The Emperor's New Clothes

I watched Bush's "State of the Union" address Monday night, first while getting some exercise at the gym, and then listening in the car on the way home. And I found the whole thing somewhat disturbing and pathetic. Not just the man, or his message, but the process on the whole.

I did a bit of research on the protocol and practices of this process. It has an interesting history, including being discontinued by Thomas Jefferson who regarded it as being to monarchial, submitted in writing instead through the early 20th century, before being returned to a speech and evolving into what we have today, and I observed Monday, with a good deal of disdain.

I have to assume that, in the beginning, this was intended to be an opportunity to deliver a message to Congress as to the progress, issues and objectives of the office of the Presidency and the workings of the political system under which these bodies operated.

But now it seems like a media event, a show being put on, and a platform for pushing agendas and policies.

As far as I've seen, Bush has a very low approval rating and is widely considered to be the worst president ever. I think most people see him as an embarrassment and a failure. It's also reasonable to say that we've been lied to, misled and deceived in numerous ways.

So what's with the applause and adoration?

The whole event seemed like a complete production, with Bush's entrance being a long drawn out saunter down an aisle lined with back-patting, hand shaking and ass kissing a-plenty. All the while, for several minutes, to the ongoing applause of the attendees. The hypocrisy of this was unbearable. Sure, based on what I understand to be 'the process' of the event, the applause is supposed to be for the office of the presidency and not the person, but when the office has been so misguided and abused, can one really justify the act of applause when the occupant is responsible for it's relative downfall. I mean, the reception greeting his arrival was on par with that of Jesus's entrance into Jerusalem..... come to think of it, Bush should have been on a Donkey, as it'd have been an interesting and symbolic twist.

I just wish there were some straight shooters and not this political machine grinding it's creaking gears. I would greatly respect it if our congressional representation would refusing to just play along, and refuse to participate in the hypocrisy of this tired ritual. I'd like to have seen people such as Obama or Clinton being genuine, refusing to stand and go thorough the motions when there's absolutely no doubt whatsoever that neither of them respect or approve of the man or the job that's been done. Yet they both went along for the ride, doing their duty, adhering to the protocol, and coming across as blatant tools, and just more cogs in the political process playing their political cards in a political game.

Then, throughout the course of his ghost-written, strategically prepared and rehearsed speach, his statements were met with rounds and rounds of further applause, as if they were somehow based on any merit, weight or intent. I mean, come on, peple. The man's been a lame duck for 7 years; do you really expect the last year to be a pivotal one?

I don't know about you, but I take everything he says as a grain of salt in an open wound.

The Shot Feared Round The World

As a daily reader of many science-related blogs and listener to science-related podcasts, I've been aware for some time of the scares around the use of infant vaccines and alleged links to autism in toddlers. It's been clearly shown that exposure to Thimerosal, the mercury-based compound used in vaccinations during childhood, is not a primary cause of autism. In fact, as noted in this New York Times article:

"Since 2001, no vaccine routinely administered to children in the United States had more than half a microgram of mercury, about the amount found in an infant’s daily supply of breast milk".

Yet, on shows such as Oprah and Ellen, people such as Jenny McCarthy, whose own child is autistic, continue to put forth assumptions, half-baked theories, and poorly executed study results in order to further promote their own beliefs that there is a link, even though scientific studies continue to show that not to be the case.

So, what's a major television network to do when such a hotly debated topic comes to light? Why, make it into a TV show plot, of course. And not one in favor of educating the public, but one skewed toward the drama of fear, portraying the case as an innocent victim waging a legal fight against an evil industry.

Yes, the upcoming premiere of "Eli Stone" will be a drama in which a set of parents sue and win a settlement against the drug company for this very reason. In an open letter to ABC, the American Academy of Pediatrics makes what I consider to be the accurate assessment that...

“If parents watch this program and choose to deny their children immunizations, ABC will share in the responsibility for the suffering and deaths that occur as a result. The consequences of a decline in immunization rates could be devastating to the health of our nation’s children.”

