I am hopeful that 2nd Smartest Guy in the World will eventually see fit to respond to this article.
Judging from some recent comments here, it seems that those of you who have asked him to respond are finding their comments deleted, often within a few minutes.
It seems clear that he doesn't want his readership to know about the critique leveled against his position on RFK Jr. This smells like controlled opposition. These are the techniques that were used with great impact over the last three years to fool the public into thinking that there was scientific "consensus".
If any of you is willing, please consider leaving a polite comment on his article asking him to respond here. Please let us know what happens to your comment. I am truly curious how far he will go to make sure his followers do not know what he is doing.
He is obviously a show-off, as may be seen in the childish name of his Substack. He’s uncomfortable and impatient of the criticism he has received. He claims the status of a guru so that he doesn’t have to adduce evidentiary grounds for his contempt for Kennedy. In a world in which all relation of facts is suspect, truth is only found in the words of the elite, especially him. He is not worth the time of day. I wouldn’t give him another thought and would not seek further engagement with him. I think every shill on the Internet is being sponsored and paid, most of them by deep-pocketed and long-armed Pharma. You cannot prove it. Both his ego and his source of revenue would never allow him to debate or reason with you. I’d walk away now.
I am not interested in convincing him he is wrong. That would be an exercise in futility. However we have an opportunity to witness an example of controlled opposition as it emerges. When comments are immediately deleted, nobody has an idea of how many people disagree with the author's thesis. If we have receipts for all the cancellations we will have an idea of how hard "they" have to work to pull the veil over their readers' eyes.
He’s only one cog in an immense, extremely well-funded pharma enterprise. It’s like emptying the ocean with a cup to try to collate each example of each cheating trick. You can already prove five, ten, fifty, which adds up to untrustworthy right there. I used to comment about vaccines on the Internet a lot. Dozens of shills called in to attack each of my comments. Zogby and Van were moderators on many blog boards, and they deleted hundreds of my old comments from many sites at a time in one fell swoop. Many swoops. Same thing is happening now at nuch lower stakes at Next Door.
I love your articles. All of them intelligent, thoughtful, humane. I loved and screen shotted your comments at Your Local Epidemiologist, knowing they would likely be deleted. I commented at Jetelina’s FB about the refused debate on Joe Rogan, but she took them all down. They’re dirty fighters: better to present our points on our turf, out of their reach.
Thanks. I wonder how many of their followers know that the author is pruning comments. I think it would be of some use to find a way to let them know this was going on.
A couple of friends sent me the 2nd Smartest Guy in the World post about RFK Jr. when it came out, and I was disappointed to see how divergent it was from his usual quality of work, which I have generally liked, though not a subscriber.
It is a political hit-piece which is weak and indefensible, so he called-names and blocked/removed comments which debated it. I don't know why he wrote it. It's odd.
Meryl Nass MD is now dangerous enough to the control-narrative to merit a "hit piece". (They will need a more sophisticated and expensive character-assassin.)
Voila! the HIT Piece , From Ms. Melissa Goldin, who specializes in this type of genre
Aug 26, 2023·edited Aug 26, 2023Liked by Madhava Setty
There are many who are poisoning the well of RFK's message to derail his campaign. 2nd Smartest Guy in the World is one of those. His criticism's of RFK don't square with the man I've come to know and respect.
You, Madhava, are one of the most even-tempered and careful thinkers I've encountered in the last few years. I've read much of what you've written, and I've heard you speak live. You are reasonable. And you are respectful, and I'm certain you have the respect of your colleagues. That you had your comments deleted and were then blocked by this clown is a huge red flag that tells you all you need to know about where he's coming from. And it's not from an honest place.
I think your post is a character assassination of him, with lots of your readers/subscribers, chiming in, agreeing with you. That is what I believe you are dead wrong about. I don't know of anyone else who has the knowledge and courage to expose the outrageous lies we've been told for decades, the way he has. He holds nothing back. He has an encyclopedic mind and memory. He's done enormous good for the environment, exposing 5G harms, the vaccine issue and exposing Fauci, the Covid farce, and the corrupt three letter agencies.
What have you done for this country? No offense intended. Honest question.
Do assault weapons apply to all guns? I know the 2A is vital. I know that without guns we have zero defense against our own government, and that in countries where citizens are required to give up their guns, the corrupt and dictatorial governments overpower them ruthlessly. I was born in Cuba.
Why would JFK Jr. put his life in danger the way he is, if he did not have the convictions he has?
