Hi, Chuck, I've long read your stuff in the DMR, now here, first-time commentator. For background's sake, I've lived in Iowa 40-plus years and never went to the Iowa State Fair, which I am sure makes me an inadequate Iowan. I'm also an ex-journo who ended up covering portions of four Iowa Caucuses.
I also want to say I've admired your work and am a big supporter of the Iowa Writers Collaborative. I think organizations like this might be the only way we can keep local journalism going.
All that being said, I had to think at least a day before I decided to comment on this. I think the best thing I can do is go point by point through the article.
1. I'm going to be honest, I've never rated Reynolds as a governor. I think we could have a staff member from ALEC sitting in Terrace Hill in her place and no one would know the difference. I think she has done much to harm this state through her policies on education, culture war ridiculousness, and so much else. I could care less how more "real" she is in public.
2. As for your assessment on the candidates:
- It makes no difference how much of a "new generation" Haley is, she has said she would support pardoning Trump. Whatever she believes in fact, she will go along with whatever the Republican crowd wants and thus is not fit for purpose. At some point we need to say whether we believe in democracy and the rule of law or not, and she apparently doesn't.
- I think you summed up Ron well.
- You didn't go as easy as I thought you did at first with RFK Jr., but you could have also added his anti-Semitic behavior and abusive behavior toward women as well. Conspiracy theorists used to be just odd thought experimentalists until guys like RFK Jr. found out you could make money off it. I never grew up with RFK, but I was a fan too and it would have been better if he won in '68. The son is nothing like the father.
3. This might also make me a bad Iowan, but I am not a fan of the Iowa Caucuses. They are undemocratic and difficult to participate in compared to primaries. I also don't think any state (especially our state in recent years) has any right to have such power over presidential politics. The day it ends will be the day politicians in this state can better focus on issues important to Iowans.
I am a Democrat for three reasons. Viet Nam. The Republicans and Democrats lied about the war and policy. But it was Democrats that broke the logjam and lead the parade to the exit of this immoral war that killed hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese and 55,000 Americans. Civil Rights. The Republicans resisted and still resist voting rights, public accommodation and equal opportunity. Unions. I have been in 5 unions. Unions built the middle class. From auto workers to the steel mills to the classroom decent wages and working conditions were won by the labor movement.
And as we go on in the 21st Century it is Democrats the lead on gay rights, women's rights and sane foreign policy.
Although I think RFK’s disconnect from science would make him a dangerous leader, I can understand the interest in hearing him speak in a year when Democrats don’t have a “caucus season.” I voted mostly Republican since 1976. But after serving as George W. Bush’s county campaign co-chair for the 2000 election, I was dismayed at a Supreme Court decision that in my view unfairly stopped ballot counting in Florida (and may contribute to today’s Republican acceptance of using lawyers and courts for political gain.) I was also frustrated by Republicans’ insistence that tax cuts promoted economic prosperity when that simply wasn’t working. By 2004 I was supporting John Kerry and have voted for Democratic nominees since then.
Describing RFK jr's work regarding COVID, vaccines, or healthcare as "nutty" simply means that you haven't bothered to look into them. His book "The Real Anthony Fauci" runs to over 1000 pages in PDF format, and is available for free in that edition. It contains voluminous footnotes citing to expert studies and notable figures such as Nobel Chemistry prize winner Kary Mullis. RFK makes such strong factual allegations that he would be sued into insolvency if he is unable support them--even if the targets of his charges are public figures with less protection against defamation than ordinary citizens. No one is suing him. I STRONGLY recommend that you listen to his podcast from the Joe Rogan Show from June this year. https://open.spotify.com/episode/3DQfcTY4viyXsIXQ89NXvg Without further investigation on your part, I would have to rate your comment as completely uninformed.
REF,Jr, is a dangerous man. His diatribe agains Fauci is filled with lies, libel suits not withstanding. Kennedy won't be sued as a waste of time and why give this ignorant man a platform. In American Samoa his anti-vax campaign resulted in lower vaccination for measles and an epidemic of cases broke out causing more than 50 deaths. He is a menace and a nutcase.
The government responded by banning MMR vaccinations.
