Prodigal Son
Only 1,368 days to go...
“...if we want to meet the obligations of our civilization and our culture which are to create communities for our children that provide them with the same opportunities for dignity and enrichment as the communities that our parents gave us, we've got to start by protecting that infrastructure; the air that we breathe, the water that we drink, the landscapes that enrich us.” ~Robert Kennedy
I vaguely remember the concern that was voiced when John Kennedy chose his brother, Robert Kennedy (RFK) to be his Attorney General. There was a lot of calls about nepotism and even corruption. As Attorney General, he was relentless in pursuing enemies of the administration, and critics said he used his power aggressively. JFK knew that his brother always had his back.
As I recall, Bobby, at the time, was thought of as the ruthless Kennedy… the enforcer…the ambitious Kennedy. Bobby held grudges, had a temper and could be a brooder. Jack was the charmer and the more engaging of the brothers. He had a cool, charismatic public persona and often relied on traditional diplomacy and strategy. He was perceived as the idealistic, visionary president—young, handsome, and seen as a symbol of a new generation of Americans.
People seemed to love John Kennedy, while they feared Robert Kennedy.
Through the years, those who knew him or interacted with him have said a wide range of things about Bobby, depending on the time period, the context, and their perspective.
As Attorney General he supported desegregation and took on organized crime. Many admired RFK for his intense dedication to civil rights and social justice.
Those who knew him after his brother’s death said he changed. (Appreciating Bobby Kennedy’s Stunning Transformation)
Yes, in that unending sadness Bobby Kennedy felt upon the death of his brother, in that deep depression that shrouded him with loneliness and fear and hesitation we know now that he understood, in his bones, that he had to emerge a different man, a changed man, a man of the people.
In the aftermath of his brother’s tragic death, RFK became a dedicated champion for the underrepresented. He became more humble, more empathic, more reflective, and more compassionate. He became a strong advocate for the poor, traveling to impoverished areas like Appalachia and urban ghettos. He became a critic of the Vietnam War. Although, some believed he only became anti-war once it became politically advantageous, others saw his shift as a genuine change of beliefs.
While popular among many Americans, Bobby was not universally loved in Washington. He used his power as Attorney General, often behind the scenes, but later tried to shape it as a presidential candidate. He was more radical in challenging the establishment by the late 1960s. Some in the political establishment resented his anti-style and personal intensity. However, even political opponents have described him as the moral conscience of the Democratic Party during a very tumultuous decade in American history.
After his assassination in 1968 during his presidential campaign, RFK came to be seen by many as a tragic figure — someone who maybe could have healed divisions in the country. While JFK’s legacy is built on his presidency and the inspiration he provided to a generation, RFK’s legacy is more about potential—what might have been had he lived.
His ability to bridge divides is often cited as uniquely powerful. There is a lot of “what if” he had been the democratic candidate in 1968? There’s a persistent feeling among many Americans that RFK, had he lived, might have changed the course of U.S. history — especially with regard to race relations, Vietnam, and poverty.
We’ll never know.
Robert and Ethel Kennedy had eleven children together. Of that eleven, nine are still alive. One died of a drug overdose when he was 28. Another died in a foolish skiing accident in 1997.
I don’t know what kind of father Robert Kennedy was. His children seem to revere him, as you might suspect. The children of Robert Kennedy have been followed and written about for years. They are all pretty interesting. Some like Kathleen and Christopher have lived very constructive lives… others maybe not quite so much.
People often talk about the “tragedy of the Kennedys”. And it’s true they have had a tremendous amount of heartache in their lives. But I can’t help but feeling there is also a “living on the edge” almost even a reckless quality to the family as well. When you put yourself in dangerous situations (like playing football while skiing), things happen.
I tend to think that Robert Kennedy Jr. is one of the more reckless of Robert and Ethel Kennedy’s children. He experienced very public and traumatic losses as a young boy—the murder of his uncle at age nine, and the murder of his father at fourteen and clearly that had an impact on him as it would any other child. Before he got out of his teens, he was taking a lot of drugs. He eventually pled guilty to possession of heroin, before getting sober. I appreciate that he had a difficult childhood. But he also had a lot of opportunities that few of us can even imagine.
