Samoa arrests anti-vaccine activist as it combats deadly measles outbreak

[groundloop]

Source: ABC News

Samoa arrested a prominent local anti-vaccination activist, as authorities carry out a mass vaccination campaign in the Pacific island nation in response to a measles epidemic that has caused 63 deaths so far.

Anti-vaccination activist Edwin Tamasese was arrested Thursday and charged with incitement against government vaccination orders. He could face up to two years in jail.

Tamasese posted a picture on his Facebook page, where he promotes a range of unproven treatments for measles and other ailments, showing what appears to be two police officers sitting in front of him in a vehicle. He wrote, "Well it's come to this."

The Samoan government said 4,357 cases of measles have been diagnosed on the island since the outbreak began in October. Most of those who have died are young children.

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/News/samoa-arrests-anti-vaccine-activist-combats-deadly-measles/story?id=67539326&cid=clicksource_4380645_null_card_hed

[SWBTATTReg]

1. Hmmm...how tragic. I wonder if they'll look to see if this activist's words led directly to ...

someone dying? If so, murder charges?

[mopinko]

2. more important than where they lead- where did they come from?

i have a running argument w my pet trumpkin about the russian disinfo, and disinfo in general, and how coordinated and widespread it is.
this movement is, imho, as pure a psyops campaign as we have ever seen.
there are useful idiots, hangers on, grifters and fellow travelers aplenty, but someone(s) is pulling the strings. and benefitting from it.

watching it unfold all over the world, i worry for my grandkids.

[SWBTATTReg]

3. Me too, mopinko, me too (worry about the grandkids)...but I do have confidence in ...

our kids today seeing through all of the BS...we have some good kids coming up through the ranks that seem to know their crap and see through the hypocrisy and BS. Or at least, I'm wishing that this is so! Take care.

[mopinko]

8. i agree.

they came up on a different planet, it seems.

[okaawhatever]

12. Absolutely agree. I've been saying that for some time. nt

[melm00se]

4. It's really sad

especially with the low cost of MMR vaccines

http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/284832/Review-vaccine-price-data.pdf?ua=1

Table 6, p12.

[Hekate]

5. Kick

[Aristus]

6. I wish we could throw anti-vaxxers in prison over here...

[stopdiggin]

7. been thinking about this

we have fairly robust 1st Amend laws (which I think is in general a GOOD thing).
BUT ... we have also recently had some charges brought against people that encouraged (particular individual) suicide ...
Perhaps there is something in the margins that could be invoked about inciting "direct harm" ...? And even there, not without my friends over at ACLU screaming like banshees.

Sadly (and I think you do have to adopt that stance), with disinformation becoming a greater portion of the world in which we currently live, I wonder if we won't come to a point of reexamining some of our fixed principles? After all none of our rights or freedoms are ever understood to be absolutes.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

9. YES.

These conspiracy nutbags need to be de-programmed. And the irony is that most of them ARE vaccinated.

The great thing about science is that it still exists whether they believe in it or not.

[GoneOffShore]

10. Perfect. Anti-vaxxers are a scourge.

[uriel1972]

11. "Well,it's come to this."

Indeed it has, you sorry maggot.
Thanks for helping kill all those people. The "It doesn't harm people.", defense of woo is total BS and it does hurt and it does kill.