Of course, if the bird flu comes here and hits the poor the hardest, then you'll be complaining that it's a plot by the republicans to wipe out poor people.
Posted by muckdog at October 6, 2005 04:10 PMhow come they're all over using the military in place of the guard domestically (and vice-versa in iraq), but they do squat about getting people immunized?
wild guess, cause that does nothing to help usher in a police state?
Posted by at October 6, 2005 04:20 PMYeah muck, that's my evil plot alright. Ya caught me.
Of course it's going to hit the poor the hardest. They can't afford to do anything much about it, unless the government were to plan for it. george w bush's government? The one we should fear?
Heh.
Of course, you aren't grasping the point of the essay, which doesn't surprise me.
And it will be, because they will have failed to properly prepare for the problem. Preparation that does not call for scaring the crap out of people, but in laying in adequete stocks of vaccines, setting up proper distribution and delivery of vaccines, and proper and effective treatments for those afflicted with the flu that minimizes the symptoms and severity of the disease thus limiting the impact of it.
As opposed to roping off the area with armed troops and letting everyone "sweat it out."
Posted by Duckman GR at October 6, 2005 04:27 PMHow about we "have nothing to fear but" Bush himself.
Posted by gail davis at October 6, 2005 04:27 PMPoliticans running on fear? Welcome to southern GOP tatics gone nationwide. The poorest states continually re-elect the loudest neanderthalic knuckle draggers around. Yes, fear works, Jesse Helms had a 30 year senate career, Strom Thurmond slept in the senate, and the local media down here adknowledged his sleeping on the job, until he was 100. Of course GOP operatives from other parts of the nation notice what works, they'd be stupid not to.
Who thinks Bush will take care of them (alleviate fear)?
Do we know the body count from Katrina as of now? He took care of them I see.
Posted by Sharon at October 6, 2005 05:29 PMIf bird flu hits and lots of people die, Bush will just say "no one could have predicted...."
Posted by CG at October 6, 2005 05:47 PMI sometimes fear that we've stopped being "...the land of the free and the home of the brave..." some time ago, particularly everytime I drive over the Key Bridge at Baltimore Harbor and can see Ft. McHenry in the distance. Republicans claim that the Democratic Party is the "mommy" party and play on the fears of the nation while leaving it unprotected. New Yorkers - blue staters all - know that only the tough put their heads down and just plow forward without whining, while the redstaters do nothing but complain about 'fraid they are. The redstaters beg for protection and succor against everything since 2001 while the bluestaters make things work. It's past time to call on the nation to show real bravery and fortitude and demand sacrifice by all.
Posted by PrahaPartizan at October 6, 2005 06:11 PMWell, Duck, if we're looking for folks to predict the past, I know you'll be up for the job. That's what folks here at the left coaster do the best.
WHY WAS THE GOP NAPPING ON THE JOB WHEN (Insert yesterday's headline here).
I just heard CNN break in with a news story about a terrorist threat to the NY subway system. It'll be sorta interesting how you folks weave this into a Bush conspiracy tomorrow.
The columns pretty much write themselves. Throw in a few "Bush this," "Cheney that," "Karl Rove," and "Haliburton," and you have yourself a Leftcoaster 500-word essay!
Posted by muckdog at October 6, 2005 06:20 PMYou have to admit that everytime it gets hot for the WH, either Osama makes a video or a terrorist threatens us. Once again, right on cue, Bush gives us both. I don't buy the NY subway report, nor do I buy the three planned attacks (unsubstantiated) against the US.
Posted by Judith at October 6, 2005 06:39 PMMucky, you made a funny! First you chide Duckman for predicting the past, then you go ahead and predict how "the folks at The Left Coaster will react in the future. Hahaha. You're real good!
Posted by iamcoyote at October 6, 2005 06:43 PM
Everytime Osama shows up on TV, I have to ask why is this SOB still walking around making videos?
