say they view yoga as a spiritual practice, while
    31 percent of Democrats do. Seventeen percent of Republicans say they
    believe in spiritual energy, while 30 percent of Democrats do.”

    “Conservatives and Republicans report fewer experiences than liberals or
    Democrats communicating with the dead, seeing ghosts and consulting
    fortunetellers or psychics,”

    “21
    percent of Republicans report that they have been in touch with someone
    who is dead, while 36 percent of Democrats say they have done so.
    Eleven percent of Republicans say they have seen a ghost, while 21
    percent of Democrats say so. And nine percent of Republicans say they
    have consulted a fortuneteller, while 22 percent of Democrats have.”

    http://pewforum.org/Other-Beliefs-and-Practices/Many-Americans-Mix-Multiple-Faiths.aspx

    The party of science, LOL.

  • Anonymous

    Would you expect anything less than this from Michele “THE CENSUS IS FOR FEMA REEDUCATION CAMPS” Bachmann?

  • Anonymous

    Would you expect anything less than this from Michele “THE CENSUS IS FOR FEMA REEDUCATION CAMPS” Bachmann?

  • ganymede

    Tommy, I hardly ever disagree with your columns, but this is one time I must. That doesn’t mean I agree with Michele Bachmann who I think is kind of nuts. However, we live in a society where big pharma has probably done more damage than good through their over promotion of drugs. Have you noticed that many, if not the majority of new drugs are taken off the market after a year or two and there are daily articles about the damage done by this or that drug or procedure. Also, it’s never ever been established that the mercury in many vaccines is not connected to the alarmingly high rate of autism and other neurological problems. The modern medical system is more of a disease system than a healing system. Just as we’ve been brainwashed by all the anti-government rhetoric, we have an unregulated medical system that, as I said, does a lot of damage to people. You should do some more investigation. Also, from what I’ve read the HPV(Gardisil) vaccine has caused more harm to young women than has been stated. 

  • Anonymous
  • Dandkenton

    Why call your father…won’t he be coming by your corner soon to collect today’s take?

  • Anonymous

    Tommy Tommy, would you have been as outraged if the media had let a politician running for President make the insane and obviously stupid statement that he’s been to almost all of our 57 states?   Should someone who knows so little be our President?   Based on the consistency of your articles (what are you building a resume for Media Matters or MSNBC?) I’d bet you’d have no problem with that – unless of course if it was said by a Republican.

  • Anonymous

    Interesting commentary – the media is constantly allowing politicians to put out false stories - lamestreamers NEVER question democrats on what they say – ever.  They just take it as fact and let it run.  In this case, they are staying silent on the issue because Bachman attacked Perry, simple.  They know Perry is a threat to Obama, so anyone who criticizes Perry has to be held up as correct.

    Today’s media has nothing to do with truth or fact, NOTHING.  They are playing games with the people, and they are working overtime to get Obama reelected.

    Media Fails at pretty much everything, perhaps Tommy can make this a daily column.

    Some suggestions:

    Media fails to report Solyndra and the Obama/CEO connections/quid-pro-quo
    Media fails to report the connections between this White house and Fast and Furious
    Media fails to report that the so-called “Jobs Bill” is just MOTS
    and so forth

    Lots of good material for you Tommy, I do hope you make this a regular daily feature around here.

  • Anonymous

    Hey, have you ever noticed the trial lawyers who push that nonsense to promote their class action lawsuits?  Or the media that blindly reports these stories pre packaged by the lawyers themselves and then run on their broadcast without an ounce of skepticism.

    I love Big Pharma!!  Why do you think our life expectancy has gone up so drastically?  It’s not because of nonsense new age therapy, that’s for sure.

    Call 1-800-Bad-Drug and tell it to those guys.

  • Anonymous

    Both you and Greg should be banned.

  • NDanielson

    Media fails the public alright, Tommy. Cheer leading for socialism and covering for its 0bama.

  • Anonymous

    False on the Palin front. Perry mandated it. Palin did not.

  • NDanielson

    Hey, Tommy, did you hear that e-verify has flagged 0bama’s SSN?

  • NDanielson

    So far mum from the MSM:

    A private investigation reveals that the Social Security Number being
    used by Barack Obama does not pass a check with E-Verify, the electronic
    system the U.S. Citizenship and Immigrations Services of the U.S.
    Department of Homeland Security has created to verify whether or not
    prospective employees have the required authorization to work legally in
    the United States.