Another very well stated examination of this upcoming show is posted on NeuroLogica Blog, and again, this New York Times article is a great read, and it's attached to the bottom of this post for posterity.

Man, watching this happen is almost like reliving the resistance to the concept of global warming being real that was prevalent a few years back.

I see this as yet another case of people rushing to judgment and making assumptions to such extremes that, even when presented with ample and abundant evidence to the contrary, they'll refute that proof on whatever rationalization they can grab ahold of, in order to stick firmly to their own conclusions. And we're not talking about minor a study here or there that modestly challenges the possibilities of the claim being off target, we're talking about a vast scientific and medical community consensus, backed with tested and retested metrics and data, broadly covering the spectrum of cases and possibilities, bringing conclusive evidence to the table.

After taking the time to do my own due diligence, and having seen this issue building for some time, I wrote to ABC today. You should too if you wish to voice your own opinion after doing some reading and research of your own.

"I'm sure you're aware of the controversy around airing a show depicting vaccines as contributing to autism, and the clear evidence to the contrary.

Airing this show and putting such fears into the minds of parents, regardless of any pre or post show disclaimers, is completely irresponsible and risks setting forth idea that might cause a parent to ultimately jeopardize their child's lives by NOT getting vaccinated.

Show some conscious, some restrain, and some ethics, and do NOT AIR this show."

It's official. I'm writing letters of objection to major corporations. I've become my parents.

But if being vocal means I might influence change, that's reason enough. I've since read that they're now going to air some sort of disclaimer before the show. Not enough, I say, given that people that miss that 10 seconds or those that will just discount it will still be walking away with concerns they would not have had, and don't need to have.

Oh, and as to the 'creative license' used in this 'fictional drama'; quoting from the script:

“Is there proof that mercuritol causes autism?,” Eli Stone says to the jury in summing up his lawsuit against the vaccine maker. “Yes,” he says. “Is that proof direct or incontrovertible proof? No. But ask yourself if you’ve ever believed in anything or anyone without absolute proof.”

Uh, what ever happened to the concept of "innocent until proven guilty"? Or the idea of a guilty verdict needing to be "beyond a shadow of a doubt"?

I guess those principles don't make for good ratings, eh ABC?

Clarence's Gift

Sometimes I like to think about what my being alive means. Not to myself, but to people who's lives I touch. And not those directly associated to me, like family and friends, but the lives of strangers I'll never know or meet again.

Yet what about the significant moments? What about those things we know about, or more often, don't know about, that ultimately benefit somebody else in a very big way.

It's a "George Bailey" kind of thing I'm talking about here. It's the curiosity about how one life impacts the lives of others, and how it's absence might change the world of so many without their even knowing it.

Yet what about the significant moments? What about those things we know about, or more often, don't know about, that ultimately benefit somebody else in a very big way.

Here's an example, from an email a friend sent me some time ago, relaying an experience he had while driving on a highway late one evening.

"I saw a car up ahead in the fast lane, crunched up against the cement wall. I didn't see any flashing lights, so I pulled to the right shoulder behind a semi with its flashers on. The guy in the semi runs up to me to say there was an accident, so I tell him to go up the road, with his flashlight, to try to warn motorists.

I yell across two lanes of traffic to the guy standing next to his car in the fast lane, telling him to come to the shoulder of the road as soon as he can. He does, and I ask him a few questions to assess his mental state. He seems fine.

Not five minutes later, a pick up truck coming down the freeway doesn't see us flagging traffic -- and slams in to the car stopped in the fast lane, right where the guy had been until I told him to get out of the road."

Doesn't it make you shudder to think of how a simple gesture on your part can change somebody's life? It does for me.

