NY Times Article Misrepresents Facts In Autism Mercury Link Cover-up

[Guest guest]

NY Times Article Misrepresents Facts In Autism Mercury Link Cover-up JoAnn

Guest Aug 28, 2005 13:52 PDT

For Immediate Release

Please freely disseminate with copyright intact

UnInformed Consent

 

NY Times Article Misrepresents Facts In Autism Mercury Link Cover-up

August 8 , 2005 12:00AM

 

http://www.universityofhealth.net/Press_release_2005_09.html

 

UNINFORMED CONSENT, SEATTLE. WA – May of 2003 was a tremulous time for

the internationally known NEW YORK TIMES when Jayson Blair's plagiarism

debacle threatened to erode the paper’s credibility. Blair’s fictional

reporting propelled the 1.6 million readership paper into the headlines,

an uncomfortable place for any news outlet. For months afterward, the

Times exercised damage control while numerous editors resigned. Still

the Times exercises damage control.

 

Currently they are continuing their in-house design to be publicly

proactive.

 

June 25th, 2005, two seasoned NY Times reporters ran what was

represented as objective coverage on recent allegations of a government

cover-up of a link between epidemic levels of mercury exposure in

vaccines, medications and dental amalgam that cause ADD, autism and

neurological disease.

 

Their article was picked up all over the nation by other respectable

newspapers and featured prominently. The information has since been

quoted throughout the journalistic chasm as ammunition supporting

government authorities' cries that there is a witch hunt a foot against

thimerisal (mercury), and for some individuals personally for a

" cover-up. "

 

This coverage was replete with errors, omissions, obfuscation,

marginalizing and outright misstatement of fact. One of these

reporters has already written another piece on the same issue with

similar traits.

 

If allegations of a systematic cover-up of mercury exposure through

government mandated vaccines, medications and mercury dental fillings

affecting millions - possibly over 90% of the American public are true,

then the authors of this article are willing accomplices.

 

Equally troubling, in order to spin their tale of distortion, spin and

marginalizing and omissions, these reporters had to have been in

possession of the truth.

 

Why seasoned reporters, Gardiner Harris and Anahad O’Connor, would go to

such lengths to twist a story so important is hard to imagine.

 

Why they would jeopardize their careers with misinformation that just a

few clicks of a mouse could easily disprove is equally hard to fathom.

 

Their piece ran June 25, 2005: NYTimes " On Autism's Cause, It's Parents

vs. Research

 

The following comprises a list of the misrepresentations within the

article along with corrections and comments:

 

1. The NYT article states:

“In a series of House hearings held from 2000 through 2004, Mr. Burton

called the leading experts who assert that vaccines cause autism to

testify. They included a chemistry professor at the University of

Kentucky who says that dental fillings cause or exacerbate autism and

other diseases and a doctor from Baton Rouge, La., who says that God

spoke to her through an 87-year-old priest and told her that vaccines

caused autism.”

 

a) The obfuscation of the“chemistry professor”

 

One has to question the motivation behind omitting names of scientific

experts who have such solid credentials. Experts who can support, with

scientific evidence, claims that vaccines and dental fillings “cause or

exacerbate autism.”

 

The omitted mystery professor is no doubt the well-respected and

outspoken Dr. Boyd Haley PhD., a professor and Chair of the University

of Kentucky’s Chemistry Department, with a joint appointment in the

College of Pharmacy.

 

Haley’s credentials are impressive. He received his MA in Chemistry from

the University of Idaho, PhD from Washington State University and did

his postdoctoral work at Yale. HaleyCV

 

Dr. Haley is well published in over 150 peer-reviewed publications. He

is an internationally known and respected scientist and is one of the

most knowledgeable scientists on mercury on the face of the earth.

Haley’s studies on the effects of mercury on humans are cutting edge

science based on well-established scientific standards.

 

b) An unnamed witness “who says that God spoke to her through an

87-year-old priest and told her that vaccines caused autism.”

 

In reviewing over transcripts of the investigation hearings that the

House (Congressional) committee held regarding the issue of Mercury in

childhood vaccines, no witness fits the description of “a doctor from

Baton Rouge, LA., who says that God spoke to her through an 87-year-old

priest and told her that vaccines caused autism.”

