The article highlights the resurgence of a counterculture health movement in Marin County, led by individuals who continue to resist health policies stemming from the 1960s counterculture. Residents have opposed smart meters and 5G, driven by concerns over health and environmental impacts. Former public health officer Matthew Willis expresses his shock at the rapid growth of this movement and its ties to national figures like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Kennedy's controversial policies, including those regarding vaccines and nutrition, raise concerns about their impact on public health institutions.
Many longtime locals still carry the ethos of the '60s counterculture - Deadheads and old-school activists who never stopped questioning authority. They fought smart meters over concerns about electromagnetic radiation and continue to resist the rollout of 5G cellular networks, citing fears over constant exposure to higher frequency signals.
Willis retired at the end of the summer and is still grappling with how quickly the movement gained ground. "I didn't see all the ways this group was tied to a much stronger national thread, or that the leader of that movement would be put in charge of our entire national health and science system."
Kennedy has instilled his own ideology into federal policy. In his first months in office, he launched a controversial autism inquiry focused on environmental causes, cast doubt on bird flu vaccines, condemned the sale of ultra-processed food on Native American reservations as a form of genocide.
Critics say his approach could weaken the institutions that prevent disease and ensure public health amid rising skepticism towards vaccines and established health protocols.
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