A former yoga philosophy teacher of mine, a Harvard PhD, who thought the unvaccinated should die, not be allowed to be a part of society, sent out an email stating that RFK Jr. was crazy, because he (the Harvard man) is indoctrinated/brainwashed that vaccines "save lives." He was the smartest man in the world to me, up until Covid! He's brilliant, a Renaissance man, and a FOOL”
While what you say is generally true, it is deeply troubling that RFK is an unquestioning supporters of the Israeli Zionist colonial military apartheid State. His ethics seem not to apply to the Palestinians crushed under the Israeli military boot which is funded by Jews, Zionists, including many American Christian fundamentalists and the United States. Surely ethics as principles should be applied equally on all counts?
I don’t know enough about that topic to speak into it, Roslyn. I do believe that RFK Jr. is a man of great intelligence, knowledge, integrity and courage. Not many men like him in the public eye.
I would have appreciated it if anyone who might be called a man of integrity and courage had backed me when I took a dangerous stand exposing the [mistakes or psyop, likely the latter] with respect to my investigation into the Defense Medical Epidemiological Database (DMED). He seemed at first interested, but shut down the effort. Why? Was it because it would have exposed one of the key Scientologists working in the Medical Freedom Movement? Why are there Scientologists all around RFK Jr.? They do appear to be an unacknowledged branch of military intelligence.
Israel has been fair and supportive of its Palestinian residents. It is a large portion of them who have repaid kindness with violence. They have turned down many offers of land for peace. I completely agree with RFK’s support of Israel.
I strongly support Israel on ethical grounds. Ethically, it is the only stance to be taken. I completely agree with and support RFK on this, as on vaccines. I admire his refusing to compromise the truth on either issue for the sake of irrational mainstream approval.
Yes, "Israel/Occupied-Palestine" is the obviously incongruent stance which RFK Jr. takes.
It passes the Sesame-Street-Rule test ("one of these things is not like the others")
That this political position was not used to discredit RFK Jr, which would be easily defensible in debate, is somewhat revealing.
The Palestinian-Rights issue would be logical, but not so effective as a "hit-piece", because of USA politics as they stand.
Again, this helps define the piece as a political hit-piecce, and defines a certain audience which is targeted, and a smaller audience which is not targeted, though there is probably some overlap.
It is logical within that political context, but not within a factual context, within which it is not defensible.
It is not possible to ascribe the causality for this illogical political attack without more information, but it implies personal benefit/risk which overrides logic and principles.
Amazingly so! My favorite metaphor: grabbing a bunch of helium balloons and not letting go in time for a safe landing--all you can do is hold on for dear life! The higher you rise, the harder you cling.
I unsubscribed from 2SGW a month or two ago, after he made some dire prediction about Ukraine and/or an imminent nuclear attack — or some similar catastrophe, I wish I could remember exactly — that he claimed would occur within 24 hours of his warning, but which never materialized.
The problem for me was not that he was mistaken, but that he never _acknowledged_ his frightening misstatement. Total silence.
I considered his non-retraction to be irresponsible and dishonest. Actually this moment was part of an accumulation (over the several months of my free subscription) of overstatements, rhetoric and intolerance — compounded, I see now, by intolerance of legitimate disagreement, as in your case — that led to my loss of confidence in his balance and interests (like marketing exclusive drug remedies, as you mentioned).
For the record, I’ve noticed that the more that certain substackers behave defensively — and offensively— and the more ego-invested they appear to be, the more likely they seem to have mixed motives, despite their predominantly anti-establishment presentation.
Your experience with his position on RFK Jr (obviously no Trojan horse would campaign on an “unpopular” issue like questioning vaxxes) and the guns issue — or rather, 2SGW’s ill-treatment of you/your comments — reinforces my hunch that he is not reliable or trustworthy.
Thank you for posting this and also for the terrific recent profile of Dr. Nass!
I appreciate your comments. Disclaimer: I'm a subscriber to 2SGW.
That said, I hold no allegiance, except to the truth. Jesus Christ said, "By their fruits (works) ye shall know them." because we don't have the ability to look upon the mind or the heart to determine what their true motives are, but that good fruit cannot come from a bad tree, and vice versa.
So... having noted your disappointment that he was not on the same page as you, don't tie yourself to someone's wagon completely. But seek truth wherever you find it, and as the Lord says, "Come, let us reason together." That sounds a lot like having good discussions, and coming to a more enlightening truth together.
Bret Weinstein posted a podcast today on youtube discussing the truthseekers being punished in this current environment, while propaganda continues to spread.
We need more people to stand up and support/defend the truth, and hold people accountable for their illegal actions.