 

c) Pairing an un-named professor with an un-named marginalized witness

 

It is clear this marginalized un-named witness paired with the

obfuscated mystery professor testifying during the investigation by the

“House committee” was designed to marginalize Representative Dan Burton

(R-Indiana), the Chair of the US Congressional Committee On Government

Reform.

 

d) Clarification of the “House committee”

 

The “House committee” is the Committee on Government Reform is the same

“House committee” that drafted and designed the Department of Homeland

Security and the Vaccine Compensation Program.

 

2. In describing experts Dr. Mark Geier and his son David Geier the

article states:

 

“He and his son live and work in a two-story house in suburban Maryland.

Past the kitchen and down the stairs is a room with cast-off, unplugged

laboratory equipment, wall-to-wall carpeting and faux wood paneling that

Dr. Geier calls " a world-class lab - every bit as good as anything at

N.I.H. "

 

a) Public Property Records

 

According to publicly available property records, this “two-story house”

is a 6222 square foot, luxury brick home with a basement on 1.6 acres

located in a wealthy suburb in Maryland.

 

 

 

 

 

Picture: Two-story Geier residence in Maryland

 

 

 

The property sports an Olympic sized tennis court, a lap pool, a green

house, a hot tub, and granite countertops throughout along with

“wall-to-wall carpeting,” granite floors and expensive “faux wood

paneling.”

 

A quick peek at sales in the neighborhood shows comparable properties to

be selling at around $1.8 million. This is hardly the portrayal that the

NYT authors described.

 

This property also has a “world-class lab” with first class lab

equipment installed by Dr. Geier himself at some considerable expense.

 

3. The article goes on to describe the Geiers:

 

“Dr. Geier has been examining issues of vaccine safety since at least

1971, when he was a lab assistant at the National Institutes of Health,

or N.I.H. His résumé lists scores of publications, many of which suggest

that vaccines cause injury or disease. "

 

It is apparent these authors have Dr. Geier’s résumé in hand. In

reviewing Dr. Geier’s résumé, it clearly states that in 1971 he was a

“Graduate Student in the Department of Human Genetics and Development,

Columbia University, New York, NY.”

 

In addition it states Dr. Geier enjoyed over a ten year tenure at the

NIH as a researcher (not a lab assistant) and was one of the leading

researchers who discovered how to move bacterial/human genes (splitting

genes). For this Geier has enjoyed international acclaim in his field

being written up in the NY Times, Time, Science, Newsweek, and many

other respected publications.

 

Dr. Geier continues his vocation as a well respected board-certified PhD

in genetics, published research scientist and practicing MD. Dr. Geier’s

research has been published in over 100 peer-reviewed publications. Dr.

Mark Geier CV

 

Geier’s research and his son David, who is an accomplished biochemist

and graduate student at George Washington University in his own right,

have together been published in over 30 peer-reviewed publications

something unheard of in graduate work and coveted by any ethical medical

school. David Geier CV

 

We were unable to locate where Geier ever worked as a “lab assistant”.

Perhaps the authors could be kind enough to share that piece of

information.

 

4. The article goes on to describe Geier’s testimony:

 

“He (Geier) has also testified in more than 90 vaccine cases, he said,

although a judge in a vaccine case in 2003 ruled that Dr. Geier was " a

professional witness in areas for which he has no training, expertise

and experience. "

 

The intimation is that Geier has personally derived revenue from his

expert testimony in more than 90 vaccine cases. none of these cases

have reached conclusion nor have we been able to locate any case where

Geier has received revenue for his testimony.

 

“In other cases, judges have called Dr. Geier's testimony

" intellectually dishonest, " " not reliable " and " wholly unqualified. "

 

This attention cast on comments out of context that, no doubt, came from

an interview with Geier himself - quotes that were made in a short

minority of cases in which he appeared.