He may look like his father and have the same name, but I don’t think he is anything like his father in character, intentions or personality — at least from my vantage point. Even articles have been written about the comparisons:
Why Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Is Nothing Like His Dad
His family - who would know him best - didn’t support his decision to run for President. When he launched his failed campaign for president - first as a democrat, then as an independent - his siblings released this statement:
“Bobby might share the same name as our father, but he does not share the same values, vision or judgment. We denounce his candidacy and believe it to be perilous for our country.” (from his siblings Kerry, Kathleen, Joe, and Rory Kennedy)
Then later, after he endorsed Trump they put out this statement:
Aligning himself with Trump seems to prove that this guy has no real moral compass. Rather he seems to be simply another malignant narcissist seeking power. In that respect he’s more like Trump than RFK.
His nomination to be head of Health and Human Services was a disgrace. I was really struck that even Caroline Kennedy would make a statement about it. Of all of the Kennedy kin, she has always been incredibly private and discreet - but she was alarmed and warned the Senate that he was the wrong man for the job.
"He lacks any relevant government, financial, management, or medical experience. His views on vaccines are dangerous and willfully misinformed….I've known Bobby my whole life. We grew up together. It's no surprise that he keeps birds of prey as pets, because Bobby himself is a predator."
She closed the letter with a plea for the senators to reject her cousin’s nomination on behalf of the doctors, nurses, scientists and caregivers who fuel the American health care system.
“They deserve a secretary committed to advancing cutting-edge medicine to save lives, not rejecting the advances we have already made. They deserve a stable, moral and ethical person at the helm of this crucial agency. They deserve better than Bobby Kennedy — and so do the rest of us.”
Donald Trump has shown his utter disrespect for the American people by appointing this clearly ill-qualified person to be in charge of our food and health systems. The Republican senators, who approved of his nomination are an even bigger disgrace. They knew he was the wrong man for the job and they went ahead and approved of him anyway.
Since his confirmation as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) in February , RFK Jr. has implemented a series of significant and controversial changes:
Launch of the "Make America Healthy Again" Initiative. Immediately after his swearing-in, Kennedy introduced the "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) Commission, aimed at investigating the root causes of chronic diseases, particularly those affecting children. When ‘Make America Healthy Again’ Actually Means the Opposite
He has implemented extensive workforce reductions and agency restructuring. This has resulted in the elimination of approximately 10,000 positions. This included significant layoffs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with some senior officials reassigned to remote locations. The restructuring also involved consolidating regional offices and centralizing administrative functions.
This seems a little reckless — personally, I would have understood what these people were doing before I laid them off. Following the initial HHS layoffs, some previously terminated employees were called back to work, although not always with a full reinstatement of their positions. Some employees were ordered to return to work but their termination notices remained active, while others have had their firings fully reversed. HHS Secretary Kennedy has indicated that around 20% of the workforce may have been mistakenly terminated and will be brought back.
He has made cuts to public health programs and funding. Under Kennedy's leadership, HHS reduced funding for immunization programs, leading to the cancellation of clinics and outreach efforts. These cuts have been linked to a resurgence of measles cases, including fatalities among unvaccinated children.
There has been a shift in vaccine messaging and policy. Despite his history of vaccine skepticism, Kennedy publicly endorsed the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine during a significant measles outbreak. This stance caused friction with his previous allies in the anti-vaccine movement.
Please take the time and listen to the attached Revisionist History podcast. It’s fascinating and very illuminating.
He terminated the flu vaccination program. The CDC's "Wild to Mild" flu vaccination campaign, designed to encourage flu shots, was halted during Kennedy's first week in office. The campaign's website was taken offline, and its materials were withdrawn.
He is reevaluated the water fluoridation policy. Kennedy directed the CDC to cease recommending the fluoridation of drinking water, citing concerns about potential health risks. Dental professionals overwhelmingly oppose removing fluoride from drinking water, citing its effectiveness in preventing tooth decay and the potential negative impacts on public health. While some studies have raised concerns about fluoride exposure, especially in very high doses, the American Dental Association (ADA) maintain that community water fluoridation is a safe and effective public health measure.
He is launched investigation into environmental health factors. Kennedy has prioritized examining the impact of environmental factors on public health, including electromagnetic radiation and chemicals in food. He has advocated for increased transparency and the elimination of conflicts of interest within health agencies. This actually might be a positive move… TBD.
