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| 12/25 |
| 2008/10/19-21 [Politics/Domestic/Election] UID:51577 Activity:nil |
10/19 Wondering why McCain brought up autism in the debate? Hmmm...
http://timesonline.typepad.com/oliver_kamm/2008/10/more-on-obama-m.html
http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2008/10/autism_in_the_presidential_debate.php
http://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/?p=1551 |
| 12/25 |
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| timesonline.typepad.com/oliver_kamm/2008/10/more-on-obama-m.html Melanie Phillips, on her Spectator blog, responds graciously and directly to some of the criticisms I've made of her position on the US election, the culture wars and modern mores. Turning a phrase of mine back on me, Melanie writes: "For me, anti-intellectualism, insularity, social intolerance and anti-rationalism' have indeed been unleashed upon our society - not by Christian evangelicals but by the forces of secular fundamentalism and bigotry through such phenomena as scientism, political correctness and post-modernism." My concern is not so much - or at least, not only - with Christian evangelicals. It is with a resilient anti-intellectualism in American public life. Richard Hofstadter some 45 years ago, draws from many springs. It expresses, however, a common aversion to the Enlightenment pursuit of knowledge, the secular principles on which the Republic is founded, and modern scientific inquiry. I'm dispirited and disturbed that John McCain, a politician I respect, has more than made his peace with those elements in the Republican Party - indeed he's put them on the ticket. I'm indebted to Mark Henderson, science editor of The Times, for drawing to my attention one example of this tendency that I would otherwise have overlooked. claiming the existence of "strong evidence" that mercury in vaccines causes autism. In the final candidates' debate, this week, McCain made some comments about autism that seemed quite incongruous if unexceptionable. Mark points out to me that they would in fact have been understood perfectly well by a small segment of the audience: "The whole spiel of 'autism is on the rise and we've got to find out what's causing it' is the language of the US anti-vaccine lobby, which is small but includes thousands of people for whom this is a single-issue vote-winner. The implication is that there's an autism epidemic, caused by vaccines -- the mercury-based preservative thimerosal is the peculiar cultural manifestation of this perennial in the US. Of course, as you probably know, there's a lot of evidence that there isn't actually an autism epidemic, and that apparently increasing prevalence is really a matter of broader diagnostic criteria. "McCain has form on this -- he's suggested before that vaccines & autism need more investigation, and I charitably thought he was badly briefed, caught on the hop or simply misinterpreted. But this looks deliberate -- it was slipped in in the manner of a pre-planned issue he wanted to raise, to court a small but not insignificant single-issue group. As soon as I heard it, I thought "that's code", and good science & autism bloggers are posting the same thing. "Sarah Palin, incidentally, reportedly has a nephew with autism as well as a son with Down's syndrome. But that no more qualifies her as an authority on the causes of autism than does Alaska's proximity to Russia on foreign policy." John McCain is a better man and a better public servant than this. It's a shame to see his campaign degenerate into a pitch to pressure groups for whom evidence-based inquiry is the enemy. More on Obama-McCain: Comments Mr Kamm, I am an intellectual myself: I have a bloody PhD, mate! I speak 4 languages, and don't listen to opera because it is too vulgar. I am listening to JS Bach's 2nd cello suite as I write this. But I look at history even when it isn't flattering to my peers, and what I see is that Western intellectuals, beginning with Plato if not earlier, have mostly been a force for "insularity, social intolerance", and totalitarian reaction. I try to learn from intellectuals, I really do, especially where my health is concerned (one of my best friends runs a website debunking alternative medicine). American intellectuals in particular were a major source of inspiration for Mussolini, supported eugenics and racial segregation in the "progressive" era, nazism in the 1930s, and communism during the Cold War. Not all intellectuals did these things, but as a class they did more than their fair share. I do believe that, if Americans trusted intellectuals as much as Germans did, then the US would have turned nazi in the 1930s, just like Germany. As for Richard Hofstadter, he was a charlatan for popularizing the spurious concept of "social Darwinism". Fancy hearing about insularity from someone living on an island! Looking back over the last century, ordinary people in Europe and America have become less racist, less sexist, less nationalistic, less