Disappointment

Wasn't this the administration that was going to start following American values and American laws?

Am I missing something?

I'm not sure, yet, I'm overtired and having trouble focusing on the news blurb I just heard on TV, so I'm going to have to do some more digging when I'm fresher to make sure I heard/understood correctly, but if what I heard was correct, President Obama is trying to assert the legal right to hold people indefinitely, without charge. People who have not committed any crimes on the belief that they might commit such crimes in the future.

He couched it all in fancy talk about American values, and being subject to judicial review and the like, which is a step better than the last guy, but on just.

I really hope I misunderstood this. Because I'm just getting used to the idea that maybe I can comfortably travel to Europe again and not feel the urge to tell people I'm Canadian, just so they won't look at me in that certain way. I'm really not ready yet for another President, another administration, who feel that the Constitution and the core values of this country are obstacles to be overcome or somehow maleable to the needs of the moment.

Maybe I'm wrong. But I will hold President Obama's feet to the fire (to what limited extent I can here on this blog) just like I did President Bush, if I feel he's violating the law or the spirit of this country.

Liam.

Swine Flu: Don't Panic!

We need to think about some statistics.

As of this morning, there are about a hundred confirmed cases of swine flu in this country, and one death (not a U.S. citizen, but a child brought in from Mexico for treatment). There are no deaths in the U.S. of people who caught the disease in the U.S.

Now, compare that to this: According to the CDC(1), about 36,000 people die in the U.S. each year from influenza (flu) and related complications. That's about 100 deaths per day.

According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infections Diseases (NIAID), estimates range from 35 to 50 million Americans coming down with flu each year during the high flu season (November to March).(2)

Now, assuming 50 million people get some strain of the flu each year, that's about one person in 6. If 36,000 die from flu each year, that's about one death for every 8500 people in the U.S. And it means that one person dies for every 1375 people who catch the flu.

Yes, it pays to be careful, it's always good to avoid people who are visibly sick, and to wash our hands frequently and such. But really, they're closing down schools and people are discussing closing the border, and it's way too early to be discussing either of those. There will have to be over 300,000 cases of swine flu in this country before even 1 person in 100 will have been affected.

Could this become a pandemic? Yes. But statistically, compared with the incidence of other strains of flu, swine flu isn't even a blip on the radar. If it helps you to behave more safely, by all means pay attention.

But don't start panicing until the number of cases reaches the hundreds of thousands, or the number of deaths reaches the 10s of thousands. Any less than that, and it's no different than any other strain of virus that hits on any given year.

Liam.


(1 - http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/r030107.htm )
(2 - http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/f/flu/prevalence.htm )