Nearly a year later, in June 2019 RFK visited Samoa at the Prime Minister’s invitation. Kennedy stated that the main purpose of his visit was to introduce:
“a medical informatics system that would allow Samoa’s health officials to assess, in real time, the efficacy and safety of every medical intervention or drug on overall health.”
Because
“government officials, including the Prime Minister were curious to measure health outcomes following the “natural experiment” created by the national respite from vaccines.”
On October 16, 2019 Samoa declared a measles outbreak. A state of emergency was declared on November 20th.
Medhi Hasan gives the false impression (at 7:00) that RFK stated the November 2019 epidemic was ended in by nutrition and clean water. The problem is that RFK made that statement in May 2019, so he could not have been referring the Samoa epidemic.
Medhi appears to have cheated with his polemic.
During the Rogan show, RFK referred to two long-published and widely respected meta-analyses of general public health trends which made that conclusion—that sanitation and nutrition were by far the largest contributors to the improvement in public health—presumably the same thing he discusses in the out of context Hasan clip.
Hasan also ridicules RFK’s expertise, but Hasan is much less an expert than lawyer RFK, who has been litigating public health science for several decades. And Hassan fails to mention a large number of his preferred experts—doctors—who support RFK’s work, or who at least question the dominant narrative.
Something quite different may be going on than Hasan blames:
“Despite the universal use of the two-dose trivalent measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine in the past two decades, outbreaks of these diseases still occur in countries with high vaccine uptake, giving rise to concerns about primary and secondary failure of MMR vaccine components.”
4-3 for me. I was also raised a Democrat, registered Independent as I have moved a little more conservative in my middle age years. Also, I agree that RFK Jr is an interesting development on the left.
Hi, Chuck, I've long read your stuff in the DMR, now here, first-time commentator. For background's sake, I've lived in Iowa 40-plus years and never went to the Iowa State Fair, which I am sure makes me an inadequate Iowan. I'm also an ex-journo who ended up covering portions of four Iowa Caucuses.
I also want to say I've admired your work and am a big supporter of the Iowa Writers Collaborative. I think organizations like this might be the only way we can keep local journalism going.
All that being said, I had to think at least a day before I decided to comment on this. I think the best thing I can do is go point by point through the article.
1. I'm going to be honest, I've never rated Reynolds as a governor. I think we could have a staff member from ALEC sitting in Terrace Hill in her place and no one would know the difference. I think she has done much to harm this state through her policies on education, culture war ridiculousness, and so much else. I could care less how more "real" she is in public.
2. As for your assessment on the candidates:
- It makes no difference how much of a "new generation" Haley is, she has said she would support pardoning Trump. Whatever she believes in fact, she will go along with whatever the Republican crowd wants and thus is not fit for purpose. At some point we need to say whether we believe in democracy and the rule of law or not, and she apparently doesn't.
- I think you summed up Ron well.
- You didn't go as easy as I thought you did at first with RFK Jr., but you could have also added his anti-Semitic behavior and abusive behavior toward women as well. Conspiracy theorists used to be just odd thought experimentalists until guys like RFK Jr. found out you could make money off it. I never grew up with RFK, but I was a fan too and it would have been better if he won in '68. The son is nothing like the father.
3. This might also make me a bad Iowan, but I am not a fan of the Iowa Caucuses. They are undemocratic and difficult to participate in compared to primaries. I also don't think any state (especially our state in recent years) has any right to have such power over presidential politics. The day it ends will be the day politicians in this state can better focus on issues important to Iowans.
Keep up the good work.
Thank you - we’ll said.
I meant Well said--auto correct got me
I am a Democrat for three reasons. Viet Nam. The Republicans and Democrats lied about the war and policy. But it was Democrats that broke the logjam and lead the parade to the exit of this immoral war that killed hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese and 55,000 Americans. Civil Rights. The Republicans resisted and still resist voting rights, public accommodation and equal opportunity. Unions. I have been in 5 unions. Unions built the middle class. From auto workers to the steel mills to the classroom decent wages and working conditions were won by the labor movement.
And as we go on in the 21st Century it is Democrats the lead on gay rights, women's rights and sane foreign policy.
