The Autism Epidemic

by Randall Schultz

 

I hate to have to start this out by making a  reference to the after effects of the events of 9/11. We all remember the big anthrax scare and the non-stop mainstream media blitz which followed. Fortunately, there were only a handful of deaths and not a widespread epidemic as many scaremongers were predicting.

However, there is another epidemic occurring before our very eyes which the cartelized health care providers and our watchdog government agencies refuse to acknowledge. The behavioral condition known as Autism now affects as many as one in 300 children in this country. At one point, it was reported to have affected only one in 10,000. The actual rate of occurrence is hard to establish, because of the many factors involved. These factors included state, period of time, definition, under-reporting and who does the reporting. You would think that with the efforts to get our governors to grab the power to declare a “health emergency,” that one brave governor would want to come forward and declare a health emergency so he could obtain dictatorial powers in a health emergency. I have a theory as to why that will never happen, and it has to do with our nanny state being a major contributor to the autism epidemic.

Rather than get into a lengthy explanation as to the many ways in which our present health care system falls short, I would direct the readers to this website. In a somewhat generic manner, this page explains how our population can be programmed. For anyone to understand what Autism is all about, one must first be “deprogrammed” about health care. One of the problems with many in this country is that they are afflicted with “expertitis.” Just look at any talking head show on the idiot box and you’ll find one or two “experts” who use their lofty position to make their point. I still remember being taught about the miracles of modern medicine when I was a young lad in the government re-education camp in the 1960's. We were given the impression that we were living in the dark ages of health care until vaccines and antibiotics were developed. Why, these great inventions would put an end to all epidemics and substantially lower the infant mortality rate. I even remember getting the smallpox and measles vaccines, separately, around age eight. I did succumb to mumps and chicken pox, however. Life was hard back then.

Here in the 21^st century, our medical saviors don’t mess around. They get ‘em while they are young. And they are so efficient as well! They put the measles, mumps and rubella vaccines all in one jab. Why wait for the child to become a teenager and become sexually active? They give them the Hepatitis-B vaccine as an infant, just to be sure. Your toddler has an ear infection? Nip it in the bud with a broad spectrum antibiotic. Enough of the sarcasm, I’ll get right to the point. The autism epidemic is caused largely by scheduled, state-mandated vaccines and antibiotics. Now it is time to play the devil’s advocate. You think that I’m just blowing smoke? Okay, let’s start with an expert. Will Dr. Bernard Rimland of the Autism Research Institute do? He’s been at the forefront of Autism research since 1965 when his own son began acting strangely. You want data? He’s got it and from the best source--the parents of autistic children. Dr. Bradstreet in Florida was just joined by Dr. Andrew Wakefield. Dr. Wakefield was booted out of a London hospital because he dared to even suggest that there was a link between Autism and the beloved MMR vaccine.

So, why is the nanny state guilty? After all, vaccines have been around for a while and it has only been recently that the autism rate has skyrocketed. There are several assumptions being made here. Young pre-school children are now receiving as many as 35 different vaccines, either singly or together, as in the MMR vaccine. Before, I had stated that I was already in school when I received my vaccines, and those were in single doses and only a few different types. Enter Thimiserol, a preservative used in the MMR vaccine, to extend shelf life. Thimiserol contains mercury, a heavy metal and a poison. The state mandates vaccines for all children according to a schedule. The vaccines are administered by state-licensed physicians in state-licensed facilities. Everything is legal. Your child cannot enter a government school unless they are up-to-date with their shots. Our local government school district has an immunization officer whose only function is to ensure compliance with the state mandates. I don’t know why, but let’s give the state the benefit of the doubt. Let’s invoke the theory of unintended consequences. Let’s assume, even wrongly so, that the state was looking after the best interests of the child. Now, before all of you Root Strikers tar and feather me, I think that you see my point. The state is an inefficient mechanism, at best, to transmit knowledge. They had no way of looking into a crystal ball and seeing the damage that could be done. They sure as heck are not going to own up to it now. By the way, the vaccines are approved by the FDA. Need I say more?

There is an old adage which goes, “Beware of the sophistry of vested interests.” I now have a confession to make. I write this article with a vested interest and an extreme bias, as you can tell. That’s because our youngest son, Gavin, is autistic. Allow me to play the devil’s advocate one more time. Some may say, “You’re just dealing with this at an emotional level because you have a vested interest in it.” I would like you to say that to my wife, Cindy. I would also like you to say that to a young couple with their first child who is now damaged goods. Pardon my language, but damn straight I’m mad as hell! Yes, you can opt out of vaccines. But find a pediatrician who will tell you that. Furthermore, when you go in to your trusted doc and describe your child’s regression, his eyes may glaze over and you may get a blank stare from him just like that of an autistic child. Remember, your pediatrician is not autistic! They just teach them to look like that in medical school when they think that your office visit could last more than 15 minutes.

It’s not that the evidence is not there. There are mountains of evidence to back up my claim. A true free market in health care would not have led to the deadly combinations of state mandates in vaccines, state-licensed providers who are protected and the denial by the guilty parties of any damage that they have inflicted. In another article, I would like to elaborate on how the methods, progress and solutions for Autism are moving forward in spite of all of the roadblocks being put forth by the state. It is enough to put a smile on the face of any Root Striker who would treasure non-intervention by the state and peaceful, voluntary cooperation.  

Randall Schultz is a recent convert to paleolibertarianism. He recently went through a mid-life crisis. This crisis was not a string of extramarital affairs, but was a denunciation of a neoconservative ideology. His thinking is influenced by an array of heroes who include Confessional Lutheran theologians and dead, white guys like Murray Rothbard and Ludwig von Mises. He is also an avid fan of the gifted and talented writers at the Anti-State, Antiwar, Lew Rockwell and Strike The Root websites, among others. For this, he is grateful to Al Gore for inventing the Internet. Randall and his child-bride of 23 years are blessed with five children and reside in the state of Wisconsin. He earns a living as a lowly electronics technician for a huge, evil, greedy, multi-national corporation. His hobbies include studying Austrian economics, amateur radio, playing with Linux, riding bicycles with his wife, and arguing with statists.

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