Volume 81, no. 11
On Oct 18 the second part of the massive political spectacle known as the “No Kings Protest” was presented to domestic and international audiences. The first instalment of this performative drama or farce (depending upon the viewpoint) took place on Jun 14, 2025, to coincide with President Trump’s 79th birthday and the military parade celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army (https://tinyurl.com/52jhpk8k).
Both events reportedly received generous funding from many left-wing organizations including Public Citizen and Indivisible, which is tied to George Soros’s Open Society Foundations (https://tinyurl.com/3yjec9ed). The declared objective of those happenings was to peacefully protest what its organizers called “the abuse of power and erosion of democratic norms by President Trump” (https://tinyurl.com/34wdcpzu). As opposed to the violently riotous Black Lives Matter demonstrations, most No Kings rallies on Jun 14 were quiet. Yet a handful of them erupted into violence, resulting in several arrests and at least one death as reported by Fox News (https://tinyurl.com/y464t2rc). Hence one should not be surprised that the Trump Administration expressed clear concerns about the second part of the protest. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R–La.) warned that it would “bring together the Marxists, the socialists, the Antifa advocates, the anarchists, and the pro-Hamas wing of the far-left Democrat Party,” as Nick Gillespie noted in Reason (https://tinyurl.com/ycxrxz5s).
Apparently those specific worries did not materialize, but the right-wing-aligned public should recognize that the deceptive enemy that pretends to be conciliatory is more dangerous than an openly hostile one. Though Antifa and some kaffiyehs and anti-Israel signage were present, crowds were not rambunctious but rather joyously playful. Most surprisingly they seemed to embrace traditional American values and symbolism that were abhorred by the Left in the past. American flags and symbols, including a Lady Liberty (albeit with blue hair) were present with abundance overshadowing strangely scarce pro-LGBT banners (https://tinyurl.com/mtx7ukmn). The majority of participants were white and older. The few younger ones were wearing Halloween- style funny outfits, such as inflatable animal costumes.
The messaging was focused on the real and imagined personal failings of Trump and key points of his domestic agenda, especially Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, as reported by Gillespie (op. cit.). “Whenever I asked someone what they hated about Trump, the answer was almost always the same: ‘Everything!’” Trump was portrayed as a tyrant who needs to be impeached, stopped, or voted out. No horror about the fact that such attitudes advocate “overturning an election.”
What Does It Mean?
In our hyper-polarized world the interpretation of this political spectacle depends upon the political affiliation of the observer.
On the Right, many echo the opinion that the protest was a joke (https://tinyurl.com/25b35xm5). Right-wing commenter Lomez suggested on X that No Kings protests represent simply a near-terminal spasm of rage of the aging liberals in the Baby Boomer generation. They were angered after their core beliefs shaped by the 1960s left-wing ideologies were shattered by the political successes of Trump and his MAGA movement (https://tinyurl.com/5n6wwk59). Such reassuring opinions gloss over the fact that the political spectacle was well attended (7 million?), well funded, cleverly orchestrated, and smoothly executed. This indicates the presence of able, resourceful, and cunning leadership.
The Left saw the rallies as energizing and unifying, a powerful rebuke of “authoritarianism” brought by MAGA and a reaffirmation of “democratic values” (https://tinyurl.com/34wdcpzu). There was no reflection on the Left’s illiberal cancel culture, unfair DEI, Critical Race Theory, labeling of all dissenters as “Nazis,” forced acceptance of “transgenderism,” or COVID-19 despotism.
There may be valuable lessons from a neutral observer viewpoint. The importance of large crowds at rallies should neither be overestimated nor underestimated. Despite huge attendance at Trump rallies and low Biden attendance, Trump lost in 2020. Stealing may have occurred, but would not have succeeded without the left-wing base. The No Kings protests showed that the leftist base has not shrunk—and it has learned something important. American patriotism is still popular while Woke craziness is not. But how can one trust a group that now waves flags it previously proclaimed to be offensive banners of “bigotry,” “white supremacy,” and even “fascism”?
