Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Term Limits

obama, obama jokes, political, cartoon, hope n' change, hope and change, ebola, quarantine, midterm, election, czar

Frankly, Hope n' Change is beginning to miss the simplicity of the plagues of yore. Back in the day, people would come down with a touch of Black Plague, then have the decency to stay at home moaning and growing buboes until it was time to "go on the cart."

And while disease-related vermin were a problem back then, at least they were rats. These days, our disease-related vermin are politicians and lawyers.

In order to keep the population from panicking, the Obama administration has been waging an all-out semantic war. They've told emergency personnel to avoid ever broadcasting the word "Ebola" on the radio (which will no doubt come as a surprise to the first responders who subsequently show up without their hazmat suits), and are now suggesting that the word "quarantine" be, well, quarantined.

Meanwhile, at least two nurses who have been quarantined (one who had Ebola, one who didn't) have lawyered up in order to defend their God-given right to follow in the highly-liberated disease-spreading footsteps of Typhoid Mary.

Seriously - nurse Kaci Hickox pitched a potentially litigious fit after she was temporarily quarantined because she'd recently been working with Ebola patients and was found to have a fever at an airport checkpoint.

Only an idiot would say she shouldn't be quarantined, right? So that's exactly what the Idiot-in-Chief did, as Barack Obama attacked Governor Chris Christie for the unspeakable crime of showing a little common sense.

But of course, Obama's own missing-in-action "Illness-formerly-known-as-Ebola" Czar is a lawyer instead of a medical expert, so "common sense" isn't so freaking common anymore.

All Hope n' Change knows is that the public at large really isn't all that worried about Ebola, but they're increasingly terrified at the growing realization that nobody in Washington has any idea what they're doing.

Which is why, politically speaking, a lot of bodies should be thrown on the cart following Tuesday's election.


22 comments:

Pamecon said...

Thanks for going where you needed to go, Stilton!:The truly insane ramblings of Josh Earnest in recent hours. That nutty nurse could remain asymptomatic -- for days. Who the Heck CARES that she’s relatively symptom-free currently? Get your freakin @ss into quarantine! 96% of Americans support quarantining these returnees. We don’t want a pandemic. And here, here is the fing WH & Josh Earnest mewling like 2 year olds — crying about the “disrespect” we”re showing this poor heroic lady in the face of a DEADLY INCURABLE Disease! What, we have to "have a pandemic to see what's in it", to quote Pelosi!? These WH staffers should all be removed from their posts immediately.

TrickyRicky said...

We can't seem to put up a wall along our southern border. Perhaps an alternative would be to put a wall around Washington D.C., move all Ebola patients in and let no one out for a couple of years. Problem solved in one fashion or another.

Gang of One said...

@Stilton -- "Which is why, politically speaking, a lot of bodies should be thrown on the cart following Tuesday's election."

I have a a very strong sixth-sense that we are going to see a a lot of Democrat shenanigans on Tuesday. How many illegals, barely able to pronounce the names of any candidates, will be casting votes? We will see, in those those battle-ground states, Dems fighting to maintain life, like Francisco Franco. And, of course, there is ALWAYS the Chicago Way with rigged machines.

Judi King said...

Since the title of today's cartoon is "term limits", I'll go with that. I think every one in the legislative, executive and judicial branches of our government should have term limits. No more than two terms. These "jobs" were never meant to be a lifetime career but a part time duty to the people of this country.

Colby Muenster said...

We may soon see a wooden cart loaded with shriveled, unused brains going through the streets of DC. "Bring out your dead; bring your your dead."

Why on Earth can't these PC morons just call a spade a spade? Oooo wait... my bad.

I still remember my father-in-law telling me about the time his family came down with scarlet fever back in the 30's on the remote West Nebraska ranch. The whole family (ma, pa, and 8 kids) were told to stay in their house, so they did. Volunteers brought them food and left it under a window so it could be reached from inside. Two little sisters died during their quarantine period, and the family wrapped the bodies and dropped them out the window for volunteers to collect.