He has asserted that he would identify the cause of autism by September. This has been criticized by health officials as offering false hope. Experts emphasize that autism is a complex condition influenced by various factors, and Kennedy's claims have been labeled as misleading.
These actions represent a significant shift in HHS policies and priorities under Kennedy's leadership, with ongoing debates about their implications for public health. I can only wonder what will happen under his leadership, if another deadly virus like Covid19 takes hold.
It’s not always easy being the son of a revered and famous man.
Despite the obvious and potentially invidious comparisons in store, the sons of famous fathers often take up the same careers. There is the Bush family, or even Al Gore, who became a Tennessee senator just like his dad…. They have the weight of unrealistic expectations. A successful celebrity father is a hard act to live up to and any failures will be lived in the media glare.
"There has to be a sense that they often cannot measure up…" said Dr David Sack, a psychiatrist and chief executive of the Promises Treatment Centre. A high-profile father, whatever the field, is bound to cast a long shadow over a son's development. (source: The Guardian)
Regardless, there is a point in every son’s life when they become their own man; when they are responsible and have agency over their own life. They need to make their own way and choices. I saw it with my brother and my dad. While my brother chose the same profession, he also made his own mark. Only a few in their circles even made the connection between father and son - they had their own unique and distinguished careers.
For those who loved Robert Kennedy and have revered the Kennedy family, it must be incredibly hard to watch what his son is doing these days. He is clearly not the man his father was.
Robert Kennedy often quoted George Bernard Shaw's line: "Some men see things as they are and ask 'Why?' I dream things that never were and ask 'Why not?'"
When it comes to Trump’s appointment of RFK Jr., I would express the quote differently: “Some men dream of things that never were and say, ‘Why the hell, not?’ I look at what he does and ask, ‘Why?’”
Thought for the day in honor of his birthday…
“Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.”
~ William Shakespeare
Must Read Article:
Inside the Collapse at the NIH
Even if courts ultimately nullify every action that the Trump administration has taken, the NIH—at least in its current form—may remain in jeopardy. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., now the leader of HHS, has said that he wants to shift the agency’s focus away from infectious disease and downsize the staff. Some Republicans have been pressing for years to slash the number of institutes and centers at the agency, which depends on Congress for its budget, or to disburse its funding to the states as block grants—a change, that could mean biomedical research in America “as we know it would end.”
Quotes of the day:
“It has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the secretary, but rather he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies.” ~Dr. Peter Marks
"In forcing Peter Marks to resign, RFK Jr. is now the wolf guarding the hen house." ~ Dr. Paul Offit, a vaccine expert at the University of Pennsylvania
“The FDA as we’ve known it is finished, with most of the leaders with institutional knowledge and a deep understanding of product development and safety no longer employed. I believe that history will see this as a huge mistake.” ~ former FDA commissioner Dr. Robert Califf
What I’m reading today…
What Makes Modern Measles Outbreaks Different
Look closely at the outbreak’s edges, though, and the patterns are more unusual: It’s not just children getting measles. Where Texas’s outbreak has spilled over into New Mexico, for example, half of the confirmed cases and one potential death involve adults, largely unvaccinated. Last year, too, adults older than 20 accounted for more than a quarter of U.S. measles cases. This is all in keeping with what experts have warned: Adults are now susceptible to this childhood disease….Vaccinated adults can get occasional breakthrough cases, but the illness tends to be much milder. Unvaccinated adults, however, are a uniquely vulnerable group, because measles only becomes nastier and deadlier with age.
The sudden dismissal of public records staff at health agencies threatens government accountability
Among workers dismissed in early April were several teams responsible for fulfilling requests for access to previously unreleased government data, information and records under a federal law known as the Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA.
At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the offices that fulfill such requests have been eliminated, according to press reports. In 2024 alone, CDC received 1,800 requests for access to public records. At the Food and Drug Administration and National Institutes of Health, which together responded to almost 14,000 requests in 2024, multiple teams of FOIA staff were fired. FOIA offices at other HHS agencies were affected, too.