I wanted to say THANK YOU for bringing your perspective as someone who has been close to CHD. You have insight in RFK Jr's work that many others don't have, and for me, it's another data point for truth about where he might stand. It's hard to truly know a person without spending significant amounts of time (often with mutual vulnerabilities exposed to garner trust). Hopefully they have a track record of good works from which to draw from, recognizing that we're not perfect.
This divisive and polarized environment has been cultured and planned, and will be the gateway to our downfall unless we're willing to set aside pride and consider other points of view and collaborate together. Dividing and conquering people is the way to destroy a society that might otherwise help support 2-parent families, encourage low-cost educational opportunities, and other good activities and entities that promote individual self-worth, and the value of families.. (stop tearing down men, for instance, as kids need fathers).
Sorry for the long winded answer...
finally... wrt guns and the 2nd amendment... this recent case will hopefully reorient our thinking in how we hang on to the rights we have in our constitution.
A case out of Massachusetts says there is NO HISTORICAL PRECEDENT (to follow the Supreme Court decision in the past) for one state to keep a resident from another state from carrying. If you cross state boundaries, you can still freely protest, go to church, etc. You don't lose your 4th amendment rights as you go from state to state... and using that logic, you don't lose your 2nd amendment rights to carry either.
I wonder what the benefit of that would be. I'm sure he'll hear about this posting, or maybe consider his own responses (if he's honest enough to be introspective) to your response.
Just agree to disagree and not "seek his approval". It sounds like you made your case before, and he took the choice to ban you. It's on him
And while it may hurt, be confident in your own position, which you've spoken eloquently on.
I don’t take anything personally and I do not wish to publicly humiliate anyone.
I am interested in how group think emerges We have an interesting opportunity to learn how to detect potential controlled opposition. It is possible that 2sgw has spent the last few years nurturing a following with reasonably accurate information and earning their trust. Then, when a real threat to the establishment emerges he rallies his followers to oppose it. I believe that is how so much of the public has been brainwashed by legacy media that they cannot see what is unfolding in front of their own eyes.
If he shuts out a hundred people in a few minutes it would be telling and quite fascinating.
I'm a recent subscriber to him... and I'm hoping that my BS meter will be able to discern such efforts. From anybody. I seek guidance from God as well, and essentially rely on elements and principles that are shared within the scriptures (they show great cycles of pride and prosperity, and have lots of instances of each. )
I'm a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which believes in ongoing and continuous revelation, and one of our sets of scriptures (The Book of Mormon) is written for our time as one author within it says , and besides being a witness and testimony of Jesus Christ, has provided additional guidance for our day.
Continue sharing the truth as you know it. It's a war of good vs evil, and even the very elect will be deceived. We will be judged on what we did with the talents, energy and time that we have, as well as how we treat our fellow man.
As I see it, the question is not whether RFKjr is imperfect, or even dangerous, but rather whether he is less dangerous than the available alternatives. If 2SGW is disapproves of him, then it would be constructive for 2SGW to suggest a preferable alternative.
2SGW doesn’t make any compelling arguments that Bobby is a Trojan horse. He provides no evidence to believe it. I think he felt quagmired by your epistemological statement. I’m glad I don’t know about 2SGW.
I also commented on the 2nd smartest substack that I thought he was dead wrong (when the Sub was published) and that it was a character assassination of RFK Jr. He came back with a ridiculous response. Then I asked him what he had done for our country because I know what RFK Jr. has done. I’ve followed CHD for a few years.
Several readers agreed with my comments. I’m not sure they are still there, but I don’t think he blocked me. I just stopped communicating with him because I saw that it was pointless. He seems to have a scripted reply to anybody that challenges him!
I agree that he mocks people who ask legitimate questions. I asked where I could look to understand something he said and I didn’t appreciate how he replied to me. So I asked again and still didn’t get any help from him. It’s like what has been written here. If you post something and you are very sure that you are right then it should be easy to back it up with proof or links when asked.
Thank you for this sensible, honest, and humble discourse. I continue to be impressed by your integrity; a dwindling attribute these days.
I am a free subscriber to 2SG...and make myself aware of his musings, but am also aware of a distinct narrative that is being peddled. Along with product. Which was why I downgraded my subscription some time ago.
I am also aware of RFK’s historical platform(s)...and the “Trojan horse” opportunity they could create. The 2nd amendment would not be at the top of my list of worries, which could speak to your propaganda supposition.
At any rate, thank you for your thoughts. I always appreciate reading your perspective, and continue to be impressed with your humility and discernment.
