Thunderstorms, some heavy during the morning hours, then skies turning partly cloudy during the afternoon. High around 85F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected..
Tonight
A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.
I’m desperate. Desperate enough to momentarily flirt with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
That flirtation only lasted a minute, though, and now I’m single again. Unattached. As always. (Politically, of course. Happily married otherwise.)
The reason for my fling was simple: The country needs somebody to build bridges. Kennedy, being a Kennedy, has a powerful connection to liberals. But, being an anti-vaxxer and conspiracy theorist, he also has a message that connects with the conservative elements who have gone down that rabbit hole in the past eight years or so. Perhaps, my mushy brain thought, he could draw folks together.
Trouble is, I don’t really believe anything he’s saying. Or rather, I don’t go in for conspiracy theories, and he’s full of them. He says Wi-Fi causes cancer and “leaky brain.” He says anti-depressants are to blame for school shootings. He has suggested that chemicals in the water are turning kids transgender. He asserts that vaccines cause autism.
There’s no evidence that any of these things are true.
He has also banged the drum repeatedly against the coronavirus vaccines. That, more than anything else, is what has catapulted him into the limelight. He’s running for president.
There are reasons to continue to monitor the effects of those vaccines, which were approved very quickly. It’s reasonable to conclude — as it has been for some time — that the vaccines helped prevent illness and death, but, as with any medical intervention, there are side effects and unintended consequences. We’ll see what evidence emerges over time.
To the extent that Mr. Kennedy is encouraging intellectual skepticism on that subject, he’s on a reasonable path. There are certainly financial motives for drug companies to push their products.
The trouble is that he’s full of nonsense on a wide variety of topics. What we need in this country are institutions we can count on, and we need consensus built on facts and goodwill. We don’t need conspiracy theories and cynicism.
So, onward we march. I have to assume that the presidential race will end up pitting President Biden against Donald Trump, who appears to have such solid support that even a jail sentence wouldn’t knock him out of the lead in the Republican primary. The hope for a Hail Mary — a Kennedy who could draw the Republicans and the Democrats together — ended before it really began, at least for me.
