Scary Under Scrutiny

It couldn't happen to a slimier guy.

Facing questions in New Hampshire last weekend, Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) was confronted by someone wanting to know why he ordered all Texas girls to receive a series of injections to vaccinate them against human pappiloma virus (HPV), even without the completion of long term studies on the drug.

According to ABC News's The Note, he replied: "I signed an executive order that allowed for an opt out, but the fact of the matter is that I didn’t do my research well enough to understand that we needed to have a substantial conversation with our citizenry.”

  Raw Story

He didn’t think the citizenry had to be consulted ferfuxakes.

When he’s president, he can hand down edicts, and he’s really looking forward to it.

The legislature revoked Perry's order six weeks later.

"But here’s what I learned," Perry added in New Hampshire last week. "When you get too far out in front of the parade, they will let you know, and that’s exactly what our legislature did and I saluted it and I said, 'Roger that, I hear you loud and clear' and they didn’t want to do it and we don’t, so enough said."

That’s Scary. Ahead of the parade.

He instead suggested that people should just "opt in" for vaccines on their own initiative.

What a novel idea, Scary.

Despite its promise, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's initial study of Gardasil found that in initial testing, over 16,000 adverse events were reported following vaccinations, and as many as 8 percent were considered to be serious. A long term study was not completed before the drug was offered at market and the National Vaccine Information Center has since raised questions about the initial testing methodology and the severity of Gardasil's side effects.

When Perry became the only governor in the U.S. to order all girls between 11 and 12 be injected with Gardasil -- a three-shot regiment at $360 total -- his administration's ties to Merck immediately came under scrutiny.

[...]

It soon became public knowledge that Mike Toomy, Perry's former chief of staff, had gone to work for Merck as a lobbyist. Rep. Dianne White Delisi, then head of the House public health committee, also led a group called Women in Government, which Merck used to generate support for Gardasil among lawmakers -- and her son-in-law was a high-ranking Perry aide. Merck also donated about $6,000 to Perry's reelection campaign.

Oh, and we thought he just believed it was such an important safeguard for little Texas girls. But in truth, he might have gotten away with it except his base - the Righteous Right - got a little pissy with the idea that girls who were vaccinated with Gardasil were essentially going to be protected from a sexually transmitted disease and might therefore be more prone to have sex.

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.