  • NDanielson

    So far mum from the MSM:

    A private investigation reveals that the Social Security Number being
    used by Barack Obama does not pass a check with E-Verify, the electronic
    system the U.S. Citizenship and Immigrations Services of the U.S.
    Department of Homeland Security has created to verify whether or not
    prospective employees have the required authorization to work legally in
    the United States.

  • NDanielson

    Hey, have you ever noticed that the only shovel ready jobs we got from 0bama was in government and the trial lawyer sector?

  • NDanielson

    Science by consensus is the liberal way!

  • Anonymous

    Despite what some in this thread have said, I’m not a defender of Big Pharma, and I am all for healthy skepticism. The misinformation about the HPV vaccine is unhealthy. It’s not even all that new, it was approved over 5 years ago. 

  • Anonymous

    Nobody will die from that. And I wasn’t aware that Wolf Blitzer, John King, and Matt Lauer were Republicans.

  • Bourekas

    Ok, so Tommy believes it is irrefutably safe.  Does it follow then that the government can mandate that children be given the vaccine?  Shouldn’t that still be optional, especially if the window of effectiveness extends past the child’s 18th birthday?

    Maybe Bachmann was guilty of bad information, bad faith, or just bad hyperbole.  But what about the underlying question that Perry believed government can mandate this medical treatment…?

  • Anonymous

    Republicans are dying a thousand deaths over that 57-state thing, if you know what I mean.  A veritable circle of hapPiness.

    What I’m trying to say is that Republicans get off on that kind of stuff.  These are the same people who cheer for executions and letting fellow Americans in need slip into a coma and die.  The same people living off the government teat…

  • Anonymous

    I accept that, but this is a terrible state of affairs if a made up vaccine narrative is allowed to stay so obviously wrong and unchallenged.

    I expect in the next Republican debate for the question to be answered and dealt with properly.

  • NDanielson

    Hey Tommy, isn’t the media constantly saying that Social Security is solvent?

    Labor Dept. Data: Only 1.75 Full-Time Private Sector Workers Per Social Security Recipient

    By Terence P. Jeffrey September 12, 2011

    (CNSNews.com) – There were only 1.75 full-time private-sector
    workers in the United States last year for each person receiving
    benefits from Social Security, according to data from the Bureau of
    Labor Statistics and the Social Security board of trustees.

    That means that for each husband and wife who worked
    full-time in the private sector last year there was a Social Security
    recipient somewhere in the country taking benefits from the federal
    government…

    Actually, it’s worse than that, unless wives (or husbands) are considered to be only 3/4rds of a worker.

    http://sweetness-light.com/archive/1-75-private-sector-workers-per-ss-recipient

  • Mikeswife

    This woman is a nut.
    Everytime she opens her mouth she makes me cringe.
    Please stop writing columns about her.
    She will never be President.
    Never, thank God.

  • http://twitter.com/darrenmcgeary Darren McGeary

    So NOW Mr. Christopher is interested in challenging misinformation put out by presidential candidates?  Where was he in 2008?

  • Anonymous

    I believe Michelle….shes the smartest candidate on the republican side…she accuses Rick Parry of putting the mental health of your sexually active trailer park republican daughters in peril by force feeding them dangerous vaccines and she said hes on the take….Merck was to get billions in taxpayer money for providing the vaccine and paying rick back by paying his former campaign manager hundreds of thousands to lobby for them…..hahahahah…ARE YOU GETTING WORRIED WINGNUTS????….bachmann is putting the screws to parry…..between poisoning little hotties, executing innocent people and trashing social security….rick parry with his big ole brass balls has just made himself the most unelectable candidate in the race……THANKS MICHELLE

  • Anonymous

    Liberals loved Thalidomide, too. Aspartame is nasty result of crony capitalism & crooked politics. Michele makes a valid point. Let’s move on to the next spin-cycle.

  • NDanielson

    NY-9 after decades of democrats in control: going republican, e-mails now surfacing that show close contact between failed “green energy” Solydra and the WH before a half billion dollar loan, sinking approval of Mr. 0bama’s job performance, and now e-verify has flagged Barry’s SSN. You should be the one worrying, leftnut.

