Trump Names Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services
[guest post by Dana]
The hits just keep coming:
I am thrilled to announce Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 14, 2024
This is going to be a tough one for Republican pro-lifers who believed that they were voting for the pro-life candidate. Consider Kennedy’s latest comments on abortion:
*Do you support a federal ban on abortion?
No. “Mr. Kennedy supports a woman’s right to choose. He believes the issue of late-term abortions is being used to artificially divide the American public. Practically speaking, these are exceedingly rare, and almost always done in situations of medical emergency. While they are both tragic and disturbing, Mr. Kennedy believes it is not up to the government to intervene in these difficult medical and moral choices. That should be left up to the woman and her doctor,” Kennedy’s campaign said in an email. He backtracked on a statement made in August 2023 suggesting he supported a 15-week federal abortion ban.
*At what point in a pregnancy do you believe abortion should be banned? At all points? At 6 weeks gestation? 15 weeks? Some other time?
In August 2023, Kennedy suggested he would support a 15-week federal ban, saying, “I think the states have a right to protect a child once the child becomes viable, and that right, it increases.” He later disavowed that standard, with his campaign saying in an email: “Mr. Kennedy supports a woman’s right to choose.”
*Do you support exceptions to abortion bans in cases of rape, incest, threat to the life of the mother and/or health of the mother? If not, do you support any exceptions?
Yes. Kennedy says on his campaign website, “abortion is a tragedy but I don’t trust the government to make these decisions for Americans. I’m for choice and medical freedom.” He supports codifying Roe v. Wade, which established a fundamental right to abortion.
*Should the FDA approval of mifepristone be revoked? How, if at all, would you seek to restrict abortion pills flowing into states where abortion is illegal?
No. Kennedy supports the FDA approval of abortion medication mifepristone, his campaign said in an email.
And more from Kennedy:
Kennedy’s baseless claims have included that Wi-Fi causes cancer and “leaky brain”; that school shootings are attributable to antidepressants; that chemicals in water can lead to children becoming transgender; and that AIDS may not be caused by HIV. He’s also long said that vaccines cause autism and fail to protect people from diseases.
No one should be surprised by Trump’s selection of individuals to head up various agencies. Given everything we have seen Trump say and do over the past 10 years, he is doing exactly what we should expect him to do. This is who is and always has been. If you’re shocked, then you haven’t been paying attention.
—Dana
Hello.
Dana (f66d9b) — 11/14/2024 @ 1:51 pmSaw that one a mile away…
whembly (477db6) — 11/14/2024 @ 1:54 pmWell, he can kiss his recess appointment opportunities goodbye. This and the Gaetz nomination are so off-the-wall it’s not even a good joke. I can see Thune making deals Schumer as we speak (“What will you give us to kill these turkeys?”)
Kevin M (a9545f) — 11/14/2024 @ 2:01 pmYou get RFK Jr and his brain worms. It’s a 2 for 1 deal, a real bargain.
Davethulhu (b39c18) — 11/14/2024 @ 2:01 pmCell providers beware. You might find yourself liable for all those cancer towers.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 11/14/2024 @ 2:02 pmMr ‘thulhu, I think we are in violent agreement on this one.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 11/14/2024 @ 2:03 pmCan anyone name a Senator who will vote to confirm?
BTW, can a nominee who is voted down by the Senate later be given a recess appointment? Is there a precedent?
Kevin M (a9545f) — 11/14/2024 @ 2:05 pm@8
Yes, I recall in one of the Bush, or even Clinton’s administration had recessed a pick that was either looking like not getting confirmed or was deconfirmed. Too lazy to hunt that one down tho…
whembly (477db6) — 11/14/2024 @ 2:07 pmAgain… I would take Kennedy over the current HHS (Xavier Becerra).
whembly (477db6) — 11/14/2024 @ 2:08 pmhttps://imgur.com/xlrDyPV
Kevin M (a9545f) — 11/14/2024 @ 2:12 pmI would take Kennedy over an orangutan, but it would be a close call. The orangutan might do less damage.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 11/14/2024 @ 2:22 pmThe recess appointment is designed for times when the Senate is unable to give advice and consent. If, however, the Senate has voted to withhold consent, and then Trump appointed that same person to the same post during a later recess, I can see the Senate bringing suit and winning.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 11/14/2024 @ 2:24 pmNext he’ll appoint a horse as Surgeon General. Dr Ed.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 11/14/2024 @ 2:31 pmI like this choice. America needs better vaccines and better approaches to vaccine research than what we have now, and I think an extreme choice like this is the only way to get it.
