Do we laugh at the absurdity? Do we cry about the cruelty? Do we rise up in anger against the manipulation?
I’m in shock that LifeSiteNews (LSN) continues to publish such poorly-researched and manipulative pieces.
There are three things I want you to take away from this blog post:
- The government is not conspiring to kill you and your loved ones.
- Fact-check anything LSN posts or just ignore them altogether.
- Dr. Michael Yeadon is not a reputable source for information about COVID.
The “Too Late to Save You” Conspiracy Theory
Before I get into the LSN article, I do want to address an image that is being shared across the internet and citing LSN. Dr. Michael Yeadon has denied connection to it, and the quotes cannot be found in the LSN article. Though the LSN article is incredibly manipulative and full of fearmongering, nowhere does it state that we have less than two years.
Later in this post, I address the claim that the vaccine is deadly and the goal is depopulation.
The quote at the end is not from Dr. Yeadon, nor can I find the original source.
LSN is Not a Reputable Source
As in past posts, I will not be linking to the article from LSN. It does not deserve traffic, even the like three clicks it would get from my blog. The article in question is “EXCLUSIVE – Former Pfizer VP: ‘Your government is lying to you in a way that could lead to your death.’” by Patrick Delaney.
This isn’t my first time writing about how LSN is manipulating its readers.
In March, I tried to take a more charitable approach when I critiqued another one of their articles about the COVID vaccines.
LSN has mixed accuracy in its reporting and fails to meet certain journalistic standards. Despite its strong bias, I urged readers that it doesn’t mean we should “immediately disregard anything they produce, but we should look for other sources to confirm (or challenge) the information we see on LSN.”
Now, I am very much of the mindset that they either need to undergo major reform or be brought down. This is not “cancel culture;” it is holding them accountable for the harm they are causing.
Dr. Michael Yeadon is Not a Reputable Source
Based on the information LSN provides about Dr. Michael Yeadon, a reader could easily believe that he is a credible source of information.
Background
As the former VP and Chief Scientist for Allergy & Respiratory Research for Pfizer, it would seem he’d be particularly knowledgeable about this topic. Add in 32 years of experience, and it’s understandable why people who are unfamiliar with him would readily accept what he says at face value.
However, we must remember that experience and education are only one (though very important) aspect of evaluating someone’s credibility. We must consider if his claims make sense and can be supported by other experts in the field.
Critiques
There are a number of refutations to claims Dr. Yeadon made. Here are just a few:
- “No need for vaccines” 1, 2, 3, 4
- The vaccine “could lead to infertility in women” 1, 2, 3, 4 (I also wrote a post on this topic)
Reuters Investigates took an in-depth look at his history, including interviews with former colleagues of Dr. Yeadon’s who were baffled by such a dramatic change. As a heads up, the Twitter account they mention is no longer Dr. Yeadon’s; someone took it over as a parody account after Dr. Yeadon left Twitter.
During his interview with LSN, he said everything he said about what scientists are encouraging in relation to variations, boosters, etc.
Every single one of those things is demonstrably false. But our entire national [UK] policy is based on these all being broadly right, but they are all wrong.
The problem is he doesn’t have the evidence to support that those things are wrong. The vast majority of evidence contradicts what he says. It is extremely concerning that an average person can find reputable information that counters his claims fairly easily.
The vast majority of evidence contradicts what Dr. Yeadon says.
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I know some people may be skeptical despite his claims being disproven.
Direct Skepticism in the Proper Direction
Some questions to consider:
- How is Dr. Yeadon getting this information about Pfizer after not working with them for nine years?
- What research does he have to back his claims?
- Why has his stance on vaccines changed?
- Why has his trust in fellow researchers and scientists changed so much?
The last question we need to ask is an uncomfortable one: what does he get out of promoting these falsehoods?
The charitable assumption is that he genuinely believes vaccines are unnecessary and harmful. The charitable assumption is that something dramatic happened between his time at Pfizer and present that caused him to stop trusting his fellow researchers and science in general.
I don’t think we can completely ignore the other possibility: Conspiracy Theories are profitable. I certainly don’t want to accuse him of this because I don’t know him or his specific intentions.
