March 19, 2010 in Idaho

Sali resurfaces, criticizes immunizations

Betsy Z. Russell The Spokesman-Review

Betsy Russell photo

Former Idaho Congressman Bill Sali prepares to testify in the House Health & Welfare Committee on Friday on a child immunization registry bill. Sali called for sweeping changes, including new notifications to parents that immunizations “would endanger the life or health of their child” and provisions protecting parents who choose “to allow their child to gain immunity from any childhood disease by being exposed to and contracting the disease.”
(Full-size photo)

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BOISE - Controversial former Idaho Congressman Bill Sali resurfaced in Idaho politics on Friday, testifying against child immunizations at a state House committee he once chaired and scheduling a Statehouse announcement on the final day of the candidate filing period - which then turned out to be just an endorsement for another candidate.

Sali, a conservative Republican, lost the 1st Congressional District seat to Democrat Walt Minnick two years ago after serving one term; before that, he was a longtime state lawmaker known for clashing with members of his own party.

Sali had been mulling a rematch with Minnick but had raised no campaign funds and done no campaigning; the 1st District GOP primary already is crowded. On Friday, he made his announcement: He’s endorsing GOP candidate Raul Labrador in the race. Sali cited Labrador’s two terms in the Legislature as good experience for Congress, and denigrated Republican Vaughn Ward, a decorated Iraq war veteran who’s also in the race, saying, “Sending Vaughn Ward to Washington, D.C. is a little bit like sending a boy scout to Iraq. He doesn’t have any experience casting tough votes.”

Ward’s campaign declined to comment on Sali’s put-down. “Idaho Republicans are ready for new leadership,” said Ward campaign spokesman Ryan O’Barto.

At the House Health and Welfare committee on Friday, Sali spoke out against child immunizations, saying, “I grew up in a time when childhood diseases were something you had as a child, and I had mumps and I had chicken pox and I had measles. I don’t spend any time worrying about whether I’m going to have those diseases. If a parent decides they want to have their child exposed and have that natural immunity that should never be held against them in any way.”

Idaho currently ranks 50th among the states and the District of Columbia, trailed only by Montana, in its child-immunization rates.

Sali spoke at a hearing on SB 1335, the IRIS immunization reminder system bill. He proposed sweeping amendments to the bill, which already passed the Senate on a 31-3 vote. He contended that the bill - backed by the Idaho Medical Association, the Idaho Legislature’s Health Care Task Force and an array of Idaho medical groups – actually would make participation in the registry mandatory, not voluntary, though the sponsors specifically told the committee that it wouldn’t. The bill makes the immunization tracking system automatic unless parents opt out, rather than requiring them to opt in.

Sali’s proposed amendments would remove a notification to parents that IRIS participation is voluntary; and require extensive notifications to parents at birth that they can decline immunizations “because immunizations would endanger the life or health of their child or on religious or other grounds.” His amendments also would add protections for parents who choose to “allow their child to gain immunity from any childhood disease by being exposed to and contracting the disease.”

Rep. Lynn Luker, R-Boise, moved to amend the bill as Sali proposed. The committee delayed a vote until Monday.

Reminiscent of his days in the Legislature, Sali was scolded by the committee chair at one point for arguing, rather than answering a committee member’s question.

Nine comments on this story so far. Add yours!

