CNN guest wants them to become a protected class.
Baylor College of Medicine Professor Peter Hotez has published a paper suggesting it should be a “hate crime” to criticize Dr Anthony Fauci and other scientists.
Dr. Hotez, who is a frequent guest on MSNBC and CNN, lobbied for criminal punishments to be introduced in a recently published paper called Mounting Antiscience Aggression in the United States.
According to Hotez, a “band of ultraconservative members of the US Congress and other public officials with far-right leanings are waging organized and seemingly well-coordinated attacks against prominent US biological scientists.”
This is apparently emboldening “far-right extremists” who are engaging in “antiscience aggression” by questioning the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the vaccine rollout.
Hotez trots out the usual Nazi comparisons to emotionally assert, “Not taking action is a tacit endorsement, and a guarantee that the integrity and productivity of science in the United States will be eroded or lose ground.”
“We should look at expanded protection mechanisms for scientists currently targeted by far-right extremism in the United States,” he writes. “Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY) has introduced a bill known as the Scientific Integrity Act of 2021 (H.R. 849) to protect US Government scientists from political interference, but this needs to be extended for scientists at private research universities and institutes. Still another possibility is to extend federal hate-crime protections.”
This is yet another transparent effort to dehumanize anti-lockdown protesters and demonize people who merely want to exercise bodily autonomy while elevating Fauci and his ilk to Pope-like status.
Science isn’t supposed to be a religious dogma that is set in stone, it’s an ever-evolving knowledge base that changes and improves thanks to dissent and skepticism.
Attorney Jonathan Turley blasted Hotez’ authoritarian nonsense in a piece published on his website.
“The federal hate crime laws focus on basis of a person’s characteristics of race, religion, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity. We have seen calls for adding professions like police officers, which I also opposed. As with police officers, the inclusion of such professions would have a direct and inimical impact on free speech in our society. Indeed, it would create a slippery slope as other professions demand inclusion from reporters to ministers to physicians. Hate crimes would quickly apply to a wide array of people due to their occupations.”
“What is most striking about the article of Hotez is its lack of analytical balance. He rages against the right without even acknowledging how social media companies have already enforced a massive censorship program that bars even reporting the results of public clinical trials or repeating CDC positions on vaccinations. For a year, Big Tech has been censoring those who wanted to discuss the origins of pandemic and those who suggested the lab theory were attacked as right-wing conspiracy theorists. It was not until Biden admitted that the virus may have originated in the Wuhan lab that social media suddenly changed its position. Facebook only recently announced that people on its platform will be able to discuss the origins of Covid-19 after censoring any such discussion.”
Governor Cuomo harassment report reveals brother’s ongoing advising role in case
The New York State attorney general’s office investigation report released on Tuesday that concluded Governor Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed female staff members has revealed the level of involvement his brother, CNN host Chris Cuomo, had in advising his brother on how to handle the allegations.
The long-awaited investigation report from the New York State attorney general’s office released Tuesday that concluded Governor Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed current and former staff members has also revealed the level of involvement his brother, CNN host Chris Cuomo, had in advising his brother on how to handle the allegations.
According to the report, investigators obtained internal documents and communications that revealed Chris Cuomo, along with numerous other advisors, counseled the governor to “express contrition” in the wake of Charlotte Bennett’s allegations being published in late February.
Portions of lines proposed by Chris Cuomo were reportedly used in the governor’s February 28 statement.
“Questions have been raised about some of my personal interactions with people in my office,” Chris Cuomo reportedly wrote in an email communication, according to The Hill. “I spend most of my life at work and colleagues are often also personal friends. I never intended to offend anyone or cause any harm.”
In a press release issued on February 28, the day after Bennett’s allegations came to light, Governor Cuomo expressed similar sentiments.
“I now understand that my interactions may have been insensitive or too personal and that some of my comments, given my position, made others feel in ways I never intended. I acknowledge some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation. To the extent anyone felt that way, I am truly sorry about that,” wrote Governor Cuomo.
In the Feb. 27 chain of messages, it was also revealed that political consultant Lis Smith wrote, “I don’t love that part but Chris/Andrew wanted in” and “Chris wants to make sure we have enough contrition in here.”
According to The Hill, Chris Cuomo was also reportedly copied in a series of emails advising the governor on how to respond to Bennett’s allegations, with Chris Cuomo and other advisors having “counseled” the governor “to express contrition after the press published Ms. Bennett’s allegations.”
Chris Cuomo was listed as one in a long list of those who advised the governor, despite having no official executive role in the New York government.
“We also find it revealing and consistent with the Executive Chamber’s overall approach that, when faced with allegations of sexual harassment brought against the Governor, the inner circle of confidantes brought in to control and direct the response included a number of individuals with no official role in the Executive Chamber,” the report states.
Chris Cuomo was one of 179 people interviewed during the investigation into 11 sexual harassment allegations from different women.