What If They Gave An Epidemic And Nobody Came?

Weird news from Liberia:

In Liberia, a Good or Very Bad Sign: Empty Hospital Beds

SUAKOKO, Liberia — For days this month, the ambulances from this Ebolatreatment unit went out in search of patients, only to return with just one or two suspected cases. And many times, those people ended up testing negative for the disease.

“Where are the patients?” an aid worker wondered aloud as colleagues puzzled over the empty beds at the International Medical Corps treatment unit here in Bong County, Liberia, which opened in mid-September.

Around the country, treatment centers, laboratory workers who test forEbola, and international and national health officials trying to track the epidemic have noticed an unexpected pattern: There are far fewer people being treated for Ebola than anticipated.

As of Sunday, fewer than half of the 649 treatment beds across the country were occupied, a surprising change in a nation where patients had long been turned away from Ebola units for lack of space.

Now, new admissions to treatment centers are dropping or flatlining, the number of samples being submitted to Ebola laboratories has fallen significantly, and the percentage of people testing positive for the disease has dropped as well.

...

Liberia has long been a focal point of the Ebola epidemic, the nation with the most cases and deaths from the disease, prompting a global call to action. Hundreds of new beds have been added in recent weeks, but now many are going unfilled even before any of the 18 treatment centers being built by the American military have opened, leaving many officials here confounded.

No one seems sure what this means:

Some consider the latest developments an indication that the efforts to combat the virus, including the opening of new treatment units, are beginning to succeed.

“We can see it subsiding bit by bit,” the Rev. Omalley M. Segbee told his congregation at Sunday services at Grace Baptist Church in the town of Gbarnga. “This means you are on our side, oh Lord.”

But because Liberians celebrated early once before — believing the virus had been eradicated in the spring, only to see it rage back with greater force in the summer — there is a near universal hesitance to call the outbreak under control. Liberia’s neighbors, Sierra Leone and Guinea, have been experiencing a troubling surge of cases in recent weeks.

There is also the likelihood that many people dying of Ebola in Liberia are hidden from the authorities, as has been true throughout the epidemic.

I assume the military will go full speed ahead on building the new treatment centers, and hope they are not needed.

Comments

[Frau Mutterherz]

Erste?

[Frau Mutterherz]

Happy birthday, Beasts!

[fdcol63]

HB, Beasts! Hope it's a great day!

[Sandy--Engorged Capital~Fallow Districts--Daze]

It needs to be determined
- who are the internationals deployed to the Ebola Hot Zones (EHZ):
- how many internationals are there ?
- what agencies/entities (NGOs) are sending these internationals?
- are they volunteers or on orders (e.g. military)
- from what countries do they come?
- for how long are they there?
- who (govt/agency) is paying their salary?

The answers will reveal a wide variety of personnel in the EHZs, including:
--there are many internationals, from many countries
--there are many organizations, governments and NGOs sending forth their medical warriors
--some are on orders, some have volunteered for the "right" reasons, and
--some are checking the box in their medical missionary resume, i.e. catastrophic medical tourism
--the ones there for the "right" reasons will have been found, by and large, to be there on the longer assignments (see e.g., Brantley, Kent), and will likely be compensated at a lower rate
--the ones there for wrong reasons, to check the block, will likely be compensated at a greater $$ amount, and likely be receiving all sorts of inducements above their base government-provided salary. They will also feel a sense of superiority, once having achieved their "cred" they have become, de facto, an authority (see, e.g. Hickox, Kaci).

The medical tourists know that they 'need' to go to EHZs so they can have the requisite image behind their desk, and requisite lines in their CVs saying "I was there" in order to be considered the next head of in ther never-ceasing climb up the professional do-gooder ladder.

Real do-gooders don't do this. They are, like the Special Forces, silent professionals.

[sbw]

[I put this on a previous thread that, unbeknownst to me, was not the active thread.] New England Journal of Medicine:

Health care professionals treating patients with this illness have learned that transmission arises from contact with bodily fluids of a person who is symptomatic — that is, has a fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and malaise. We have very strong reason to believe that transmission occurs when the viral load in bodily fluids is high, on the order of millions of virions per microliter. This recognition has led to the dictum that an asymptomatic person is not contagious; field experience in West Africa has shown that conclusion to be valid. Therefore, an asymptomatic health care worker returning from treating patients with Ebola, even if he or she were infected, would not be contagious. Furthermore, we now know that fever precedes the contagious stage, allowing workers who are unknowingly infected to identify themselves before they become a threat to their community.

Other sources with different science-based conclusions?

[fdcol63]

Quite frankly, what if we're really dealing with multiple strains of Ebola, each with differing methods of transmission and infection, and other characteristics?

Personally, I think what Duncan had was aerosolized.

[lyle]

Because it's never too soon to go OT:

http://mentalfloss.com/article/59646/25-maps-describe-america

[Threadkiller]

http://www.judicialwatch.org/blog/2014/10/obama-may-elected-illegal-votes/

[Threadkiller]

From the ChiTown agitator:

These guys put the Die in Diebold.

[lyle]

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/10/29/white-house-tries-to-ease-flare-up-over-netanyahu-insults/

Ignorant "greasy choad" quarantine time.

[NKreBootDeux]

Michelle Malkin is like a female steyn with rhetorical flourishes like this:http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/the-spectacular-self-immolation-of-wendy-davis/article/2555426?custom_click=rss&utm_campaign=Weekly+Standard+Story+Box&utm_source=weeklystandard.com&utm_medium=referral#!

[Appalled]

fdcol63:

I'm no expert, but I would think, if Duncan's disease were spreadable through something other than bodily fluids, he would have infected more people at the ER in his first visit, and the nurses who caught his strain would have infected people. (They don't seem to have).

Sandy:

I think it takes a unique form of medical tourist (say, a pathological pathologist) to wander through an epidemic like ebola, in order to burnish their spiritual resume. This said, such a personality would be just the type to act with the stupid impunity that the currently ill ebola guy in New York seems to have acted.

[NKreBootDeux]

I believe SandyD properly described a careerist Prog public health box checker, and contrasted them with true selfless physicians.The selfless are dead in West Africa, the careerist box checkers are here.

[Eric in Boise]

Interesting Maps, Lyle.

Was surprised to find out that Burger King was Floridian; not that surprised about Hooters.

And HB beasts, but since it's around noon I'm sure he's engaged in other pursuits.

[James D.]

Appalled @ 1:06

I don't think it's unique at all. What I think it takes is a very common form of arrogance that we see from progs all the time. They know best, and as long as they follow their checklists, which other credentialed experts just like them have compiled, nothing can possibly happen to them.

[James D.]

About lyle's map link:

#18 says everything that needs to be said about immigration and open borders.

[Marlene]

In response to Kaci Hickox saying she will not comply with the 21 day quarantine,Gov.LePage issued a statement this morning saying that the state will pursue legal action. A Maine state trooper is sitting in an unmarked car across the street from the house. He declined to give the BDN reporter his name,but said he is working with the Maine CDC "to monitor her movement and ensure her safety."
OK,this personal now! I don't want our tax dollars babysitting her!

[NKreBootDeux]

BK is now... Canadian based (and owned by Brazilians)

[lyle]

Happy Bacchanal, Beasts!

[Sandy--Engorged Capital~Fallow Districts--Daze]

Have not seen it mentioned, perhaps someone here has:

How long was Nurse Hickox deployed into the EHZ ?

[Frau Dickmilch]

Which one is the "chickenschmitz" and which one would you trust to protect your country?

[Marlene]

*our tax dollars spent*

[lyle]

Don't actually click this (unless your thirst for masochism is unsated). It's merely grist for the continuing MFM mill and utterly predictable:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ruth-marcus-why-jeb-bush-should-run-for-president/2014/10/28/e344bbb4-5ec3-11e4-91f7-5d89b5e8c251_story.html

[centralcal]

New Marquette poll:

Guy Benson ‏@guypbenson 2m2 minutes ago

Wow: Final MU Law poll gives Walker 50-43 lead in #WIGov

[lyle]

To compliment Frau's 1:22:

http://hotair.com/archives/2014/10/29/obama-shifting-america-away-from-israel-and-toward-iran/

[Frau Dickmilch]

(Take him, Ruth; he's yours.)

Pres. Seether sez we are ready.

Right click.

Feel better?

[henry]

cc: I'll believe it Tuesday evening. It does show the JEF still has his merde touch, plus that poll was before the Trek surprise of today. Trumpka hardest hit.

[Danube on iPad]

This presents a fascinating question, perhaps a constitutional one. Under new State Department regulations, the term "mother" is now defined to include a woman who carries and gives birth to a child with whom she has no biological connection. This would mean that if an American woman traveled to, say, Greece (or North Korea) she could offer to carry a child for a foreign couple, give birth abroad, and the resulting child would be a U.S. citizen at birth. Lots of money to be made here.

http://dailycaller.com/2014/10/28/obama-administration-allows-fertility-clinics-to-sell-us-citizenship/

[RickB]

Henry,

It's just no country for pasty white women this year.*

*Ernst castrating Braley being the exception.

[narciso]

it's just full of category error, or for marcus, a day ending in y:

[lyle]

I post this as nothing more than exhibit 2,389,177 of the left's insanity. Feel free to skip over it. From Powerline quoting the intectual lightweight Thomas Frank:

The moral of this story is not directed at Democratic politicians; it is meant for us, the liberal rank and file. We still “yearn to believe,” as Perlstein says. There is something about the Carter / Obama personality that appeals to us in a deep, unspoken way, and that has led Democrats to fall for a whole string of passionless centrists: John Kerry, Al Gore, Michael Dukakis, Gary Hart and Bill Clinton. Each time, Democratic voters are enchanted by a kind of intellectual idealism that (we are told) is unmoored from ideology. We persuade ourselves that the answer to the savagery of the right—the way to trump the naked class aggression of the One Percent—is to say farewell to our own tradition and get past politics and ideology altogether. And so we focus on the person of the well-meaning, hyper-intelligent leader. We are so high-minded, we think. We are so scientific.

We are such losers.

The first bold reinforces my point; the second is possibly the first honest point this hack has ever made.

[Appalled]

DoT:

Here's one to get the threads (and those who kill them) riled:

If a US female donates an egg to a foreign surrogate, the person's birth happens outside the US, can the child (with 100% USA DNA) grow up to be President?

[hrtshpdbox]

Re: Jeb. Despite the supposedly "wide open" GOP field for 2016, I don't really see the nominee being anyone other than Jeb Bush or Rand Paul; I think either would be a strong candidate in a general election, and I'd be more than happy with either as President. Jeb is a smart guy and, on balance, a conservative - he seems to get quite a bit of undeserved criticism from purists.

[rse]

From Marcus:"Make no mistake: Bush is a conservative. But he is a conservative who believes in the role and capacity of government and in the imperative of bipartisan cooperation."

Why does jeb get to decide whether he is a conservative or not.If his advocated policies reek of Statism and Corporatism, why do we defer to his decision to insist he is a conservative?

If someone advocates every aspect of Uncle Karl's vision for society and the economy but never uses the M word, does that mean no one can point out the "looks like a duck, quacks like a duck" should quit calling itself a swan because it sounds better.

[lyle]

As I misspell "intellectual." Sheesh.

[jimmyk]

Regarding sbw@10:41 (NEJM): Somewhat reassuring, but it seems more like an editorial than objective research, and it has the key weasel words: "We have very strong reason to believe...." I tend to think they are being honest, but it's not exactly the definitive smoking gun.

[NKreBootDeux]

henry-- your caution is absolutely warranted. The Merde King's Milwaukee visit is clearly a cover for the vote fraud that will take place in the City. I believe our friend in Chitown overstates the fraud margin, but the fact there will be fraud in the City is a given. What were the final Marquette polls in 2010 and 2012?

[rse]

hrt-if you think jeb is a conservative I suggest you read the Aspen report called "Learner at the Center of a Networked World" where he chaired the task force. No parent in America would agree with that report's rec's on the utter lack of knowledge needed in the 21st century.

So why is his name attached? Is he sloppy? Is he willing to do it for the millions in contributions going into his foundation and the opportunity to invest in so many ed companies doing business for the taxpayer ed dollar?

I am not being mean, but that, on top of being a legacy is why Jeb may have fun and find it lucrative to run for Pres, but he reenforces every bad stereotype about insider self-dealing as why people go into politics.

[lyle]

"Purists"? Who you callin' a purist? :)

Okay, from this purist are my objections to Jeb:

Common Core.
Open Immigration.
That fact that Marcus thinks it's a good idea. (This should just about disabuse anyone that he's conservative fercryinoutloud).
He's a Bush.
He's establishment as they come.
Hillary will wallop him.

[Some Guy]

lyle,

This is the interesting bit for me:

"Each time, Democratic voters are enchanted by a kind of intellectual idealism that (we are told) is unmoored from ideology."

What a load. What 'they were told' was that all were deeply ideological but [wink wink] that ideology had to be hidden from the rubes. Frank's ideology is shared by a tiny portion of the population, and it has to be repackaged, not only to convince people in general elections, but also to convince half of traditional democrats. Not one of the individuals he listed was "unmoored" from being farther left than 80% of the electorate.

[Old Lurker]

Did anyone answer Jimmy and Kave about the whereabouts of Jane?

[henry]

NK, Marquette was close in 10, under Walker's margin in 12.*

* the recall was held in the summer when the college student part of the fraud conveyor was not in session.

[hrtshpdbox]

Jeb proved as Governor that he's pro-life, pro-gun and a fiscal conservative. Labeling him a Statist because he supports federal education standards or because of his moderate immigration views is a stretch.

[Marlene]

Tomorrow will be interesting. Obama is going to campaign with Michaud. If the nurse refuses quarantine and the state forces her, the optics will be interesting. Will Obama attack LePage and the Maine CDC? Will Michaud stand there and agree with Obama? Stay tuned.

[Porchlight]

That Marquette poll is huge for Walker. It is like the recall - it was neck and neck until the end and then suddenly he was up significantly.

Of course it could also just be pollsters getting honest for their final poll.

[DrJ]

PL,

I have sent her an email message. We'll see what comes back.

[Old Lurker]

Thx DrJ

[hrtshpdbox]

Well, lyle, being a Bush is not a disqualifier for me, as Bush the Younger gets pretty high marks (again, overall). I think Jeb would improve Common Core, which I admit is deeply flawed now. Immigration, of course, he's spot on about; we need a secure border and a plan to assimilate those who we brought in over the decades as cheap labor. Liberals pretend that they don't blanche at the mention of Jeb's name; they did that with Romney too, until he was nominated and liberals could immediately discern his horns (so, in short, who cares what liberals say anyway?). I think he'd run as strongly against Hillary as anyone else I can think of.

[Marlene]

Jane will be on the NRO cruise next week.Maybe she took an extended vacation?

[centralcal]

Did anyone answer Jimmy and Kave about the whereabouts of Jane?

It looks like she's posted stuff to her FB page in the last 2-3 hours. I left a message and told her to check in here, or a posse would be forming to find her and haul her in!

[James D.]

Reasons to be against Bush:

#1 - we do NOT need any more political dynasties. Even if he were the best candidate in the world, and I agreed with him on every single issue, I would not want him in the White House because we got rid of hereditary monarchies for a good reason.

#2 - common core (and all the horrors that go with it, as rse has been painstakingly detailing for a long time now) is NOT simply about "federal education standards." It's about fundamentally altering the way our children think, and denying them the intellectual tools they need. Either Jeb is blind to that, in which case he's unqualified to be President; or he's perfectly OK with it, in which case he's unfit to be President.

#3 - his "moderate" immigration views basically amount to open borders and the further destruction of this country. Again, either he honestly doesn't understand that, and has no business being President; or he does and thinks that a good thing, in which case...he has no business being President.

[GMax]

Marquette was taken before it became common knowledge that Burke is incompetent at running even a bicycle shop. Like Wendy David she will underperform now her predecessor.

Fraud exists but its very difficult to manufacturer more than perhaps 1% of the vote. Walker may well be launched on a path for a direct collision with the pantsuit lady. For whatever difference, at this point that would make.

[Old Lurker]

Sorry, hrts, not buying it. Jeb should go away.

[Some Guy]

sbw,

Regarding the New England Journal of Medicine assertion on Ebola.

It's hard to reconcile that, with the high rate of infection among doctors. 16 from Doctors without B&Bs were infected, and 9 have died. The numbers in Africa for health professionals are quite high.

IOW, the numbers don't seem consistent with mere breeches in protocol, it seems more likely to be inadequate protocol. And given the difficultly in consistently being able to study such a horrific disease whilst it's being treated, it's not unreasonable to question assertions such as this because they really aren't as scientific as they are anecdotal or based on flawed data sets.

[lyle]

we need a secure border and a plan to assimilate those who we brought in over the decades as cheap labor

Sorry, I'm not convinced that first securing the border is paramount to him or any other establishment R.

I think he'd run as strongly against Hillary as anyone else I can think of.

I highly doubt this. He won't take the fight to her. Hell, a not insignificant number of the Rs in the Senate will be rooting for her led by McRino.

Doesn't the country deserve better than entrenched political dynasties?

[Old Lurker]

James said it better...

[NKreBootDeux]

henry-- thanks for the Marquette history lesson. My guess, Marquette used conservative voter pools for earlier polls, and now has isolated LVs and this is the result (the reality is Marquette knew the LV pool from the beginning, but didn't want to bury Burke from the get go. ) You know my wish henry-- Walker 52-46-2, then he comes out against the Joe Doe DA frauds, dobles down on tax cuts, and makes calls on $$$ Repubs in NYC and elsewhere.

[lyle]

Sorry, hrts, not buying it. Jeb should go away.

Purist!!

[GMax]

If we are playing Jeopardy the answer to the question : Whats Wrong with Thomas Frank is above at Lyle's 1: 50.

[NKreBootDeux]

conservative pool = Dems based on historic Dem turnout not 2010-date.

[lyle]

You too, JamesD!

[Old Lurker]

Lyle, until you repeated it at 2:20, I had not noticed how wrongheaded was "assimilate those who we brought in over the decades as cheap labor."

[fdcol63]

Nothing says oligarchy like political dynasties.

We already have too many of them.

No more Bushes, Clintons, Kennedys, Landrieus, Murkowskis, Nunns, Grahams, etc etc etc.

[NKreBootDeux]

No more political Dynasties, this is america dammit. We need to shitcan HildaBeast, Moochelle, Jeb, all of the crews.

[hrtshpdbox]

Nothing, not one single thing, even remotely supports the contention that Bush advocates "open borders" - quite the opposite (at link). Hyperbole aside, though, Bush is exactly the type of Republican who can a) win Hispanic votes, and b) forge an immigration bill that will pass on both sides of the aisle. Bush II tried to get a bill going but was rebuffed by his own party, which was/is a disgrace; Jeb, I think, is more talented than his brother. Again, purists will disagree; purists, btw, at this stage of the game eight years ago, were generally in Fred Thompson's corner - Fred would've been whomped worse by Obama than McCain was.

http://online.wsj.com/articles/jeb-bush-and-clint-bolick-the-solution-to-border-disorder-1406160744

[MarkO]

Between John Quincy Adams and GWB was about 200 years. I can wait another 200.

[Porchlight]

The progs want you to boycott these companies:

14 Companies To Avoid If You Support Equality In America

Put 'em on your Christmas lists. :)

[fdcol63]

We owe absolutely NOTHING to those who came here to work.

They already benefited economically from their employment, and from living here in relative peace and prosperity.

If they want to pursue citizenship, let them. We will welcome them, if they do it legally and properly.

We do not have a broken immigration system. We have an unenforced immigration system.

[GMax]

OH MY this is going to cause some bedwetting in progland:

US SENATE – GEORGIA (Monmouth)
David Perdue (R) 49%
Michelle Nunn (D) 41%
Amanda Swafford (L) 3%

Based on everthing I have seen and studied, there are but three remaining questions. Can Brown finish like a champ and beat Shaheen at the finish line? Are North Carolinians in the mood to send a strong message to Democrat on election day, and will enough Republicans come home to Pat Roberts to keep a faux Democrat from getting elected for a single term.

I am uncertain on one, feel pretty good about two and watching carefully on three.

[NKreBootDeux]

Has Hit & run given his daily NC early vote totals? We need Jane to liveblog tomorrow night's Shaheen/Brown debate. Why did Brown allow that little Stephanopoulos pissant to 'moderate' the last debate. Jeez, can't anyone play this game?

[MarkO]

Brown is a fool.

[Miss Marple]

Someone point to me where Jeb spoke out in defense of (in no particular order) the GOP, the Tea Party, Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, his OWN BROTHER, or the citizens of the US.

He has not.

I followed him on Twitter from when he first got an account. He only posts about education, even when we are in the middle of all sorts of economic, social, and foreign policy problems.

So besides his views on Common Core (which he will NOT improve and besides, I don't want it improved, I want it abolished) and immigration (which he is untrustworthy on) I DO NOT WANT HIM.

