Robert F. Kennedy asked himself the 2 most important questions of anyone's life: “If not me, who? If not now, when?”

A shortening of Hillel's famous 3 questions.

https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/5105844-many-so-called-experts-will-owe-rfk-jr-an-apology-in-4-years/

Earlier this month, NBC News posted a story titled, “Fluoride once again scrutinized for possible effect on children’s brains.” The second I finished scanning the headline, my very first thought in the form of a question to myself was: “By the end of the Trump administration, how many experts, Democrats, pundits, journalists and celebrities, are going to owe Robert F. Kennedy Jr. an apology?”

In November, just days before President Donald Trump’s victory, Kennedy warned that “On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water. Fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease.”

For years, Kennedy has been warning about fluoride in our water, and for years, countless “experts,” reporters, and politicians have called his warnings “controversial,” “junk science” and “crazy.”

But…not anymore.

Going back to the report from NBC, we have this: “The research, published in JAMA Pediatrics on Monday … found a statistically significant association between higher fluoride exposure and lower children’s IQ scores,” with scientists pointing to “a decrease of 1.63 IQ points in children” exposed.

Wow. If Kennedy is correct about the danger of fluoride with regard to IQ loss — and he clearly is — what else is he correct about with regard to his other warnings pertaining to fluoride? Or for that matter, every other health issue he has been rightfully waving a red flag about for the last few decades?

How about Red dye no. 3? RFK Jr. has also been warning about that for years. As you may have recently heard, the FDA just banned the food coloring, because many believe that it causes cancer. Red dye no. 3 has long been banned in other nations, including the entire European Union, Australia and New Zealand.

Why did the FDA wait until the dawn of the Trump administration to act? Because they knew that once confirmed as secretary of Health and Human Services, Kennedy was about to land upon them like a ton of bricks. Posted Kennedy on X on Oct. 25: “FDA’s war on public health is about to end. … If you work for the FDA and are part of this corrupt system, I have two messages for you: 1. Preserve your records, and 2. Pack your bags.”

Many on the left who loved Kennedy when he was a Democrat now call him “crazy,” “controversial” and a “danger.” Tens of millions of people in our nation and around the world have different labels for him: “hero” and “life-saver.”

Many of those who have attacked him over the last two years have done so out of blind and ignorant allegiance to a system and an ideology that many believe has negatively affected the overall health of every American, including millions of children. Instead of delivering a kneejerk attack upon Kennedy, perhaps they should have taken just a few moments to educate themselves about him. The best place to do so would have been his X account before the election.

If they did, they would have learned that Kennedy has dedicated his life to saving the lives of others, and especially of children. He has never been in it for the money, the fame or the power. He had been exposed to all those things as a child and young adult, and he came to believe that they are empty vessels unless turned to good.

Go back and read his actual posts about COVID. Go back and read his actual posts about Ukraine. He courageously went against conventional wisdom — and the entrenched elites — on both subjects. He paid a very high price regarding his reputation. And guess what — he did not care.

He has been screaming out for a ceasefire in Ukraine from day one. I have long sided with him on Ukraine and have quoted him often in my columns. Just as he has screamed out since day one about the harsh dictates, the loss of liberty and the millions of children punished because of the overreactions and deliberate power grabs tied to COVID.

For anyone with a powerful platform, sooner or later you will have to ask yourself the two most important questions of your life: “If not me, who? If not now, when?”

Trump asked himself those questions in 2015 and dove into the political arena to save the country he loved. Kennedy has been asking himself those questions for years and stepping up when so many stepped away.

Trump picked Kennedy because he believes he will quickly move the needle to “Make America Healthy Again” while saving untold lives in the process. Four years from now, I will look to see how many who smeared Kennedy for his courageous beliefs and warnings have since offered him an apology. That list should be long.

Douglas MacKinnon is a former White House and Pentagon official.