 

The NYT authors did not mention ANY of the cases representing the

majority where Geier received significant praise for his expertise in

vaccines. Some of the omissions even included passing a Daubert

challenge*- a prestigious compliment not handed out to just any expert

witness:

 

US District Court (Federal Court), Jeffries v. Centre Life Insurance

Company, et al., Civil Action Full Quote

 

“According to Dr. Geier, he relied on the following combination of

factor which leads him to the conclusion that plaintiff had an adverse

reaction to the hepatitis B vaccine:

 

Medical plausibility;

 

Studies in peer-reviewed literature documenting a connection between

hepatitis B vaccine and adverse reactions;

Case studies reporting similar reactions;

Plaintiff’s reaction occurred in an acceptable time period following the

vaccination;

All of this in conjunction with the VAERS [Vaccine Adverse Event

Reporting System] database association…(sic)

That the hepatitis B vaccine contains mercury and aluminum compounds,

and

That these substances in vaccines have been shown to cause cognitive

defects.

 

The combination of factors provides a reasonably reliable basis for Dr.

Geier to conclude that Plaintiff’s cognitive impairments were caused by

an adverse reaction to hepatitis B vaccine, and that opinion is, of

course relevant to the issues in this case. Therefore, the motion to

exclude Dr. Geier’s testimony is not well-taken and is denied. His

opinion could be helpful to the jury.”

 

*The Daubert Decision was a precedent setting case where criteria of

expert witnesses were set. In the Daubert case the court decided that

juries were not sophisticated enough to decide what was real science and

what was junk science so the court now makes that decision. Courts

sometimes will create a Daubert Challenge through a mini hearing to

determine whether the credentials of the expert are worthy.

 

United States Court of Federal Claims, (McClendon v. HHS**), the judge

referred to Dr. Geier expertise: Full Quote

 

“Dr. Geier’s expertise and professional credibility clearly transcends

that of Dr. Lockhart. Given the totality of the circumstances, therefore

it is crystal clear that Dr. Geier’s testimony is entitled to

substantially more weight than that of Dr. Lockhart… Moreover, the

record persuasively shows that Dr. Geier has had extensive experience in

the area of DPT vaccine, and the case that the special master makes for

rejecting his opinion is, we believe, built on a false premise.”

 

**US Department of Health and Human Services (This is a cabinet directly

under the White House.

 

 

 

See Geier - more court cases

 

5. The article goes on to state:

 

“The six published studies by Dr. Geier and David Geier on the

relationship between autism and thimerosal are largely based on

complaints sent to the disease control centers by people who suspect

that their children were harmed by vaccines.”

 

The six published studies by Dr. Geier and David Geier on the

relationship between autism and Thimerosal were based on statistical

information gathered by several governmental agencies with a cohort base

of over 100,000. They were:

 

a) The CDC through their Vaccine Adverse Effects Reporting System

(VAERS).

b) The CDC through their Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD).

c) The third cohort was through the US Department of Education.

 

The CDC databases were gathered by participating medical doctors and

health agencies that report any adverse vaccine reactions and contain

thousands of cases.

 

The US Department of Education database is compiled from surveys done by

the US Dept. of Education. It is publicly accessible and consists of

tens of millions.

 

An interesting note – The Geiers were directed to investigate the CDC

vaccine safety databases as qualified experts at the behest of certain

members of the US Congress, many from the US Congressional Committee For

Government Reform - a position that could be likened to inspectors for

weapons of mass destruction, guardians ad litem of sorts.

 

6. There are then the following quotes:

 

" The problem with the Geiers' research is that they start with the

answers and work backwards, " said Dr. Steven Black, director of the

Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center in Oakland, Calif. " They are

doing voodoo science. "

 

It would be interesting to know more of the background behind this

quote. Since Kaiser Permanente is a fairly gargantuan player in the

cohort used in the infamous Verstraeten Study* the obvious conflict of

interest potential is interesting if not great. Using personnel from

Kaiser Permanente for quotes without first disclosing this fact is as

misleading as it is dishonest.

 

*The Verstraeten study is the same study referred to by Robert F.

