Somebody needs to ask RFK Jr this:

[applegrove]

"SNIP.........

Go to a cemetery.
See all the baby graves there from before the 1950s & 1960s?
Then, hardly any.
That's when people started vaccinating their kids.
If you are unsure, the answer is, literally, written in stone.

.........SNIP"

[Sneederbunk]

1. You must realize that Jr. does not track well.

[Irish_Dem]

5. He tracks well enough to kill people.

After an anti-vax visit to Samoa, 83 people died most of them children.

[Kali]

17. wow 10 posts in 20 years

and interesting reply too.

[Kali]

24. Oooo defensive too

[Brother Buzz]

43. Um, ten posts in four months

Methinks that sock puppet was parked way, way back in the sock drawer, undisturbed for twenty years.

[Hekate]

44. We've had a slew of those on the past half-year. ...

Sometimes I check on low-count posters and discover they are like Sleeping Beauty, just waking up from a long, long nap.

I’m just as happy someone helped this one to move on.

[Brother Buzz]

47. The jury pool can take the victory lap for this troll

[Hekate]

29. RFK Jr's personal visit had a lot to do with the drop in vaccinations. 83 people died of measles,

Most were children.

But they’re far away from us — just Pacific Islanders — not really important — and I’m sure they made informed decisions. Right? A man with a famous and beloved name, passionately peddling a completely debunked cause, couldn’t have unduly influenced them. Right?

Just faraway Samoans and their children….

[applegrove]

34. Kennedy visited with vaccine skeptics in the time leading up

to the anti-vax movement taking hold in Samoa.

[NickB79]

45. He's personally responsible for measles outbreaks here in Minnesota

https://www.cnn.com/2017/05/08/health/measles-minnesota-somali-anti-vaccine-bn/index.html

He's been pushing the fully discredited MMR-autism link for 20+ years.

[BOSSHOG]

2. Or go chat with much mcconnell

If it weren’t for vaccines McConnell would have been buried long ago as well.

[FakeNoose]

33. Mitch McConnell had polio as a child, am I right?

I don't believe the polio vaccine came out until the mid-1950's, after he'd been stricken and recovered from polio.

[yellowdogintexas]

52. yes you are correct. I was in the first round of mass vaccinations for polio

It was when I was in second grade so 1955-56. It was a massive project, getting every student in the county the first vaccine. The Health Departments and physicians took care of the adults and the boosters.

Mitch is about 10 years older than I so he had already been through the polio by the time we had vaccines

[Shermann]

3. He hasn't weighed any of the other evidence scientifically, why would that evidence persuade him?

BUT BUT I'M NOT ANTI-VACCINE!!!11111

I guess clear, concise definitions aren't his strong point either.

[ShazzieB]

8. No, he's not anti-vaccines! 😉😉😉

He's in favor of vaccines that are safe and effective. He just doesn't think ANY of the vaccines we have right now are safe snd effective!

NOTE: This is from the 🐴's mouth. I saw a video where he said he was in favor of vaccines that are safe and effective. When asked point-blank if he thought there are currently any vaccines that are safe and effective, he said NO.

[LiberalArkie]

23. More than likely only those made from live viruses like polio and smallpox. He just does not believe in modern science

[womanofthehills]

40. Politico.com on Health & Human Services vaccine injury compensation program

(Sounds like some improvement in vaccines could be good as our Health & Human services vaccine court is overwhelmed - this is from 2022 so I do not know if Congress has acted on this but I haven’t found anything saying they did)

From Politicio.com 6/1/2022

“A pair of federal programs compensating people who suffer injuries from vaccines and pandemic treatments are now facing so many claims that thousands of people may not receive payment for their injuries any time soon.

The first program, meant for standard vaccines, such as measles and polio, has too little staff to handle the number of reported injuries, and thousands of patients are waiting years for their cases to be heard.

A second program designed for vaccines and other treatments created or used during pandemics has seen unsustainable growth. Between 2010 and 2020, the Countermeasure Injury Compensation Program received 500 complaints. In the two years since Covid-19 appeared, it has received over 8,000 complaints.”

