Monday, February 11, 2019

Another Fox News Host Denying Science

Fox News host Pete Hegseth admitted on air yesterday that he has not washed his hands in a decade.

The admission came as Hegseth discussed eating day-old pizza that had not been refrigerated. He did not see any issue with eating the pizza, he said, then added that he didn’t think he had washed his hands in 10 years.  "Really," he said. "I don’t really wash my hands ever."

Met with laughter, he explained: “I inoculate myself. Germs are not a real thing. I can’t see them, therefore they’re not real.”  Hegseth graduated from Princeton, where (apparently) they don't teach common sense.

After furor erupted on social media, Hegseth later claimed he had been joking and blamed the media for being so “self-righteous and angry”. He also said he supported drinking from hosepipes and riding bikes without a helmet.

Fox News "journalists" have a long tradition of denying scientific facts just because they are not immediately observable- such as discussing  climate change when the weather is particularly cold, seeking to cast doubt over accepted science regarding rising global temperatures.

Hegseth, was reported to be Trump’s favored pick to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, before veterans' groups objected.  While Hegseth was the chief executive of Concerned Veterans for America, he hired his brother Philip to work for the non-profit at an annual salary of $108,000.  While Hegseth ran the political action committee MN PAC, he spent one third of the PAC's resources on Christmas parties for families and friendsLess than half of the PAC's resources was spent on candidates.  If he had been appointed to run the Veterans Affairs, he would have made him responsible for the health and well=being of 20 million Americans.

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