Pig Pile : The bizarre alliance of the far left and far right against swine flu vaccinations.

Slate ^ | Oct. 12, 2009 | Christopher Beam

[tlb]

Rush Limbaugh made headlines by announcing ... "I'm not going to take it because you're now telling me I must." Glenn Beck has declined to say whether he's getting vaccinated. But he's...saying he wants the "U.S. out of my bloodstream."

On the left... for the Huffington Post, Dr. Frank Lipman recommended against getting vaccinated, arguing that the virus seems benign and the vaccine is unproven. Earlier this year, Jim Carrey—yes, that Jim Carrey—penned a HuffPost column reiterating the oft-made (and widely discredited) point that vaccines may cause autism. Robert F. Kennedy made a similar argument in a famous (and also largely discredited) 2005 article that appeared in Rolling Stone and Salon.

Now, ... the two sides have finally found common cause. ...: distrust—of doctors and modern medicine or of government.

HHS created a "Myths vs. Facts" page last week to address both types of qualms. First among them is the concern that swine flu shots are mandatory. "The federal government's vaccination program for H1N1 flu is VOLUNTARY," the site explains, dismissing an online petition that states otherwise as "simply false." Lower down, HHS addresses concerns that the vaccine can cause unrelated illnesses like heart attacks, miscarriages, or Guillain-Barré syndrome: "These events are no more common among people who have received seasonal flu vaccine than in people who have not."

Several Web sites have suggested that H1N1 is a vehicle for the government to implant microchips in our bodies to detect "bio-threats." At least one site posits that the vaccine contains a "Bible Code" connecting swine flu to prophesies in the Book of Revelation. HHS has yet to debunk this one.

Indeed, there's nothing more universal than fear of shots. "

Perhaps there's a simpler, more elegant explanation for why members of both political extremes refuse to get vaccinated: natural selection.

[tlb]

Thank goodness there was no internet when Jonas Salk was jabbing people,

[cripplecreek]

Jonas Salk wasn’t attempting to vaccinate people against a damned flu.

[ZinGirl]

Thank goodness there was no internet when Jonas Salk was jabbing people,

? why? so people wouldn't be able to read up and make their own decisions?

but you're glad we have the internet NOW so you can post that it's too bad we have the internet?

[iowamark]

On the anti-government right, swine flu vaccinations are seen as an example of government overreach. Last week, Rush Limbaugh made headlines by announcing that he would not be getting a shot. "Screw you, Ms. Sebelius," he said on his radio show, referring to Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius. "I'm not going to take it precisely because you're now telling me I must."

Everyone should object to Sebelius as HHS Secretary. She has zero health experience or knowledge. She was only appointed because of her work to keep partial birth abortion legal.

[PennsylvaniaMom]

Amen iowamark!!! Sebellius’s level of health qualification stops after she ‘teaches’ us how to sneeze. That is all she is qualified to do.

Polio was a crippling, killer. Can the same be said of the flu?

[netmilsmom]

>>Polio was a crippling, killer. Can the same be said of the flu?<<

Thank YOU!!!
I NEVER thought I would be on the same side as Jim Carrey. Never.

[Venturer]

For 3 years I got the flu shots. During that time I had the flu 3 times , which turned into Bronchitus twice and pneumonia once, last year I skipped the flu shot, had a gret year, I wont be taking the flu shot or the swine flu shot.

Now thats my own pesonal decision and I dont say it’s right or wrong, but for me ,no shot.

[cripplecreek]

Personally I think vaccines against every possible thing weakens us. We have an immune system for a reason and it needs to be exercised. This ain’t smallpox.

We have to look at our own susceptibility and decide for ourselves whether we need to be vaccinated. I don’t have any underlying health issues so I’m not going to get vaccinated.

I’m at extremely low risk for aids so I wouldn’t get a vaccine against that either if one were developed.

[BallyBill]

We should also force the removal of the appendix at birth. This could save health care costs in the future. A baby wouldn't even need anesthetic, just hold em down and carve it out.

[netmilsmom]

I do SO agree with you!

[UCFRoadWarrior]

Hmm..Or Americans are waking up to Big Government...regardless of being left or right.

More and more, its not a good time to be a big government socialist or a big government Free Trader.

[algernonpj]

I’m not so sure about the new sneeze thing. How is it better to carry flu germs around on your clothe s all day than to sneeze into a tissue and dump it!

[Carry_Okie]

Thank goodness there was no internet when Jonas Salk was jabbing people,

Thank goodness there was no squalene in the formulations when Jonas Salk was jabbing people.

[Darren McCarty]

I don't get flu shots. I've gotten the flu twice in my life.

As far as swine flu goes, it's bad, but it's not the Spanish Flu. I save the vaccines for the major league killers.