I want to be abundantly clear: I am not accusing Dr. Michael Yeadon of trying to profit off a conspiracy theory. I just think we need to acknowledge this could be a motivation.
Conspiracy Theories
Catholics should not believe Conspiracy theories. Unfortunately, the LSN article is pretty much one conspiracy theory after another.
Now I don’t know [for certain] that they’re going to use that [system] to kill you, but I can’t think of a benign reason, and with that power they certainly could harm you, or control you, so you should object [and strenuously oppose it].
Dr. Michael Yeadon
Much of Dr. Michael Yeadon’s “support” for his conspiracy theories is that he can’t think of a “benign reason” for the encouragement of vaccines.
First, that is not a valid reason to believe there is a conspiracy. We have to recognize the limitations of knowledge, even for someone with 32 years of experience. It’s incredibly unlikely that he was information that all these other scientists and governments don’t.
Second, I can think of millions of reasons why we are being encouraged to get the COVID-19 vaccines.
- 3 million – the global number of lives lost due to COVID-19 as of 4/17/21
- 400,000 – the number of children (age 0-17) in the US who lost a parent due to COVID as of February 2021
- Tens of thousands – the number of people in the US who experienced (or are still experiencing) long COVID
Catholics should not believe conspiracy theories. Unfortunately, the LSN article is pretty much one conspiracy theory after another.
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Censorship
Meanwhile media outlets and Big Tech platforms are committed to the same propaganda and the censorship of the truth.
Patrick Delaney
Let’s keep this simple: there are two reasons why media outlets are reporting the same thing:
- It’s what reputable sources provided.
- There’s a massive, worldwide conspiracy.
I think one of those is substantially more likely than the other.
As for censorship, there are two reasons why regulatory organizations (and even just businesses like Facebook) would censor something:
- It contains harmful misinformation.
- They’re partaking in a massive coverup.
There are, of course, examples of dangerous censorship where the truth is suppressed, but we must ask if it’s reasonable to assume that this is a case of the latter.
But who benefits from this?
What evidence is there to support that the suppressed ideas are the truth?
How are they getting the entire world to participate in this?
The Great Reset
The LSN article mentioned some conspiracy theories about vaccine passports and banking resets to lead to “The Great Reset.”
As I stated in my other post about conspiracy theories, there usually is some fragment of truth.
Vaccine Passports
In this case, there are legitimate concerns about vaccine “passports.” Some of these concerns like privacy and equity are discussed on Forbes, Mashable (note, this is a highly biased site, but it is considered “mostly factual”), PBS, and an opinion piece on The Washington Post. These are topics that should concern us as Catholics. We cannot (and should not) dismiss every concern about vaccine “passports” as conspiracy theories.
But we should be leery of the claim that this is part of some massive plot.
We cannot (and should not) dismiss every concern about vaccine "passports" as conspiracy theories.
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World Economics Forum and the “Great Reset”
The “Great Reset” isn’t some completely made-up agenda. The World Economic Forum set this as their theme last summer.
Klaus Schwab summarizes the initiative saying
To achieve a better outcome, the world must act jointly and swiftly to revamp all aspects of our societies and economies, from education to social contracts and working conditions. Every country, from the United States to China, must participate, and every industry, from oil and gas to tech, must be transformed. In short, we need a “Great Reset” of capitalism.
“Now is the time for a ‘great reset'” by Klaus Schwab
His agenda (and WEF in general) have been thoroughly critiqued. Though there is some valid concern, there is also the challenge of figuring out what WEF claims they will do, what WEF will actually do, and what is just conspiracy theories.
It’s reasonable to view “The Great Reset” as something somewhat malicious. Even the least malicious evaluation is still concerning – a bunch of rich and powerful people is using a pandemic to make themselves better without making substantial changes to actually benefit the world.
But the likelihood that this is actually some huge plot to remove individual freedoms or establish a global dictatorship is very, very low. That would require the “global elite” – the supposed masterminds behind this – to make too many sacrifices in their own lives.
This is a very complex topic, so I won’t go into any more detail. I recommend reading some of these articles to help provide some thoughts on this topic.