I think your rhetorical analysis is spot on: fallacies and intellectually dishonest tactics designed to avoid honest analysis. His or her actual motives would be nice to know for various sorts of larger "meta-analysis" of what's going on (conspiracy vs dupery vs various kinds of foolishness, etc.,) but probably can't be ascertained.
Thank you VERY much for your efforts. This sort of thoughtful, earnest public discourse is probably the best tool we mortals have against the forces of darkness.
Very well written and thoughtful as always. As soon as the insults come out followed by blocking you? Highly suspect. You can offer opinions and solutions without needing to agree on everything. CHD is founded on seeking the truth and article after article questions vaxx safety, along with environmental issues, food issues, water issues, etc. If RFK, Jr is a Trojan horse, we’re all done for. My biggest problem with almost every politician, including RFK, Jr, is they all refer to our country as a democracy. We are a constitutional republic, and should be referred to as such.
Aug 26, 2023·edited Aug 26, 2023Liked by Madhava Setty
Thank you MS for this detailed and nuanced discussion that in many ways boils down to 'I have seen the enemy and that enemy is me.' To the extent that I can remain equanimous and calm in the face of all threat, insult and aggravation will be the extent that that is the society I will contribute to making. 2GSW embodies, as you accurately delineate, the very energies and qualities that have contributed to the creation of this divisive, authoritarian oligarchical social structure.
As to me and the 2SGW, I am a subscriber although not a regular reader. I see him as a kind of canary in the minefield of truth detecting. By jarring me, I am allowed so see better my own self and perhaps unconscious hypocrisies or beliefs that are supporting the past social structure which has come to its ultimate(?) penultimate(?) expression.
I'm not sure that JFKJ is a hero or not. And that to me is shibboleth question keeping us stuck in the old paradigm of hero victim, a key foundation of this oligarchal structure. What is the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing you have always done and expect a different result.
For the reasons you cite and other actions and words, it seems to me that JFKJ is honest about his actions and words. He has integrity. And he has very good eyes to see what is true and not true. Can he be 'fooled' or be 'wrong'. Of course. My feeling is that he has the integrity to discard the false from the true when he becomes aware of the errors of reason, intuition or perception.
A serious challenge with the really smart people who have inflated their smartness is that they become blind to how they have conflated smartness with lack of ignorance. The two are not mutually exclusive. And I would suggest that oftentimes, the smarter the person, the greater the ignorance and the likelihood for extreme stupidity in action. The truly stupid are usually incapable of creating seriously destructive stupidity. It is only smartest of us stupid ones who are capable of and often willing to create massive stupid bombs because their self-proclaimed or lauded smartness hubristically empowers them. And the number of the so-called publicly 'really smart ones' who became vaccine tyrants is suggestive of the serious problem of smartness by whatever 'high' degree of smartness the society has chosen to elevate and then bow down to.
Thank you for the great essay.
Oh! Likely he is trapped in his unconscious and projecting the idea of the current oligarchal structure. Meaning, he is acting with the energy that wants the 'system' to remain as it is while delusionally thinking he is creating change. Does that make him a compromised Trojan while shooting blanks? LOL! I don't know.
Will people please leave comments on his substack? This is the comment I left that was deleted:
I am a fan of your writing and thoughts. I am confused about where to stand on RFK Jr. and was hoping by responding to this we could be the bystanders to an interesting and clarifying conversation.
I am hopeful that 2nd Smartest Guy in the World will eventually see fit to respond to this article.
Judging from some recent comments here, it seems that those of you who have asked him to respond are finding their comments deleted, often within a few minutes.
It seems clear that he doesn't want his readership to know about the critique leveled against his position on RFK Jr. This smells like controlled opposition. These are the techniques that were used with great impact over the last three years to fool the public into thinking that there was scientific "consensus".
If any of you is willing, please consider leaving a polite comment on his article asking him to respond here. Please let us know what happens to your comment. I am truly curious how far he will go to make sure his followers do not know what he is doing.
He is obviously a show-off, as may be seen in the childish name of his Substack. He’s uncomfortable and impatient of the criticism he has received. He claims the status of a guru so that he doesn’t have to adduce evidentiary grounds for his contempt for Kennedy. In a world in which all relation of facts is suspect, truth is only found in the words of the elite, especially him. He is not worth the time of day. I wouldn’t give him another thought and would not seek further engagement with him. I think every shill on the Internet is being sponsored and paid, most of them by deep-pocketed and long-armed Pharma. You cannot prove it. Both his ego and his source of revenue would never allow him to debate or reason with you. I’d walk away now.
Your assessment is very reasonable.
