"Conservative commentator Glenn Beck has been accused of being a fearmonger before and he is facing the same accusations lately because of his statements on the swine flu vaccine."

You malign fine mainstream conservatives by referring to the Beck right wing nutjob as a "conservative"

JW,

Fair enough. I corrected the post.

Thanks for reading and commenting on my blog.

I don't think there's much to the hooplah about swine flu vaccine concerns, but compared to the "conspiracies" Beck usually talks about, this topic doesn't bother me so much.

It's probably the closest thing to an honest discussion that show will ever have- at least he's allocating equal time to discuss the topic

Beck is well known as a nutjob so you shouldn't really refer to him as a "conservative". He is really wacky - but it means ratings.

I always get the flu shots so will probably get these shots as well. I had the flu twice in two months and vowed never again. Have been getting shots for the last 15 years now.

The whole Swine Flu thing is severly overrated...

You admit there are real concerns with vaccines and then acuse Glenn Beck of fearmongering about the topic of H1N1? Do you not see the prejudice in this article?

I doubt you have ever even watched Beck's show.

Your the fearmonger.

Wouldn't it be nice if the government would push your product that doesn't work the way they push the drug companies' multi-billion dollar products

Dan:

There is a difference between saying a flu vaccine could have side effects and that the swine flu is being used by the government to push a nefarious plot. Sure, the vaccine might have side effects, but it isn't a government conspiracy.

It is a fact that Glen Beck can keep breathing despite having his head placed firmly up his own behind, rumor has it he has gills in his back that he breathes through. Beck shares this trait with Rush Limbaugh, Billo O'Reilly and former President Bush.

"In 1736 I lost one of my sons, a fine boy of four years old, by the smallpox taken in the common way. I long regretted bitterly and still regret that I had not given it to him by inoculation. This I mention for the sake of the parents who omit that operation, on the supposition that they should never forgive themselves if a child died under it; my example showing that the regret may be the same either way, and that, therefore, the safer should be chosen." -- Benjamin Franklin

RE: In 1736 I lost one of my sons.....Benjamin Franklin

Ben had no problem supporting the killing of British sons.....so america could be free from tyranny.....a tyranny so many americans seem to be welcoming back....

For everyone who disagree's with anything that Glenn Beck says, please provide Beck and the rest of us with FACTS that specifically points out where he is wrong!

If you've ever watched Beck you know that Beck WANTS to be wrong about what is going on in this country!

Beck's honesty and courage is an inspiration. Since when does someone who encourages all of us to "question with boldness" a "political shock jock" or a "fear monger"?? He discusses things that are shocking, because what has been going on in our govt for decades is SHOCKING!!

People had better get out of a coma and LOOK at what is honestly going on in our govt if they are interested in preserving our freedom and liberty.

If you don't think there is a problem, you are the victim of a failed education system that must have forgotten to teach you that preserving our freedom and liberty is dependant on our vigilance. We constantly need to actively RESTRICT AND LIMIT the power of our govt.

We must always:

1.Question with Boldness.
2.Hold to the Truth.
3.Speak without fear.

Brian - I would like to GIVE you a copy of Beck's new book "Arguing with Idiots" and "Common Sense" if you would agree to read them both and moving forward focus on the FACTS when disagreeing with him rather than ridiculing him.

Let me know.

I am concerned about the long term side effects for children and pregnant women. The vaccine has only been tested for side effects after six months. I am glad I don't have kids. If I did; I would be doing research like crazy. It's a real tough call.

I have seen man make a thousand mistakes but I never seen nature make one.

Children crawl around and put things in their mouths for a reason. It's how they build up their immune system over a long period of time. Children live in a very antiseptic world today. I think that's why when children do finally come in contact with something it hits them so hard.

I am not taking the vaccine. I am concerned that vaccine could effect enzymes that protect the brain from alzheimers disease.

I don't find Glen Beck interesting at all. Talk about a flip flopper? Watch this interview. Glen Beck is the head of the flip flop mafia.

oh yea, no reason for conpiracy theories..nevermind that Massachusetts has passed legislation mandating that either people take the shot...or be quarentined!! Same with Oklahoma and elsewhere. visit infowars(dot)com and look for the "flu pandemic archive" box link.

also, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has pointed views on vaccines in general, because of the thimerosal (mercury) that is put in them as a preservative. After they started using this in vaccines in the 1930s, we started seeing cases of autism unknown in medical history before. In 1989 the vaccines given to children were increased and we so a drastic spike in autism and other nervous system problems as a result (speech impediments, ADD, etc.) See youtube url of Kennedy's interview on the Joe Scarborough show.

