"Pollution Art" By William Kaluta Photography
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'A Thousand At Least Infected With Dengue Fever In Key West: The Ramifications For the Immigration Debate'
By Reverend Barbara Sexton "The Biblical Biochemist-Where Science Meets the Cross"
Alright. You're a 'retiree' and you and your spouse have worked hard all your lives. Now, finally, you are living in the 'Florida paradise' known as Key West. Relatives come to visit, the grandkids come to stay for a while during vacation and life, overall, is good. Reeeeal good.You're 'thankful', of course, but you know just how much you've put into these 'retirement years' up till now. You've foregone vacations to pay for your childrens' tuitions. You've been frugal at times and even have 'gone without'...and Lord knows you've always paid your taxes to the last dime. You done your best with your own healthcare and paid thousands out-of-pocket' just so you could enjoy this time. You are 'entitled' to this retirement haven because you have EARNED it and everyone knows it.
Right? Yes, right.
Then one day, you're not feeling so well. Barely recalling the couple of mosquito bites you got the other night when hubby took you to a nice dinner at your favorite place, you figure you've just got a '24-hour bug'. Little do you know that you've got a 'bug' alright, but it's not at all what you think it is.
No sooner do you first detect a little 'something' going on, than your head begins to feel like it is about to explode and your head is seared with pain! You can't see well, for your eyeballs are 'killing you' and then you notice that your nose has begun to bleed. "OH MY GOD AM I HAVING A STROKE?", you cry out loud.
You try to get up off the couch for some tissues when you realize that you are too weak to do so. Even if you could 'break through the pain' in every joint and muscle of your body, you just can't move.
What in Heaven's name is going on, you wonder? And where did this weird RASH come from, you wonder as your worried spouse grabs his cellular to call the doctor. "What the hell did you EAT?", he asks you, in that loving/complaining way only husbands can do. You've no IDEA what is happening to you and frantically you recall in your mind all the people you've had contact with in the last week.
They are fine and healthy and like you, you come to find out after a few phone calls. Their only complaints are a 'few pesky bug bites', just like you have!
And then it becomes clear. You're whisked to the hospital and the docs standing over you ask 'where you've traveled to' lately...internationally, that is. You barely manage to turn your head and make eye-contact, when you hear your husband answer, 'Why, NOWHERE! We've been RIGHT HERE enjoying ourselves at home in Key West for the last few months'.
Before you know it, things take an even more ominous turn when you hear the words 'airlifted' and something about this hospital is 'not being equipped to handle you'. Now you're more afraid than ever and you look over at your husband. You see he's worried and and ashen-faced and then he tells you he's going to 'call the kids' and he'll be right back. The next time he walks in, he's wearing gown, gloves and mask and tells you 'not to worry'...but you do.
Then you're moved and the new doctors don't quite believe your story about not traveling, either. But then the infectious disease experts tell you soon enough that 'your 'medical mystery is solved'. You have Dengue fever, which is a mosquito-borne tropical disease and they've been in touch with the CDC. You hardly digest this, as you shocked husband stands there helplessly, wondering if his wife has a chance of getting through all this.
Well, you do, but you are pretty darn sick and get 'sicker, too' once you learn that over a thousand more people in Key West--a full 5% of the population there--also have evidence of Dengue fever just like you do. The stress alone from this illness debilitates you greatly, but slowly you recover and get back to your 'old self'. Once you do, a combination of need-to-know and a certain degree of anger drives you to do some of your own research on the agony of the past year.
It's 2010, now and you learn that with Dengue infections, some will show lesser or worse symptoms than you do. All, however, will show evidence in their blood of this infection. And what you learn appalls you. Don't we all know that there IS no Dengue Fever in the United States as far as we know? Isn't dengue one of those diseases that has been ERADICATED in the U.S.A.?
By now, I know you are wondering if this is science fiction. Or is Reverend Barb engaging in mere literary puffery? Outright lie being relayed here, anyone?....Hello???
No to all of these, I am sorry to say. The scenario I've just portrayed here is very real, from the signs and symptoms: http://www.cdc.gov/dengue/Symptoms/index.html to the 'etiology' of this disease course I have just described: July 13, 2010 http://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/2010/r100713.htm
What you are reading here is based on recent releases from the CDC. CDC text is in BLACK.
