Wednesday, November 02, 2005

The 7.1 Billion Dollar Panic

“President” Bush yesterday outlined a plan that will protect Americans from bird flu. Thank you, George, you’re my fucking hero.

Meanwhile, “Defense” Secretary Rumsfeld has declined to sell his shares in Gilead Sciences, which owns the patent for the drug Tamiflu, saying instead that he won’t participate in government while it is dealing with issues connected with bird flu. Well, it is easy to understand his decision because he has already made about $1 million and stands to make quite a bit more while the American population panics over an imaginary pandemic. And we have known for a long time already that Rumsfeld has no sense of ministerial responsibility.

A major mutation of a flu strain occurs about once every 10 years. It’s bloody normal. A pandemic occurs every 30 to 40 years. Over 500,000 Americans died in the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-1919. So far about 60 people have died of bird flu, none of them in the Americas.

Apparently, if the current H5N1 strain of bird flu mutates so that it can be passed from human to human, no existing vaccine will protect us. Tamiflu is but a treatment for normal human flu, not bird flu, and it if has any effect on bird flu at all, it will be minimal.

So take your vitamins, wash your hands before you eat, don’t play with fucking chickens, and don’t listen to W because he has no idea what he is talking about.

9 comments:

Devastatin' Dave said...

I think we should go to Defcon 3. Let's do it for the children.

Monkey's Max said...

Asshole said, "First of all, as you all know, I have the utmost respect for my sis’ intellect; she is truly one of the brightest people I’ve ever known and her knowledge/pursuit of it, has always been inspiring (okay, deflate your head now, MM, don’t get carried away) to me. I’m constantly amazed by the breadth of her knowledge and I’ve always held her in high regard."

That was my favourite part. Thanks, Brother.

Monkey's Max said...

So far the only people that have contracted avian flu have been handling and/or living with the birds who infected them. I am not worried because I live with a Monkey.

I know Tamiflu is not a vaccine. I said in my post that it "is but a treatment for normal human flu". It is absolutely ridiculous that people and governments are buying it by the boatload.

The H5N1 strain has not yet mutated so that it can be passed from human to human. It may eventually do so, and it may not.

W is irresponsible because, among other transgressions, he is perpetuating an as yet needless panic. In the process he is enriching Rumsfeld, former Secretary of State George Schultz and former California Governor Pete Wilson's wife, among other people. Just another case of take from the average citizen and give to your rich cronies.

Monkey's Max said...

Asshole, my head isn't really that big.

Monkey's Max said...

Asshole, I chanced upon this article this morning and it is one of the most sensible things I have read about avian flu. Please stop buying into the panic.

Experts dismiss scare over bird flu

http://www.propagandamatrix.com/articles/november2005/031105dismissscare.htm

Anonymous said...

so, i guess we don't have to worry about AIDS anymore. what a relief. i don't know about the rest of you but i've had indiscretionary sex with more than one person. my contacts with ill fowl: 0. wow, people might die from disease. i never knew.
peace and love,
Dan Carey

Audie said...

I'm still in hiding, waiting for the nightmare that, for all I know (and assume), was called "Y2K." Is the madness over yet? Please inform.

And as far as the flu goes, I've got some Nyquil in my stash. That shit'll kill anything. Booyeah!

Audie said...

I second Skeeter's comment above, btw. Can anyone stop the insanity?

Anonymous said...

I think the bird flu scare is another ploy to make North Americans paranoid and bring more money to the pharmaceutical companies.


50% of quebec high school students think there is a cure for aids. Gay teens think there is a cure for AIDS and that it is an "old gay mans" desease and are therefore not prone to it.
This is a result of the recent governement cuts in Sex Education in Quebec High Schools. Scary man.