LibertyLips,

Thanks for the offer. I appreciate you reading and commenting on my blog. I think it was a cheap shot to say the president was exploiting a pandemic to push his agenda. He didn't offer anything beyond conjecture for his charges.

http://mediamatters.org/research/200904270039

He sells himself as a libertarian but what are his views on marriage equality and medical marijuana? What title would you assign for his ideology? To say he is nonpartisan and has no ideology isn't accurate. I think more than anything he is a showman. I much prefer Andrew Sullivan, Reason Magazine, or William F. Buckley.

My understanding is that the swine flu vaccine has the same potential for side effects as a typical flu shot. Why the sudden concern?

Are you going to get a flu shot?

Glenn Beck wants to be this generation's Lonesome Rhodes, but Rush probably does that imitation better.

I had a great time reading around your post as I read it extensively. I am looking forward to hearing more from you.

This is just natural selection at work: Beck instructs idiot followers to boycott vaccine, H1N1 mutates during winter to become much deadlier, 20 million Beck followers all die a painful death within months, America's IQ goes up 40 points. Sounds good to me.

Beck is probably too dangerous to class as an idiot.

William Buckley is missed now more than ever as the thoughtful commentator that he was, deeply conservative, but from a reasoned and educated point of view as opposed to some of the "shock jock" commentary that Beck/Limbaugh/Hannity et al promulgate.

cooler,
Scientific investigations, massive ones, have show that there is no link between vaccinations, including those with thimerosol, and autism. Sorry.

Nobody,
It is pregnant women who have been hurt most by H1N1. Vaccines create memory cells, it is like getting the virus. Of course viruses mutate, particularly quickly if they carry their information on RNA.

Dean,
It sounds like a good plan, but such a mutation also has a chance of making the vaccine ineffective. I'll get the H1N1 vaccine (if it becomes available to people like me) because I'm a teacher and a good candidate to spread the disease (making it more likely that someone who isn't healthy will get it).

1.Question with Boldness.
2.Hold to the Truth.
3.Speak without fear.

And that means avoiding Faux News!!

Whatever happen to "choice"....whatever happen to the "choice" crowd who say you have the choice to murder your fetus.....is that the only choice we have or do we have other choices, such as taking fu shots...

Should their be no choice when it comes to flu shot...but choice when it comes to abortion...

LibertyLips

I am short on time today, have to go LA for business meetings. Lets look at his claims about the Olympics losing money.

He claims that the Vacnouver Winter Games lost a billion dollars, that is rich since they won't happen until February of 2010. He also claimed that Salt Lake City and the Atlanta games lost money, also not true despite Salt Lake City happened six months after the September 11 attacks and Atlanta was marred by a bombing.

Just for Starters.

andyLevinson,
You have a choice. The issue is whether the choice to not get vaccinated is a wise one or one fueled by mindless fear and conspiracy theories. I'm voting for the latter.

Beck is a racist, pure and simple.

RE:
You have a choice. The issue is whether the choice to not get vaccinated is a wise one or one fueled by mindless fear and conspiracy theories. I'm voting for the latter.

There is no flu epidemic....it is purely political fiction

but if you want a flu shot, get one....for double protection, get two

Geez people, did you watch the clip? He said he's going to devote a half-hour to each side of the debate and he's not going to give you his opinion. You call that fearmongering? At least wait until you've seen the show today, THEN you can decide if it's fearmongering or not. Be civil.

http://www.redcounty.com/bind-hatred%E2%80%94glenn-beck-pummeled-swine-flu-debate-announcement

"At least wait until you've seen the show today, THEN you can decide if it's fearmongering or not. Be civil."

There have been ZERO shows in the past where Beck did not use fearmongering.

One might suppose that for a man who has mastered the fine art of corporate pimpery, becoming an ID (Infectious Disease) specialist is more or less a piece of cake.

