Aligned with anti-vaxxers, new surgeon general endangers health

Re: The fear is real — of Florida’s reckless new surgeon general | Editorial, Sept. 23

I commend the Sun Sentinel editorial board for your excellent comments on Gov. DeSantis’ selection of Dr. Joseph Ladapo as Florida’s new surgeon general. But I wonder if you went far enough.

This appointment is an insult to most Floridians. We have a surgeon general who, according to reports, has “written essays questioning the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, the effectiveness of masks and favoring hydroxychloroquine, a drug touted by former President Donald Trump.” It’s reported that he “is a critic of lockdowns, mask and vaccine mandates and other mitigation measures.”

According to a Morning Consult poll, only 19% of Floridians are vaccine refusers. But why should DeSantis care? His campaign continues to raise money through sales of offensive anti-Fauci merchandise, targeting Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s foremost infectious disease specialist. DeSantis’ affront to one of our true national heroes includes such gems as T-shirts inscribed with “Don’t Fauci My Florida.”

Following his appointment, Ladapo said, “vaccines are up to the person” and there is “nothing special about them.” He also said, “The state should be promoting good health. and vaccination isn’t the only path to that. It’s been treated almost like a religion and it’s senseless. We support measures for good health: vaccinations, losing weight, exercising, eating more fruits and vegetables, everything.” It seems if we had only eaten our spinach, we would be like Popeye, “strong to the finich” and this pandemic might not have happened.

It appears DeSantis is trying to out-Trump his mentor by hiring “only the best people.” Trump’s best people included Michael Flynn, Paul Manafort, Sebastian Gorka, Rick Gates — the list goes on. With this rogue’s gallery of miscreants, it’s difficult for DeSantis to worse. It is clear to me this hire is worse, dangerously worse.

Ted Block, Delray Beach