The basic idea of the American War of Independence—which is scorned by the Left—was to have no king. Kings are bad, say leftists—unless they are to be the king.
A mere interlude of “owning” the Wokes just assures that if they return to power, they will ruthlessly implement all the things they now complain of. The Right needs to learn the historical example of the Punic Wars. The cunning enemy—even outwardly defeated—will represent an existential threat as long as its power base and leadership remain strong.
The No Kings attendees also need to learn repeated lessons from history—from China, Vietnam, Cuba, Iran, and Cambodia. Leftists use protesters—Stalin’s “useful idiots”—to destabilize the status quo. Once they gain power, they get rid of the people who helped them (https://tinyurl.com/5csacar9). The result won’t be a mere king, but more likely a global technocratic dictatorship.
.No Kings—or No America?
The U.S. does not have and will not have a monarchy; “no kings” has a symbolic meaning. Some, who see Christ as the King, consider it an anti-Christan movement, opposed to a divine Lawgiver and Judeo-Christian morality. Others claim that it is a Christian-led movement opposing “Christian nationalism.” However, it advocates a completely secular government and socialist utilitarian ethics.
The division about the nature of America goes deep and reflects the difference between the American War of Independence and the French Revolution.
American institutions were shaped by the traditions and experiences of England as a “crowned republic,” writes David Starkey. The colonists wanted their “rights as Englishmen.” While England had a monarch most of the time, there were republican limits and a subtle interdependence of Crown, Lords, and Commons. The political order emerged from lived tradition, evolving over centuries from medieval precedents such as the Magna Carta. The core republican structure established by our Framers—habits, customs, and embedded liberties—remained unmistakably English (https://tinyurl.com/ht6hfxye).
In this view, America is not a “propositional nation,” though this idea is promoted by high-profile members on both the establishment Left and Right. America is not summarized “in a few words and phrases” such as “equality,” “liberty,” a “nation of immigrants,” or Enlightenment abstractions. Joe Biden called America an “idea.” J.D. Vance stated: “America is not just an idea. It is a group of people with a shared history and a common future. It is in short, a nation.”
The Founders emphasized this theme. Alexander Hamilton wrote: “The safety of a republic depends essentially on the energy of a common National sentiment; on a uniformity of principles and habits; on the exemption of the citizens from foreign bias, and prejudice; and on that love of country which will almost invariably be found to be closely connected with birth, education and family” (https://tinyurl.com/53357sda).
The French Revolution, in contrast, lacked historical grounding, was based on abstractions, and aimed to extirpate the monarchy, the aristocracy, and the church. It even renamed the days of the week. It rapidly descended into chaos, tyranny, and brutal violence. It was ended by Napoleon.
The No Kings protesters evidently favor atomized individual “rights” without moral constraints, with the destruction of borders, history, tradition, and established authority. Most, when asked, are unable to articulate exactly what they want.
What matters, of course, is what the organizers intend: the dissolution of what James Madison called the “kindred … [and] mingled blood” of the colonists that cemented their political union. The removal of the United States as a powerful sovereign nation capable of blocking globalist desires to dominate or to attempt to create a new transhumanity.
The No Kings movement may be approaching the 3.5% tipping point (12 million in the streets) that could bring about systemic change such as Medicare for all and “economic justice” (https://tinyurl.com/mv5ehu8u).
“No cause ever, in the history of all mankind, has produced more cold-blooded tyrants, more slaughtered innocents and more orphans than socialism with power.” —Alan Charles Kors
Democracy vs. Freedom
Classical liberals such as Alexis de Tocqueville and Lord Acton sided with democracy as the best mechanism for guaranteeing social peace and preserving individual liberties. But anarcho-capitalist Hans-Hermann Hoppe, author of the radical 2001 book Democracy: The God That Failed, argued that democracy is not the natural ally of individual freedom, but rather its structural enemy—a “decivilizing” force that incentivizes short-term thinking and erodes social capital.
