As a physician, a concerning story appeared recently on the news. An NBC news cameraman by the name Ashoka Mukpo recently tested positive for the Ebola virus. Traditionally, we have been taught from agencies such as the CDC that the virus is contracted ONLY through contact with the secretions or blood of an actively infected person. The disease then starts with flu-like symptoms on average of 2-3 weeks after contracting the disease. It then progresses to muscle aches, joint pains, fevers, chills, sore throat and a rash. Later and more progressive stages of the virus can cause confusion, coma, multi-organ failure and hemorrhage. Plus, with a mortality rate of 50-90%, the disease is extremely deadly.
However, one must wonder how a cameraman contracted the Ebola virus? Was he in direct contact with bodily fluids from an Ebola-infected person, or did he somehow contract the virus via a different method. Though purely speculative, one must now serious ask this question as Ashoka Mukpo is now being transported back to the USA for treatment.
Has he acquired a mutated form of the virus that is airborne? Has the virus in fact gone airborne? Are our 4,000 troops being sent to West Africa in dire danger if the virus has gone airborne? Will Ashoka Mukpo be bringing a highly contagious, airborne form of the Ebola virus back to the USA? Is our government telling us the full truth about the virus?
These are all realistic questions that must be asked. As the media fails to examine these hard hitting questions, it is up to us taxpaying American citizens to do so.
As the CDC confirms the first case of Ebola here in the USA, many concerns instantly arise with this revelation. First, why are we allowing ANY people flying from ANY Ebola pandemic areas return to or visit the USA? Are we looking for trouble? Is this not an insane policy? Plus, we are still not sure how contagious the virus actually is. Though the CDC claims that an infected person cannot transmit Ebola unless symptomatic, how did all those healthcare workers wearing biohazard suits contract the illness? Obviously, our knowledge of the virus is certainly lacking. Has the virus mutated? Has it become more easily transmittable?
Plus, why are all those on board the same plane as the Ebola patient NOT being notified that they are at a potential risk of having the disease? How about also telling those at the airport where the man landed they could also potentially be at risk? Is that not the right thing to do? Are all those this man came in contact with now spreading the Ebola virus across the globe? Where did all those people who flew over on the same plane as him, breathing the same recycled stale air, go? Did they fly across the country or even across the world?
Why is our government more concerned about bombing Syria than protecting American citizens? Are their flawed policies with regard to foreign travel not placing the entire country at risk of contracting Ebola? How many people must die before they do something? The answer is, we will soon find out.
Though I write this blog post as a matter of conjecture, the thought of a looming military confrontation with Russia is of paramount concern since our initial airstrike northwest of Al Qa’im, Syria. Are we proverbially kicking the great Russian bear or worse yet, poking him with a sharp stick?
Remember, Syria is a Russian ally and boasts their only friendly port, Tartus, along the Mediterranean Sea. Not only is it of military value but it is also of economic worth also. In addition, Russia has serious financial interests throughout the country. The Moscow Times reported its investments in Syria were worth 19.4 billion dollars in 2009. Also, Russia has invested heavily in Syria’s natural gas program, their Arab Gas Pipeline, tourism and overall infrastructure.
I feel that our military actions in Syria could theoretically back Russia into a proverbial corner. Their military and financial investments in the country are far too great just to be forgotten or simply let go if al-Assad is replaced by a pro-Western government. Plus, we’ve already witnessed Putin’s reaction to apparent Western aggression. Arguably, a main reason for the annexation of Crimea and their growing military interest in the Ukraine is in direct response to the country possibly joining NATO. If that were to happen, Russia would subsequently lose its land buffer against the West and key security interests. It’s not some grand imperialistic land grab as depicted in the news, but a matter of what Russia views as survival.
We are treading too close to disaster with each bombing raid Obama authorizes on Syrian soil. What will be the final straw that springs Russia into action? I don’t know, but worse yet, I doubt Obama our military commanders do either.
One final comment. I write this only as a matter of suggestion. We must not forget that Russia also bears the scars of ongoing radical Muslin aggression within their country. Thus, our objective in not only Syria but also the entire Middle East should be the same. Just as we mutually fought the Nazi’s the 1940’s, we should be joining our combined forces to eradicate radical Muslim organizations and terrorists in the region before they spread any further. By excluding Russia from our War on Terror we have not only lost a possible ally but also emboldened an old enemy.
Syrian Bombing by US may lead to Direct Military Confrontation with Russia.
As a registered Republican, I have come to the conclusion that my vote does not seem to count. In fact, it almost appears that no matter who I vote into office, nothing changes. Thought this statement may seem facetious, there remains much truth within it.
Unfortunately, the Republican establishment has usurped both the political party and the will of the people. John Boehner, Karl Rove, and Mitch McConnell have become drunk on their power and see fit to run the entire party as they please. No longer will they let the elected representative pursue the agenda to which they were voted into office. Instead, they are forced to comply with the political party’s agenda mandated by these tyrants who run the party. It’s their way or the highway. Time and time again, I have witnessed Republicans capitulate to their will and vote in accordance with their mandates. Just look at how the establishment has treated the Tea Party and mocked their attempts to make targeted political changes. Remember what happened when they attempted to shut down the government to make a statement about Obamacare? Also, remember all those so-called Republicans who voted not to repeal it?
Now, the House Republican establishment wants to change the rules so that any member who votes against the party’s nominee as speaker will be stripped of all their power. This is absurd? How will any meaningful change ever take place in the party? How will new ideas come to fruition?
The bottom line is that the leaders of the Republican Party seem to have lost touch with the American people. No matter who they put up for president, they lose, and no matter who such people as Rove and McConnell support (such as in Florida, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Montana, New Mexico, and Wisconsin in 2012) all get beat by a large margin.
The John Boehners, Karl Roves, Mitch McConnell, and John McCains of the party are leading the country into disaster. The only thing they can accomplish is to solidify and grow their own power. They have perverted the party and are destroying the country in the process. As our country continues to implode, her epitaph will surely bear their names.
I write this blog not as medical fact but as speculation. However, one must question if the new strain of Enterovirus EV-D68 could somehow be connected to the 112% increase in illegal unaccompanied minors and their dispersion around the country.
We do know that the first American case of this this virus was in California in 1962. However, it has rarely been reported since that time. With school now back in session, children are presenting in alarming numbers with this virus. Usually only causing mild upper respiratory and flu-like symptoms, the virus can lead to severe respiratory difficulties requiring ICU level care. Though the CDC has only confirmed 97 cases thus far, a vast majority of children who contracted the virus are being undiagnosed or simply written off as having an asthma attack or as acquiring a benign viral infection.
Dr. Marc Seigal, medical director and professor of medicine at Langone Medical Center wrote, “As many as 50,000 children, mostly from Central American countries… are not being detained for the purpose of identifying illness, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement relying on self-report of symptoms, and many have already been sent to other states, where disease can spread.”
Making matters worse, these unaccompanied minors who are now in our public school system interacting with American children are not being adequately immunized or even tested for communicable disease prior to entering the classroom. We have already witnessed the spread of measles, pneumonia and scabies (amongst others illnesses) between these unaccompanied minors. Is this what American children also have to look forward to upon entering the classroom this school year? Why should Obama or the rest of Congress care? All their kids are in private schools.
Though I write this blog as speculation, it is a valid question to ask. Through the lax medical testing and shipping of these illegal child immigrants across the country, are we exposing our children unnecessarily to unwanted health risks. The bigger question is, if EV-D68 is not being transmitted through these unaccompanied minors, what disease down the line could be?
Though Obama talked big in the speech he read from his teleprompter last night, there remains one major concern about his new policy regarding ISIS: will he do what it takes to win the war?
It is a simple yet appropriate question. As recent history clearly teaches us, bombing alone certainly does not equate to military success. Just look at Shock and Awe or our bombing campaign in Cambodia during the Vietnam War. Boots on the ground wins wars. Air superiority helps ensure victory.
What scares me the most is the thought of how many American young men and woman will possibly die as a result of his incompetence and lack of decisive action. As ISIS grows stronger and larger, Obama stands impotent against making a decisive move before the midterm elections. While he procrastinates, ISIS gets stronger, better supplied and gains more recruits. Americans will die in the long run as Obama plays politics now. He cares more about his own political agenda than he does for the military men and women who will eventually risk their lives fixing his mistakes.
