Politics 2014

[Hixter]

As you say you don't watch FoxNews or listen to talk radio, but I have in recent days.  There is quite a difference between what the CDC and WHO are saying and what is being presented in these news outlets.  Just for example note the tone and differences between between the CDC Ebola page and a searches I  a did on FoxNews and Glenn Beck's The Blaze.  And then of course there is this nugget from Mr. Beck himself. 

 

I am not saying that it is not a tragedy, but the level of media freak out is unnecessary and counter productive. 

The CDC and WHO are saying it's the worst public health threat since AIDS (30+ million dead, 30+ million infected) and that we may have passed the point of being able to control it in Africa, with 10,000 new cases per week and a prediction of 1.4 million infections. Those warnings are dire enough, I don't need to watch ratings-craving blowhards -- whatever their political affiliation.

 

I would love to make a gentlemen's bet with you.  Here are my predictions:

 

1) There will be no more than 1 or 2 people infected from Thomas Eric Duncan

I'm not a betting man, but we've already had 2 infections courtesy of Mr. Duncan. I think the other patients are being transferred to better facilities outside of Dallas, so hopefully the pros will be able to stop the chain of infections.

[Hixter]

He said there's no way stopping people from going after bush meat; folks have been doing it since the dawn of time.

As long as they eat monkeys and bats we'll have ebola outbreaks. It'd be cheaper for the rest of the world to just airdrop chickens (WKRP, anyone?) and cans of Spam to them instead of spending hundreds of millions of dollars to fight and treat Ebola.

 

While we're at it, the Chinese government needs to teach its citizens that living in close proximity to chickens and other fowl is a bad idea.

[NoJ]

I coulda sworn turkeys could fly!!  :-)

[bleedorange]

The CDC and WHO are saying it's the worst public health threat since AIDS (30+ million dead, 30+ million infected) and that we may have passed the point of being able to control it in Africa, with 10,000 new cases per week and a prediction of 1.4 million infections. Those warnings are dire enough, I don't need to watch ratings-craving blowhards -- whatever their political affiliation.

 

 

Where do these numbers come from? The only thing I have seen is that they estimate it will hit 9,000 total cases by the end of the week. That's a total. Not a per-week basis.

[Mr. Heartbreak]

I'm surprised that TX is even accepting help from the CDC. Isn't there a big secession movement in TX? I guess that evil old federal government does come in handy once in a while, despite what Rick "Oops" Perry says...

[Hixter]

Where do these numbers come from? The only thing I have seen is that they estimate it will hit 9,000 total cases by the end of the week. That's a total. Not a per-week basis.

From the WHO.

[bleedorange]

I'm surprised that TX is even accepting help from the CDC. Isn't there a big secession movement in TX? I guess that evil old federal government does come in handy once in a while, despite what Rick "Oops" Perry says...

 

No, there isn't. Please remember that Texas is a big state. Lots of different people live here. Thanks.

[Hixter]

Isn't there a big secession movement in TX? 

No, there isn't. And Rick Perry doesn't support secession. 

[bleedorange]

From the WHO.

 

That's a worst-case scenario number amid a plea for more help in controlling the outbreak.

[Hixter]

The 1.4 million cases of Ebola prediction comes from the CDC.

[Mr. Heartbreak]

No, there isn't. Please remember that Texas is a big state. Lots of different people live here. Thanks.

 

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/peacefully-grant-state-texas-withdraw-united-states-america-and-create-its-own-new-government/BmdWCP8B

 

Percentage-wise, 125,746 people might not sound like a lot to you, but it sounds like a lot to me!

[tinnitus photography]

It was short -- a political message to Israel. 

so Israel recognizes Palestine as a state, now that air travel has been restored?

 

 

cool, glad it all worked out finally.

[bleedorange]

The 1.4 million cases of Ebola prediction comes from the CDC.

 

"This week’s MMWR, Estimating the Future Number of Cases in the Ebola Epidemic—Liberia and Sierra Leone, 2014–2015, estimates the future number of cases if current trends continue....

 

"Without additional interventions or changes in community behavior, CDC estimates that by January 20, 2015, there will be a total of approximately 550,000 Ebola cases in Liberia and Sierra Leone or 1.4 million if corrections for underreporting are made."

[Hixter]

Percentage-wise, 125,746 people might not sound like a lot to you, but it sounds like a lot to me!

