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“Trust the Science!” Files: Prof punished for saying the obvious

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At MercatorNet:

The most recent case occurred last month at Laval University in Canada, when professor and RNA expert Patrick Provost was suspended without pay for anti-mRNA vaccine comments. Patrick Provost has run an RNA lab for 20 years and has published nearly 100 peer-reviewed studies. In 2003, Provost’s work on the role of microRNA in gene expression was named one of the 10 discoveries of the year by the Quebec Science Magazine.

Based on the government’s own hospitalization and mortality statistics for children, which are both very low, Provost said he believed the risks of Covid-19 vaccination in children could outweigh the benefits because of the potential side-effects from mRNA vaccines, which have only gone through two of the usual four stages of testing required before vaccines are approved for general use.

“I was just doing what I was hired to do,” he said in an interview. “I had some concerns about something, I searched the literature and I prepared a talk and I delivered it to the public. Being censored for doing what I’ve been trained to do — and hired to do — well, it’s hard to believe.”

“As soon as you raise some concerns about vaccines, or side-effects, or complications related to vaccines, then it’s worse than the N-word,” he continued. “You’re condemned by the media, by the government and you’re chased and put down …. We should be able to discuss any ideas — any opinions — and because I expressed opinions that went against the government narrative, I was suspended.”

Regarding the University’s reaction, one might well wonder about the fact that the top 20 pharmaceutical companies spent C$139 billion on Research & Development in 2022, a portion of which went to university researchers. Faculties of medicine are particularly favoured beneficiaries of such funding. And Patrick Provost is a professor at the Faculty of Medicine. – Patrick Duffley (March 16, 2023)

“Science” is quickly becoming a monster whose greatest fear is everyday facts.

Comments
Seversky @3,
I’m not sure what Provost’s concerns about the efficacy and safety of mRNA vaccines has to do with Marxism but I’m sure our resident outlet for Q-anon conspiracy theories will tell us.
Dr. Provost apparently analyzed Canadian government statistics on vaccine injuries compared to fatal outcomes of COVID-19 for children. He found that the rate of vaccine injuries exceeded COVID-19 deaths in a young age group. The logical conclusion is that COVID-19 vaccines are likely not an effective treatment for that age group. The university administrators, who are keenly aware of the large sums of money coming from the government and big pharma and who clearly know nothing about viruses and their treatments, went ballistic against this supposed heresy against the government-pharma-media narrative, punishing him for his highly informed and valuable analysis. This type of denial runs rampant in the increasingly authoritarian government of Canada, whose Premier openly adores the CCP and is historically typical of Marxist denials of reality. My reference to "the best ____ that money can buy" is a reference to Will Roger's famous quote about American politicians: https://www.willrogerstoday.com/quotes/will-rogers-on-politics/ -QQuerius
March 19, 2023
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Querius at 2, That was pretty incoherent. Of course large pharmaceutical companies profited. The "narrative," as you call it, was "take this or risk infection and death." Whether you believe that or not is up to you. Everything is still vague: the origin of the virus, and if of foreign origin, when it first arrived, warnings that this particular virus was a threat, followed by lockdowns. Only two alternatives were possible for the public at large: Believe what the government was saying based on the recommendations of the CDC, take one of the vaccines, practice other safety precautions, and, hopefully, watch the numbers go down. The alternative was that the government was lying, along with the pharmaceutical companies, no billionaires died during the frying pan-demic and they made lots of money. You couldn't go to Church but you could go to Walmart. And all the politicians involved in lockdowns are drooling, power-hungry maniacs who decided to Abuse Their Power (TM) because they love seeing their subjects, the peasants, suffer. While a few attended private parties, like Boris Johnson.relatd
March 19, 2023
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I'm not sure what Provost's concerns about the efficacy and safety of mRNA vaccines has to do with Marxism but I'm sure our resident outlet for Q-anon conspiracy theories will tell us,Seversky
March 19, 2023
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Apparently, Canada and Laval University have the best administrators money can buy. No, they didn't "over-react." They reacted precisely as they were being paid to do . . . making sure that the desired narrative of the government-pharma-media complex operates in accordance to Marxist fantasies. Note that ANY government/university directive or policy automatically overrides ANY scientific findings that dare stray from the official narrative! Dr. Provost should have known better than look at the data! We're living in a brave new world. Enjoy the ride down. And then when it crashes, be sure to vehemently assert that it wasn't TRUE socialism and that next time, it will surely work. -QQuerius
March 18, 2023
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It sounds to me like the university over-reacted and his union is taking up the case, as it should. Hopefully, we will see some rapid beck-pedaling by the university administration fairly soon.Seversky
March 18, 2023
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