Avian Flu Epidemic

**mlk_man** · 10-25-2005, 02:07 PM

Guess you could call this the "bearish" view:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/...pandemic_x.htm

And here is the "bullish" view:

Avian Flu Epidemic Scare is a Hoax

"If you have been viewing the media you must have seen the scare the media and the president are seeking to orchestrate on you and the public. According to a draft of the government's plan to fight a potentially cataclysmic pandemic this newavian super-flu could killnearly TWO MILLION Americans.

But I nearly fell out of my seat in the airplane as I was flying back from a conference in Ft. Lauderdale when I read that in the BEST-case scenario, only 200,000 people might die.

Then they post the frightening picture from the 1918 flu epidemic to heighten the fear. It just amazes me how they can get away with this type of reporting that is so obviously manipulated by the government and drug companies to scare you into taking the flu vaccine.

The popular media continues to reinforce this unbased fear. In the editorial section of the October 17, 2005 issue of the Wall Street Journal, Dr. Henry Miller, former director of the Office of Biotechnology at the FDA, seeks to frighten the US public by telling us that the avian flu virus can jump from birds to humans and produce a fatal illness in 50% of those infected.

Ah there's the rub. 50% fatality rate sounds pretty scary to me. What Dr. Miller and the other experts fail to explain is how these numbers were derived. Did they examine everyone who contracted the avian flu and use those numbers or did they examine the sickest of the sick who had come down with the avian flu and determine the mortality from there?

Of course it was the later, and from the 60 people who have died from this in THIRD world countries we are being told that anywhere from 200,000 AT BEST to two million people at worst will die from the avian flu.

This is shody science at best and beyond belief that any reputable scientist could get away with such nonsense.

What Happened to Common Sense?

The avian flu epidemic hoax reminds me just how uncommon "common sense" is. Folks where is the sound basic science here? How do they make the giant leap of faith that 60 deaths will translate to 2 million or even 200,00 deaths in the US from a virus that does NOT readily spread from birds to humans or humans to humans?

Most of the people who acquired this infection were bird handlers who were in continuous contact with these sick birds. Does anyone in their right mind envision similar circumstances in the US?

Research like this would typically be thrown in the trash if it did not strongly support some ulterior purpose.

What might the purpose of these scare tactics be you ask?

Well how about the US purchasing huge quantities of antiviral drugs and an increase in flu vaccine production along with purchasing 20 million doses of the highly questionably effective Tamiflu. Guess how much one treatment of Tamiflu costs? Give yourself a slap on the back if you guessed $100.

Donald Rumsfeld to Profit Big Time

So those 20 million doses the government has authorized will cost US Taxpayers 2 BILLION dollars.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will likely profit handsomely from the announcement the government is purchasing $2 billion of Tamiflu, the drug developed by Gilead Sciences when Rumsfeld was president of the company. He is reported to hold major portions of stock in Gilead

Not very different from his previous experience with aspartame where he was president of Searle and was able to get asparatame approved after being blocked by the FDA for more than a decade.

Now I think very few of us would mind if this drug actually worked and prevented even a few people from dying. But does it do that? Not really. About all anyone can expect from this drug is that it might make the symptoms a bit less severe. On the downside (aside from setting you back $100)Dr. Tenpenny explained in her Flu Tele Cliniclast week Tamiflucan actually cause the virus to mutate into a more dangerous and potent viral strain.

YesterdayUS Congress asked Roche, the maker of Tamiflu to suspend its patent and have others make it because they could not likely keep up with the demand, but of course Roche refused saying Tamiflu is hard to make and it would take another company three years to "get up to speed".

What they were really saying is they could care less about the public, what their primary focus on was to not share their windfall profits mandated by the US Congress.

Worthless Flu Shots

Of course let us not forget the flu shots which many will use get when they confuse avian flu with the regular flu. Please understand even if you believe the flu shots work, the flu shot you can now purchaseis in no way shape or form designed to protect you against the flu. They are completely different strains. (Avian flu is H5N1 strain).

But rest assuredthe makers of flu vaccines will not lose this unusal opportunity to rape the American public of even more profits. Today we learned thatthose getting the flu shots may see a 25% increase in prices at clinics, doctors' offices and medical centers because of increases in the wholesale cost of the vaccines.

History Repeats Itself

Investigative journalist Ida Honorof for decades published a consumer newsletter and broadcast a regular radio program. Honorof received a first prize award from Associated Press for investigative journalism. The Los Angeles Times and other publications credited her with breaking some of the biggest horror stories of our time.