You will read that "Dengue is the most common virus transmitted by mosquitoes in the world. It causes an estimated 50 million-100 million infections and 25,000 deaths each year. From 1946 to 1980, no cases of dengue acquired in the continental United States were reported, and there has not been an outbreak in Florida since 1934." And our couple above wondered where their Dengue is came from.
They and you read: "An estimated 5 percent of the Key West, Fla., population—over 1,000 people—showed evidence of recent exposure to dengue virus in 2009, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Florida Department of Health. Also: "We're concerned that if dengue gains a foothold in Key West, it will travel to other southern cities where the mosquito that transmits dengue is present, like Miami," said Harold Margolis, chief of the dengue branch at CDC. And our couple above has started to wonder if their 'Key West retirement choice' was all that wise at all.
Further:"After three initial locally acquired cases of dengue were reported in 2009, scientists from the CDC and the Florida Department of Health conducted a study to estimate the potential exposure of the Key West population to dengue virus." This CDC press release, remember is from two days ago, July 13, 2010.
And more: "Since 1980, a few locally acquired U.S. cases have been confirmed along the Texas-Mexico border, which coincided with large outbreaks in neighboring Mexican cities. In recent years, there has been an increase in epidemic dengue in the tropics and subtropics, including Puerto Rico." And our couple above goes into the 'how does this figure into the immigration debate'-mode.
Also: "These cases represent the reemergence of dengue fever in Florida and elsewhere in the United States after 75 years," Margolis said. "These people had not travelled outside of Florida, so we need to determine if these cases are an isolated occurrence or if dengue has once again become endemic in the continental United States." And that's when our couple above... and CDC officials...and all of us have the startling realization that, like it or not, we must consider the implications here.
Now you know why 'fruits and vegetable matter' are banned from personal importation into the United States. Now you know why airplane cabins are 'frantically fumigated with pesticides' upon arrivals and departures to certain foreign ports. Now you know that there is very real concern that after 'all these years' of disease control, the world is once again becoming one big, gigantic 'petri dish'.
Why, you ask? It's because people have stopped vaccinating, safeguards have been dropped and infectious illegals have been harbored--for better or for worse. I won't get into any moral or ethical arguments here (indeed, as a Pastor I am obliged to do as Christ does). And I won't inject my Tea Party bias and common sense anymore than I already have.
But I will say this: any nation that disregards the very real threat that mosquitoes and the humans infected by those mosquitoes pose to the health and well-being of said nation is a country of fools. In fact, any human infected with any contagious condition (either directly or via a vector such as the mosquito) is a threat to our country's health.
Even worse, I WOULD go so far as to say that any political leader who knowingly, carelessly or negligently exposes their electorate to entirely avoidable harm deserves the worst castigation possible--in my dreams, anyway. I understand the reality of politics today, so I do what I can do, part of which is educating others as best I can. You could say this is MY 'teachable moment', even though I cannot tell you how repellent that phrase is to me.
So, to those who 'follow their consciences' helping anyone and his uncle through our borders, think again when the time comes for you to be held accountable for whatever mass health events might transpire because of your 'compassion'.
Just be sure that you keep a little 'compassion' left over for innocent ones who suffer at the hands of imported disease, violence and/or drugs so that you can fully extend your Progressive-lib wings of disdain and flap them in the face of our fine nations, made up, ironically, or immigrants. No matter in the long run, I suppose.
Like death, grave disease is a 'great equalizer'. Anyone who secretly and illegally harbors infectious persons (or animals, vegetables or anything else which harbors and transmits disease) YOU and YOUR LOVED ONES will be at risk yourselves. Last night one of the news channels mapped out 'sanctuary states' for illegal aliens and we'll keep a weather-eye on them and on you who harbor illegals.
I'm quite amazed at how many people totally 'forget' the fear they felt when they first heard of 'SARS', 'Bird Flu' and 'H1N1'. Yet an entire LEAGUE of Progressive-Libs are OPENING-WIDE for just such things! You won't mind if I DON'T join in your enthusiasm in opening our borders this way, much as I'd like to, do you?
Frankly, I cannot understand why Progressive-libs would want to become 'CDC-statistics', but become them they will. If you are an illegal alien 'harborer', at least make sure your inoculations are current and use proper masks, gloves and other safety-wear. Are you SURE this is how you want to bring Grandma into the U.S.? If so, I beg you to consider a better, safer LEGAL way to do it, which means all of us working together. I don't get the feeling you are capable of that kind of cooperation, but I'd be remiss if I didn't suggest it again and again...and again.
