Subpoena: QUASHED!

My congratulations to Kathleen Seidel. Here are the details of the "Endorsed Order granting Motion to Quash Subpoena."

The Absurdity Continues...

Another ridiculous "subpoena" (in quotes, because they are not the subpoenas most of us would think of, these are an abuse of the legal system) has been handed down. Kathleen Seidel from Neurodiversity.com writes today about a Dr. Marie McCormick. She too has received a subpoena courtesy of Clifford Shoemaker. The only question I have, is when will this utter absurdity will end?

From the neurodiversity weblog:

Yesterday I learned that on March 26, 2008 — the same afternoon that I was greeted at my doorstep with a demand for access to virtually the entire documentary record of my intellectual and financial life over the past four years — Dr. Marie McCormick, Sumner and Esther Feldberg Professor of Maternal and Child Health at the Harvard School of Public Health, and Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, was subjected to a similar experience at her Massachusetts home.

Kathleen titles her piece "In Distinguished Company." I couldn't agree more. I want Dr. McCormick to know that there are many of us standing behind her, just as we do Kathleen Seidel.

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due...

I can't believe I'd ever be applauding an act by either of these two gentlemen, but alas, here I am. David Kirby and Dan Olmsted don't agree with Kathleen Seidel's subpoena, and apparently have even urged Mr. Shoemaker to drop it. The two clearly support Ms. Seidel's First Amendment Rights, and I applaud them for coming forward and speaking out. You can read their entire reply on Respectful Insolence, following Orac's Open Letter to David Kirby and Dan Olmsted.

Left Brain/Right Brain and Natural Variation have posts on this as well.

I Am Also Kathleen

I haven't had the proper amount of time needed to truly digest the subpoena of Kathleen Seidel at Neurodiversity.com. Many others have written incredibly about it, and I have linked to them below. What I have been able to conclude about the subpoena, is that some people enjoy wasting paper, and worse, wasting the time of free citizens as well as judges. I have the utmost respect for what our founding fathers fought for--our freedoms, and I hold them dearly. I detest frivolous lawsuits, and I can now add ridiculous subpoenas (Kathleen is NOT being sued) in addition to that. Aside from seeking to silence and intimidate Kathleen (along with the long list of Autism Hubbers mentioned in paragraph #5), this subpoena also attempts to threaten her freedom of religion.

This subpoena is so far-fetched and has utter disregard to an American citizen's rights (freedom of speech, freedom of religion, to name two!), and is truly a fishing expedition, that at first glance one would assume it was a joke. Sadly, it is not a joke. Kathleen is having to take time out of her life, time better spent with family, friends, a hobby--whatever she chooses. She is forced to respond to the subpoena, and then wait to see what comes of it. There is a possibility she could incur major expenses as a result of this subpoena. This is very real, and the requests that Mr. Shoemaker makes are very absurd. I often felt that at least some on the DAN! side of things had a touch of conspiracy theorist in them. One needs only glance at a biomed message board to pick up on that. Lately, it becomes more obvious that the vast majority of them do, and it's not just a touch. So many appear to be full-fledged conspiracy theorists, having zero trust in any government agency or pharmaceutical company. They freely (without subpoenas) author blogs, books, and articles in newspapers and magazines. They are seen on various talk shows to speak on this distrust, promote their beliefs, speak out against vaccines, and increasingly appear in mainstream media's news coverage.

Somehow, they've connected the dots, and decided that we on the Autism Hub are all covert agents of the government, pharmaceutical companies, et al. They so hate that we are speaking out, that our children are thriving, and that we are finding joy in our life (autism and all!). They don't understand us parents, our autistic children, or the many autistic adults who are blogging. I imagine it is mostly fear over the dollars they are not getting from parents like me who have never been to a DAN! doctor. When we speak out, they may fear, perhaps others will follow suit, and that means dollars lost to the biomed industry. I can't think of any other reason for the complete paranoia they have over the Autism Hub, other than money. Especially when you consider that none of us have had the press (see above) that David Kirby, Jenny McCarthy, the Polings, and others have had. The one thing I keep wondering about is this: if they really are making such progress, in proving that the CDC is pure evil and vaccines are giving all our kids autism, then why the need for a subpoena like this? If "the tide is turning," then why are they all still so indignant, irrational, and suspicious?

Here's some wonderful writings I came across.

I took the "I Am Kathleen" from Stranger Than You Can Imagine. I think it's brilliant.

Orac has An open letter David Kirby and Dan Olmsted about the Kathleen Seidel subpoena, which I too would like to see Kirby & Olmsted's response. But, I won't hold my breath...

The Voyage has it ALL covered, nearly all the blogs that are talking about this are listed here.