  • Anonymous

    Mainstream media at  work.If a day goes by when Michele Bachmann does come up with her own facts on Medicine ,History etc please let me know.

  • Anonymous

    Right… cause so many of those who live off the government teat are Republicans…   I’m pretty sure the Dems have a lock on the entitlement society.  Republicans tend to think a person should put out a bit of effort to get a bit of something back – some call it work.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_CWJDGEMVKMQMXXXN7LJGPEWBXM Aeeahkhk

    good

    look love—====————–wwwjordanforworldcom 

    believe you will love it.

    love good go.

  • Golf Fan

    Tommy Fox News roundtable all trashed Bachmann and said what she was saying was dead wrong. I know its a station you hate but they covered it.

  • Anonymous

    And the Devil is ice skating, since I think Tommy did a credible job on this piece!

  • Anonymous

    A couple of observations. Of all the stuff people should or could be talking about, this is like last on the list, thing is, most people could give a shit. Also, it’s a hoot how Tommy sees a boogyman behind every every door, regarding conservatives or tea party people. Dang homes, where was all this concern for the truth in 2008? :)

  • Darladoon

    hint:  see headline

  • Darladoon

    there’s sort of a big difference there turk—

    liberals don’t shove astrology or reincarnation into the public square.

    they mind their own f*cking business.

    kind of a HUGE difference there, turk, but nice try

  • Darladoon

    btw, how could yoga not be a “spiritual practice”?

    that’s precisely what it is.  

    and “spiritual energy” is just another term for “vibration of ether”

    there is a scientific basis to “spiritual energy”

  • Darladoon

    again, our “liberal” media in action….

  • Darladoon

    evidence of said harm?

    please, show links.  PLEASE.  

  • Nature Freak

    One can make a serious case for men getting this vaccine as well. In my opinion the vaccine is safe but it should be free or at a much reduced price. Another reason for universal health care.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/19/health/19garda.html

  • Thomas G Williams

    SHE SAID IT SHE OWNS IT, that’s what is fair.

  • Thomas G Williams

    of course it is the liberal medias fault that rethuglicans like this make mistakes and dis-information errors, maybe they should be in every school (public and private) beating the sense IN TO THEIR HEADS.

  • Contrarian Grammarian

    Once again:  Where are the editors and fact-checkers for Mediaite?  I love Elizabeth Cohen (a great journalist and a really hottie to boot), but she is most certainly NOT “Dr. Elizabeth Cohen”!  She has an undergraduate degree in history from Columbia and a Masters degree in public health from Boston University.  She doesn’t present herself as Dr., nor does CNN.

    Seriously, you guys need a fact-checker and editor.  I hear there are a lot of starving J-school grads out there who would work for peanuts….

  • Nature Freak

    One can make a good case that men should get the HPV vaccine as well. Personally, I believe the vaccine is safe. The vaccine needs to come down in price or preferably be made free. No one should be forced to be vaccinated for HPV, but it should be encouraged and easy to get.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/19/health/19garda.html?_r=1

  • Thomas G Williams

    Never heard that particular stupidity before, I must update my conservaligious rethuglican stupidity database definitions again, the list seems to grow like brain eating a viral fungus

  • Thomas G Williams

    See privious reply above

  • Thomas G Williams

    You mean like how they Solyndra mess started with the BUSH administration?

  • Anonymous

    Um, the private investigation was some woman who “lifted” his social security number from a selective service registration that she found online.  Which I went there and you cannot access these records without the social security number first.  Her research is fraudulent.  And that’s why nobody is reporting on it.  I just tried to access it, and it was impossible to get the records without already having the number.  So my question is How did she get the social security number to get the SSR records?  So, um, if that’s your smoking gun, it’s a gun that’s not smoking nor does it exist.  As I like to say to conspiracy theorists, you do realize we don’t live in a movie, right?

  • Thomas G Williams

    Got a repaired road right out in front of my house that proves your a L@#$@ SC#$*&^ who spreads lies and dis-information like…… TIN FOIL HAIRED LADY

  • Thomas G Williams

    EXCUSE ME but that particular drug was taken off the market in the US by liberals who conservaligious rethuglicans claimed were trying to take away a perfectly legal and safe drug, or do you want to ask my cousin who has stub fingers with no joints because his mother took this drug while pregnant, my aunt still  breaks down into tears over this. BTW: rethuglicans have tried to lift that ban more than a dozen times claiming it is a safe drug when used properly.