I am not interested in convincing him he is wrong. That would be an exercise in futility. However we have an opportunity to witness an example of controlled opposition as it emerges. When comments are immediately deleted, nobody has an idea of how many people disagree with the author's thesis. If we have receipts for all the cancellations we will have an idea of how hard "they" have to work to pull the veil over their readers' eyes.
He’s only one cog in an immense, extremely well-funded pharma enterprise. It’s like emptying the ocean with a cup to try to collate each example of each cheating trick. You can already prove five, ten, fifty, which adds up to untrustworthy right there. I used to comment about vaccines on the Internet a lot. Dozens of shills called in to attack each of my comments. Zogby and Van were moderators on many blog boards, and they deleted hundreds of my old comments from many sites at a time in one fell swoop. Many swoops. Same thing is happening now at nuch lower stakes at Next Door.
I love your articles. All of them intelligent, thoughtful, humane. I loved and screen shotted your comments at Your Local Epidemiologist, knowing they would likely be deleted. I commented at Jetelina’s FB about the refused debate on Joe Rogan, but she took them all down. They’re dirty fighters: better to present our points on our turf, out of their reach.
Thanks. I wonder how many of their followers know that the author is pruning comments. I think it would be of some use to find a way to let them know this was going on.
A couple of friends sent me the 2nd Smartest Guy in the World post about RFK Jr. when it came out, and I was disappointed to see how divergent it was from his usual quality of work, which I have generally liked, though not a subscriber.
It is a political hit-piece which is weak and indefensible, so he called-names and blocked/removed comments which debated it. I don't know why he wrote it. It's odd.
Meryl Nass MD is now dangerous enough to the control-narrative to merit a "hit piece". (They will need a more sophisticated and expensive character-assassin.)
Voila! the HIT Piece , From Ms. Melissa Goldin, who specializes in this type of genre
https://merylnass.substack.com/p/voila-the-hit-piece
There are many who are poisoning the well of RFK's message to derail his campaign. 2nd Smartest Guy in the World is one of those. His criticism's of RFK don't square with the man I've come to know and respect.
You, Madhava, are one of the most even-tempered and careful thinkers I've encountered in the last few years. I've read much of what you've written, and I've heard you speak live. You are reasonable. And you are respectful, and I'm certain you have the respect of your colleagues. That you had your comments deleted and were then blocked by this clown is a huge red flag that tells you all you need to know about where he's coming from. And it's not from an honest place.
Move on.
My thoughts exactly. 2nd Smartest Guy doesn't deserve your attention or anyone else's unless he treats them with respect.
Here’s my original comment. It is still up btw.
“Aug 24
I think your post is a character assassination of him, with lots of your readers/subscribers, chiming in, agreeing with you. That is what I believe you are dead wrong about. I don't know of anyone else who has the knowledge and courage to expose the outrageous lies we've been told for decades, the way he has. He holds nothing back. He has an encyclopedic mind and memory. He's done enormous good for the environment, exposing 5G harms, the vaccine issue and exposing Fauci, the Covid farce, and the corrupt three letter agencies.
What have you done for this country? No offense intended. Honest question.
Do assault weapons apply to all guns? I know the 2A is vital. I know that without guns we have zero defense against our own government, and that in countries where citizens are required to give up their guns, the corrupt and dictatorial governments overpower them ruthlessly. I was born in Cuba.
Why would JFK Jr. put his life in danger the way he is, if he did not have the convictions he has?
A former yoga philosophy teacher of mine, a Harvard PhD, who thought the unvaccinated should die, not be allowed to be a part of society, sent out an email stating that RFK Jr. was crazy, because he (the Harvard man) is indoctrinated/brainwashed that vaccines "save lives." He was the smartest man in the world to me, up until Covid! He's brilliant, a Renaissance man, and a FOOL”
While what you say is generally true, it is deeply troubling that RFK is an unquestioning supporters of the Israeli Zionist colonial military apartheid State. His ethics seem not to apply to the Palestinians crushed under the Israeli military boot which is funded by Jews, Zionists, including many American Christian fundamentalists and the United States. Surely ethics as principles should be applied equally on all counts?
I don’t know enough about that topic to speak into it, Roslyn. I do believe that RFK Jr. is a man of great intelligence, knowledge, integrity and courage. Not many men like him in the public eye.
I would have appreciated it if anyone who might be called a man of integrity and courage had backed me when I took a dangerous stand exposing the [mistakes or psyop, likely the latter] with respect to my investigation into the Defense Medical Epidemiological Database (DMED). He seemed at first interested, but shut down the effort. Why? Was it because it would have exposed one of the key Scientologists working in the Medical Freedom Movement? Why are there Scientologists all around RFK Jr.? They do appear to be an unacknowledged branch of military intelligence.