The family complied with the quarantine because they wished to not infect others. I guess those kinds of people don't exist anymore.

Geoff King said...

Since the government has proven their high level of efficiency, professionalism, and strict adherance to time-honored protocols in their handling of Ebola and have shown their dedication to making the protection of the American people their top priority; it should be of little consequence that the administration now plans on bringing Ebola victims from other countries to the US for treatment:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/10/29/lawmaker-claims-plans-may-be-in-pipeline-to-bring-non-citizens-to-us-for-ebola/
After all, we now have a highly skilled lawyer and PR spin-doctor heading up the fight against this terrible disease. Who could possibly be better qualified? I am sure that when the time comes, Klain will step up to the plate and assure a terrified public that there is no reason to worry about dying a painful and horrific death. To be politically correct, Ebola will only cause you to become "biologically challenged"
BTW, it occurs to me that after next week's elections, regardless of whether or not Republicans take control of the Senate, Øcommie will possibly start writing Executive Orders until his hand cramps up. He has already alienated his own party and voter base. What does he have to lose?

American Cowboy said...

@ Geoff:
"...it occurs to me that after next week's elections...Øcommie will possibly start writing Executive Orders until his hand cramps up."

Perhaps THAT is the election he was referring to after which he stated he would have more flexibility? That is a pretty sobering thought to this patriotic American.

Bruce Bleu said...

"How does an IDIOT become a policeman", to quote Herbert Lom from the Pink Panther movies, how does an IDIOT get elected presidunce? Affirmative action has evolved from giving "undesirable" people-groups opportunity, to MANDATING that the completely incompetent be given equal value as the qualified! The Moron-in-Cheef can't have people more capable than him in office... it would expose his utter USELESSNESS! So... appoint imbeciles to positions to illustrate how good lamont looks in comparison! The Oval Office could easily be re-named the "Spank-the-Monkey-Room" without suffering a contextual controversy. lamont could go to a proctologist for a BRAIN SCAN!!!

Jim Hlavac said...

With everything I read here at the very capable HNC news channel, and what I'm reading on the internet about all this ... and listening to the president ... I am beginning to feel that the 25th Amendment should be invoked ...

(for those not aware: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty-fifth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution -- sorry for wiki, but it's 7 AM, and I'm on a deadline for real work) ...

For it seems to me, the man and many in his administration, are going off the deep end ...

Oh, abler minds than I can parse the details and process ...

But this is insane.

While the current Senate won't do it -- perhaps the next Senate, if Republican won ... will look into it.

Perhaps Senator Ted Cruz could look into this bit of the constitution rather than worrying about an additional amendment that would single out a mere few million taxpayers for special exclusionary treatment -- and embroil the nation in a needless debate ... while the dead and dying are piling up.

txGreg said...

@Gang of One,

...and let's not forget the time-honored tradition of stuffing the ballot-box too.

Stilton Jarlsberg said...

@Pamecon- For the longest time, I tried to hold on to sympathy for Hickox, but I had to give it up. The woman is an inconsiderate self-righteous ideologue who (bonus!) doesn't seem very informed about disease pathology.

There is only ONE way to assure that someone exposed to Ebola won't develop it or pass it on (well, two ways if you count flame-throwers) and that's to isolate and observe them for 21 days.

But apparently that's NOT the advice that the CDC, NIH, and Ebola Czar are giving Obama - who is courageously standing up against quarantines as a violation of basic human rights.

@TrickyRicky- What good will walls anywhere do now that the Obama administration is implementing policies to import Ebola patients to our shores?

@Gang of One- I have no doubt there will be plenty of chicanery going on. There's a reason why the Dems fight voter registration and ID laws tooth and nail - and it has nothing to do with protecting anyone's rights.

But I've thought of a compromise from Barry's own playbook that should make even the Dems happy; the answer to people not having health insurance was to pass a law so that they could be fined unless they got it. So why not pass another law saying people will be fined if they don't get a picture ID?