Brian Leshon -

If you regularly watched Glenn Beck, you would have seen how Glenn opened the show the following day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9J7mVtl5oE

Brian D -

No, my family and I will NOT be receiving the H1N1 vaccine. Below are links to the product inserts for the shot and the intranasal vaccines.

http://www.fda.gov/downloads/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/UCM182406.pdf

Here is a clip from today's show.

http://www.fda.gov/downloads/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/UCM182401.pdf

Eric,

Do you acknowledge that some people are using the swine flu to push conspiracy theories?

Glenn Beck pushed the idea that maybe Obama was using the swine flu to get his HHS nominee confirmed. He offered no evidence for that idea.

Brian: Sure, there are truther-types on both sides that use any event to push conspiracy theories. I think Glenn Beck has enough evidence to raise a question about the Obama administration politicizing crises (Rahm TOLD us he would). Did Beck make wild conclusive swine flu allegations? Or did he simply raise a question? To raise a question without nastily insulting someone is completely legit. Rahm's quote is here: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/seton-motley/2008/11/21/media-mia-emanuels-crisis-comment

Charles: Corporate pimpery? That sort of stuff is what I mean. And Beck is having experts on his show, it's not an hour of Beck giving us his opinions. If you watched the clip Brian posted, he makes it clear that he's not going tell you what to do.

If you find yourself insulting people with whom you disagree on a regular basis, take a hard look in the mirror. When someone has a different opinion than you, don't call them names, call them out on the facts.

The simple fact of the matter is that Glenn Beck's past shows often raises legitimate questions. His conclusions may be wrong, you may disagree with him, but they are nonetheless legitimate in that they are developed enough to be suitable for rational debate. Don't hide from debate by hurling insults.

Eric,

Is the VCRCC interested in promoting conservative causes or are they a front group for a new world order? I am not stating an opinion. I am just raising questions.

Brian,

Like I said, Beck has enough of a foundation to raise a question about this, unlike your VCRCC question.

I'm curious if you watched the episode today and if he deserved to be likened to McCarthy and/or the SS (regardless of what you may have read/heard about him in the past)--did he earn it today?

Eric,

I haven't seen it but when it is posted online let me know and I will check it out. I don't watch much television, especially Cable News. It is entertainment first and news only on occasion. That goes for both liberal and conservative commentators.

The poster from Shepard Fairley is in response to Glenn Beck using Nazi/Communist analogies against progressives frequently.

I am a big fan of Godwin's Law. Check out the link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin's_law

I am tired of people alleging any policy they don't like is a Nazi like policy.

http://obeygiant.com/archives

It's just a bunch of t.v. executives trying to make money. Once again though nobody is looking out for us and the right questions aren't being asked.

Mister,
There is no evidence any flu vaccine works. None.

There is a chance though this vaccine may alter or suppress the bodies immune system making it more likely a person will get H1N1 and it will be a more severe case.

Eric,

After watching it are you more or less likely to get the swine flu vaccine?

Tbh like you I dont know if I am or not. I made it a point to watch the show based on this blog believe it or not. After watching it, I still dont know if I am and I'd say I'm less likely too because an endrocronologist on the show and the doctor he was debating both agreed on one thing, that the virus is showing signs of not being as dangerous as we all thought. Beck pointed out that there was a swine flu panic in 1976 that scared a lot of people into getting unnecessary vaccines which may have been worse than the flu.

He is a crazy fearmonger huh, urging all those people to slow down, to not panic, and to talk to their doctors, and soberly weigh their options...

I wont defend the entirety of his career but I will defend this episode. I encourage the haters to work themselves into a lather by reading media matters et al, then sitting down to watch this entire episode and see if your preconceptions hold up to reality.

"Facts are stubborn things" - John Adams

Between 1920 and 2000, the average life expectancy in U.S. has increased by approximately 25-30 years. During that same time, infant mortality rates have dropped by 89-93%.

Public health efforts including vaccinations for small pox, polio, measles, mumps, flu and other diseases have been a positive part of those statistics.

Harold,
The United States ranks 33rd in infant mortality.

The U.S. is having a surge in children with mental disorders. Children are getting onset adult diabetis around age of ten. There are many illnesses American kids get that just don't seem to happen in other countries.

I don't know if people should take this vaccine.
I do know the worst time to make an important decision is when the people trying to sell you something want you to hurry and ask no questions. That's what's happening here.

If we dealt more effectively with lifestyle choices by the mother (cigarettes, drugs, alcohol, obesity, eating disorders, environmental exposure to toxins, etc.) that harm the child would put us in a much better position if international rankings are important to you. It is a fact that Infant mortality and defects are lower in other industrialized countries where they do this by supplying prenatal care to all mothers and medical care to all infants.

