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Ebola Kills One Person in America, Thune Goes Big Government

Last updated on 2014.10.19

Not quite 5,000 people have died in this year's Ebola outbreak. One of those deaths has taken place in the United States.

In response, Senator John Thune is advocating bigger government, specifically in the form of banning travel to the U.S. from Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea. Senator Thune says he would consider expanding those restrictions.

Ebola spreads only through direct contact with infected bodily fluids. In other words, to catch it on the bus or plane, an Ebola carrier would have to bleed, pee, or poop on your broken skin or mucous membranes.

An estimated 43,000 Americans have died of influenza and pneumonia this year. (The CDC will say that number is hard to pin down and probably less than that, but from 1976 to 2007, influenza killed between 3,000 and 49,000 Americans each year.) Influenza can spread through the air, via coughing, sneezing, or talking.

Guns have probably killed a good 9,000 Americans this year. Drunk driving has put another 27,000 Americans on a permanent travel ban. Yet Senator Thune is not advocating any big government solutions to those deaths.

Senator Thune has a very selective freak-out-o-meter, and an equally selective aversion to big government.

193 Comments

  1. mike from iowa 2014.10.20

    Thune is just exploiting a perceived Obama weakness for political gain in an election year. I doubt Thune rilly cares about Africans with ebola,but it gives him a chance to enhance his wingnut leadership capabilities if the Dems lose control of the Senate. Tell wingnuts there are no direct flights from there to here.

  2. jerry 2014.10.20

    The Thune Bird wants to scare the crap out of the old folks. Never mind that he could give a damn about telling people to get flu shots that we know kill thousand upon thousands of Americans each year, nope, he wants us to be afraid of one friggin death in a country of 300 million. One death in America and John Thune wets his pants, what a fool and a coward. By the way, Nigeria just declared itself Ebola free, so you can see, this is of little concern to us. Ban travel indeed, what nonsense.

  3. Mike B 2014.10.20

    Cory, this virus can spread far easier than you portray. All it takes is someone to sneeze in close proximity to you. Micro-droplets containing the virus can hang in the air and land on a surface and live for several hours.

    If there was nothing to worry about, health workers would not be dressed up in space suits when treating patients.

  4. larry kurtz 2014.10.20

    Three of my wives have been nurses: the current one is laughing over the Ebulla panic like earth haters wag at the anthropogenic climate disaster.

  5. JeniW 2014.10.20

    Mike, indeed the Ebola virus is something to be concerned about, but the point is why Thune is acting this way about the Ebola virus, but does not seem to express the same concern about people who will die as the result of the flu, murders where guns are used as a weapon, or injuries and deaths due to domestic violence?

  6. Steve Sibson 2014.10.20

    Cory, protecting the borders is within the scope of a Constitutionally limited government. You should stop with the propaganda as it lessens your credibility when covering truly big government programs like EB-5. But then there is an argument that the Constitution has been made negligible by those who control both parties.

  7. Nick Nemec 2014.10.20

    If Thune and the other ebola fraidy cats were really concerned about ebola spreading they would support US aid to the West African countries where the epidemic is centered. It's easier to stop the outbreak closer to the source than later in the course of the spread of the disease.

    But then that's science and we don't trust or believe in science.

  8. mike from iowa 2014.10.20

    Today's ebola is worse because god is pissed at 'murrica for electing a black guy twice. That is gospel according to whitey wingnut.

  9. Mike B 2014.10.20

    The flu does not have a 70-90% death rate.

    What good does a travel ban do when the borders are wide open and our citizens live in fear of not a virus on our southern border but of being shot by gangs.

  10. Steve Sibson 2014.10.20

    "they would support US aid to the West African countries'

    Nick, that is an example of the US Constitution becoming negligible. How much foreign aid ends up in Communist/Crony Capitalist hands?

  11. mike from iowa 2014.10.20

    If Obama asked whitey wingnut congress for the money and resources to control the borders,they'd accuse him of being a big gubmint spending liberal,deny him the resources and campaign against him for not sealing the borders.

  12. Roger Cornelius 2014.10.20

    We had this conversation a few years back when Reagan was president and his dismissal of a disease with a real threat, AIDS.
    The early reports on AIDS was that if you have sex you'll get AIDS, remember Ryan White living in a bubble?

  13. jerry 2014.10.20

    Mike B, the reason health workers are all suited up is that they handle the puke and poop of the patient. Projectile vomiting and the same on the other end, is what causes the concern as that is how it is spread. Next time someone coughs in your face, slap them like a pinata. I am about as worried of Ebola as I am about a cloudy day. Don't be afraid.

  14. jerry 2014.10.20

    Here is the real kicker http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ebola-virus-outbreak/texas-ebola-watch-ends-dozens-contacts-thomas-eric-duncan-n229491

    Thune bird and the rest of the crazies made the media think this was an actual story. One of these days, we are gonna have a real emergency and we are all gonna sigh and say "we don't get fooled again". Then we have a flu epidemic and its 1918 all over again. I like to hear Thune and the dust bunny, NOem bring that fear that they caused up though, because someone may actually call them on it and ask why they continually vote against that sort of funding that may help citizens.

  15. jerry 2014.10.20

    You have better odds of winning the lottery than of catching Ebola in the US. Be afwaid, be berry berry afwaid.

  16. Shad Olson 2014.10.20

    Cory, you're off on this one, but I suspect you know that. Fun as it might be to give Thune a black eye, Supra-governmental corporate interests are calling the shots on the Ebola crisis, trumping national sovereignty and safe citizenry. Bigger government is fully in charge of the non-response. Playing laissez faire with a disease with 70-90% lethality is profligate insanity. Halting flights from infected areas would clearly fulfill both the common defense and general welfare clauses of the Constitution. If 90% of marriages ended in violent death or if 90% of gun owners killed themselves or someone else with their own guns or if 90% of influenza patients died, the parallels between Ebola and other unrelated social and medical ills might be better made. Straw men. The 1918 Spanish influenza killed 20% of sufferers and rewrote the genealogy. Ebola kills four times as many by percentage and according to USAMRIID documentation, is much easier to spread than the CDC is currently proffering. Hence the spacesuits and infected nurses. As with every contagion, colder weather will extend the viral lifespan outside of host, extending viral viability and increasing risk of exposure. As militant environmentalists consistently advocate a 90% culling of the human species via airborne pathogenic doomsday, a la Dr. Eric Pianka at the University of Texas, and since human beings are part of the earthly biosphere, I wonder who might be more rightly termed, 'Earth haters.' Did mother Gaia make a mistake, or is it a mistake to entrust any kind of substantive public policy control to people who see human beings as a plague to be eradicated for fun and profit? I wonder.