Problem solved!

@Judi King- I favor term limits too, though the problem actually runs deeper than the actual elected officials. A LOT of what happens in Washington is done by staffers who stay put when their bosses come and go.

I hate the idea that the only way we can fight corruption and sloth in government is to also sacrifice those with experience. But it might well be the case.

@Colby Muenster- That's a heartbreaking story, and one that could be echoed by many, many families.

I think Nurse Hickox exemplifies the modern "me, me, me" attitude that places the self above all others. It's a very Lefty sort of sentiment, though I'm afraid these days it pervades our entire culture.

@Geoff King- I'm baffled by the plan to bring more Ebola patients here. But then again, I've been baffled a lot over the past six years or so...

@American Cowboy (and Geoff)- I'm betting that after the election, we're going to see executive orders that will make our brains melt. Seriously, if the election goes as expected I think Barry and the Dems are going to go on a full out revenge binge against America.

@Bruce Bleu- What do you get when you add one idiot to a roomful of geniuses? Diversity.

Which isn't to say that diversity is necessarily a bad thing - it's neither good nor bad in the abstract. But the assumption that diversity is always better is simply crazy.

@Jim Hlavac- While the idea appeals, I can't imagine that it will ever come to pass. Darn it.

txGreg said...

@Stilton,

While I feel relatively safe with the 21 days number, don't forget the recent WHO Report which implies that 42 days might be safest.

"Recent studies conducted in West Africa have demonstrated that 95% of confirmed cases have an incubation period in the range of 1 to 21 days; 98% have an incubation period that falls within the 1 to 42 day interval. WHO is therefore confident that detection of no new cases, with active surveillance in place, throughout this 42-day period means that an Ebola outbreak is indeed over."

John the Econ said...

Again, so far the only real "panic" we've seen regarding Ebola has been on the part of the Progressives and their media enablers realizing just before an election that the public's faith in "big government" to look out for their best interests is hitting new lows. Say what you will about mass incompetence at the State Department, IRS, ICE, Secret Service, etc, etc. But until recently, our nation's health authorities at least outwardly appeared competent. And now, even they've been exposed as festering pustules of political disease and incompetence.

No doubt you've already heard this meme countless times by now, but once again Mrs. Econ and I sat and watched the evening news (first time in a month, actually) and watched another "health expert" tell us we had absolutely nothing to worry about. And perhaps we don't. But then again, doesn't every single zombie movie start out exactly this way?

So the Obama Administration and their enablers say that restricting travel out of "hot zones" is pointless because people are still going to be able to get into America through the porous borders they themselves are unwilling to secure.

Wow. So how much of the Federal bureaucracy could we eliminate simply because enforcing rules only encourages people to find ways of getting around them? I may have just found a way to balance the Federal budget!

But no, we all know that won't happen. We'll still continue to do cavity searches on grandma while fast-passing through jihadists.

Speaking of faith in "experts", why is it that the people that are supposedly supposed to know better keep doing silly things?

Ebola doctor ‘lied’ about NYC travels

“He told the authorities that he self-quarantined. Detectives then reviewed his credit-card statement and MetroCard and found that he went over here, over there, up and down and all around,” a source said.

Oh, and how does the bowling alley and the meatball restaurant get reimbursed for the hazmat cleanup and lost business after this guy's visit?

I have great respect for people who partake in selfless missions to help others. However, the sense of entitlement by many of these people is quite disconcerting.

Gang of One said...

@Stilton and @txGreg --

I tried getting this piece linked -- chicanery, indeed. Time for indelible purple ink on the finger or face of the voter once a vote is cast, and a proper Voter ID, as they have been doing in Mexico for 20 years.

John the Econ said...

Seconds ago from the President: "I'm a firm believer in 'American Exceptionalism'. We don't run and hide when there's a problem."

Really? That's not the impression anyone would get from your foreign policy to date.

