When a public official pulls a stunt like blaming the death of a newborn whose spleen ruptured on being unvaccinated, it really doesn’t have anything to do with encouraging vaccination, the point is clearly to make everyone hate each other. Pro vaccine people hate the unvaccinated for causing the death of innocent kids. Anti vaccine people sense that the story is probably misleading, eventually find out that it is, move further away from taking vaccines and hate the public official and the people supporting them. Then, inside all of the hate, no one takes an honest open minded approach.
If there’s anything to learn here, it’s that we shouldn’t hate each other, and that we shouldn’t trust politicians. There’s plenty of propaganda and bogus on both sides of the aisle. Most people genuinely just want what is best for kids. We should probably start there.
This is a long post, but I think it is important for anyone who wants to get to the bottom of what is happening here in Lancaster County.
On Tuesday Aug 25th Governor Shapiro and officials from the PA Dept of Health and Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health held a press conference in Lancaster County and announced two “measles-associated deaths.” (See my previous posts for more details on this.)
I have sought to keep an open mind and be objective, but the evidence now leads to the conclusion that there is deception happening here.
This is a matter of great public importance. The Governor claimed there were two deaths in Lancaster County – the first deaths from Measles in the U.S. in 35 years. We have a right to know the facts on this. You cannot drop a bombshell like this and then essentially say all the information around it is top secret. The only way for government to have trust with citizens is through transparency and honesty. That is especially important since what happened during Covid.
Asking questions and following the facts is not “pro-measles” or “anti-science.” It is what we all should do. The following is an attempt to follow the evidence that we currently have available to us.
Ideally, in a functioning healthy system journalists would assemble this case and ask objective questions of the people who had the press conference rather than attack the people who are asking legitimate questions about the press conference. But that is not necessarily the system we are living in, so I will endeavor to do it.
Let me walk you through the evidence that we have as I would have done for a jury when I was a prosecutor trying criminal cases in court.
1. The press conference: Officials at the Governor’s press conference used the term “measles-associated” (see press conference and accompanying press release) but clearly framed it as deaths FROM measles. The Governor stated that these are the first two measles-associated deaths in the U.S. in 35 years. People died FROM measles 35 years ago. Therefore, it would not be accurate to make that statement unless these current cases were in fact being presented as deaths attributable to measles in some significant way. This appears to be a carefully crafted attempt to overstate the case, while also maintaining some later wiggle room, i.e. “associated” to muddy the issue if it became clear these were not in fact measles deaths. This indicates deception.
2. The desired media response: The media, in large part, dutifully took their cue and reported two deaths “from” measles in Lancaster County. The New York Times: “Two unvaccinated people in Pennsylvania have died from measles, as a large outbreak there continues to spread, the state’s Health Department reported on Tuesday morning.” ABC News: “BREAKING: Two people have died in Pennsylvania from measles, the state health department said Tuesday. Both unvaccinated.”
Importantly, the Governor, his administration, and other officials at the press conference did not correct these stories. The message had been conveyed as apparently it was intended.
Note – it is clear now that these stories are not true and any credible news source would retract them rather than just shrug and move on.
3. The lack of transparency: Officials provided virtually no background information about these “measles-associated” deaths. DOH said to “protect the privacy of the individuals and their families, DOH will not release any additional details that could personally identify these individuals and their families,” however, they did release the medical information other than the fact that the two were “unvaccinated.”
Importantly, the law DOES allow information to be released that does not violate privacy – i.e. more demographic and background information. I contend it was very important to do this when making such a big announcement, which made national news. Officials provided no corroborating evidence to their claims.
4. The story unravels: I then conducted an investigation and learned from the Lancaster County Coroner that there were zero reported measles deaths in Lancaster County. (See earlier posts.) I announced this publicly to be transparent. Neither the Governor’s Office nor Penn Medicine replied to my questions. The law requires deaths from contagious disease such as measles to be reported to the Coroner.
The Coroner then released information that an infant had died during a home birth and the infant tested positive for measles but did not die of measles. (See Coroner statements to LNP, WGAL, and Philadelphia Inquirer.)
5. State officials then point to deceased infant: State officials, who previously refused to give any information on the two deceased individuals (other then they were unvaccinated) then pointed to the infant as one of the cases. (See DOH statement of 8/26/27.) PA Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen released a statement on 8/26/27 stating that she “thoroughly reviewed the case investigation information and sadly can confirm that the were two measles-associated deaths in Lancaster County…”
6. County Coroner and Forensic Patholgist report contradicts state officials: The County Coroner and the Forensic Pathologist, both of whom have many years of experience, rule out the claim that the infant can be one of the cases. “Lancaster County Coroner Steve Diamantoni said the cause of death was not from the measles. The newborn died shortly after birth from a laceration of the spleen, although measle antibodies were present in postmortem testing…” (Coroner interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer.)