  • Anonymous

    The media failing the public in this way is nothing new. One source even likes to aide in spreading falsehoods.

  • NDanielson

    conservaligious rethuglican

    Sure, Tommy. Stupid definitions? Did you pull those out of your “database”? Clown.

  • NDanielson

    Oh, did I leave out government subsidized union jobs? Wow, no vote buying there, hotshot.

  • Anonymous

    I never said I believed it was irrefutably safe. As to the politics, I deliberately did not address that here. Maybe in another post. This is just about giving people the facts as they are known.

  • Anonymous

    Go read what I wrote in 2008, then ask me about it.

  • DietCokeHead

    What the hell are you talking about? Bush didn’t give solyndra money, Obama did.

  • DietCokeHead

    Calm down, skippy. You guys have the welfare demographic sewn up, and that won’t change any time in the near future.

  • DietCokeHead

    Out to lunch, per the usual.

  • DietCokeHead

    Why don’t you show us one article you’ve ever written that’s even remotely critical of President Downgrade, or called him out for spewing a never ending stream of lies, such as he does.

  • DietCokeHead

    Why don’t you show us one article you’ve ever written that’s even remotely critical of President Downgrade, or called him out for spewing a never ending stream of lies, such as he does.

  • Pit Boss

    I think it’s the stare! Other people saw “crazy” but I only saw “sex starved.”

  • Glutton

    Michele Bachmann is ruining the argument against making an executive order to mandate HPV vaccination.  She should’ve stuck to the story that this is about crony capitalism.  Unfortunately, she had to make some baseless claim about how this causes long term health risks and the whole argument against signing an executive order to encourage monopolistic competition is shot.

  • Pit Boss

    There you go, hating America again.

  • Glutton

    What is the basis for Bachmann’s claim?  Someone told her that Gardasil made their kids develop a mental disorder?  Guess what, most mental disorders are inherited from the parents.  Chances are that the person who told you that their kid developed a mental disorder from Gardasil actually has a mental disorder of her own.  Bachmann is in way over her head on this one.  If not for the Tea Party, this would bury most peoples candidacy.  

  • Glutton

     It’s not about defending drug companies.  It’s really about defending the validity of a claim.  Just because I say something does something doesn’t mean it’s true.  She’s claiming that Gardasil causes mental disorders.  Where is the evidence to suggest that this drug causes mental disorders?  If she had some sort of research or even the opinion of a credible source (doctor, scientists, researcher, someone you could confirm), her argument might get some traction.  Unfortunately, all we have to go on is some anonymous person she met on the campaign trail.

  • Glutton

    I could see a liberal slant to this.  If Obama ever mandated Gardasil and Bachmann made such claims, I’m sure the media would dot every “i” and cross every “t” in order to discredit her.  They would probably look up her family’s medical history and find out that Bachmann and her daughters all have taken Gardasil and even Marcus Bachmann takes it.  Her campaign would be sunk. 

    However, if she says this to Perry, then the media will let her run with it for a while.

  • Glutton

    Just because someone tells you something it doesn’t mean it’s true. 

  • labman57

    Whether or not you agree with Perry’s decision to mandate inoculations, and regardless of whether Perry was motivated primarily by his concern for the health of young girls or his desire to bring a huge contract to his pharmaceutical buddies – Bachmann is once again displaying a complete disregard for sound reasoning and a profound ignorance about the process of science.

    Bachmann hears “stuff” from her neighbors, reads “stuff” on a blog site, and runs with it without investigating the veracity of the information. Isolated anecdotal accounts that are completely devoid of evidence establishing causal relationships have no place in the decision making process when establishing public policy.

  • Anonymous

    MEDIAite along with the rest of the Misguided & Corrupt MSM Fails The Public By Spreading The Desease That Is Barack Obama.

    Last Night In NY And Nevada The Prescription, Cure If You Will To Wipe Out This Cancer, This Scourge On America Was Delivered And Administered  Loud & Clear.

  • Anonymous

    I’ve noticed that Tommy is only able to write in an unbiased manner when the issue under discussion is of import to children, only then is he willing to logically evaluate information and pass it along.