Sure, I'd want my relatives 'here' also. But I wouldn't import the antisocial/dangerous /contagious ones...but that's just me. I wouldn't want to 'do that' to the society which has allowed me to live in relative freedom and safety.
Unfortunately, I know waaay too much about drug-resistant tuberculosis, STD's, scary viruses and deadly prion diseases to treat incoming infected patients 'lightly'. My left arm is still hurting from yesterday's Hep A and Hep B (TWINRIX) so I can be a least somewhat protected in my MRC (Medical Reserve Corps) work. Why don't YOU and YOURS get YOUR inoculations and vaccinations ALSO? That would help protect everyone!
Now for a note to you 'Progressive-Libs' and your carelessness with your illegal alien harboring policies. I take this very personally, since we will be 'called up' in the event of a biological outbreak of some sort by something someone like YOU has allowed to be brought into this country. With all the human smuggling and trafficking going on, you can guess where my mind is going. I really do not have any words of encouragement as long as illegals reach America daily, under the radar and with a 'wink-wink' from the current Obama Administration.
And here's a special note for my LGBT/Gay Marriage Progressive-Libs 'friends': I know that everything is LGBT/Gay Marriage rights to you, but in the event that you can get a small respite from your TUNNEL VISION, I just want to tell you that you are going to have a bit of a problem come election time.
Seriously, anyone who is immunocompromised (due to the HI Virus or anything else) needs to take this CDC report and others like it very seriously. Consider how the importation of infectious disease will affect the LGBT community. First, your risk of infection is higher overall, we know. http://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/newsroom/docs/FastFacts-MSM-FINAL508COMP.pdf The 'bad news' is that if imported diseases turn out to be more along the lines of Dengue fever, time and resources may well be diverted away from HIV AIDS medical research.
The 'good news' , however, is that if HIV AIDS turns out to be one of the diseases that skyrockets in the United States with continued influx of illegals--from Africa with it's sky-high HIV+ rates, perhaps--then HIV AIDS research may well be put on a fast track. http://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/newsroom/docs/FastFacts-MSM-FINAL508COMP.pdf (Please, please pray for young girls and women in Africa who are being violated and infected everyday in a most detestable way, thank you, for the sake of 'war')
We can only wait and see and we must all be prepared to deal with and pay for whatever continual illegal immigration will bring and that's all there is to it.
And yet another note to the ABORTION Progressive Libs: If for a moment you can break away from the TUNNEL VISION of ABORTION RIGHTS, please be sure that ALL the gals you abort get COMPLETE medical care in the event that they are infected-- especially if they are illegal aliens who you may be harboring. Protect the health of yourself and your families by keeping current with boosters and testing, too. Oh, you're going to have a heck of a time with reporting STD's to government agencies, since patients will be loathe to disclose sex partners who may not be here legally. You are likely contributing to the burgeoning rise in drug-resistant gonorrhea, etc., already, but it will get worse on our present course. Not a pretty moral or ethical picture for you, my dear Abortion Rights 'friends', but you'll manage.
Back to the rest of us: I'm not complaining about anything here, actually, but I am just being pragmatic. It's just that I never thought being a biochemist such as myself would have the pertinence and relevance it does nowadays. As one who had the wool pulled over her eyes by the UCC-the Obama/Wright church, I am a little shy about overplaying my hand.
But the nerdy little girl who enjoyed Ignatz Semmelweis (of 'child-bed fever fame) for light summer reading knows all too well of the great 'efficiency and efficacy' human beings have to thoroughly foul their own nests. Some do it quite profoundly and depressingly repeatedly and I'm not sure if 'we' can do anything to stop them without compromising our own moral and ethical boundaries.
Still, we do well to remember that even Jesus got riled up and 'mixed it up but good' at the temple when he saw what was going on and in the end, God tells us that 'inaction is not an option' if we intend to be decent, sentient creatures.
Thus I press the point once again: There is a way to be compassionate about those wishing to emigrate here without relinquishing our intelligence. Will you join me in formulating and implementing that way?
I SAY, "NOT GOD DAMN AMERICA, BUT GOD BLESS AMERICA!"
With Love in Christ,
Reverend Barbara Sexton
"The Biblical Biochemist-Where Science Meets the Cross"
www.DearOnesHealingMinistry.blogspot.com
"Pollution Art II" by William Kaluta
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