Dr Matt’s Newsletter June 20th – A new vision of environmental preservation based on the value of nature, and a new poll finds RFK Jr has the best favorability rating of any candidate in either party.
Supporting healthy social interactions and diversity of health choices
Today I have two very short spiritual experiences to share, one from a family in my private practice, and one from a family in hospice care. Both of these occurred as a family member was close to end of life. They are hot off the presses: one yesterday and the other one today. As usual, I am trying to help us learn to live more comfortably with our own mortality, including, especially, myself.
In Politics “Not as Usual” A major poll that found RFK Jr’s favorability rating to be higher than any other presidential candidate, including Biden and Trump, and two extended interviews were done last week, Joe Rogan and Jordan Peterson. RFK Jr is not perfect by any means, and like all of us humans he has his own fears and anxieties, but he is a wee bit ahead of the other candidates in my opinion. Please consider sharing the interviews and poll information with friends and family, or you can just send them this newsletter, if you like.
The Peterson interview was immediately struck down by Youtube, and the Rogan interview was immediately attacked by a “covid-vaccine” advocate who has refused a $1 million offer to debate RFK on Joe Rogan’s podcast.
One of my favorite sections of either interview involves RFK Jr and Jordan Peterson agreeing that we can respect and preserve nature for its own sake, one stream and one neighborhood at a time, rather than by “hanging on to outdated fear-based narratives that promote imperialist dogma which perpetuates the economic and social differences in our society” (for those unaware, that is a quote from Monty Python’s Holy Grail, and although it actually applies well, it is not meant to be taken too seriously 😊).
————————————
Frank Lloyd Wright had a vision of homes and buildings integrated with the natural environment. His spirit is still with us: trying to help save nature for its own sake, not because of apocalyptic fear-based narratives that cause more harm than good.
Here are the other topics in today’s newsletter:
Community Updates: Nature Club Kids preschool has some spaces for this coming fall, which is a wonderful outdoor learning experience with Ann-Marie Douglass. Also this Thursday there are three simultaneous rallies in DC against covid-19 vaccine mandates in schools.
Inspiration of the week – “Why is that Priest in here with us?” Two spiritual experiences at the end of life that I heard this week, one in my private practice and one from a hospice family.
Music of the Week – The summer solstice is upon us, and the jazz standard “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess seems appropriate. The song emphasizes the richness and “easy living” of summer, together with the value of nurturing of our children so they can “spread their wings and take to the sky”.
Politics “Not as Usual”: Jordan Peterson and Joe Rogan both interview RFK Jr. on their podcasts, with an extended discussion of vaccines (Rogan - starting at the very beginning) and stewardship of the environment without fear narratives (Peterson - starting at 57:30). In separate news, RFK Jr has a higher “favorable” rating than Biden and Trump in a nationwide poll by The Economist, and is the only candidate with a higher favorable than unfavorable numbers - not a good look for Biden or Trump, and yet none of the major "legacy media” are covering it!
Rogan invited an extended discussion of vaccines, while Peterson has a refreshing discussion of preserving the environment for its own sake, not due to a fear-based apocalypse narrative.
Jordan Peterson’s interview was immediately taken down by Youtube for violating “community guidelines”, and a vocal advocate of “covid vaccines” attacked Rogan and RFK Jr. Rogan invited him to debate RFK Jr, with a $1 million offer, that he has so far refused.
Subscribe for free to receive weekly posts and support my work. Feel share with like-minded family and friends.
Yours truly, one moment at a time.
Matt Irwin
————————-
Music of the Week – “Summertime” celebrates nurturing our children, and our “inner child”, with love and understanding to help them “spread their wings and take to the sky”. The most famous lyric is a nice counter to the fears of summer heat: “Summertime, and the livin’ is easy”. Don’t you think we can grow more food if things warm up on the earth? Wouldn’t it open up millions of acres of farmland in northern areas of the US, Canada, and Europe, and Asia? Don’t many times more people die from cold exposure every year than heat exposure? The answer to all these, is “yes”.
The first version is by Norah Jones, who you can still see live in Europe this summer, and perhaps back in the US next year. The second version is an instrumental by Miles Davis, perhaps my favorite jazz musician, with his typically understated soloistic style.
Norah Jones - Summertime - Live solo performance
Miles Davis - Summertime - studio version
Community Update: Nature Club Kids preschool has some spaces for this coming fall. Many of my patient families have had a great experience in this outdoor learning experience with Ann-Marie Douglass, which was open throughout the “covid-times” and maintained normal play with no masks or “social distancing”. Email Anne at natureclubkids8@gmail.com for more information.
