Jenny, We Hardly Knew Ye (2)
Why is a former MTV celebrity asking for the resignation of the director of major health agency in the US?—- It seems that Jenny McCarthy is asking (via a letter at Age of Autism) for the “immediate resignation” of Julie Geberding, director of the CDC.
Jenny, we never really did know ye!
Things are getting really strange.
Tags: asd, asperger, autism, celebrities, Health, jenny mccarthy, measles, mercury, mmr, mtv, Parenting, pdd-nos, shots, VaccinesRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Vaccines
18 opinions for Jenny, We Hardly Knew Ye (2)
erkolos
Mar 8, 2008 at 4:42 am
Does she also have an opinion on who to replace the guy?
Emily
Mar 8, 2008 at 10:29 am
Woman.
Daisy
Mar 8, 2008 at 11:13 am
How can science and reason take action to stop an emotional and not-too-bright celebrity?
Kristina Chew, PhD
Mar 8, 2008 at 12:32 pm
She’s pretty much become the mouthpiece for various groups that believe that mercury or vaccines cause autism—mouthpiece, as in she really says whatever they tell her it seems.
B
Mar 8, 2008 at 1:14 pm
But she’s cured her son! Why should she care at this point?
Cliff
Mar 8, 2008 at 2:10 pm
“How can science and reason take action to stop an emotion and not-too-bright celebrity?”
That implies that it can and as time goes along I’ve become more and more skeptical as to that assumption.
Celebrity>Science and/or Reason.
Ah, well.
Cliff
Liz D.
Mar 8, 2008 at 3:02 pm
It is really looking like the Age of Endarkenment is coming closer.
Should we take JMcC’s call to action seriously? I don’t know.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Mar 8, 2008 at 5:01 pm
I hope not—-though that will give JMcC and co. all the more reason to complain about the CDC’s unresponsiveness.
Regan
Mar 8, 2008 at 6:48 pm
Even doing nothing, the odds of Ms. Geberding continuing her tenure after the end of this administration are probably pretty low, as in 1/20 chance, and probably closer to zero if the change of administration is to a Democratic one. So a change at this point would be disruptive, in addition to being somewhat symbolic rather than practical.
Emily
Mar 8, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Well, symbols over substance IS a hallmark, here.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Mar 8, 2008 at 7:13 pm
And who cares about whether or not a person is actually qualified for the job?
Regan
Mar 8, 2008 at 7:14 pm
Emily said,
“Well, symbols over substance IS a hallmark, here.”
Good point. No disagreement at all.
brstpathdoc
Mar 8, 2008 at 10:47 pm
I said in another post that lawyers cause autism. I may be mistaken. I’m now thinking that breast implants cause autism. Or possibly blond highlights. So maybe chelation really does show some benefits…..(****head explodes*****).
Patrick
Mar 10, 2008 at 2:31 pm
I am no fan of J Geberding, but I am certainly less of a fan of the I’m an Indigo Mom (oops, maybe I’m not, quick! ditch that website!), I’m a sleaze Star (maybe we should try something respectable next), I’m a Google PHD (Philosophical Dumbwit?), my kid is cured.
I’m tending to agree with Regan, JG is probably on the way out, but to do so at the request (whining?) of a mere talking head? I think not.
Jon
Mar 10, 2008 at 3:17 pm
she is only doing it to promote herself and her upcoming TACA rally on the steps of the CDC (assuming they have steps). She is only going to drive well-meaing medical and health professionals away from autism.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Mar 10, 2008 at 3:52 pm
One suspects that driving such professionals away, and replacing them with various others (of a DAN! type), might be an aim, whether clearly expressed or not.
Chris Marlow
Mar 15, 2008 at 10:36 pm
Just my two cents for whatever it’s worth, I am the mom of two boys on the Autism spectrum and my nephew is also Autistic too. All three grandchildren on my husband’s side of the family are Autistic. I know that a chromosomal abnormality has been found in my oldest son and we will be doing more genetics testing on my youngest. It does seem to me that genetics played a large roll in our children’s autism. I think that along with the 3 independent studies that came out in January of a genetic link in some Autism cases, vaccinations are not the sole cause for Autism if at all. I just heard Dr. Temple Grandin speak last week (she is Autistic herself) and she does not completely subscribe to the vaccine theory either. Rather her take was to spread vaccinating children across a longer timeline and not all at once. There is still so much research to be done and you just can’t claim vaccines are the problem. It’s not wise or in the best interest of our kids on the spectrum.
Cliff
Mar 16, 2008 at 5:34 am
Oh, I saw a press report today. McCarthy made some eloquent statements, which, if my memory holds, are as follows,
“I could have blended back into society and went ‘Oh good, I’m going to enter him into kindergarten and no one will know he had a label’. Instead, the poor kid, I’m making him the poster child.”
(I’ve said the same thing, actually. This kid is NEVER going to be able to live with himself, with that level of expectation. If it isn’t obvious, I mean it in quite a different sense than McCarthy)
“The problem we have with (vaccines) is they’re loaded with toxins”
(I found this eloquent, at some level. Poetically simple, if extremely inaccurate. The way in which she says this is amusing, as if this was a realization of something new (which, you’d hope with the years we’ve been vaccinating, isn’t. Or at least the point was recognized as poor long ago). But this pales to her advice…)
“Change the freaking diet”
(Well, it’s pointed. If a little harsh. And not horribly inspirational. But should I have been expecting such a thing? Apparently, no)
All of these were out of one report, so I wasn’t exactly fishing for these. And, for her part, they stuck in my mind quite distinctly (enough to do direct quote without finding the article).
Needless to say, I’m not going to be exactly mimicking her words in the days to come. But at least I’m being amused in the mean time.
Cliff
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