  17. Mike B 2014.10.20

    I am not worried about catching the virus, but the virus has the potential of changing life as we know it by restricting travel and economic freedoms.

  18. mike from iowa 2014.10.20

    Put in perspective,how many South Dakotans have died this year alone from not receiving adequate healthcare?

  19. larry kurtz 2014.10.20

    Jesus F. Christ. Statehood for the tribes and Mexico.

  20. mike from iowa 2014.10.20

    Mike B-so did dumbass dubya's illegal,unjustified wars changed lives,restricted travel and economic freedoms.

  21. JeniW 2014.10.20

    Shad, should all flights to those countries also be banned?

    Every person going to those countries has the potential of bringing it back with them. That would include news reporters, mission workers, military personnel.

  22. Les 2014.10.20

    Chlorine is debatable on disinfecting Ebola. The pathogen can live several hours on door knob but several days at room temp with the virus in body fluids. There is about a 50% survival rate plus or minus a few hundred million. There is thought to be an airborne Ebola, a mutation of the primary happening in Africa. http://www.amazon.com/The-Hot-Zone-Terrifying-Origins/dp/0385479565
    .
    MADD is the only word to describe the absurd picture being painted on Ebola by the medical experts here.

  23. Bill Fleming 2014.10.20

    "Halting flights from infected areas would clearly fulfill both the common defense and general welfare clauses of the Constitution."

    Shad, Olson address these two points if you would please:

    1. The US is "an infected country." Are you saying we should halt all flights out of the US?

    2. There are no direct flights from any of the infected West African countries, into to the US. None. So which fights exactly do you propose we should halt?

  24. Thad Wasson 2014.10.20

    The Obama adminstration bans travel for exposed hospital workers that came in contact with Thomas Duncan but has no restrictions on travel to the U.S. from ebola ravaged African countries. What sense does that make?

  25. bearcreekbat 2014.10.20

    Great observation Bill - the USA is now an "infected country" so perhaps the rest of the world needs to ban all flights from the USA!

    I also am fascinated by the comments that no one can trust the medical "experts," so we apparently need to rely on the opinions of people who have no real factual basis for those opinions except fear.

  26. Owen reitzel 2014.10.20

    Should we close all of our borders or just the southern ones?

  27. Jana 2014.10.20

    With apologies to Jon Stewart, there seems to be a sanity resistant strain of fear that has gone airborne.

    Given the media hysteria around Ebola and the race to the bottom in making it a political issue, it's no wonder Jon Stewart is the best one to put it in perspective. Worth the watch.

    http://thedailyshow.cc.com/videos/kgr74h/au-bon-panic

  28. Jana 2014.10.20

    So while the right wing media and politicians are ratcheting up the heat on pandering to our fears, and trying to measure it with a rectal thermometer, they are ignoring other disease outbreaks that are actually killing children.

    What's crazy is that they are not just OK with that, they are actually trying to make it easier, based on the science of ideology, for those diseases to spread.

    http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/02/vaccine-exemptions-states-pertussis-map

    Say, isn't that South Dakota that wants to make childhood vaccinations easier to opt out of? Or should I say we are trying to make it easier for deadly diseases like whooping cough to spread.

    Following the right wing logic, it would be prudent to shut down South Dakota and allow no tourists in for fear that we could infect the country!

  29. mike from iowa 2014.10.20

    What does Mothers Against Drunk Drivers have to do with ebola? The NRA is holding up(figuratively) Obama's choice for Surgeon General because he is pro gun control.

  30. Les 2014.10.20

    Why is it, Jana, those with vaccinated children fear those who are not vaccinated?

  31. Steve Sibson 2014.10.20

    "Shad, Olson address these two points"

    Bill, Shad is not in charge of national security. Send you concerns to the Obama administration.

  32. Steve Sibson 2014.10.20

    "Following the right wing logic, it would be prudent to shut down South Dakota and allow no tourists in for fear that we could infect the country!"

    Following the left wing logic, remove all forms of sovereignty and create worldwide anarchy. If it feels good do it. If you don't own it, take it. I can do what I want.

  33. Roger Cornelius 2014.10.20

    Shad is fully capable of answering Bill's questions

  34. Roger Cornelius 2014.10.20

    Jana, au bon panic link is a must see. Comedy is often the best relief there is.

  35. Jana 2014.10.20

    Les, I will try and explain this with science to you. So you see if there is a Pisces that is in line with Virgo, then all bets are off...ewwps...sorry...that's astrology...you know, Republican science.

    Here, read this and get back to us.

    http://shotofprevention.com/2011/04/12/why-worry-about-the-unvaccinated/

    Now thin about how apoplectic the states would get if we imported non-vaccinated bison into our herd at Custer State Park.

  36. JeniW 2014.10.20

    Les, you know the answer to your question.

    A vaccine does not necessarily prevent the disease from happening, it reduces the risk of getting the disease vaccinated for, or reduce the severity of they symptoms.

    It is just like using seat belts when in a vehicle. Seat belts do not guarantee that the people using the seat belts will not be killed or injured. They reduce the risk of injuries or death.

    I had the influence vaccine, but that does not mean I want to be near someone who has the flu coughing/sneezing in my face.

  37. Bill Fleming 2014.10.20

    Roger, yes, he is. And so is Sibby. But they're not interested in answering those questions, they just want to spread confusion, fear, and paranoia.

  38. Lynn 2014.10.20

    Maybe the solution is just give these Ebola patients some medical pot since it comes from mother earth and it must be good and it should cure everything or at least that's what these kids say that are pushing for legalization.

  39. Bill Fleming 2014.10.20

    On the flip side, I'm glad the far-right is finally admitting that national health care is a matter of National Defense as noted in the Constitution, instead of being some kind of Socialist, Communist, neo-facist/marxist thing-a-ma-bob.

  40. Douglas Wiken 2014.10.20

    I find myself agreeing with much of what Shad wrote. I also agree with Cory's attack on Thune for his deceptive approach.

    Carter and Reagan administrations gave us the same kind of assurances we are getting from the Obama administration. Einstein wrote something like, "Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is insanity." The public statements and behavior of the federal government now seems to be engaging in insanity.

    We have big business expedience and self-interest and a weird kind of political correctness both threatening US legal residents for no good reason. It is possible to support quarantines and tighter borders without being anti-Black or anti-African. Blacks, whites, reds, browns, yellow are all threatened by Ebola or the failure to prevent its widespread dispersal in the US.