Moreover, the forensic pathologist who conducted the autopsy indicated the cause of death was not related to measles (Coroner interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer), thus ruling out the theory that has been raised by some that the spleen was enlarged or otherwise susceptible to this injury due to measles exposure.
7. The death investigation: Importantly, the County Coroner is THE person who has statutory authority to rule on cause and manner of death in Pennsylvania. The Coroner said “state officials had not contacted him personally as of Wednesday about the two Lancaster County measles-associated deaths.” (Coroner interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer.) Because this was a home birth where the infant died, and because the County Coroner and the forensic pathologist were the ones investigating this case – and came to the conclusion it was not measles related, – what evidence did the PA Secretary of Health “thoroughly” review? (Statement of Dr. Debra Bogen on 8/26/27.) There would be no hospital records in this case. The Coroner investigation WAS the investigation. But they never personally consulted the Coroner. So what other evidence is she using to determine this death was “measles-associated” to such a degree that they could report to the world that this was one of two measles deaths in Lancaster County?
8. Deception: Also important is the fact that officials emphasized in the press conference that the two individuals were “unvaccinated.” Now, technically that would be true for a baby who was born at home and immediately died. But there would be no possible way for the baby to vaccinated. The framing of this, or underlying assertion in it, seemed to be to indicate that the deceased person was unvaccinated by choice. This shows intent on the part of officials to deceive. Announcing a technically true statement, but keeping secret the context which would show there was no possible way for the baby to have been vaccinated before its death is deliberately deceptive.
In the law, when trying cases in court, there is a jury instruction called “false in one, false in all.” It is the from the Latin term “falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus.” It means that if you find a witness lied about a material fact, the jury may choose to reject the rest of the witness’s testimony. That seems appropriate here.
9. Deception: Similarly deceptive is the following - after my investigation revealed that the County Coroner has zero deaths from measles, PA DOH said: “Not all deaths are referred to a coroner under Pennsylvania law.” (DOH Statement on 8/26/26.) This is technically correct. For instance, an elderly patient who dies of natural causes would not necessarily be referred to the County Coroner. However, the law does require a death known or suspected to be due to contagious disease be reported to the coroner. Thus, the coroner should have a record of any measles death in Lancaster County.
Again, this is an apparent deliberate deception. Falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus.
10. The second case: We still know nothing about the second reported death. There has not even been an effort, to my knowledge, to explain this death or provide any details whatsoever – beyond “unvaccinated.” Again, under the law any death due to measles would be required to be reported to the County Coroner. He has no report.
Given the other apparent deception here it is fair to ask whether the facts of the second case have been materially manipulated similar to the first case, or whether the second case exists at all.
I think the people of Lancaster County deserve to have transparency over whether there were actually two measles deaths or not.
This will be both a coach’s interview and a thank you.
I first met Maximus Norman while I was living down in Huntsville, AL and he was attending Baylor School in Chattanooga, TN. About once every month or two I would drive over to wrestle with him, and I remember thinking that he had a lot of heart, he was insanely strong, and that he had a ways to go with technical development, but that he would eventually end up being really good.
He competed for Brown University last year as an 18 year old true freshman and had a good year despite narrowly missing qualification for the NCAA tournament (he was more than good enough to be there).
Initially the thought was that he would come out to Michigan with his teammate Andrew Reall for a week or two (Andrew is also a beast and an amazing guy) and wrestle with Gabe and I, but that evolved into a 2.5 month stay where at the end I can say with no doubt 3 things.
1) He got more and more difficult to wrestle every week. He’s going to have a really great year. He will have an even better career. He has 4 years of eligibility left and by the time he is done he will absolutely be one of the best wrestlers and competitors in the country.
2) He is an amazing kid. Genuinely a rare treat in the world today, he is one of the most grateful, least entitled, hard working people I’ve ever met. Our entire wrestling club, and my family is so much better off for having had him here this summer, and we look forward to a lifelong relationship and friendship.
3) Maximus will graduate from Brown in 3 years with a year of eligibility left that as it stands will have to be used somewhere else. When that time comes, if I were a college coach, I would do whatever I could to have him in my program. Great Lakes Land Holdings and Ethos Wrestling Club will desperately try to hire him when he finally finishes college.
Thank you, Maximus. You are the man
Enjoyed talking with your crew, thanks for the kind words Kevin!
What Max is doing in W MI is awesome! Check out his club and his interview he did w us on @QuadPodWrestle. Excited to see how this continues to develop!!!
