kirktastic

If I had the knowhow I’d make a plugin for browsers that would block comments on newspaper websites and YouTube. 90%+ of these comments are made by complete morons. AND THEY WILL USE ALL CAPS TO EVEN COME EVEN MORE STUPID THAN I THOUGHT POSSIBLE. Swine Flu in Mexico? BUILD THE FENCE!!!!!! Anything about the economy? OBAMA IS A SOCIALIST COMMUNIST AND NOT EVEN AN AMERICAN!!!!

I love a good argument as much as the next guy but you can’t get in a battle of wits with an unarmed person. Just because Glenn Beck or Lou Dobbs says it doesn’t make it true.

OMFG!!!! EVERYONE PANIC!!!! The Mexican Flu could be pandemic!!! Of course the border fence people are using this as just another example of dirty Mexicans coming over the unprotected border and killing Americans. Except, of course, the flu is was detected in central Texas (about 80 miles from where I am sitting — by the way nice work LA Times, it is Guadalupe county, not Guadaloupe county as you have in the article — that is how people in this part of the country pronounce it, but it is spelled in the traditional manner) far from the border. In the cases in San Diego and Imperial counties it is right on the border, except of course THERE IS A FENCE THERE! All of the cases in Mexico are in Mexico City which is pretty far for a person to walk or ride a freight train. If someone contacted the deadly strain of flu in the DF, they would be dead by the time they got to the border.

Although this strain of flu is serious, I think it the US media is blowing it out of proportion, as it tends to do on all things. If you’ve been to Mexico City — a city with nearly 25 million people — you’ve probably seen that it isn’t exactly Disneyworld clean. There is a lot of poverty and so this non-doctor is not surprised there’s a higher death rate from this strain of flu than you might see elsewhere. Mexico’s has world class medical care for those who can afford it — but the median household income in about $7,000 a year so hardly anyone can afford it. I think the Mexican government’s call to close schools and other public gatherings is responsible since it can limit the spread. Common sense helps a lot in the spread of disease — wash your hands, if you’re sick don’t go out and spread it.

Let’s not forget that in the US, 40,000 people die each year from the flu. 40,000! You don’t need mandatory flu vaccines and military law to stop that. Just wash your fucking hands and sick people need to stay home. I know the problem with the sick people staying home thing is many people can’t afford to stay home.

The last big flu scare was the Bird Flu back in 2003. Rather than in Mexico, there were cases in Canada. There wasn’t a call for closing the border or building fences to keep those dirty Canucks out. During part of the paranoia I was on vacation in Europe and when I flew from London to Brussels, my flight was kept from disembarking because there was an Asian person on the flight who had their traveling in China and this person was sick. To complicate matters the Belgian Minister of Health was at a bird flu conference in Geneva so he had to be contacted to give the OK to let us go. When we were allowed to leave I had to make the unusual step of letting the health officials know where I was staying in Belgium and to contact them immediately if I felt any symptoms. At the time, I was sort of bummed I wasn’t quarantined in Belgium for the entire incubation period so I could not have to go back to work (sorry boss, the Belgians won’t let me leave!).

My point is the world is a much smaller place since the advent of the airplane. If this flu does spread to the US it won’t be due to some guy sneaking across the border. It will be because of people entering the country legally at the airport. They might not be on the flight from Mexico City. They could come from anywhere because we’re all connected. But making mountains over molehills won’t help. It will just fan the flames of the anti-Latino hate. And how can you hate the people that gave us the taco, margarita, mojita, Brazilian, and fun hats?