Many years ago, while working out at the gym, I was not as conscious of how my actions might adversely affect others. An older heavy-set woman approached the treadmill beside me, attempting to figure out just how to use it. I smugly thought to myself that it was ridiculous that she'd be allowed to use equipment without proper training, and although I could have easily started talking to her and guiding her on the proper steps to safely use the equipment, I just kept on my own pace. I took a "figure it out yourself" approach. I'm quite embarrassed to admit that. Especially given that the poor woman ended up, a moment or two later, hitting the start button and being flung down and backward along the treadmill and onto the floor. (This was before treadmills were designed to only start at a very slow speed.)

I jumped off, stopped her treadmill, and tried to comfort her while the staff, and ultimately, the paramedics, worked to assess her injuries, position her on a stretcher, and wheel her into the ambulance waiting in the parking lot.

I could have prevented that. I had the opportunity to do so. Yet I failed to, consciously, and I've never forgotten it, let alone forgiven myself. I learned a valuable lesson that day, at the expense of another. And I've tried to never let it happen again.

Sometime around 2001 or 2002, well before the kids were born, we were renting a duplex that was positioned on a well-travelled street. Next door was another duplex, occupied at the time by a German couple with a very young toddler, about 1-year-old or so. As I was leaving for work one morning, I found, standing at the curb behind my car, working his way towards the busy morning commute traffic, that little boy.

I immediately recognized the danger in the situation, and I also knew that I'd not want to startle or scare him into proceeding into the street. So, I slowly approached, using a soft voice to gain his attention, and squatted down to gently pick him up. I took him back to his front door where his mother, who didn't speak English, was sitting on the other side of their gate and returned him to her. To this day, I don't think she realizes just how close her son came to being hit, and likely killed. I certainly do, though, and I still cringe at the thought of having walked out just 1 minute later. Yet I revel in knowing that I was instrumental in preventing a tragic occurrence. Something he'll never know about.

What was it Clarence said? "You've been given a great gift, George: A chance to see what the world would be like without you.".

That seems like something we all have the chance to experience with a little introspection and reflection.

Shed a Little Light - 2008

I've posted this before and feel compelled to do so again. Especially having recently watched a stirring documentary about the civil rights movement, of which this individual played a massively critical role. And on this day each year, the following song lyrics come to mind. As they should every day.

Let us turn our thoughts today To Martin Luther King,and recognize that there are ties between us,all men and women,living on the earth.Ties of hope and love,sister and brotherhood.That we are bound togetherin our desire to see the world becomea place in which our children can grow free and strong.We are bound togetherby the task that stands before us,and the road that lies ahead.We are bound, and we are bound.- James Taylor : Shed a Little Light

I'm Really Not So Thoughtless

Even though there's been a number of incidents and situations over the past couple of weeks that I'd typically capture here, I've had a lack of drive to write about them or anything. I have a list of 40+ topics, three or four partially completed entries, including yet another rat tale, but for some reason, I just don't seem to be able to put my energy into posting anything. I know for certain that part of it stems from rethinking the site and my intentions/use of this forum, and part stems from a lack of motivation or feeling that anything I'm doing here is really going to make a difference in the long run. I like to think that things I post give one a reason to think, to chuckle or just to wonder how bad my childhood must have been that I'd have such demons dancing in my head. But ultimately, this is likely to be the one true chronicle and marker of my existence, in whatever limited capacity or impact it truly is.

Anyway, It's uncharacteristic, at least for me, to go 2 weeks without anything being posted here. So here's something. :-)

A Golden Gate Photo Opportunity

During the holiday break, I took the kids to the Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito. It's located at the North end of the Golden Gate Bridge, in old military buildings that have been renovated. While there with the kids and my friend Matt, we ventured over to the edge of the water, where the kids followed a treasure map and found hidden gold coins ;-). In addition, I snapped the photo below using my iPhone and I was quite impressed with the quality. The deep blue sky was a result of intentionally shooting from inside the car through the polarized top section of the windshield. The birds in flight are the result of taking about 6 or 7 photos as they flew about, figuring at least one of the images would show at least one in a good position.