I got chicken pox at five, so no parties. I clearly remember standing on the toilet seat so my mom could paint me with calamine, though. I had it so bad, down my throat, everywhere. I still have a scar on my chin.

It is not a "complicated issue." The only question you need to ask yourself is "Do I want my child to die of [insert childhood disease here]?" If the answer is no, GET THE FUCKING SHOTS. How many times does the autism myth need to be debunked before these people get it through their thick skulls that VACCINES SAVE FUCKING LIVES??????

Oh those people really burn my toast too!! And I'm not even a parent. When my sister-in-law was pregnant with my nephew last year her neighbor was all, "You're not getting the baby vaccinated are you?" because the neighbor has an autistic daughter who was vaccinated and a non-autistic son who was not. So that, to her, is PROOF! And my older niece is autisic spectrum so it made me so angry that this neighbor tried to play on my SiL's fears with her crazy, completely unsubstantiated theories.

Plus, no one takes into consideration the wider parameters for diagnosing autism, nor the increased knowledge of doctors in being able to recognize the spectrum disorders as some thing other than "retardism".

That and the fact that autism diagnostic rates continued to rise (most likely due to increased recognition rather than an actual increase in the rate of autism, as you point out) even after trimerisol was removed from the MMR shot "just to be safe." So unless trimerisol has access to a TARDIS, it ain't giving kids autism in 2008.

I had chicken pox at 7, and was exposed on purpose to my cousin (not Sox) who had it so that I'd be done with it. The person who was exposed to me (again, on purpose) got shingles later at about age 35. I keep meaning to read up on whether singles is more likely now for some reason than once upon a time.

the neighbor has an autistic daughter who was vaccinated and a non-autistic son who was not. So that, to her, is PROOF!

You know, I get that when it's personal, like your own kids, it feels like proof. But even so, a sample size of 2 proves nothing. The plural of "anecdote" is not "data."

after trimerisol was removed from the MMR shot "just to be safe

That's the kicker - Thimerisol was NEVER in MMR vaccines!!

I know a couple people who had shingles recently, which is UGH. My little brother got the chicken pox when I did, and despite the week of hell, I think my mom was glad we were all done with it.

Phone: You're gonna love this. *Ring*

Me: Oh, fuck you.

FuckCake O' the Day: HUGE ISSUE blah blah blah LEGAL ACTION blah blah blah FILE CHARGES OF FRAUD!!!

Basically, it boils down to this: The company that FCO'tD was working for went through a major transition, the nature of which changed its status re: COBRA eligibility. He was let go during this transition and was offered COBRA and has been paying his COBRA premiums for a few months now. Now he need surgery (scheduled for FRIDAY) and is being told he's not covered.

I feel for the guy, I really do. He's scared, he thought he was covered and they're saying he's not...it's a HUGE deal, I get it.

Thing is: We're on his side. We were under the impression he was covered otherwise we wouldn't have offered COBRA in the first place or accepted his payments. We're arguing with the insurance company to cover his ass.

But he needs to learn Rule Number One of dealing with Customer Service, which is: The guy who picks up the phone has no authority whatsoever. If he did, he wouldn't be picking up the phone to talk to your bitchy ass. He'd be telling some other hapless schmoe to pick up the phone.

So asking me if I, personally, am prepared to answer to charges of fraud is stupid. The answer is "No, no I'm not and I am in no way able to do so for the company as a whole, either. I have no authority."

Seriously, understand this: It doesn't matter if I think you're right or wrong, it doesn't matter if I think you're an asshole or Jesus reincarnate; I can't do jack. And if the people who can do jack are "unavailable" there's nothing I can do about that either so huffing "Of course they're in a 'meeting'" and waiting expectantly wastes everybody's time.

So, now...I hope that on Friday his surgeon leaves a sponge or forceps or something in him.

That's the kicker - Thimerisol was NEVER in MMR vaccines!!

Ye gods, I can't spell or read today. Thanks for correcting me there.

Thiomersal.

(Sorry; it's what I do for a living. We've edited a LOT of stuff about the flu vaccine, which *does* have thiomersal in it.)