Vaccines save lives but the method of making them and how we administer them hasn’t changed much in 50 years. We treat them as one size fits all, even though we give them to everyone from babies to teens to adults and the very elderly.
I think titer testing should be offered in lieu of mandatory vaccines, but if we only want vaccines, we need to get better at it.
DRJ (df5ffc) — 11/14/2024 @ 2:32 pmAnd we give them to everyone, no matter what their health status is. That’s absurd.
I sometimes wish we called them what they are — immunizations — because then we will remember that these medicines are designed to alter our immune systems.
If someone already have a dysfunctional immune system from genetics or illness, they need to be careful with an immunization.
DRJ (df5ffc) — 11/14/2024 @ 2:36 pmVaccines save lives but the method of making them and how we administer them hasn’t changed much in 50 years.
This is patently untrue. mRNA vaccines are created MUCH differently than all previous vaccines, and even the adenovirus-vector vaccines are quite different than the Salk-era killed-virus vaccines. For one thing, it is not possible to get the disease itself from a modern vaccine, something that actually happened with polio vaccines.
Now, it IS true that our testing methods are from 1950, but what is needed is to speed those up by relying in part on computers, and RFK would slow them down to the point where we’d still be waiting for a “safe” COVID vaccine despite the piles of dead people who would have taken a “chance.”
Kevin M (a9545f) — 11/14/2024 @ 2:47 pmIf someone already have a dysfunctional immune system from genetics or illness, they need to be careful with an immunization.
Please explain why. There is nothing in the vaccine that can infect them.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 11/14/2024 @ 2:48 pmBut let’s say that the COVID vaccines that saved a billion lives might kill 500 people, even at random. Is it a good idea to withhold that vaccine?
Kevin M (a9545f) — 11/14/2024 @ 2:49 pm@18
Of course not.
But that isn’t the issue.
The issue are various mandates.
whembly (477db6) — 11/14/2024 @ 3:03 pmGabbard
Gaetz
RFK Jr.
The absurd has compounded.
Paul Montagu (271b15) — 11/14/2024 @ 3:14 pmThe issue are various mandates.
Those mandates were issued by states and the federal government has no role there. Should they withhold a vaccine because a state might mandate it?
Kevin M (a9545f) — 11/14/2024 @ 3:23 pmRick Scott? Josh Hawley? Ron Johnson?
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 11/14/2024 @ 3:35 pmTed Budd (NC)? Eric Schmitt (MO)? Markwayne Mullin (OK)? Katie Britt (AL)? Bernie Moreno (OH)? Tim Scott & Lindsey Graham (SC)? Tim Sheehy (MT)? Jim Justice (WVA)? Jim Banks (IN)? David McCormick (PA)? Marsha Blackburn (TN)? Kennedy (LA)?
Enough examples of who might confirm either Gaetz and/or RFKJr?
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 11/14/2024 @ 3:47 pmFeeling somewhat more positive this afternoon, I started to consider the possibility that the Loser is choosing his nominees . . . . for maximum entertainment value.
Jim Miller (7426cb) — 11/14/2024 @ 3:55 pmDepartment of Indian Affairs is two centuries old; it’s one of the oldest agencies in our government. And Trump’s appointment of Senator Warren to direct this agency is inspired.
Yeah I am hoping for Trump to be a success. I am particularly wanting him to be more effective on the border. I’m read Rubio as a sign he was more serious this time. But that’s not the case.
Dustin (4b502c) — 11/14/2024 @ 3:57 pm“America needs better vaccines and better approaches to vaccine research than what we have now, and I think an extreme choice like this is the only way to get it.”
RFK Jr. believes there are no good vaccines. Not polio. Not smallpox. None of them.
Davethulhu (b39c18) — 11/14/2024 @ 3:58 pmI was snarking on Hegseth a day or two ago, but he’s a smart guy and pro-military and should get a fair hearing. The three I named are pathetic jokes.