    It does not require mindless panic to be concerned about the devastating potential of Ebola and the failure to prevent it in the US. One or two victims in the US is one or two too many victims. There is no good excuse for innocent US citizens of any party or race getting Ebola here.

  41. Steve Sibson 2014.10.20

    "Shad is fully capable of answering Bill's questions"

    But Obama isn't.

  42. Les 2014.10.20

    I had the influence vaccine one time, JeniW. There were far too many angles of influence around for it to protect me. Not apples to apples with pertussis, polio or pneumonia for examples and darn sure not inline with the outcome of Ebola the subject of the thread some of you twist.
    .
    As I thin about the Elk, you're a little off base on that one to. If I remember right they brought in Elk from Wind Cave that were not vaccinated. They were most likely bled and checked for most likely Brucellosis. I didn't hear a conserv or a lib say a word on that one.
    .
    How about staying on topic with Ebola?
    .
    It is comforting to say the least there are so many voices here unafraid of Ebola. Even the disabled can hold a dying persons hand and we haven't banned the flights into Nigers.

  43. Roger Cornelius 2014.10.20

    The ebola fear mongering will cease when corporate lobbyist for the travel industry tell Republicans that their bottom line is being seriously impacted by travel bans.

  44. mike from iowa 2014.10.20

    What about ebola is there to fear? We are all going to die of something,someday. Fear and panic plays right into the hands of weasels who want to profit-monetarily,politically etc,from spreading panic and misinformation. How soon before fake cures show up on the internet?

  45. Bill Fleming 2014.10.20

    From talking to a few docs, I understand that Ebola is transmitted almost exactly the same way HIV is. And the chances of dying from if one becomes infected are approximately the same, although it takes longer. Further, there was a social stigma around AIDS which made people reluctant to report it since it was closely linked with homosexuality and drug use via hypodermic needle. And here's some info on the likelihood of Ebola being or becoming "airborne" for Les. Hint: Les, it isn't now, and will probably not ever be.
    http://www.vox.com/2014/9/19/6543157/ebola-is-unlikely-to-go-airborne

  46. Les 2014.10.20

    Our friend, Flem talked to a few docs and linked an article. What I spoke of came out of Regional and I give it the same cred I give Flems link. As I said, "there is thought to be an airborne". It was stated to me it is only thought to be in the epicenter of the outbreak. I specified thought and I take exception to the transmision almost exactly like aids, Flem. .
    .
    There has long been constitutional or legal ramifications for an aids infected person to knowingly put body fluids on another in any manner, Flem.

  47. Les 2014.10.20

    Good post, Wiken. Some are getting it.

  48. jerry 2014.10.20

    Thanks Blindman, some great times were had by me and my pals in the olden days. I had the great time of listening to and being a part of this bands concerts on a couple of occasions. Pete, Roger, John and Keith were at their peak when I saw them. Good smoke and great fun...Which reminds me, what is it that Shad is smoking? I wonder if it is medical? That would explain his paranoia. The man is following you Shad, it is okay, don't be a scardy cat..

  49. Bill Fleming 2014.10.20

    Les, before you type something, take a deep breath, think it through and make sure your idea is coherent, then try to write out clean and clear. Then read it over pretending you are someone else besides Les reading it. If it doesnt make sense in that context, don't post it until it does. I have absolutely no idea what the words strung together in your last post are trying to say. Do us all a favor and take another shot at it, following the process I just outlined. Thanks.

  50. Bill Fleming 2014.10.20

    p.s. Les, "Flem" doesn't work for me. Call me something else.

  51. larry kurtz 2014.10.20

    Wiken is as xenophobic as you are, Less.

  52. JeniW 2014.10.20

    Les, this was the question that you asked of Jana:

    "Why is it, Jana, those with vaccinated children fear those who are not vaccinated?"

    I answered your question. I was not comparing the flu to Ebola. I was addressing your question about vaccines.

    It seems to me that you are doing a bit of twisting.

  53. Bill Fleming 2014.10.20

    Les seems to have his boxers in a bunch lately. If he were standing beside me, I might get around behind him and pull them up over his head for him. LOL.
    http://www.piersbaker.co.uk/wedgie.html

  54. Roger Cornelius 2014.10.20

    Remember that Shad Olson is all tea baggy, need I say more?

  55. Steve Sibson 2014.10.20

    "I understand that Ebola is transmitted almost exactly the same way HIV is."

    So only gays and drug users are getting Ebola Bill? Not so. Stop with the propaganda.

  56. jana 2014.10.20

    Rabbit hole alert!!

  57. Bill Fleming 2014.10.20

    jana, can you spell h-o-m-o-p-h-o-b-e-s? LOL

  58. MOSES 2014.10.20

    Thune is a wing nut for the poster mcconnell,The only thing Thune does is look for a photoop this guy couldnt lead a terd down a toilet.

  59. Roger Cornelius 2014.10.20

    I thought Sibson was busy writing his own blog, still too lazy I guess.

  60. Roger Cornelius 2014.10.20

    Speaking of mass murders in this country, Mike Rounds has proudly accepted the NRA's endorsement. Gotta fight for them 2nd Amendments rights, you know.

  61. Rebecca Froehlich 2014.10.20

    Thune does acknowledge the common criticism at least (that a travel ban would affect aid and workers) and responds with this: "I believe there are other measures that can be taken to transport aid workers and supplies into affected countries." He isn't specific about what that would be. Even if you somehow make specific exceptions on the ban for aid workers, it doesn't change the structural problems that exist for getting aid into Africa. It's not really feasible to just do this Berlin-airlift style. These countries rely really heavily on commercial airlines. Getting in and out of the region is already difficult enough - even though Senegal did manage to stop the spread of the one case they had, for example, the team searching for others the infected patient had contacted were delayed because of the controls there. It could have ended much worse. African countries are the only ones with a travel ban so far except St. Lucia and Colombia. l don't think it's a stretch to say the US issuing a travel ban would probably inspire more non-African countries to do the same thing. There might be some people willing to throw money at the charter market (which is notoriously expensive to operate) here in the US but that doesn't guarantee there will be elsewhere. I am curious to know what these other measures Thune is proposing would be.

    Just on a side note, responding to Larry Kurtz - the question at the extemporaneous speaking finals at the Larry Schnoor Invitational this weekend was something like, "Considering Cuba's recent efforts for aiding the Ebola crisis, should the US consider improving its relationship with the nation?" All of the finalists said yes.