Sorry to hear that. I don’t know anything about that.
would you mind saying more about that? what scientologists?
I'm working on an article. Many names.
This new post?
https://roundingtheearth.substack.com/p/proof-of-mass-mind-control-through
Oops, not this one, I see as I read it.
Israel has been fair and supportive of its Palestinian residents. It is a large portion of them who have repaid kindness with violence. They have turned down many offers of land for peace. I completely agree with RFK’s support of Israel.
If there was a "dislike", I would use it for your uninformed comment.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=35eEljsSQfc
Very moving speech by Hillel Neuer.
I put up a longer reply which I don’t see here. I put up easily verifiable facts. Can you?
I strongly support Israel on ethical grounds. Ethically, it is the only stance to be taken. I completely agree with and support RFK on this, as on vaccines. I admire his refusing to compromise the truth on either issue for the sake of irrational mainstream approval.
Yes, "Israel/Occupied-Palestine" is the obviously incongruent stance which RFK Jr. takes.
It passes the Sesame-Street-Rule test ("one of these things is not like the others")
That this political position was not used to discredit RFK Jr, which would be easily defensible in debate, is somewhat revealing.
The Palestinian-Rights issue would be logical, but not so effective as a "hit-piece", because of USA politics as they stand.
Again, this helps define the piece as a political hit-piecce, and defines a certain audience which is targeted, and a smaller audience which is not targeted, though there is probably some overlap.
It is logical within that political context, but not within a factual context, within which it is not defensible.
It is not possible to ascribe the causality for this illogical political attack without more information, but it implies personal benefit/risk which overrides logic and principles.
Loads of criticism on this issue, he sounds like a ‘Zionist’ but he is not gonna satisfy everyones ideals
I wonder if that teacher is re-thinking things with all the illnesses and death coming from the vax.
I highly doubt it. Some like him will deny it to their death, unfortunately.
Amazingly so! My favorite metaphor: grabbing a bunch of helium balloons and not letting go in time for a safe landing--all you can do is hold on for dear life! The higher you rise, the harder you cling.
I unsubscribed from 2SGW a month or two ago, after he made some dire prediction about Ukraine and/or an imminent nuclear attack — or some similar catastrophe, I wish I could remember exactly — that he claimed would occur within 24 hours of his warning, but which never materialized.
The problem for me was not that he was mistaken, but that he never _acknowledged_ his frightening misstatement. Total silence.
I considered his non-retraction to be irresponsible and dishonest. Actually this moment was part of an accumulation (over the several months of my free subscription) of overstatements, rhetoric and intolerance — compounded, I see now, by intolerance of legitimate disagreement, as in your case — that led to my loss of confidence in his balance and interests (like marketing exclusive drug remedies, as you mentioned).
For the record, I’ve noticed that the more that certain substackers behave defensively — and offensively— and the more ego-invested they appear to be, the more likely they seem to have mixed motives, despite their predominantly anti-establishment presentation.
Your experience with his position on RFK Jr (obviously no Trojan horse would campaign on an “unpopular” issue like questioning vaxxes) and the guns issue — or rather, 2SGW’s ill-treatment of you/your comments — reinforces my hunch that he is not reliable or trustworthy.
Thank you for posting this and also for the terrific recent profile of Dr. Nass!
I appreciate your comments. Disclaimer: I'm a subscriber to 2SGW.
That said, I hold no allegiance, except to the truth. Jesus Christ said, "By their fruits (works) ye shall know them." because we don't have the ability to look upon the mind or the heart to determine what their true motives are, but that good fruit cannot come from a bad tree, and vice versa.
So... having noted your disappointment that he was not on the same page as you, don't tie yourself to someone's wagon completely. But seek truth wherever you find it, and as the Lord says, "Come, let us reason together." That sounds a lot like having good discussions, and coming to a more enlightening truth together.
Bret Weinstein posted a podcast today on youtube discussing the truthseekers being punished in this current environment, while propaganda continues to spread.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtZb81YVZlE
We need more people to stand up and support/defend the truth, and hold people accountable for their illegal actions.
I wanted to say THANK YOU for bringing your perspective as someone who has been close to CHD. You have insight in RFK Jr's work that many others don't have, and for me, it's another data point for truth about where he might stand. It's hard to truly know a person without spending significant amounts of time (often with mutual vulnerabilities exposed to garner trust). Hopefully they have a track record of good works from which to draw from, recognizing that we're not perfect.