Paul Montagu (271b15) — 11/14/2024 @ 4:18 pmRick Scott? Josh Hawley? Ron Johnson?
Got me there. Although Hawley isn’t an idiot.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 11/14/2024 @ 4:19 pmhttps://x.com/willchamberlain/status/1857166216982331534
Nailed.
Game. Set. Match.
NJRob (b9d52b) — 11/14/2024 @ 4:22 pmEnough examples of who might confirm either Gaetz and/or RFKJr?
Maybe some of those, but confirming RFKJr will piss off everyone over the age of 60 who viewed the COVID vaccine as something to stand in a long line for.
Of course the Age of Reason may be dead, so maybe you’re right. Someone should ask him about Pyramid Power and chakras. Then vote against him due to their horoscope.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 11/14/2024 @ 4:23 pmI note the acolytes are genuflecting as required here.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 11/14/2024 @ 4:25 pm“God forbid we let RFK Jr. be in charge of HHS, otherwise he might do something crazy like fund experimental gain-of-function research in Chinese laboratories and cause a global pandemic”
Which HHS secretary did this?
Davethulhu (b39c18) — 11/14/2024 @ 4:35 pmIf someone already have a dysfunctional immune system from genetics or illness, they need to be careful with an immunization.
COVID was killing people like that with impunity. I knew some of them. This is a ridiculous, if not dangerous, argument. It’s like a soldier fearing he might be allergic to his body armor.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 11/14/2024 @ 4:38 pmI knew he said he would let him run wild. But I thought he would appoint RFK Jr to a position in the White House. Evidently, he decided to make is position official, unlike Homan.
Dr. Scott Gottlieb will fight him somewhat.
Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09) — 11/14/2024 @ 4:44 pmAssumes facts not in evidence.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 11/14/2024 @ 5:09 pm<blockquote>Dr. Scott Gottlieb will fight (RFKJr.) somewhat.
Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09) — 11/14/2024 @ 4:44 pm
Why? Gottlieb is no longer the head of the FDA.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 11/14/2024 @ 5:12 pmSo what? Maybe those voters should have thought about that possibility before voting for Trump.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 11/14/2024 @ 5:14 pmI agree with you there.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 11/14/2024 @ 5:16 pmEzra Klein:
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 11/14/2024 @ 5:22 pmKevin,
There are still live vaccines.
There are people who should not get vaccinated.
DRJ (df5ffc) — 11/14/2024 @ 6:26 pmBy the way, it wasn’t until 2018 that all US States screened newborns for serious immune dysfunction. Before that, medicine depended on pediatricians to decide whether to screen infants and children.
DRJ (df5ffc) — 11/14/2024 @ 7:01 pmAlso, mRNA vaccines aren’t new. There was no market for them until Covid.
DRJ (df5ffc) — 11/14/2024 @ 7:05 pmRip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 11/14/2024 @ 5:12 pm
I think he’s expecting another appointment.
https://www.medpagetoday.com/washington-watch/electioncoverage/112715
Sammy Finkelman (c2c77e) — 11/14/2024 @ 7:29 pmTrump needs 50 Senators to confirm appointments. If all Democrats vote no, a loss of 4 or 5 Republican Senators can stop it – maybe even in committee. Some will vote yes, but only if getting promises.
Sammy Finkelman (c2c77e) — 11/14/2024 @ 7:33 pmYou mean RFK Jr is a step down from Xavier Becerra and Rachel Levine? LOL
lloyd (314139) — 11/14/2024 @ 7:52 pmRFK Jr was seeking the Democrat nomination just a few months ago. Had he succeeded. you would’ve voted for him.
lloyd (314139) — 11/14/2024 @ 7:55 pmI don’t think RFK Jr is a good choice for several reasons, but looking at ways to improve vaccines is not one of those reasons to me.
DRJ (0adca3) — 11/14/2024 @ 7:56 pmHad the Democrats not given RFK Jr good reasons to go independent, he wouldn’t be appointed to anything.
lloyd (314139) — 11/14/2024 @ 7:59 pmOh you poor poor dears. You say Rubio and said, “see, how bad could it be?”
Well, you go from the completely unqualified to the completely un-sane.
What a f-king clown show.
It’s F-boy Island, ruining a nuclear power addition.
Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a) — 11/14/2024 @ 8:03 pmAPPALLING: New Trump Appointee Has Zero Experience Being A Useless Government Bureaucrat.
lloyd (314139) — 11/14/2024 @ 8:06 pmSure, it’s the Democrats fault that your guy, stupid Hitler, is busy putting stupid crazy people in charge. Probably those dirty jews in Germany that one time, if they would have just been nicer to Hitler it would all have been fine.
Heh, dumbass, own your sh-t. This is your vote, your guy, your choice. We’re going to have to live with it, you f-king own it.
Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a) — 11/14/2024 @ 8:07 pmLloyd, justify RFKjr. 3 reasons why HE is the best choice to run HHS.
Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a) — 11/14/2024 @ 8:09 pm“Had the Democrats not given RFK Jr good reasons to go independent, he wouldn’t be appointed to anything.”
He’s a mental patient
Davethulhu (b39c18) — 11/14/2024 @ 8:19 pm> Well, he can kiss his recess appointment opportunities goodbye.
Nonsense. All he needs to do is get Johnson to ask for an adjournment, and when the Senate says no, Trump can adjourn both until a date of his choosing.
You trust Johnson not to do this?
aphrael (be1cf4) — 11/14/2024 @ 8:22 pmYou would’ve voted for a mental patient.
lloyd (314139) — 11/14/2024 @ 8:22 pmDomenech has the some words about Gaetz. I suspect he has some personal knowledge and/or some colleagues with personal knowledge.
Paul Montagu (271b15) — 11/14/2024 @ 8:30 pmDarn, awaiting moderation. Maybe it was the word “e-r-ection”.
Paul Montagu (271b15) — 11/14/2024 @ 8:32 pm“You would’ve voted for a mental patient.”
I didn’t vote for Harris, I certainly wouldn’t vote for RFK Jr.
Davethulhu (b39c18) — 11/14/2024 @ 8:47 pm@57 But you don’t want to say who you voted for. Someone nuttier than RFK Jr.?
lloyd (314139) — 11/14/2024 @ 9:01 pmThe normal puppets never actually have an opinion on the topic, it’s whatabout squirrel forever.
Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a) — 11/14/2024 @ 9:03 pmThere are still live vaccines.
Nothing created in this country in the last 20 years, and nothing that will be done in this country ever again. Which is what the FDA does. The only reason for people with poor immune systems to avoid vaccines is that they won’t do them any good as you need an immune system to get an immune response.
Sure, the MMR vaccine (1971) is a live vaccine (well, attenuated), but none of the US-offered COVID vaccines were and even most of the offshore vaccines were subunit types. The common flu, rabies, polio and HepA vaccines are killed viruses, which cannot infect.
But that is not RFKJr’s deal. He thinks that autism is caused by vaccines, which has been disproved ad nauseum, but he still believes.
He is a fool, and fools should not be in charge of non-fools. Period.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 11/14/2024 @ 9:05 pmI don’t think RFK Jr is a good choice for several reasons, but looking at ways to improve vaccines is not one of those reasons to me.
How about this then: he is not about how to improve vaccines. He is about throttling the creation, production and use of vaccines. He is, however, OK with using ivermectin to cure COVID.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 11/14/2024 @ 9:08 pmNonsense. All he needs to do is get Johnson to ask for an adjournment, and when the Senate says no, Trump can adjourn both until a date of his choosing.
Not at all. He tried this before. The only time that the president can adjourn Congress is when they cannot agree on the time for ending the SESSION. Right now they agree on Jan 3, 2025. Presumably the next one will end on Jan 3, 2027.
It’s not about when they take a recess or for how long. It is about adjournment sine die and only if the two houses cannot agree.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 11/14/2024 @ 9:11 pmYou trust Johnson not to do this?
I trust 5 members to not go along.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 11/14/2024 @ 9:13 pmNote that the Senate chose Thune, not Scott, despite Trump’s “request.”
Kevin M (a9545f) — 11/14/2024 @ 9:14 pm> I trust 5 members to not go along.
It must be nice to have faith that there are some lines the Republicans in Congress won’t cross in support of Trump. It would be an enormous surprise to me since it would be the first.
aphrael (be1cf4) — 11/14/2024 @ 10:02 pmI agree the Covid vaccines are not live vaccines. My link names the live vaccines. Attenuated vaccines are still live vaccines.