We are winding down on an amazing first spring and summer, and registrations for our fall season are now LIVE.
We got to spend time with so many amazing guys from so many amazing programs this past season, and we will continue to bring in high quality people and wrestlers to work with our athletes. It is pretty incredible that this fall Gabe, Josh, and Jack will be coaching weekly as they have all succeeded at the next level and are also amazing role models for the kids to be around.
Our club will continue to focus on the long term skill development of our athletes, and to do everything we can to help them love wrestling and enjoy the process. When we compete, it will be with this in mind.
To protect that, we are limiting group sizes to around 30 kids per practice. For that reason, registrations are somewhat limited so please register now if you’d like to train and compete with us this fall!
EthosWrestling.com
Pat is such an awesome guy and I really enjoyed all of my time with him. I’m certain everyone else feels the same. I’m not in PA anymore but he will be missed. Congrats!
This is possibly the most exciting news regarding Ethos Wrestling Club to date. Justin Sheehan is bringing Jiu Jitsu to Ethos. His jiu jitsu club will be called No Quarters Jiu Jitsu and will operate in Ethos Wrestling Club. A little background on Justin:
- Seal Team 6 Operator
- Black Belt in Jiu Jitsu under Gustavo Machado
Yes, you read that correctly and yes, he is without a doubt one of the coolest and baddest men on the planet. What an incredible guy for our club kids and for the community to get to spend some time around.
He will be offering classes ranging from adult to upper-level youth, and to get things rolling there will be a free clinic at the club this Saturday June 20th at 1 PM. It’s a great workout, it is a lot of fun, and it gives everyone an opportunity to participate in combat spots which has more benefits for your life than I can list here.
Come learn from Justin this Saturday at 1 PM!
13565 Grand River Dr SE Suite C
Lowell, MI 49331
My friends Josh and Levi are coming to teach wrestling in West MI for a couple of days here in a few weeks. It’s going to be a really awesome event. If you feel like checking it out you can register at EthosWrestling.com
The people around you will eventually not care that you were good at wrestling or rich or prosperous in any sort of worldly manner, but they will remember the way you treated them for the rest of their lives. The irony is that the better you treat people the more prosperous you will be
EthosWrestling.com
I am PUMPED to have such an amazing person and wrestler kick off the first of many clinics we intend to offer. Come learn from this year’s P4P baddest man in the NCAA.
@Mitch_Mes
Like most young men, the standard for the way I approached everything in my life was always set by my dad. His ability to enact kindness and fortitude, resilience, and courage all at once have been unparalleled by any one else I have known. The other people in my life that I look up to closely resemble many of the same qualities that I have witnessed from him. Many people know that he was a great wrestler, but for those unaware he was a:
2x NCAA All-American
NCAA Finalist
Olympic Alternate
13 year coach at Michigan State in the Big Ten
He is really the only reason that by about the age of 5 years old I had already decided and proclaimed that I would be a college wrestler.
It’s really exciting and cool for me to let everyone know that he will also be a full time coach at Ethos Wrestling Club this spring and summer. Not only will it make the experience very gratifying for me, I know that he has a ton to offer our athletes and their families as he built the foundation for success that my brother and I were able to find.
If you are still interested in checking us out go to EthosWrestling.com
Looking forward to seeing you this offseason!
Prospective wrestlers and parents,
I am writing to let you know that registration for spring and summer training run by myself is going live today. It will run in Lowell (240 S Broadway St, Lowell, MI 49331), we are going to offer a rate for athletes of $750 for the entire season (March 31 through August 1). If you prefer to pay monthly rather than all up front, it will run at a rate of $200 for every month, totaling to $800. You must pay for at least the first month to reserve your spot in the club.
Link to register:
wrestlingiq.com/.../register…
Due to space constraints, we do have to cap the club membership at 60 athletes.
The club memberships will be for 6th grade and above. Please do not attempt to register an athlete younger than 6th grade.
Please know when considering whether to register that this club is going to cater to athletes with above a beginner level of experience. While I admire and want to help any kid that is willing to work hard, the technique that will be shown is advanced, and the club will not slow down for participants if they are unable to keep up with the rest of the group. I say this because I want our wrestlers to get the most out of it. I genuinely want to help any kid that wants to get better, but the technique shown and the practice structure will be collegiate level. If you are a beginner in the sport, I recommend pursuing a different training opportunity and coming to us later on in your career.
Practice will run 5:15 PM to 6:45PM Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 8:15 AM to 9:45 AM every Saturday.
This schedule will be consistent outside of 2-3 exceptions, and practice will not run on days when we are offering clinics or when the club is traveling to competitions or on training trips. If we ran practice all 3 days the entire season, it would be 54 practices, I am confident saying that we will offer at least 42 practices (with other opportunities in place of the missed practice).