Then he lauded the countries that have been successful in stopping the epidemic. But notice he certainly didn't say how they achieved that. One thing is for sure; they didn't do that by allowing exposed people free reign to go where where they wanted. Quite the opposite.

Joseph-ET said...

Nurse Hickox says; “I truly believe this policy is not scientifically nor constitutionally just, and so I’m not going to sit around and be bullied around by politicians and be forced to stay in my home when I am not a risk to the American public.”

The Doctors and Nurses are hero’s for going to these places and helping the sick. However, that effort does not provide them the right to claim that their needs trumps Public Health and safety. Nurse Hickox claims to be asymptomatic and therefore not contagious. Although Typhoid was much more contagious, Typhoid Mary claimed to never have had Typhoid or any symptoms. http://tinyurl.com/2xsszb I have little faith that the CDC is apolitical or always correct.
I’m tired of hearing that a person known as a “Scientist” is always correct and never has any political agenda. Wasn’t there a time that science said the world was flat?

Stilton Jarlsberg said...

@txGreg- Oh, there you go throwing around science again.

In all seriousness, I'm barely comfortable with the 21 day isolation period. Hickox is making me question whether it should be longer.

@John the Econ- You point out the logical inconsistencies very well, which is one of the reasons I suddenly have a pounding headache.

Regarding the NYC doctor who lied, I go back to my commentary of a week or two ago regarding "human error" - that people will lie or eff things up just because that's what people do. And policies which don't take this into account are policies doomed to fail.

I'm also glad to see you raise the point of the economic damage done by these people. Businesses are going to be hurt (note for the Left: it turns out that businesses are actually made up of people.)

And like you, I applaud the people who are on the front lines fighting Ebola - whether in Africa or domestically. But when they throw science and caution to the wind, they lose my admiration entirely. There should be criminal charges against the NY doctor and, if she violates the Maine quarantine, nurse Hickox.

@Gang of One- I have a crotchety old man's suspicion of all things computer-related, especially when it comes to voting. It's too easy to maliciously screw things up and cover your tracks.

@John the Econ- If you heard the word "BULLSHIT!" echoing from the horizon, that was me upon hearing Barry claim that he is a firm believe in American Exceptionalism. He's already made it very, very clear that this is not the case.

And now he wants to bring foreign Ebola cases here because we've shown that we're sooOOoooo good at treating it. Sweet googly-moogly, the SOB has gone insane.

@Joseph-ET- What little science there is on Ebola transmission is pretty freaking clear: after exposure, nobody knows if they've got it until the incubation period has passed. If Hickox doesn't know this, she shouldn't be getting near Ebola patients. If she does know it, then she pretty much has the same social consciousness that Jeffrey Dahmer had.

And you're quite right about Typhoid Mary. She felt fine while spreading her illness.

Judi King said...

Let's see. We have clueless incompetents with on the job training setting protocols for a potentially deadly plague. What could go wrong? Insane? Oh yes!

Pamecon said...

John the Econ, I find it extremely satisfying to read your wonderful posts. Then, I fly into a rage. :(

Where the heck is the excess capacity our health care sector Enjoys according to Obola? There ISN'T ANY. Why is the US importing dangerous medical cases when our OWN VETS can't get a GD doctor's appointment? And cost premiums are rising not falling; that's because we have shortages!!!

I recall reading some NY hospitals had to DIVERT "regular" (read: American CITIZEN) patients to surrounding facilities so swamped were they by ebola-related resource demands.

I swear, WH wants to destroy the country.

John the Econ said...

Ann Coulter's piece yesterday resonates quite well on this topic:

HYSTERICAL MEDIA TELL US TO CALM DOWN

"We're not seeing "panic." What we're seeing is rage that the country is having a deadly disease foist on it for no good reason."

PRY said...

I want to see a stack of DemoRATS about as deep as the national debt after all is said and done next week!

George C. said...

Stilton, I have been following and forwarding your Hope N' Change almost since the inception. You have a real talent for getting the point across with backup to show your source. You are the best! Thanks for the public service you provide. You do an outstanding job