That according to those close to me, I'm still sane and this is not some cruel fucking joke.
That this is not the continuation of Operation Wetback, or a call-back.
Turning typical, American gunowners into fear-based-gun-owners-who-watch-too-many-westerners-and-can't-tell-the-difference-between-reality-and-tv-and-end-up-murdering-mexicans-at-17, well then.
I spent almost ten years in the communicable disease branch of a local health department. Meningococcal disease was one of the things we worried about the most. The vaccine was a huge win, taking it off the schedule is another black mark against RFK's HHS.
As a pathology resident, I did an autopsy on an otherwise-healthy toddler who had died from meningococcal septicemia. He had died within 24 hours of the first symptoms developing, despite being placed on Ceftriaxone immediately upon arrival at the ER. The poor kid literally looked like a blueberry, all bloated and blue-purple.
From healthy kid to dead, in a day. People have no idea of how deadly Neisseria meningitidis is! That vaccine (and also the one for Hib) is a miracle, and it is beyond ignorant to remove it from the schedule.
I've been retired for a few years, and a couple years before retiring I decided that since I may complain when something went wrong, I rarely complimented people when they did something right. I vowed to change this and have done so repeatedly every year. This morning I spoke to the people who run the local Parks & Recs facility where I exercise and mentioned, by name, that the two people who run the group exercise classes I attend (each 2 days a week) do an outstanding job. Do something nice when possible, especially during these days of cruelty.
I don'tmake resolutions per se...they rarely work...I did vow to focus on good news/stuff more and relieve the stress from the bad news, which there has been plenty of, both political and personal, last year.
When I was in the fifth grade (1999-2000), myself and two of my classmates came down with meningitis. My classmate, Christopher, never recovered. He passed away at the age of eleven. Chris’ death was a rare occurrence even then, but it brought pain and suffering to an entire community. Even if deaths from some of these illnesses are rare, can’t we also acknowledge that in preventing these childhood illnesses we not only save individual lives but also families and communities from immense grief? My classmate was there one day and gone the next for no good reason. A vaccine would have saved his life. It would have also saved a class of ten and eleven year olds from the confusing grief that comes with that sort of loss. Today Chris would only be 37. He should still be here, and this is a slap in the face to his memory. May he rest in peace.
If you live abroad you have to register to vote every year. U.S. citizens living, serving, or studying abroad—you can vote from wherever you are! 🌍 Visit https://votefromabroad.org to register and request your overseas ballot.
It’s quick, free, and valid for all elections in 2026. Need help? Write to help@votefromabroad.org.
Vote from Abroad volunteers are ready to assist you with any questions about requesting or returning your ballot. Don’t wait! Request your ballot today and make your voice heard! 🗳️
Regarding Andy Marso's horrifying story about his battle with disease, I'm going to beat a not-quite-dead horse here and retell, in brief, what happened when my parents became vaccine-hesitant in the late 1950s. Frightened by a real vaccine issue in California, they decided to not vaccinate me against polio, even though we lived far away in the Midwest, and I ended up getting the disease when I was about 18 months old.
My childhood was spent in and out of hospitals and I had so many surgeries on my legs and spine that I have lost count. When I was in my late 40s, the disease reasserted itself and affected my right torso and then spread up into my arm. I am now nearly 70 but have been told by my orthopedic doctors that I have the leg strength of a 90 year old. I can barely walk.
I have brought my history up in this forum more than once because I want parents to understand that not getting a vaccine can have real consequences, and it is not something that just happens to other people. I know that RFK Jr has not yet come out squarely against the polio vaccine, but his general, sweeping anti-vaccine statements stoke fear in ALL vaccines, and he knows this.
The public pays only a modicum of attention to any news, and we're all prone to just read the headlines. Millions, I'm afraid, just see the words "Vaccine...Pulled" and decide it's best to just skip vaccinations all together. So let me write my own headline here: "Vaccines Can Prevent a Lifetime of Medical Visits" and then hope for the best.
Garvin, I appreciate you sharing your story here (and where you've shared it in the past.) My grandparents were vaccine skeptics, but my dad's older brother did get (and die of Polio). I visited his grave last weekend and explained to my daughters what Polio was.