  62. Les 2014.10.20

    Women may outnumber men with aids if the trend continues in some areas. Children are still affected. It's not just gays and druggies though that can inspire great humor for some.
    .
    Comprehension can be an early warning sign of dementia as long as we are touching base on everything but Ebola.

  63. Les 2014.10.20

    On another post, Something Else commented on how conservatives are looking for a place to park a vote, Cory. John Thune is not in this Senate race and you have probably driven many of those votes back from center. Now Mike Rounds has saved Ellsworth and you're fighting JT. Ellsworth was the gift for taking out TD, hardly a another MR accomplishment.

  64. jerry 2014.10.20

    I think the real problem is education and in particular, geography. You have to know where Africa is for one thing. Then you must find Europe...Good, there it is. Now with your right hand and finger, find Brussels...Okay okay, you are lost now.. Okay then find Amsterdam, Berlin, Frankfurt, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Rome actually find most capital cities of Europe and you will then know that they are not so far from Africa. These airports fly folks to America every hour of every day, flight after flight. There are people fleeing Africa all the time looking for a better life up north in Europe. So if these African folks are making it to Europe, why not just stop flying airplanes and we can all take the train to anyplace but Texas? Lets not import anything either. If we can't make it here, it must not exist. Thune is an idiot without a doubt, but a useful one.

  65. jerry 2014.10.20

    Soon those little birds will be flying out of the Ellsworth Les, I hope they circle your compound just to keep you feeling all warm and fuzzy.

  66. mike from iowa 2014.10.20

    Les-a lack of comprehension might be an early sign of dementia. Or it could be a lack of education or wilfull ignorance.

  67. Roger Cornelius 2014.10.20

    mike from iowa, it is also knowing the difference between stupidity and ignorance.
    I've heard it said that when you're dead you don't know you're dead, the same applies to stupidity and ignorance.

  68. Les 2014.10.20

    You guys sure know how to win an election!

  69. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.10.20

    Larry, I'd love to see a longer treatment of the GOP's immediate response to the threat of Ebola and their decades-long resistance to acting on the threat of climate change. Got a post brewing on that topic?

  70. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.10.20

    Steve, oh dear friend Steve, the fact that a governmental function is Constitutional does not change the fact that expanding the parameters of that function expands government power and that you and Senator Thune should not like a more powerful government. There are also many actions the Obama Administration could take under the guise of "protecting the border" that would be unconstitutional, ineffective, motivated by politics rather than science, and/or not worth the fuss.

  71. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.10.20

    Nick's on the right track: we can seal the borders and walk around in rubber suits all we want, but the best defense is a good offense: pour on the resources necessary to treat the disease where it's happening. We're the United States of America: responding to disasters like this is what we do. It's what makes the world believe in us. Instead of slamming our doors, let's go solve the problem.

  72. jerry 2014.10.20

    I would like to ask John Thune and the rest of the bedwetters how this Ebola is any different than ISIS? They are both killers and Thune, the dust bunny and the rest of the cadre wants the government to engage ISIS, with boots on the ground, because of fear and all of that to keep them from our shores they say. But here we have this little issue of Ebola and they are scratching the blackboard and fainting.

  73. denature 2014.10.20

    Cory's original post is on point. Thune has a history of ignoring what the science actually says and this case is no different. International travel bans would have no impact on the spread of the disease.

    Travel bans had no effect on the transmission of HIV, bird flu, swine flu, or SARs. Studies of the impact of decreased travel post 9/11 showed little impact on the flu that year.
    http://www.vox.com/2014/10/18/6994413/research-travel-bans-ebola-virus-outbreak Also, the travel ban doesn't extend to all the people in airports who come in contact with the banned. If ebola is truly an infectious scourge, all these proxies still get into the U.S.

    If Thune desires a United States safer from disease he should put forth legislation to reverse the continued republican cuts to science funding that has occurred over recent decades. The head of the NIH thinks absent the cuts we would already have a viable ebola vaccine.

    The comments on this blog implying that ebola is airborne or is more important because of its deadliness are wrong. Rabies and botulism are endemic to the United States and are deadlier than ebola but don't lead to the panicked response ebola is inducing. That the virus can survive in aerosolized droplets does not mean it is spread by sneezing. It also has to be capable of reproducing and be common in respiratory tissue of the infected person and be able to transfer into the respiratory tissues of the uninfected person. These mechanisms do not exist in humans.

    You can see a comparison of the infectivity of some diseases here.
    http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/10/02/352983774/no-seriously-how-contagious-is-ebola

    There are currently numerous outbreaks of measles and whooping cough in the United States that are unprecedented in recent history and have been fueled by the antivaccine movement. What has Thune done to stem the tide of these deadly diseases?

    Shad Olsen's analysis is silly. Ebola kills 4 times as many as the Spanish flu? He really expects 2.7 million Americans to die? But Cory is off on this one?

    It would have been nice to have a Surgeon General to address these issues. Perhaps Thune can do something about that.

    Note: removed some supporting links to avoid spam filter.

  74. Deb Geelsdottir 2014.10.20

    Jana, the Daily Show video was excellent! Thanks for the link.

    Ebola fear mongering is just sickening. But it's good for ratings and Roger Ailes' minions are doing their depraved best.

    It's from such biased sources that stories like airborne Ebola stories sprout. As others have said, we can look to the history of AIDS and the current nonsense about the pseudoscience of vaccinations for clear examples of what can happen. That damn ballyhoo leads to suffering of innocent people. It's so frustrating.

  75. JeniW 2014.10.20

    So, is the real reason why a few of the participants in this topic are unhappy with us is because the thread is not complimentary of John Thune?

  76. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.10.21

    I'm a little alarmed at reports like Shad Olson's that include noisy clips from 1995's Outbreak in "news" coverage of Ebola: https://www.facebook.com/NewsCenter1/posts/10152827101718833

    Ebola does not cause violent death for 90% of those infected. Even Shad's own report says so.

    I agree that corporate interests can act against national security and public health. That's a very healthy, progressive recognition on Shad's part. That's why we need smart government and effective regulation. So why do conservatives like Senator Thune only scream for such government power and regulation on certain hot-button issues like Ebola, on the basis of bad science, while opposing much better researched and documented everyday threats?

  77. larry kurtz 2014.10.21

    Cory, you are so much better at that than i am: it's plenty far afield from my beat.

  78. Steve Sibson 2014.10.21

    "So why do conservatives like Senator Thune only scream for such government power and regulation on certain hot-button issues like Ebola, on the basis of bad science, while opposing much better researched and documented everyday threats?"

    Because conservatives follow the Constitution, not collectivist tyranny.

