Free Republic

Americans lack confidence in the government’s ability to protect their personal safety and economic security, a sign that their widespread unease about the state of the nation extends far beyond politics, according to the latest Associated Press-GfK poll. […] The poll found that Democrats tend to express more faith in the government’s ability to protect them than do Republicans. Yet even among Democrats, just 27 percent are confident the government can keep them safe from terrorist attacks. Fewer than 1 in 5 say so on each of the other issues, including climate change. […] Urbanites tend to be more confident...

A travel ban to the countries facing an Ebola outbreak could paradoxically make the problem worse, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Tom Frieden said during a Saturday press conference.

A victory by Terri Lynn Land in Michigan’s Senate race in November is important to winning back Republican control of the chamber, former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney told supporters during a GOP rally Thursday in his native state. Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who lost the 2012 presidential race to Barack Obama, said it has been a tough time for the country since that election. “It’s time for him to apologize to America,” Romney said of Obama, speaking to several hundred GOP supporters. But, Romney said, “Help is on the way” in the person of Land, who “will make...

A patient who was evaluated for Ebola at Howard University Hospital in Washington, D.C., does not have the disease, according to the DC Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Patient had traveled to Nigeria recently. That person was admitted to the hospital in stable condition and was isolated. The hospital continues to treat the patient for other illnesses. In a White House briefing Friday, Sylvia Burwell, the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, said of the Howard case, "What you see are people taking precautions." There are no confirmed cases of Ebola...

A patient in Worcester, Massachusetts, with a history of travel in West Africa is being evaluated for a possible case of Ebola, health officials confirmed Saturday. In a statement, the University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center said that physicians believe it is not likely that the patient has Ebola. The hospital says it is working with the Centers for Disease Control and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health while the patient is examined....

IN THE MIDDLE of a disease outbreak, panic and fear can themselves be a destructive force. When the Ebola virus first broke out in West Africa, governments dropped the ball and were unable to contain the dread, leading people to take action — such as evading quarantine — that spread the infections. A core requirement of managing a crisis like this is that public health officials and political leaders maintain the public’s confidence. This premise applies just as well to the United States as it does to Africa, and in recent days, a significant misstep in Dallas has shaken that...

Pressure mounted Friday for a ban on travel from Ebola-stricken countries in West Africa — a step the White House and top health officials resist as counterproductive and an overreaction to the virus’ arrival in the U.S. The potential for the virus to spread farther, in Dallas and to other U.S. cities, has amplified calls for a ban. On Friday, a hospital in Washington put a Nigerian traveler in isolation with suspicion that he, too, is infected. Public health experts say more cases will inevitably crop up, and the White House deployed top administration officials to offer assurances to an...

U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) today wrote to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske to request additional information on the screening process for incoming passengers to the U.S. following this week’s first confirmed case of Ebola in Dallas: “Under current protocols, what specific events or indicators would justify an enhanced screening process by CBP? Is CBP currently considering additional plans to increase enhanced screenings of incoming passengers?,” wrote Sen. Cornyn. “I urge you to coordinate with the CDC to ensure that we are providing accurate, timely, and appropriate information to all passengers arriving into the United...

Delayed response and mis-steps may have given Ebola the chance to spread. Even a resident inside the apartment quarantined for potential Ebola contamination couldn't understand why she and her family were left to live for days with the Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan's contaminated belongings. "Only the towel is in the plastic bag, but the rest of his stuff stayed the same on the bed," said the woman in the apartment, who goes by the name Louise. "The bed sheets, everything is on the bed." A hazardous materials crew finally showed up Friday to bag up and sanitize the materials,...

The condition of the first Ebola case in the United States was downgraded to critical Saturday by Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas. The patient, Thomas Eric Duncan, had been listed in serious condition in recent days. He was diagnosed with the deadly virus Tuesday.

