A wonderful article I stumbled on a few days ago. Regardless of who wrote it, it highlights the ridiculous buy-in that some extremists manage to get from normally, and otherwise, intelligent people. And there was a wonderful surprise in the comments that followed the article – an intelligent response from a former student.
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North Island Gazette – Salmon face worse threat than ISA.
Published: November 25, 2011 10:00 AM
Dear editor:
Imagine that one day you decide to visit a new doctor for your annual check up because your regular doctor is out of town; you feel great but want to make sure that you are staying healthy. After the check up you head home feeling positive that you will get a clean bill of health because you have taken your vitamins, exercised and all your past check ups have shown you to be in extremely good health. However much to your dismay the new doctor calls you within a few hours of leaving her office and states that you have a very contagious disease that will not only kill you, but also will kill everyone you come into contact with. She goes on to tell you that she has taken it upon herself in a very self righteous manner to notify all your family, friends and everyone in your town you should be quarantined and avoided at all costs lest the whole town die of a horrible illness. She takes out ads, posts it on her website and notifies every journalist on her personal email list of your recent diagnosis.
The news rips through your community like wildfire and hysteria sets in as people worry about their own health and now blame you for endangering them so needlessly. However you ask the doctor what the disease is and she tells you that it is a disease that has never been detected in Canada before, but don’t worry she knows better because she is a expert. When you enquire as to what her credentials are with regards to detecting rare diseases she states that she “took some courses over the internet”. You then ask her what tests were done to determine your illness she says that isn’t important, and reminds you that she is a doctor and should never be questioned. You then decide to get a second opinion at the local hospital where an expert in rare diseases looks over your case.
After weeks of extensive tests he calmly tells you that you are in great health and that there never was a disease present. When you confront the other doctor she becomes indignant and screams cover up to anyone that will listen and continues to spread negative news about you and your health creating fear and paranoia. She also accuses the rare disease expert at the hospital of being incompetent and that he must be getting kick backs from large pharmaceutical companies.
This in a nutshell is what is happening right now with regards to reports of the ISA virus being discovered in wild salmon in B.C. Very shoddy “research” was done and immediately anti-salmon farming zealot Alexandra Morton and her partner in junk science, Don Staniford, screamed the sky was falling and farmed salmon was to blame. Despite the fact experts in marine health at DFO as well as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (a very respected agency world wide) both concluded that there was no evidence of the disease present.
We all know the story of crying wolf and that is exactly what is happening, regardless of the consequences. Perhaps the most dangerous threat to our iconic wild salmon is Alexandra Morton and Don Staniford.
Something to think about the next time they scream wolf.
Nick DiCarlo,
sales manager
Mainstream Canada