  79. Steve Sibson 2014.10.21

    "So, is the real reason why a few of the participants in this topic are unhappy with us is because the thread is not complimentary of John Thune?"

    No, he has also endorsed big government programs that foster crony capitalism and ignore the limits of the Constitution. But on this issue he has Constitutional support.

  80. Bill Fleming 2014.10.21

    Fortunately, the Sibbvirus is not contagious.

  81. Steve Sibson 2014.10.21

    But crony capitalism is extremely contagious. Both parties are doing it.

  82. larry kurtz 2014.10.21

    There are just two political parties, Steve?

  83. Bill Fleming 2014.10.21

    Sibbola Virus protocol:
    1. See Sibson post.
    2. Ignore.
    3. Repeat as necessary.

  84. JeniW 2014.10.21

    Steve S., it is okay that you do not like John Thune, I do not like him either for different reasons.

    We will agree that when he is up for re-election, neither of us will vote him.

  85. Steve Sibson 2014.10.21

    JeniW, we are not going to fix the crony capitalism via the election process with the current political system. Fleming is proof of that, and Cory is also proof as he ignores the Constitution while provoking hatred toward conservative who do defend the limited governmental principles of the Constitution.

  86. JeniW 2014.10.21

    Well, Steve, you have your reasons, I have mine.

    I disagree with your perspective when it comes to Bill and Cory.

    I think the term "limited government" has become like the terms "liberal," "conservative," "progressive," and many of the other terms used during political discussions, they are terms used by so many people in different ways that they have no real meaning. They are just buzzwords for the moment.

  87. Steve Sibson 2014.10.21

    "They are just buzzwords for the moment."

    You can add the word "Constitution" to your list of words that have lost their meaning due to the current political environment.

  88. JeniW 2014.10.21

    Absolutely Steve, including all those political terms that end with "ism."

  89. JeniW 2014.10.21

    I should have typed "absolutely Steve, including the "constitutional party," and all those terms that end with "ism", like the ones that you use."

  90. Steve Sibson 2014.10.21

    JeniW, so you agree that the Constitution no longer matters?

  91. JeniW 2014.10.21

    No, I strongly disagree with you that the Constitution does not mean anything. Maybe to you it does not mean anything, but just because you might think that it does not mean that everyone else agrees with you.

    I disagree with how YOU use the terms that you use because your definition of terms id different from how others use the terms. With so many people have different definitions, including your having different definitions, all the political buzzwords, that others and you use, are to me meaningless.

    Buzzwords tend to be use as weapons against those disagreed with, like you often do. When used as weapons, the buzzwords become even more meaningless.

    I mis-typed my response to your question about the Constitution, then followed up in an attempt to correct my meaning. Hopefully, now I have cleared that up.

  92. Steve Sibson 2014.10.21

    "I strongly disagree with you that the Constitution does not mean anything."

    You are missing my point. The Constitution means a lot to me and fellow conservatives. It does not to those who are calling John Thune a promoter of big government for saying our borders need to be protected. It is big government liberals (including crony capitalists) who make the Constitution meaningless.

  93. Bill Fleming 2014.10.21

    Steve, please point out for us the passage in the Constitution where says that our borders need to be protected from people who may or may not be infected by a disease, and how it that squares with the 4th Amendment. Thanks.

  94. Douglas Wiken 2014.10.21

    Bill, can you show Sibby and the rest of us where the Constitution says it should apply to non-residents not in the US or in transit?

  95. Steve Sibson 2014.10.21

    Section 4, Article 4 of the U.S. Constitution, which states:

    The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion;

  96. larry kurtz 2014.10.21

    President Jefferson believed a standing army would go looking for wars to fight and would ultimately turn on its own citizens.

  97. Bill Fleming 2014.10.21

    So you guys consider foreign tourism and business travel an "invasion"?Interesting.

    Doug, the Bill of Rights, especially the first 10 Amendments are intended to explicitly secure the "inalienable rights" with which "all men" are endowed. For our Government to deny them to anyone, regardless of citizenship would require specific legislation or high court ruling. We can't just arbitrarily deny people their natural rights with impunity. If you don't believe me, try doing a pat-down search on some Japanese visitors at Mt. Rushmore sometime.

  98. JeniW 2014.10.21

    'Section 4.

    The United States shall guarantee to every state in this union a republican form of government, and shall protect each of them against invasion; and on application of the legislature, or of the executive (when the legislature cannot be convened) against domestic violence."

    There is nothing that I see that defines "invasion" to include diseases.

    Is there really the belief that the authors of this section had any diseases in mind when they reached an agreement on this? If there is that belief, is there any proof to support that concept?

    Really, when quoting a from a text, it is wise the quote the whole thing, not just a part of it.

  99. jerry 2014.10.21

    I think we should quell the invasion of people and goods coming in from our northern borders. Some of the people should be admitted after careful screening (Harper, your out) but all goods should be stopped at the border because of contamination and the real threat all of that holds.

  100. Roger Cornelius 2014.10.21

    Geez, you'd think Sibson would be busy writing his own blog on such an important topic as ebola. Oh well.

  101. Steve Sibson 2014.10.21

    "There is nothing that I see that defines "invasion" to include diseases."

    It applies to all invasions for all reasons. Invasions are invasions. Including those kids from Central America, and the druggies from Mexico.

  102. Steve Sibson 2014.10.21

    Larry, did those Anglo-Saxons carrying Small Pox invade your ancestors?

  103. Steve Sibson 2014.10.21

    At the time of the Pontiac rebellion in 1763, Sir Jeffrey Amherst, the Commander-in-Chief of the British forces in North America, wrote to Colonel Henry Bouquet: 'Could it not be contrived to send smallpox among these disaffected tribes of Indians? We must use every stratagem in our power to reduce them.' The colonel replied: 'I will try to inoculate the [Native American tribe] with some blankets that may fall in their hands, and take care not to get the disease myself.' Smallpox decimated the Native Americans, who had never been exposed to the disease before and had no immunity.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/coldwar/pox_weapon_01.shtml

