Posted on 07/03/2005 7:50:16 AM PDT by WJHII
Unleashing a Pandemic: U.S. Style
William John Hagan
Allow me pose a hypothetical scenario. Around 1958 a virulent strain of influenza kills 70,000 Americans. Let’s give it the name: “H2N2”. When the pandemic ended the United States Government stored samples for research purposes. Years pass and by 2005 no one in the population born after 1968 had immunity. If the public was exposed to H2N2 today, millions could potentially die due to population growth and the fact that in1958 people had some immunity toH2N2 stemming from the 1918 flu pandemic that killed 50 million people. Today’s flu vaccine does not protect against H2N2. Then add to our story an obscure organization called the American College of Pathologists (APC) whose work is conducted under the watchful eye of the government’s Center for Disease Control (CDC). In October 2004, the APC ships samples of the H2N2 virus to 5000 labs in 18 countries. One of those samples was sent by mail to Lebanon, a Middle Eastern nation dominated by political anarchy, terrorist organizations and occupied by Syria. The sample never reaches its intended destination, it gets lost in the mail. At this point, a virus which could be one of the most effective terrorist weapons in history is lost somewhere in a nation that is home to almost every major terrorist group in the Middle East. The virus is in play and anyone could end up with the prize.
Does this sound like an upcoming Tom Clancy novel? Frighteningly, this scenario isn’t a work of fiction but reality. Upon learning these facts, I was seriously concerned that the United States had lost a potential weapon of mass destruction in a nation that was occupied by Syria, a supporter of anti-American terrorism. I pictured the H2N2 virus being transported to Damascus where it could easily be turned over to Al-Qaeda. I was relieved to learn that the sample of H2N2 had been found at an airport. I took solace in the fact that a crack team of US intelligence operatives must have taken custody of the virus and returned it the United States for destruction. That peace of mind quickly eroded when I interviewed David Daigle at the Center for Disease Control. Even today, over a year later, the United States Government has little knowledge of the final resting place of the missing H2N2 and they have done almost nothing to confirm its actual destruction.
To my surprise Mr. Dingle informed me that, before I informed them, the CDC did not even know the H2N2 had been found at an airport. Furthermore, he stated that “the federal government did not directly destroy the remaining stocks of H2N2; rather institutions were sent notifications to destroy the strain.” So, we asked them nicely to destroy a virus which could be used as a weapon against millions worldwide? How, then, do we know that Syrian controlled Lebanon actually destroyed this potential weapon? According to Mr. Dingle, they “faxed verification”. Wait a minute. They sent us a FAX?
Despite the United States Government’s claim that all mistakenly shipped samples were destroyed, the realty is that we don’t really have any proof of what actually happened to the missing H2N2. The only evidence our government has of its destruction is a FAX. I contacted the Syrian embassy and asked if they possessed the H2N2 samples. Unsurprisingly, they have failed to respond.
The facts related to the shipment and loss of H2N2 in Lebanon demand a criminal investigation. Unfortunately, the bureaucrats in Washington seem more concerned with propaganda about national security then actually investigating a real-life violation by our own government.
CDC, Hummmm
This is OBVIOUSLY a file story which he uses when he has nothing to say or is simply unprepared for his morning story because....he was unprepared.
He probably has dozens of such useless "filler," "omg,- I-have-nothing-to-say" stories.
Examples:
* the hard lives of North Koreans
* the hard-luck stories of India
* monsoon disasters
* poverty in Africa
* Bangladesh floods
* Bangladesh ferry boat disasters
* hard lives of Arab or Muslim women
* AIDS/HIV woes of India, sub-Sahara Africa or China
* Europe bashing
* French bashing (though I do like those)
* German bashing
* EU bashing
They are AL-most as predictable as the liberal anti-America, anti-white, anti-European, anti-Christian, anti-military, anti-Bush/GOP, anti-male (of the previous), anti-God, pro-homosexual/bisexual/transgender/feminist/minority-adoring/racial, religious, ethnic-worshiping (of anything-but-the-former), secular, pro-athiest, pro-socialism, pro-communism, pro-Hollywood, pro-MSM filler-stories on the moveon.org type sites. I imagine those left-liberal sites have the same ole-same ole filler stories too.
This site is FULL of'em.
Yawn.
Time to take a break from the fr for a few hours. :o)
Why?
No I'm really lazy. I don't write advance articles. Iwish I could find the time. I intended to write about flu pandemics in general and then discovered these facts.
"This is a "chicken little" and the "sky is falling" story."
Good perspective.
I agree with you it's the SARS scare du jour. I refuse to live my life worrying about things that more likely-than-not are never going to happen.
Oh, I'm sorry to hear that you are lazy. Sloth IS one of the seven deadly sins. It's not, of course, if you don't believe in that stuff. Lol.
The "pandemic" IS old news, but, hey, for you it's fresh, new, shocking and relevant. "Unleash" is a TAD dramatic for such, er, old news. You aren't lazy when it comes to writing with panache.
The author did respond. For him, this is new, fresh, shocking and relevant.
He owns up to being lazy. He should read more hirtory. Lol. But then, shouldn't we all?
I know I should.
Have you seen the Movie 7. Great study in the seven deadly sins. I have most of them. Damn, I need some churching.
"Europe bashing
*French bashing (though I do like those)
German Bashing"
I actually like the French and I love Europe. I'm just not to found of their governments. Now the Germans, well I don't really like them much. Terrible Food.
I agree with you in that I like the French and I love Europe.
The French are fun to bash, though, they are so....snooty French. The Parisiens out-snoot the other French. It's fun to watch. They have FABULOUS food.
I jusr got back on a tour of Germany. I found them pathetically polite, not only to me, but to each other, amazingly honest, also very warm, extremely helpful and very friendly. No, I am neither a foxy young chick nor a wealthy tourist. I am a slightly overweight middle-aged woman wuth a modest credit card limit.
Their food isn't terrible, or you really went to bad restaurants. But, it certainly is uninspired. Even the English food isn't terrible anymore. I guess both countries have either gotten smart about their food or have hired Italian cooks.
Germany is, however, the dessert capital of the planet. Austria is only second because it's considerably smaller.
GeezLaweez, I outgrew my jeans within DAYS and I am NOT a big dessert eater. I was silly enough NOT to bring the jeans with the elastic waistband. Lol.
They say that if you strive for the seven virtues, that can counteract the seven deadly sins of greed, anger, pride, lust, envy, gluttony and sloth.
The seven virtues are
*Feed the hungry.
*Give drink to the thirsty.
*Clothe the naked.
*Give shelter to the homeless.
*Visit the sick.
*Visit the imprisoned.
*I can't remember the seventh.
Doing some of those would be "churching" enough, I think.
Of course, there's always the simple one; love God and love each other. Ow, it's those really "simple" ones that hard the hardest to do. I COULDN'T bring myself to love Hillary, Bill, John Effing, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Feinstein, Boxer, Maxine Waters, Charlie Rangles, Al Sharpton, Puff Danddy Daschel, Ted Hic! Kennedy, and so many, many more. Oh yeah and Michael Moore. God help me, I try but he is so....oh, never mind. LOL.
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