[Fwd: [Superstar CBS Reporter Blows the Lid Off the Swine Flu Media Hype and Hysteria]

[Guest guest]

Hear you have it! Swine flu is NO threat! But, as detailed many times

before, the VACCINE IS!!! ...phil/qd36

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/11/24/Superstar-CBS-Reporter-Blows-the-Lid-Off-the-Swine-Flu-Media-Hype-and-Hysteria.aspx

[comments/emphasis added]

Superstar CBS Reporter Blows the Lid Off the Swine Flu Media Hype

and

Hysteria

Sharyl Attkisson is a CBS News correspondent and investigative

reporter. Shes covered Capitol Hill since February 2006 and has been a

Washington-based correspondent there since January 1995. She was also

part of the CBS news team that received the Murrow Award in 2005

for overall excellence. Additionally, she received an Outstanding

Investigative Journalism Emmy in 2002 for a series on the Red Cross.

In case you didn't realize it, Sharyl Attkisson is the

investigative

reporter behind the groundbreaking CBS News study that found H1N1 flu

cases are NOT as prevalent as feared.

In fact, theyre barely on the radar screen.

How did this startling information come about, and why is the

U.S.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) painting a different

picture entirely? I spoke directly with Sharyl Attkisson to find out.

Two Videos

The first video is an amazing interview I did with Sharyl about

ten

days ago and what the bulk of this article is based on

The second video is brand new and was done at noon yesterday in

which

I was videoed in the CBS studio in downtown Chicago. Sharyl was

gracious

enough to invite me to be on with Dr. Bernadine Healty, the former

direction of the NIH. We both were in agreement about the swine flu and

opposed to the stance the CDC is taking, but we had different views on

mammograms.

Please also watch the second interview as it is very

entertaining.

Getting Started on the Swine Flu Trail

Ms. Attkisson says:

The reason I looked into this is a couple of months ago, I

got tips

from three or four different segments of public healthcare, with folks

telling me the CDC has recommended that they go ahead and stop testing

for and counting swine flu cases.

Each different entity that contacted me was concerned,

thinking that

this should not be happening. They really felt that it was necessary

for

the swine flu to continue to be tracked in some details. So I went

about

trying to find out why this decision was made and what the

ramifications

would be.

I started by contacting the CDC and the HHS and asking some

basic

questions. I felt like I pretty much got stonewalled with some of the

information I really needed to get at, especially what I needed from

the

states data, and information on the rationale behind this decision to

stop counting and testing for swine flu.

Because the CDC did not initially respond to Attkissons

requests,

she contacted all 50 states directly, asking for their statistics on

state lab-confirmed H1N1 prior to the halt of individual testing and

counting in July. She also asked states, one by one, to help explain

the

rationale behind the CDCs decision to stop tracking H1N1 cases.

Attkisson continues:

One of my good sources within the government said to me that

theyre

either trying to, in his opinion, over-represent the swine flu numbers

or

under-represent by not counting them anymore. He said, You need to

find

out which it is. And so to find out which it might be, I really wanted

to see the data that the CDC had at the time it made the decision to

quit

counting the cases.

What Her Investigative Report Reveals

If you listen to most media outlets and even to government

agencies,

you get the impression that virtually every person who has visited

their

physician with flu-like symptoms in recent months has H1N1, with no

testing necessary because, after all, there's an epidemic.

We are all being led to believe that every case diagnosed as

swine

flu or even as flu-like illness is, in fact, swine flu.

But Attkissons investigation revealed a very different picture

right

from her first contact with individual states. She explains:

Across the country, state by state, they were testing [for

H1N1]

until CDC told them not to bother. They were testing, in general, the

cases most likely to be believed to have been swine flu based on a

doctors diagnosis of symptoms and risk factors such as travel to

Mexico.

These special cases were going to state labs for absolute

confirmation with the best test -- not the so-called rapid testing,

but

the real confirmation test.

Of those presumed likely swine flu cases out of

approximately every

hundred of what was tested, only a small fraction were actually swine

flu. In every instance, perhaps the biggest number of cases that were

swine flu was something like 30%. The smallest number was something

like

2% or 3%.

Maybe theres one state where it was just 1%.

The point is, of the vast majority of the presumed

swine flu cases

recognized by trained physicians, the vast majority were not flu at all.

They werent swine flu or regular flu; they were some other sort of

upper

respiratory infection.