conformist, more secular, more democratic, and more tolerant in general. In closing, I'd like to put on record that I am now listening to the 5th cello suite. That political movement--as you describe it--is extremely marginal. Perhaps it's vanity, but I think European liberals have to believe theses groups exist in great numbers despite the evidence. There are indeed many religious conservatives in America, but only a miniscule percentage could be described in the terms you use. The true Hoftstaderian paranoids are mostly on the left today. I could point you to dozens of blogs, or many of Senator Obama's former associates. Put it this way: If there's ever a vote in Senate on the teaching of creation that results in a tie, I will gladly concede the point to you. Still, I think a vote on how to deal with Iran is far more likely. I agree with a previous commentor who noted that Senator Obama is the one who's insular. His worldview seems overwhelmingly derived from Columbia and the racial politics of Chicago. The Reverend Wright knew he would become an issue for Obama, but the Senator never saw it coming. I recently read to two excellent columns, one rightly criticized WJ Bryan's creationist nonsense, the other rightly criticized calls for a return to the gold standard. I'm sure the other of those two pieces understands the nature of imperfect vehicles. The latter, if it is to be considered a Hedonist social philosophy, is written into Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution: "pursuit of happiness". It was a radical thought in those days- the idea that the masses could be free to pursue happiness. So the whole US tradition has been founded on Utilitarian philosophy. Jeremy Bentham was preaching to the choir when he advocated his philosophy in the US. org/wiki/Special_Education_in_the_United_S tates In other words, the federal government has created a financial incentive for local school boards to diagnose the condition. All children with behavior issues such as ADD and ADHD, among others represent increased funding. Obama's ties to Marxists are as established as any such accusations can be. This should not be considered remarkable, since Marxism has always had a robust following in many African American progressive organizations, dating back to the days of the Pullman Porters in the 1920s. The only question remaining about Obama: will he abandon his tendencies, or pursue them? If he chooses the latter, he will probably be unsuccessful. Anyone who refuses to make the connection is living in denial. Oliver, I think you have made the mistake of many in the US. You view Obama favorably because of his social positions. Many of the revilers of Palin would applaud her if she were pro-homosexual and pro-abortion. Many advocates of Obama would decry him if he were anti-abortion. Sarah Palin may not be qualified to comment on vaccines or autism. But then, neither is Obama, being a 46 year old lawyer who has never really had a job. Oh yes, he was a rather mediocre constitutional law professor. The Caldwells of California tried to get "alternative explanations" into science education. Then they focused on a University of California, Berkeley website which proclaimed most religions have no problem reconciling evolution. The site linked to religious websites to validate their claims. The Caldwells argued this amounted to the establishment of religion by a government agency. The Federal Court disagreed, and held the Cal Berkeley site was not a violation of the Establishment Clause. html This was in the liberal Ninth Circuit, where I frequently work. There is little evidence that evangelicals have been able to get creationism into public schools in the US. In... |
| scienceblogs.com/insolence/2008/10/autism_in_the_presidential_debate.php jpg Orac is the nom de blog of a (not so) humble pseudonymous surgeon/scientist with an ego just big enough to delude himself that someone, somewhere might actually give a rodent's posterior about his miscellaneous verbal meanderings, but just barely small enough to admit to himself that few will. tripped up by the antivaccine fearmongers who think, despite an absence of scientifically compelling evidence supporting their view, that vaccines cause autism. Now that Sarah Palin is on the ticket, he's doing it again, this time in the context of discussing her qualifications to be President. And, by the way, she also understands special-needs families. She understands that autism is on the rise, that we've got to find out what's causing it, and we've got to reach out to these families, and help them, and give them the help they need as they raise these very special needs children. In the context of a question about special education, he said: And I just said to you earlier, town hall meeting after town hall meeting, parents come with kids, children -- precious children who have autism. And we'll find and we'll spend the money, research, to find the cause of autism. And all Americans will open their wallets and their hearts to do so. I