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/06/01/vaccine-injury-compensation-programs-overwhelmed-as-congressional-reform-languishes-00033064

[ShazzieB]

77. Oh lord, I hardly know where to start.

But I guess I'll start with where this conversation started: RFK Jr. I'm getting a pretty clear sense that you have a positive opinion of him, possibly even admire him. You have the right to feel however you feel about him. He has certainly done some admirable things in the area of environmental law. His activities in the area of vaccines, however, are an entirely different story, imo.

Unfortunately, I do not have the time or the energy to educate you or anyone about the history of vaccines and the many ways they have made this country and many others safer places to live or why I believe getting fully vaccinated is greatly preferable AND much safer than taking one's chances with the many infectious diseases that vaccines can protect us from. I also don't have the time or energy to explain what's wrong with RFK Jr's thinking on vaccines or the many scientific errors and logical fallacies with which his writings on the subject are riddled. All of that is above my pay grade. All I can do is point you to some sources of information that have informed my own thinking on the subject.

The first is a book called The Panic Virus: A True Story of Medicine, Science, and Fear by Seth Mnookin. This book provides quite a bit of information on the history of vaccines and of the antivaxx movement, including some material on RFK Jr's activities in that area. It was published in 2011, so it's not fully up to date, but I learned a ton from reading this book.

Herding Immunity: The Startling History of Life Before and After Vaccines, by Stacy Mintzer Herlihy, is a brand new book, so it's quite up to date, and it has an entire chapter on RFK, Jr. I have not read this one yet, because it's so very new that I've only just become aware of it, but from what I can tell, it seems to be a good overview of the history of vaccines and the good they have done and continue to do, as well as the history of vaccine opposition.

I'll stop with these, at least for now. There are websites I could mention, but if you are at all vaccine-skeptical, they probably wouldn't convince you of anything. In fact, if you're more than a tiny bit skeptical about vaccines, these books probably won't be convincing, either.

The problem with vaccine resistance in general is that it's driven by fear, mistrust of the government and other institutions, and the lack of scientific literacy and critical thinking skills that are all too common in the US these days. That makes it very hard for everyone to agree on which sources are trustworthy.

As for the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, all I can say is the figures you have cited are the kind of raw data that doesn't actually prove anything. According to the program's website, anyone who has received a covered vaccine in the US (or whose child has received a covered vaccine) is eligible to file a claim, foe any reason. The number of people filing claims tells how many people may believe a vaccine has harmed them or their child. The number of those claims that are eventually adjudicated to be valid cannot be determined or even estimated from knowing how many claims have been filed. I'm sure people file claims for all kinds of reasons, not all of which meet the test of scientific validity.

If the program is underfunded and therefore understaffed, that is very unfortunate but again, that doesn't tell us anything about the number of people who have actually been harmed by vaccines. It's really unwise to make assumptions about how many people have been harmed by vaccines based on the inability of a government program to process claims in a timely fashion. I'm sorry if people are experiencing unnecessarily delays in having their claims reviewed, but that doesn't prove anything other than that the program needs to improve its efficiency.

As for RFK Jr himself, I'm afraid you'll find he does not have a lot of fans here. I am far from the only person here who is highly critical of his opposition to vaccines. That's just the fact of the matter.

[biophile]

78. Womanofthehills noted a large increase in claims

I think womanofthehills was mostly noting that the number of claims saw a huge increase after the COVID vaccine rollout. You correctly observed that claims can be made without basis and many are rejected.
Vaccines are generally safe and mostly effective. People are vaccine damaged every year. Both statements are true.

[Irish_Dem]

4. Kill as many American children as possible by denying them healthcare.

Same thing they are doing to women.
It is a crime to save the life of a dying woman now.

[haele]

25. Kill the poor and minority children whose parents couldn't afford

To vaccinate their kids. A friend of ours in California whose employer provided healthcare does not pay for vaccines that aren't federally or state subsidized.
He was going to get the COVID/flu/RSV mix, and was told it would cost $320 at CVS. Good RX would drop it to $140 if prescribed by his doctor.

How many "Christian" Red states will agree to subsidize a six year panel of childhood vaccinations for poor kids if given the choice by the Federal Government?
Along with that, how many Big Pharma companies will continue to manufacture and sell mass numbers of vaccines in the US if a bit over half their "potential customers" suddenly go away along with the subsidies from the US Government.

