Posted on 01/30/2020 2:49:16 AM PST by Kaslin
I have always lived my life around a simple principle, “Don’t eat weird stuff.” And see? I was right. The Coronavirus ripping through the Wuhan region of Red China – and that has now spread here – may well have crossed over to our species because some people in China eat bats. Yeah, on purpose. How the hell did they ever get the idea that dining on Dracula birds was a good plan?
It doesn’t matter – what does is our response, and right now the Administration is behind the power curve. With attention fixed on the circle of self-abuse that is the impeachment, it’s difficult to get a grip on this extremely dangerous situation. But the White House must do so, and fast.
I am not qualified to talk in detail about the proper strategies and tactics of responding to the virus’s spread into our country – I did nuclear, chemical, and biological stuff in the Army, but this is outside my skill set. Luckily, we have scientists who know how. What I do know is a little bit about communicating and leading, and a lot about disaster response, including commanding in the midst of civil crises. And the Administration risks dropping the ball.
This could be Trump’s Katrina, as Hugh Hewitt, who was way ahead of everyone else in the media on this potential nightmare, has pointed out. Understand this, and you probably don’t know because our media is garbage and most media people know nothing, but the federal disaster response to Katrina was amazing. Huge numbers of personnel and vast quantities of supplies poured into the stricken area in an incredibly short time. The incompetence came from – shocker – the Democrat leadership locally, but the media hung it around George W. Bush’s gentlemanly neck. And because he was too gentlemanly to cry “Bull Schiff!,” most everyone thinks what was a logistical miracle was a clusterfark.
The media is aching, yearning, begging for the chance to do the same thing to Trump.
And the stage is being set to do that. China is going nuts. The numbers of cases coming into the U.S. are growing. People are confused. The stock market is pitching and heaving. And the impeachment circus is going to end with the Democrats’ humiliation soon, meaning suddenly the media will soon need a new shiny object to chase.
Coronavirus is that shiny object. The media will not be honest or accurate or fair. It will lie, cheat, and give voice to leftist leakers with agendas. That’s why Trump needs to go around the media, straight to us.
Trump needs to go on the air, to the American people, and lay out the situation. Then Team Trump needs to step up the game by arm-twisting the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) into talking to us, at length, in detail. Get those science nerds in their lab coats out there, in front of the camera, every day, bombarding us with info. Talk our ears off.
The current lack of information is an invitation for the void to be filled with nonsense and lies designed to undermine the presidency – sadly, the media cares nothing about the infection risk and everything about its weird obsession with undoing the 2016 election. There is already a plan – the CDC is on this – but that plan has not been communicated to the people. The people are worried – they’ll be very, very worried when the media pumps up the threat.
If the president assures the citizenry that he understands this is a priority and that he is vectoring in America’s best scientists to respond, that not only foils the cheesy partisan political attack that is coming. It helps the actual defeat of this potential epidemic. Instead of inspiring panic, the presentation of the Administration as having this crisis well in hand will serve to calm fears as well as tell people what to do.
Do you know what you should do? I’m not sure I do. And the information has been so sketchy that right now most of us don’t know the Coronavirus from the Dos Equis virus, the most interesting flu in the world.
Pummel the people with information. Make those eggheads do briefings every day. Get a soothing one who can communicate to be the face of the CDC. And Hugh Hewitt has another good point – no one is telling us how the disease got here, what flights, what airports. Get that out there. People want to know if a carrier was in their mall or school or whatever. And explain why the hell you can still gobble a bat, jump on a plane, and fly to America? Why haven’t we limited or banned flights? Are we screening passengers? How? We need to know.
Trust us with the information and we will trust the Administration.
This is not just a public health crisis – it’s a political fight too. Sorry, but that’s the truth, and Trump is under no obligation to allow himself to be lied about as W. was. Luckily, though, Trump is a master communicator – plus, he’ll fight back.
And stop eating bats, people.
The idiot author got one thing right: “ I am not qualified to talk...”
Turn it directly back -- on them.
Sorry, I should have read the whole article first. The author actually makes some good points about how the media will try to spin this against President Trump...
Except the GOP is open borders and pro mass LEGAL immigration too.
Could.
I think Schlicter is trying to be the center of attention here for some sort of journalistic jousting. All of his pleadings are without value added when compared to other sources.
For example, here’s this regarding the CDC response to date:
“Officials at the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned against nonessential travel to China, noting that there is “limited access to adequate medical care in affected areas.” The United States is expanding the screening of travelers arriving from Wuhan to 20 airports and other ports of entry, from five, federal officials said on Tuesday.”
The above is useful information whereas Schlicter’s contribution is devoid of news rather instead appears to be a rant of unfounded criticisms.
Schlicter also omits specific actions taken by the Administration such as dispatching a crack team of America’s best to China to assist. Nor does Schlicter mention the President’s statements and responses to the outbreak.
Do that and all the media will talk about is how Trump's last budget proposal cut CDC funding by 20%.
Schlicter is right.
Bring Out Your Dead
Post to me or FReep mail to be on/off the Bring Out Your Dead ping list.
The purpose of the “Bring Out Your Dead” ping list (formerly the “Ebola” ping list) is very early warning of emerging pandemics, as such it has a high false positive rate.
So far the false positive rate is 100%.
At some point we may well have a high mortality pandemic, and likely as not the “Bring Out Your Dead” threads will miss the beginning entirely.
*sigh* Such is life, and death...
If a quarantine saves just one child's life, it's worth it.
How?
British Airways has cancelled all flights to and from China.
Taiwan has put people coming back from China on House arrest; with ankle bracelets, and the threat of INVOLUNTARY quarantine if they leave home. And fined one guy coming back $10,000 for lying about his health.
IIRC, South Korea and Hong Kong closed off their borders to China.
Within China, every road to or from Wuhan is roadblocked; and the government has forbidden petrol stations from refueling cars registered in Wuhan (11 million people).
All (passenger) road and rail access to Beijing is stopped.
LAST WEEK, Beijing named 20 HOSPITALS not in Wuhan, but Beijing, to deal with coronavirus victims, even though only 10 people had been confirmed with the virus.
NOBODY else is playing around. Why is Trump listening to dingbat 0moeba appointees?
Probably because of the impeachment proceedings.
You’re fine. And your suspicions are backed by evidence.
There are patents involved in the Wuhan Coronavirus which point to development of a bioweapon. If you haven’t heard of this, you certainly won’t hear of it from the Democrat’s media nor does Schlicter appear desirous of doing a dig on this to bring something useful to readers.
No kidding.
Hong Kong has banned entry from China. Are they racist against Chinese? And we must do the same.
There are millions of Chinese who would fly here immediately...and too many have been exposed to this virus.
It’s not Trump’s Katrina but it is Xi Jinping’s Chernobyl.
If you don't like Colonel Schlichter's op-ed; this is what this is, then don't read it.
BTE do you even know what an op-ed is?
Did you read the OP? I thought not.
If you don’t follow him, how did you find your way here?
Was Katrina Bush’s fault?
Kurt’s point is that PDJT needs to get out in front of this. Kurt shone the light on the communication with the American people path.
PDJT needs to listen.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.