suppose I should give McCain some credit in that someone probably told him to cool it about the whole vaccine thing, that there was no science supporting it, but someone needs to tell him that whether or not the prevalence of autism is truly on the rise is pretty much an open question. Indeed, there is plenty of good evidence that it is not and that the apparent increase in autism cases is due the broadening of diagnostic criteria, greater awareness, and diagnostic substitution, in which children who would in the past have been diagnosed as mentally retarded or with other developmental disorders are now more appropriately classified as being on the autistic spectrum. Given how much out of left field these comments are (especially the comments about how having a special needs child somehow makes Palin more qualified to be President), I have to wonder if this is nothing more than pandering to the antivaccine crowd in a more subtle way. wonders the same: She understands that autism is on the rise? Can she clearly convey the distinction between more diagnoses, and an actual increase in prevalence? What about the broadening criteria and the changes in the very definition of autism? Or, is McCain pandering and simply parroting anti-vaccination and anti-autism advocate fundraisers' "autism epidemic" rhetoric? So does Sullivan: Senator McCain may have thought that he was winning my vote, but he just lost it. Yes, disability issues, especially autism, play a role in my choice. But, this looks too much like pandering to the vaccine-autism crowd while doing the politician's two-step around the sticky details. Ie it was "let's use code words about the epidemic and vaccines to gather votes". Although one could argue that mentioning autism in the context of a discussion about education is part of the topic, in the context of whether Sarah Palin would make a good President, mentioning special needs children and autism seemed to come right out of left field. "She understands reform, and, by the way, she understands special needs families"? Such an awkward segue is the indication of a politician slipping a talking point in whether it fits the conversation or not. It was clearly planned to mention this, no matter whether it was appropriate or not. Charles Fox points out: I have been simmering on a daily basis every time Governor Palin holds up her son Trig as a political symbol. I have to say, that I think all small children should be left out of the political forum, and it is wrong to use an infant with special needs as an emblem of your own personal rectitude. Medicine & Health Comments Given how much out of left field these comments are (especially the comments about how having a special needs child somehow makes Palin more qualified to be President) It qualifies Jenny McCarthy to lecture immunologists and neurologists on vaccines and autism, so why is it a stretch to believe that it would endow another (and can we agree much brighter) woman with special insight into national and international affairs? I have been simmering on a daily basis every time Governor Palin holds up her son Trig as a political symbol. I have to say, that I think all small children should be left out of the political forum, and it is wrong to use an infant with special needs as an emblem of your own personal rectitude. And how many "wrongs" does it take to cancel out one "it works?" October 16, 2008 3:28 PM Hey, if having a special needs child makes one qualified to be vice president and since I was a special needs child and now a handicapped adult, I must be more qualified than Palin. Hell, I got more useful education than Palin, was vice president of the student council in middle school, and my kids haven't gotten knocked up. October 16, 2008 3:43 PM McCain talked about autism intentionally, and it's not the first time he's done it. Look at the political statistics -- more children have autism than Down Syndrome, so autism pandering = more votes. October 16, 2008 4:07 PM I played that bit of the debate for my mom, she more or less exploded. She's a special education teacher who grew up in foster care with several special needs kids. Those kids are now adults and she's been the legal guardian for them since her foster mother passed away a couple years ago. One has Down Syndrome and several of her students have autism. I pointed out that she is clearly more qualified than Palin on every point including foreign policy since she grew up 5 miles for the Canadian border and crossed it numerous times. October 16, 2008 4:32 PM iamsowise, your ideas are intriguing and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter. Tell me about your stance on public education funding... October 16, 2008 4:38 PM That anti-vaccination shrill David Kirby was on about this on the Huffington Post. He claims Palin has an autistic nephew and that this is what McCain was referring to. October 16, 2008 4:58 PM Yes, I also found his statements to be jarring. It seemed to me that the rest of the comments during the debate