Sick? See a Cop!

This past Tuesday, Michael Chertoff, Secretary of Homeland Security says that his department, and NOT the CDC or any other federal medical department, would be in charge if bird flu or any other disease causes a pandemic.

So now diseases are considered terrorist threats and our FBI and other federal police agencies will be empowered to do what? Detain, confine and quarantine anyone suspected of having the disease?

And I suppose if it's not convenient for the FBI, medical care for people is of secondary importance?

Every few years we hear about another potential pandemic, so perhaps the fear of millions of deaths by natural disease factors isn't a high likelihood. Still, at a time of a MEDICAL crisis in this country, I'd be a lot more comfortable knowing that someone with actual medical training was on the job, not a batch of federal cops treating any victim of the disease as a terrorist threat.

Liam.