Supposed well being nut Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of the well being and human companies, celebrated Mom’s Day by taking his household to swim in polluted waters.
Kennedy shared pictures of the tour to Rock Creek simply exterior of Washington, D.C. Together with photographs of himself—shirtless and sporting denims, as he’s wont to do—submerging himself within the creek, the Make America Wholesome Once more cheerleader wrote, “Mother’s Day hike in Dumbarton Oaks Park with Amaryllis, Bobby, Kick, and Jackson, and a swim with my grandchildren, Bobcat and Cassius in Rock Creek.”
Nonetheless, swimming in Rock Creek has been banned since 1971 resulting from air pollution from runoff and quite a few sewer outfalls. Whereas there are ongoing efforts to wash up the waterways, it’s not presently secure.
On its Rock Create web site, the Nationwide Park Service informs guests to “stay dry, stay safe,” explaining that the ban is because of “high levels of bacteria and other infectious pathogens that make swimming, wading, and other contact with the water a hazard to human (and pet) health.” On the identical time, “[s]crambling in and out of the creek can also erode stream banks, which can negatively impact habitat for the park’s aquatic wildlife,” in accordance with the NPS.
It’s exhausting for a lot of to think about, not to mention keep in mind, that Kennedy was as soon as celebrated for his environmental efforts in cleansing up the Hudson River. His authorized work with the Riverkeeper group and the Waterkeeper Alliance within the Nineteen Eighties and Nineteen Nineties earned him broad recognition as a champion of environmental safety.
Regardless of these environmentalist beginnings, Kennedy has since leaned closely into anti-science conspiracy theories. His unscientific criticisms of vaccine security have undermined public well being initiatives, and as head of the HHS, he continues to advertise doubtful well being and medical recommendation.
In a 2021 e-book titled “The Real Anthony Fauci,” Kennedy capitalized on COVID-19 conspiracies by attacking Dr. Anthony Fauci—the pinnacle of the Nationwide Institute of Allergy and Infectious Illnesses—whereas selling a bizarrely misinformed criticism of germ idea.
This previous Mom’s Day, Kennedy’s perception that germs are overrated was on full show as the pinnacle of our nation’s public well being equipment promoted swimming in shit.
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