Update from the
Heartland
No.670
13.10.14 – 19.10.14
Blog version: http://heartlandupdate.blogspot.com/
To all,
The follow-up news items:
-- The evolving Ebola situation [669] in the United States is taking on the appearance of the
Keystone Cops, except we are not living cinematic humor. Last week, I suggested the first
infection (and now a second infection) was either failed procedures or a misunderstanding
of the virus transmission process.
It now appears far more the former rather than the latter. What we know publicly so far strongly
suggests complacency of arrogance – we can handle this; we’re not a third world
country. Well, guess what, a virus
does not care about our human frailties and flaws. One photograph of the medical folks treating Thomas Eric
Duncan of Liberia spoke volumes regarding what happened at Texas Health
Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, Texas.
We can only hope we collectively learned some hard lessons here.
-- Well now, this is an interesting twist. The U.S. Supreme Court vacated the stay
issued by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in the case of Whole
Woman’s Health v. Lakey [668] – the Texas anti-abortion question. The Court’s order reinstates the
injunction issued by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, against
the state’s implementation of the HB2 restrictions, and returns the case to the
5th Circuit for further proceedings. Stay tuned!
An interesting opinion with which I
agree:
“Lessons of Russian history must not be silenced”
by Editorial Board
Washington Post
Published: October 15 [2014]
I would also add that we have seen this play before. There are numerous arguments for the
beginning of the most cataclysmic, self-inflicted catastrophe in recorded human
history. Yet, in this context, Vladimir
Putin is using the exact same technique as Adolf Hitler did 80 years earlier –
no huge moves, just a continuous series of little nibbles. For Hitler, the excuse was the
injustice of the Versailles Treaty and lebensraum für das deutsche Volk
(living space for the German people).
Putin’s comparable rationale is recovery of security for the Russian
people lost in the breakdown of the Soviet Union. He is nibbling away at the freedoms of the Russian people
and the sovereignty of his neighbors as he freezes his perceived adversaries
(or at least obstacles to his hegemony).
Just as Hitler did, he is pushing as far and as fast as he thinks he can
to consolidate his power, achieve his objectives, and keep his opponents from
acting against him in any meaningful way.
Also, in a repeat of history, Putin is using the threat of his military
strength and the aversion to war of his oppugnant contemporaries. I cannot imagine any nation, group of
nations, including NATO and the UN, interfering with Putin’s oppression of the
Russian people, and it certainly not clear the Allies have or can draw the line
on tolerance of his intimidation of Russia’s neighbors. History repeats!
Comments
and contributions from Update no.669:
Comment to the Blog:
“I have seen a report twice, on Facebook last night and this
morning on CBS News, stating that the protocols for handling Ebola patients
were not correctly followed. The Facebook discussion is interesting because it
was posted by a nurse I know who commented that she was not surprised at all.
In the thread she described an incident she witnessed where another nurse in
full isolation gear proceeded to the nursing station and handled the patient's
paperwork. The isolation nurse seemed not to understand the dangers to everyone
else of exposing them to the outside of her equipment.
“The government of Kansas is fighting the tide of history. They
will not achieve their goal of preventing same-sex marriages any more than King
Canute achieved his goal in commanding the tide to stop. They may, however,
slightly aggravate Kansas' population decline as people go to other places for
a more accepting climate.
“I have lost what respect I once had for police officers by
watching the TV show Cops. Whether or not the officers shown are chosen to be
the most presentable, putting them on television only serves to demonstrate
their insensitivity and paranoia. We can argue that not all police officers
behave this way, but several years of that TV show argue that a majority do.
“In other economic news, I saw a story reporting that, by one
measure, China's economy is now the largest in the world. Other such stories
are likely to follow as other measures weigh in over about the next ten years.
“I suppose it's not too late to convict the criminals in the LIBOR
mess, and of course I favor convicting the guilty. However, I suspect that too
much time has passed for the convictions to have maximum impact on other
bankers.”
My response to the
Blog:
Cross-contamination
is always a problem in haz-mat situations. To my understanding, sterilization of the exterior is part
of all standard procedures before suits are removed, and care must be taken to
always keep the exterior away from the individual or anyone else. The CDC publicly stated the infection
was a failure to adhere to the containment protocol. If they know that for a fact, then they should give us the
facts. This seemed like a rather
swift accusation without a rigorous investigation; if true, an attempt to calm
the waters may have made things worse.