Percentage-wise it's less than half a percent, but take a look at the signatures and you'll see that most of them came from non-residents, i.e. the "I hate Texas, so let them leave" crowd.

 

"Without additional interventions or changes in community behavior, CDC estimates that by January 20, 2015, there will be a total of approximately 550,000 Ebola cases in Liberia and Sierra Leone or 1.4 million if corrections for underreporting are made."

It's by definition just an estimate/prediction, but cases have been doubling every 2 weeks in Africa. Previously, the largest number of deaths in an Ebola outbreak was 280. We're at almost 20x that rate currently, so it's clear that this outbreak is exceptional in almost every way.

[tinnitus photography]

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/15/opinion/frank-bruni-scarier-than-ebola.html

[KevinG]

The CDC and WHO are saying it's the worst public health threat since AIDS (30+ million dead, 30+ million infected) and that we may have passed the point of being able to control it in Africa, with 10,000 new cases per week and a prediction of 1.4 million infections. Those warnings are dire enough, I don't need to watch ratings-craving blowhards -- whatever their political affiliation.

 

My point is the media is over-hyping this crisis, as they do with every "crisis."  You are a well reasoned person and you have your own thoughts about things, as I disagree with you on many of them, they are reasoned.  However you are not the typical American.  The typical American will watch / read / listen FoxNews, Glenn Beck, and take this as truth.  Even more moderate news orgs like CNN are freaking out over this.  They are not helping.  They are purposely scaring people for ratings.  This is what they do.  

 

We are in no danger of having an Ebola outbreak in the US.  Nor will we ever have an Ebola outbreak.  Yes, there may be a stray case here and there, but this level of freak out is unnecessary.   

 

Ebola is one thing, but the politics of Ebola is another.  

 

Also as a side note you keep throwing out numbers, which I am sure are fine, I haven't had time to look at them and don't really care about them, except one.  And this is where I get annoyed with the level of freak out and misinformation:

 

 

 

It's certainly too early to panic, but we're talking about a communicable disease with a mortality rate of about 70% that is now present in the United States and Europe and is spreading almost uncontrolled in Africa. Some predictions say we'll be looking at 1.4 million cases around the world. That's a lot of deaths.

 

 

Yes Ebola has a morality rate of 70%, in Africa, where the medical care and standards are not the same as the US.  We have the finest medical facilities in the World.  There is no way that Ebola will have a 70% mortality rate in US.  Even if there is a large scale outbreak (which will never happen).  

[Mr. Heartbreak]

Percentage-wise it's less than half a percent, but take a look at the signatures and you'll see that most of them came from non-residents, i.e. the "I hate Texas, so let them leave" crowd.

 

Yeah, I caught that, too. That's gotta sting a little.

[Hixter]

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/15/opinion/frank-bruni-scarier-than-ebola.html

And his opinion piece closes with an anti-gun paragraph; that's all I need to know about the author. Like a good gun hater, he triples the casualty count by including suicides.

[bleedorange]

Yeah, I caught that, too. That's gotta sting a little.

 

Not really. It's a ridiculous, irrational sentiment among a very few. Similar to the equally dumb "I wish Los Angeles would break off and fall into the Pacific."

[suites]

Florida Governor Debate.

 

Why does shit like this seem to happen in in Florida.

 

Funny as hell....traces all the way back to when Kennedy Made Nixon sweat.

 

[Mr. Heartbreak]

Because I have lived here in Florida for the past 20 years, I feel that I have the right to say that the guy is an absolute douchrocket. Sorry if that offends anyone on here, but I calls 'em like I sees 'em. Not thrilled with Crist, but I'd rather suffer through another term of his than another term from Skeletor.

[Atticus]

Rick Perry is a douche.

[NoJ]

^^ True ^^

[tinnitus photography]

And his opinion piece closes with an anti-gun paragraph; that's all I need to know about the author. Like a good gun hater, he triples the casualty count by including suicides.

so his jab at 2nd amendment zealots negates his corollary re: flu shots?

[lost highway]

And his opinion piece closes with an anti-gun paragraph; that's all I need to know about the author. Like a good gun hater, he triples the casualty count by including suicides.

 

But what about his larger point?  Not who he is, but what he's saying.  People are more at risk of the flu, but more interested in ebola because of the media.