Democracy, he explains, entrusts the state apparatus to non-owner managers, with a short time horizon (due to elections), incentivized to distribute immediate benefits (spending, transfers, easy credit) and to defer costs (future taxes, debt, inflation, regulation). Hereditary monarchy, conversely, involves an owner of a transmissible asset, the country. Hoppe’s thesis is that “public” government (democratic) has a shortened horizon, and thus a higher social time preference, while “private” government (monarchical) is accompanied by a longer horizon and a lower time preference.
Hoppe does not define himself as a monarchist, although he considers monarchy to be the best possible form of state. He questions whether the state is truly necessary (https://tinyurl.com/4ne99e44).
The American government must not be “private” as in owned by BlackRock and other globalist megacorporations, or “public” as in “democratic socialism.”
One Nation under God, anchored in history and tradition, needs to find its way.
Kennedy May Dismiss the USPSTF
The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF), which determines which preventative healthcare services insurers must cover without cost, is accused of being staffed with doctors who prioritize left-wing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) ideals in their work, as opposed to evidence-based science. As reported by Fox News, AAPS among other organizations had raised concerns (https://tinyurl.com/45z8pnfy). The American Accountability Foundation (AAF) stated that the USPSTF “has been thoroughly hijacked by left-wing partisans for the purpose of weaponizing science to spread leftist ideology.” For example, it opposes constraints on mail-order chemical abortions. Among its grade “A” recommendations for mandated preventive coverage is pre-exposure HIV prophylaxis (PrEP). A challenge by Braidwood Management Inc., initially on religious grounds, morphed into a question over the legitimacy of USPSTF’s authority. SCOTUS ruled it not unconstitutional, but Secretary Kennedy is considering exercising his authority to dismiss all 16 members.
AAPS Calendar
Sep 24-26, 2026. 83rd Annual Meeting, Alpharetta, GA – https://aapsonline.org/2026am
ACTION OF THE MONTH
Does your practice welcome direct-pay patients? Please make sure you are on our list to help patients find you. https://aaps.pub/listing
Religious Exemptions from Vaccine Mandates
Can a person consider scientific facts in requesting a religious exemption? The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said no in Detweiler v. Mid-Columbia Medical Center (https://tinyurl.com/a6yheach).
The 9th Circuit decision requires courts to parse religious beliefs to determine whether the “operative belief” is truly religious or merely secular. It found Detwiler’s belief that testing swabs were carcinogenic was “personal and secular, premised on her interpretation of medical research,” despite her religious framing about her body being a temple.
The Sixth Circuit held in Leah Prida v. Option Care Enters., Inc., (https://tinyurl.com/3cv5tc58) that when plaintiffs allege both religious and secular reasons, the secular components don’t negate the religious ones at the motion-to-dismiss stage. Courts should read complaints holistically and not artificially segregate religious from secular beliefs.
The Circuit split is pronounced because both cases had almost the same facts—objections to COVID testing based on concerns about chemicals on testing swabs, coupled with “body as a temple” religious beliefs, writes Warner Mendenhall. The proper interpretation of Title VII’s religious protections is a significant issue affecting workplaces nationwide, giving strong grounds for Supreme Court review (https://tinyurl.com/3prf4ekb).
COVID Vaccines Excluded from VICP
Under the 1986 Vaccine Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services is legally required to add any new vaccine to the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program’s covered Vaccine Injury Table once that vaccine is recommended by the CDC for routine administration to children or pregnant women. In late 2021 and 2022, CDC added COVID-19 vaccines to these schedules. However, it missed the two-year deadline to amend the injury table, so people injured by them still could not file VICP claims. The only available compensation is through the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP), which in nearly 15 years has compensated only 34 claims out of more than 13,000 filed, the vast majority of which stem from COVID-19 vaccine injuries.
In January 2025, Paul Brundage, who suffered a severe blood-clotting disorder, filed a federal lawsuit against HHS to compel the addition of COVID-19 vaccines to the VICP’s injury table (Brundage v. Becerra, No. 25-119 (D.D.C.)). The suit was dismissed without prejudice because Brundage’s alleged injury would still not be redressable by a favorable court order alone because Congress has not enacted the $0.75-per-dose excise tax that would make any table listing effective (https://tinyurl.com/yd6w35cb).
