If I Cannot Have Another Martini – Then Let Me Go!
Who can forget Sarah Palin’s “death panels”?
Before we delve into those, let’s use facts to demythologize: Sarah Palin never said she could “see Russia” from her front porch.
Rather, over two days – September 11-12, 2009 - after being named Senator John McCain’s running mate, the governor of Alaska sat down for an interview with ABC’s Charlie Gibson, who asked her about her foreign policy credentials:
GIBSON: What insight into Russian actions, particularly in the last couple of weeks, does the proximity of the state give you?
PALIN: They’re our next-door neighbors and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska.
Days later, Saturday Night Live comedian Tina Fey paraphrased – morphed? – that into “I can see Russia from my house.”
Nonetheless, at the height of the debate over President Barak Obama’s proposed plans to reform the US healthcare system, Ms. Palin took to Facebook to assert:
"My parents or my baby with Down syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama's 'death panel' so his bureaucrats can decide whether they are worthy of healthcare."
That was a lie. And, even after losing the election, Ms. Palin would repeat it over and over again, once writing on Facebook:
“And who will suffer the most when they ration care? The sick, the elderly, and the disabled, of course. The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama's ‘death panel' so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their ‘level of productivity in society,' whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil."
Ultimately, the editors of PolitiFact.com, the fact-checking website of the St. Petersburg Times, named the “death panels” prevarication “The Lie of the Year” for 2009.
Now comes a priest who seems to enjoy an occasional martini.
On August 11, 2009, CBS News and the Associated Press fact-checked Ms. Palin’s repeated statements that the Affordable Care Act would result in euthanasia and “death panels” and determined that a provision in the House of Representatives bill written by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D. Ore.) would allow Medicare to pay doctors for voluntary counseling sessions to address end-of-life issues. These doctor-patient conversations would include living wills, making a close relative or trusted friend a health care proxy, learning about hospice care for terminally ill patients, and information about medications for people in chronic pain.
The media reps questioned Monsignor Charles Fahey, then 76, a Catholic priest and the chairman of the board of the National Council on Aging, “Is anything required?”
Responded the good Father:
“We have to make decisions that are deliberative about our health care at every moment. What I have said is that if I cannot say another prayer, if I cannot give or get another hug, and if I cannot have another martini – then let me go.”
Rep. Blumenauer’s proposal had the support of the American Medical Association, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and the Consumers Union; the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) actually took out printed advertisements that labeled Ms. Palin’s assertions false. The ACA would not have provided for advocating for or assisting in suicide.
Since 1992 and the administration of Republican President George H.W. Bush, hospitals ask adult patients if they have a Living Will or “advanced directive.” If the patient does not, the hospital has to provide assistance to patients who wish to complete these documents.
[FULL DISCLOSURE: Fathers Flynn and Tobin and their adult family members have completed Advanced Directives. Pastorally and as counselors, they regularly encourage their clients to complete similar forms and have them properly signed and available in the event of an emergency.]
Now comes a Great Lie even more dangerous that Ms. Palin’s “death panels.”
Without proof that withstands diaphragm fluoroscopy - the “sniff test,” conservative (and just plain delusional) media are spreading the lie that “young athletes” have experienced “major medical issues” after receiving one or more COVID vaccines.
After a number of Internet/Facebook/Twitter trolls posted reports of men’s and women’s soccer, tennis and basketball athletes crumbling to the pitch or court allegedly as a consequence of COVID-19 vaccines, Reuters Fact Check (November 29, 2021) consulted Dr. June Raine, the chief executive of Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA), who reported:
“The MHRA closely monitors the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, including reports of suspected inflammation, myocarditis or pericarditis… The public’s safety is our top priority. Our advice remains that the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks in the vast majority of people. It is vitally important that people come forward for their vaccination and for their booster doses….”
In mid-December 2021, FackCheck.org, a project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center, examined a list of 300 athletes – “including professionals, amateurs and retirees” – from around the world, who were named by one “website that is run anonymously, [and] claims to track instances of young athletes who had major medical issues in 2021 after receiving one or more COVID vaccines.”
[FULL DISCLOSURE: For pastoral reasons and in the interest of truth and the health of our readers, we will not publish the names of individuals and websites disseminating disinformation.]
FactCheck.org
“…reviewed publicly available information for each of the 19 professional athletes who either came from or played in the U.S. We found no proof of a causal relationship in any of the cases between the vaccines and the injuries or deaths.”
In fact (no pun intended), 13 of the 19 “athletes” referenced were retired from their sports; in 16 of the 19 cases cited, the website provided no evidence that the athletes or former athletes had even been vaccinated; and, one of the two athletes who claimed to have suffered an adverse reaction to a vaccine later retracted his claim.