No, the reason is live vaccines can harm people who are immunocompromised or have a serious illness. The risks are significant including severe infections like encephalitis and neurological complications like Guillain Barre Syndrome and transverse myelitis.
DRJ (df5ffc) — 11/14/2024 @ 10:08 pmThe folks who wanted Kamala to be president are concerned that someone unqualified, incompetent and holding extreme views might lead HHS.
lloyd (59daa7) — 11/14/2024 @ 10:17 pmEven doctors are concerned, Kevin.
DRJ (df5ffc) — 11/14/2024 @ 10:23 pmThis is one of the reason why mandating *sterilizing* vaccines is important. Because some percentage of the population actually can’t safely get the measles vaccine (for example), the only way to protect them is to ensure that there is sufficient herd immunity that nobody can transmit it to them. Prior to 2020 that was uncontroversial.
aphrael (be1cf4) — 11/14/2024 @ 10:38 pmTrue.
DRJ (df5ffc) — 11/14/2024 @ 11:02 pmLatest sexual assaulter RFK.jr picked by trump. 17 year old sexual assault victim named in house ethics committee fears for her life. (DU) Yahoo news.
asset (c3717e) — 11/14/2024 @ 11:30 pmBut, aphrael, I think titer testing plus vaccines (when needed) could help us accomplish herd immunity more effectively and safely. Only get vaccines you need when you need them.
DRJ (df5ffc) — 11/15/2024 @ 12:03 amPeople can get vaccines if they want the convenience of getting a shot and then being fairly certain they are protected.
But for those who are hesitant about vaccine safety or that have medical issues that make vaccine safety an issue, then titer testing gives them a choice. They can find out whether they already have immunity first.
DRJ (df5ffc) — 11/15/2024 @ 12:39 amhttps://x.com/BucksGOP/status/1857129301092807028
Leftists admit they will violate the law to try and steal a Senate seat. This is why I don’t get worked up over Trump’s nominations.
NJRob (eb56c3) — 11/15/2024 @ 5:42 am“Don’t want”? What?
Paul Montagu (271b15) — 11/15/2024 @ 6:36 am@40
This.
My wife’s family has history of Guillain-Barré syndrome, which paralyzed here Grandfather and a niece.
@Kevin, I know this subject is important to you, but it’s deeply important to me as well for a very different reason. That reason is primarily mandates, especially as to how the Biden Admin and the hardcore advocates tried to shove this down our throats. I don’t know if you recall, the folks who CHOSE not to accept the vaccine were pariah’ed and either lost jobs, or were extremely fearful of losing their livelihood.
The problem is the idea that questioning vaccines is “a problem”. The more pushback we see from this, the more people is going to be asking “why”.
If the vaccines are so awesome, it should stand on its own and accept any further “reviews”.
whembly (477db6) — 11/15/2024 @ 6:43 am@56
And where’s the proof?
Imma apply the same standards, Paul, that you demanded when I opined that the Biden’s were in a “pay-to-play” scheme for the family.
You demanded hard proof.
So, help us find the hard proof here.
Let me put it another way: The Biden administration wasn’t shy about throwing considerable DOJ weight at Trump (a former President and running for re-election at the time). There was no hesitation there.
If there was a scintilla of evidence here on Matt Gaetz, explain to me why the DOJ chose not to indict/charge him?
I couldn’t be that Matt Gaetz was on good footings with Democrats politically…right?
whembly (477db6) — 11/15/2024 @ 6:49 am@mods, previous comment in moderation… not sure why. Sorry.
whembly (477db6) — 11/15/2024 @ 6:50 amespecially as to how the Biden Admin
The Biden administration did not issue mandates to the public.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 11/15/2024 @ 6:54 am> titer testing plus vaccines (when needed)
wider and easier availability of titer testing is a fantastic idea.
aphrael (be1cf4) — 11/15/2024 @ 6:57 amone of my concerns with RFK Jr is that, since he doesn’t believe HIV causes AIDS, there may be serious threats to the health of people who depend on HIV medication to stay alive.
aphrael (be1cf4) — 11/15/2024 @ 6:57 amI don’t know if you recall, the folks who CHOSE not to accept the vaccine were pariah’ed and either lost jobs, or were extremely fearful of losing their livelihood.
