Kirby and Kennedy: on the wrong side of history

A delusion is usually defined as "a fixed, false belief". Anyone can be wrong, but to persist in being wrong despite all the evidence is the hallmark of delusional thinking. In their latest senseless rant at HuffPo, infectious disease promoters David Kirby and Robert Kennedy, Jr. cling to thin strands of tainted reality as the gaping maw of insanity opens beneath them.

Of course, delusions are very closely related to lies. The only difference is that liar doesn't believe his bullshit, while the psychotic does. It's hard to know where K and K fall. There latest article, entitled, "Autism, Vaccines and the CDC: The Wrong Side of History", opens with this:

Even as the evidence connecting America's autism epidemic to vaccines mounts, dead-enders at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) -- many of whom promoted the current vaccine schedule and others with strong ties to the vaccine industry -- are trying to delay the day of reckoning by creating questionable studies designed to discredit any potential vaccine-autism link and by derailing authentic studies.

The vaccine-autism issue has been settled. The science is clear. Excellent, new studies come out frequently, despite the lack of need.

I'm so done with the whole vaccines=horror meme. The evidence is as clear as scientific evidence ever is. Vaccines are an individual and societal good. Vaccines are not a cause of "autism". Anyone who still clings to that idea is either delusional or a liar, and arguing with liars and psychotics is not very productive.

(Of course, SIOWOTI will come back to claim me, but...)

More like this

"There latest article is titled,"

Eek!

And the 'has been settled' link is messed up.

Yeah, it got busy at work and I lost track of my editing...fixing now...

The only difference is that liar doesn't believe his bullshit, while the psychotic does.

You left out the third option: The bullshitter simply doesn't care whether it's true or not, only in convincing you that it is. His goals are elsewhere.

By D. C. Sessions (not verified) on 05 Feb 2009 #permalink

"Even as the evidence connecting America's autism epidemic to vaccines mounts..."

Mounts?

Mounts?

Lying assholes...

By T. Bruce McNeely (not verified) on 05 Feb 2009 #permalink

I should have known it was the anti-science Huffington Post, but isn't that the site where Kirby backed off, publicly, from the mercury/vaccine hypothesis (going to the general environmental mercury bit). Or was it just thimerisol, and not vaccines in general? It's hard to keep track of who believes what woo, especially since they seem to change their beliefs based on audience or money.

FYI: Kennedy has a radio show on AirAmericaRadio (weekends, so probably not that popular)where he is expected to spew some anti-vax nonsense, er... I think, tonight.Of course,he fits in nicely with the various vitamin salesmen,woo- purveyors, and debt-reduction infomercials that "pay the rent" for the liberal station during off-hours.Fortunately,more popular hosts(Ed Schultz, Ron Kuby)have shown anti-vax callers the door, so to speak.

By Denice Walter (not verified) on 07 Feb 2009 #permalink