Daily Archives: August 21, 2009

Michele Bachmann to Host Health Care Forum in Lake Elmo

Lake Elmo, MN, Aug 27

Health Care Reform Public Forum

With special guest, Congressman Michael Burgess, M.D.

Thursday, August 27th
Doors open at 1:45 pm
Forum runs 2:45 pm to 4:00 pm
Oak-Land Junior High School
820 Manning Avenue North, Lake Elmo

Along with my special guest, Congressman Michael Burgess, who practiced medicine before coming to Congress and who sits on one of the House committees with jurisdiction over the health care reform legislation, we’ll be discussing the proposals that are making their way through Congress and hearing your thoughts on this important issue. I hope you’ll join us for this critical discussion.

source

Creepy Abortion Law Struck Down in Creepy Oklahoma

Feminist Majority Foundation reports on a positive development in a case of true over the top sicko right wing Republican offensive crapola. A law had been passed in the somewhat backwards state of Oklahoma requiring that prior to an abortion, the woman be subjected to a subjective description of her embryo/fetus by a doctor, based on an ultrasound.

Unfortunately, the law was struck down for good legal reasons but for irrelevant social reasons. Similar to a bill passed here in Minnesota a few years ago allowing any bozo to carry a gun any time and anywhere, this bill had multiple provisions, which is against the constitution in Oklahoma (and Minnesota). Most likely, the creepy ultrasound description law will be back, will be passed, and will not be so easy to get rid of in the future

Rachel goes over the top cute. About something really bad

You think I was over the top in my comments on Health Care Reform?

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

3 Points, Rachel!!!!

Republicans … they’re the ones who are really over the top. In fact, listen to me for a second. If YOU have considered yourself to be a Republican over recent years, it is time for you to step away from the cookie jar. Republicans can no longer be my friends. If you want to remain my friend, step away from the cookie jar. Now.

Are you disturbed by your child’s teacher’s atheism?

CALLING ALL ALLIES:

Hemant Mehta is the Friendly Atheist (that’s a blog) and a math teacher. There are people who want him fired. This is not the first time he’s been through this. Please visit his site and give him some support.

Click Here.

If you are a blogger please point to the above referenced post. It would be nice if there were several hundred supportive comments there.

Medical Ghostwriting Unethically Pushed Hormone Replacement Therapy

Ghostwriting, in the scientific medical literature, is the production of marketing literature which is then disguised as scientific literature. Part of this disguise is the appending of “authors” who are actual scientists who would normally write their own papers.

Newly unveiled court documents show that ghostwriters paid by a pharmaceutical company played a major role in producing 26 scientific papers backing the use of hormone replacement therapy in women, suggesting that the level of hidden industry influence on medical literature is broader than previously known.

NYT – caution, page contains obnoxious advertising

PLoS Medicine, an Open Access scientific journal, sued for the release of documents related to ghostwriting and on July 24th of htis year, US. District Judge william Wilson, Jr. granted a motion for discovery [PDF: Case 4:03-cv-01507-WRW Document 2120].

Now, PLoS Medicine has created a web page that allows access to this archive of Ghostwriting related information.

It is apropos that this happens at this time. Ghostwriting is the more genteel and less shouty, but in many ways more insidious, side of a kind f large scale “astroturfing” by the medical industry. We see bough-off “Libertarians,” LaRouchites, Republicans, and other conservatives being bussed around to scream at Democratic congressmen at Town Hall meetings in the US, and with Ghostwriting we see products promoted through what is supposed to be an independent and trustworthy channel: the scientific peer reviewed literature. Both are dishonest practices designed to line the pockets of investors, CEO’s and everyone in between in the medical industry. In the first instance, this is done by ensuring that real competition (facilitated by a public option for health care) does not happen, and in the latter, by competing in the marketplace of lies.

Enjoy. Or, be disgusted. As it were. Everything can be accessed here.

Thank you PLoS for doing this cool thing.