In a workplace, there is a duty by the employer to protect the health of the workers. Failing to do so can be actionable. For example, if a worker has chicken pox the employer WILL require them to stay away until a doctor certifies they are no longer contagious. They are NOT required to pay them more than the allotted sick pay.
In the middle of a pandemic that KILLED over 1 million Americans, and for which an effective vaccine is available, a workplace that does not require a vaccine for all workers, or at least segregates the unvaccinated, could be held liable for any death. In an “at-will” employment situation, it’s an easy call.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 11/15/2024 @ 7:03 amone of my concerns with RFK Jr is that, since he doesn’t believe HIV causes AIDS
Not surprised. He is unable to grasp the idea of science. He thinks that if he can’t understand something then everyone who says they do is lying. It is a mark of true stupidity. Not ignorance, stupidity.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 11/15/2024 @ 7:06 amwhembly,
Do you think that a nursing home should require all workers in contact with the elderly by vaccinated? What moral justification can you give for a worker refusing a vaccine but maintaining contact with highly-susceptible patients? One in 5 COVID deaths in the US were in elderly-care facilities.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 11/15/2024 @ 7:11 amOh?
BuDuh (227f7c) — 11/15/2024 @ 7:14 amTiter testing for humans is available at labs in cities with a national lab. Doctors orders aren’t required but it costs $200-300, so the problem is the cost. But that was true for vaccines, too, until government and insurance worked to reduce the cost. That could be done with titer testing, too.
It is good because vaccine compliance, coverage, and durability (how long it lasts) is not consistent. It is not unusual to see outbreaks of diseases like measles or whooping cough in vaccinated populations. (It happened in New Mexico in 2016 and is happening there and nationwide now. The NM Health Department even warned that “No vaccine is 100% effective.”) People can follow the vaccine rules but still not have coverage because it has worn off. Titer testing helps us know our status, not just guess. Better coverage means better herd immunity.
DRJ (df5ffc) — 11/15/2024 @ 7:21 amReceiving a vaccine after you get sick is pointless. To build herd immunity a population needs to be vaccinated before the virus hits.
Rip Murdock (a8f7fb) — 11/15/2024 @ 7:24 amYou’ve mixed up your assaulters. RFKJr was not being investigated by the House Ethics Committee.
Rip Murdock (a8f7fb) — 11/15/2024 @ 7:27 amBy the way, pertussis infections are cyclical, returning every 3-5 years even with vaccine compliance. Titer testing helps identify who needs boosters during those periods.
DRJ (df5ffc) — 11/15/2024 @ 7:27 amNo, Rip, I am talking about titer testing that checks for antibodies to see if you have adequate immunity or need a vaccine/booster. Most universities and large employers accept titer test results showing immunity in lieu of proof of vaccination.
DRJ (df5ffc) — 11/15/2024 @ 7:31 amI don’t, not when Trump is at the peak of his powers and has peak control over this docile GOP. Catoggio don’t either.
The difference is Nick wants them all confirmed, so that we can see Trumpism in all its unfiltered undiluted glory. I don’t. The Gabbard-Gaetz-Kennedy Triad (not the Mt. Rushmore of putzes as Williamson called it, but replace Rubio’s with RFK Jr.) is a step too far for me.
Paul Montagu (271b15) — 11/15/2024 @ 7:32 amThere are times when vaccinated populations do not have herd immunity because vaccine coverage has worn off. Titer testing is a way to fine tune herd immunity to avoid those gaps. It won’t replace vaccinations.
DRJ (df5ffc) — 11/15/2024 @ 7:34 amWhy should someone who has immunity get more vaccines?
DRJ (df5ffc) — 11/15/2024 @ 7:35 amI said upfront that it was one person’s personal observation, whembly, and that of people he knows. Gaetz was cleared of criminal wrongdoing, but he can still be judged in the court of public opinion, but there is a House Ethics Committee report on him that Trumpists are trying to keep under wraps.
The difference is that the Comer Clown Car and His Cacophony of Cohorts were accusing Joe of committing actual crimes, but fell on their collective faces when it came to actual evidence.
