The Obama Flu
Because of the peril of swine flu, Joe Biden said yesterday, he would urge his family to stay out of “confined places” like airplanes and subways here in the United States.
Yet, the Obama administration will not consider closing the United States to airplanes and buses coming in from the epicenter of the epidemic, Mexico City.
Does this contradiction make sense?
America, at this writing, has recorded fewer than 100 cases of the swine flu. One victim has died, a 2-year-old Mexican boy. He was flown out of Mexico City to Matamoros, crossed over with his parents into Texas, was taken to a hospital in Brownsville, terribly sick, then transferred to a Houston hospital. There he died.
Clear from this is that Mexicans, seriously ill, may head for the United States, where the medical care is known to be far superior and also free for the indigent.
This is understandable.
What is not is the United States conducting business as usual on the Mexican border, when tourists are fleeing Cancun, cruise ships refuse to put in to Mexican ports, Texas is closing schools, Europeans are shutting airports to flights from Mexico City and Obama is telling parents to pull the kids out of school if the flu shows up.
Is this a serious medical menace to Americans or not?
Some scientists claim this is a mild hybrid strain of the flu that visits every season, no big deal. But the World Health Organization has raised the threat level of H1N1 swine flu to Category 5. This means the world is at imminent risk of a pandemic. Yet, the death toll, as of now, is only one in the United States, and 159 out of 2,500 sickened in Mexico.
Still, the political fallout here could be immense.
According to Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, in a normal flu season, 35,000 Americans die. Thirty-five thousand! That is more than 10 times the number who died on 9-11 and about as many as we lost in the Korean War.
And if this Mexican flu is anything like the Hong Kong flu that killed 33,000 Americans in 1968-69, or, Lord forbid, the Spanish Flu that killed 25 million to 50 million worldwide in 1918-19 — more Americans died from it than all the Americans killed in World Wars I and II combined — this administration is dangerously behind the curve.
Back in 1980, Gov. Jerry Brown’s refusal to use the pesticide malathion on the Mediterranean fruit fly almost killed his career. For the Medflies made it over the mountains into the Central Valley and ravaged California’s crops and orchards. And we were only talking then about farm produce, not tens of thousands of lives possibly lost.
Obama’s coolness may prove correct.
But if he is perceived at having refused to close the border to buses bringing in sick Mexicans, or airports to planes coming in from Mexico City, so as not to offend the open-borders crowd, and a deadly epidemic ensues, full responsibility will be his. And he will pay a far greater price than George W. Bush did for being AWOL in Katrina.
For a president’s first duty is not to the NAFTA-mandated free flow of goods and people between the United States and Mexico, but to protect the health and lives of the American people.
In the 1940s, it was not uncommon, when there was an outbreak of measles, mumps, chicken pox, scarlet fever or polio, for homes and families to be quarantined until it could be demonstrated to health authorities that everyone in the house was free of the disease.
Today’s political correctness means we cannot discriminate against individuals who may bring in infectious diseases like AIDS.
Under NAFTA, GATT and globalization, America threw open her doors to mass immigration and accepted an invasion of illegal aliens that brought 12 million to 20 million into the country.
With them has come a raft of diseases never seen here before, or eradicated years ago: multiple drug resistant tuberculosis, malaria, leprosy, measles, syphilis, Chagas disease, dengue fever and new strains of hepatitis. Even bed bugs have invaded half the American states.
However “mild” Mexican swine flu may prove to be, it is wreaking havoc in Mexico. And, already, that country is suffering from a collapse in the price of oil it sells to the United States, a reduction in the remittances sent back from Mexican workers in the United States due to the downturn here and a collapse in tourism due to the cartels war that took 6,000 lives last year.
Now, with tourists fleeing, hotels emptying out and athletic events being canceled, Mexico could be hit with a second devastating economic blow, from which she does not soon recover.
In January, the U.S. Joint Forces Command identified two large nations in real danger of “rapid and sudden collapse.”
One was Pakistan, the other Mexico.
Unfortunately, the boys at the JFC seem to have gotten it right.
COPYRIGHT 2009 CREATORS SYNDICATE INC.
I thought all Americans are as stupid as Obama… What US doing now is unbelievable, like a suicide!
we won’t close our borders to protect us from terrorists, gangs, cheap labor, or anything else, so why would our elite even consider closing it for an epedemic.
and lets not fool ourselves into believing that bush ii or the repub elite would be any different ..
I don’t know a clearer illustration of the west’s self destruction.
Great plan Mr. Buchanan! It is about time that we panic completely.
While I appreciate this attempt to incite xenophobia, I have to take exceptions to some of things stated in this article:
1. “Europeans are shutting airports to flights from Mexico City ”
As of today no airport in Europe has closed down flights to Mexico City. Several Travel companies have canceled their flights, obviously because their costumers decided not to fly.
2.”According to Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, in a normal flu season, 35,000 Americans die. Thirty-five thousand! That is more than 10 times the number who died on 9-11 and about as many as we lost in the Korean War.”
Well said! But somehow I can not see how this is the Mexicans and/or Obama Husseins fault. Maybe you should have been a little bit more clear here. I also do not see the policy implications. We need universal healthcare? Or will closing the border solve this problem, too?
