Then What Are Flu Shots For?

I've been fighting with the Flu for the past few days. What makes this ironic - and pisses me off just a shade - is that I got my flu shot the second week of November.

So, what does the CDC's website have to offer as an excuse?

There are several reasons why someone might get flu-like symptoms even after they have been vaccinated against the flu.

People may be exposed to an influenza virus shortly before getting vaccinated or during the two-week period that it takes the body to gain protection after getting vaccinated. This exposure may result in a person becoming ill with flu before the vaccine begins to protect them.
People may become ill from other (non-flu) viruses that circulate during the flu season, which can also cause flu-like symptoms (such as rhinovirus).
A person may be exposed to an influenza virus that is not included in the vaccine. There are many different influenza viruses. For more information, see Influenza (Flu) Viruses.
Unfortunately, some people can remain unprotected from flu despite getting the vaccine. This is more likely to occur among people that have weakened immune systems. However, even among people with weakened immune systems, the flu vaccine can still help prevent influenza complications. For more information about the effectiveness of the flu vaccine, see How Well Does the Seasonal Flu Vaccine Work?

So, do I have to get a bonus flu-shot to protect me from the viruses not included in the initial shot?

Is The Bush Administration Advocating "Sex Ed For Kindergartners"?

Yes, They are.

( ht to ChiGuy @ DailyKos for this one )


In a previous blog, I talked about how Michelle Malkin and Byron York had their knickers in a twist over legislation - supported by Barack Obama - that advocated teaching comprehensive, age appropriate, sex education to children in grades K - 12.

Well, it appears that this is not a new concept.

The "sex ed for kindergartners" policy for which McCain has been bashing Obama is in fact a policy currently funded by the Bush administration and is a policy that has been recommended by state boards of education in conservative states such as Tennessee and Wyoming.

If you take a look at the CDCs funding of The National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE), you'll find this:

Providing HIV-related information and guidance to state boards of
education and other education stakeholders on policies that promote
effective HIV prevention for kindergarten through 12th grade students in
schools across the nation.

This is also not a new practice. It's been going on since 2003 in Tennessee.

A press release, dated February of this year reads in part:

The National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) has
made grants to three state boards of education to promote more
effective instruction to K-12 students about HIV prevention. The
$13,000 grants are being made to the North Carolina, Oregon, and
Tennessee State Boards of Education.

...

The grants are part of NASBE's HIV Prevention Policy and Program
Improvement Initiative, a facet of the Center for Safe and Healthy
Schools, which is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention's Division of Adolescent and School Health (CDC-DASH).

Even Wyoming has had this policy in place - for 10 years.

Be sure and read ChiGuys diary for the rest of the info.

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If there was any remaining question in the minds of voters ( likely or not ) as to whether McCain and his campaign have been honest with the American public, you've got your answer now.

Apparently, Mitt Romney was continuing this lie and did so on morning Joe today: