Bacon Won’t Close Borders

By Suzia van Swol, University of New Mexico, Talk Radio News Service
Wed, April 29, 2009
The death of a 23-month-old in Texas marks the first confirmed swine flu death in the U.S.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has implemented its emergency response and has determined that the flu contains genetic pieces from four different virus sources, one of which is
swine flu. The CDC continues to evaluate information to determine the potential impact of an outbreak on an international level.

President Obama has asked for an additional $1.5 billion to combat the disease.

Today, U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CO) said that “this swine flu is moving very quickly and harmfully.” Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headaches, chills and fatigue

On Sunday the flu was declared to be a public health emergency and the World Health Organization raised its pandemic alert to phase four.

United States Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano said that the U.S. has 50 million courses of anti-viral medication and 25 percent of the stockpiled courses are being released with priority given to
states with confirmed cases and border states. By May 3rd all states will ultimately get resources. Work has also begun towards developing a vaccine since the currently flu shot doesn’t protect against the
swine flu. “This will be a marathon, and not a sprint,” said Napolitano.

Warnings have been issued for non-essential travel to Mexico but closing borders “has not been merited by the facts” said Napolitano, and would have “very very little marginal benefit in terms of containing the actual outbreak of virus within our own country.”

Napolitano affirmed that although named “swine flu,” no signs of this newly identified H1N1 virus have been detected in our nation’s swine, no illnesses have been attributed to handling or consuming pork, and
that there is no evidence that one can get the virus from eating pork or pork products. The virus is actually spread from human to human, similar to a seasonal influenza.

RADM, Anne Schuchat, M.D., said that “we are dealing with a novel virus, we don’t know yet all of the characteristics of how it will behave in human populations.”

While 36,000 people die every year from regular seasonal flu, the new virus brings risk for a future pandemic since “the general population doesn’t have immunity to this virus,” said Schuchat.

According to Lieberman, in Mexico more than 2,000 people have been hospitalized and 149 people have died from the flu. In the United States there are 66 confirmed cases in six states; New York, California, Texas, Kansas, Ohio, Indiana. Globally there are 39 confirmed cases in six other countries including New Zealand, Spain, Great Britain, Germany, Canada, and Israel.

“This is a case in which our government was prepared for the crisis, as best one can be prepared for a swine flu outbreak whose course is not clear,” said Lieberman.

Lawmakers meet with Fire Fighters Union

By Michael Ruhl, University of New Mexico - Talk Radio News Service

Today Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) addressed the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Legislative Conference about the importance of collective bargaining. Pelosi awed at “what a difference an election makes” in addressing workers’ rights as well as their right to organize. Union representatives said that the Obama Administration is much friendlier to unions than the Bush Administration was, and is looking forward to the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act. Pelosi hammered home her commitment to that bill, and highlighted how the Economic Recovery Package provided billions of dollars to help prevent job loss in the public safety sector.

Also speaking at the event was Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.), who showcased his support for the Fire Fighter Fatality Reduction Act. The proposed law would set national requirements at fire stations for staffing, training, and equipment, moves that Lieberman believes will save lives. Additionally, Lieberman said he supports a national credentialing program for fire fighters, to make sure those responding to emergencies are properly trained to meet the national requirements he hopes are created.

Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) talked to the crowd about the Federal Firefighter Fairness Act, which would create a “rebuttable presumption” that certain diseases contracted by fire fighters are "job related”, and thus subject to compensation programs. Collins said that this would apply to federal fire fighters, because it was "fundamentally unfair" that federal fire fighters would not be able to receive the same health protection as those on the state and local level.

Both Collins and Lieberman spoke in support the right of workers to bargain collectively.

Vice President Joseph Biden is scheduled to speaker later today at the event.