Kennedy Jr. in his recently published piece in Rolling Stone Magazine

where he alleged a link between mercury and vaccines was covered up and

embargoed from the public at the secretly held CDC Simpsonwood Meeting

in 2000. Go to Rolling Stone, Deadly Immunity

 

7. The CDC director, Julie Gerberding quoted:

 

“Dr. Julie L. Gerberding, the director of the disease control centers,

said the agency was not withholding information about any potentially

damaging effects of thimerosal. "

 

" There's certainly not a conspiracy here, " she said. " And we would never

consider not acknowledging information or evidence that would have a

bearing on children's health. "

 

In 2003, spurred by parents' demands, the C.D.C. asked the Institute of

Medicine, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences and the nation's

most prestigious medical advisory group, to review the evidence on

thimerosal and autism.”

 

Apparently Gerberding forgot to mention the findings of the other

National Academy of Sciences oversight committee convened to investigate

the Institute of Medicine’s behavior in regards to vaccine safety and

the CDC. The following press release is quoted directly from the

National Academies of Sciences website:

 

" Concerns about access and transparency have accompanied the development

and functioning of the Vaccine Safety Datalink data sharing program, and

consequently some people's trust in the reliability of findings from VSD

studies has eroded, " explained John C. Bailar III, chair of the

committee that wrote the report and emeritus professor of health studies

at the University of Chicago. " Taking steps to improve the independence,

transparency, and fairness of VSD procedures will help enhance

confidence in the data sharing program and in research based on this

important tool for evaluating vaccine safety. "

 

For the complete text of the NAS review of the CDC: Independent

Oversight of Vaccine Safety Data Program Needed To Ensure Greater

Transparency and Enhance Public Trust

 

These VSD databases, including the Vaccine Adverse Effects Reaction

System (VAERS) are administered by the CDC. Critics claim (including the

National Academies of Sciences) this CDC administration is in direct

conflict with their duel purposes of promoting and administering the

national vaccine program.

 

Sources claim Gerberding, shortly after the above findings in February

2005, was faced with immediate demands to separate the two purposes

starting with getting rid of the personnel administering the safety

databases.

 

8. The statement discrediting Geier’s work.

 

" In a report last year, a panel convened by the Institute dismissed the

Geiers' work as having such serious flaws that their studies were

" uninterpretable. " Some of the Geiers' mathematical formulas, the

committee found, " provided no information, " and the Geiers used basic

scientific terms like " attributable risk " incorrectly. "

 

This is a misrepresentation by both the NYTimes and the IOM committee.

The IOM report spent nine pages justifying their use of the debacled

Verstraeten study and four pages explaining why they could not use

Geier's data complaining that Geier's data was not published and

uninterpretable. Never did the IOM report mention that Geier's findings

were only weeks old at the time of the February 2004 hearing due to CDC

efforts to keep them from looking at it.

 

Nor does it mention that Geier's findings were published a short time

after the February IOM hearing in the peer reviewed Medical Science

Monitor.

 

Withheld from the article is the fact that the Geiers are not the only

scientists who have raised alarms. The IOM hearing were full of them.

At least 200 studies were presented with similar concerns.

 

Out of 15 scientists who testified:

 

 

 

60% (9) felt there IS a link to Autism,

 

26% (4)* felt there is no link and

 

14% (2) were noncommittal.

 

 

100% of those who were convinced there IS a problem were also the only

ones without any obvious conflicts of interest.

 

There are hundreds of studies showing compelling evidence of a

correlation between the deadly neurotoxin mercury and neurological

conditions like ADD and Autism. Hundreds were presented that fateful day

in February 2004 to the IOM committee along with hundreds more contained

in massive binders (at least 4 reams of paper worth each) and “double

sided” as proclaimed by Committee Chair Marie McCormick at the beginning

of the session.

 

Despite these avid presentations from some of some of the finest

scientific pools in the world, a majority of those present - 100% of

those with no ties to pharmaceutical revenues stating their belief that

there is scientific evidence of a link, just three months later the IOM

Committee concluded and reported that there was no link between mercury

and autism.

