Not that I have heard of PR week before this!

Mark Blaxill has never been that interested in “the available evidence” when it comes to autism and vaccines. Some years ago, he had an exchange with a parent (who happened to be a physician) in which he said (and I paraphrase), “Mercury is the cause of autism, in my opinion.”

The physician-parent replied (again, paraphrasing), “Since you have no education or experience in biology, chemistry or medicine, your opinion on the cause of autism carries very little weight.”

To this, Mark Blaxill retorted (again, paraphrasing), “What a typically arrogant remark from a doctor!”

No, Mark Blaxill has long been a “cultist” who refuses to accept that his understanding of medicine and biology is in inverse proportion to his confidence in his own opinions.

Prometheus

Perhaps Blaxill might celebrate the fact that Roman Polanski today won the Best Director prize at the Berlin Film Festival, because, of course, if you are a terrific guy or enough time has passed, ethical lapses should be excused.

Mr. Polanski admittedly had sex with an aspiring thirteen year-old actress who might have benefited from Polanski’s exalted position in the film industry. (Polanski reportedly had asked the child to “take off your underwear” to pose for photos for “French Vogue” while plying her with quaaludes and champagne.)

As the father of a young girl who cannot make adult decisions, I think that Polanski’s behavior was execrable. As a scientist who must understand the Declaration of Helsinki and the necessary protections for children when I work with human subjects, I think that Andrew Wakefield’s proven dishonesty and and irresponsibility is execrable.

Mark Blaxill’s continued support of Andrew Wakefield is regrettable. Blaxill has changed before our eyes from a man who tried to understand the available evidence to a cultist who hangs on desperately despite the overwhelming weight of the evidence.

Blaxill should be ashamed.

Michael Jackson’s woes paled in comparison to Wakefield’s and Clifford’s PR firm wouldn’t touch the former, and those were much deeper pockets.

You wrote
Amazing that someone who was preparing to work with Brian Deer didn’t know who Brian Deer was but more interesting to me

I find the sentence confusing, did you mean to write

Amazing that someone who was preparing to work with Andrew Wakefield didn’t know who Brian Deer was but more interesting to me

“What Carol’s concerned about, and obviously Andrew, is presenting the facts as they see them,” she insisted. “And a lot of American professors are behind him.”

She said: “We are not trying to create any sort of alarm. We are trying to represent a man who has been represented in a very narrow way.”

Good grief, how can someone in Ms. Clifford’s position be that damn gullible? Good thing daddy is reigning her in.

One can only hope! Take cover, Jim and Jenny! Too bad they let you step out onto a limb to publicize the monkey study, even though they knew it was going to be withdrawn soon.