July 13, 2007--Fanaticism LXXXIII: "Why Would You Want to Help Those People?"
Some one needs to explain to me the ideology of second-hand smoke.
OK, I get the "morning-after pill." I disagree with the theology cited to object to it, but at least I get it. Life begins at the moment of conception it goes—even when there are just two undifferentiated cells—therefore, to take a pill the next day means that . . .
Thus when Dr. Richard Cremona, George Bush’s Surgeon General for five years, testified before Congress this week, though as SG he was considered to be the Nation’s Doctor, and in that role he thought he was supposed to speak with an objective and independent voice, still, as a political appointee, it should have come as no surprise to him to learn that the Bush administration, of which he after all was a part, would expect him to promote abstinence over contraception; and certainly they wouldn’t want him pushing RU-486 pills. But couldn’t they, he now complains, have at least allowed him to point out the scientific evidence that even brief exposure to second-hand smoke represents a significant health risk? Is the Bush administration at the highest level so cravenly beholden to the tobacco lobby that they would put pressure on him to ignore this obvious danger?
I am pleased that Dr. Cremona has finally stepped forward to unburden himself (see NY Times article linked below), but what did he think he was doing to from 2002 to 2006 when he unquestioningly went around the country selling the Bush agenda? When Karl Rove instructed the good doctor to praise George Bush’s health polices in all of his speeches by literally inserting the president’s name three times on every page (there was someone in the White House whose job it was to do the counting—if he was so unhappy about this Cremona should have used a smaller type font size), did he think he was a free operative? I suspect he was happier with his deal than he is currently saying.
Be that as it may, with his emerging from the closet we have another inside look at how everything in this administration is politicized, with health policy now also serving as a metaphor for the lager agenda and problem—at best, cynical pandering to the religious right at every turn or at worst ideological and theological fanaticism.
The Bush folks were so thorough and obsessive that Cremona was even directed not to attend the Special Olympics because you know which family is prominently involved with them. Dr, Cremona testified, “I was specifically told by a senior person [we can easily guess who that was] ‘Why would you want to help those people.’”
The systematic assault on science that the doctor’s testimony reveals—from opposition to stem cell research to ignoring the evidence that abstinence doesn’t work (I could have told you that without spending even one dollar on studies) to ignoring the obvious about global warming—this is metaphoric because it is identical to the Bush administration’s ignoring evidence for ideological reasons in the foreign and domestic policy arenas. Just two examples--cutting taxes for the wealthy does not lead to a trickle-down benefit for the middle class or poor, and of course we have the unmitigated disaster in the Middle East.
But not to worry about our Surgeon Generals—C. Everett Koop, Ronald Reagan’s SG, who appeared before Congress with Dr. Cremona, as anyone who watches TV knows, is the very well-paid spokesperson who stars in infomercials for Life Alert; and Dr. Cremona himself is now vice chairman of Canyon Ranch, a high-end resort and development company. Where I suppose he makes sure there is no smoking. Abstinence on the other hand . . .
OK, I get the "morning-after pill." I disagree with the theology cited to object to it, but at least I get it. Life begins at the moment of conception it goes—even when there are just two undifferentiated cells—therefore, to take a pill the next day means that . . .
Thus when Dr. Richard Cremona, George Bush’s Surgeon General for five years, testified before Congress this week, though as SG he was considered to be the Nation’s Doctor, and in that role he thought he was supposed to speak with an objective and independent voice, still, as a political appointee, it should have come as no surprise to him to learn that the Bush administration, of which he after all was a part, would expect him to promote abstinence over contraception; and certainly they wouldn’t want him pushing RU-486 pills. But couldn’t they, he now complains, have at least allowed him to point out the scientific evidence that even brief exposure to second-hand smoke represents a significant health risk? Is the Bush administration at the highest level so cravenly beholden to the tobacco lobby that they would put pressure on him to ignore this obvious danger?
I am pleased that Dr. Cremona has finally stepped forward to unburden himself (see NY Times article linked below), but what did he think he was doing to from 2002 to 2006 when he unquestioningly went around the country selling the Bush agenda? When Karl Rove instructed the good doctor to praise George Bush’s health polices in all of his speeches by literally inserting the president’s name three times on every page (there was someone in the White House whose job it was to do the counting—if he was so unhappy about this Cremona should have used a smaller type font size), did he think he was a free operative? I suspect he was happier with his deal than he is currently saying.
Be that as it may, with his emerging from the closet we have another inside look at how everything in this administration is politicized, with health policy now also serving as a metaphor for the lager agenda and problem—at best, cynical pandering to the religious right at every turn or at worst ideological and theological fanaticism.
The Bush folks were so thorough and obsessive that Cremona was even directed not to attend the Special Olympics because you know which family is prominently involved with them. Dr, Cremona testified, “I was specifically told by a senior person [we can easily guess who that was] ‘Why would you want to help those people.’”
The systematic assault on science that the doctor’s testimony reveals—from opposition to stem cell research to ignoring the evidence that abstinence doesn’t work (I could have told you that without spending even one dollar on studies) to ignoring the obvious about global warming—this is metaphoric because it is identical to the Bush administration’s ignoring evidence for ideological reasons in the foreign and domestic policy arenas. Just two examples--cutting taxes for the wealthy does not lead to a trickle-down benefit for the middle class or poor, and of course we have the unmitigated disaster in the Middle East.
But not to worry about our Surgeon Generals—C. Everett Koop, Ronald Reagan’s SG, who appeared before Congress with Dr. Cremona, as anyone who watches TV knows, is the very well-paid spokesperson who stars in infomercials for Life Alert; and Dr. Cremona himself is now vice chairman of Canyon Ranch, a high-end resort and development company. Where I suppose he makes sure there is no smoking. Abstinence on the other hand . . .
posted by Steven Zwerling at
11:53 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home