Posted on 06/23/2023 3:59:52 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Vaccine scientist Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, revealed in a Twitter postopens in a new tab or window this past weekend that anti-vaxxers accosted him outside his home in Texas.
"Ugh I just was stalked in front of my home by a couple of antivaxers taunting me to debate RFKJr," Hotez wroteopens in a new tab or window. "Of course I was looking my Sunday best in our brutal heat wave," he added, along with an image of himself dressed in a wide-brimmed hat and Houston Texans t-shirt. "What is it with people? Well at least Houstonian's now know I support the team...#GoTexans."
The incident followed a Twitter exchange regarding a highly-viewed podcast and a challenge from its host for a debate.
On Saturday, Hotez tweeted in supportopens in a new tab or window of a Vice articleopens in a new tab or window entitled, "Spotify Has Stopped Even Sort of Trying to Stem Joe Rogan's Vaccine Misinformation," that referenced a recent podcast episode featuring anti-vaccine activist and 2024 Presidential Candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
In response, Rogan also took to Twitter, writing the following to Hotez: "Peter, if you claim what RFKjr is saying is 'misinformation' I am offering you $100,000.00 to the charity of your choice if you're willing to debate him on my show with no time limit."
From there, the online controversy continued to snowballopens in a new tab or window, with a number of high-profile billionaires even weighing in on the proposed debate, including Mark Cuban and Elon Musk.
However, on Sunday, the wagering made its way from Twitter to Hotez's front door.
A media representative for Hotez declined further comment on the stalking incident and Twitter exchange, pointing to remarks the vaccine scientist made regarding the matter when he appeared on The Mehdi Hasan Show on MSNBC Sunday evening.
"Well, you know, the attacks from the anti-vaccine lobby do come in waves," Hotez told MSNBCopens in a new tab or window. "This time, though, it's been one of the tougher ones because [of] physical stalking and the incessant threatening emails, and the stuff online is just total wackadoodle."
Hotez also addressed the topic of misinformation when it comes to vaccines.
He stated in part that, during the pandemic, 200,000 Americans "needlessly perished because they believed the anti-vaccine disinformation and refused to take a COVID vaccine" in 2021 and 2022, after vaccines were widely available.
"So, the point is, anti-vaccine disinformation, it's always done a lot of damage and harm, but now it's a lethal force in the United States," Hotez added.
The vaccine scientist further told MSNBC that he has offered to once again talk with Joe Rogan on the host's podcast, but not in the capacity that was recently posed on Twitter.
"There are certain things you debate ... but in science, we don't typically do debates," Hotez explained. "What we do is we write scientific papers, we present our findings in front of a critical audience of our peers to solicit their input and suggestions, but one doesn't typically debate science."
Jennifer Henderson joined MedPage Today as an enterprise and investigative writer in Jan. 2021. She has covered the healthcare industry in NYC, life sciences and the business of law, among other areas.
What goes around.............
Sure. Report from unnamed reliable source?
I think it’s funny. How many supreme court justices, congressman, family members of Trump, have had communist/Democrat protesters at their house? And when they came, they didn’t stand outside and want to engage in a debate. Nobody cared about that.
This guy is a criminal. Crimes against humanity. These criminals are fair game. Tough shit scumbag.
It was some idiot where you have to wonder of Hotez paid him to do it.
Quote
This time, though, it’s been one of the tougher ones because [of] physical stalking and the incessant threatening emails, and the stuff online is just total wackadoodle.”
....
A Vaxxer finds it tough if you engage them at their home..
Is this settled science?
Would science call for more trials like this?
Maybe daily, weekly? Every 3 months. At any hours?
Can they make it really tough on the subject?
Tough enough to cause the subject to do something whackadoodle themselves ?
Be a nice science experiment..
This word stalked may not mean what you think it means.
Oh the poor baby… Maybe if he stopped lying and told the truth once in his life then these things wouldn’t happen. My heart absolutely bleeds red white and blue for these poor , misunderstood “scientists” (who are tasked with parroting the gubmint narrative through “grants”)
What a drama queen.
Not going to defend some people’s behavior, but here is a few things ‘pro-vaccine’ people have done the last couple of years.
- force young and healthy people to take an experimental treatment
- leave unvaccinated people on St Vincent Island when a volcano was erupting
- turn down medical treatment for unvaccinated and unvaccinated relatives
- Kick young unvaxxed out of college
- shame unvaxxed and ‘cancel’ them
- threaten to put them in internment camps
could go on.
Things that never happened ping.
Exactly
Of course they did…
These people are so transparent.
Baloney. He made it up.
Think it’s true?
Convenient way to change the subject, throw a little mud while he’s at it.
If he thinks it bad now, wait until people wake up to what they did, and knowing went along with.
Wonder how he liked the justices beimg stalked this way. Wonder if he said then, what is wrong with people?
poor baby
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