 

9. The list of IOM studies NYT quoted.

" The six published studies by Dr. Geier and David Geier on the

relationship between autism and thimerosal are largely based on

complaints sent to the disease control centers by people who suspect

that their children were harmed by vaccines. "

 

There were not just six studies sourced from the Geiers. There were

hundreds of compelling studies from many other scientists showing

compelling links compared to what the NYT states as “six studies.”

 

" In contrast, the committee found five studies that examined hundreds of

thousands of health records of children in the United States, Britain,

Denmark and Sweden to be persuasive. "

 

These " several well-designed " studies were represented by the same

scientists who could not find a link (*the same four mentioned above).

They were also among the six scientists who had disturbing appearances

of conflicts of interest. The authors included the following:

 

1) The US Study alluded to by the NYT authors is surely the ill-fated

Verstraeten Study*. Versions of this study were presented at the IOM by

Robert Davis, a “coauthor” of the Verstraeten Study. At the IOM he

changed the time line points from which autism (and inoculations

periods) tend to appear thus attempting to validate findings of no

causal link.

 

*The Verstraeten (lead author) Study is at the center of allegations of

cover-up by government agencies and members of pharmaceutical companies

who attended and embargoed the information for three years after the

secret Simpsonwood meeting in 2000.

 

Frank DeStefano, the director of the CDC’s VAERS database – a position

that was serendipitously missing among his many credentials in his IOM

press packet bio, is another coauthor of the Verstreaten Study.

DeStefano rejuvenated an old 1996 study and added autism to the cohort

used in an attempt to show there is no correlation of autism to mercury.

 

2) The UK Study was presented by Elizabeth Miller whose ties with

vaccine manufacturers can be easily found. She is best known for her

unprovoked and continual attacks on Dr. Andrew Wakefield who raised

concerns about the finding the live Measles virus in the intestinal

tracts of 12 children with autism in the UK.

 

After being unable to consistently answer pertinent questions by others

during her own presentation at the IOM, Miller spent much of her time

during the day’s hearing contradicting herself in attempts to attack

other scientists who believe there is a link.

 

3) The Denmark Study was presented by Anders Peter Hviid who worked for

vaccine manufacturers who supply vaccine for his government, a fact he

did not disclose during his presentation at the IOM hearing. The fatal

flaws in this study became quite clear as several scientists questioned

him during the question and answer period. As Hviid seemed to falter and

stutter, Committee Chair McCormick rescued him from the podium and cut

off any more questioning.

 

4) The other Danish Study - Madsen et al, showed Denmark's incidence of

autism was less than .4 per 10,000 before 1992 and it increased 7.5

times by 2000 seemingly supporting Hviid's findings. Both studies

support no link.

 

Both Danish studies also seem to imply removing thimerisal as a

preventative for autism - fairly absurd implication. The most likely

hypothesis is that Denmark had very poor record keeping at the time

combined with the issue that Denmark authorities, like US authorities,

would have reason to cloud the issue from the public.

 

5) The Sweden Study uses data from the flawed Denmark Study.

 

Footage of each of the scientists who testified at the February 2004

Institute of Medicine hearing can be viewed at:

http://www.uninformedconsent.org along with other documents relating to

the allegations of governmental cover-up.

 

This NYTimes article is a profound violation to those who still attempt

to honor the standards of journalism. But most of all it is a

unfathomable breach of trust of the American people, our babies and

loved ones.

 

When we contacted the NYTimes regarding this article we were told by

their public editor, Al Siegal, that our small organization " took up

valuable staff time with traffic. " he said we were " irresponsible and

nasty " making the kind of " accusations' we made and we had made a

" terrible mistake. " He went on to say we could quote him as saying the

June 25th article was " thorough, careful and balanced. " He repeated the

latter quote twice to be sure it was accurate.

 

Mr. Siegal also alleged during this call that we had " refused " to give

his assistant our information but still we were unsuccessful in getting

venue information (as we were with his assistant) before he abruptly

hung up.

 

It is unfortunate that all Siegal ever saw was our email request for a

chance to communicate with them about this issue prior to publication.

 

As far as sharing our article with the NYTimes prior to publication, we

were never given the opportunity. We did try.