  • Anonymous

    Its good they have a taste of their own medicine (of misinformation) used against themselves. Let’s see how the smear goes. By the way more research needs to be done as some have claimed the negative effect of the medicine was worse for these young girls. Other than the way it was legislated, and the apparent conflict of interest with the Pharmaceutical company, the intention appears to be good. 

  • Leent05

    90 percent of republicans beli3ve a senior citizen built a boat a filled it up with 2 of every species…. 5000 years ago.

  • L_Salazar

    Tommy, this is a NOTHING article.

    I would like to see you write an article on the loss of $535,000,000 loaned to Solaria.  Poooof, gone, down the drain in less than 2 years…
    or
    How about an article on “Fast and Furious,” who knew what when, concentrate on the White House and the Justice department…we now know they knew!  That should be interesting, don’t you think???

  • Thomas G Williams

    Hey dumb ass I am a Business owner and I am not in a union but have no problems with unions, stop trying to spread lies like …. well,conservatives in general. And I am a good shot not a hot shot.

  • Thomas G Williams

    Bush administration referred them twice to banks as credit worthy before denying them access to DOE and COMMERCE DEPT. funds two weeks before leaving office, check your facts and not at FAUX owned wall street journal.

  • Anonymous

    Do your own research. There’s plenty there.

    http://www.politicsdaily.com/bloggers/tommy-christopher/

  • Thomas G Williams

    your not worth it

  • http://rvolt24.blogspot.com/ rvolt24

    VAERS received a total of 18,727 reports of adverse events following Gardasil® vaccination.
    As of June 22, 2011 there have been a total 68 VAERS reports of death among those who have received Gardasil. – CDC – Reports of Health Concerns Following HPV Vaccination
     
    Deaths like Christina’s are one of several types of complications reported to the U.S. Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) following Gardasil distribution in 2006. Some of these adverse events were serious, including blood clots and neurological disorders, and some were non-life threatening side effects from the vaccine, including fainting, nausea and fever. – ABC – CDC Report Stirs Controversy For Merck’s Gardasil Vaccine – August 19, 2009
     
    On August 19, 2009, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published an article coauthored by FDA and CDC that reviews the safety data for Gardasil for select adverse events that have been reported to VAERS, from the time period starting from product licensure in June 2006 through December 31, 2008 (JAMA. 2009;302(7):750-757).  The article describes 12,424 reports of adverse events following Gardasil vaccination.
    Concerns have been raised about reports of deaths occurring in individuals after receiving Gardasil.  As of December 31, 2008, 32 deaths had been reported to VAERS - FDA -  Information from FDA And CDC on the Safety of Gardasil Vaccine – August 20, 2009

  • Anonymous

    you’re right about Lauer, but the Bashir reference makes no sense.  No one knows who he is, I doubt even most of his colleagues.  

    The same thing happened about Bachmann’s migraines, most didn’t take the time to do quick research and find how manageable migraines our today.  Did you call out that lazy research as well?

  • dono

    And as a woman and mother – she knows better.  Its a dog whistle to the tea baggers and Bible Belt.  

  • Pit Boss

    Yes, but the reason more conservatives don’t believe in that stuff is because they view anything outside of biblical teachings to be sacrilegious.

  • Pit Boss

    Every time you post something off-topic a puppy and a newborn infant die. Please stop killing innocent lives you unAmerican bastard.

  • NDanielson

    Does a puppy really die? Or do you just PRAY it does? LOL. Liberals kill enough unborn babies already, sweetpea, please don’t pretend that it kinks your panties.

  • Anonymous

    The Media has always been far too easy on the Republicanland  whacks.

  • G00

    The parents had an option to opt out, too

  • Dave Martin

    Hopefully the press can at least do more than two things at once, expose Bachmann’s craziness and report on whatever right-wing wingnut conspiracy you wish to believe in.

  • Anonymous

    Wait!! Misinformation??
    Report her to Attack Waaaaaatch!!!!!!!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XYKRokgX00

  • Nature Freak

    Mental Retardation is a smoke screen. Not the real issue. There is a deeper reason Social Conservatives are against this vaccine.

    http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2011/09/bachmanns-political-contagion.html

  • Guest

    Did the media fail the public by not fully vetting the current WH?