Ida Honorof wrote, "the most brazen, obscene electioneering ploy" ever and added that it was proposed by the President "and his coterie of scientific hacks, fabricated to cause pure unadulterated panic and guarantee political capital, rammed through without consideration of people's health and lives and approved by a band-wagon Congress" eager to make the nation's "health" a bipartisan concern.

The above quote was not written about the avian flu epidemic but the 5 million swine-flu vaccine program of 30 years ago. The hastily contrived program for swine flu resulted in hundreds of Guillain Barre Syndrome paralysis victims as well as countless deaths for a flu pandemic that never materialized.

The pocketbook purloining proposed by the Senate is more than 3,000 per cent greater than that of 30 years ago! Has your paycheck increased 3,000 per cent in the last 30 years?

Practical Options

First step for anyone caught up in this avianflu hype nonsense is to take a deep breath and relax and realize the truth here. Unless you are full time bird handler in a third world country that has a seriously challenged immune system you probably have a much better chance of wining the lottery than dying from the proposed avian flu epidemic.

Dr. Joseph Mercola

**Wimpy** · 10-25-2005, 11:45 PM

It doesn't seem more than a couple of years ago the big threat was smallpox along with ashortage of the smallpoxvaccine.Then all of the sudden its asquiet as amouse a peein' on cotton. Iremember reading articles about a number of healthcare workers who were refusing the vaccine. That got my attention!

I think most of that stuff isdesigned to sell rather than take. I thinksanitation engineering has probablydonemuch more to eradicate disease than vaccinations have, but the engineers seem to be a much more humble group andavoid the limelight and accolades which leaves a perfect opening for the huffers and puffers to jump in and take the credit and the money. If it was just water in those vaccinesit wouldn't be so bad, but some of that stuffthey put in there will hurt you.

What I find a little weird is that they want to give it to theold and sick first. If I had to take that stuff, I would want to be in the prime of mylife and in perfect health. But, maybe the vaccinationplan is part ofa biggerplan to save Social Security...i.e., thinning the herd a little.

I think I'll take a pass on this one and just avoid the crowds.

**mlk_man** · 10-26-2005, 12:25 PM

Thanks for the input Wimpy, I'm with you. :^

If I worked on a chicken farm, I might think otherwise.............

**mlk_man** · 11-04-2005, 01:40 PM

Here's Matt's take on the issue:

Hi Michael,

Last night I was watching FOX News and - ya know - this
whole Bird Flu scare caused me to flip the t.v. the middle
digit - also known as "the bird."

I find it incredible that this so-called pandemic has progressed
from a bit of concern to full out vaccination procedures to the
possibility of restricting international flights - all because some
chickens in Cambodia MIGHT be contagious to humans - and
this unknown contagion just might then spread from human to
human.

Wow.

A lot of mights in this scenario.

How about this: The vaccine they're getting ready to pitch just
might kill more people than it helps. We only need to look back
at the so-called Swine Flu dealie bopper that emerged a couple
decades ago.

The vaccination for Swine Flu - and how was that spread - killed
far more people than it helped. In fact, I doubt there is a shred
of evidence that the vaccine helped anyone. Afterall, how can
you prove it did. It wasn't really much of a problem to begin with.

I spoke with some friends in China two days ago. I asked them
about their chickens. I don't want to go to China unless I can eat
chickens. So I wanted to be sure that these chickens don't have
bird flu.

Well, these friends who watch the news daily in China, had no
idea about what I was talking about. And believe me, that's not
because the government is controlling the news. Uh hm - like
our government has NOTHING to do with the daily bird flu b.s.
we're watching or listening to.

So today's message is a message of positivity. Don't listen to
all the b.s. about bird flu. Take your daily dose of anti-oxidants,
especially those in the form of dark berries - chokeberry, elderberry,
and so on - and I'm betting you ain't a gonna have no bird flu
problem.

Yes, that's right. Give the bird to bird flu. Screw all those nit-wits
that don't have anything good to report. Turn the idiot-box off,
pick up a copy of Combat Conditioning and I think it'll do you far more good than listening to the scare tactics
of a beauracracy run amok.

Kick butt - esp. the bird's butt - and take names,

Matt Furey

**Wimpy** · 11-04-2005, 03:04 PM

I think Matt is right and me being a Wimp and all, I wouldn't want to get crosswise with Matt.

This whole thing with the bird flu, vaccinations, gun confiscaton, and martial law (all spoken in one breath), has me thinking the feds (is that us?) just want to exercise their crisis management muscle a little...or a lot.