Breaking America’s addiction to oil

A news conference was held introducing the Open Fuel Standard Act, which would require that starting in 2012, fifty percent of new automobiles, and starting in 2015, eighty percent of new automobiles, be flex fuel vehicles made to operate on gasoline, ethanol, and methanol. Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) began by saying that the U.S. urgently needs to lessen its dependence on foreign oil. Brownback said that the solution is an easy one which would require no need for new inventions, but simply a switch to flex fuel vehicles. He explained that this enhancement comes at a reasonable price and would only add $100 per vehicle during creation. Brownback said that this is the “way to do it” -- the way to start ending America’s addiction to oil.

Brownback explained that if more flex fuel vehicles were put out on the market, distribution would increase. He explained that the price of methanol is forty percent less than the current price of gasoline. Brownback also said that by giving Americans a choice between gasoline, methanol, and ethanol, the nation’s dependence on oil would most definitely lessen.

Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Chairman Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) agreed with Brownback and said that mandating flex fuel vehicles is a very important step forward in breaking a long time dependence on foreign oil. Lieberman said that the U.S. spends $700 billion a year on foreign oil, a dependence that is weakening to the nation. He explained that the American public is angry and he hopes Congress is ready to take bold action.

Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.) said that this act is not a Republican or Democratic agenda, but rather an American agenda. He called the act a “diamond in the rough” because it is a very possible solution to a great problem. Salazar said that mandating flex fuels would open the door for the “bio-fuel revolution.” He also said that he hopes, as the week unfolds, that Congress will be able to find “sweet spots” in the middle to unite the different parties and get bipartisan support.

Homeland Security Office fighting to keep nukes out

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee held a hearing on domestic defenses against nuclear attacks. Chairman Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) said that nuclear detection architecture, the responsibility of the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO), is of great importance because it prevents nuclear terrorism before it can happen. He expressed concern that the DNDO is only a coordinating agency and has very little authority to make changes to increase efficiency and efficacy.

Mark Mullen, assistant director of architecture for the DNDO, part of the Department of Homeland Security, said the Office uses three steps in creating defense architecture. First, it takes inventory of existing prevention techniques, analyzes and creates solutions, then implements new systems. Charles Gallaway, deputy director of the DNDO, said the measured three-step approach applied to three layers (threats overseas, at the border, and within the country), helped the U.S. become safer from nuclear attacks now than it was three years ago.

David Maurer, the acting director of natural resources and environment at the Government Accountability Office, said that although the DNDO’s new programs are a step in the right direction, the Office has yet to establish a comprehensive, strategic plan to coordinate the programs. Robert Nesbit, the senior vice president and general manager of the MITRE Corporation’s Center for Integrated Intelligence Systems, said that despite improvements in technology and detection, if a terrorist got hold of a nuclear weapon, he or she is likely to be especially skilled and more likely able to actually carry out an attack.

U.S. takes threat of nuclear terrorism very seriously

The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs held a hearing on “Nuclear Terrorism: Providing Medical Care and Meeting Basic Needs in the Aftermath – The Federal Response.” Chairman of the Committee, Senator Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), said that although preventing a nuclear terrorist attack is the top priority, the is risk is so real that serious preparations must be made for an attack on an American city.

Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) said that the majority of medical responders and general practitioners do not know how to handle a nuclear attack. She added that inaction would lead to enormous consequences.

David Paulison, an administrator at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said that although there is very little probability that a nuclear attack will occur, the impact would be very high. Preparation for a nuclear terrorist attack is one of FEMA’s greatest concerns. Craig Vanderwagen, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said that his department learned many lessons from events in Tel Aviv, London, and Madrid. Since those attacks, the department made many improvements in their response plans. He said that 87 percent of hospitals now participate in mass care programs to handle the influx of injured people in the case of an attack. James H. Schwartz, Chief of the Arlington Country Fire Department, an example from a local level, said that a mutual aid system between cities is necessary because no city can deal with a nuclear attack alone. He expressed a need for more information sharing, collaboration, and cooperation between cities and also between the local, state and federal levels.