First, the serious, a commentary this morning on the local NPR station in the Bay Area, KQED, by Paul Staley: Fear and Vaccines.
First, I like his characterization of the internet; for those who are not scientists,
science can be more like an intellectual ammunition store where we shop for evidence to support things that we are already inclined to believe. And, in the age of the internet, this store is a vast emporium where we find not only the latest findings, but also the discredited and discarded. It is the latest in technology combined with the dinged up inventory of a thrift store.
And he goes on to echo my impression that many of the most extreme conservatives are motivated by fear — fear of government control, fear of outsiders, fear of anyone outside their immediate social group, reflected by my Provisional Conclusion #5. As Staley says:
But more often than not it is fear and not curiosity that directs us down a particular aisle. Fear government and you can select from arguments asserting that climate change is fraudulent and essentially a conspiracy to extend bureaucratic control over our lives. Fear corporate power and you can browse through evidence that vaccines or genetically modified organisms are toxins foisted on us by profit-driven companies.
On this note, second item, the satire: I’m an Anti-Braker. (Via)
Guys, I wanted to let you know about a personal decision I recently made. I don’t really feel like discussing it, but I want to put my position out there. Please be respectful. This is a really long post, but please read the whole thing.
…
After doing some more digging, I found a nefarious plot – Mechanics: The very people who we trust to work on and care for our cars – get PAID to install and change brakes! You might THINK they care about our safety, or our cars – but they’re just in it for the $49.99 brake pad installations.
Concluding with,
So all I’m saying is, do your research. Don’t just listen to the NTSB and big automotive. I made a personal decision for my family, we just said no to brakes. We’ll be using natural remedies like Gravity, and putting our feet on the ground to stop. After all, if that was good enough for me when I was on my bike as a kid, it’s good enough for my children in my car.
Please keep the comments respectful!
Love that last line.
