By Richard Gunderman, MD, PhD, Law & Liberty - Takedowns are not the modus operandi of science, academia, or even sound public policy. Takedowns are the technique of autocrats, or at least those who exhibit autocratic tendencies. To prevent leaders from seizing on public health challenges as opportunities to consolidate and augment their power, it is vital that Americans insist on accountability. We should never simply accept without question the presumptions that an emerging pandemic calls for extraordinary countermeasures, that government officials seek truth before all else, or that naysayers can be dismissed as “fringe” elements. The best disinfectants are not masks or vaccines, but truth and the civil liberties essential to its pursuit.