Haele

[Irish_Dem]

27. Force women to have children then kill the kids by denying healthcare.

It is all insanity.

Cruelty and control is the thread that links it all together.

[3auld6phart]

65. Holee shit

Do people in the USA have to pay for your Covid vaccines. How gawd damn backwards. Why would any body want to jump the Border to live there.?

[haele]

71. Depends on your insurance company.

Federal programs like Medicare/Medicaid (and Tricare, the VA), ACA plans and some of the big companies will pay for vaccines, but there are also smaller unsubsidized commercial holdover group insurance companies that are available for small businesses (and at least in this border city) are bi-national; these can be used in both San Diego and Baja (Mexico) to cover US residents and their dependents/families that might live in Mexico, along with Mexicans working in the US on work visas.

Our friend, a US citizen, works for a cross-border employer near the border. So many of the US citizen employees live in Tijuana because of rental costs in town - last I heard was that $1200 a month can get you a 2400 sqft compound style house on a 50 - 100 year lease from the Mexican Government in a nice professional neighborhood (Mexican families of managers, doctors, lawyers, dentists, engineers) on a lot that's comfortable for a family of 6 or 7. And you don't miss any amenities you can get in the US.
You do have to pay cash for police protection and private schools, but if you're making over $50k a year and don't mind iffy infrastructure (from the cross-border Gringos looking for housing) and a long, odoriferous commute across an international border, it can be quite affordable.
The Cartels aren't a big presence there. They generally leave Americans alone, however, stupid Americans can get in big trouble if they don't pay attention to their surroundings or the culture they're partying in.
You don't even need to be fluent in Spanish to begin with, pretty much everyone speaks some English in Tijuana, but you will get fluent soon enough interacting with neighbors.
We were considering it, but the grandkids paternal side of the family are racist gits that are panicked that the girls will maybe make friends with Mestizos rather than Americans or "White" Mexicans.

Haele

[TheKentuckian]

6. Pass. Not indulging his nonsense or listening to his weird ass, decades long death rattle of wheezing of bullshit.

Treating this nutjob as in anyway rational only legitimizes him as anything other than a delusional no nothing kook of a roadkill cook still trying to make long disproved Birch Society nuttery a "thing" again.

If his name was Jones from a working class family, he'd have been committed a ways back already.

[Dave Bowman]

7. That lunatic shouldn't be allowed to put a Band-Aid on someone's scratch without supervision,

he has no business whatsoever getting that post.

[hadEnuf]

16. You know, it's so absurd that I think people dont actually believe he could be that nutty.

And get appointed to a position like HHS.

[H2O Man]

9. All of his kids

had their childhood vaccinations.

[calimary]

12. So that means he's a "yes for me but not for thee" kind of guy.

Dear God, it’s gonna be a LOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNG 4 years…

[H2O Man]

18. Respectfully disagree.

There are numerous valid reasons to be concerned and opposed to what Robert is doing. But it is important to be accurate. He is not opposed to most vaccines. And I say that as someone who got the covid shots, and encouraged others to do so -- and avoided those that didn't.

I remember that President Obama considered Robert for the head of the EPA when he first took office. I think that would have been good. But that was then. Things have changed. The fact that I can say without question that Robert understands the felon is a "sociopath" -- Robert's word in the spring -- but joined forces with him is reason enough to strongly oppose Robert. But that does not mean everything he advocates is wrong. For example, he wants to have industries remove the well known toxins from the foods most Americans -- including not only his, but everyone's children -- from our daily diet.

I have a relative that works in the warehouse of one of the largest producers of those toxins in most people's daily diet. I would not want any five year old consuming that poison, any more than I would want them smoking cigarettes.

[Caribbeans]

28. People don't seem to be the least bit curious...

as to why circa 1960's USA most people got 3 vaccines.

And now, it's 70+.

This whole thing with RFK Jr. has been a great opportunity to teach children that you can do great work for years (his environmental work) and yet if you disagree with something unrelated and want to explore something that bothers you, you'll be lied about and called a kook and much worse.

Also the Long-Term Immunity: Protecting Drug Developers from Liability for Late–Occurring Serious Reactions to Emergency Vaccines - why is this?

