I would venture to say that no one is perfect. Yes, I do believe that I could go way out on a limb with that statement and no one would argue. No one except perhaps an HIV Denialist. Why? Think about it. When it comes to the "debate" of "does HIV cuase AIDS?", the Denialists have ALL the answers. Really. I am not trying to be an asshole. If you read any thread on the net, now or in the past, in which the orthodox and denialists are "discussing" any apsect of this issue, the denialists have an answer for everything. A counter point for every point.
Orthodox science, on the other hand, actually admits that they do not know it all. And when that happens, boy do the denialists pounce! (Rhetorical question, not requiring a question mark.) The denialists do not seem to grasp the essence of science: Finding Answers. Take for example the admission that science has yet to explain the exact mechanism of T~Cell death by HIV. Boy, you would think that little ditty right there sums up the denialists point in a nicely wrapped package!
Or how about when science finds new information and subsequently amends a perviously held hypothesis? The denialists will throw that one around for decades, such as the fact that monotherapy is not the best route. (Actually, orthodox never believed one drug would be the cure, but had to start somewhere.) Denialists love to hang onto AZT being used on people and "causing them to get sick." Never will you experience the denialists admitting that just perhaps the person was sick before being given AZT. Just read the thread at Tara Smith's AETIOLOGY from July 2007 (which went on into December 2007) in which the denialists continued their lies that Kimberly Bergalis was given AZT before she even got a sniffle.
But I defy anyone to give me an example of a time when the denialists did not snatch up a newly published paper and commence telling the very authors of the paper how and why their conclusion is wrong. That is Peter Duesberg/Henry Bauer/The Perth Group/David Crowe/David Resnick...hell, all the "scientists" of Re~Thinking AIDS main focus. Since there are no scientists who actively research HIV/AIDS which take the denialists road, the denialists are only left with the option of reading and punching "ghost holes" into the works of others.
What is really baffeling, is that the denialists will never acknowledge they are wrong, nor will they ever come out against one of their own. Take for example the absolutely ludicruous allegations made by Clark Baker regarding Sustiva being addictive. Baker came right out and stated emphatically that Sustiva is addictive and as his "evidence" used Karri Stokely. Baker claims that after stopping her meds cold turkey and not experiencing one single withdrawl symptom for 7 full days, Stokely then went into debilitating withdrawl symptoms which lasted for four full months! Any middle school science student could tell you that this is not the way the human body works. However, Baker continues to make those ridiculous statements in all subsequent blogs that he writes about HIV/AIDS. Not one single denialist has come out to tell Baker he might possibly be a tad mistaken!
Lastly, the denialists also love to scream and yell about how toxic the HIV meds are. The want you to believe they are made by Big Pharma in order to kill patients. Well, kill them, only after making buckets of money off of them for a few years first. Only when pressed by legitimate media will the denialists even make a tiny concession that HIV meds do help, but only, they say, when a patient gets an opportunistic infection. The denialist will go on to say that when the OI is gone, the patient must stop the meds immediately or become addicted and then die! An example of this is when Celia Farber was interviewed by BookSlut and claimed she never said HIV meds are all bad, or when Christine Maggiore made such a statement during an open session while in San Francisco.
Until the denialists can come down from their elite, pompous, self~serving, bull~shit high~horse, they will find that most people tend to believe that "know it alls" are not deserving of legitimacy or respect and are therefore, reluctant to share the know it alls' belief.
JTD
Monday, July 6, 2009
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4 comments:
By the retarded illogic of Clarkie:
The cold is a conspiracy by the makers of Nyquil. Tuberculosis is not a real illness because we don't have a complete understanding of it and the drug companies that make isoniazid and rifampin are causing needless suffering. Hepatitis is also a manufactured illness - by the evildoers who manufacture interferon. Hell - CANCER is a conspiracy as well by the evil pharmaceutical companies!! It is all a conspiracy! REPENT!! BWAHAHAHAHA!!!
Todd:I've read your terrific comments at science blogs.Long story short:graduate degrees in psych;started listening to Null's radio fiasco when I began monitoring financial prices at noon (a "job" I inherited from my then ailing,now deceased, father,in 2000) -first for a cheap laugh, then out of outrage.I listen now a few times a week and "report" to PalMD and Orac when something really egregious turns up. As a psychologist, I'm particularly interested in how pseudo-scientists sell their brand of nonsense to the public (and how profitable said nonsense is),as they simultaneously shout,"Pharma shill!".And yes, I did hear Barker the other day.Keep up the good work!Denice Walter
It's nice to hear a sane voice, and interesting to know these predators are being monitored in many different ways.
If I can help let me know. I'm not afraid to be a little more than insolent. I think getting in their faces and telling them point blank they are assholes and liars can be effective by making them more emotional and raw. After a while, they themselves will have a moment of anger, showing their true self and hopefully some of their lemmings will see their real soul for the color it is: BLACK!
It's working wonders on ol' Baker. If you read his blog closely, you will see him repeating the same very obvious lies. Much of it is for my benefit. He thinks it gets under my skin. I know what it really does is let those who know he is full of shit see him repeating the same obvvious lies and it will work against him.
Baker is coming down soon.
JTD
Todd:Thanks.My *reportage* takes the form of comments on PalMD's various blogs(since early 2008)and at Orac's place.Some ideas for those who want to be the "antidote" to pseudo-science:1.If a woo-slinger appears on a public tv pledge drive or has a show on NPR in your locale, complain! (this worked contra Null in NYC at both Channel 13 and WBAI/pacifica)2.If a merchant of woo is speaking/selling/signing at a local bookstore,show up and question("Is that degree real?" "How are you able to be an expert in seven different disciplines when most people specialize in one area of one discipline?""Why should we mistrust the CDC and trust *you*?)-if you are able to tolerate the enraptured fans.3.Comment on You Tube videos posted by the woo-meisters- possibly less moderation.4.If the woo involves government(e.g. anti-vaxers target certain state officials) support them by e-mail.5.Support skeptical bloggers with comments,compliments, and hits.6.Emulate Navy physicist and overall cool guy,Lee Phillips, who debated Null on the air.Denice Walter
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