This divisive and polarized environment has been cultured and planned, and will be the gateway to our downfall unless we're willing to set aside pride and consider other points of view and collaborate together. Dividing and conquering people is the way to destroy a society that might otherwise help support 2-parent families, encourage low-cost educational opportunities, and other good activities and entities that promote individual self-worth, and the value of families.. (stop tearing down men, for instance, as kids need fathers).
Sorry for the long winded answer...
finally... wrt guns and the 2nd amendment... this recent case will hopefully reorient our thinking in how we hang on to the rights we have in our constitution.
A case out of Massachusetts says there is NO HISTORICAL PRECEDENT (to follow the Supreme Court decision in the past) for one state to keep a resident from another state from carrying. If you cross state boundaries, you can still freely protest, go to church, etc. You don't lose your 4th amendment rights as you go from state to state... and using that logic, you don't lose your 2nd amendment rights to carry either.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB0b67Aq4aA
Thanks for your kind words sir. Would you consider sharing this article in his comments? Perhaps he would be willing to respond here in the comments.
I wonder what the benefit of that would be. I'm sure he'll hear about this posting, or maybe consider his own responses (if he's honest enough to be introspective) to your response.
Just agree to disagree and not "seek his approval". It sounds like you made your case before, and he took the choice to ban you. It's on him
And while it may hurt, be confident in your own position, which you've spoken eloquently on.
I don’t take anything personally and I do not wish to publicly humiliate anyone.
I am interested in how group think emerges We have an interesting opportunity to learn how to detect potential controlled opposition. It is possible that 2sgw has spent the last few years nurturing a following with reasonably accurate information and earning their trust. Then, when a real threat to the establishment emerges he rallies his followers to oppose it. I believe that is how so much of the public has been brainwashed by legacy media that they cannot see what is unfolding in front of their own eyes.
If he shuts out a hundred people in a few minutes it would be telling and quite fascinating.
I'm a recent subscriber to him... and I'm hoping that my BS meter will be able to discern such efforts. From anybody. I seek guidance from God as well, and essentially rely on elements and principles that are shared within the scriptures (they show great cycles of pride and prosperity, and have lots of instances of each. )
I'm a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which believes in ongoing and continuous revelation, and one of our sets of scriptures (The Book of Mormon) is written for our time as one author within it says , and besides being a witness and testimony of Jesus Christ, has provided additional guidance for our day.
See: ( https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/morm/8?lang=eng&id=35#p35 - the chapter describes more regarding our days, with great wickedness, pollutions, fires, wars, etc. )
Continue sharing the truth as you know it. It's a war of good vs evil, and even the very elect will be deceived. We will be judged on what we did with the talents, energy and time that we have, as well as how we treat our fellow man.
As I see it, the question is not whether RFKjr is imperfect, or even dangerous, but rather whether he is less dangerous than the available alternatives. If 2SGW is disapproves of him, then it would be constructive for 2SGW to suggest a preferable alternative.
Superb article.
I subscribe to 2SGW as well.
I just wrote a comment regarding his censoring of you (completely BUSH LEAGUE----any type of CENSORSHIP is JUVENILLE!!!).
Of course, he blocked me.
Looks like 2SGW may be controlled opposition after all, lol!
2SGW doesn’t make any compelling arguments that Bobby is a Trojan horse. He provides no evidence to believe it. I think he felt quagmired by your epistemological statement. I’m glad I don’t know about 2SGW.
Yes. It is interesting that he has some critical comments that he left up but yet deleted mine which were, as far as I can remember, less provocative.
I think it’s because your comments are more threatening to his narrative. You have unique insight into RFK Jr. that most of us do not.
I also commented on the 2nd smartest substack that I thought he was dead wrong (when the Sub was published) and that it was a character assassination of RFK Jr. He came back with a ridiculous response. Then I asked him what he had done for our country because I know what RFK Jr. has done. I’ve followed CHD for a few years.
Several readers agreed with my comments. I’m not sure they are still there, but I don’t think he blocked me. I just stopped communicating with him because I saw that it was pointless. He seems to have a scripted reply to anybody that challenges him!
2nd Smartest just blocked me when I challenged him about censoring and deleting Madhava's comments.
I told 2nd to put his "big boy undies on" and engage in a constructive back and forth with Madhava (and your comments as well).
But, he acted like a 10 year old and went "crying" to his room.
By the way, your comments are well written and thoughtful.
I'm sure I am old enough to be his mother, by the way he reacts.
I agree that he mocks people who ask legitimate questions. I asked where I could look to understand something he said and I didn’t appreciate how he replied to me. So I asked again and still didn’t get any help from him. It’s like what has been written here. If you post something and you are very sure that you are right then it should be easy to back it up with proof or links when asked.