were about broader, more general topics, and suddenly the comments about the specific problem of autism were inserted. October 16, 2008 5:02 PM Yes, I also think, with ehoff and others, that there's strong evidence that McCain indeed keeps confusing autism with Down syndrome. Next time he might even go so far as to confuse a Zeiss Mark VI planetarium star projector with an overhead projector. October 16, 2008 5:21 PM The level of ignorance displayed by the candidates, McCain and Palin in particular, on the subject of education let alone special education I personally find offensive. This is not to say they are the only ones, many of your congressional and senate reps are merely policy followers and have not a clue as to where the money goes let alone what is required of public institutions both monetarily and administratively. NCLB has led to a horrendous symptom of teachers being required to teach on the same page at the same time from the same book. Hardly a situation that drives young people to decide to become teachers. The failure of schools much like our financial lending system has deep roots inside our government. The best that could happen would be to eliminate the dept. of Education and roll it back into the Health Education & Welfare and get them out of the education meddling business. Give the schools some autonomy or lattitude to either succeed or fail; currently they are required to follow all the stae and federal rules, then when they fail following those rules your elected officials like to point it our as though they have no part in that failure. I thought helping the downtrodden was the work of the Democrats? I thought the Republican were suppose to just leave the Government alone unless the Dow Jones got screwed up. Fox News Raw Data Transcript And, by the way, she also understands special-needs families. She understands that autism is on the rise, tha... |
| leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/?p=1551 View blog reactions If you watched the US presidential debates tonight, you heard the "A" word a few times. Senator McCain, who tripped up early in the campaign by giving credence to the thimerosal debate (and, yes, tripped up is accurate since he backed away fast from that stance), is courting the Autism community's vote. In discussing his running mate's credentials to be president (should Mr McCain for some reason stop being president), Mr McCain stated: She'll be my partner. And, by the way, she also understands special-needs families. She understands that autism is on the rise, that we've got to find out what's causing it, and we've got to reach out to these families, and help them, and give them the help they need as they raise these very special needs children. She understands that better than almost any American that I know. I wish Mr McCain had more contact over time with the disability community. I guess since she has a child with special needs and a young relative with autism, she has some experience, but wouldn't it be nice if Senator McCain knew someone in the autism research community? That is something that every family that advocates on behalf of disabled children talk about. And if we have an across-the-board spending freeze, we're not going to be able to do it. That's an example of, I think, the kind of use of the scalpel that we want to make sure that we're funding some of those programs. For those who didn't watch, there was discusssion earlier in the debate about a Senator McCain's proposal for a spending freeze. Senator Obama made the point clear: cut smart, not blindly. That said, I also liked how Senator Obama brought in the entire disability community. Yes, it was still child focused, but he did talk about "other special needs". Senator McCain later stated: And I just said to you earlier, town hall meeting after town hall meeting, parents come with kids, children--precious children who have autism. And we'll find and we'll spend the money, research, to find the cause of autism. And all Americans will open their wallets and their hearts to do so. I wonder how many autistic adults were in his audiences? I wonder how many people with other disabilities (or family members with other disabilities) were in the audience. Senator McCain may have thought that he was winning my vote, but he just lost it. Yes, disability issues, especially autism, play a role in my choice. But, this looks too much like pandering to the vaccine-autism crowd while doing the politician's two-step around the sticky details. Ie it was "let's use code words about the epidemic and vaccines to gather votes". Senator Obama's response really did speak to me, though. Focusing on funding research--and research for other conditions besides autism--spoke to goals that match mine, rather than an attempt to buy my vote. AutismStreet gathers his thoughts and types faster than I There is a good treatment of this subject there. here's a taste: She understands that autism is on the rise? Can she clearly convey the distinction between more