Subject: Bird Flu Distraction in the Making (I agree)

http://www.buzzflash.com/mailbag/05/10/mai05273.html

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Subject: Bird Flu Distraction in the Making

Do I smell the inception of a Huge GOVERNMENT DISTRACTION Scare Campaign? With the Repugs in spiraling descent we are now on the RED Level for Bird Flu. CNN just reported our government expects the possibility of hundreds of thousands of deaths in this country from A PANDEMIC of bird flu. This government doctor wished other countries were taking it more seriously. RED FLAG. The "Bird Flu" has never mutated from bird to human and most serious scientists don't believe that it likely will. All known cases of human bird flu have been from bird to human, removing the possibility of the Government's expectation for a Pandemic - come to think of it, didn't Bush mention bird flu in his lengthy Rose Garden speech earlier this morning.

Bush: Quarantines possible if bird flu breaks out (Associated Press/Houston Chronicle)

Bush proposes using military to quarantine areas where avian flu breaks out (AP/Canadian Press)

A BuzzFlash Reader



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the bushgang hasn't worried about our health any other time except the color coded alerts for "terror"; so now all this concern for the bird flu while indictiments are going down, rings phoney. all their talk is full of 'ifs'.

Hi, Agent Mike! :hi:

Both "enemies" come from outside our borders, are hard to spot and could cause all sorts of trauma for average citizens. It also would give him an opening to give more power to the Feds and military.

avian flu, it's in the context of martial law. They tried this in LA, but Blanco wouldn'y "sign zee papers". I just get the feeling that they are looking for a test case for US Military intervention in civilian affairs.

Call me paranoid, but I thought that was an odd statement.

While cynicism about the possible negative political uses of this is justified, it doesn't mean it can't be a real threat

press conference yesterday.

Bush hesitated for all other questions, even the most basic and all of a sudden, he was able to speak intelligently about avian flu, how they were prepared, the book he had read (!!!) and the name of the virus.

Come on, he was ready for the response and it is going to be his major question now each time people will question his readiness on national security: I am ready about avian flu.

and we'd all be making fun of him. It was weird the way he was ready to roll on flu.

the Veteran's Health Care magazine. It tells me there are ample supplies of vaccine for this year and will be available starting the middle of October.

Last year as you know the hyped vaccine shortage (I am not saying there was not a shortage) worked well to scare the poop out of many of us.

It worked so well then that we can expect it to be an annual tool to frighten us into 'Believing' as long as Bush is in power.

MHO.

180

not the avian flu.

A lot of people are discounting the warnings because this administration has cried 'wolf' so many times before, and I have no doubt * wants to use an outbreak to test martial law scenarios, but the fact is if the avian flu makes the jump to easy transmission between people it will be a pandemic, it will cost millions of lives, and it will be a total disaster.

We couldn't handle Katrina, we were terrorized by anthrax that killed just 6 people; what do you think will happen when 70,000,000 people (the 25% infection rate of the 1918 flu) come down with this flu in just the US alone? At 5% lethality (the 1918 rate) that would be three and a half million dead. We have reason to be scared, and even more reason considering who's in the white house to deal with it.

Yes. And the rest of your post is one I can certainly agree with.

I refuse to let these people frighten me.

My health is such that a 'good' cold will do me in.

It is the young people that I worry over.

180

The avian flu threat is very real. However, it is distant in both time and space at the moment and may not materialize as a world pandemic, partly because responsible people are responsibly alarmed. The flu vaccine being distributed this winter will not protect against avian flu.

The Republican administration's reaction however is also a threat. Even the brain dead core of Bush's base is not happy about the idea of troops acting as police.

Political opportunists like Rove will probably use the avian flu hub-bub and greater or lesser hysteria for political purposes, such as diverting public attention. That doesn't obviate the scientific and medical facts about the avian flu.