by Dr. James Lyons-Weiler, PhD, Popular Rationalism, ©2023, reposted with permission
(Jun. 30, 2023) — Jeremy Hammond wrote and published a deeply researched and fully referenced dissection of Jake Tapper’s denial-based critique of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s position that thimerosal is, contrary to the official narrative, harmful. Below is my review of the main points. Here is Jeremy’s amazing full article, which contains all of the references to his main points.
NB:Jeremy missed one important point: Nowhere did Tapper report his massive conflict of interest; namely that CNN receives massive amounts of revenue from Pharmaceutical companies, which explains the lengths to which Tapper goes to try – but fails – to criticize Kennedy’s reality-based assessment of thimerosal and pediatric vaccine safety.
My Summary of the Points
1. **Misrepresentation of Kennedy’s Basis for Argument:** Tapper misrepresents Kennedy’s argument by suggesting it is based on the discredited 1998 Lancet study by Dr. Andrew Wakefield, when Kennedy never even referred to this study in his original “Deadly Immunity” article. This misleading representation significantly weakens Tapper’s critique and suggests a misunderstanding or misrepresentation of Kennedy’s arguments.
2. **Selective Use of Salon’s Retraction:** Tapper leverages Salon’s retraction of Kennedy’s article as proof of its inaccuracy but fails to mention that the corrections made did not substantively affect Kennedy’s core arguments. This undermines Tapper’s position and indicates a selective interpretation of events.
3. **Dismissal of Key Sources:** Tapper attempts to deflect attention away from key sources cited by Kennedy, such as the Simpsonwood transcripts, which indicate that the CDC held a secret meeting to discuss concerns about the association between mercury-containing vaccines and neurodevelopmental disorders. Ignoring this source undermines the breadth of Tapper’s critique.
4. **Neglect of Dr. Verstraeten’s Study:** Tapper fails to address Dr. Verstraeten’s study, a crucial part of Kennedy’s argument that suggests the CDC’s potential manipulation of vaccine safety data. This oversight limits the validity of Tapper’s critique.
5. **Inadequate Consideration of Dr. Barry Rumack’s Analysis:** Tapper overlooks the analysis by FDA consultant Dr. Barry Rumack showing that the CDC’s vaccine schedule was exposing infants to cumulative levels of mercury exceeding the government’s own safety guidelines. This omission detracts from the thoroughness of his critique.
6. **Incorrect Accusation of Ignoring the Institute of Medicine’s 2004 Review:** Tapper wrongly accuses Kennedy of ignoring the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) 2004 review, when Kennedy acknowledged this review in his argument, and critically, suggested that its conclusion was predetermined.
7. **Exclusion of IOM’s Admission:** Tapper does not consider the IOM’s admission that a link between mercury-containing vaccines and autism is “biologically plausible.” Moreover, the IOM’s concern for genetically susceptible subpopulations of children, which could affect the results of studies, is not addressed in Tapper’s critique.
8. **Neglect of Burbacher et al.’s Study:** Tapper also overlooks the study by Burbacher et al., which suggests that ethylmercury from vaccines is more persistent in the brain than methylmercury, thereby indicating a significant cause for concern related to the use of mercury in vaccines.
9. **Dismissive Labelling of Kennedy:** Tapper’s labeling of Kennedy as a conspiracy theorist minimizes the valid concerns raised by Kennedy about the potential side effects of vaccines, particularly thimerosal-containing ones. This labeling can stifle nuanced, factual discussion about vaccine safety.
10. **Lack of Evidence in Discrediting Kennedy’s Arguments:** Tapper asserts that Kennedy’s thesis was a baseless “conspiracy theory” but fails to provide concrete evidence or logical argument to refute Kennedy’s points. This exposes an element of bias and lack of thorough analysis in Tapper’s critique.
These points collectively suggest that Tapper’s critique of Kennedy’s article has significant shortcomings in terms of its accuracy, comprehensiveness, and impartiality.
Read the rest here.