Although I think RFK’s disconnect from science would make him a dangerous leader, I can understand the interest in hearing him speak in a year when Democrats don’t have a “caucus season.” I voted mostly Republican since 1976. But after serving as George W. Bush’s county campaign co-chair for the 2000 election, I was dismayed at a Supreme Court decision that in my view unfairly stopped ballot counting in Florida (and may contribute to today’s Republican acceptance of using lawyers and courts for political gain.) I was also frustrated by Republicans’ insistence that tax cuts promoted economic prosperity when that simply wasn’t working. By 2004 I was supporting John Kerry and have voted for Democratic nominees since then.
Describing RFK jr's work regarding COVID, vaccines, or healthcare as "nutty" simply means that you haven't bothered to look into them. His book "The Real Anthony Fauci" runs to over 1000 pages in PDF format, and is available for free in that edition. It contains voluminous footnotes citing to expert studies and notable figures such as Nobel Chemistry prize winner Kary Mullis. RFK makes such strong factual allegations that he would be sued into insolvency if he is unable support them--even if the targets of his charges are public figures with less protection against defamation than ordinary citizens. No one is suing him. I STRONGLY recommend that you listen to his podcast from the Joe Rogan Show from June this year. https://open.spotify.com/episode/3DQfcTY4viyXsIXQ89NXvg Without further investigation on your part, I would have to rate your comment as completely uninformed.
REF,Jr, is a dangerous man. His diatribe agains Fauci is filled with lies, libel suits not withstanding. Kennedy won't be sued as a waste of time and why give this ignorant man a platform. In American Samoa his anti-vax campaign resulted in lower vaccination for measles and an epidemic of cases broke out causing more than 50 deaths. He is a menace and a nutcase.
And what's the source of your information about this, Art?
Washington Post in 2019
A recent overview of RFK Jr’s role in this tragedy https://youtu.be/l0f3yZ9jJPY
The Samoa occurrence requires serious investigation.
By 2018 Samoa’s vaccination rate had been on decline for at least several years—though I find no evidence that RFK influenced this trend.
In July 2018 two Samoan children died after receiving vaccine improperly mixed with another drug.
Then:
“A nephew of the Prime minister was diagnosed with autism following a vaccine-induced fever and seizures” (childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/lsamoa-medical-freedom-hero-court-case-dismissed/)
The government responded by banning MMR vaccinations.
Nearly a year later, in June 2019 RFK visited Samoa at the Prime Minister’s invitation. Kennedy stated that the main purpose of his visit was to introduce:
“a medical informatics system that would allow Samoa’s health officials to assess, in real time, the efficacy and safety of every medical intervention or drug on overall health.”
Because
“government officials, including the Prime Minister were curious to measure health outcomes following the “natural experiment” created by the national respite from vaccines.”
On October 16, 2019 Samoa declared a measles outbreak. A state of emergency was declared on November 20th.
Medhi Hasan gives the false impression (at 7:00) that RFK stated the November 2019 epidemic was ended in by nutrition and clean water. The problem is that RFK made that statement in May 2019, so he could not have been referring the Samoa epidemic.
Medhi appears to have cheated with his polemic.
During the Rogan show, RFK referred to two long-published and widely respected meta-analyses of general public health trends which made that conclusion—that sanitation and nutrition were by far the largest contributors to the improvement in public health—presumably the same thing he discusses in the out of context Hasan clip.
Hasan also ridicules RFK’s expertise, but Hasan is much less an expert than lawyer RFK, who has been litigating public health science for several decades. And Hassan fails to mention a large number of his preferred experts—doctors—who support RFK’s work, or who at least question the dominant narrative.
Something quite different may be going on than Hasan blames:
“Despite the universal use of the two-dose trivalent measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine in the past two decades, outbreaks of these diseases still occur in countries with high vaccine uptake, giving rise to concerns about primary and secondary failure of MMR vaccine components.”
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(20)30442-4/fulltext
The medical informatics system RFK’s organization donated to Samoa may help in discovering why this is.
4-3 for me. I was also raised a Democrat, registered Independent as I have moved a little more conservative in my middle age years. Also, I agree that RFK Jr is an interesting development on the left.