And, So, Another World Crisis Passes

I find it interesting that, once again, we have another world crisis that has completely fallen on its face with "Chicken Little" accuracy.

That crisis? H1N1 -- aka the swine flu.

Like a Nuclear World War, the Destruction of the Ozone Layer, Y2k, the Avian Virus, and so many other impending disasters, we wind up finding out that H1N1 is another non starter of a catastrophe. In fact, H1N1 is about 8 times less likely to spread than the normal flu and is 9 times less likely to kill; although children were 20 times more likely to die from this strain than the normal seasonal flu.

Certainly, the world's leadership is caught between "crying wolf", having nothing happen, and having people get complacent about any future grim predictions; or, saying nothing and winding up with a massive and horrific disaster on their hands. That's a big problem. The worst thing that can happen is to have people ignore warnings because they have been conditioned by so many false alarms in the past.

I really think that it is important for the same world leadership that declared H1N1 a pandemic and potential disaster, to get out the word that they had to take a "better safe than sorry" posture to make sure that the worst possible outcome could be avoided. They need to make everyone aware that they were unsure of what H1N1 could morph into. To simply let this non-disaster pass and, then, say nothing will only coarsen peoples attitudes towards ignoring future warnings.

Massachusetts: Jackbooting the Swine Flu!

Get the swine flu and you just might be dragged out of your home, in the dead of night, by the police or the National Guard.

In the case of any pandemic emergency, people could be arrested and be forced to take unwanted vaccinations. If sick, they will have to accept voluntary isolation or be physically forced to do so by fines or by strong-arm techniques. In fact, a dying child could be literally taken away from his or her parents and allowed to die without them ever being by their side.

While you might be saying or thinking "Not In America!" -- think twice. There is a Massachusetts law that is very close to being passed that could give the Governor the ability to do jthat. It is working its way through the legislature and it could very quickly be the law (Click to See Full Story: "Mass. Health Bill Would Allow Warrantless Arrests, Quarantines").

While I realize that desperate times need drastic measures, I find it outrageous that the left-wing news media isn't completely outraged by the particulars of this law. I will venture to bet that every single Democrat in the Massachusetts State House is absolutely livid over the waterboarding of less than 4 terrorists by our CIA and the Bush Administration. Yet, I'll bet that not one of them sees anything wrong with this jackboot handling of any major medical emergency.

A long, long time ago, I learned to bite my tongue before I ever said "Now I've seen everything!" I guess losing your rights is only losing your rights when it is Republicans doing the taking.

Image by designwallah's photostream on Flickr with Creative Commons Licensing. Some rights retained. (Click to View Other Works).