Re:
Kansas Governor Brownback administration.
Indeed! One of many reasons
we need a new governor.
Re:
police. We do not see “Cops” the
same way. I would suggest you
might wish to ride along with a police officer you know.
Re:
PRC. Largest . . . second largest
. . . I’m not sure why that matters.
Re:
LIBOR. I hope you are wrong, but I
suspect you are not. Yet,
something is better than nothing.
. . . Round two:
“The only piece of this to which I'll respond is the suggestion to
ride along with a police officer. I have met enough police officers to state
categorically that I will not voluntarily spend time enclosed in a vehicle with
them when they are working. They serve a necessary purpose, some better than
others, but that purpose requires or attracts a personality not compatible with
mine.”
. . . my response to round two:
It
is unfortunate you see law enforcement in such a negative light, but at least
you recognize your limits and boundaries.
. . . Round three:
“I think if that were studied my attitude would be found more
widely than most. A person's experience of law enforcement is highly dependent
on social standing, race, and gender.”
. . . my response to round three:
I
would say a person’s experience with law enforcement is far more dependent upon
the personality of the officer(s) involved. Most of us do not interact with LE often; our encounters are
few; thus, one bad cop sours the bunch.
For decades, I have held up four fingers as I encounter a police
officer, to signal 10-4 (all is well).
. . . Round four:
“My experience differs. Old cars with out-of-state tags draw law
enforcement officers, as do some other settings I have experienced. Officers
seem to have very similar personalities, much more so than other fields. Some
manage to be a little more intelligent or calm than others, but basically they
closely resemble each other. I have discussed this with many others, especially
recovering alcoholics and addicts, most with different backgrounds than mine.
Those who experience less stress are white, male, middle class, and ordinary to
look at or talk to. In recovery I have managed to be or fake these things, and
the response differs from the times I had a hillbilly accent and an old car.
That is supported by academic studies.”
. . . my response to round four:
I
cannot debate your experience. I
can only say, my experience is different.
I can only attest to the reality that there are genuine good people in
law enforcement. You may not have
met any yet, but they are there nonetheless. I have run into bad cops too, so I know you are not wrong.
Another contribution:
“Or in the case of the present Governor of Kansas, ‘denying
progress by jerks’!!”
My reply:
Indeed! In fact, he is more about regression,
as in the status quo ante. Given
his own designs, he would take us back to Victorian morality, to the Doctrine
of Coverture, before women’s suffrage.
He knows best.
My very best wishes to all. Take care of yourselves and each other.
Cheers,
Cap :-)
2 comments:
I agree in detail with your analysis of the Ebola situation, although I will note that you do not describe or discuss the photograph to which you refer. The only addition I can make is to speculate that perhaps the noise from the Ebola reporting obscures some news story we might need to hear.
The point of the story about a nurse in biohazard gear going to the nursing station and handling records there is not about the risk to the nurse in the gear but the threat to her co-workers and anyone else in the area. We can indeed assume that the gear is cleaned once removed, but such actions expose people during its use. Of course, removing the gear safely carries its own risks if not done correctly. In this, hubris kills.
Your linked report of Putin suppressing differing voices in Russia is old news. Such use of power to build power goes back as far as history and continues worldwide. Take for example the efforts to eliminate the Occupy movement or the destruction of homeless people's property and communities. Much suppression uses more violent measures than injunctions.
Calvin,
Re: Ebola. I did not go into detail about the photograph, as I assumed it was widely broadcast on national and regional media. The photograph to which I referred show one of the nurses in a biohazard suit with the skin of her neck exposed – hardly proper coverage. We do not know, but I strongly suspect, the infection of the nurses occurred by cross-contamination in the manner you suggest, i.e., touching other common objects without disinfecting of the suit exterior. Whatever the means, most likely poor bio-hazard containment procedure execution. Hubris kills, indeed! As I noted, a virus does give a hoot about human flaws.
Re: suppression. Old news, indeed! Putin has a long reputation for such dictatorial action. A few questions for debate: does a protest movement have a right to impose upon public safety or public welfare? Does freedom of assembly and speech allow for protesters to occupy public buildings, block public roadways, bring down the electricity grid, or bring down a bridge? Also, “homeless people’s property and community,” I’m not sure I understand. Does LE need a warrant to search a cardboard box or shopping cart? How do we define property?
Cheers,
Cap
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