Our country must secure our borders The epidemic that has devastated Western Africa has now arrived in the United States. In recent weeks, several infected healthcare workers have been flown back to the United States for successful treatment. However, a greater threat looms from ordinary citizens knowingly or unknowingly bringing the disease to our country. This week it was uncovered that Thomas Duncan of Liberia flew to Dallas, Texas on United Airlines. He started his travels in Africa, stopped in Brussels, Belgium before arriving in the United States. While he did not show symptoms of the disease on the flight,...

Senior Administration Officials to Hold Briefing on the U.S. Government Response to the Ebola Pandemic

Obama keeps golfing through beheadings and continues to label acts of radical terrorism as workplace violence. How do you score with blood on your hands? Legal definition describes reckless endangerment as a crime, consisting of acts that create a substantial risk of serious physical injury to another person. The person who commits the act isn’t even required to intend the resulting or potential harm, but must have operated in a way that showed a disregard for the foreseeable consequences of the actions. Soldiers shall be fired and undocumented immigrants hired… In times when great efforts should be directed at strengthening...

A woman who has been confined to her Dallas apartment under armed guard after a man infected with Ebola stayed at her home said she never imagined this could happen to her so far from disease-ravaged West Africa. Louise Troh said Thursday that she is tired of being locked up and wants health authorities to decontaminate her home.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) praised the role Blinn College plays in educating Texans Thursday during a visit to the College’s W.J. “Bill” Rankin Agricultural Complex. “The faculty and leadership at Blinn College are doing remarkable work preparing students and encouraging them to pursue their four-year degrees,” Cornyn said. “I enjoyed my tour of the Rankin Ag Complex, where students are receiving a top-notch education in and beyond the classroom.” During his visit, Cornyn spoke to faculty and students about Blinn’s nationally-recognized Agricultural Sciences Program, which enrolls approximately 800 students – making it roughly four times the size of any other...

Sen. Ted Cruz is pressuring the government to clamp down on air travel from West Africa. Citing the Liberian patient being treated in Dallas for Ebola, Cruz, R-Texas, wrote the Federal Aviation Administration demanding assurance that the FAA is “doing everything within its authority to prevent the spread of this infectious disease.” Public health authorities have insisted that a travel ban is unnecessary and potentially counterproductive. CDC director Tom Frieden reiterated the point this afternoon. But he and others also concede that screening in Liberia and other nations where Ebola is raging cannot detect or deter every infected traveler —...

The health officials said 80 people may have come into contact with Duncan, NBC reported. Earlier, they had put the figure at up to 18, including five children. State officials delivered the order on Wednesday night to the family of the patient, who has been identified as Thomas Eric Duncan of Liberia. Family members must stay home until Oct. 19 and not have any visitors without approval, officials said. "We have tried and true protocols to protect the public and stop the spread of this disease," said Dr. David Lakey, Texas health commissioner. "This order gives us the ability to...

The first reported case of Ebola in the United States is spooking airline investors and raising the prospect that some frightened travelers might stay home despite repeated reassurances from public-health experts. Details of the man's 28-hour trip from western Africa emerged Wednesday. He flew on two airlines, took three flights, and had lengthy airport layovers before reaching Texas on Sept. 20. Still, federal officials say other passengers on the flights are at no risk of infection because the man had no symptoms at the time of his trip. Thomas Eric Duncan left Monrovia, Liberia, on Sept. 19 aboard a Brussels...

Talk radio host Laura Ingraham criticized President Obama for failing to take necessary action to prevent the Ebola virus from spreading to the US on Wednesday. "I believe our leaders’ first and foremost obligation is to protect the security of our country. Why does this seem so difficult for these people to do?" she wondered. She argued that not allowing flights from Sierra Leone and Liberia “seems fairly obvious,” given similar flight bans implemented in France and the UK, “especially when the President was assuring us that this could be contained and would not spread in the United States, one...

"Our source also revealed about five children resided in the home of the victim and suspected that Mr. Eric Thomas Duncan may have known that he was infected with the virus, but failed to disclose detail information to hospital staff."