[NickB79]

46. He literally said on video that no vaccines are safe and effective

Here's the video.

https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2023/12/15/robert-f-kennedy-jr-vaccine-claim-not-safe-hunt-max-vpx.cnn

Kudos to CNN for calling him out on his bullshit to his face.

[H2O Man]

49. I did see

this, heard what he said. First, I didn't hear him say "effective," or hear CNN "calling him out on his bullshit to his face." But I understand that you believe that you heard both of these things.

Second, though all my children had their vaccines, I do remember talking to their pediatrician, who was also a professor at Syracuse University. I had a question about one of the first ones my oldest got. He was busy that day, I suppose, and growled, "Don't play concerne4d parent with me." I responded, "I don't play." He smiled, and we ended up having a good conversation. That vaccine, he explained, was helpful for 99.999% of children. But not all children.

Now, of the two of us -- you and I -- only one has known Robert for decades. Hence, only one of us has had conversations over the decades on any issue, including his thoughts on children's vaccines. Thus, while I know that all of his children have had their vaccinations, you have a brief clip of him on CNN.

Again, I do not agree with him on everything. Especially his current bit with the felon. But as a grandfather, I have some concerns about the rapid increase in the number of vaccines kids are supposed to get. I wish my kids' doctor was still alive so that I could discuss them with him.

On a note I don't need to share, but will anyhow: the doctor's daughter was an attorney who worked in the district attorney's office (before he began his environmental work). She didn't like him, and her father warned me that Robert would ty to use me. I assured him that, if anything, the opposite was closer to true. I never believed in paying a lawyer a penny for their having the opportunity to assist me on Native American burial protection & repatriation issues and environment cases that went to the federal courts. Nor did I. Ever. In fact, Robert secured $200,000 in grants for use in hiring scientists to do an independent study of the 120-acre SuperFund Site.

Also, since I started reading DU before ever joining, a lot of people here have long disliked Robert. That's okay. Just so long as we are accurate, and not take things out of full context.

[NickB79]

79. Frankly, admitting you know him personally makes me think less of you

It's not the flex you think it is. He's been going down the anti-vaxxer rabbit hole for 20 yr, since he took up the mantle of Andrew Wakefield's widely discredited MMR-autism research. To this day, he has yet to admit he was wrong. In fact, he just doubled down on it last year on a Fox News interview:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0mzk2y41zvo

One of his main false claims - repeated in a 2023 interview with Fox News, was that “autism comes from vaccines”.

This theory was popularised by discredited UK doctor Andrew Wakefield.

He was pushing the now-discredited theory that thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative used in vaccines, played a role in autism. He even wrote a book about it.

https://www.amazon.com/Thimerosal-Supporting-Immediate-Mercury-Neurotoxin/dp/1632206013

Newsflash: thimerosal was removed from virtually all vaccines, and autism rates didn't change one bit. Again, not a hint of acknowledging he was wrong.

There is literally no missing context. He's been putting it out there for all to see for over a decade.

Also, he literally said in the video, word for word: "there's no vaccine that is, ya know, safe and effective."

[H2O Man]

81. I don't know you.

You don't know me. So what you think of me doesn't mean anything to me.

In May of 1998, a racist hate gang og 17 men assaulted my nephew. They did not like it that a non-white highschool scholar - state champion athlete was getting lots of media attention. They left him for dead in a dark field. He lived. The ER doctor said that the beating he took would have killed the majority of people.

Only three of the 17 men were charged. They were large fellows, 250, 265, and 270 lbs. The gang leader (265 lb) admitted he punched and kicked my nephew 14 times while he lay unconscious in the field. The DA droppd the assault charges, and the thug pleaded guilty to having an open beer during the assault. He got a $20 fine. That was it.

During these times, Robert provided a lot of support to my family. He also lobbied the NYS Attorney General to bring "hate crime" charges. The AG refused. (At one of the court hearings, when the ADA noted the thug called my nephew a "dumb ni__ger," the judge said he didn't consider that as evidence that race played a ro0le.)

So, do you understand why I don't care at all if you think less of me. My opinion of you, however, remains the same. You are a faceless name on an internet forum. You dislike Robert. As I noted in my previous response, that doesn't matter to me. I have relatives, good friends, and associates that share your thought on Robert. As I've noted numerous times on DU, I disagree with the path he has been on. But that isn't reason for me to dislike him.

