Jack Vance"No matter the outcome of this nomination, we will spend the next four years doing everything in our power to promote science and reason over snake oil and rationalization."
#atheism #AmericanAtheists #PublicHealth #RFK
https://www.atheists.org/2024/11/atheists-respond-trump-hhs-nomination-kennedy-nomination/
Atheists: Kennedy is a Threat to Public Health and Vector of Disinformation
Cranford, N.J. — Following president-elect Donald Trump’s selection of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Nick Fish, president of American Atheists, issued the following statement: American Atheists is disturbed, albeit unsurprised, the incoming administration would choose such an unserious person for such an incredibly serious role. With a budget of over $1.5 trillion and oversight of 13 federal agencies, the Department of Health & Human Services wields incredible power over the lives and wellbeing of the American people. Today, Trump and his team decided to propose handing the reins of the Department to a well-documented conspiracy theorist and superspreader of misinformation and junk science. If Kennedy’s unseriousness was insufficient to disqualify him for this role, his promise not to prioritize the research, manufacture, or distribution of vaccines in the face of another pandemic ought to have been, especially as our nation’s epidemiologists warn another public health crisis is imminent. During his first term, Trump’s mishandling of the COVID-19 crisis resulted in the needless and preventable deaths of hundreds of thousands of unvaccinated individuals. American Atheists considers Kennedy’s nomination an actual and imminent threat to the American people. Kennedy’s views regarding science, medicine, and public health are not just incorrect; they’re insidious. His stance on vaccinations goes far beyond healthy skepticism; it’s a dangerous cynicism that threatens to harm not only those who buy into it, but each of us and entire communities – including our atheist community, which reports one of the highest rates of vaccination among the entire population. We have grave concerns about the incalculable damage we can expect from an HHS Secretary who has demonstrated they not only have no understanding of evidence-based public policies or respect for rigorous scientific research and consensus but are willing to actively undermine efforts to save lives by dabbling in misinformation, disinformation, and junk science. Under ordinary circumstances, we would urge the president-elect to reconsider and Senators to oppose his nomination. But these are not ordinary times, and we know Trump will always prioritize rewarding his cronies over the wellbeing of the American people. No matter the outcome of this nomination, we will spend the next four years doing everything in our power to promote science and reason over snake oil and rationalization.
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