Agreed. I didn't feel mocked. I felt like my reply was threatening to his ego/persona. No cogent reply from him.
It's possible to disagree with some or many or even most of RFK Jr.'s views without resorting to the fatuous vilification 2SGW employs.
Thank you for this sensible, honest, and humble discourse. I continue to be impressed by your integrity; a dwindling attribute these days.
I am a free subscriber to 2SG...and make myself aware of his musings, but am also aware of a distinct narrative that is being peddled. Along with product. Which was why I downgraded my subscription some time ago.
I am also aware of RFK’s historical platform(s)...and the “Trojan horse” opportunity they could create. The 2nd amendment would not be at the top of my list of worries, which could speak to your propaganda supposition.
At any rate, thank you for your thoughts. I always appreciate reading your perspective, and continue to be impressed with your humility and discernment.
Anyone that deletes comments is an idiot or controlled opposition.
Deleting comments shows that you are either not very good at debating, closed minded or overly confident that no one will notice your duplicity.
I reckon the good writers just ignore idiots or let their readers deal with the trolls.
Deleting comments is censoring.
I think your rhetorical analysis is spot on: fallacies and intellectually dishonest tactics designed to avoid honest analysis. His or her actual motives would be nice to know for various sorts of larger "meta-analysis" of what's going on (conspiracy vs dupery vs various kinds of foolishness, etc.,) but probably can't be ascertained.
Thank you VERY much for your efforts. This sort of thoughtful, earnest public discourse is probably the best tool we mortals have against the forces of darkness.
Very well written and thoughtful as always. As soon as the insults come out followed by blocking you? Highly suspect. You can offer opinions and solutions without needing to agree on everything. CHD is founded on seeking the truth and article after article questions vaxx safety, along with environmental issues, food issues, water issues, etc. If RFK, Jr is a Trojan horse, we’re all done for. My biggest problem with almost every politician, including RFK, Jr, is they all refer to our country as a democracy. We are a constitutional republic, and should be referred to as such.
Thank you MS for this detailed and nuanced discussion that in many ways boils down to 'I have seen the enemy and that enemy is me.' To the extent that I can remain equanimous and calm in the face of all threat, insult and aggravation will be the extent that that is the society I will contribute to making. 2GSW embodies, as you accurately delineate, the very energies and qualities that have contributed to the creation of this divisive, authoritarian oligarchical social structure.
As to me and the 2SGW, I am a subscriber although not a regular reader. I see him as a kind of canary in the minefield of truth detecting. By jarring me, I am allowed so see better my own self and perhaps unconscious hypocrisies or beliefs that are supporting the past social structure which has come to its ultimate(?) penultimate(?) expression.
I'm not sure that JFKJ is a hero or not. And that to me is shibboleth question keeping us stuck in the old paradigm of hero victim, a key foundation of this oligarchal structure. What is the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing you have always done and expect a different result.
For the reasons you cite and other actions and words, it seems to me that JFKJ is honest about his actions and words. He has integrity. And he has very good eyes to see what is true and not true. Can he be 'fooled' or be 'wrong'. Of course. My feeling is that he has the integrity to discard the false from the true when he becomes aware of the errors of reason, intuition or perception.
A serious challenge with the really smart people who have inflated their smartness is that they become blind to how they have conflated smartness with lack of ignorance. The two are not mutually exclusive. And I would suggest that oftentimes, the smarter the person, the greater the ignorance and the likelihood for extreme stupidity in action. The truly stupid are usually incapable of creating seriously destructive stupidity. It is only smartest of us stupid ones who are capable of and often willing to create massive stupid bombs because their self-proclaimed or lauded smartness hubristically empowers them. And the number of the so-called publicly 'really smart ones' who became vaccine tyrants is suggestive of the serious problem of smartness by whatever 'high' degree of smartness the society has chosen to elevate and then bow down to.
Thank you for the great essay.
Oh! Likely he is trapped in his unconscious and projecting the idea of the current oligarchal structure. Meaning, he is acting with the energy that wants the 'system' to remain as it is while delusionally thinking he is creating change. Does that make him a compromised Trojan while shooting blanks? LOL! I don't know.
Will people please leave comments on his substack? This is the comment I left that was deleted:
I am a fan of your writing and thoughts. I am confused about where to stand on RFK Jr. and was hoping by responding to this we could be the bystanders to an interesting and clarifying conversation.
https://madhavasetty.substack.com/p/the-second-smartest-guy-in-the-world