From the very beginning, the Obama administration has screwed up the Ebola situation.
From the very beginning.
Let me back that up with the timeline:
On December 6, 2013 in the African country of Guinea, the first patient with Ebola was identified. He is called patient zero, a two-year-old child who died.
A few months later on March 24, 2014, authorities in Guinea reported 87 suspected cases of Ebola.
One week later Liberia confirmed two cases of Ebola.
The country of Sierra Leone also reported cases.
On April 1st, the organization Doctors without Borders warned that the Ebola contagion was "unprecedented."
On that day, April 1st of this year, the Obama administration should have begun formulating a strategy to deal with West Africans coming to the USA from the Ebola regions.
The Obama administration did not do that. In fact, the first public mention from the feds came months later, on July 28th:
JEN PSAKI, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON:“On Ebola, we continue to closely monitor the outbreak of the virus. ((EDIT)) We're taking every precaution, of course, as would be expected.”
On June 23rd, Doctors without Borders declared Ebola out of control in West Africa.
On August 2nd, American Dr. Kent Brantley, who was treating Ebola patients in Liberia, is flown to Atlanta for treatment of Ebola.
On August 5th, a second U.S. citizen -- Christian missionary Nancy Writebol -- is flown to Atlanta from Liberia for Ebola treatment.
Still, no public statement from President Obama, no coordinated strategy to protect Americans.
Nothing.
In mid-August, Nigeria, Senegal and a number of other African countries closed their borders to Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
Also in August, British Airways and Air France suspended flights to those countries.
What did the USA do? Nothing.
Finally on September 16th, President Obama musters enough energy to make this statement:
BARACK OBAMA: “I want the American people to know that our experts, here at the CDC and across our government, agree that the chances of an Ebola outbreak here in the United States are extremely low.”
Four days later, Liberian national Thomas Duncan enters the USA, flying from Belgium to Washington to Dallas.
On September 28th, Duncan is hospitalized in Dallas, where two days later he is diagnosed with Ebola.
There were no travel restrictions on Mr. Duncan at all.
On October 8th, Duncan dies. On October 12th, one of the nurses who treated him -- Nina Pham -- is diagnosed with Ebola.
On October 15th, another nurse who treated Duncan -- Amber Vinson -- is diagnosed with Ebola.
Both nurses have been cured, thanks to great medical people.
On October 17th, Dr. Craig Spencer, 33 years old, who was treating Ebola patients in Guinea, arrives back in the USA.
The CDC reports he passed the Ebola screenings at JFK airport.
Dr. Spencer is not quarantined.
Let me repeat, Dr. Spencer, working directly with Ebola patients in Africa, not quarantined for 21 days and is allowed to roam around New York City unattended.
Yesterday Dr. Spencer calls 911, is taken to Bellevue Hospital, and is diagnosed with Ebola.
Now health authorities have to track down all the people with whom Dr. Spencer came into close contact. Three have already been quarantined.
Do you get the picture here? The Obama administration simply cannot handle the Ebola situation.
The airport screenings are a joke. The lack of a West African visa ban, negligence.
That is the truth, but the liberal media, the Obama enablers, will not tell you the truth.
Instead, we have a New York Times editorial today that says:
"Starting Monday in six states, and rolled out in other states soon after, travelers who visited [the Ebola region] will be required to report their temperature and any other symptoms to state or local health officials daily for 21 days, the maximum incubation period for the disease to develop. The officials will be responsible for finding and possibly detaining anyone violating these rules."
Are you kidding? The officials will be responsible for finding these people if they don't call in?
They shouldn't be out of isolation. If you have direct contact with anyone in the Ebola region, and you come back to the USA, you should be in quarantine for 21 days.
Period.
The Times continues:
"The new measures surely make unnecessary a harmful ban on all travelers who have been in the three countries."
Sure, just ask Dr. Spencer. He went through the screening; it did not work.
But that doesn't matter to The New York Times because the countries involved are poor and largely comprised of black-Africans.
That's why the Obama administration and the liberal press do not want a travel ban.
Now, here's what should be happening.
No American airlines go to the Ebola region.
Charter flights are allowed.
But those coming back to the United States on charter flights have to be isolated for 21 days.
You simply cannot have self-reporting. It doesn't work.
So medical people, military people, diplomats -- whoever it may be -- have to give up three weeks of their lives when they return from the Ebola region. Otherwise we are going to have more Ebola cases.
That's just common sense.
It is long past time for the American people to rise up and demand that the federal government do its job, which is to protect us.
The feds will not control the borders, they will not confront the ISIS terrorists in an effective way, and now they will not institute simple restrictions against this vicious Ebola virus.
Look, Dr. Spencer wore protective gear. So did the two Dallas nurses. This disease is fierce; you don't have self-reporting in a situation like this.
I'm sorry, but the Liberians and the people in Guinea and Sierra Leone can't come here for a while.
Also, those brave Americans who go over to help the poor Africans, we support them. But part of their sacrifice is being isolated for three weeks when they come back.
That's it and the longer the Obama administration delays these common sense protections, the angrier you the American citizen should get.
From the very beginning of this horrible story, Talking Points has called for effective restrictions.
Now I'm demanding them.
Give your Senators and Congress people an earful. Tell them to do their jobs.
And that's the memo. |