The invisible-particulate form of cooties appears to have hit American playgrounds sometime in the 1930s, but surveys suggest that it didn’t become ubiquitous until the early ’50s, at the height of the polio epidemic. Before the polio vaccine was introduced in 1955, tens of thousands of children were catching the disease every year; thousands of them died, and more were left paralyzed. In his book Explaining Traditions: Folk Behavior in Modern Culture, Bronner writes that cooties and cootie shots—“circle circle, dot dot” being one classic formulation—were a way for children “to dramatize the dread of the disease.”
RFK Jr. contradicts CDC on causes of autism
Kennedy has tapped David Geier, who has a history of promoting the discredited vaccine-autism link to lead what he termed a global effort to identify the cause of autism. He said it would be concluded by September. Over the weekend, the FDA's former top vaccine official Peter Marks warned the preconceptions and unrealistic timeline of this research would likely lead to flawed conclusions.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Scrambles to Defuse Outrage Over His Autism Claims
He had triggered a firestorm by claiming that people with autism—a neurodevelopmental disorder—will never play baseball, go out on dates, pay taxes, write poems, or hold down a job. He also described autism as a “preventable disease” caused by a mysterious environmental toxin.
Kennedy has long claimed a link between vaccines and autism. The Health Department’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is reportedly conducting a study examining potential links between vaccines and autism—despite the theory having been thoroughly debunked by extensive scientific research.
RFK Jr giving families ‘false hope’ on autism, says outgoing US vaccine official
The US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, should not offer “false hope” to families by boasting he can figure out what causes autism as soon as September, says the physician who resigned as the nation’s top vaccine official amid what he called anti-vaccination misinformation from the Trump administration cabinet member.
RFK Jr. and the great discrediting of HHS
Under RFK Jr.’s leadership, the National Institutes of Health has terminated grants that would study and ideally overcome vaccine hesitancy. Most alarmingly, NIH cancelled programs to research new vaccines and treatments ahead of future pandemics.
This is the global health equivalent to George W. Bush shutting down any serious counterterrorism measures just a few years after 9/11. Far from making the country “healthy again,” RFK Jr. is sabotaging the very infrastructure that keeps Americans safe from preventable illness and prepares us for new diseases. It’s not hyperbole to state that millions of people could die as a result.
FDA hiring contractors to replace fired staff who supported safety inspections
The potential disruptions to FDA’s already strained inspection force are so great that agency leaders recently expedited plans to hire outside contractors to replace some fired workers.
Staffers Walk Out of RFK Jr.’s Slur-Ridden Speech About Deep State
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stunned FDA staff with a 40-minute tirade featuring a disability slur, “deep state” conspiracy theories, and accusations they are shills for the industries they regulate. During his bonkers rant to employees at the Food and Drug Administration, Kennedy, an anti-vaccine crusader and Trump appointee, dropped the slur “r----ded” when referring to Wassaic State School, a former institution for people with developmental disabilities that once included the word in its name…. The 71-year-old Kennedy scion, who is estranged from much of his famous family, also leaned into MAGA’s favorite conspiracy, claiming “the Deep State is real.”
Massive cuts to Health and Human Services’ workforce signal a dramatic shift in US health policy
Combined with previous reductions, these cuts may achieve some limited short-term savings. However, the proposed changes dramatically alter U.S. health policy and research, and they may endanger important benefits and protections for many Americans. They may also have severe consequences for scientific progress. And as some policy experts have suggested, the poorly targeted cuts may increase inefficiencies and waste down the line.
The Expert Who Kept Eye Drops From Blinding You Was Fired Yesterday
If you’ve ever used eye drops that didn’t blind you, thank Dr. Timothy J. Pohlhaus. As of yesterday, he’s gone. And if you’ve ever been injected with a sterile drug that helped heal you instead of killing you, you have relied on the services of the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Manufacturing Quality, where Pohlhaus worked for 15 years and was a senior policy adviser… he was among the thousands of employees at the FDA and other federal health agencies who were abruptly informed on the morning of April 1 that their services were no longer needed.
Don’t Be Fooled: RFK Jr. Is Still Talking Down Vaccines
Three people have died in Texas and more than five hundred have gotten sick in what is shaping up as the largest single measles outbreak in decades. And somehow Robert F. Kennedy Jr. still hasn’t provided a firm, unambiguous endorsement of vaccination, although you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise in light of the publicity around an interview he had with CBS News.