Tip of the Month. The third-longest government shutdown in history—and continuing as of Oct 23—may be the new normal in D.C. The physicians who have opted out of Medicare as we have suggested have little to fear. But physicians still in Medicare have already seen telehealth coverage revert to pre-Covid rules, which means no reimbursement (unless restored) except for rural patients or in limited situations like stroke or home dialysis patients (https://tinyurl.com/47b2ahp6). More generally, half of CMS employees were furloughed during this shutdown, which can worsen delays in reimbursements and difficulties in obtaining answers to questions.
U.S. Drops Charges against Dr. Kirk Moore
Dr. Michael Kirk Moore, Jr., of Plastic Surgery Institute of Utah was on trial facing a 35-year prison sentence, when U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered the charges to be dropped.
Dr. Moore was accused of destroying $38,000 worth of COVID-19 vaccines, which he denies. He did honor his patients’ choice of not receiving the mandated vaccines, and gave them a fake vaccination card. He also administered saline shots to children at parents’ request.
Dr. Moore and three others were accused of seeking to defraud the U.S. and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (https://tinyurl.com/4ybr7a7x).
Who Should Be Accountable for COVID Disaster?
The COVID narrative was highly complex—the public health interventions, the disputes about treatment, and the vaccines. Carl Heneghan and Tom Jefferson (“Trust the Evidence” substack, https://tinyurl.com/44y3neh2) identify the “4-headed health monster.”
First is pharma, whose aim is the clearest and strangely most honest: profit-making. They manipulate and selectively present evidence, ensuring their products sell well and the shareholders remain content.
Second are key opinion leaders. “KOLs dance to the tune of careers, publications, honours and of course, money. They are slothful and lazy, and Dante did not even afford them a place in his Hell (Inferno). They are in a vestibule, running to follow a dirty, nondescript flag for eternity, as in life they followed each passing ship. You need a nose to spot them as their conflicts are often opaque and remain unknown to the wider public.”
Third are “scientific journals.” There are numerous examples of decadence and rampant corruption. “Journals are power centres that rule the lives and careers of academics, using citation tools such as the impact factor, which has become a mark of authority and a substitute for scientific quality.”
Fourth are governments and politickers who are not interested in doing their jobs: protecting the public and holding accountable those who create harm. They were, however, quick to suppress civil liberties on the basis of what modellers and other politicians told them.
Additionally, we have the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), which are setting their own vaccination policies in place of the CDC’s, since the CDC weakened its recommendations for COVID vaccines in children and pregnant women. The ACOG/AAP position has been platformed by JAMA.
As James Lyons-Weiler, Ph.D., writes, AAP and ACOG are trade associations—not institutions with scientific regulatory oversight. They are “structurally aligned with manufacturer influence, and incentivized to preserve professional consensus. Their policy statements, while often treated as scientific pronouncements, are not based on gold-standard evidence and do not meet legal or clinical standards for establishing causality.” They do not pass the “Kennedy bar” for evidence (https://tinyurl.com/mrbf34r3).
Lyons-Weiler details the numerous methodologic flaws in safety studies of COVID vaccines in pregnancy, which he calls “irreparably compromised.”
Correspondence
Woke Governors Form Alliance. NY Governor Kathy Hochul has joined governors of WA, OR, Guam, MA, CT, RI, DE, MD, NJ, CA, CO, IL, NC, and HI to launch the Governors Public Health Alliance, which is supported by the Governors Action Alliance (govactalliance.org). Gov. Hochul is upset that vaccines are not being worshipped and abortion on demand is not being sufficiently supported. The medical aid in dying act (MAiD) has passed and is awaiting Hochul’s signature. According to Public Health News from the Medical Society of the County of Erie, Gov. Hochul said, “From undermining vaccine access and abortion rights to slashing billions in Medicaid funding from those in need, the federal government is wreaking havoc on public health and the institutions we rely on.” The Alliance will allow states to “coordinate with global partners.”