  104. Shad Olson 2014.10.21

    denature--v., def: "To remove the vital essence or active properties of an extant substance, rendering it inert." I'm defining from memory, but I think that's close. How fittingly impotent. Given that the CDC has now revised Ebola guidelines that they've ignored and deviated from during the entirety of this current response, let's save the ad hominem for talking robots like Tom Frieden, et. al., shan't we? Historically, the lethality for Ebola is close to 90%, including the current outbreak. The only thing silly to be seen is a Fed response which advocates allowing this disease an expanding mutational vector population in which to incubate, increasing the potential for fully airborne mutation that will transcend the present risk of hemorrhagic micro-droplets present in cough and respiration at later stages of the disease. Via the CDC, direct contact is three feet. No touchy, no feely, required. Look it up. Ebola Reston was airborne. Ebola Zaire and Marburg have both shown isolated tendencies toward airborne transmission in laboratory and non-lab settings that doctors weren't able to conclusively quantify. The manual is still being written on this bug, as evidenced by the CDC's own policy reversals this week. If GW were heading a similarly incompetent display of medical nincompoopery in precisely the same circumstances, y'all would be heaving cuckoo calls with every ounce of lung pressure you could muster and so would I, micro-droplets be damned. If there are errors to be made on a matter of epidemic, pandemic or outbreak proportion, they should be made on the side of caution, not leniency. At Ellis Island, this was common sense quarantined. In the age of smart phones and stupid people, not so much. But by all means, defend your bureaucracy and your newly appointed Ebola Czar, what with his ponderous track record of incompetence even as a lawyer, much less as a now-apprentice epidemiologist/savior. We wouldn't want a competent appointments this late in the game to spoil seven years of contrarian precedent, would we? Heaven forbid.

  105. JeniW 2014.10.21

    Is there any proof that the authors of the article meant to include diseases as a form of "domestic violence?"

    If there is no proof of that diseases were in mind when the article was written, then it is not true.

    It is sort of like cherry picking passages the Bible to support what we want to believe.

  106. Bill Fleming 2014.10.21

    Someone needs to show Shad Olson where the "return" key on his keyboard lives. A paragraph here and there would really help.

    One would think that —for as stylistically ostentatious a manner as he crafts his prose — he would at least divide into at least marginally digestible chunks.
    That way someone perhaps at least marginally interested in reading it can find a way in to do so.

    Odd that a professional communicator would actually work so hard to avoid communicating.

  107. Shad Olson 2014.10.21

    Bill Fleming--you're right about the paragraphs. (return)

    Some sites collapse stylistics regardless of carriage returns, so I often forego the effort. My apologies. I could use smaller words and larger type, too, if that would help you respond to arguments rather than formatting and frottage. (return)

    Maybe crayons?

  108. Steve Sibson 2014.10.21

    "If there is no proof of that diseases were in mind when the article was written, then it is not true."

    JeniW, if you don't understand biological warfare, then I can't help you with your closed mind.

  109. Bill Fleming 2014.10.21

    Shad, if you know how to write the code for these boxes, go for it baby. Crayons? All the better.

    Meanwhile simple white space between grafs will likely suffice, and we shall all gratefully appreciate it, shan't we Madvillians?

    Enough for now... back to my nincompoopery.

  110. jerry 2014.10.21

    Seriously Shad, are you the voice of the tea party? If so, here is a flash for you. This is not 1420 it is actually 2014, your dyslexia is getting to you or something you are imbibing in does not agree with you. The Ebola thingy, like you, are past their shelf life. Time for you to go read some prompters.

  111. Roger Cornelius 2014.10.21

    Bill,
    While in college my roommate usually wrote like Shad Olson, but of course he was usually stoned out of his head.

  112. Shad Olson 2014.10.21

    "Jerry"....your hatred betrays you in ways unflattering to personal appeal. Voice of the Tea Party? For the sake of mankind, I pray that you are more correct on your Ebola prognostications than on the other misguided assertions. Funny that any of your ilk would loft teleprompter insults at anyone given the predilections of your frequently communicatively-challenged, stumble-bumble POTUS. "Umm, uhh, umm, uhh." Glass house, meet stone. Elocution Czar, needed.

  113. JeniW 2014.10.21

    Steve, I suspect your quote because you did not include the whole quote, just a part of it. Finding the whole quote was not difficult.

    I understand biological warfare, but did the authors of Section 4 have biological warfare in mind when they agreed upon the wording, or were they referring to weapons such as rifles, canons, and arrows, and other such items? Can you prove that they had biological warfare in mind, if you can, I would appreciate your sources.

    If over the years the "domestic violence," when was that included and by whom?

    Oh, and I can just as easily type that you have a "closed mind."

  114. Bill Fleming 2014.10.21

    Jerry, don't you just love it when Shad goes all postal and sets his hair on fire?

  115. jerry 2014.10.21

    Shad is funny and amuses me very much with his rants about windmills. I was serious when I said he and his irk think like it is 1420. He would have done well in the Inquisition, looking good in that coned hat with his hair on fire.

  116. lesliengland 2014.10.21

    shad olson-communicatively challenged president. yeah, that's a good one.

  117. jerry 2014.10.21

    Shad, at least President Obama has something to say and reads it to be precise. You, on the other hand read yours like it really is, a lesson in life. Sometimes life is funny man when it makes you read words from the person you despise. Clear your throat now and run along to do your chores while hoping you do not have to read anything that POTUS has said today.

  118. Steve Sibson 2014.10.21

    'Oh, and I can just as easily type that you have a "closed mind."'

    But you have no foundation to base that on. Not understanding that biological warfare was used on the Indians before the Constitution was written is closed minded. If protecting the borders means we have to let those in who have infectious disease, then you better provide the Constitutional principle that supports that point.

    But no, you, and the rest of the Democrats, can't get over your hatred for John Thune. No wonder we can't have constructive conversations on the issues.

  119. Roger Cornelius 2014.10.21

    Expect Shad Olson to start reciting his resume at anytime, such is his pattern when the absurdities start following out his tea baggy mouth.

  120. lesliengland 2014.10.21

    Jeni W-there might be a definition of invasion in U.S.C.A., an annotated version of our nation's stautes at the library. Thousands of case precedents cover many many areas of the law that were vague, in case you may not know. you won't enjoy looking :)

  121. Roger Cornelius 2014.10.21

    Larry,
    The "concern trolls" definitely applies to Shad Olson and Steve Sibson who is probably pretty busy writing his own blog by now.

  122. larry kurtz 2014.10.21

    Roger: they're both short guys, too.

  123. larry kurtz 2014.10.21

    Sibby's about five six and Shad five five or so.

  124. Shad Olson 2014.10.21

    Why is it that when I read certain postings here, I involuntarily picture the traveling Goblin-horde, chanting and supping around the campfire in Tolkien's writings? Some of your subject-predicate disagreements are egregious enough to require conjugated visits. Funny that people quibble about paragraphs, while scattering malaprops like Monsanto seed corn and ignoring intelligible sentence structure. I can't tell whether Dick and Jane are weeping, laughing, or both. Me go now.

  125. Bill Fleming 2014.10.21

    Shad, lets be clear then.