And here is the clincher that it seems the CDC just doesnt want

the

American public to know

The CDC explained that one of the reasons they quit counting

was

because of all the flu thats out there, most are swine flu. Well,

thats

true. Most of the flu that was out there was indeed swine flu, but

they

failed to say that most of the suspected flu was nothing

at all. And I

think thats the caveat the public just didnt know, Attkisson

explains.

She gives even more striking examples of the numbers the

investigative report revealed. For instance:

In Florida, 83 percent of specimens that were presumed to be

swine

flu were negative for all flu when tested!

In California, 86 percent of suspected H1N1 specimens were not

swine

flu or any flu; only 2 percent were confirmed swine flu.

In Alaska, 93 percent of suspected swine flu specimens were

negative

for all flu types; only 1 percent was H1N1 flu.

Freedom of Information and Getting the Truth Out

It is not easy for journalists to access this type of

information,

and they often have to wait weeks, months or even years for information

from the CDC and the FDA -- information that is readily available and

supposed to be clearly public.

Attkisson expands on the difficulties she faced in trying to get

simple data regarding swine flu cases in the United States:

They [CDCs public affairs] quit communicating with me when

I

pressed on why I couldnt get certain information. They just wouldnt

answer my emails anymore. So I had to file a Freedom of Information

request, which is usually my last choice because I know I was going

into

a deep black hole many times and Ill never get an answer.

But in this case, I got an interesting response on October 19

from

the CDC when I had asked for some simple, public documents that would

have been easy for them to obtain too quickly.

Journalists are allowed to ask for expedited processing of

their

Freedom of Information request because, for obvious reasons, theyre

working on a story that may have public impact or be of public

interest.

The agencies are not supposed to use the Freedom of Information Law to

obstruct or delay the release of this information.

This may be the first time I was denied that expedited

processing

from Freedom of Information that were entitled to as members of the

press; a letter from HHS or Health and Human Services (the CDC is under

HHS) said to me that one of the reasons theyre denying my expedited

processing is because this is not a matter of widespread and

exceptional

media or public interest.

In other words, the CDC doesnt think these questions about

swine flu

prevalence and these other things that weve been asking are, at least

in

their opinion in this letter, not a matter of widespread and

exceptional

media or public interest.

Yet, while the CDC expressed that questions about swine flu

prevalence were not a matter of widespread media or public interest,

the

President had declared the swine flu a national public health

emergency!

The inconsistencies at the CDC are nearly

incomprehensible.

The Ramifications of the Swine Flu Policy

According to Attkissons CBS News study, when you come down with

chills, fever, cough, runny nose, malaise and all those other

"flu-like" symptoms, the illness is likely caused by influenza

at most 17 percent of the time and as little as 3 percent! The other 83

to 97 percent of the time it's caused by other viruses or

bacteria.

So remember that not every illness that appears to be the flu

actually is the flu. In fact, most of the time it's not.

Curiously, the CDC still advises those who were told they had

2009

H1N1 (and therefore should be immune to getting it again) to get

vaccinated unless they had lab confirmation.

But because very few people have actually had a lab-confirmed

case of

H1N1 (and in most cases those people told they had swine flu

probably did

not), this means nearly everyone is still being advised to get the

swine flu vaccine.

Attkisson has been one of the few to speak out against this

flawed

system and point out the serious ramifications that come when a

public

health agency is secretive about their health data.

Attkisson says:

From a public and journalistic standpoint, I believe the mistake

comes when you dont fully disclose to the public as you go and

discover

the mistakes. Try to disclose and fix things that come up.

Everybody understands that there isnt a perfect system, but

I think

you need to be upfront with them, explain what youre doing, and

explain

what youre discovering. If youve made a mistake or you feel like you

need to correct something, say that, too, but dont just try

to keep

information from the public.

I couldnt agree more, and Attkissons CBS News report has stood

out

like a bright light of truth among all the clouds of

misinformation.

If youd like to learn more about the report and its findings,

you

can read all the details in the past article

CBS

Reveals that Swine Flu Cases Seriously Overestimated.

