General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSeriously - can we drop Ebola and get back to something serious like deaths from guns?
This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by hlthe2b (a host of the General Discussion forum).
# People killed by Ebola this week in the United States - 0
# People killed by gunfire this week in the United States - 200+ by my estimate
(Based on CDC report of 11,068 killed by firearms in 2011 -
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/homicide.htm
uppityperson
(115,674 posts)dang, did a search and no juicy articles.
quadrature
(2,049 posts)don't want Ebola
hedgehog
(36,286 posts)(Imagine I've inserted a photo here of a bloody gunshot victim lying on the ground dying while his lungs and abdomen fill with blood from internal bleeding.)
pnwmom
(108,925 posts)in Africa, and the UN is calling for a massive international effort to fight it, RIGHT NOW. Otherwise, they're predicting more than a million cases within a matter of months. The international community has a small window of opportunity to change the trajectory and if we don't take it, we'll regret it.
What just happened in Dallas should be a wake-up call. Ebola is everyone's business. We need to help Africa contain it now.
bvf
(6,604 posts)Global perspective and all.
Seriously.
hedgehog
(36,286 posts)of an epidemic of Ebola here and return to our existing problems - including controlling disease in the 3rd world. Even there, our focus on the current Ebola crisis in Western Africa should be a reminder that the countries there need assistance in developing a robust health care system to address such issues as maternal and infant mortality, family planning, malaria in addition to spotting and stopping any future outbreaks of Ebola.
AngryOldDem
(14,061 posts)No one, nowhere, is immune from this.
Oktober
(1,488 posts)Does it have to be a full crisis with bodies in the streets before you can tear yourself away from the gun issue for a second?
Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)Good to know this is still DU.
ileus
(15,396 posts)cali
(114,904 posts)fuck ups. It's not just about ebola. It's about the healthcare infrastructure and whether we're prepared for any epidemic.
hedgehog
(36,286 posts)ileus
(15,396 posts)I'm all for stopping people from abusing my rights as long as my rights aren't affected.
KrazyinKS
(291 posts)She thinks the crisis is being underplayed right now because of the coming election. She got real close to blaming Obama. She didn't say anything about the total lack of infrastructure, health care the like in those west Africa countries. Gee sounds like a tea party dream!
deutsey
(20,166 posts)a comprehensive critique (in plain language) of how decades of Neoliberalism have led to the global mess we're in: climate change, economic collapse, dying cities, deepening class divisions, frazzled healthcare system, failing educational system, rigged elections, crumbling roads and bridges, corporate crime, endless war, etc.
If we don't, then people like your sister and the sources of her disinformation (and their paymasters) will continue to define the situation.
Naomi Klein seems to be trying with her new book This Changes Everything. I haven't read it yet, but I've heard interviews with her and she's offering a sharp analysis of how Neoliberal policies are behind the climate crisis we're facing.
pintobean
(18,101 posts)Discuss politics, issues, and current events. Posts about Israel/Palestine, religion, ebola, showbiz, or sports are restricted in this forum. Conspiracy theories and disruptive meta-discussion are forbidden.
IBTL
TBF
(31,922 posts)*If it doesn't affect me personally I'm a gonna ignore it*
That will help.
hedgehog
(36,286 posts)by pointing out something that really does kill a lot of Americans. If anything, I think we need to redouble our efforts to get the various 3rd world health care systems up on their feet even when if there isn't a scary new plague that might conceivably kill Americans. How many Liberian kids have died from Ebola this week. How many from malaria or dysentery?
TBF
(31,922 posts)on stopping the killing. If we look at how much money we pay government contractors to build military weapons I think we would find the money we need (and then some) to eradicate many of the diseases suffered worldwide.
For those of us with compromised immune systems this disease is frightening though. Some Obama supporters are so afraid of any negativity being attached to their president that they appear to be trying to stifle any conversation regarding Ebola. I don't think that is very helpful either.
ETA - I am not seeing the "we are all going to die" comments that you are referencing. Are you referring to DU or elsewhere? I would expect that from FAUX news but not on here.
progressoid
(49,827 posts)hlthe2b
(101,730 posts)Host consensus is that this violates current GD SOP regarding gun violence discussion, which is currently limited to the two gun-related groups in the absence of a large national impact story.
Your understanding is appreciated.