    We're laughing so hard we're crying.

    Especially when you picture things involuntarily.

    I'm guessing that's fairly common with you, huh?

    But never mind, thanks for the visit.

    Oh, and next time, bring jana a sandwich.

  126. Shad Olson 2014.10.21

    Larry, if I'm 5'5", I understand your misunderstanding of the national debt.

  127. Shad Olson 2014.10.21

    As usual, Bill....every reference escaped your brainpan. Pitiable, but not surprising.

  128. Roger Cornelius 2014.10.21

    Besides writing one long paragraph like my high college roommate, Shad is now having visions.

  129. Roger Cornelius 2014.10.21

    Larry,
    Shad and Sibson's height will get grudz's dander up.

  130. mike from iowa 2014.10.21

    Death has a historic lethality rate of near 100%,but......

  131. Bill Fleming 2014.10.21

    Oh I got 'em. You were hallucinating Orcs.

    Hilarious.

    You think you're in Mordor and we're all sitting back here in the Shire,
    smoking long white clay pipes with Gandalf and laughing our merry,
    hairy tootsies off.

  132. lesliengland 2014.10.21

    chad, please stay. this may get very humorous. about as funny as your party commandeering NPR/SDPR to opportunistically declare a fund raising week during this very important news cycle. wonder who that would help, rounds? Daugaard? Gandolf?

  133. JeniW 2014.10.21

    Steve, we will just have to agree not to agree. I will end my discussion about this because our conversation to each of us has become meaningless and unproductive.

    I do dislike John Thune, and rightfully so, because of his attitude about people who have disabilities, but that is a completely different topic and not appropriate for here.

    I have the right to dislike Thune, just has you have the right to dislike any other elected officials.

  134. larry kurtz 2014.10.21

    My guess is Shad and Jammer hook up regularly.

  135. Jana 2014.10.21

    Go easy on the mayo Shad.

  136. Roger Cornelius 2014.10.21

    Larry,
    Speaking over jammer, I think I've been blocked from the Dump Site. All my comments say, "you're comment is awaiting moderation". Am I so blessed?

  137. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.10.21

    Hey, what's with the personal attacks on Shad? I actually enjoy his high-vocab response. We need more folks like Shad and Troy to drop by and sternly disagree with us. And we can prove Shad without questioning his eating habits...

    ...which reminds me: 1 in 6 Americans gets food poisoning each year. Food poisoning puts 128,000 Americans in the hospital and kills 3,000 Americans each year. Is mayo more likely to kill us than Ebola?

  138. Roger Cornelius 2014.10.21

    Nina Pham, the nurse stricken with ebola, has just had her condition up graded to "good".
    It is probably news Republican don't want to hear, but it is good news for everybody.

  139. Roger Cornelius 2014.10.21

    Also in late breaking news, the cameraman that was being treated for ebola in Nebraska, has been declared ebola free and has now left the hospital.

  140. Bill Fleming 2014.10.21

    Driving home from work is more likely to kill us than ebola.

    p.s. the mayo reference was jana telling Shad how she liked her sandwiches.
    Goofy, I know, but sometimes that's how we roll, Cory.

    I too enjoy reading Mr. Olson's sesquipedalian musings. Reminds me of my dear old Art History Prof (rest his soul). I hope he (Shad) comes back, his rants are fun to watch.

  141. mike from iowa 2014.10.21

    Zaire Ebola fatality rate is close to 90%,rabies-left untreated-is 100% fatal. Officials say now the death rate is 70%. Who knows. Fatality rates are bound to be higher in poorer countries where medicine isn't readily available.

  142. Shad Olson 2014.10.21

    Cory, I believe the mayo comment referenced someone's suggestion that I make a 'sammich' for someone named Jana.

    As with the erroneous references to my physical stature and other's clear confusion between Goblins and Orcs, ("Down, down to Goblin Town,") I didn't quite mustard enough concern to respond to the dressing down.

    You are undoubtedly right about salmonella. It's deadly and unpleasant, with a long and proven track record of killing people who frequent church picnics. Kind of like socialist democide. 260-million and counting in the 20th century alone. Pass the chicken salad.

    I hope Ebola never rivals it. People with pertinent degrees have suggested it might. Deduct from my height as you must, but given the choice, I'd still rather eat potato salad on a hot summer day than board a cruise liner to the Liberian coast. Better the devilish eggs that you know than the deadly bug that few do.

    I wish we could discuss things like that without some devolving the discourse into measuring contests and pose downs. It's almost as irksome as having some believe me unfairly to be a GOP sycophant.

    Blech.

  143. Douglas Wiken 2014.10.21

    We might want to rank hazards, but I don't see that is useful in the discussion of Ebola. We may have only 5 people infected or previously infected in the US, but at some point only 5 people in the US had HIV-AIDS. I think it is responsible to be concerned that this government does not make the same mistakes that the Reagan Administration did. It is hypocrisy for Thune and others who oppose inoculations for mumps, whooping cough, pneumonia, lockjaw, etc on the basis of specious objections and flawed data to now be concerned about Ebola. Even so, I do not think it is wise to disregard their information automatically even if the associated partisan attacks involved are mostly horse crap. We need to be checking information from ALL sources and trying to verify the information.

    There is no good reason for another single American citizen to be infected with Ebola.

    Bill, a Japanese at Mt. Rushmore is not the same as somebody not already in the US. It is a US Constitution and not a world constitution. Perhaps treaties with the UN override all this however since treaties are superior to law.

  144. bearcreekbat 2014.10.21

    Doug, just a quick reality check. When you say "It is a US Constitution and not a world constitution," you seem to overlook what the Constitution does. As I understand it, it imposes limitations and restrictions on the actions of those people we elect to run our federal government. I couldn't find any provision that says these limitations on the behavior of our leaders a waived or do not apply when they act on foreign matters. Maybe you can help me out?

  145. Les 2014.10.21

    A quick reality check BCB. I think we can all agree MMR needs attention and that by dividing us on these side shows you start dividing the vote you crucially need to possibly put a Dem in business. Not so smart and a good reason for me to fire up with Pressler.

  146. mike from iowa 2014.10.21

    There isn't a good reason for another gun death in this country,but sure as shooting(pun intended) there will be more and more and more.

  147. bearcreekbat 2014.10.21

    Les, I am not sure I understand what you are getting at, but from the comments I have read that you have posted, I suspect you are trolling. I made no arguments about who anyone should vote for, my comment described what the US Constitution limits, and I found no provision that authorizes any US Official to do things the Constitution prohibits merely because another country or a person from another country is involved.