I am an MD. A disturbing memory from college many years ago is of a friend, a healthy varsity football player who died within 24 hours of meningococcal meningitis despite prompt medical care. Thank you for sharing your story which so tragically illustrates the danger and stupidity of these vaccine recommendations.
Andy Marso's story should be read by everyone who is hesitant to get the meningococcal vaccine or to approve it for their child. (Many colleges require the vaccine before freshman can attend the school, thank goodness.) When I was in college, my microbiology professor showed us a movie about college students who had suffered amputations because of this dreadful infection. It sure made an impression on me. Coincidentally, when I read about the new Robert Kennedy-demanded vaccine guidelines, the first thing I said was, "He is consigning young people to lose their limbs or lives". And I suspect he does not care, as long as he can control the narrative to support his conspiracy theories.
I recall from about three decades ago there was an outbreak where I lived, Victoria, BC. There was at least one fatality. Vaccines were rushed to the area and were given to young people. I made sure my teenagers got the vaccine.
I made a resolution to once a month call a different friend or family member who I don’t regularly speak to. I’d gotten so used to texting even close friends, it was amazing how different a phone call is
I believe that every new day begins every new year. There are 365 days that always start anew. I also practice the setting of the sun and sleep as the beginning of my new day/new year. Sleep clears out the cobwebs and I awake to the second half of my day ready to go. Gandalf has my go to quote. Ours is not to decide the age into which we are born. Ours is to decide what to do with the time we have been given. May you all begin every new year in blissful slumber under a restful moon and awake bright eyed to the birth of every sunrise. Peace.
Can't pick a fight with someone who won't fight back.
That according to those close to me, I'm still sane and this is not some cruel fucking joke.
That this is not the continuation of Operation Wetback, or a call-back.
Turning typical, American gunowners into fear-based-gun-owners-who-watch-too-many-westerners-and-can't-tell-the-difference-between-reality-and-tv-and-end-up-murdering-mexicans-at-17, well then.
You know where your history starts.
I spent almost ten years in the communicable disease branch of a local health department. Meningococcal disease was one of the things we worried about the most. The vaccine was a huge win, taking it off the schedule is another black mark against RFK's HHS.
As a pathology resident, I did an autopsy on an otherwise-healthy toddler who had died from meningococcal septicemia. He had died within 24 hours of the first symptoms developing, despite being placed on Ceftriaxone immediately upon arrival at the ER. The poor kid literally looked like a blueberry, all bloated and blue-purple.
From healthy kid to dead, in a day. People have no idea of how deadly Neisseria meningitidis is! That vaccine (and also the one for Hib) is a miracle, and it is beyond ignorant to remove it from the schedule.
Hey, hey, RFK, how many kids did you kill today?!
I've been retired for a few years, and a couple years before retiring I decided that since I may complain when something went wrong, I rarely complimented people when they did something right. I vowed to change this and have done so repeatedly every year. This morning I spoke to the people who run the local Parks & Recs facility where I exercise and mentioned, by name, that the two people who run the group exercise classes I attend (each 2 days a week) do an outstanding job. Do something nice when possible, especially during these days of cruelty.
I don'tmake resolutions per se...they rarely work...I did vow to focus on good news/stuff more and relieve the stress from the bad news, which there has been plenty of, both political and personal, last year.
When I was in the fifth grade (1999-2000), myself and two of my classmates came down with meningitis. My classmate, Christopher, never recovered. He passed away at the age of eleven. Chris’ death was a rare occurrence even then, but it brought pain and suffering to an entire community. Even if deaths from some of these illnesses are rare, can’t we also acknowledge that in preventing these childhood illnesses we not only save individual lives but also families and communities from immense grief? My classmate was there one day and gone the next for no good reason. A vaccine would have saved his life. It would have also saved a class of ten and eleven year olds from the confusing grief that comes with that sort of loss. Today Chris would only be 37. He should still be here, and this is a slap in the face to his memory. May he rest in peace.
If you live abroad you have to register to vote every year. U.S. citizens living, serving, or studying abroad—you can vote from wherever you are! 🌍 Visit https://votefromabroad.org to register and request your overseas ballot.
It’s quick, free, and valid for all elections in 2026. Need help? Write to help@votefromabroad.org.