3.” ..like the Hong Kong flu that killed 33,000 Americans in 1968-69″
Each year about 35000 people die because of flu infection in the US, as you note yourself. 33000 killed by the Hong Kong flu sounds scary, but in fact… it isn’t.
4.”With [the Immigrants] has come a raft of diseases never seen here before, or eradicated years ago: multiple drug resistant tuberculosis, malaria, leprosy, measles, syphilis.”
Connecting Immigration to disease! Well done! However there are some slight factual problems here. Its hard to know where to start. Lets give it a shot.
a) multiple drug resistant tuberculosis:
Everything that is multiple drug resistant is actually a product of the
moder western health care system.On Wikipedia:” MDR-TB most
commonly develops in the course of TB treatment and is most
commonly due to doctors giving inappropriate treatment, or patients
missing doses or failing to complete their treatment.” This is
essentially how all drug resistant strains of any illness have been
created.
b)malaria, leprosy: There is no noticeable increase of malaria and
leprosy infections in the US.
c)measles: I understant that there is indeed an increase in measles
infection in the US, but I would suggest that this is correlated with an
unrelenting fear campaign waged against vaccines,
d)syphilis: Again it seems there is indeed an increases in syphilis
infections. However there is no indication that this is caused by
immigration. Let me give you my hypothesis: Abstinence Only
education has done nothing to decrease sexual activity, at the same
time the use of condoms has declined. I wager that this is the reason
for the increase in syphilis infections.
5.”Now, with tourists fleeing, hotels emptying out and athletic events being canceled, Mexico could be hit with a second devastating economic blow, from which she does not soon recover.”
What? I mean… what?! I feel you somehow forgot how your article started. You where talking about Swine flu and the failure of the US government to close the boarder to stop all those filthy immigrants (that bring in the swine flu, and syphilis and measles and … AIDS!).
6.”In January, the U.S. Joint Forces Command identified two large nations in real danger of “rapid and sudden collapse.”
Ahhh… It doesn’t make any sense anymore. I guess in your age it becomes increasingly difficult to keep it coherent for more then 500 words.
So let me help you and summarize:
GET OFF MY LAWN!
As usual Pat is spot on. The crunch may come if truly large numbers of Mexicans make a run for the border in a quest for better medical treatment. At what point will our Government make the tough choice and close the border. Forget the Flu contagion, Simply swamping our health care system with foreigners will be the issue.
This is an opportunity for a teachable moment. As Mexico collapses we need to drive home to Mexicans that we are not their problem. Their own corrupt, dysfunctional society is to blame for their poverty and distress. Perhaps by forcing Mexicans to deal with their own shortcomings, on their ON THEIR OWN GROUND would be a mercy in the long run.
“a product of the
moder western health care system.”
funny how those who blame the west for everything are making such relentlous efforts to make sure everyone gets in.
RE:: care to post some demographics about TB? or crime for that matter. no didn’t think you would want to.
The pains your type take to avoid reality are amusing were they not so deadly.
Dear malcolm,
I enjoy the advanced western health care system greatly. Some drawbacks like multiple drug resistant TB are unavoidable and thanks to scientific progress, we will be able to deal with it. However, there is no causal relationship between immigration and multiple drug resistant TB.
As this is a blog that encourages freewheeling debate, you are free to post as many statistics about TB infection as you see fit.
Not quite…we need to drive home that mexicans are only our problem if they choose to give up the nation of Mexico and join to be a US state.
I would accept Mexico, Panama, Guatamala, Costa Rica, Belize, Honduras, Nicaraugua (did I leave anyone out)…as actual states with full rights to our union.
But until they are member states…they are not problems of the US….and being a good neighbor does not mean open borders, illegal and legal immigration and free access to health care, welfare and social safety nets.
ARE THERE ANY MEXICANS WILLING TO TRADE LAND FOR CITIZENSHIP? THE US WOULD MUCH RATHER PATROL A PANAMANIAN BORDER OF A COUPLE HUNDRED MILES VERSUS A MEXICAN BORDER OF A COUPLE THOUSAND!
Pat Buchannan,
Too late for you, savage far rightwing lunatic! You are far too late in the game and your antics are laughable. Honestly, anyone who believes in two party system in Amerika (which you obviously do) is a part of the problem and not the solution. Bush II and Obama are about implementing the same agenda, and until you admit this to yourself your rants and screeds are MEANINGLESS!!!
Essentially, both Republicrats and Demopublicans (read Democrats and Republicans) believe in the open borders ideology and this is part and parcel of what the two party system has created. Until Amerikans figure this out, they will continue to be bombarded with a government that steals from them and bankrupts them, and a government that does everything in its power to make the MISERABLE…………
Again, Mr. Buchanan is right.
To add on to Obama’s response, perhaps shutting down the border to prevent the spread of the epidemic would be beneficial to Americans.
Also, so as not to appear to be denying Mexican children help, perhaps he could sent medical aid-workers to provide medical care just across the border. (While I don’t believe in foreign aid in principle, I’m being realistic.)
Also, this Reed Richards character is being highly disrespectful…
Pat is right, to protect the United States, ruthlesness is required, if that means barring sick people from entering the United States to seek treatment, or enforcing a mass quarantine along the border, drastic measures will need to be taken, Napolitano should show some usefulness in her high position for once and actually take measures to secure the United States from a mass epidemic.