by Timothy Wheeler, MD
Three Democrat members of California’s House of Representatives delegation seem to be taking the lead in pushing for the confirmation of President Obama’s nominee for surgeon general, Dr. Vivek Murthy. The nomination has been mired in controversy because of accusations that Murthy is more a political operative than healer, more gun control activist than infectious disease expert.
In their letter to the Senate leadership (see below), the representatives, my own Rep. Judy Chu included, are exploiting the current fears about the Ebola virus crisis to fuel a sense of urgency. They claim that Murthy’s supposed leadership would somehow help resolve the crisis.
DRGO’s open letter to Rep. Chu (see below) explains why Murthy’s confirmation would be a bad thing for America’s civil rights tradition. We view this exploitative effort by California congress members to be just another attempt to use America’s acclaimed public health apparatus as a weapon against American gun owners.
