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Wednesday, March 19,2008
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Connecting the Dots
The big
news flash as we write this is that our tap water contains drugs. More
specifically, 41 million Americans live where the water provides them
with a dose of someone else’s prescription, free of charge. It seems
that not all of your neighbors’ anti-convulsive drugs or hormonal
contraceptives or antianxiety medications were absorbed into their
systems. Some of it entered the water supply, along with small
contributions from many others in whatever neck of the woods you happen
to be.
TV news reporters reacted with their customary bland outrage, saying things like the amount of drugs in tap water are “below therapeutic levels” and that “long-term effects are unknown,” before moving on to the next item on the teleprompter.
The next day’s news brought two more stories of interest. The first was brought to us by a government official who proclaimed that we should give our children a vaccination for chickenpox. He also advised us not to miss the booster shot.
No one asked him about side effects or potential long-term complications, or who will pick up the bill for injecting everyone with the vaccine. Nobody even asked about the benefits of the vaccine, if any benefits exist in exposing our kids to this “new and improved” virus, instead of the version that our immune systems have been successfully battling as a rite of passage for generations.
If that wasn’t enough, at the bottom of a CNN newscast appeared a teaser: “childhood/autism link.” But the company that promised to tell us about the childhood/autism link first shows us a Walgreens commercial. Apparently these drugstores are making such high profits that they can help CNN pay their bills and bring us the news.
But the autism story did not appear after the commercials—viewers had to sit through another recap of the news stories we’d just watched. The childhood/autism story was about a lawsuit. That’s it. Maybe we’ll hear more when there’s settlement and a dollar amount can become the headline. That’s more attention-grabbing, the news producers must think, than whatever it is that’s causing this epidemic of autism—possibly the vaccines dispensed by companies with the knowledge that the shots’ ingredients aren’t always beneficial. Not surprisingly, CNN made no effort to connect the autism news to the chickenpox vaccine announcement that had occurred a few minutes before. What’s more, no connection was made to the earlier news flash that unwanted pharmaceuticals are in the water supply of 41 million Americans.
All of these things are happening, according to the most mainstream, uncontroversial sources. But the information is defused, stripped of context and presented in separate packages to fill a news segment for 10 or 30 seconds, then forgotten unless needed later.
Unless the outrage grows too much for them to ignore, the TV news readers will find something else to chat about tomorrow. But if enough people actually get irritated and act on their outrage, that could be tomorrow’s news. Ty Wade, D.C., received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic. DavidWade teaches clinical anatomy and physiology at Blue Sky School of therapeutic massage. They can be contacted at wellness@shepex.com.
Look for the next Wellness Warriors column in the April 17 issue of the Shepherd.
TV news reporters reacted with their customary bland outrage, saying things like the amount of drugs in tap water are “below therapeutic levels” and that “long-term effects are unknown,” before moving on to the next item on the teleprompter.
The next day’s news brought two more stories of interest. The first was brought to us by a government official who proclaimed that we should give our children a vaccination for chickenpox. He also advised us not to miss the booster shot.
No one asked him about side effects or potential long-term complications, or who will pick up the bill for injecting everyone with the vaccine. Nobody even asked about the benefits of the vaccine, if any benefits exist in exposing our kids to this “new and improved” virus, instead of the version that our immune systems have been successfully battling as a rite of passage for generations.
If that wasn’t enough, at the bottom of a CNN newscast appeared a teaser: “childhood/autism link.” But the company that promised to tell us about the childhood/autism link first shows us a Walgreens commercial. Apparently these drugstores are making such high profits that they can help CNN pay their bills and bring us the news.
But the autism story did not appear after the commercials—viewers had to sit through another recap of the news stories we’d just watched. The childhood/autism story was about a lawsuit. That’s it. Maybe we’ll hear more when there’s settlement and a dollar amount can become the headline. That’s more attention-grabbing, the news producers must think, than whatever it is that’s causing this epidemic of autism—possibly the vaccines dispensed by companies with the knowledge that the shots’ ingredients aren’t always beneficial. Not surprisingly, CNN made no effort to connect the autism news to the chickenpox vaccine announcement that had occurred a few minutes before. What’s more, no connection was made to the earlier news flash that unwanted pharmaceuticals are in the water supply of 41 million Americans.
All of these things are happening, according to the most mainstream, uncontroversial sources. But the information is defused, stripped of context and presented in separate packages to fill a news segment for 10 or 30 seconds, then forgotten unless needed later.
Unless the outrage grows too much for them to ignore, the TV news readers will find something else to chat about tomorrow. But if enough people actually get irritated and act on their outrage, that could be tomorrow’s news. Ty Wade, D.C., received his doctorate from Palmer College of Chiropractic. DavidWade teaches clinical anatomy and physiology at Blue Sky School of therapeutic massage. They can be contacted at wellness@shepex.com.
Look for the next Wellness Warriors column in the April 17 issue of the Shepherd.
Also in Wellness Warriors:
Elections 2008
Obama seeks greater rein on financial institutions
(AP)
AP - President Barack Obama says he wants Congress to pass legislation giving the government greater regulatory authority over financial institutions like American International Group.
Sources: Pentagon to stop forced tour extension
(AP)
AP - The Army will substantially reduce use of the unpopular practice of holding troops beyond their enlistment dates and will pay $500 to those still forced to stay in the service, defense and congressional officials said Wednesday.
AIG head shares US anger of bonuses but backs them
(AP)
AP - The chief executive officer of failed insurance conglomerate AIG acknowledged Wednesday that the company's multimillion-dollar bonuses were "distasteful" to many and had provoked a firestorm of wrath. "I share that anger," Edward Liddy, chairman and CEO of the American International Group Inc., said in testimony prepared for Congress.
Analysis: White House, Dems backpedaling on AIG
(AP)
AP - For the first time since last fall's election, Democrats and the Obama administration are backpedaling furiously on an issue easily understood by financially strapped taxpayers: $165 million in bonuses paid out at bailed-out AIG.
Pence: Return AIG donations
(Politico)
Politico - House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence is urging politicians from both parties to strongly consider returning campaign contributions from AIG.
..Search Shepherd Express
Top Stories
AIG head shares US anger of bonuses but backs them
(AP)
AP - The chief executive officer of failed insurance conglomerate AIG acknowledged Wednesday that the company's multimillion-dollar bonuses were "distasteful" to many and had provoked a firestorm of wrath. "I share that anger," Edward Liddy, chairman and CEO of the American International Group Inc., said in testimony prepared for Congress.
Obama seeks greater rein on financial institutions
(AP)
AP - President Barack Obama says he wants Congress to pass legislation giving the government greater regulatory authority over financial institutions like American International Group.
Consumer prices rise by largest amount in 7 months
(AP)
AP - Consumer prices rose in February by the largest amount in seven months as gasoline prices surged again and clothing costs jumped the most in nearly two decades.
Crude