The report is available at Article Makes Unfounded Claims Linking Athletes' Injuries, Deaths to Vaccines - FactCheck.org
But let’s look at just a few of the cases “reported” [Maybe the better phrase might be “alleged” or “mistakenly associated.”] with these “sudden” deaths following a COVID vaccination:
Baseball legend HANK AARON was 86-years old when he died - two weeks after publicly receiving his first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Fulton County (Georgia) Medical Examiner Karen Sullivan reported, “There was no information suggestive of an allergic or anaphylactic reaction to any substance which might be attributable to recent vaccine distribution. In addition, examination of Mr. Aaron’s body did not suggest his death was due to any recent event other than that associated with his medical history.”
The cause of death for JOHN (MOUNTAIN DOG) MEADOWS, a professional bodybuilder and coach, was listed as “late complications of idiopathic myointimal hyperplasia with thrombosis.” In 2005, he was diagnosed with a “rare colon disease” that required the removal of his colon. There was no public record of his vaccination status.
Professional mountain biker KYLE WARNER appeared on a panel with Wisconsin Republican Sen. Johnson, who promoted the use of unproven treatments for COVID-19. A September 22, 2019 physician’s letter said that Warner “had myocarditis after a COVID-19 vaccination” but added “a follow up cardiac MRI and stress test were normal.”
Winner of the “Classic Physique” competition in the 2019 Arnold Classic GEORGE PETERSON, 37 was found dead in his Orlando hotel room. There was no publicly available report of his vaccination status and the Orange County coroner’s office did not provide a cause of death or autopsy.
ALEX STALOCK, a 34-year-old goalie for the Edmonton Oilers, told the sports reporting website The Athletic that he was diagnosed with a heart condition called myocarditis after he had tested positive for COVID-19 in November 2020. The first vaccines weren’t available until the following month.
Former New England Patriots wide receiver DAVID PATTER, 47, died in a motorcycle accident in Columbia, South Carolina. Again, there was no publicly available information on his vaccine status.
New York Jets defensive end VINNY CURRY was on the injured reserve list after developing a rare blood disorder and having his spleen removed. Six weeks before his death, he posted a Facebook statement, saying that he had been vaccinated and encouraging others to do the same – “it’s easy, safe, effective in protecting yourself.” In a September 15, 2021 tweet, Curry reported that his medical condition was hereditary and denied that it was caused by a vaccine: “My situation was hereditary, my spleen had to come out vaccinated or not….”
Former Boston Bruins hockey player JIMMMY HAYES, 32, was found dead from an overdose in his Milton, MA home. The toxicology report listed the cause of death as “acute intoxication due to the combined effects of fentanyl and cocaine.” The erroneous idea that vaccines might be involved in his death was spread by another NFL player before autopsy and toxicology studies had been completed.
The point is simple: Anti-vaxxers who spread unfounded lies – especially under the cloak of anonymity – ingest bull hockey for breakfast with side orders of fiddle-faddle and flummery and expect others to believe it is a luxurious, multicourse meal from a Michelin star restaurant in Europe.
Take for example Senator Johnson, who declared, “Of course, we’ve heard story after story. I mean, all these athletes dropping dead on the field” and asserted that there have been “over 22,000 deaths reported in association with the [coronavirus] vaccines” – and then quickly added “that doesn’t prove causation.”
When The Washington Post Fact Checker challenged Johnson’s statements, one of his representatives responded, “Senator Johnson stated he has heard stories of athletes dying on the field and those should be investigated.” She then provided links to a webite maintained by anonymous individuals and its posts on the issue have been repeatedly debunked as balderdash
Vax-deniers are fond of citing statistics from the Vaccine Adverse Reporting System (VAERS), co-sponsored by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration.
THE VAERS PROBLEM: Anyone can submit a report to VAERS, and the reports are not verified. The numbers reported by VAERS are meaningless.
Don’t be fooled!
Again, The Washington Post Fact Checker noted on February 1, 2022:
“[the lists cited by Johnson and antivaxxer websites] are total misinformation. Most of the cases are from other established causes of sudden cardiac arrest in athletes, and some cases even occurred before the pandemic began,” said Jonathan A. Drezner, editor in chief of the British Journal of Sports Medicine who conducts research with the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research, which monitors all cases of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and death in athletes across the United States.
“The risk of myocarditis from mRNA vaccines is about 1 in 20,000,” he said. “The risk of cardiac involvement in young athletes from [covid] infection is about 1 in 200.” The risk estimates come from peer-reviewed studies published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
THE MORAL OF THESE STORIES: Just because a governor or senator says doesn’t mean it’s true.