Bird Flu

[Soul Queen]

So I am watching the press conference with President Bush about pandemic flu outbreak.

Mostly he outlined measured to protect the American people, requesting money from Congress for research and whatnots.
One of the measures he mentioned was to protect Pharmaceutical companies from ligitation. The reasoning was so that these companies wouldn't be afraid of lawsuits so they can produce vaccinations. Hmmm It seems that with every new threat to America, we try to take more rights away from the people. "For our protection."

The other things outlined were basic things like stockpiling supplies, vaccinations, making sure that every town has a plan (just in case) etc. Which seems reasonable.

How do the board to pieces peeps feel about the bird flu? Is it a threat? What about Pres Bush outline to take care of it?

It may be the end of fried chicken as we know it.

[Goody Simpson]

So, it all comes down to the fried chicken, doesn't it, SQ?
Luckily, fried chicken as we know it probaly isn't chicken at all (if you believe the urban legends) ;)

Tofurkey, anyone?


On the other hand ... if you want a triple dose, get your Turducken while you still can! It's apparently (according to Nat. Geo.) a Southern favorite: turkey stuffed with a chicken stuffed with a duck. MMM-mmm.

[slam]

i'm still too terrified of killer bees to start worrying about bird flu!

seriously. is it a threat? sure. should we take reasonable precautions agains it? sure. should we, as a nation, collectively flip the fuck out and plaster bird flu stories over every newspaper and magazine in america and then have a presidential address on it?

i mean, what the hell am i going to do to get ready for it? draw up my will? stockpile tamiflu?

[Diamond Vision]

It's all just El Nino again.

Bird Flu, SARS, Al Queda, Hanta Virus...

Chalk it all up to El Nino.

We'll all be fine in a year or two when the next ice age kicks in.

[JVO]

I always thought these flu pandemics were a load of crap. Then, a few months ago, my Dad contracted West Nile and spent 5 weeks in the hospital. His virus developed into Spinal Menengitis, which very nearly killed him. Even now, 4 months after, he still has lost over 50% of his vision and is not nearly as strong as he used to be. Sorta changed my perspective on things.

[matty]

If there's another plague that wipes everyone out, it's probably not going to be bird flu because we KNOW about bird flu. It'll be some weird new virus lurking in the blood of Madagascan wild pigs, and it will spread so fast that scientists won't have time to lock it down before it takes out a third of the global population.

Bubonic plague is still out there. But people don't die from it as much anymore for a lot of reasons. It's the unknown viruses that will get us, and there are millions of them.

Also, I totally agree with Soul Queen concerning "Our Protection." What the fuck? I wish he would stop protecting us, already!

[andikay]

Bubonic plague...hmmmm....

Isn't there a thread somewhere on this board that references some bubonic-plague-infected mice that escaped from a lab on the East Coast?

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/09/15/D8CKQJFO1.html

When I was a little kid I saw some really bad tv movie about people dying from bubonic plague in a similar scenario and it totally freaked my shit out. I was soooo scared of bubonic plague for years after that, but my parents assured me something like that could never happen.

But it turns out they were WRONG!!

Escaped bubonic plague-carrying rodents running rampant on the East Coast...trying not to obsess too much...

[oldmanindaclub]

yeah, maybe the bird flu is coming... but W is only using it as a distraction from:

Plame-gate
Iraq war
FEMA disaster ('I'm trapped, help me!')
Miers fiasco
high gas prices
the fact that a small minority of fanatics are taking over our government
general malaise

I highly doubt W really gives a shit about the bird flu. I'll bet he can't spell influenza either (did I spell it right?)