My point is that there is no hard scientific evidence that the positive effects of small pox, polio and similar mandated vaccines did not dramatically outweigh the negatives. Do you agree or come to an opposite conclusion in studying the health history of the U.S. and the world?

There isn't any scientific evidence of positive effects from flu vaccines. There is scientific evidence of negative effects.

There have been vaccines that do have scientific proof they work. I am not questioning them. I am questioning flu vaccines.

If mandated vaccines work so well they should protect you from the people who don't want to take them. So why are they mandated?

I guess until infant mortality becomes an olympic event nobody will care about it.

Nobody,

The "practice of medicine" is just that - a scientific trial and error process that leads on to development of better and better practices. Most people do not remember (or choose to mention) that even the Salk vaccine - which saved so many people from death and lifetime disability - proved to have serious side effects for a small percentage of those who received it. The Sabine vaccine replaced it and eliminated those problems.

Still, in the case of both forms of the vaccine, the results were overwhelmingly positive to the point where polio is no longer the huge threat that it was: http://www.accessexcellence.org/AE/AEC/CC/polio.php

Mandating vaccines is necessary because this is not a matter of personal choice. If it is my choice to go about my business into the larger commnity with a contagious, disease (H1N1, smallpox, etc.), that decision does not just affect me.

P.S. - Really want to improve the infant mortality rate? Then get mandated prenatal care for young mothers who cannot qualify or afford it through the insurance market today like the nations who finished ahead of us in the rankings.

Harold,
The Mothers' lifestyle where I live is right up there with the Czech Republics... maybe even better; yet there are still problem pregnancies. I wouldn't be surprised you can think of a Mother or two or more who had "proper prenatal care" yet still had problems.

The Salk vaccine was proven to be 60% or 70% percent effective before being used. The flu vaccine has zero percent evidence it's effective. I am not taking the flu vaccine because the polio shot works.

The Salk vaccine was tested on polio patients and Jonas Salk himself (and his own family) in 1952. In 1954, a mass inoculation (oral) of school children followed and was successful in 60-70% of those who were inoculated, but 200 people became ill and 11 died. The massive inoculations were stopped until it was determined that one poorly manufactured batch of the vaccine caused the problem.

Albert Sabine tested a live vaccine on monkeys and chimps. School children in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union received the vaccine (via injection) with great success. However, it took until 1962 for the U.S. finally approved the much more successful Sabine vaccine to protect the public here.

The best case scenario with this vaccine is it doesn't hurt anybody. The drug companies have their cheerleaders. If you wouldn't mind I would like to explain some of the negatives.

FEEL FREE TO DEBUNK ANY OF THIS IF YOU CAN:

Tamiflu, the largest distributor of flu vaccines, was awarded a $1 billion contract after receiving a similar $1.8 billion contract from the military under the direction of Donald Rumsfeld, who at the time was the chairman of the company that holds the patent on Tamiflu, and owned millions in stock with the company.

Flu symptoms occur more in winter. Australia, whose winter is just ending, saw 1,000 swine flu fatalities, fewer than the average of 1,500 to 3,000 for seasonal flu. More than 200 known viruses cause “influenza-type systems,” but most deaths resulting from these systems are attributed to the flu, without any tests or secondary studies. When vaccine production fell behind in 2004 and resulted in 40 percent fewer vaccinations, mortality did not increase. Rising rates of elderly vaccinations do not decrease the overall mortality rate among the same group. Those with good immune systems respond well to vaccines. Those who do not have good immune systems — the ill or elderly — do not, although they are the ones who are pushed toward immunizations most of the time. The nutrient solution for the vaccine consists of cancerous cells from animals and it is not known if there could be an allergic reaction.

The flu vaccine contains sodium azide, which has been classified as Xn (Harmful) in European Directive 67/548/EEC in the concentration range of 0.1 - 1.0 %. When disposing of this reagent through lead or copper plumbing, flush with copious volumes. (That's comforting)

More than 50 percent of health-care workers say they do not intent to get vaccinated for swine flu, and routinely do not get vaccinated.

The flu vaccination can cause serious problems. As of July 1, 2005, people who think that they have been injured by the flu shot can file a claim for compensation from the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP).