Bush wants military to keep order in bird flu

[Thanato 3,654]

Bush wants military to keep order in bird flu pandemic scenario

U.S. President George Bush said Tuesday that in event of a bird flu pandemic, American troops would be the best solution to enforce quarantines.

Speaking at his first full-fledged news conference in over four months, Bush said aggressive action could be needed to prevent a potentially crippling U.S. outbreak of a bird flu strain that is sweeping through Asian poultry. Many experts fear it could become the next deadly pandemic.

Bush said he has asked Congress to give him the authority to call in the military, if state and local authorities are unable to contain and deal with such an outbreak.

The President has already indicated that he wants to give the armed forces the lead responsibility for conducting search-and-rescue operations and sending in supplies after massive natural disasters and terrorist attacks. This notion could require a change in law.

Dr. Irwin Redlener, associate dean of Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and director of its National Centre for Disaster Preparedness, said this would mean martial law in the United States. He said Bush's suggestion is an "extraordinarily draconian measure" that would be unnecessary if the nation had built the capability for rapid vaccine production, ensured a large supply of anti-virals like Tamiflu, and not allowed the degradation of the public health system.

Source

~Thanato

[__Kratos__ 14]

Can you say PLANNING?!

The troops would be the best force in such a case. Duh?! I mean... look at the National Guard! They are for such things. Jeez...

Edited October 5, 2005 by __Kratos__

[mike^_^ 0]

this is caesar crossing the rubicon

ANY excuse to get troops on the streets they jump on it. doesn't this make you guys sick? exploiting crises for political agendas, actually more like twisted philosophical world views.

Posse Comitatus anyone?

is quarantining population considered law enforcement?

Edited October 5, 2005 by mike^_^

[artymoon 3]

Can you say PLANNING?!

The troops would be the best force in such a case. Duh?! I mean... look at the National Guard! They are for such things. Jeez...

Thank you. I agree. Who else is better trained or quicker to respond than the military?

[coldwhitelight 0]

Can you say PLANNING?!

The troops would be the best force in such a case. Duh?! I mean... look at the National Guard! They are for such things. Jeez...

In case of a crisis it is up the state Governor to call out the National Guard to assist state and local emergency services. When a President wants to send out federalize troops to an a area of the United States it is nothing more then a occupation. The President should be working with state and local officials to make sure there is a plan in case of such an outbreak.

Sending out federalize troops to parts of America is against the law.

Edited October 16, 2005 by coldwhitelight

[artymoon 3]

In case of a crisis it is up the state Governor to call out the National Guard to assist state and local emergency services. When a President wants to send out federalize troops to an a area of the United States it is nothing more then a occupation. The President should be working with state and local officials to make sure there is a plan in case of such an outbreak.

Sending out federalize troops is against the law.

Not if congress gives him authority.

[coldwhitelight 0]

Edit

Edited October 16, 2005 by coldwhitelight

[bathory 1]

wasn't it just last month people were b****ing about the slow FEDERAL response in regards to Katrina?

you people do understand that a slow response to something like the Bird Flu (say for example an incompetant democrat governor refuses to call in the national guard until after they are urgently needed) would result in the disease infecting MORE people?

This isn't something that will be somewhat localised

poor Bush, damned if you do, damned if you don't

[Thanato 3,654]

People in power tend to want to stay in power and also tend to want to gain more power, and bush is no different. Yes the national gaurd should be used to help quorintean infected areas, but not the Regular Force. What bush wants to do is send in the Army, not the national gaurd.

Remember even the greatest Republics turn into dictatoral Empires.

~Thanato

Edited October 5, 2005 by Thanato

[bathory 1]

so why is it ok to use the national guard and not the regular army?

[jesspy 208]

Bird Flu? Is this like another SARS thingy?

[__Kratos__ 14]

People in power tend to want to stay in power and also tend to want to gain more power, and bush is no different. Yes the national gaurd should be used to help quorintean infected areas, but not the Regular Force. What bush wants to do is send in the Army, not the national gaurd.

Remember even the greatest Republics turn into dictatoral Empires.

~Thanato

Again... PLANNING! There was a guess the other day about deaths. 150 million people could die because of this world wide. The national guard wouldn't be able to keep up. We would need the full support of the Armed Forces.

Edited October 5, 2005 by __Kratos__

[SnakeProphet 6]

I wouldn't be complaining. No US military in Iraq then, that's fine by me.

[scoobysnack 0]

Not if congress gives him authority.

Kind of like the patriot act couldn't get passed with out congress approval. If congress is threatend for being unpatriotic or worse for not going along with the plan for a military takeover, they will bow down, and say yes master Bush.

The national gaurd was invented just for this purpose. Who wants the military going door to door and confiscating firearms like they did in New Orleans.

Not only that, but they would enforce mandatory curfews, and no go zones where the sick are.

Edited October 5, 2005 by scoobysnack

[whoa182 0]

Bird Flu? Is this like another SARS thingy?

No it is much worse. It's almost identical to the flu that killed 50 million and infected 1 Billion people in 1918 (half the worlds population) . That flu also came from birds.

Edited October 5, 2005 by whoa182

[artymoon 3]

Kind of like the patriot act couldn't get passed with out congress approval. If congress is threatend for being unpatriotic or worse for not going along with the plan for a military takeover, they will bow down, and say yes master Bush.

The national gaurd was invented just for this purpose. Who wants the military going door to door and confiscating firearms like they did in New Orleans.

Not only that, but they would enforce mandatory curfews, and no go zones where the sick are.

Congress will only act upon this if they feel pressure from the voters. If the bird flu ever were to happen(and something like this will happen eventually), it makes sense to use all available avenues to help in containment. Cutting down on bureaucracies in a situation like this will save valuable reaction time.

[bathory 1]

I wouldn't be complaining. No US military in Iraq then, that's fine by me.

of course, you would love to see the region descend into civil war