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Jul 14, 2022Liked by Marty Makary M.D., M.P.H.

Anybody who knows real scientists know that they love one thing: arguing. Nobody goes into the sciences because all of the questions have been answered; in fact it's just the opposite. If all the great mysteries had been solved there would be no physicists, only engineers.

The problem is that this simple truth cannot be reconciled with slogans such as "Trust the science". If there is vigorous debate on a subject then whose science is the lay person supposed to trust? "Trust the science" is in fact the least scientific motto one can think of since it is a basically a naked appeal to authority rather than, say, a careful examination of the evidence. It's a sad comment on not only the scientific community but American society at large when the powers that be view smothering dissent as a central requirement for maintaining authority.

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‘I don't like any of this, but I just need to make it to my retirement.’ - this should be written on their tombstone

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As crazy as it might sound, only way out of this mess, would be to completely (for lack of better word) purge many federal agencies of party "apparatchik".

Best example of sucht apparatchik is "venerable" Dr Fauci. At this point who in the right mind is able to have any trust in him or agency run by him?!!? I understand that at the beginning of pandemic we didn't know many facts and mistakes can be forgiven, but what Fauci was doing, was anything but acceptable, for over 2,5 years now we have seen => outright lying to public, denying natural immunity (at point when it was proven), lying in font of congress multiple times, treating US public as idiots and withholding information because public was not "ready", attacking and threatening to anyone who was trying to oppose him, suppressing information with help of big tech....

Results of this mismanagement can be seen all around us, there are people who are literary sitting alone in cars double masked. People with natural immunity were forced to take vaccines that they didn't need. We saw little kids, who were forced to sit outside of schools in cold just to do "social distancing".

Who ever runs next administration (at this point honestly hope its republicans) will first day in office fire Dr Fauci (it is long overdue). This would at least bring back little trust in US government, but the damage is already done, and without "purge" of governmental agencies, majority of population will never trust in anything what agencies say.

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“Following the science” is a phrase I could really do with never hearing again, right along with “socially distant” & “new normal.” Ugh.

The US pandemic response was an abomination. The fact that the government is STILL trying to push vaccines on infants is icing on this whole abominable cake.

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Thank you for this article. Many doctors on the front lines have been gaslighted for saying the same for two years. I spoke up at school board meetings in my area, offered my expertise/experience to the local Board of health, and was called a conspiracy theorist by people in my community. Several hostile people, who were never patients, gave me poor Google reviews to try to harm my business. None of it worked. I won’t shut up and my business is doing well. All glory to God.

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Unfortunately I discovered that professionals in the medical field tend to be some of the most conformist members of the society. They fight for nothing and tend to not question what authorities say. Not sure if hierarchical training makes them this way or the field preselects these personality types. This situation scares me to no tomorrow. MD, MPH here.

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My spouse is a highly cited, successful medical researcher, follows the Covid research carefully, and has been saying the same thing to our many Prog friends. They do not want to hear it. They dismiss his expertise. They want proclamations that are easy to understand and easy to obey. They do not want to spend 5 minutes doing some research themselves, and thinking for themselves.

I believe it has been ever so, and that this is why people invented religions. Just like most people do not understand what is behind turning on a light switch, or using a computer, they will understand neither science nor philosophy.

We are in an era of competing "religions." The rationalists are not using language the irrationalists can understand, find inspiration in.

Raising the alarm is a start, as here. Criticizing people will not be effective. We must empathize with why they fear to think, and fear to speak, and we must propose effective countermeasures. How do we change a monolithic government bureaucracy? Daunting.

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Hammer; nail.

Thank you, Drs. You've eloquently written what many of us have felt, or discerned from the data and literature - but don't have the expertise or platform to disseminate far, or authoritatively.

This is an article that should be shared widely (I will do my bit) - because we can't hope to fix public health without first acknowledging how far it has gone off the rails, and how far removed it is currently from the hallmarks of the actual scientific method; genuine curiosity and humility.

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Unfortunately, science institutions (particularly governmental orgs) pronouncing that 'the science is settled' has become de rigeur for any controversial topic that has a political component.

The record is much worse for Anthropogenic Global Warming (now euphemized as Climate Change) where not only do the so-called scientists call for religious devotion to the party line, they smear any skeptics and change data that they themselves have previously published. Many billions of dollars have been wasted on AGW over the past 3 decades and the waste is increasing. This cult-like following has contributed to the crisis we see in Europe and the sky-high prices we experience here. It is literally killing people in Ukraine and elsewhere who cannot access inexpensive (and previously abundant) energy. And this fails to take into account the environmental damage that things like windmills and solar farms have on wildlife and the dependence on unsavory nations for key minerals (lithium, cobalt).