Except that’s not what he did. If you clicked through and actually watched the full interview, you quickly discovered he was giving his endorsement grudgingly, following repeated prompts from interviewer Dr. Jon LaPook. And when he was eventually unable to avoid answering, Kennedy framed his endorsement as a description of official HHS posture rather than a personal belief.
Kennedy then proceeded to claim, as he had so many times before, that “we don’t know the risks of many of these products because they’re not safety tested.” That’s not true; vaccines go through extensive safety testing. And in the case of the MMR vaccine, there is now also more than a half-century of widespread clinical use—amounting to a real-world track record of several hundred million doses, giving a very clear safety picture…
He is also presiding over a dramatic downsizing of HHS that even the most seasoned, even-tempered observers of American health care, are calling a “dismantling.” The key elements include a 25 percent reduction in the HHS workforce, mostly through layoffs, as well as a dramatic reduction in the funding of medical research. Grants to university labs and professors and other researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are down 60 percent relative to a year ago.
It is difficult to convey precisely what is happening at HHS—how it’s so unprecedented and why it’s so destructive—because the changes are happening in so many places throughout the department simultaneously, and with no transparency. Instead of clear announcements about cuts and reforms, word is getting out through news stories as journalists learn about them, making it difficult to stitch them into a single coherent narrative.
Did Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Really Tell Me I Gave My Son Cancer?
Kennedy has no education or training in medicine or public health, and while I knew what he had said was wrong—it was wrong, wasn’t it?—in a corner of my brain I panicked. He spoke with such authority, such certainty. What if there was some speck of truth to what he had said, some tiny chance that he was right? That we had trusted the wrong people and given them our permission to introduce this disease into our son’s small body? The disease that had caused a violent bleed that ruined much of his beautiful brain—the brain that let him laugh and read and sing and hug—and had destroyed the life we were trying to build?
RFK Jr. Reveals Plan to Wreck ‘Vital’ Public Health Scheme
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to direct the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to stop recommending fluoride in drinking water. The health secretary has been staunchly against fluoride since his own presidential campaign, claiming that it is “an industrial waste” linked to bone cancer and IQ loss, amongst other ailments. While Kennedy can’t directly order the end of fluoride himself, he can direct the CDC to stop recommending it. Just last week, Utah banned fluoride, a mineral that helps reduce cavities, from public water; a move many other states may echo after RFK Jr.’s decision. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also announced a review of “new scientific information” over the safety of fluoride in water.
What RFK Jr. Told Grieving Texas Families About the Measles Vaccine
Among vaccine skeptics, the death of Daisy Hildebrand, like the earlier death of 6-year-old Kayley Fehr, is being reframed as the consequence of a tragic and egregious medical error. Children’s Health Defense, the anti-vaccine nonprofit Kennedy founded, has pushed the theory that Fehr wasn’t given the correct antibiotic for pneumonia soon enough to save her life, apparently basing that judgment on medical records the Fehrs provided to the organization. Covenant Children’s Hospital, where Fehr was treated, has called such claims “misleading and inaccurate,” while pointing out that patient-confidentiality laws prevent the hospital from going into detail about the girl’s treatment. Robert Malone, a doctor and former researcher known for sharing concerns—and misinformation—about COVID-19 vaccines, posted on his Substack that Daisy’s death was “a case of a child suffering from pre-existing conditions who was misdiagnosed.” (Texas’s health department says that the girl had “no reported underlying conditions.”)
RFK Jr. buys wife Cheryl Hines' $4M Washington DC home to keep his 'lust demons' in check
Controversial health czar Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has 'caved in' to his wife's demands by purchasing a $4.34million late 19th century row home – billed as 'the epitome of ritzy Georgetown elegance' – so she can move and keep close tabs on the serial Casanova in DC. It's a deal Cheryl, 59, wouldn't be inclined to pass up… she feared the bachelor life in DC for RFK Jr., who heads the Department of Health and Human Services, could lead to the emergence of his 'lust demons' which led to his self-admitted past of pursuing other women. Further exacerbating her insistence to stay close to her husband of more than ten years was his shocking sexting scandal last year with New York magazine political reporter Olivia Nuzzi.
What I am listening to…
What I am watching…
What I read every day…
