Noah2112 said...
Global conspiracies, chemtrails, vaccines that cause epidemics? This is the reason no one takes anyone with chronic Lyme seriously. There are enormous shortcoming in how our society manages healthcare and these conditions specifically, but it is not some sort of Machiavellian villainous scheme to keep people sick. Ignorance is not the same thing as malice.
We are never going to stop being belittled as insane if we keep spouting absurd theories with no real evidence. There is a right way to go about activism, and this isn't it. This only hurts the community at large. I would urge the forum moderators to curb this kind of counter productive discussion as it is only harmful to us. If this forum is devolving into discussions of conspiracy theories then I'll be throwing in the towel. I thought we were here to share information and to try and help each other get better. If I'm not wrong about that, then this kind of discussion is counter to our goal.
I agree that talking about
this stuff publicly only further serves to marginalize lyme patients. So in regards to public relations and tactics surrounding trying to get respect for chronic lyme patients and tick borne diseases, it serves no purpose to bring these issues up in the public realm.
That said, if you look at full scope of evidence in regards to what was happening at Plum Island with ticks and tick borne pathogens and the outbreak that occurred just a few miles away... it is beyond compelling. It also explains the government's absolutely ludicrous and incomprehensible response to these diseases. If you study the evidence and actions you can see there is a cover-up. And I'd say Burgdorfer was a pretty good authority, the interview with him at the end of Bonnie Bennett's book is quite incredible really.
It might seem like bs conspiracy, but not all conspiracies are false. We've overthrown various democratically elected governments, this was conspiracy but it was true. Narrative/history is often controlled by those with power, they are the ones who craft the narratives that become ingrained as truth. Yes, some sneaky people leverage this skepticism towards those in power as a way to Trojan Horse insane ideas in order to manipulate people and serve their crazy agendas... but I'd also remember the fact that our government (US) has been in the bioweapons business for a long time and has in the past sunk to the darkest levels (as mentioned, Tuskegee). It was also work by various organizations and gov groups in the US that inspired the N*zi eugenics movement, so it doesn't beggar belief that our government has and is doing some messed up stuff. And in regards to a potential bioweapon outbreak at Plum Island it has done everything to cover its tracks (liability on this stuff would be insane!). How can one logically explain the lyme outbreak as random, when it occurred just a few miles from Plum Island, a known bioweapons lab that was working with ticks and tick borne pathogens (including borrelia)?
In the end, what's done is done. In my view we should focus our energies on getting these diseases recognized and respected, which will help us get research to develop better diagnostics and better therapies for patients.