Even the staffing of projects that should be based purely on a capability/track record basis has been forced to bow to political pressures. Government contracts now require a long explanation of the project's attempts to implement diversity, inclusion, and equity and the answers constitute 10% of the score in the grading system.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions. So is the road to serfdom.

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Jul 14, 2022·edited Jul 14, 2022

COVID happened at a time, when it was the perfect vehicle to stop an inevitable second Trump term.

There was enormous pressure, on an already politicized CDC, FDA and NIH, and as a former hospital administrator, I can tell you they already had issues from those of us in the healthcare sector coming into this. The permanent federal employees of those agencies were let loose to support the most fringe public health policies in order to stop a virus, that had a lower mortality than several of the previous five seasonal flu seasons for those of ages 0-18, with absolutely no consideration of collateral damage. The mental health issues surrounding lockdowns, and the learning losses amongst children weren't discussed. When Trump tried to bring contrary authorities into the discussion they were soundly condemned by the media and he was accused of having no empathy. But in the end, Fauci, the media and the democrats were more interested in doing whatever it took to inflict maximum pain on society, while attaching blame to Trump in whatever way possible.

Science, in general, has lost enormous credibility over the last many decades as 'scientists' and 'experts', that are clearly paid advocates, prostitute themselves to push a cause. Trial lawyers trying to convince a jury, and the media looking for a way to support a tabloid-like story, have destroyed. the integrity of science.

Also, 'Settled Science' is an oxymoron. Whenever it's used, assume you're about to read something political.

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I am not against all vaccines. But the development, testing and approval process for the mRNA vaccines has been so truncated, and the data on natural immunity so suppressed, that I find myself in the unaccustomed role of vaccine skeptic regarding these particular vaccines. It is becoming clear that each of us has a higher responsibility than ever to be informed, educated and empowered to make decisions about our childrens’ and our own health choices. Groupthink may be the greatest hazard to our health today.

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We have a real crisis of courage in this country from scientists at the CDC and FDA to policemen in schools, to everyday Americans that are afraid to speak their minds because they fear the woke mob.

Shakespeare had it right when he said that a coward dies a thousand deaths, but the valiant taste death just once.

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I have spent a lifetime in science. Not "Science" - propaganda; science, as in Follow the Data Wherever It Leads. It never in my most fevered dreams occurred to me that my chosen field - medicine - would ever succumb to the pressures of any political regime, but here it is. I have colleagues who in deference to our long friendships just stop talking when the proper treatments for the CCP Virus are brought up - showing zero of the healthy skepticism we were taught to bring to any new medical claim - and yet belittle studies with thousands of patients that contradict the gub'ment narrative.

It is said that in Nazi Germany, the doctors were the easiest to turn and became the most fervent Party members. That makes no sense at first until one realizes that one cannot become a doctor without the ability to comply, to immerse oneself in stacks of books and regurgitate as much of it as possible. The investment in time and treasure to become a doctor is immense, and once licensed, they have so much to lose.

People ask me why, now long into retirement, I keep my medical license current. The answer is always the same: My job in retirement is to protect my friends and family from my colleagues.

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Watching our elite class destroy public health , communities the education of millions while suppressing dissent has done more to destroy the legitimacy of our institutions then anything in our lifetime.

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I’ve listened to a few podcast interviews with Dr. Makary. He is part of a group of docs that have been outspoken from the beginning but done it in a way that’s respectable. They’ve stated (and I agree) that science and medicine have lost the trust of millions of Americans and it’ll take a long time to regain that trust.

As a parent to two young children, I now find myself questioning every vaccine they get. I now question getting flu shots every year for myself. I’ve become skeptical to things I wouldn’t have questioned 3 years ago. It’s not a reassuring place to be.

In another interview with a different physician, it was stated that 75% of the global pharmaceutical profits come from the United States. Pfizer and Moderna literally had once in a lifetime opportunities to make hundreds of billions of dollars in a matter of a few years. Knowing this and seeing how the vaccines were pushed while silencing all “misinformation” has me convinced that the NIH/FDA/CDC have become little more than shills for big pharma. I feel for the doctors and scientists that have integrity and are trying to do the right thing but it’s clear their agency’s efforts are secondary to helping corporations profit. Sadly, that’s just about all any federal agency is good at anymore.

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I support the right of Big Tech (and MSM) to publish or remove any content that they wish - because Free Speech and Property Rights must be respected. I have 0 expert knowledge to comment on the effectiveness / side effects / results of the vaccines and support the right of every individual to decide for themselves regarding vaccination. But the fact that it is enormously difficult to get information that goes against the government narrative to make an informed decision is puzzling and very dangerous for both the long and short term regarding open debate.

Shame on both Big Tech and MSM for being complicit in this and stifling information (you can apply this comment to "Climate Change", too).

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