  148. Les 2014.10.21

    The continued fostering of division by this group will win no favor from conservatives looking for a place to park a vote away from Rounds. There is opportunity for repairs to our broken system. The actions at Madville show a force more willing to to lose opporrunity

  149. Les 2014.10.21

    With five cookies in hand in the jar than to take one or two and actually make a difference.

  150. Roger Cornelius 2014.10.21

    Les,
    Can you apply your same standards to those that comment on DWC?
    From what I have been seeing and hearing on any Rounds defections they are not looking seriously looking at Rick, they are looking at Pressler. Pressler's recent rise in the polls reflect that kind of support from Republicans like John Tristan.

  151. larry kurtz 2014.10.21

    Rapid City has killed more people in the US than ebola has: it's just that simple.

  152. Les 2014.10.21

    The posting at dwc is nothing more than paid ops for the most part which I don't tolerate or participate at all. That there are no or few if any paid ops here, and that Cory works his butt off to bring government back to the people makes up for many of the personal attacks found here. This post should be attacking Rounds and bringing attention to the lies and deceit with his latest ad, yet 175 contributions have done nothing to Rounds and even less to JT who is not up for election. I choose not to personally attack here, I would hate to wake, find your obit and wonder if I caused it, Roger.
    .
    Are you saying only one of the three is better than a Rounds win, Roger?

  153. Les 2014.10.21

    I will tell you this, Roger. I'm hearing many comments from friends and family as RW ads play and I'm not betting on R's only voting R. I myself feel a Pressler will immediately give us a more powerful Senator with both parties catering to him.

  154. Roger Cornelius 2014.10.21

    Thanks for your openness Les, and yes I am saying that Rick winning the senate seat is the only option for South Dakota. I have stated repeatedly that no matter how you slice it, Rick Weiland is running against three Republicans.

    Cory has outpaced every blog in the state on his coverage of the Mike Rounds EB-5 Scandal, if it weren't for his investigative nose we probably never would of have heard of what the Republicans have been up to. Even with the most recent revelations about the scandal most of the main media is shying away from this story and we have had to rely on Cory and other blogs to tell us the story.

    Personal attacks are generally made out of frustration, the 175 post on this thread have been for the most informative, something you'll never find on DWC. We have not given up on attacking Rounds, this thread just happens to be on a different subject, that's all.
    The attacks on John Thune are justified, he represents not only the Republican Party in this state, but their thinking. We know he isn't running for office this year, but he is still an elected official that is behaving badly.

  155. Roger Cornelius 2014.10.21

    Also Les, it may please you to know that Powers over on the Dump Site has blocked me for telling some EB-5 truths.

  156. Les 2014.10.21

    There are many truths that have been hidden by the GOP in Pierre over the last 20+- years that I am ashamed of my party for, Roger. I seek balance at a local and national level. Understand, what happens over at the War College, no longer sways me either direction because I can't know what I know and go there without extreme frustration, so I don't go there.

  157. Deb Geelsdottir 2014.10.22

    If it evolves that near contact can spread Ebola, I'll be glad to accept that information - from the CDC.

    In the meantime, this Ebola panic is waaaay overblown. Yes, it is a dangerous disease. Apparently the mortality rate in the USA is perhaps 25%, probably less. We have much more serious causes of death, with much greater total fatalities, than Ebola. That fact marks this current fuss, and it's electoral timing, as suspiciously political, not public health focused.

    Therefore, it's very hard to take this seriously, or trust the motives of those clanging the bell of panic.

  158. Deb Geelsdottir 2014.10.22

    Mr. Olson, I have no idea what your height is, nor do I have any interest in that. You do have a reputation as a tea bagger. In my book, that makes your political comments suspect.

    I'm very liberal, and happily so. If you feel that taints my comments, well, who cares.

    We should be clear now, and personal attacks free.

  159. Roger Cornelius 2014.10.22

    Les, I think most sane and rational seek political balance, the problem that exist with the SDGOP right now is that they are not willing to accept the imbalance the Rounds has put them in.
    As each day brings us closer to election the issues become less relevant, the SDGOP refuses to acknowledge that their boy Mike has brought shame on the party and if elected will bring national attention to his scandal, are Republicans prepared for that.
    The service that Cory has provided with this blog does not allow Mike Rounds to escape this scandal, we will make sure it follows him into the senate chamber.
    As Kate Zerr's editorial said, put party aside for a moment and look at Rick's character, he has so much to offer Democrats and Republicans alike..
    You may even find that his populism is really quite attractive.

  160. denature 2014.10.22

    Shad Olson:

    You are not using the term ad hominem correctly.

    In my post, I provided 5 empirical examples of why travel bans fail plus additional analysis. You provided no reasoning why these are false or don’t apply to the situation at hand.

    I am happily surprised that you accept that evolution is a real thing. In my post I showed why Ebola is not airborne. It is possible it could evolve to be airborne but that is very unlikely. Here are two links I deleted in the original post.
    http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2014/09/30/ebola-will-not-become-airborne-and-here-is-why/
    http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fact-or-fiction-the-ebola-virus-will-go-airborne/

    Ebola reston was definitively not transmissible to humans via airborne transmission. There is also considerable doubt that there was airborne transmission to animals. The study could not distinguish between aerosol transmission and transmission via fomite caused by cleaning cages. Ebola in pigs also acts significantly different than it does in humans. Seriously, the danger with Ebola is getting fluids from people that show clear signs of the disease on exposed cuts or mucous membranes of the nose or mouth. It attacks blood vessels not the respiratory system.

    Putting forth that our national policy is to let Ebola expand in the United States is a proposition that can’t be taken seriously. Bush appointed a bird flu czar with no medical experience. No outrage from the right on that one. No compelling case has been made that one less death from Ebola would have occurred under a different Administration.

  161. denature 2014.10.22

    By the way, most new flu strains these days come via Southeast Asia. No travel bans. More deaths than Ebola in the U.S. In 2003 there were over 8000 cases of SARS. No travel ban from China.

  162. lesliengland 2014.10.22

    shad: please reconcile-
    1. "given the predilections of your frequently communicatively-challenged, stumble-bumble POTUS. 'Umm, uhh, umm, uhh.'"

    2. "It's almost as irksome as having some believe me unfairly to be a GOP sycophant. Blech."

    I will ask for an autograph if we ever meet and I know what you look like.

  163. lesliengland 2014.10.22

    comma after "autograph" :)

  164. Deb Geelsdottir 2014.10.22

    Larry, all I can say is . . . . . . .
    Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!

Comments are closed.