- “What is the Great Reset” by Ben Sixsmith
- “The Great Reset Conspiracy Smoothie” by Naomi Klein
- “What is ‘the Great Reset’ and why does it scare some conservatives?” by Jennifer Graham
- “The coronavirus pandemic ‘Great Reset’ theory and a false vaccine claim debunked” by Jack Goodman and Flora Carmichael
Though there is some valid concern, there is also the challenge of figuring out what WEF claims they will do, what WEF will actually do, and what is just conspiracy theories.
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Mass Depopulation
Yet another conspiracy theory that is proposed is that this is all a plot to perform mass depopulation.
Why are they doing this? Since no benign reason is apparent, the use of vaccine passports along with a “banking reset” could issue in a totalitarianism unlike the world has ever seen. Recalling the evil of Stalin, Mao, and Hitler, “mass depopulation” remains a logical outcome.
Patrick Delaney
Biotechnology provides you with limitless ways, frankly, to injure or kill billions of people.
Dr. Michael Yeadon
That’s what I would do if I wanted to get rid of 90 or 95% of the world’s population. And I think that’s what they’re doing.
Dr. Michael Yeadon
The thought is terrifying, but it lacks realism. Let’s think about this logically by asking ourselves some questions.
- What are the “benign” reasons for encouraging vaccination?
- Is biotechnology always used for evil?
- What motivation would they have for killing 90-95% of the world’s population?
- If their goal was truly to kill billions, why wouldn’t they let the virus continue to run its course? COVID has killed over 500,000 people in the US alone while (as of 4/13/21), they have not found evidence linking patient deaths to the vaccines in the U.S.
- Why would governments take such a proactive approach to address the blood clot issues with J&J and AstraZeneca if the end goal was to kill a ton of people?
- Why would “Big Pharma” want to kill most of their customers?
- What benefit is there for “Big Pharma” to kill the people who trust them so all that is left is them and the people who are skeptical of them?
Could Be…
One of the problems with Patrick Delaney and Dr. Michael Yeadon is that they are instigating panic while keeping themselves at a safe distance.
The fact that this at least could be true means everyone must “fight like crazy to make sure that system never forms.”
Patrick Delaney
Though we should absolutely be prepared to advocate against systems of injustice, totalitarianism, and dictatorships, Dr. Yeadon, Patrick Delaney, and others are taking it too far. They are saying that because these conspiracy theories about vaccines could hypothetically happen, we should stop vaccinations while completely ignoring that actual likelihood.
That’s like looking at someone serving vulnerable populations (and making a largely positive impact) and thinking that because there is a possibility they could punch someone, we should kill that individual. It’s seeing something positive and assuming the absolute worst when there’s little to no reason to believe that.
Also, notice that Dr. Yeadon and Patrick Delaney intentionally phrase their opinions in such a way that no one could truly accuse them of sharing lies. They intentionally made their statements based on speculation so the burden falls on the readers.
They can have deniability because nearly everything they say is conditional.
They’re using false credibility, smidges of truths in a sea of lies, and manipulative language to cause panic but with enough distance that when proven wrong, they can brush it off as “we never said it would happen; we just said it could happen.”
So What?
Some may read through this and question why they should care. If they don’t believe the conspiracy theories, why should it bother them that a few people are making wild accusations?
- As Catholics, we should strive to defend the truth.
- Vaccines are one of the powerful ways out of this pandemic. There are already people uneasy about getting vaccinated, and this just adds to their concerns. Though people have a right to reject vaccination, their decision should not be based on misinformation.
- This adds to skepticism against medical professionals and scientists.
- Conspiracy theories like this cause division at a time when our world so desperately needs peace.
- Catholics sharing conspiracy theories like this makes people less likely to trust Catholics in general. Things like this could turn people away from the faith. By failing to protect the truth, we could be driving people away from Truth.
God, there is so much confusion about COVID and vaccines. We see people who we are supposed to trust saying opposite things. We hear terrifying comments. Help us to seek the truth. Guide our thoughts and conversations. Please bring us peace in the midst of uncertainty. Help us to trust in you. Please, heal your world.