If you would like to see our full calendar, please email [[email protected]] and I will share it with you.
In addition to the 42+ practices included, club membership will also get you:
- Reduced rates for clinics when high level world and collegiate wrestlers come to town. We have been in discussions with various NCAA All-Americans and Champs who have expressed willingness to come out and teach for a couple of days. Non club members will get these types of clinics for $200+, while it will be offered to Ethos members for under $100. We won't have exact dates for these until after the NCAA season is complete. We intend to offer 3 separate clinics this summer with high profile wrestlers. All will be at a reduced rate for club members.
- 2-3 trips where your only cost is lodging, travel, food, and tournament registration (if applicable).
We have made plans to take a 5 day trip to Pennsylvania which will be in late July. On this trip we will train with 2 different Pennsylvania clubs and spend a day at Hershey Park as a team. We chose late July because the clubs we will be training with in PA are participating in Fargo, which is in mid-July. I will drive a van of kids, and will look for some club parents to pitch in as well, but the only costs asked of wrestlers will be for lodging, travel, park tickets, and food.
- We will compete together as a club the first weekend of May at a local tournament in Kalamazoo (Viking Wars). We are considering another event to end the season in early August, and if at least a dozen athletes and parents want to go, we will compete the first weekend of August as well.
- We will begin running some free practices (for registered members) in Mid March. These will include March 18th, 23rd, and 25th, with possibly more. Drop-in pricing will be $25 for non-members.
- Gear at a reduced rate. For all club members, the club will share the cost of gear with them. Your cost for a singlet, sweatshirt, 2 t-shirts, and a ballcap will be $77 (if you elect to purchase gear). The club will handle the remaining cost. The link to order gear is in the welcome email.
I look forward to being a resource for all the young wrestlers in our surrounding communities with aspirations to try to be great at this sport. My main drive for doing this is that I love wrestling and that I love helping young people.
Thank you,
Max Dean
Ethos Wrestling Club
I am extremely excited to announce the founding of Ethos Wrestling Club, which will be based out of my hometown Lowell, in West Michigan.
I love wrestling. Starting as a young kid and carrying past college, it provided me experiences that are unparalleled by any of my other endeavors. It is my belief that wrestling is the greatest sport on the planet. There is nothing that can teach our next generation lessons of character, responsibility, accountability, perseverance, dedication, and work ethic more effectively. Throughout my entire life being around the sport has been one of my greatest joys, whether it be as a competitor, coach, or spectator.
The mission of Ethos Wrestling Club will be to develop young athletes as wrestlers, competitors, and people, and to help them reach their goals athletically as well as instill the important lessons that the sport of wrestling can provide. Our club will approach our training, competing, and lifestyle from the view that wrestling is fun, we love to do it, and we are grateful each time that we are able to come together and work on it.
Preliminarily, there will be practice offered three times a week, beginning at the end of March, and while we are still working to finalize our competition and travel schedule, we will be offering competitive opportunities.
If you are interested in being a member, please email [email protected]
Lots of awesome human beings around the planet - lost my wedding ring in the Pacific Ocean yesterday, hours of searching with no luck. Ian, a lifeguard at Hapuna Beach in Hawaii spent hours searching with a metal detector and pulled it out of the ocean this morning. There was a reward involved, but he truthfully could have pawned it for more - he got a hold of me and got it back to me first thing. Looking forward to telling my kids about the day my ring spent in the ocean and also when I get an opportunity to pay it forward 😃
Not having Carter finish the night is ridiculous and unjustifiable. I legitimately thought it was satire at first
In spirit, the same morons running the DMV were ready to bar you from entering any public space or holding a job to provide for your family for refusing to take a shot you didn’t want that they had deemed “safe and effective.”
Government is terrible at allocating financial resources, terrible at managing and upgrading infrastructure, terrible at managing public health, and even embarrassingly terrible at doing simple tasks like clerical work to designate drivers licenses.
All of this while readily disrespecting god given rights the second someone tells them they are allowed to do so.
Government should be way smaller and people should be empowered to provide for themselves.
There is no better argument in the world against centralized government / communism than a trip to the DMV. Website to apply for a new driver’s license doesn’t work so I am here in person. Line out the door and they won’t see me without an appointment. Went to the appointment scheduling and the next available is in 6 weeks.
6 WEEKS TO START THE PROCESS OF TRANSFERRING MY ACTIVE LICENSE FROM STATE TO STATE.
This should be a 15 minute task.
The government is generally terrible at almost everything it touches. Self-capable people should want the government to have less dominion over their lives.