diagnoses, and an actual increase in prevalence? What about the broadening criteria and the changes in the very definition of autism? Or, is McCain pandering and simply parroting anti-vaccination and anti-autism advocate fundraisers' "autism epidemic" rhetoric? I want to repeat: I really hope I am wrong about Senator McCain. Even if he loses the presidential bid, he is a Senator and someone we need to help in the probable lean years ahead--and beyond. October 16th, 2008 12:43:56 Sarah Palin knows nothing more about Autism than the average American or Brit or whatever. She has 6 MONTHS of living with Down Sydrome, which is a whole nother can of worms. McCain/Palin has been playing this card since the RNC and I, for one, hope it seriously backfires on them. I find it disgusting that he puts her out there to court the vote of parents with special needs kids. October 16th, 2008 12:55:58 This whole exchange during the debate really shocked me--not that McCain would bring it up, but that Obama would salute Palin's work for "special needs" children. Last I heard, Palin took an axe to the special ed budget in her state, cutting funds by 60%. October 16th, 2008 14:16:48 The comment by Senator Obama that if we are going to get serious about children with special needs we need to the fund programs, rang true to me. October 16th, 2008 19:06:03 Pandering is in the eyes of the beholder. Is there any evidence than MCCain is not being honest is his statements? One tends to use "pander" when the outreach is to some group with which one is in disagreement. I'm not convinced how much distance McCain has placed between himself and the antivaxers. A seven year-old girl I know of just died from a congenital heart defect related to her Downs. Another friend has a 16 year old son who will need heart surgery soon. October 16th, 2008 19:27:25 I'd rather he knew someone that was autistic, a lot of people that were autistic, rather than a researcher who is sure to bring their own prejudices about autistics into any discussion. In the back of my mind, I figured that given the vast number of people he has been in contact with, he must have some contact with people with autism. Now, people diagnosed with autism and discussing autism related issues is a different thing. October 16th, 2008 19:45:42 Did you see how McCain was happy to discuss about special needs children but when Obama brought up the issue of funding this types of projects, McCain quickly backed away from it and said a lot can be achived without funding.... McCain just wants some mileage out of this issue for votes. He will likely followup with his promise to give $0 dollars to such projects. October 16th, 2008 20:33:19 "And all Americans will open their wallets and their hearts to do so." Doesn't sound like a pledge for any kind of central funding to me, and in fact is an untrue sweeping generalization, in my opinion made in desperate ignorance of reality. October 16th, 2008 21:40:43 "And all Americans will open their wallets and their hearts to do so." Doesn't sound like a pledge for any kind of central funding to me, and in fact is an untrue sweeping generalization, in my opinion made in desperate ignorance of reality. Sounds to me like someone who will let the public open their wallets to fund IDEA rather than let the Federal government live up to their commitment. October 16th, 2008 22:39:38 Yes, the special ed budget in Alaska did increase. When Alaska imposed an oil tax on oil passing thru their state, the revenue to the state increased, along with the price of gas for the lower 48. One thing to note that Sarah may have forgot to mention, in Alaska "special education" includes the boot camp for high school drop outs. Reportedly, the boot camp consumes two thirds of the special ed budget. Rate this: + 29 Leave a Reply Please note that all comments must now be previewed. This is in order to encourage you to not defame anybody :) and give you a bit of cooling off time. Name (required) Email Address(required) Website WARNING Your browser does not support JavaScript or has JavaScript disabled! This will not compromise the possibility to leave a comment, although the automatic insertion of both markup tags and emoticons will not work. By N2H Thanks Some of the posts on LB/RB are based on information provided by our readership. The LB/RB team would like to acknowledge all our sources of information. But, understandably, many people prefer not to have their names broadcast on the web. The LB/RB team will continue to respect your right to privacy but would like to say a great big thank you to you all. Top Health Blogger - Wellsphere Polls Very soon, the Autism Omnibus Cedillo hearings will be returning a 'verdict'. Do you: * Expect the Cedillo's to win and for vaccines to be held responsible for causing Michelle's autism? In the previous poll 'Famous figures from the past (eg Einstien) have been said to be autistic by some advocacy groups. Do you think this:', the most popular choice was Is not a good idea without firm evidence. |