Reverse that.

I just watched a clip from Bill Maher's interview with former Senator Bill Frist. Senator Frisk is a cardiologist and a republican. Bill Maher is a liberal, to some extent, and well-regarded by lefties around town.

I usually wouldn't watch such a match up. I know what I believe in, I don't need to hear bottled arguments and I don't listen to a lot of political talk.

I did listen to this conversation because it touched on the flu shot, which I'm getting soon. But what I heard flipped my opinions around completely.

Republican Bill Frist advocated for flu vaccines as well as the H1N1 vaccine. Bill Maher said he doesn't really believe in vaccines and that he thinks people shouldn't get flu shots and won't die from the flu.

WHAT?!?!

Seriously. Flu vaccines are killed vaccines, that means you can't get sick from them. H1N1 is a huge threat to different populations than the seasonal flu, which is why healthcare workers try to get the word out about the vaccine. Vaccines, by the way, have been around since the 1800s and have eradicated smallpox and nearly eradicated polio, Guinea worm, measles, mumps, elephantiasis, rubella, and many other viruses. This isn't small potatoes.

When people say things about medical advances and healthcare initiatives without any basis in science they're causing trouble and being stupid. Certainly you can decide if you want a flu shot (I do) or a H1N1 shot (I do!). It's up to you to decide what you put in your body. You also can decide if you want to eat crappy food, drink whiskey for breakfast or smoke cigars all day long.

But scaring people about scientifically tested vaccines is way worse than the flu. It's just stupid.