Wait, what? A “quick and devastating takedown” of differing opinions by recognized experts in the field? Takedown in the sense of vigorous debate? In the sense of bitter criticism? In the sense of personal attacks on the dissident and his family? In the sense of silencing? Or in the sense of physical attacks? The word is ambiguous enough to cover all these, which may be why an ambiguous word was chosen. Who can be sure what was meant? So who can know how frightened to be? Best shut up.
But what next? Tony Soprano for NIH director? Al Capone for health advisor? We are sliding downhill into totalitarianism. To stop the slide we need to grab hold of something. It may be the Constitution. It may be the Bible. It may be the Minuteman’s rifle. But it better be something reliable, or we will be in really deep doodoo.
We can side with Galileo, or we can side with the Inquisition. But we have to choose, or the Inquisition will choose for us.
