Trace Amounts

Anti-vaccine nonsense – Robert F Kennedy Jr and Robert De Niro jump in

by Michael Simpson
2017-10-30
Anti-vaccines, Autism, Robert F Kennedy Jr, Vaccines

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Robert De Niro just had a press conference to push their anti-vaccine nonsense on the public. This time, they’re offering US$100,000 to anyone who can show that mercury in vaccines are safe. Well, they can write me the check today, since there is NO mercury (really, there never was) in vaccines, so based on their lame accusations, it’s safe.

I’m starting to think that the anti-vaccine forces think that the wind is blowing in their direction. This so-called press conference was held at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, an important venue for announcements. The National Press Club ought to be embarrassed – how could a prestigious institution allow such junk “news” at their site. But that’s a story for another day.Read More »Anti-vaccine nonsense – Robert F Kennedy Jr and Robert De Niro jump in

Anti-vaccine bullshit – Robert De Niro and RFK Jr are full of it

by Michael Simpson
2017-02-16
Anti-vaccines, Autism, Robert F Kennedy Jr, Vaccines

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Robert De Niro just had a press conference to push their anti-vaccine bullshit on the public. This time, they’re offering US$100,000 to anyone who can show that mercury in vaccines are safe. Well, they can write me the check today, since there is NO mercury (really, there never was) in vaccines, so based on their lame accusations, it’s safe.

I’m starting to think that the anti-vaccine forces think that the wind is blowing in their direction. This so-called press conference was held at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, an important venue for announcements. The National Press Club ought to be embarrassed – how could a prestigious institution allow such junk “news” at their site. But that’s a story for another day.Read More »Anti-vaccine bullshit – Robert De Niro and RFK Jr are full of it

UPDATED – Trump asks vaccine denier Robert F Kennedy Jr to chair vaccine panel

by Michael Simpson
2017-01-12
Autism, Politics, Robert F Kennedy Jr, Vaccines

President-elect Donald Trump has met with Robert F Kennedy Jr., a notorious vaccine denier, today. The two will discuss “the issues pertaining to vaccines and immunizations.” And whatever tiny spark of hope that maybe Trump was pandering to the anti-vaccine wing… Read More »UPDATED – Trump asks vaccine denier Robert F Kennedy Jr to chair vaccine panel

Robert De Niro talks vaccines – misinformation and ignorance

by Michael Simpson
2016-05-23
1 Comment
Andrew Wakefield, Autism, Movies, Vaccines

I guess this story won’t die. After the huge kerfuffle with respect to the fraudumentary, Vaxxed, you’d think that I wouldn’t have to read anything where Robert De Niro talks vaccines – but alas, he is still pontificating on vaccine issues where he clearly is clueless.

In case you were on a trip to Ceti Alpha V, missing the whole Vaxxed/Tribeca Film Festival/Robert De Niro story, here’s a quick review:

Mr. Andy Wakefield, one of the greatest modern scientific swindlers, makes a fake documentary about the so-called CDC whistleblower. He uses this to make unsupported claims that vaccines cause autism, which is overwhelmingly refuted by real science.
Robert De Niro’s Tribeca Film Festival included the fraudumentary in its schedule of independent movies for the 2016 version of the festival.
The internet, press, and other moviemakers ridicule De Niro, the film festival and Wakefield.
Tribeca decides to pull the film.

So that should be the end of the story, right? Those of you who follow the anti-vaccination world understand that a story never really dies. It just becomes a zombie meme.

Review of Trace Amounts – bad science and conspiracies

Opponents of legislation to tighten school immunization requirements have been promoting a movie called Trace Amounts to legislators and others. They seem to think this movie proves a link between thimerosal – a mercury-based preservative in vaccines – and autism. It shows, in their view, that our vaccine program is corrupt and harmful through and through, and hence is an argument against vaccine mandates. The movie, however, shows nothing of the sort. There is no new evidence in it, and it simply repeats old and disproven claims.