And I am about as big a George Bush fan as can be found on this board.

[NKreBootDeux]

In my 53 or Bust World, Ga.(by runoff), NC and Kansas are musts, NH would be lovely for a NorthEast Repub, but not necessary.

[Threadkiller]

This would mean that if an American woman traveled to, say, Greece (or North Korea) she could offer to carry a child for a foreign couple, give birth abroad, and the resulting child would be a U.S. citizen at birth. 

JATFI

Here's one to get the threads (and those who kill them) riled:

As the country's sovereignty gets killed, panties get riled over the fate of the thread.

[Some Guy]

I really like and appreciate the Bushes and think they have made great contributions and giving exemplary service to the country.

Further, I think GWB will in retrospect one day be considered one of the top ten presidents.

Now stating the above, Jeb shouldn't run, and if he did get the nomination may not win. I don't think he has the political skill to deal with being forced to run against not only whatever Donk gets the nod, but also his own brother.

[hrtshpdbox]

Lyle, until you repeated it at 2:20, I had not noticed how wrongheaded was "assimilate those who we brought in over the decades as cheap labor."

Well, since I wrote "assimilate those etc.", I guess I'll defend my wrongheadedness, huh. See, what I was thinking is that U.S. employers have availed themselves of cheap illegal immigrant labor for a long time. Not turning that labor away because no valid green cards could be produced but, rather, looking the other way and employing those workers. So it's a problem for which the U.S. bears some responsibility, as we condoned and encouraged it. And that Jeb is not entirely off the mark (oh, heck, he's entirely on it) when he says the illegal immigrant may be committing a "crime", but it's not too hard to understand why it happens (as GWB said, roughly, "of course they're coming here, they're trying to feed their families"). Under the circumstances, a certain amount of compassion might be in order when formulating policy, or so it would seem to me but I'm probably too dim to understand where my head went wrong on this.

[hrtshpdbox]

I DO NOT WANT HIM.
Understood, Miss Marple. I KINDA DO.

[centralcal]

Agree, Miss Marple. And what is this name calling nonsense? If we are not pro-Jeb we are "Purists!" Well, I reject that. You may call me a "Realist!" Jeb doesn't have a snow-ball's chance in hell, unless the Fnork shove everybody else aside and maneuver Jeb to the spotlight.

[Beasts of England]

Thanks, all! Glad these things only occur once per year...

Nap time. Seriously. Not a metaphor.

[Porchlight]

Brown seems to me to have run a smart race so far against a fairly popular incumbent. NH is purplish blue, so it might not play that well to be perceived as whining about the moderator.

Brown's done well in the debates which have been full of Shaheen unforced errors, so I think I'll wait until Tuesday night to decide whether or not he's a fool. ;)

[Stephanie Nene Not Your Normal Granma]

Jeb would be a disaster. By the time 16 rolls around, this country is gonna need someone with a bold vision for the necessary course correction like a new contract w America not a jovial milquetoast nibbling around the edges. I like Jeb but he comes across as an amiable doofus. He is not a bold choice. And his even associating with common core is a deal breaker for millions of parents and informed voters.

Why start off with a fundamentally flawed candidate in many people's eyes even if it's just because of his surname? I can see campaign slogans of dynasty the tv show parodies and dumb and dumberer jokes now.

[Porchlight]

Jeb, unlike his brother, just doesn't seem to me to have the stones for the job.

The only thing I like about Christie is that I know he can fight. Whether he's willing to (figuratively) kick the Red Witch's ass all the way back to Park Ridge, I'm not sure.

[narciso]

the Medici, was ok as governor, his brother Neil did sell him the Ignite magic beans, which have not improved things, they are common core 1.0 with constructivist template, meaning 2+2=4, is a class based construct of uber capitalism,

[NKreBootDeux]

Jeb-- I bet he's very comfy with a lot of the Dems 2009-2010 statist stuff. No... we need and electable conservative who will govern that way... Walker-Martinez.

[Porchlight]

Marquette crosstabs:

Favorables among LVs:

Walker 51/46
Burke 39/49

[narciso]

btw, the New York Post link re Ebola transmissions had comments by Meryl Nass, the moonbat that Kristof relied on, to witchhunt
Stephen Hatfill, for that I apologize.