They arrive in N'Oleans a day late and a dollar short and the first thing they want to do is take everyone's guns away. Those guns were the only thing standing between the 'haves' and the 'have nots' since many of the police were otherwise occupied dealing with their own internal issues.

Since the whole N'Oleans thing was such a disaster, I think thecurrent Administration is overly obsessed with and eager to prove themselves. A whole lotta insecurity is starting to show-up with all the hullabalooover Avian Flu and it has me a bit concerned.

I like a good rodeo but these 'people round-ups'and having to check yourguns at the door ofa large stadium,filled with all sorts of societal misfits and roving gangs, is not my idea of yehaaaw!

**mlk_man** · 11-04-2005, 03:12 PM

This really gets my dander up:

Former FEMA Chief's E-Mails Reveal Lack of Urgency
From Associated Press

[align=left]

"My eyes must certainly be deceiving me. You look fabulous -- and I'm not talking the makeup," writes Cindy Taylor, FEMA's deputy director of public affairs to Brown on 7:10 a.m. local time on Aug. 29.

"I got it at Nordstroms," Brown writes back. "Are you proud of me? Can I quit now? Can I go home?" An hour later, Brown adds: "If you'll look at my lovely FEMA attire, you'll really vomit. I am a fashion god."

A week later, Brown's aide, Sharon Worthy, reminds him to pay heed to his image on TV. "In this crises and on TV you just need to look more hardworking ... ROLL UP THE SLEEVES!" Worthy wrote, noting that even President Bush "rolled his sleeves to just below the elbow."

Some lawmakers immediately decried the e-mails.

The e-mails "depict a leader who seemed overwhelmed and rarely made key decisions," said U.S. Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-La. He criticized Brown for addressing "superficial subjects -- such as Mr. Brown's appearance or reputation -- rather than the pressing response needs of Louisiana and Mississippi." [/align]

**Wimpy** · 11-04-2005, 06:09 PM

I'm not really sure we can expect more. Most of those appointments are politicalfavors repaid. Many of the appointees are lawyers and the worst crisis or disaster they've ever had to deal with was a dead battery or flat tire. I can almostsee thestory on their resume..."Once upon a time in Topeka, in the middle of the night...there I was..."

**grandma** · 11-04-2005, 07:01 PM

"They arrive in N'Oleans a day late and a dollar short ... "

Let's not perpetuate the lie- they nearly had to force themselves in because the LA/NO governments did nothing.... reaped what they sowed: corruption & greed. ..waiting for someone else to take care of them - don't tell me that those people in front of the TV cameras screaming at theTV crewto help them were the ill & debilitated.

... He criticized Brown for addressing "superficial subjects ...

And forcrying-out-loud,do not ever have an OT comment whenin a crises, or even in your addressing of urgent matters in your daily work.

The disaster propagated disaters and bad judgement calls, even in Houston, did not help when the feds did get in. Let's get the mayors, the govenors, their agency heads educated. Question: did the governor of Arkansas have any trouble calling in his Nat'l Guard when the Federal Gov moved in at Central school in Little Rock? The LA govenor would have had no problem calling in his militia, either, had the Feds been moving in on him under different circumstances....state rights, you know. If we want to keep them, then we had better shape up and tend to our own and in a way that is exemplary to all. The Fed Gov is supposed to be the binder of the states, not the father of the prodigal son.

**grandma** · 11-04-2005, 08:33 PM

This just came in the mail - for some reason it seems quite appropriate here, tho off the track from MM's original Health Forum - read & laugh -:l

Subject: Indian Wisdom
An Indian walks into a cafe with a shotgun in one hand pulling a male
buffalo with the other. He says to the waiter, "Want coffee."
The waiter says, "Sure chief, coming right up." He gets the
Indiana tall mug of coffee.
The Indian drinks the coffee down in one gulp, turns and blasts
the buffalo with the shotgun, causing parts of the animal to splatter
everywhere, then just walks out.
The next morning the Indian returns. He has his shotgun in one
hand pulling another male buffalo with the other. He walks up to the
counter and says to the waiter, "Want coffee."
The waiter says, "Whoa! We're still cleaning up your
messfrom yesterday. What was all that about, anyway?"
(hang on, this is really good......)
The Indian smiles and proudly says, "Training for upper
managementposition in United States Government: Come in, drink coffee, shoot the
bull, leave mess for others to clean up, disappear for rest of day.