[LiberalFighter]

68. It was Obama's transition team that considered him

Obama himself did not. He considered there were problems with the ass.

[H2O Man]

72. Incorrect.

https://www.newsweek.com/barack-obama-consider-rfk-jr-cabinet-report-1986475

[DENVERPOPS]

15. You can bet your sweet bippy

that there were a Ton of RepubliCON Politicians that got their covid vaccinations, while being against the Covid vaccinations in Public...

[H2O Man]

20. Right.

I know that is in style to attack everything Robert says or does. I do not approve of the path he is currently on. But I think it is important that we be accurate.

[womanofthehills]

42. Our Vaccine Injury Compensation Program

From Civil Division, US Gov website

“Vaccine Injury Compensation Program”


“The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986, as amended, created a unique mechanism for compensating persons injured by vaccinations. The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (the "VICP" or the "Program&quot (42 U.S.C. §§ 300aa-10 et seq.) is an alternative to traditional products liability and medical malpractice litigation for persons injured by their receipt of one or more of the standard childhood vaccines.

The VICP is designed to encourage vaccination by providing a streamlined system for compensation in rare instances where an injury results from vaccination. Over the past 35 years, the VICP has succeeded in providing a less adversarial, less expensive, and less time-consuming system of recovery than the traditional tort system that governs medical malpractice, personal injury, and product liability cases. Almost 9,500 people have been paid in excess of $4.5 billion since the Program’s 1988 inception.

Individuals who believe they have been injured by a covered vaccine can file a claim against the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims seeking compensation from the Vaccine Trust Fund. Civil Division, Torts Branch attorneys in the Office of Vaccine Litigation defend HHS against claims filed under the VICP, and ensure that fair compensation is awarded in every case meeting the eligibility criteria.”

https://www.justice.gov/civil/vicp

[InstantGratification]

10. I've made comments to this same point many times

I challenge them to go count how many graves for 4 years old or younger with deaths before the 50s vs how many from the 60s onward.

Before vaccines became widely available almost 1/3 of children died before their 4th birthday.

[TheRickles]

48. Are you really saying that the infant mortality rate in the US in the 1950s was 30%?

It's not even that high in the poorest slums of Africa, for Pete's sake.

[yellowdogintexas]

57. this probably is birth to maybe 5 or 6.

not just babies.
Of course if you live in Texas the infant mortality is higher than some developing nations

[TheRickles]

60. Birth to 3, I think he said. But I'd still like to see a link.

Too tired today to look it up myself, so in this case I'm just going with a gut feeling. Can't be bothered to look up everything posted by lazy commenters.

[InstantGratification]

64. That was the assertation of the article I read

I wish I could link it for you but I read that back when the COVID vaccines were just coming out and I can't remember the article or it's sources. So far my google searches have failed me, but I'm still looking.

[TheRickles]

70. Thanks for trying. It just sounds way off.

[haele]

74. According to the CDC, in the 1940's:

Around 1940, neo natal (last month third trimester birth) mortality rates were 28.8 per thousand live births with follow-on post-neo natal mortality rates at 2.2 per thousand.
Infant mortality (full term birth to 1 year) mortality rates were 47 per thousand.
That doesn't count third trimester miscarriages; I couldn't find reliable data on that as the contributing factor are much greater, including an increased risk of miscarriage due to previous miscarriages.
The rates of mortality decrease considerably - up to 80% by the 1990's, with the introduction of childhood vaccination and the maturing of the first generation of mothers who were vaccinated (approximately within 10 years - in the 1950's - of certain vaccinations being introduced).

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5823a4.htm#:~:text=In%20the%20United%20States%2C%20the,1940%20to%206.7%20in%202006.