Local DC Rallies this Thursday against covid vaccine mandates hosted by the CHD Virginia Chapter: Two back-to-back protests:
8:30am - 10:30am Rally at the DC Council against adding covid-19 vaccine to the DC Public Schools “required” schedule.
When: Thursday June 22nd @ 8:30am - 10:30am, Where: DC City Council Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC
Quote from CHD Virginia Chapter: “The DC Council will be meeting to hear testimony on the DC Covid shot mandate for students. We will meet at the entrance on Pennsylvania Ave to rally with signs against the DC Covid shot mandate. We will hand out the flyer on the Covid Shot for Kids. We will have a large banner "NO MANDATES"
People are meeting by 8:30am so the council members can see our signs as they drive into the parking garage of the building. After the rally at the DC council at 10:30am, we will walk back to the National Press Club to do a final rally at 11am, after the Fauci event is done.”
----------------
7:30 to 9 am Fauci protest at the National Press Club
When: Thursday June 22 @ 7:30am - 9am, Where: National Press Club, 529 14th St. NW, 13th Floor, Washington, DC 20045
“Fauci will be speaking at the NPC. We will meet at the entrance on 14th street. Please bring your Fauci signs/posters. We will have Fauci flyers to hand out and a large banner.”
****************************
Inspiration of the week – a spiritual experience at the end of life from my private practice – “Why is that Priest in here with us?”
Yesterday in my private practice I learned that the grandfather of two very cute kids who came in for “well visits” is near the end of physical life. Although the family is struggling emotionally, especially one of his adult daughters (their Aunt) who has been very close to him her whole life, the family is also very accepting. I have learned that spiritual experiences are common in this situation, and that they help people cope, so I asked about them. His son, the father of the two kids in my practice, visited him this past weekend, and told me this brief but telling story: “When I was with him this weekend, he could barely speak. He was extremely weak and unable even to sit up in bed independently, let alone walk. However, he motioned me over near to him and asked me in a calm but very soft voice, “Why is that Priest in here with us?” :-)
In my 20 years as a hospice doctor I have heard many stories like this, and today I saw a woman who is extremely ill, barely able to shift herself in bed, but still alert and oriented. She was hearing voices, and when I asked if there was a spiritual connection, she asked “What do you mean?” I told her sometimes people hear from relatives who already passed on. She said, “No, not this time, but that happened to me four years ago when my cancer was diagnosed”. At that time she was hospitalized for 4 months due to ongoing complications, and nearly died. She was too weak to speak at length, so her daughter filled in the details. “Mom first said she saw a ‘beautiful man’, and then her favorite cousin, Mary, who had died some years before, and it was a great joy to see her.” I asked our patient what brought her back, and she said “I just told her I wasn’t ready yet, my daughter needed me, and back I came”.
Her grandson told me that his grandfather, her husband, also had an NDE a few days before he died. he told his family about it, saying he “had been travelling the Universe” during his experience. He then prepared the family for his imminent death. He called his grandson and told him “come Friday to check on your grandma, but I won’t be here anymore.” He died that Friday morning around 4am.
——————————
Politics “Not as Usual”: A major poll by The Economist finds that RFK Jr has higher favorability ratings than Biden and Trump, and that he is the only candidate in either party with higher favorable than unfavorable ratings. Also two links to recent interviews with RFK Jr, one on Joe Rogan that covered his vaccine stance in detail, and the other with Jordan Peterson. Both were met with immediate efforts to discredit or censor them.
Here are some quotes from an article in Forbes about the poll favorability ratings:
“Democratic presidential contender Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—an environmental lawyer with anti-vaccine views and a strong family dynasty at his back—has higher favorability numbers than either President Joe Biden or former President Donald Trump, according to a new poll by The Economist and YouGov, even as Biden maintains a lead in the 2024 primary.”
“Kennedy Jr. was viewed favorably by 49% of respondents and unfavorably by just 30%, leaving him with a net rating of 19 points—higher than any other candidate in the poll, which surveyed 1,500 adult respondents from June 10 to 13.”
“Biden had a negative 9-point net favorability rating, with 52% of respondents viewing him somewhat or very unfavorably while 45% have very or somewhat favorable impressions, and Trump had a negative 10-point net rating, with 53% viewing him unfavorably and 43% favorably.”
“Some 21% of respondents didn’t offer an opinion on Kennedy, far greater than the single-digit figures posted by Trump and Biden.”