Vote from Abroad volunteers are ready to assist you with any questions about requesting or returning your ballot. Don’t wait! Request your ballot today and make your voice heard! 🗳️
ICE Victims
Abelardo Avellaneda Delgado
Brayan Garzón-Rayo
Carlos Roberto Montoya Valdez
Chaofeng Ge
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Gabriel Garcia Aviles
Hasan Ali Moh’D Saleh
Henry Ruiz Guillén
Huabing Xie
Isidro Pérez
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Jean Wilson Brutus
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Kai Yin Wong
Keith Porter
Leo Cruz-Silva
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Maksym Chernyak
Marie Ange Blaise
Miguel Angel Garcia Medina
Nenko Stanev Gantchev
Nhon Ngoc Nguyen
Norlan Guzman-Fuentes
Oscar Rascon Duarte
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Regarding Andy Marso's horrifying story about his battle with disease, I'm going to beat a not-quite-dead horse here and retell, in brief, what happened when my parents became vaccine-hesitant in the late 1950s. Frightened by a real vaccine issue in California, they decided to not vaccinate me against polio, even though we lived far away in the Midwest, and I ended up getting the disease when I was about 18 months old.
My childhood was spent in and out of hospitals and I had so many surgeries on my legs and spine that I have lost count. When I was in my late 40s, the disease reasserted itself and affected my right torso and then spread up into my arm. I am now nearly 70 but have been told by my orthopedic doctors that I have the leg strength of a 90 year old. I can barely walk.
I have brought my history up in this forum more than once because I want parents to understand that not getting a vaccine can have real consequences, and it is not something that just happens to other people. I know that RFK Jr has not yet come out squarely against the polio vaccine, but his general, sweeping anti-vaccine statements stoke fear in ALL vaccines, and he knows this.
The public pays only a modicum of attention to any news, and we're all prone to just read the headlines. Millions, I'm afraid, just see the words "Vaccine...Pulled" and decide it's best to just skip vaccinations all together. So let me write my own headline here: "Vaccines Can Prevent a Lifetime of Medical Visits" and then hope for the best.
Garvin, I appreciate you sharing your story here (and where you've shared it in the past.) My grandparents were vaccine skeptics, but my dad's older brother did get (and die of Polio). I visited his grave last weekend and explained to my daughters what Polio was.
I hope your graveyard visit will make a lasting and positive impression on your daughters. I'm pretty sure it will.
I am an MD. A disturbing memory from college many years ago is of a friend, a healthy varsity football player who died within 24 hours of meningococcal meningitis despite prompt medical care. Thank you for sharing your story which so tragically illustrates the danger and stupidity of these vaccine recommendations.
Horrifying!
Andy Marso's story should be read by everyone who is hesitant to get the meningococcal vaccine or to approve it for their child. (Many colleges require the vaccine before freshman can attend the school, thank goodness.) When I was in college, my microbiology professor showed us a movie about college students who had suffered amputations because of this dreadful infection. It sure made an impression on me. Coincidentally, when I read about the new Robert Kennedy-demanded vaccine guidelines, the first thing I said was, "He is consigning young people to lose their limbs or lives". And I suspect he does not care, as long as he can control the narrative to support his conspiracy theories.
I recall from about three decades ago there was an outbreak where I lived, Victoria, BC. There was at least one fatality. Vaccines were rushed to the area and were given to young people. I made sure my teenagers got the vaccine.
I made a resolution to once a month call a different friend or family member who I don’t regularly speak to. I’d gotten so used to texting even close friends, it was amazing how different a phone call is
Manfred: retire now before your deranged ideas about expansion and realignment can be implemented
None of this goes away until Trump is held to account. Release the Epstein files!
Hard to know who, each in his own way, is the bigger monster: Gutfeld or Manfred?
I believe that every new day begins every new year. There are 365 days that always start anew. I also practice the setting of the sun and sleep as the beginning of my new day/new year. Sleep clears out the cobwebs and I awake to the second half of my day ready to go. Gandalf has my go to quote. Ours is not to decide the age into which we are born. Ours is to decide what to do with the time we have been given. May you all begin every new year in blissful slumber under a restful moon and awake bright eyed to the birth of every sunrise. Peace.
Enormous thanks to the entire Bulwark team! You all are keeping us informed and sane in this wildly disorienting time.