Lawrence R. Huntoon, M.D., Ph.D., Eden, N.Y.
Utilitarian Bioethics. At the core of this new woke socialist philosophy is the belief that the state has both the right and the obligation to promote the “greatest happiness for the greatest number”—which is a path to medical totalitarianism. This has been historically embodied and justified in the case of vaccine mandate and quarantine policies. But with the rise of “nudge” technologies combined with a power of modern digital propaganda, such logic is now being used to justify a wide range of state public health interventions including outright social Marxism supported by the new religion of Scientism and unchallengeable scientific dogma. MAiD illustrates the insidious mission creep, from painful terminal disease, to suicide for almost any reason, to guilt for consuming resources—potentially for use of an organ needed by a more productive person.
We need to completely reform CDC and public health all the way down to the level of fundamental culture and ethics.
Robert Malone, M.D., https://tinyurl.com/znzpebvy
One Health. Harvard Medical School has voted to embed climate change throughout its curriculum. Some 55% of U.S. medical schools now teach about the health effects of climate change, up from 27% in 2019. The curriculum will examine the effects of climate change on health and health inequality.
Willie Soon, Ph.D., Salem, MA
Crime Rates Increased. Contrary to claims by the left that crime has decreased, based on the FBI’s annual Uniform Crime Report, crime rates have exploded. The National Crime Victimization Survey shows violent crime surged 59%, with rape and sexual assault up 67%, robbery up 38%, and aggravated assault up 62%. That’s the largest four-year increase in the survey’s 52-year history. Police agencies have been providing only sanitized statistics. Officers are forced to ignore crimes or classify felonies as misdemeanors, explains John McDaniel (tinyurl.com/5xe5ktr6).
John Dale Dunn, M.D., J.D., Brownwood, TX
Automatic Socialism. With coverage mandates, insurance automatically becomes socialized medicine—and very inefficient. Not only do we pay a private entity to manage this, and take his profits, but we pay bureaucrats to monitor it all. Care won’t get better, or gets worse because too many patients choke the system. But costs must rise. What needs to happen, but won’t, is the elimination of this form of bastardized insurance. If it were made a true bet again, and all had to pay for losing this bet, and for only a limited range of diseases, costs would decrease on average.
William Briggs, Ph.D., https://tinyurl.com/y3c65ep2
PCR Tests for COVID. Very few of the 400 PCR test kits available during the horror were validated, and we’re not sure whether this was using viral cultures. In a study of the Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2 test, no infectious virus was cultivated at cycle threshold (Ct) values greater than 26. Patients need to know the Ct of a test that calls them “infectious.”
Tom Jefferson and Carl Heneghan, tinyurl.com/2pr4d2xb
Autism Denialism. Of all the absurd arguments epidemic denialists deploy to explain away the autism explosion, none is more intellectually bankrupt than “better diagnosis.” In 1987, researchers looked at all 180,000 children under 18 in North Dakota. They found 59 children with autism—a rate of 3.3 per 10,000. Today’s autism rate is 1 in 36. That’s 83 times higher. If you believe in “better diagnosis,” you have to believe those researchers missed 98.8% of cases, and so did pediatricians, psychologists, screeners, teachers, and parents.
From 1959–1965, “The Collaborative Study of Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation, and Other Neurological and Sensory Disorders of Infancy and Childhood,” done by major universities, found 4.7 cases per 10,000. Saying the autism epidemic isn’t real is simply a lie—that extends the suffering of so many children.
J.B. Handley, father of an autistic son, tinyurl.com/v6b3aj4k
NYC Mayor. As I wrote 20 years ago, you don’t need to fly jets into skyscrapers and kill thousands of people…. The wimp state will bend over backwards to give you everything you want— including, eventually, the keys to those skyscrapers.
Mark Steyn, https://tinyurl.com/3pzbahsy