-- Phil Frederick ;-) ID: quickdraw3650

Paltalk ID: Quickdraw36

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

"...a law repugnant to the constitution is void..." _Marbury v. Madison, 5 U.S. 137 (1803)

"If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of EVERY American to be INFORMED."__ Jefferson

"Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people."__KJV Proverbs 14:34

•http://storm.prohosting.com/~quickdra/ -info site, email forum signup + •HELP spread the TRUTH:

http://www./group/GunRightsConstitution

•Judicial Accountability (TO the PEOPLE): http://www.jail4judges.org

•REAL, legal, Silver- & Gold-Backed $MONEY$:

http://www.libertydollar.org/default.asp?REFERER=NRC27938

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Guest guest]

Hear you have it! Swine flu is NO threat! But, as detailed many times

before, the VACCINE IS!!! ...phil/qd36

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/11/24/Superstar-CBS-Reporter-Blows-the-Lid-Off-the-Swine-Flu-Media-Hype-and-Hysteria.aspx

[comments/emphasis added]

Superstar CBS Reporter Blows the Lid Off the Swine Flu Media Hype

and

Hysteria

Sharyl Attkisson is a CBS News correspondent and investigative

reporter. Shes covered Capitol Hill since February 2006 and has been a

Washington-based correspondent there since January 1995. She was also

part of the CBS news team that received the Murrow Award in 2005

for overall excellence. Additionally, she received an Outstanding

Investigative Journalism Emmy in 2002 for a series on the Red Cross.

In case you didn't realize it, Sharyl Attkisson is the

investigative

reporter behind the groundbreaking CBS News study that found H1N1 flu

cases are NOT as prevalent as feared.

In fact, theyre barely on the radar screen.

How did this startling information come about, and why is the

U.S.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) painting a different

picture entirely? I spoke directly with Sharyl Attkisson to find out.

Two Videos

The first video is an amazing interview I did with Sharyl about

ten

days ago and what the bulk of this article is based on

The second video is brand new and was done at noon yesterday in

which

I was videoed in the CBS studio in downtown Chicago. Sharyl was

gracious

enough to invite me to be on with Dr. Bernadine Healty, the former

direction of the NIH. We both were in agreement about the swine flu and

opposed to the stance the CDC is taking, but we had different views on

mammograms.

Please also watch the second interview as it is very

entertaining.

Getting Started on the Swine Flu Trail

Ms. Attkisson says:

The reason I looked into this is a couple of months ago, I

got tips

from three or four different segments of public healthcare, with folks

telling me the CDC has recommended that they go ahead and stop testing

for and counting swine flu cases.

Each different entity that contacted me was concerned,

thinking that

this should not be happening. They really felt that it was necessary

for

the swine flu to continue to be tracked in some details. So I went

about

trying to find out why this decision was made and what the

ramifications

would be.

I started by contacting the CDC and the HHS and asking some

basic

questions. I felt like I pretty much got stonewalled with some of the

information I really needed to get at, especially what I needed from

the

states data, and information on the rationale behind this decision to

stop counting and testing for swine flu.

Because the CDC did not initially respond to Attkissons

requests,

she contacted all 50 states directly, asking for their statistics on

state lab-confirmed H1N1 prior to the halt of individual testing and

counting in July. She also asked states, one by one, to help explain

the

rationale behind the CDCs decision to stop tracking H1N1 cases.

Attkisson continues:

One of my good sources within the government said to me that

theyre

either trying to, in his opinion, over-represent the swine flu numbers

or

under-represent by not counting them anymore. He said, You need to

find

out which it is. And so to find out which it might be, I really wanted

to see the data that the CDC had at the time it made the decision to

quit

counting the cases.

What Her Investigative Report Reveals

If you listen to most media outlets and even to government

agencies,

you get the impression that virtually every person who has visited

their

physician with flu-like symptoms in recent months has H1N1, with no

testing necessary because, after all, there's an epidemic.

We are all being led to believe that every case diagnosed as

swine

flu or even as flu-like illness is, in fact, swine flu.

But Attkissons investigation revealed a very different picture

right

from her first contact with individual states. She explains:

Across the country, state by state, they were testing [for

H1N1]

until CDC told them not to bother. They were testing, in general, the

cases most likely to be believed to have been swine flu based on a

doctors diagnosis of symptoms and risk factors such as travel to

Mexico.

These special cases were going to state labs for absolute

confirmation with the best test -- not the so-called rapid testing,

but

the real confirmation test.

Of those presumed likely swine flu cases out of

approximately every

hundred of what was tested, only a small fraction were actually swine

flu. In every instance, perhaps the biggest number of cases that were

swine flu was something like 30%. The smallest number was something

like

2% or 3%.

Maybe theres one state where it was just 1%.

The point is, of the vast majority of the presumed

swine flu cases

recognized by trained physicians, the vast majority were not flu at all.

They werent swine flu or regular flu; they were some other sort of

upper

respiratory infection.

And here is the clincher that it seems the CDC just doesnt want

the

American public to know

The CDC explained that one of the reasons they quit counting

was

because of all the flu thats out there, most are swine flu. Well,

thats

true. Most of the flu that was out there was indeed swine flu, but

they

failed to say that most of the suspected flu was nothing

at all. And I

think thats the caveat the public just didnt know, Attkisson

explains.

