Flu And Pneumonia

Governors Chris Christie And Andrew Cuomo Acting Like Bullies With Returning Medical and Military Personnel From West Africa: Promoting Fear Instead Of Scientific Facts About Ebola!

Ronald 6 Comments

We are now witnessing two politicians, Republican Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey and Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York, who are promoting their own political futures, by stoking fear of Ebola, rather than promoting scientific facts!

These two men are acting like bullies with returning medical and military personnel from West Africa, who have donated their time and efforts to stop the Ebola epidemic, and the reaction is to forcibly quarantine a nurse, with no consideration of her human rights or the conditions she has been put under, when there is no evidence that she has Ebola, or will contract Ebola from her experience treating patients!

Ebola can only become a problem for anyone who is intimately involved with a possibly exposed person, or has been subjected to such a person’s body fluids, and is NOT an airborne disease, and so far only one person has died, and a few, who have been infected, have recovered or are recovering. Meanwhile, tens of thousand die of Flu and Pneumonia annually, and there is not public scare by these Governors or other politicians, and no forced quarantining!

There is no epidemic, but discouraging volunteers from going to West Africa by the shabby treatment they receive upon return, will only help to make the epidemic worse, and spread the disease where it is, and promote more deaths there.

These two politicians already have the image of being abrasive and uncaring about how they come across, with one, Christie, trying to promote his campaign for President by acting “tough”, and the other, Cuomo, trying to insure his gubernatorial victory in nine days, and also thinking about running for President. Their “concern” is all political, not based on health concerns or scientific knowledge!

Their heavy handedness will, hopefully, undermine their future Presidential plans, as both are showing up as very willing to be abusive of their powers, and more interested in their own futures, than in doing what will avoid fear, hysteria, and panic!

Fear, Panic, Hysteria, And The Media: Reflection On The Real Dangers Amidst Us!

Ronald 2 Comments

It is shocking and reprehensible how the reaction to the Ebola issue is fear, panic, and hysteria, all fueled by irresponsible, reckless media of all kinds and opportunistic politicians!

Yes, Ebola is something to be concerned about, and knowledge and education is essential, but not the crazy reaction of media, and the demagoguery being promoted by politicians, who do not know or appreciate medicine and science, but are too ready to make Ebola a political issue, and promote, in the process, their own careers by scaring people, and undermining cooperation to resolve this matter in an organized, sensible manner.

IF we really want to overcome dangers, threats, and concerns about what we face, consider the following:

Ebola, as terrible as it is, has killed about 5,000 people, mostly in West Africa, and only one person in America. Even if that death toll rises, it is NOT going to reach the total of about 50,000 annually dying from Flu and Pneumonia in America, and even with that reality, many Americans do not get annual Flu shots or Pneumonia shots as a precaution, because of unfounded fears that any shots or vaccinations, even for children, is dangerous!

Auto accidents cause the death of 40,000 per year on the average, but what do we do about texting while driving; drinking while driving; reckless speeders; and those on illegal drugs who drive and often are high?

Gun deaths average at least about 11,000 per year, but we cannot get any gun legislation through Congress, due to the National Rifle Association.

Smoking, alcoholism, and drug addiction causes hundreds of thousands of deaths per year combined, but no panic and hysteria about that.

Child abuse and assaults on women cause innumerable deaths per year, but no sense of trying to do something about it has occurred, just shaking heads and rolling eyes!

When there was limited media, we had real epidemics of Typhoid Fever, Tuberculosis, Flu, Leprosy, and other diseases, yet no panic on the scale we see now.

We have the continued problem of Sexually Transmitted Diseases, and AIDS has caused more deaths than Ebola ever will, without all that much concern by most people, who just figured that since a majority of people who have this disease have been gay or lesbian, at least in America, why worry about “them”, but also there are many heterosexual victims as well, and no great attention paid to it by most Americans.

The point being made is that it is the reckless news media and the political opportunists who are trying to blame Ebola on Barack Obama, and make it seem as if he wants this epidemic to occur in America, and they have a stupid, ignorant portion of the American people who accept every allegation and sensationalistic statement as total truth, when they are bald faced lies!

The Promotion Of Fear And Panic A Typical Republican Response To Any Issue Or Problem!

Ronald 8 Comments

The Midterm Elections of 2014 might be decided not on the issues, but on the promotion of fear and panic, being utilized to scare voters!

It is not a new tactic by the Republican Party, but rather an old strategy used in the past.

Leave it to the GOP to use fear of “Socialism”, “Progressivism”, “Liberalism”, distorting all three terms as against America, as a way to prevent political, social, and economic reform that takes power away from the wealthy and the corporations!

The Red Scare of the late 1940s and early 1950s, as promoted by Richard Nixon, Joseph McCarthy, and other demagogues, had a deleterious effect on people’s lives, and victimized many innocent people.

Fear and panic were used by Presidents, including Richard Nixon and George W. Bush to promote war in Vietnam and in Iraq!

The Republican Party has abandoned its original support of African American civil rights, and has now promoted racism to attract uneducated and poor and lower middle class whites to vote against their own economic interests.

Now fear and panic are being used because of the Ebola Crisis to convince people to vote Republican, despite the fact that the GOP has done nothing positive in any form, and has set out to obstruct everything that Barack Obama has tried to do, with him succeeding in many initiatives despite constant attack and criticism and attempts to block progress.

If the Republicans succeed in convincing the American people to go nuts over Ebola, when the flu and pneumonia causes 50,000 deaths a year without fear and panic; and if 11,000 people a year killed by firearms annually is not seen as a crisis; then the American people will get what they deserve—incompetent, corrupt, and uncaring government, which will work to undermine all of the progress of the New Deal and Great Society for the past 80 years!

Right Wing Hysteria Over Ebola An Outrage, As Republicans And Conservatives Ignore Much Greater Causes Of Death!

Ronald 3 Comments

The right wing in America has no limits in its outrages, and now have used the Ebola Crisis to promote hysteria and panic, and of course, blame it all on Barack Obama.

Some lunatics are saying that Obama has caused this problem, and that he wishes to declare martial law and suspend the Presidential Election of 2016 and stay on beyond January 20, 2017, a totally preposterous and whacko idea, which they know is a total lie!

And while Republicans and conservatives rail about Ebola, they have no concern about the much larger threat to life by murders and injuries by firearms; the reality of automobile accidents as a major cause of death, including drunken drivers; the great loss of life from flu and pneumonia; and the ever present danger of domestic violence; along with other causes of death, such as bee stings, drowning, lightning, fireworks, and dog attacks, among others.

There is not an issue or problem that the right wing does not use as an excuse to do harm to our President and the entire government structure, and many wish for the removal of Obama by violence and overthrow, which should be enough for the Secret Service to arrest and imprison critics who go beyond the pale, and threaten our whole constitutional system of government!