Agendas !

It is a sad fact of life that some people are unable to stay within the bounds of reality when an " Agenda " takes over their lives.  It happens with religious beliefs - and some of the cruelest and most despicable barbarity on earth is often justified as " doing God's work ".

Even what seem harmless hobbies can take on a life of their own.  Once someone is convinced that they are " right " - and everyone else is " wrong ",  proving that contention can spin out of control.  It even happens in our following of sport - and one sure way to disrupt family harmony is to raise the question of politics !

A group of dedicated people seem convinced that vaccinations for childhood diseases poses hidden threats and introduces a pathway for rare diseases.    Despite this view being widely refuted by the entire medical profession, they have formed an organization that cleverly distributes the anti-vaccination message and this has become a " fad " with many parents.   Children are being refused vaccination in numbers that destroy the " critical mass " necessary to eradicate Measles, Chicken Pox and Whooping Cough - and now these diseases are making a come back !

What is distressing is the measures the anti-vaccination crowd are prepared to take to vilify anybody who opposes their stance on vaccination.     A woman whose small child died of Whooping Cough has been the subject of a " hate campaign " that has been relentless in it's intensity.   She has received unsigned letters claiming her child did not die of Whooping Cough - and demanding the body be subjected to a coroners inquest.   She has endured numerous " Tweets " and other insults on mass media and every attempt has been directed at her integrity.   The attackers hide behind the anonymous cover that social media has made an art form.

Perhaps we are reaching the point where we need a " Social media ombudsman " !   We already have a department which screens claims made for consumer goods and has the capacity to prosecute for false claims.     These anti-vaccine people are interfering with national health plans and making medical claims that they can not authenticate.  They are doing the country a medical disservice - and they are actually putting lives at risk.    Would it not be reasonable to force them to confront the evidence available - and either prove the point that they are making - or suffer penalties for a false claim ?

Freedom of speech is not a right to lie or vilify.  With it comes a degree of responsibility for what we say and do !