By Carol Lucas
We are now into August and entering the time when we should be thinking of those vaccines that are available to get us through the winter months without succumbing to the diseases that appear every year.
There is always the “flu de jour,” and luckily, up to now, there has been a vaccine readily available for those who wish to take advantage of it. Note my verbiage: not mandated, but readily available.
I ran across a blurb which asked, “Which Trump Appointee is the most unqualified?” It showed a picture of 11 people, some of whom were very familiar, others not so much. The answer to the question posed was simply this: “It’s a tough choice, isn’t it?”
Over the last six months I have addressed a couple of these — Hegseth, who casually texted top secret information on an unsecured line, and “dog exterminator” Noem come to mind. I am sure I will address others in the coming weeks since they never fail to provide fodder for anyone possessing a scintilla of comprehension.
But back to our current Secretary of Health and Human Services. This is a man with a surname that ordinarily connotes political success, and even in the eyes of some, greatness. I’ll leave that for you to decide. What I do know is this; his cousin wrote an impressive letter that cast him in a very unflattering light. She and many of her relatives were in a position to know of what they spoke, and some have gone so far as to call him a national threat.
On this note, a little of the background RFK, Jr. brought to his nomination to become the decision-maker on our country’s health. His choices regarding his own health is a good place to start.
He was a drug dealer in college and spent a large part of his adult life shooting up heroin. He shot so many steroids that his voice has been impaired. Shortly after his appointment, he was seen swimming in Rock Creek, Md., which had been declared unsafe because of pollutants. I might add that his grandchildren were with him.
My research unearthed some rather frightening information. He isn’t just a vaccine skeptic — he especially dislikes one type of vaccine: those that use mRNA technology, such as the first COVID shots. As a result of his “thinking,” he canceled nearly $500 million in funding to make mRNA immunizations as well as a bird-flu vaccine that Moderna was developing. (Adam Kushner, “Shot in the Dark”)
I don’t know about you, but I know I got the shot and the subsequent boosters with nothing more than a sore arm.
Try to think back when COVID first hit our country. Schools were closed — kids basically lost a year of education because they were tossed into virtual learning without preparation. Businesses lost millions; restaurants alone were closed down, some never to reopen. The mental health crisis that resulted is reason enough to inspect Kennedy’s motivation. But then his mental health, in my humble opinion, mandates the same.
So, what is Kennedy’s objection? He says the speed with which the vaccine was developed. This response alone is reason enough to question his credibility. Anyone knowing how this works (or taking the time to find out) would discern that this vaccine has been in the pipeline for 20 years.
Deeper delving produced this: Kennedy favors whole-cell vaccines, developed more than 100 years ago. They use the entire pathogens, thereby exposing the body to hundreds of antigens (bacteria or virus) at once. The result can be seizures and high fever, especially in children.
Let that sink in. This person making decisions on your health favors 100-year-old “technology” as opposed to that which is up to date. Tell you anything?
I found a discussion between Kennedy and Congresswoman Dr. Kim Schrier, a pediatrician, that should put his competency clearly into focus. I will include as much as my word count permits. You, dear reader, can access the entirety online. She quickly brings to the exchange his staggering ignorance on vaccines.
“Secretary Kennedy on May 27, you posted a 60-second video on your X account unilaterally changing vaccine recommendations without consulting the customary panel of experts,” said Schrier. “As a pediatrician I find that extremely alarming so I thought we would talk a little about some vaccine-preventable diseases.
“Secretary Kennedy — and these are yes or no questions — have you ever treated measles?”
“Do I what?” asked RFK.
“Have you ever treated measles?”
“No,” he admitted.
“Well, I have. Let me tell you how miserable it is. These kids have high fevers, struggling to breathe, and they are crying,” said Schrier. “They suffer. Great news is that there is a vaccine to prevent it.
“Secretary Kennedy, again a yes or no question, have you ever treated bacterial meningitis?”
“No,” he admitted again.
“Well, I have,” said Schrier. “These babies are so sick. They come into the ER with high fevers. They are floppy, and we have to figure out why. Do you know how we figure out if a baby has meningitis?”
She goes on to explain a spinal tap, but adds that few have to be done anymore because of the three vaccines available, calling them miracles.
“Secretary Kennedy, yes or no, have you ever treated pertussis or whooping cough?”
“No. I’ve had it,” said Kennedy.
“I’ve treated a bunch of older kids with it. They cough so hard they vomit. They run out of air. They break ribs. And if you don’t catch it before two weeks, antibiotics don’t even work.”
If this discussion (if you can even call it that) doesn’t convince you of this man’s ineptitude, nothing will. I’d call him a “quack” except that’s reserved for inept physicians, and he isn’t even that.
Already measles is spreading across the country like wildfire, something inconceivable a year ago. People are dying.
This man is woefully unqualified for his position; he should be removed immediately!
Carol Lucas is a retired high school teacher and a Lady’s Island resident. She is the author of the recently published “A Breath Away: One Woman’s Journey Through Widowhood.”
