Robert Francis Kennedy, Jr., also known by his initials RFK Jr., is the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services. He is a member of the Kennedy family, a son of Senator and former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, and a nephew of President John F. Kennedy.
Regrettably, both RFK Jr.’s uncle and his dad were assassinated while serving our nation.
I like RFK Jr. I applaud President Trump for his brilliant choice of a physically fit 71-year-old democrat to lead a physically unfit nation to seriously think about the thoughtless and hastily made daily health-costly decisions, we refer to as “lifestyles.”
Yes, in medically significant ways, Americans are unhealthy! A new study from the Pentagon shows that 77% of young Americans would not qualify for military service without a waiver due to being overweight, using drugs, or having mental and physical health problems.
In discouraging ways, America is also tilting towards mental unfitness by postmodern denunciation of truth, and spiritual unfitness by denial of eternal life of the spirit.
RFK Jr.’s book, American Values, Lessons I Learned from my Family (2018) is an important, perceptive, and insightful discernment of a man worthy of our attention. It is also a documentation of a multigenerational Irish American family that helped influence America’s history.
RFJ Jr is one of eleven children. A careful, thoughtful reading of his book fails to show any evidence of bitterness by any member of the Kennedy family.
At this early stage of his new presidential appointment, RFK Jr., an intellectually gifted, energetic, and persistent person is examining a host of things that are done to us that damage our health.
The benefits likely to accrue from cessation of food dyes alone, for example, are immense.
Scholars today, for example, are referring to dementia as “Diabetes Type III,” proposing that food additives, including food dyes, may play a vital role in the etiology of dementias such as Alzheimer’s Disease.
For clarification, Diabetes Type I ordinarily requires insulin injection treatment, whereas Diabetes Type II is often managed by diet and medication orally.
Bobby Kennedy, RFK Jr’s dad, graduated from UVA’s Law School in 1951, and Ted Kennedy, also graduated from the same Law School in 1959.
As soon as Ted Kennedy graduated, he hurried to campaign for JFK, skipping the traditional procession down the Lawn to receive his law degree.
More than half a century after U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1959, his law diploma was posthumously delivered to his family on Sunday, 5/18/2014. The late senator’s grand-nephew, U.S. Representative Joseph P. Kennedy III, accepted the certificate while serving as the commencement speaker.
Our nation was accustomed to the appealing, Boston enunciation, the almost lyrical speech of President Kennedy. RFK Jr, owing to a speech disorder, was not blessed with the gift of the Kennedy voice.
Spasmodic dysphonia, a neurological disorder causing involuntary spasms in the vocal cord muscles, results in a voice that sounds strained, strangled, or breathy.
Spasmodic dysphonia affects about 50,000 people in North America, with more women than men. The cause remains unknown.
An injection of botulinum toxin — or Botox — into a sufferer’s vocal cords is one of the most common treatments for the disorder. Kennedy said in 2005 that he was receiving shots about every four months.
RFK Jr “can’t stand” the sound of his own voice. He feels “sorry” for people who hear him speak, reminding me of Moses whose speech was also impaired. Moses asked God not to command him to lead the Jews out of Egypt to the promised land.
“But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.”
“Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”
“But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.”
“Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.
“You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do.
“He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him.
“And take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs.” Exodus 4:10-17. And Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt.
Is it unreasonable to compare ourselves today to the Jews held captive in Egypt for 430 years (1743 BC-1313 BC)? Is it a “bridge too far,” or a stretch of our thoughts too thin to abide within the rules of logic?
Are we not enslaved to all our appetites, to our feelings, to our prejudices, to our misperceptions, and, most slavishly, to our selfish self-regard?
If I were a biblically based minister, priest, or rabbi, my sermon would be a 21st-century parable. RFK Jr, the son of an assassinated dad and nephew, at age nine, of an assassinated uncle, bears no bitterness or hatred. He knows forgiveness is health-giving. No one is more qualified to lead our nation to health.
RFK Jr. was fourteen when his dad was murdered. As a teenager, the sudden, traumatic death of one’s dad is often associated with irrational guilt, prolonged or unresolved grief, and other challenging emotional disorders. RFK Jr cut from a different cloth, became the hero of his own life for which he neither seeks nor accepts praise.
RFK Jr’s life, like gold, has been refined in the hottest furnaces, and he is a better man for it. Is he perfect? Not by a long shot. Earlier, he “aligned his life with his conscience,” and we are to benefit should we choose to do our part to make ourselves physically, cognitively, and spiritually fit.
The Apostle Paul, a Jew and Roman citizen, and author of most of the New Testament, experienced a dramatic conversion to Christianity on the road to Damascus (34 AD). He puts the question of responsibility for our health directly to us: we are the “temple of God,” therefore we treat our bodies as one cares for a temple.
“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.” 1 Corinthians 3:16-17
The health of a nation reflects the well-being of its citizens.“Make America Healthy” is a journey that encompasses a comprehensive strategy aimed at improving the physical, mental, social, and spiritual health of every American.
“Make America Healthy” is not just a slogan; it is a call to a journey. By taking a comprehensive approach that encompasses healthcare access, nutrition, physical activity, mental health support, and environmental health, we can build a healthier America.
This journey requires the collaboration of government, communities, healthcare providers, educators, and individuals to make lasting changes that will benefit generations to come.
Together, we can create a nation where every citizen has the opportunity to lead a healthy, fulfilling life. Let us commit to making America healthy, one step at a time, one spoonful at a time, and one prayer at a time. I can think of no better model than RFK Jr. to lead us out of the wilderness of our unfit selves.
Robert S. Brown, MD, PHD a retired Psychiatrist, Col (Ret) U.S. Army Medical Corps devoted the last decade of his career to treating soldiers at Fort Lee redeploying from combat. He was a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Professor of Education at UVA. His renowned Mental Health course taught the value of exercise for a sound mind.