It’s Always 9/11: Robert F Kennedy, JR

Today I’m going to take the easy way out and quote, because these words from Robert F. Kennedy, JR are so spot-on:

“Dick Cheney used the 9/11 attack to launch his “long war” against amorphous terrorism and the Patriot Act abridgments that laid the groundwork for the modern surveillance state.

Now the medical cartel and its billionaire Big Tech accomplices have invoked the most potent, frightening enemy of all–the microbe.

And who an blame them? Increasing the wealth and power of the oligarchy is seldom a potent vessel for populism. Citizens accustomed to voting for their governments are unlikely to support policies that make the rich richer, increase political and social control by corporations, diminish democracy and reduce their civil rights.

So demagogues must weaponize fear to justify their demands for blind obedience and to ensure public acquiescence for the demolition of civil and economic rights.

Of course, the first casualty must always be freedom of speech. After stoking sufficient panic against the hobgoblin du jour, robber barons need to silence protest against their wealth and power grabs.”

Fourteen years old when his father was assassinated after winning the California primary in 1968, Kennedy Jr. went on to an illustrious career as an environmental lawyer, handling cases ranging from corporate malfeasance, the cleanup of the Hudson River, protecting family farms, and promoting organic farming methods and access to healthy foods. He is also well known as an advocate of the theory that certain childhood vaccines may lead to autism and has recently raised doubts as to the safety of the mRNA covid 19 vaccines. This has led to him being labeled as a “conspiracy theorist”.

I do not personally think there is much evidence supporting the vaccine/autism link. While I do not believe any vaccines are without risk and that children may be getting too many vaccines these days, I think the benefit of the majority of these vaccines outweigh the considerable dangers posed by once common childhood scourges such as diphtheria, polio, and measles. While I agree that the covid vaccines have been inadequately tested, again I think their risks are outweighed by both the danger of severe cases of Covid and the extreme social and economic disruption caused by the pandemic shutdown.

However, I don’t think that just because someone might be mistaken about one issue that means that they can’t be correct about a multitude of others. And I don’t think that just because someone supports a theory outside of conventional wisdom (or the “wisdom” sold to us by the corporate oligarchy ) that makes them a crackpot conspiracy theorist.

“Believing in science” starts with an open mind. I would suggest heeding Kennedy’s words here.