prevention on March 19 at 1:18 p.m.
Mr. Sali sounds like bad news for Idaho. Immunization has saved thousands of lives and prevented untold suffering. The wonderful people of Idaho deserve to have healthy children. I watched the grief of a family of a child who died from H1N1. I also lost my hearing to rubella and nearly lost my life. It would have been wonderful to have been saved from a lifetime of silence. Thumbs down to Mr. Sali. He has clearly forgotten the toll that vaccine preventable disease takes. Herd immunity has been proven to work. Go to the National Library of Medicine and do your own research. Enter “pub med” in your search terms.
-Measles survivor
cjcold on March 19 at 1:49 p.m.
Sali, like many ultra conservatives has an opinnion right out of the dark ages. The risks of modern childhood immunization are negligable and are far outweighed by the benefits. Many uninformed rely on anecdotal evidence and old wives tales as their basis of fear regarding childhood vaccinations.
Many studies have been completed that find modern vaccines have no relationship to incidences of asthma, autism, SIDS, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, diabetes, immune disorders or any other side effects that the unfortunately uninformed have attributed to vaccines.
Failure to immunize your children, however, can leave your children (as well as all they come into contact with) open to a wide variety of permanently debilitating if not lethal diseases. Please go to the CDC website for a complete list.
Parents need to educate themselves as to the realities of modern immunization rather than rely on superstition or the disinformation provided by backward fools such as Bill Sali. The health and lives of your children depend on your informed knowledge, not your uninformed beliefs.
natoslug on March 19 at 4:03 p.m.
Isn’t this the same genius who argued that abortions cause breast cancer, with his “proof” being that he believed it, therefore it was a valid scientific theory? Between him and Butch Otter threatening to sue if health care reform passes, it’s really embarrassing telling people I live in Idaho.
fortboise on March 19 at 8:37 p.m.
Why won’t Bill Sali just GO AWAY? He is an embarrassment, and a pox on our House.
Mr_Bloggy on March 19 at 10:20 p.m.
Jesus never spoke of immunizations. They are never mentioned in the Bible. Childhood immunizations are “shots of Satan.” The devil wants your children to get shots, he sneaks in with the vaccine and travels to the innocent and often Godly hearts of the babies and infants and sets up his shop.
Bill Sali is doing the Lord’s work. I’m SO not surprised that the unbelievers commenting on the S-R would attack this Godly man. Praise Jesus for Bill Sali!
Glory.
misjustice on March 20 at 7:31 p.m.
Yeah, Mr. Bloggy! And Jesus wrote the constitution to protect us from the evil doers that would promote vaccinations!
LMFAO at your idiocy!
Mr_Bloggy on March 22 at 6:08 a.m.
I’m sure today is an exciting morning for all the sinners and unbelievers worshipping the golden calf of Obamunism and his Luciferian healthcare bill.
Between shots of Satan for innocent little children and college credit for youth who turn in their grandparents to the death panels I’m sure America is hot for healthcare!
Hot like the eternal torment and flames of h-e-double hockeysticks.
Their is only one way.
Praise!
misjustice on March 22 at 12:42 p.m.
Will someone please call a WAAAAbulance for Mr. Bloggy; oh and get a big roll of Brawny papertowels to dry his crocodile tears….WAAAAAAAA, WAAAAAA, WAAAAA!
LMFAO! ; )
EagleEye on March 23 at 4:51 a.m.
Why should the state MANDATE vaccinations when they are KNOWN to contain mercury, aluminum, formaldehyde, ethylene glycol (anti-freeze), etc ?? Many of these vaccines actually exceed EPA guidelines on safety which directly contradicts the FDA’s positions. Despite industry claims to the contrary, MOST ALL vaccines still have dangerous ingredients in them (many of which they are not even required to put on their labels ! ).
Ask yourself, how much mercury is actually SAFE to inject into you or your baby’s veins?? The correct answer is NONE !!! NEVER !!!!
WHAT POSSIBLE JUSTIFICATION could the “enlightened” medical community have in mind for all of us with those types of nasty and unnecessary ingredients? Kind of makes you wonder when all of those ingredients are PROVEN to cause nasty health problems such as Alzheimers, Cancer, Autism, etc.
And yes, MANY independent studies show a cause and effect relationship between vaccinations and Autism. There is a YouTube video entitled, “CDC Chief Admits that Vaccines Trigger Autism”. Check it out!
For more detailed substantiation on these points, go to Mercola dot com and type “vaccinations” as your search term - there is a HUGE amount of information that will truly open your eyes!
Bottom line, DO NOT believe the Big Pharma industry spin! Also understand that the pharmaceutical industry provides most of the funding for the FDA who all too often simply “rubber stamps” their cherry-picked studies. They also work to insure that “Public Health” officials are properly indoctrinated and chosen who will perpetuate the $$ BILLIONS in industry profits. Huge conflict of interest that works against the public.
Remember when VIOXX was proven to kill over 50,000 people while both Pfizer and the FDA delayed pulling it from the market for YEARS? Remember the thousands of DES babies born with deformities? How about the Swine Flu vaccine fiasco in the late 70’s? There are hundreds of these same types of examples where drugs were rushed to market after selective studies and FDA “oversight” proved to be a complete failure. It’s very much like what happened with the cigarette industry where doctors were paid by industry to tell everyone how safe smoking was supposed to be, even years after insiders knew otherwise.
No wonder millions of people no longer trust those Pharmaceutical industry funded studies that ALWAYS point to results that enrich their profit-driven gravy train !! Many people have finally rejected the standard, allopathic medical model of “cut, burn or poison” the effects of whatever ails a person. It’s not about “curing” disease for them or even preventing it. Follow the money and you shall know the truth! (this is not a religious invocation - more like a common truism).
There are good reasons why the highest educated people (including doctors, nurses, researchers, etc) have the LOWEST compliance rates of vaccination for their children in public schools. Conversely, the lowest educated socio-economic groups have the highest rates of compliance (along with the highest rates of health problems). This was reinforced and even more pronounced with the recent H1N1 scare.
Vaccination is yet another FREEDOM OF CHOICE issue where the government should NOT be trying to FORCE people to put questionable substances into their bodies (or the bodies of their children).Though I haven’t followed Mr. Sali’s positions on previous issues, I very much applaud his position on this issue. Thank you Mr. Sali - As one of the politicians who “gets it”, you have my future vote and support !