bird flu and the military option

ok first off lets play devil advocate and precedent...

Lets assume for a second that the bird flu (which has not made the crossing to reliable human to human transmission and this may happen this year, or fifty years from now or never, the nature of the beast)... millions will die. In fact the worst case analysis from the WHO is close to a billion dead world wide. This is expected to hit the US like the 1918 Pandemic, anywhere from six weeks to two months after it becomes a reliable transmittable source (personally given air travel I give it two weeks tops after the first general cases develop in the country of origin, otherwise known as patient zero)... that said... in 1918 there were no vaccines, now many countries already have them and others (Australia and New Zealand) have told their populations, worst case scenario we can't help everyone and we will have to practice pretty severe triage.

Ok now that we have put the background, there are some things people must know about these rare events and their management

1.- Quarantine of the area has been standard since black flags rose over cities affected with the black death, warning people not to approach.They are effective, and do contain the disease, so is cremating bodies or mass graves... I know disgusting but.

2.- In the case of a pandemic the authority for management devolves to the Federal Government, specifically the National Health Service (yes such a critter does exist even if it has been de funded since the bushies do not in science believe) and the CDC.

3.- The Armed Forces were used in 1918 to control the pandemic... (and this is likely the precedent bush is using)

Now that I have set the background... Bush is using this as an excuse, as the National Guard units that were mobilized in 1918 were mostly Military Medical Units and some Military Police. They were federalized but in a very strange case of Feds, locals and the history of medicine, they were placed under the command of the National Health Workers who were under the authority of local health directors. If this sounds jarring and strange, it should... but when all was said and done, this is the way it was done... until the pandemic passed

Did they have the authority to detain people against their will? Absolutely. Did they exercise it in 1918? Yes, absolutely... will the bush people use this to cancel the Constitution, can I have an Amen?

Now the bird flu is a real threat, but it is, like everything else the bushes do, being quite honestly blown out of proportion. If they were taking it seriously the money for research and vaccines would be there. as is this year we are gonna be short of flu vaccine again... so if you are in a high risk group get it fast.

It will pop up everywhere at once due to air travel.

taht is why they are telling us six weeks to two months and I give it two weeks, due to air travel... but once they decide to clamp down... it just may.

Now here is a cheery thought... due to air travel the epidemic will be nationwide within two weeks, with multiple clusters of patient zeros... now isn't that cheery or what? (Of course this plays well with the WHO worst case sceanaro of one bllion dead)

Now the bird flu is a real threat, but it is, like everything else the bushes do, being quite honestly blown out of proportion. If they were taking it seriously the money for research and vaccines would be there.


I'm sure in the early part of the 20th century the military did work in tandem with health care workers in the face of a pandemic, but knowing what we know about Bush's reaction to 9/11 and Katrina, he will do nothing to prevent or alleviate suffering and death, rather he'll move in way after he can serve any useful purpose and use his own failures to consolidate power.

Read the MEHPA - Model Emergency Health Powers Act, which most governors gave the thumbs down to even in the hysteria following the anthrax attacks, but which was later incorporated into the Homeland Security legislation. There is no medical intervention or resources planned. Their plan is to enforce quarantine (in stadiums not homes) seize property, willfully destroy "contaminated" property, enforce untested vaccinations even on those whose immune deficiencies are a contraindication, and grant blanket immunity to himself and the mercenary groups he calls in against litigaion by those survivors who might want to sue becaues their families were killed and all of their possessions confiscated and destroyed, only to be doled out to his corporate cronies.

not the regular military... by the way