Haele

[TheRickles]

76. Thanks for tracking this down - much appreciated. :-)

[haele]

80. Mind you, infant mortality is different to childhood in general mortality.

In my mom's generation (born 1939) nearly everyone knew a family with at least one child that became disabled by a disease or died of a disease before 16.
She actually got a mild form of tuberculosis in the late 40's; her parents thought it was bronchitis. She still has the live titers that show she had the disease instead of perhaps an odd reaction to the immunization she got when some school districts made it compulsory in the 1950's.
I got infant scarlet fever; there still isn't vaccine for it so far as I know.
When I was 5, I played with a neighbor kid who died of measles; later, went to school with another who had what now seems to have been permanent neuropathy in the extremities after being sick with.German measles when he was 10; went to first grade with one whose toddler sister died of tetanus, and one who went blind from a seriously bad case of chicken pox. And that was all during in the 1960's and early 1970's (ancidotally from experience in large population samples, which means the stats may change looking at smaller population clusters).

So yeah vaccines have done the significantly heavy lifting knocking down infant and childhood mortality.

Haele

[PJMcK]

11. Why bother?

RFK, Jr. is a blithering idiot.

Just like his boss.

[Grokenstein]

14. "Durrr... Those were all just post-birth 'bortions!! Chetmake, libz!! "

Anything can be twisted to suit whatever the cult has been told to believe, if they twist hard enough. And they will.

[NNadir]

19. He doesn't give a fuck. His purpose is to destroy our...

...pharmaceutical industry.

[Linda ladeewolf]

21. Anyone

That eats raw fish or whatever and gets a brain worm is not intelligent enough for me to listen to. There is a reason most of us won’t eat that stuff. Raw fish can contain a number of parasites. Eating raw meat of any kind can contain parasites. And, anyone driving around with a roadkill bear cub in the back of his truck, while contemplating eating said bear cub is not going to give me health advice. Even raw fruits and vegetables need to be washed to make sure there is nothing on them. As far as vaccines are concerned, I think I’ll continue to take my chances while being vaccinated for anything that’s going around.

[dflprincess]

26. The Star Tribune recently had an article about the oldest cemetery in Minneapolis

It opened in 1853, closed to new burials in 1919.

20,000 people are buried there, over half are children. I read of one family that lost 6 kids over the course of a week or so to diptheria.

And he would have us go back.

[LNM]

67. I took a walking tour of Lakewood Cemetery

In Mpls. And was shocked and saddened to see a whole section that was set aside for babies.

[rubbersole]

30. IIRC...RFK Jr started his anti-vax theories after his child was diagnosed with autism.

He hasn't ever backed off it. The brainworm did the rest. Or maybe undercooked dachshund...

[Skittles]

38. so he thinks there were no kids with autism prior to vaccines

he's a fucking moron

[keithbvadu2]

31. Seen much polio or smallpox lately?

[BigMin28]

32. Exactly when

did we as a country decide to allow politicians and whack job businessmen and lawyers practice medicine?

[Skittles]

39. repukes approve of government between a woman and their doctor

but get all hysterical about vaccines

[rubbersole]

41. Same time the clergymen were anointed.

[Evolve Dammit]

35. The worm ate his brain. Nuff said.

[moniss]

36. Very well put and people today have no idea

what it was like to be a child or their parents dealing with polio. This is one reason so many young people express such absurd attitudes about vaccination. They are supported in their ignorance by the supposed "Libertarians" like Bill Maher who use every occasion they can to denigrate those in the medical community. But scum like Maher are the first ones to go screaming to the hospital and shoving their way in front of people when something serious happens to them.

It would be fitting if the ones like Maher and RFK Jr. were turned away when they have their serious conditions. My patience with people like this are gone because of the harm they callously do to others despite being warned about that harm.

[Mariana]

61. You can still see some of the effects of those diseases.

For example, my next door neighbor is deaf because he had mumps.

[moniss]

73. I knew a fellow who was a

teacher and in his childhood he had polio and thankfully survived but one arm was forever impaired and was the same size as his narrow wrist all the way to his shoulder. I can remember my grandparents and great grandparents talking about tuberculosis and people going to quarantine in sanitariums. About half would never survive to ever leave the sanitarium. Vaccines changed all of that although there is a resurgence now with resistant strains. Over 1 million people still die every year from tuberculosis.

I remember my Grandmother telling me that when she was a child she remembered the panic that would come when someone thought they just had a cold but would begin to have little bits of blood in their cough. You knew. Those around you knew and because of the easy transmission by air those living with the person knew they may well come down with it.