[jimmyk]

hrtshpdbox@ 2:37, not all of us are total hardliners on immigration. I have some sympathy for your point, though it's not a matter of compassion. I think legal immigration coupled with a work requirement (i.e. no coming here for the freebies) is good for everyone (except maybe for the labor unions, which is fine). It's how this country was built, after all. The problem is that nigh impossibility given the current legal system of enforcing that work requirement, not to mention preventing people from staying beyond their visas, etc. So there's got to be some middle ground.

[hrtshpdbox]

It's the same crowd here as two, four, eight and twelve years ago, and that's fine. Nominee will probably be Jeb, and you'll all vote for him while pining for someone More Pure. Anyway, I don't want to ruin thoughts on Tuesday, where I'll guess we gain 8 in the Senate and 11 in the House. Cheers.

[Old Lurker]

Several centuries back we "brought in slaves in chains to provide cheap labor" and therefore bore responsibility to them back in the day. We fought a war among ourselves over that.

Hrts' "brought in over the decades" implies both an active event and one that does not differentiate between 20 years ago and say last month?

Leaving a pie cooling on the windowsill while leaving the garden gate open does not make one responsible for the thief.

[jimmyk]

As for Jeb, I don't have a strong view, but regardless of his bone fides as a conservative, I am concerned about Bush fatigue, and whether he would be the strongest candidate we could field for that reason alone. I much prefer Walker, win or lose on Tuesday.

[James D.]

I'm a purist! I'll own that label proudly.

I'm becoming more and more of one every day, as the horrendous damage the left has done - and continues to do - to this country becomes more and more evident.

It seems to me that a couple of hundred years ago, we were given about as good a blueprint as could be imagined for running a prosperous and secure country, a blueprint that took into account and planned for the many frailities to which human nature is prone.

The left (often with the aid of those on our side of the debate) has been busy ever since trying to undermine that blueprint, with much success.

We need to go back to it. And that means no more "compassionate conservatism." No more compromise. No more cronyism. No more giving in on individual issues to keep the peace, when those - inevitably - end up being footholds to allow the left to further encroach.

We know it works. We know, in the end, nothing else really does. And I don't believe for one single heartbeat that Jeb is someone who will help take us back to what works.

[jimmyk]

And please stick around, hrtshpdbox. This place would die if everyone agreed.

[Jane]

I'm fine guys, thanks for asking. I was getting testy so I put myself in time-out.

[jimmyk]

Sheesh, if everyone who was "testy" cleared out of here it would be empty in a hurry.

[MarkO]

College rape?

The schools are negligent if they are not increasing security in the face of what some are calling evidence that 1 in 5 women are sexually assaulted. It would seem to border on gross negligence. Their lack of concern to do more than railroad a few guys tells me it is a phony crisis.

[centralcal]

Perfect. Things are getting testy here too!

We're frikken already anointing Jeb Bush as the only possible winning candidate for 2016.

I am off to lunch.

[Old Lurker]

We like our wimmen testy, Jane...

And we like it when hrtshpdbox pushes our buttons too!

[Porchlight]

hrtshpdbox, I see where you're coming from re: immigration - the US has largely looked the other way in order to benefit from the cheap labor.

But most voters personally have not looked the other way, and neither have the citizens whose wages have been depressed by that cheap labor. And how about compassion for those who try to come here legally and are told no dice? And haven't illegals already received untold benefits merely by living and working in a mostly safe country with good schools and healthcare? In additio, they are sending enormous amounts of money home every year, so I'm not entirely sure where exactly compassion needs to be applied.

In the current environment we can never even hope to enforce the laws on the books let alone close the border without strong conservative leadership. If a Republican candidate will not talk seriously about enforcement/border control, then he is effectively ceding all, not part, of the ground to the Dems. There really can be no compromise until the GOP establishes the upper hand.

Jeb is willing to compromise before he even gets nominated. It's a nonstarter.

[jimmyk]

Off topic (whatever that is), a very powerful column by Daniel Greenfield, aimed right at the heart of Obama, the Red Witch, the UN, and whichever coward dork called Netanyahu "chickenshit."

http://www.frontpagemag.com/2014/dgreenfield/the-islamization-of-jerusalem/

[Frau Steingehirn]

I'm glad to hear Beasts is pacing himself. It's only Hump Day mid-way in his birthday week.