Paul Montagu (271b15) — 11/15/2024 @ 7:39 amLOL! Given the tenor of Trump’s appointments so far, particularly RFKJr’s at HHS, I really doubt that Gottlieb would serve in an administration so overtly hostile to vaccines in particular and health science in general.
Rip Murdock (a8f7fb) — 11/15/2024 @ 7:40 amBecause vaccines do weaken over time, as does natural immunity. As for your call for”titer testing,” good luck with that. If people object to mandatory vaccinations, they will certainly object to mandatory testing.
Rip Murdock (a8f7fb) — 11/15/2024 @ 7:46 amThe Biden administration did not issue mandates to the public.
I stand corrected. After repeatedly refusing, Biden did issue the unconstitutional order, which the courts struck down. You cannot assert that the feds will do this again, and it never took effect.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 11/15/2024 @ 7:52 amEven the Trumpist Murdoch-owned New York Post can’t stomach RFK Jr. as HHS Chief…
Paul Montagu (271b15) — 11/15/2024 @ 7:53 amIt is not unusual to see outbreaks of diseases like measles or whooping cough in vaccinated populations.
It happens when there is a pocket of unvaccinated carriers. Measles is a particularly virulent disease. Vaccines are not 100% and the number of carriers exposing a vaccinated individual is meaningful, as is each individuals immune response.
To use this as an excuse for skipping the vaccination is particularly noxious.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 11/15/2024 @ 7:56 amOh?
BuDuh (227f7c) — 11/15/2024 @ 7:59 amWhy should someone who has immunity get more vaccines?
With something like measles or chicken pox, which don’t mutate meaningfully, they shouldn’t. In fact, the current system with those vaccines is to ASSUME that persons under a certain age received a vaccine during childhood. This is occasionally wrong, of course. It’s how I got chicken pox at age 42 from an unvaccinated child.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 11/15/2024 @ 8:04 amThe justices did, however, allow a vaccination mandate by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for health-care workers at some 76,000 federally funded facilities to stand.
That was not “the general public” but workers at facilities that offered government-paid medical services. And I agree with it. Don’t like it? Get another job where you aren’t in contact with weakened individuals. Your right to swing your fist ends where my nose begins.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 11/15/2024 @ 8:07 amCivilian employees of private facilities that accept federal money are not part of the group “The General Public.”
News to me. Thanks!
BuDuh (227f7c) — 11/15/2024 @ 8:09 amCivilian employees of private facilities that accept federal money are not part of the group “The General Public.”
Way to show you don’t understand English and/or logic. Death-row prisoners are also “part of the general public” but that does not mean that the general public is being put to death.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 11/15/2024 @ 8:12 amBTW, a friend of mind works out in the Venice Gold’s Gym where RFKJr works out. He says that the man’s mind might be weak, but his body is really quite strong.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 11/15/2024 @ 8:14 amDoug Burgum for Secretary of the Interior sounds good to me. His loyalty paid off for him.
Paul Montagu (271b15) — 11/15/2024 @ 8:15 amFrom the comment section about Burgum, but the guy loses a point for the misspelling: “Bergum is the Marilyn Munster of the cabinet.”
Paul Montagu (271b15) — 11/15/2024 @ 8:18 am@85
I work in healthcare in IT.
I’m mandated to take the flu vaccine every year, because once in a blue moon, I’ll be on patient floors.
I’m okay with specific mandates in narrow cases.
I wasn’t talking about those narrow cases, I was talking about the WHOLE F’N COUNTRY.
Interestingly, I was mandated to take the 1st covid shot, or lose my job…. guess what? The subsequence doses was quietly made optional. There wasn’t even an announcement of a reversal in mandate policy (they still encouraged it).
Now why is that?
Look, Kevin, this isn’t me trying to convince you that the covid vaccines are bad or whatnot. Far from it, as there are demonstratable evidence that it was a “net positive”.
But that doesn’t mean mandates were proper, and in the long term, may have be harmful to some people who probably didn’t need it.
But we weren’t allowed to have that conversation. TO speak as such would invite others to label you as a pariah. That’s the issue that most skeptics are upset about.