Posted by Judith at October 6, 2005 06:44 PMIn Michael Moore's film Farenheit 911, he goes into detail about how and why these criminals keep us in fear. Someone today mentioned the horrors of the Avian(sp?)Flu, and therefore, refused to shake my hand because of that fear. Get a grip people, fear is being manufactured daily by this Administration and the media.
Posted by Judith at October 6, 2005 06:52 PMI agree that in this case, the administration is grasping at straws to keep us afraid of something. But nevertheless, there is credible evidence that the avian flu will be a major problem at some point.
Indeed, we will all die someday. Let's try to die of something worth dying of - like old age after a life of fighting for what we belive in, or at least while fighing for what we believe in - not bird flu.
So wash your hands, people. Drink fluids. Try to keep healthy. It won't do any good if we all dismiss the avian flu as a Bush administration conspiracy to keep us all afraid - then get sick and die because we didn't take it seriously.
Posted by Teresa Valdez Klein at October 6, 2005 07:23 PMA characteristic of the fear mongering strain of propaganda is to endlessly exaggerate what is to be feared. At the same time the propagandist more fully cloaks himself as the only one capable of dealing with what is feared.
Then the inability to make any progress against the perceived problem is blamed on its great size, not on the propagandist. So the propagandist is invested in the growing size of the fear and is its chief beneficiary.
The dysfunctional net of all this is no solution and a "leader" happy with a world of problems.
Solutions serve no purpose for the cynical and are to be avoided at all costs.
Posted by The Heretik at October 6, 2005 07:51 PMA fearful people will not demand much of their leaders beyond protection.
You've got the right to do as your told, keep your mouth shut and stay out of trouble.
Posted by argus at October 6, 2005 09:00 PMSince it seems that this admin. has not learned from their past (much less anything else) prospects are that the flu will kill. It's only now up to the admin. whether or not troops will be called in or not.
Will the calvary answer the call or not? It seems that they haven't in Mississippi, even to this day.
So, when people need the Fed, the Fed is off prepping the military. . . instead of doing their real job.
Posted by dorita at October 6, 2005 09:18 PMI think everyone needs to chill out with this bird flu stuff.
It's a panic being driven by the media over something that is quite frankly inevitable and not worth worrying over.
When a flu epidemic hits -- a flu epidemic will hit, it's just a matter of time -- no one will know ahead of time how many will die. It could be better than the worst estimates, or worse.
As for the recent Avian bird flu, no one can say that that's going to be THE epidemic. Worse, even if that is the one, antivirals and medical treatment don't seem to be particularly effective against it, so there's not much anyone can do to protect themselves from it. A vaccine? The government is working on one for that, but it's being developed so quickly, who can say whether or not it will be really effective, and there will never be enough doses ready if it were to hit in the enxt year or two. Worse, what if it's a different strain or mutates significantly? Then you'd have a fairly useless vaccine.
You may as well stop worrying about it. It's like worrying about a world-wrecking asteroid strike. It's inevitable, so why worry about it?
I'm not saying that when the flu epidemic hits we ought to sit on our hands, just that there's not a real comprehensive solution until it does hit. The only thing we can do is try to convince those in charge to shore up the public health system -- good luck with that while this Republican Congress controls the purse strings -- and hope for the best.
Posted by Brian Bell at October 6, 2005 09:51 PMThe Avian flu has been around for years. Why all of a sudden are we to fear it more today than yesterday?
Posted by Judith at October 7, 2005 05:09 AMJudith,
Because george said so, of course!
Er, karl!
Ummmm, Merck?
I think it was in a magazine with colorful pictures someplace!
Posted by Duckman GR at October 7, 2005 05:34 AMJudith,
A while back I heard a report, that the Chinese tried to prevent deaths to their chickens by giving them human vaccenes. It failed and what had been a virus that was harmless to humans is now fatal to us. Here is a link.
Posted by rlp at October 7, 2005 09:10 AM