RFK JR. – The Measle-Weasel of Polynesia
RFK JR has a variety of issues. It seems truth in speaking and owing up to reality is one of them. In the South Pacific island nation of Samoa the international medical community (U.N. doctors/Peace Corps and other volunteer services/medical teams) disparagingly refer to RFK Jr as THE MEASLE -WEASEL of the S. Pacific.
WHY? In 2018 two Samoan nurses made a fatal mistake. They incorrectly mixed the 2 part measles shot. Normally one takes the measles vaccine, mixes it with water or saline solution and then administers the shot. The nurses accidentally mixed the shot with expired muscle relaxant, administered it and 2 children died (BTW – Both nurse were charged with involuntary manslaughter and received a five year sentence.)
What happened next? The anti-vax crowd jumped on the bandwagon of misinformation and declared,– “SEE VACCINES KILL PEOPLE!!!RFK Jr’s anti-vaccine group Children’s Health Defense re-inforced this sentiment through the local Samoan anti-vaccine movement.
Just to clarify - for those imbued with belief in :conspiracy theories, alien abductions, flat earth geological challenges, and other looney tunes - the reality was 2 nurses mixed a wrong component . ( muscle relaxant ) and that mixture killed these small innocent children. Mr Kennedy was then invited to Samoa. While there he re-enforced his fear stoking anti-vax skepticism. He claims he is not an anti-vaxer merely a vaccine skeptic. But the difference is merely verbal slight-of-hand. He met with anti-vaccine activists, one of whom wrote on Instgram that the meeting with Kennedy was “profoundly monumental ... for this movement.”
RFK Jr’s support caused trusting Samoans not merely to doubt the effectiveness of vaccinations, but to give credence to the belief that measles shots kill. His stature as a Kennedy allowed him to do this. RFK Jr even met with the Prime Minister. He did not go there to visit the grave of Robert Luis Stevenson. He went there to promote skepticism. And he succeeded. Skepticism which killed.
Samoans dropped their vaccination rate from their historic 90% to 20%. The result - massive measles contagion. 83 people died (mostly children) from not being vaccinated OR being exposed to those who normally would have been vaccinated. Nothing even close to those figures occurred in other Pacific Island nations. The difference was Mr. Kennedy.
Samoa was now once again a nation hit hard by foreign diseases. Like the out breaks of influenza 1918-1919……. , …..
The Samoan people did now what they did then. Quarantine and isolation. If a person in a family-unit had measles or symptoms or needed help they hung red flags from their thatched roofs. The color red fluttered everywhere.
And Mr. Kennedy claims - He bears no responsibility for the outcome.”
The famous Kennedy quote comes to mind – “Ask not your country can do for you but what you can do to really hammer an innocent country.” Or something like that.
Kennedy is not fit for the presidency. He is dishonest and apparently as they say in the South Pacific he’s – The Measle-Weasel!
And then there is the whole… well – his wormhole issue. It really makes one wonder.
Paul Karrer was a Peace Corps volunteer in Samoa. He lives in Monterey Ca and has a Podcast. Teacher Tails.