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Carrie-Taranova/1142207564 Carrie Taranova

    Bachmann was correct and all she said HAS BEEN PROVEN !  I have watched carefully all research on vaccines for over 50 years ; I’m a bio-Chemic Nutritionist and it’s my field.
    ALL vaccines are deadly and do NOT work or prevent anything. It’s all big Pharma hype !
    Guess the public has really been mind controlled by the govt media since real truth has gotten the media so upset that REAL TRUTH has been spoken on the very controlled media !
    IF it’s not PC it cannot be aired – that is the rule !
    I’d rather take a bullet then to have ANY vaccine !  And my kids never got them either, that is why they have been so healthy all their lives.
    If the public knew all the poisons in all those vaccines, they would now why they have NEVER been shown to work  or prevent anything !  You cannot inject all those posions into the blood stream and expect some metamorphisis of it into soemthng good – it just will never happen.  God did not intend for man-made chemcials to be injected into living bodies !
    Vaccines never allow the natural immune system to develop and any baby or child that gets vaccines will always be weak in health and sickly and short lived.  This has been proven.
    Does no one have eyes to see that only those who get vaccines are the ones who are always sick ?
    If the vaccination agenda had not been forced on us, NONE of those disease would exist today, not to mention all the new diesases the vaccines have created.  It’s the vaccines that keep diseases going and sickly people lining up for those money-making Big Pharma drugs !
    Govt  and their drug pals cannot make the big money on healthy people – and if they control your health – THEY CONTROL YOU !  AND CONTROL IS THE REAL NAME OF THE GAME !

    Even Bill Gates who now funds much of the population control office’s vaccines agenda stated that vaccines will REDUCE the population and that is what they are meant to do.  Vaccines are meant to kill us, and they DO !  So-called “vaccines” are called “vaccines” to make it SOUND lie they are beneficial when in reality according to doctors who worked on them, all ‘vaccines’ have been Military bio-weapon experiences using us and our babies as their lab rats from the very beginning !
    Gardasil in Texas killed a long list of young girls and ruined hundreds of others for life -  and even when Rick Perry saw the girls dropping like flies, he still forced the deadly vaccine on them,  This is called MURDER !

    WAKE UP PEOPLE !
    RECOGNIZE TRUTH WHEN YOU HEAR IT – Don’t wait for one of YOUR family to drop dead from a so-called ‘vaccine’ !  don’t fall for all theDC propagnada they force on the public – THINK FOR YOURSELF !

    Be thankful there is someone like Bachmann who is courageous enough to present the real truths on these things DC does NOT want on their media to get out to the public !  All that truth is suppose to be SECRET !

    And I do not appreciate all the ads on here that keep popping up as I’m trying to write !

  • Nature Freak

    So the Smallpox inoculation and the Polio vaccine were part of some nefarious plot between pharma and government?

    As a healthy adult I refuse to get the flu vaccine, but that is a far different thing than Polio, Measles and Smallpox. There is a kernel of truth to some of your argument, there have been problems with some vaccinations, and pharma is to much about money, but you are taking it to such an extreme you sound like a complete nutter. I use alternative medicine all the time, but for instance if there was an HIV vaccine I deemed as safe, I would have no qualms about getting inoculated.

    “NONE of those disease would exist today” Vaccines are murder? Deadly “bio-weapons”? “Population Control”? Again, I am no fan of big pharma, and I use alternative medicines all the time. I stay away from doctors as much as possible, but you sound like a complete paranoid. You make it sound like we live in NAZI Germany.

    This may be one of the craziest posts I have seen at this site. Even “Bin Laden is Code” makes more sense. Carrie, I bet you constantly think people are out to get you, don’t you? You see danger under every rock, nook and cranny. BTW, the government and pharma have not stopped you from posting this absurdness. Wouldn’t they?

    I do think for myself. That is why I think you are certifiably insane.You are beyond flaky.

  • Nature Freak

    Rick Perry is pure logic and reason compared to what you have written here on this forum. You actually make me want to defend Rick Perry. You have done the impossible.

  • http://twitter.com/BarneyFranken Barney Franken

    Id like to throw something out there…

    They didnt correct Bachmann because her stance is actually an attack on Rick Perry’s policies.

    By correcting her, that is de facto support of Perry’s position, and the last thing a guy like Matt Lauer want to do is help Perry right now.

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