Unfortunately, Obama is not the man to lead America to victory. He is a weak leader without the capability to create an effective coalition. Our enemy understands this it emboldens them. Victory will thus never be ensured as long as Obama remains in the oval office.
Vice President Joe Biden’s recent speech with regard to the ISIS threat could be at best considered amusing. Devoid of any validity or plan, the long-winded diatribe did little to inform the American public or the world of the USA’s military intentions or outline a coherent plan of attack. Instead, Joe Biden stood on stage and beat his chest and flexed his proverbial muscles with little to substantiate such boasts.
“They should know we will follow them to the gates of hell until they are brought to justice. Because hell is where they will reside. Hell is where they will reside.”
The vice president’s worlds were devoid of any true content or intentions. As the midterm elections approach, he and the president have made little to no commitment to actually drive ISIS to the gates of hell. In fact, the bombing have only prove to be a minor stumbling block to ISIS’s goal of creating a great Middle Eastern Caliphate.
Too afraid to do anything before November, the Obama administration is left impotent, unable to make a decisive military decision or take proper action. Opposite to that of former President Theodore Roosevelt’s mantra. “Speak softly and carry a big stick,” Biden and Obama speak loudly and carry a proverbial small stick.
The whole ISIS problem began because of premature withdrawal of troops from the Middle East. As Obama broadcasted our exit policy and date, ISIS sat back and waited for the troops to leave. In 2007 President George Bush predicted this entire scenario:“[It] would mean surrendering the future of Iraq to al Qaeda. It would mean that we’d be risking mass killings on a horrific scale. It would mean we’d allow the terrorists to establish a safe haven in Iraq to replace the one they lost in Afghanistan. It would mean increasing the probability that American troops would have to return at some later date to confront an enemy that is even more dangerous.”
While Obama and Biden play politics, people die and the Middle East deteriorates. Churches burn, innocents are killed, and the entire area becomes more unstable. The gates of hell is the Middle East and we’ve opened them.
I wrote this blog entry to set the record straight. With all references to God being eradicated by the day by our government, I am here to inform everyone reading this blog that that the jurisdiction or intent for these actions never originated from our Founding Fathers.
Many state that the Constitution mandates a separation of “church and state”. However, anyone who has ever read the Constitution will quickly realize that this phrase is nowhere to be found in it. Though it’s quoted all the time, there is no reference anywhere as to its authenticity! Basically, it was never said or even written.
Some point to Amendment 1 which states:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
However, when you actually read it, there is no reference to the separation of church and state. Thus, where did this erroneous idea originate?
Bethany Blankley form the Christian Post sums it up rather nicely:
The U.S. Supreme Court first cited the phrase, “wall of separation between church and state,” in 1947 (Everson v. Board of Educ. of Ewing, 330 U.S. 1, 15-16) from a well-known concept expressed by Thomas Jefferson in a letter to the Danbury Baptist Association.
While the Supreme Court did rule that a “wall of separation between church and state” exists, they did so based upon seven words from one personal letter rather than from the Constitution. As a result, the Supreme Court created an erroneous precedent, ruling that law could be created from a personal letter instead of the Constitution.
Even if a letter was a law in the United States, the Supreme Court misinterpreted what Jefferson wrote. It, like most people, make judgments about facts and/or statements by taking a text out of context, thereby redefining the original meaning of the text.
During this time, the Baptists’ primary concern was if the government granted rights to freely express religious beliefs, it could also regulate or eliminate these rights.
In summary, the crux of the message was that government had to business in interfering with religion, and that all religious freedoms could only be granted by God and not the government.
Plus the Declaration of Independence, which Jefferson signed, echoed these sentiments exactly:
…that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men…
The point can be made no clearer than the above words in our Declaration of Independence. The function of government is not meant to grant any religious rights to people but to ensure that these God given rights are protected. It is the entire basis of this document and of our entire government. Thus, to remove all religion or belief in God from our government would be like removing all meaning from our Constitution and Declaration of Independence.
Many ask how our country got to where it is today. The bottom line is that without God there is no Constitution. And without the Constitution we have become a soulless society devoid of morality, lawless and corrupt.