 

Information and Media contact:

Christy Diemond, Exec. Producer

UnInformed Consent – The Right To Know…

Website: www.uninformedconsent.org

 

Email: qc-

 

 

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets

 

 

 

 

AIM Barleygreen

" Wisdom of the Past, Food of the Future "

 

http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Start your day with - make it your home page

 

 

[Guest guest]

NYTimes just did a huge story on thimerosal and neurodevelopmental

disorders. I was shocked that they were not reporting facts about the

dangers. So I looked up the Board members to see if there are any

connections to Eli Lilly or other Big Pharma, Yes.. of course there

is. I also am sending Robert Kennedy Jr's web site on Thimerosal and

the secret meeting between the CDC and big pharma... Kennedy goes into

full detail. You want the truth about whats going on, please read

Kennedys site! This is the WORST corporate crime known to human

nature, Abuse of children, some who were left severe/profoundly

disabled for life! Im also sending the links to the NYTimes board

members.

 

 

 

On Autism's Cause, It's Parents vs. Research

 

http://tinyurl.com/b6ahe

 

 

 

The board of directors at NYT;

 

Raul E. Cesan

he became president of Schering Laboratories, the U.S.

pharmaceutical marketing arm, and in 1994, became president of

Schering-Plough Pharmaceuticals. (Im sure he still owns stock in

pharmacuticals)

 

 

Ellen R. Marram

Ms. Marram also serves on the board of directors of the Ford Motor

Company and Eli Lilly and Company. [Eli Lilly is the makers of thimerosal]

 

 

 

William E. Kennard

Mr. Kennard joined The Carlyle Group, a private equity firm, in May

2001 as a managing director in the global telecommunications and

media group.

 

 

Henry B. Schacht

Mr. Schacht also serves on the boards of Alcoa (Aluminum Company of

America), Johnson & Johnson and Lucent Technologies Inc.[Johnson &

Johnson is one of the compaines that makes rhogam that injected

pregnant women with mercury/thimerosal]

 

 

Cathy J. Sulzberger

She was also an editor of Consumer Drug: Digest: American Society of

Hospital Pharmacists and Medication Teaching Manual: National

Association of Retail Druggist, and a Consumer Editor of the Journal

of the National Association of Retail Druggists.

 

 

http://tinyurl.com/b4gbg

 

 

Executives

 

Corporate Officers

 

 

Neal Roberts

 

Vice President, Organization Development

The New York Times Company

 

Previously, Mr. Roberts was vice president of global organization

effectiveness with Hoechst Marion Roussel, the fifth largest global

pharmaceutical company. There, he directed organization development

consulting initiatives providing services to all commercial regions

and global functions located in France, Germany and the U.S. in

support of the execution of global strategies and the cultural

integration of three merged pharmaceutical companies.

 

http://www.nytco.com/company-executives-nroberts.html

 

 

 

Robert Kennedy Jr, has been some what of an advocate about the dangers

of thimerosal, Here is Robert Kennedy Jr's website of the facts behind

thimerosal, the cdc, big pharma cover up! Some of these children are

severe/profoundly disabled from this, including my son.

 

http://tinyurl.com/7cg3k

 

 

 

Donna

 

 

Bush sealed all vaccine records, and there was a rider put in the

homeland security bill that would protect Eli Lilly from lawsuits

against thimerosal. The rider has been removed, But Frist and others

have been trying to get protection of Big Pharma since the rider was

taken out.

 

 

The CDC sent an ALARM to pediatrican last year....1 out of 6 children

in America has some form of developmental or behavior disorder, This

does NOT include the children with cancer, heart disease, asthma,

ect.... There IS an EPIDEMIC of SICK children in the USA!!!

 

http://tinyurl.com/a2rul

 

 

 

 

 

On 8/28/05, JoAnn Guest <angelprincessjo wrote:

> NY Times Article Misrepresents Facts In Autism Mercury Link Cover-up JoAnn

Guest Aug 28, 2005 13:52 PDT

> For Immediate Release

> Please freely disseminate with copyright intact

> UnInformed Consent

>

> NY Times Article Misrepresents Facts In Autism Mercury Link Cover-up

> August 8 , 2005 12:00AM

>