And that’s way RFK is a thing.
whembly (477db6) — 11/15/2024 @ 8:33 amMatt Gaetz is the convenient lightning rod. Not much attention to these guys…
The number 2 and 3 guys were on Trump’s defense team against the Biden Administration.
From my home state, this guy is a rock star:
whembly (477db6) — 11/15/2024 @ 8:43 amNow why is that?
Because the first shot was enough for many people and dealt with secondary dangers. The subsequent shots were advised mostly for those in primary danger, like me, and I got all of them. My wife stopped after the first couple of rounds and I’m OK with that.
We both eventually got COVID (in mid-2022 (and my fault)) and it was really rough for me, even with Paxlovid. Not so much for her. Since then, not a problem.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 11/15/2024 @ 8:45 amThe WaPo has a summary of RFK Jr’s medical theories.
Top lines:
* Kennedy has falsely linked vaccines to autism. He has equated vaccination to the Holocaust.
* Kennedy called the coronavirus vaccine the ‘deadliest vaccine ever made’
* Kennedy promotes raw milk
* Kennedy promotes phony stem cell clinics
* Kennedy argues government employees have an interest in ‘mass poisoning’ the American public
* Kennedy has linked antidepressants to mass shootings
* Kennedy suggests AIDS may not be caused by HIV
* Kennedy argues children’s gender identity can be impacted by chemicals in water.
* Kennedy has touted ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine as effective covid treatments
* Kennedy argued that covid-19 was ‘ethnically targeted’ to spare Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese people
* Kennedy claims 5G high-speed wireless network is used to ‘control our behavior’
Kevin M (a9545f) — 11/15/2024 @ 8:53 amI’m waiting for Trump to name Alex Jones to the FCC.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 11/15/2024 @ 8:54 amI am not suggesting mandatory testing. I an arguing for the option at a better price.
It would help avoid problems with people who are hesitant about vaccines, because you could tell them whether or not they have immunity. If they do, no vaccine required. If not, they have a choice – but as someone who has faced that choice, it is much harder to refuse vaccines if you KNOW you are at risk.
It would also help avoid sporadic outbreaks in vaccinated communities. In the New Mexico case, they had 100% vaccine compliance in the high school but still had a percussion outbreak. Ultimately, they decided the kids needed boosters because coverage had worn off early. The use of titer tests can help identify gaps like that before outbreaks.
DRJ (0adca3) — 11/15/2024 @ 9:08 amPertussis, not percussion. Funny choice, autocorrect
DRJ (0adca3) — 11/15/2024 @ 9:09 am@112
Meh… I want more info on his “dead bear cub” story.
whembly (477db6) — 11/15/2024 @ 9:21 amThat settles it-he’s qualified!
Rip Murdock (a8f7fb) — 11/15/2024 @ 9:34 amNot only are the socky’s never going to find a reason their guys idiotic choices are actually OK, even the whatabout squirrels are getting desperate.
Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a) — 11/15/2024 @ 12:26 pmNo, Trump made his position clear before the election going to far as to finally say he would veto a federal anti-abortion law. But Kamala Harris and the Democrats feely lied about his intentions.
I saw a commercial (for or by whom I don’t remember) which showed Trump being interviewed and saying that he thought women would have to be punished for an abortion (a position he quickly retracted and that was some time ago I think during a previous election. I think Sean Hannity was the interviewer)
Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09) — 11/15/2024 @ 12:28 pmThey were hit first and many had immunity at the time of the study.
Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09) — 11/15/2024 @ 12:29 pmThey could be mildly effective, but nothing like other medical treatments available by the fall of 2020. I think one of these two increased the absorption of zinc.
Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09) — 11/15/2024 @ 12:31 pmI think DRJ did too, or was that just for suicides?
Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09) — 11/15/2024 @ 12:33 pmWater is also minorly effective. Minor is doing a lot of work in that sentence.
Kinda like with Matt Gaetz…boom!
Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a) — 11/15/2024 @ 12:34 pmRFK Jr. was fact-checked on Ashkenazi Jews, but he’s like Trump, he still repeats the lies regardless. Covid reporting from China hasn’t been trustworthy for years, if ever.
Paul Montagu (271b15) — 11/15/2024 @ 12:35 pmWasn’t me, Sammy. I know next to nothing about antidepressants.
DRJ (df5ffc) — 11/15/2024 @ 2:27 pm