Back centuries ago households used to think of what they called "consumption" as coming from vampires. As one would get sick and then the next it was thought that the earlier one was draining the life out of the others. Those are the kinds of times RFK Jr. and Alito hark back to as the "good old days".

[womanofthehills]

37. To be fair, penicillin was not available till 1945

It made a huge difference in deaths. Increased indoor plumbing also was responsible for less death. The only vaccines most kids got in 40’s & 50’s was smallpox and polio.

The only vaccine I ever got as a kid was the smallpox vaxx. My mother would not let me get the polio shot because of the Cutter incident.

I got a tetanus vaxx in my 20’s because I got something embedded in my skin. No vaccines required for high school or college.

So, here I am with only 2 vaccines in my whole life.

[applegrove]

53. And herd immunity since the 70s all around you.

[yellowdogintexas]

56. Child of the 50s and I had the DPT (Diphtheria/Pertussis/Tetanus) required before starting school

then a booster when I was maybe 10. Whooping cough and Diphtheria were deadly. These days Tetanus and Pertussis are administered together when you get a booster. We got boosters before we handled our granddaughter.

When you look at the list of required/recommended vaccines covering birth to 18 years it is really long.
However several of those vaccines are combined, and there are boosters for most of them.

There is a long list of non pediatric immunizations too

[Martin68]

50. It would be a waste of time.

[Klarkashton]

51. The mummy looking bastard has dementia or something

Trump doesn't know or care. Trump picked him because RFK is a weird bastard that draws headlines.

[Groundhawg]

54. who cares what he thinks?

[yellowdogintexas]

55. When I started school in 1954, the required vax were smallpox, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus

Polio was added in 1956. Between 1954 and 1961 I had bad cases of chickenpox, measles, mumps, rubella. These diseases are awful; measles made me the sickest I have ever been. . The MMR vax came along in the mid 60s, I think, in time for my youngest sister to benefit.

When I think of how many kids have received the MMR in the past 60 years it boggles my mind that anyone could think that vaccine is deadly.

Our pediatrician also gave us typhoid shots every other year, because we had our own well out in the country ( in Kentucky which is full of sinkholes and subsurface streams). You never know what will get into an upstream sinkhole, so he gave us typhoid as a precaution.

When my daughter was school age, the list had definitely grown. She only suffered from chickenpox and Fifth Disease because of all the immunizations.

[Hamlette]

58. RFK Jr. has vaccinated all of his own children. Hypocrisy does not trouble him.

[poozwah]

59. cemetery

maybe rfk and trump can do a photo op.

[BradBo]

62. The best comment I've read today.

[Ilsa]

63. Same thing with young women and maternal

mortality. Blood loss, sepsis. This is due to no safe abortion, no safe blood transfusion, no antibiotics.

RFK, Jr has poor judgment. He's a nutcase.

[maxsolomon]

66. No one is going to ask RFK Jr. that.

One, it's not a question.

Two, there will be no opportunity to do so.

Three, if this hypothetical scenario were ever to arise, he'd croak out a deflection or a red herring.

[turbinetree]

69. Some should ask all of these vaccination deniers...........

let me see your vaccination shots you HAD to have before you walked into a class room..........and has anyone figured out why they want to dismantle the DEPT of ED.............. well vaccinations.............are kinda mandatory in most states either public or private to get an education...........and they want people to be stupid or more stupid.............JFC

[Condescenturion]

75. Respectfully, that train left the station.

There will be no gotcha moments. We have passed the tipping point. The Russians are here. The Nazis are here. The morons who have been trained for decades by Fox News are all subs now to the wishes of the billionaire icons. You won't get RFK to change his mind. Nor anyone else in that cult.

What's left for us, collectively, is action. Whether it is constructive or destructive, we must act, destroying the machines that have literally turned women into cattle, poor into criminals, sick into garbage, the weak into targets. Unchecked, they will plunder the nation and bleed it dry.

It's here. We never thought it would happen but it has. They are in the house.
Putin is in charge. Corporations will be handed everything once public. The Dems will do nothing but bluster and fundraise.

Resistance is on us. Get real. Train. Arm yourselves and your children. Keep quiet. Talk only to those you trust. And when you are tired of slinking in the shadows, of being on defense, start fighting back.