She gives even more striking examples of the numbers the

investigative report revealed. For instance:

In Florida, 83 percent of specimens that were presumed to be

swine

flu were negative for all flu when tested!

In California, 86 percent of suspected H1N1 specimens were not

swine

flu or any flu; only 2 percent were confirmed swine flu.

In Alaska, 93 percent of suspected swine flu specimens were

negative

for all flu types; only 1 percent was H1N1 flu.

Freedom of Information and Getting the Truth Out

It is not easy for journalists to access this type of

information,

and they often have to wait weeks, months or even years for information

from the CDC and the FDA -- information that is readily available and

supposed to be clearly public.

Attkisson expands on the difficulties she faced in trying to get

simple data regarding swine flu cases in the United States:

They [CDCs public affairs] quit communicating with me when

I

pressed on why I couldnt get certain information. They just wouldnt

answer my emails anymore. So I had to file a Freedom of Information

request, which is usually my last choice because I know I was going

into

a deep black hole many times and Ill never get an answer.

But in this case, I got an interesting response on October 19

from

the CDC when I had asked for some simple, public documents that would

have been easy for them to obtain too quickly.

Journalists are allowed to ask for expedited processing of

their

Freedom of Information request because, for obvious reasons, theyre

working on a story that may have public impact or be of public

interest.

The agencies are not supposed to use the Freedom of Information Law to

obstruct or delay the release of this information.

This may be the first time I was denied that expedited

processing

from Freedom of Information that were entitled to as members of the

press; a letter from HHS or Health and Human Services (the CDC is under

HHS) said to me that one of the reasons theyre denying my expedited

processing is because this is not a matter of widespread and

exceptional

media or public interest.

In other words, the CDC doesnt think these questions about

swine flu

prevalence and these other things that weve been asking are, at least

in

their opinion in this letter, not a matter of widespread and

exceptional

media or public interest.

Yet, while the CDC expressed that questions about swine flu

prevalence were not a matter of widespread media or public interest,

the

President had declared the swine flu a national public health

emergency!

The inconsistencies at the CDC are nearly

incomprehensible.

The Ramifications of the Swine Flu Policy

According to Attkissons CBS News study, when you come down with

chills, fever, cough, runny nose, malaise and all those other

"flu-like" symptoms, the illness is likely caused by influenza

at most 17 percent of the time and as little as 3 percent! The other 83

to 97 percent of the time it's caused by other viruses or

bacteria.

So remember that not every illness that appears to be the flu

actually is the flu. In fact, most of the time it's not.

Curiously, the CDC still advises those who were told they had

2009

H1N1 (and therefore should be immune to getting it again) to get

vaccinated unless they had lab confirmation.

But because very few people have actually had a lab-confirmed

case of

H1N1 (and in most cases those people told they had swine flu

probably did

not), this means nearly everyone is still being advised to get the

swine flu vaccine.

Attkisson has been one of the few to speak out against this

flawed

system and point out the serious ramifications that come when a

public

health agency is secretive about their health data.

Attkisson says:

From a public and journalistic standpoint, I believe the mistake

comes when you dont fully disclose to the public as you go and

discover

the mistakes. Try to disclose and fix things that come up.

Everybody understands that there isnt a perfect system, but

I think

you need to be upfront with them, explain what youre doing, and

explain

what youre discovering. If youve made a mistake or you feel like you

need to correct something, say that, too, but dont just try

to keep

information from the public.

I couldnt agree more, and Attkissons CBS News report has stood

out

like a bright light of truth among all the clouds of

misinformation.

If youd like to learn more about the report and its findings,

you

can read all the details in the past article

CBS

Reveals that Swine Flu Cases Seriously Overestimated.

-- Phil Frederick ;-) ID: quickdraw3650

Paltalk ID: Quickdraw36

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

"...a law repugnant to the constitution is void..." _Marbury v. Madison, 5 U.S. 137 (1803)

"If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of EVERY American to be INFORMED."__ Jefferson

"Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people."__KJV Proverbs 14:34

•http://storm.prohosting.com/~quickdra/ -info site, email forum signup + •HELP spread the TRUTH:

http://www./group/GunRightsConstitution

•Judicial Accountability (TO the PEOPLE): http://www.jail4judges.org

•REAL, legal, Silver- & Gold-Backed $MONEY$:

http://www.libertydollar.org/default.asp?REFERER=NRC27938

-------------------------------------------------------------------------