Jealous politician Rand Paul is inappropriate in public Senate hearings

Americans who believe in science - and that should be everyone - should be shocked, disappointed and saddened about the outrageous disrespect the U.S. senator from Kentucky, Rand Paul is spewing toward Dr. Anthony Fauci. 

In my opinion, Rand Paul's inappropriate and rude public outbursts demonstrates jealousy towards Dr. Fauci.

Dr. Anthony Stephen Fauci is an American physician-scientist and immunologist serving as the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the Chief Medical Advisor to the President.

This opinion echo letter was published in Daily Citizen-News, a newspaper in Dalton, Georgia:

Dr. Fauci has dedicated his life to the well-being of others and is respected throughout the world for his personal integrity and scientific honesty.

I first met Dr. Fauci when he was a teaching consultant and I was a fellow in pulmonary disease at the University of Alabama at Birmingham about 40 years ago. We were colleagues for a short while and being so impressed, I have kept in close contact with Dr. Fauci over the years as he has made huge contributions to the understanding and treatment of HIV/AIDS, SARS and other viral pathogens and now to COVID-19.

For 60 years, I have urged patients and friends to discontinue smoking. Often, this has occurred with positive results. But, at times, with rejection and tragedy. I understand the feeling that Dr. Fauci must have as so many have refused his advice to get the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine.

But I have never endured the terrible insults suffered by Dr. Fauci, at the hands of some politicians (like jealous Rand Paul) and television journalists of late. In spite of some rejection of medical advice, I have always been treated with respect. 

As a fellow human and physician, I am grieved at the undeserved insults by Sen. Paul toward Dr. Fauci.

As a society, we owe Dr. Anthony Fauci a great deal of appreciation and respect. You can show this by getting your COVID-19 vaccination. Together, we can put an end to this pandemic.

Dr. Drayton Sanders, in Dalton Georgia