The women discussed the Sopranos and Tony plugging a dying Christopher’s nose to hasten his death. This put Barbara over the edge- she has had enough of Tony Soprano. Rosie laughs at how Tony has killed many people over the seasons and BW hasn’t been disturbed-

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Rosie: It just reminds me of you Barbara never really upset with the President until you couldn’t cross 5^th Avenue to get to your house

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Rosie pointing out BW’s furor about the Presidential motorcade was funny. Barbara was upset that Bush thought he was so important that traffic should be blocked 15 minutes prior to his passage. She commented that he was just the President- not a King…

They then talked about Martha’s stint in the country club prison and the fact that Rosie found out that Paris is going to a real prison- a county jail. Barbara explained that she won’t be in the general population but she will have to eat crappy food.

Pity, pity, pity…

The person in Joy’s ear must have been talking to her because she missed the whole Paris discussion but then hopped back to the Sopranos like they were still talking about it. Joy wanted to be sure to express her feelings that even though she loves the show, it really gave a beating to Italian Americans. She hopes the writers do something to promote the non-mafia Italians.

I personally hope the show goes out with a huge bang. AJ should have to step in and take over for Tony- maybe have him go after the head of one of the other families- declare war, a horse’s head in someone’s bed… That’s what the show’s all about.

After the break they hit on issues related to donor eggs. Women get between $5000 and $10,000 to donate eggs. Women who donate eggs take many risks. They take drugs and go through procedures that could have long-term implications for them. Some people are concerned that women shouldn’t get paid for their contributions. Others are concerned that women may donate eggs under duress for financial reasons, etc. and not adequately consider the potential risks. Apparently too much money can interfere with women being rational.

Women who choose to donate their eggs should be compensated for their experiences. The eggs of a really smart attractive woman aged 25 may be worth more than another woman’s eggs. The system should ensure the woman is fully informed of the risks and then should let the market decide what a woman’s eggs are worth.

On to Laura Bush:

Joy raised the issue that Laura Bush quit smoking. Rosie was shocked as she said she didn’t know LB smoked and that it was counter to her image. Then the comedians threw out their barbs:

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Joy: Wouldn’t you smoke if you were married to him?

More chatter then-

Rosie: She kept it hidden- what else have they hidden? (laughter) Honestly

Elisabeth then, showing her irritation points out that they should be focusing on the fact that she has made a great decision to quit smoking

Barbara then jumps in chastising: Elisabeth everything we say has a political agenda- “Good Morning” “Who says it’s a good morning”

***
On to the HPV virus and the vaccine- Joy annoys Rosie by suggesting Rosie doesn’t believe in the vaccine.

Rosie, on defense, explains she is not for STDs, she simply believes the government should not require vaccinations for an STD. She is 100% correct about this point.

STDs are not like Mumps or Measles or Chicken Pox or Influenza or other communicable diseases spread through hand to hand contact or coughing, sneezing or simply breathing.

HPV can not be transmitted via the air or caught from a doorknob- two people must engage in sexual behavior to pass this virus on. Parents should make the decision whether to vaccinate their daughter based on their knowledge about their daughter and the vaccine. This is a new vaccine. A five year study doesn’t offer conclusive evidence of anything. It may be years before anyone knows if there are side effects on these girls.

Additionally, there is the side reality that everything we do to make sex “safer” can also take away ammunition young girls can use to support their decision to say no to a pressuring boyfriend.

Call me naïve but maybe, just maybe, STDs act as a deterrent for some people. The very idea they might catch a disease may stop some of these kids from engaging in premature sexual activity.

The women then discuss issues about vaccines, in general and then focus on the possible vaccine –Autism link.

Joy offers her analysis on why she does not believe vaccines cause autism.

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Joy: I have a question about Autism because they do say that there’s a possibility that there’s a connection but if there’s a connection, why doesn’t everybody have Autism then? Every kid in our generation got the shot

Rosie then explains about the use of mercury between 1991 and 1995. (Joy takes notes)

Joy: If all those kids got it between 1991 and 1995. Why wouldn’t they all be autistic in that case?

***

Sometimes, she just amazes me with her inability to grasp what seem to be fairly basic principles. Joy- does every smoker get lung cancer? No- oh, then smoking doesn’t cause lung cancer. Does every person who gets sunburn develop skin cancer? No? So why do we wear sunscreen?

Maybe some people are predisposed to develop certain conditions. Maybe it’s a combination of factors that result in one person getting a certain illness and those factors aren’t all present in another case. Thankfully, there are a lot of really smart scientists trying to figure these sorts of things out. In the mean time, lets all be glad they took the mercury out of the vaccines.

Rosie is right about the HPV vaccine but her logic doesn’t necessarily extend to all vaccines. Barbara’s explanation about risks and rewards are correct. There are times when the government can issue rules and apply them across the board to protect public health and safety. Measles, mumps and whooping cough were nearly absent from the average person’s experience. Now it is not surprising to hear about outbreaks of whooping cough in daycare centers or cases of measles or mumps amongst college students.

There may be many reasons for the reemergence of these bugs but two primary causes are the increasing numbers of illegal immigrants failing to get shots for their kids and themselves and the growing number of people refusing to immunize their children. These diseases are on the rise and all Americans need to be paying attention. Many of these illnesses can be caught on a bus or by exchanging money at a drive-thru.

Additionally, there are new threats that should cause all of us to pause: Drug resistant strains of Tuberculosis are also becoming more common as are cases of Hepatitis and Leprosy.

Children attending public schools should be required to be vaccinated against the typical childhood diseases, allowing an exception for medical reasons, only. The government’s interest in protecting students outweighs an individual’s interest in refusing. Parents who choose not to vaccinate their kids can home school their kids or send them to a private school.

HPV is not a typical childhood disease, although many on the left would encourage, or at least not discourage, children to explore their right to engage in sexual conduct at whatever age the child demonstrated the slightest interest in the subject.

HPV is an entirely preventable adult disease with very real consequences for those exposed. Lets teach kids the skills they need to avoid getting HPV and let them know that when they are older, they can get a vaccine, if they so choose.

Ultimately, we should strive to help children act like children as long as they can. We should expect parents to function like parents.