Every nation of any repute has several intelligence agencies within and outside the military armed with advanced technology and well-trained operatives to seek out potential enemies that pose an existential threat to its survival. It is hardly debatable that America likely commits more of its resources to thwarting dangerous threats to Americans than most other developed nations, but there are still independent organizations far outside the government that believe their special insight allows them to identify threats the intelligence community deems pose no danger to America or its citizens abroad or domestically. Although some groups operate in the shadows to avoid drawing attention to themselves and their questionable tactics such as secretive and racist vigilante groups patrolling the borders to hunt down and kill poor Hispanics seeking a better life in America, other organizations are well-organized, well-funded, and very vocal about their value to America through propaganda Adolf Hitler’s Nazis would envy.
America’s most powerful Nazi like organization has once again taken a page right out of their forbearers in 1930s Germany and tasked its ministry of propaganda to terrify the public and members of the United States’ Senate to oppose a man the NRA believe poses an existential threat to America and their organization’s influence over society. Their target is not in competition with the NRA to rule over America, and in fact has no ambition to become a tyrannical dictator, but he does hold opinions that do not comport with those clamoring for anarchy in the streets, violent rebellion against the government, and roving bands of armed vigilantes taking the law into their own hands. This man who has garnered the undivided attention of America’s shadow government is a medical professional chosen as the nation’s leading spokesman on matters of public health.
The man on the National Rifle Association’s hit-list is Dr. Vivek Hallegere Murthy, an internist and former emergency room doctor educated at Harvard and Yale that President Obama nominated to serve as America’s next Surgeon General. It is likely Dr. Murthy will not even be afforded a confirmation vote due to intense opposition from the NRA that deem him an existential threat to America because he has advocated for sane gun safety laws, and supports the Center for Disease Control’s effort to study the effects of gun violence on public health. The NRA fully understands the devastation from guns on public health and consider it their crowning achievement they are rabid to see increase with their goal of gun proliferation and arming every man, woman, and child in America.
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The problem for President Obama’s nominee is, besides being a highly-educated Black man and physician, that many Senate Democrats from states where guns are more important than food and water are nervous about supporting an emergency room doctor the NRA has deemed an enemy of State with a view toward shredding the Constitution and destroying America. The NRA propaganda ministry understands they can use gun rights issues as a powerful weapon during an election year, and they attacked the surgeon general nominee and confirmation as their latest ploy put a stop to any attempts at federal firearms safety measures such as background checks for new gun purchases. The NRA understands that an emergency room physician is well-acquainted with the threat to public health of a population, including terrorists and criminals, with well-stocked armories and ALEC and NRA-written legislation giving legal cover to shoot other Americans; particularly when white people shoot young black men.
In February, the NRA wrote a letter to senators warning there would be a heavy price to pay for confirming Dr. Murthy saying, “Dr. Murthy’s record of political activism in support of radical gun control measures raises significant concerns.” NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam said recently that “We’re forced to get involved and voice our opposition because of the likelihood he would use the office of surgeon general to further his preexisting campaign against gun ownership.” The NRA said Saturday that the organization was simply responding to the White House decision to nominate a gun control advocate. Past Surgeons General, including Reagan-appointee C. Everett Koop, spoke out on the public health threats presented by guns, and in a 1992 essay Koop co-authored a paper entitled, “Time to Bite the Bullet Back.” When Murthy testified at his confirmation hearing, he testified that he had no intention of using the surgeon general’s office as a bully pulpit for gun control, but the NRA will not allow anyone in government holding an opinion contrary their gun-proliferation agenda. When he was nominated, Republican senators brutally criticized him for co-founding a doctors’ organization that backed President Obama.
Like ninety-percent of Americans, the American Medical Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, Murthy considers gun violence a public health concern and believes it is entirely appropriate to discuss the issue with patients. Murthy’s mortal sin was expressing his support for tightening restrictions on who can buy guns and how they can be purchased; the NRA regards Murthy and 90% of Americans radical for supporting safety measures to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and terrorists who readily purchase firearms on the Internet or from unlicensed backyard gun dealers. Murthy’s belief that gun violence resulting in death and injury is a public health problem is in stark contrast to the NRA that considers gun violence a valid means to measure the success of their propaganda campaigns against gun safety measures such as background checks. That campaign included a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid saying “Given Dr. Murthy’s lengthy history of hostility towards the right to keep and bear arms, along with his calls for the full weight of the federal government’s health apparatus to be used to target lawful gun ownership, the confirmation of Dr. Murthy is a prescription for disaster for America’s gun owners.” Murthy said in his confirmation hearing that his primary public health focus was spinal cord injuries and obesity. The NRA sent out warnings to gun owners and tasked them with contacting their senators and demanding they vote against Murthy to preserve their 2nd Amendment rights and preserve the Constitution.
It is likely that President Obama considered an emergency room physician with no opposition from the medical community a good, and safe, choice to be Surgeon General, but he miscalculated in choosing an educated Black man who holds the same opinion as 90% of Americans on gun safety. The powerful group yearning for a nation of armed citizens cannot have the nation’s top doctor concerned about the effect of gun violence on public health to prevent more dead and wounded Americans, so they exercised their influence over the United States Senate to block Murthy’s confirmation. The NRA resorted to their typical fear-mongering propaganda to warn gun fanatics that a Surgeon General whose job description is spokesman on matters of public health was poised to shred the Constitution and restrict their right to possess battlefield weapons; even if they are convicted felons and terrorists.
Audio engineer and instructor for SAE. Writes op/ed commentary supporting Secular Humanist causes, and exposing suppression of women, the poor, and minorities. An advocate for freedom of religion and particularly, freedom of NO religion.
Born in the South, raised in the Mid-West and California for a well-rounded view of America; it doesn’t look good.
Former minister, lifelong musician, Mahayana Zen-Buddhist.
