GOP outraged over NASCAR immunizations advisory

[taterguy]

I'm not kidding.

Sometimes the jokes just write themselves

http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/10/11/NASCARIMMUNIZE_1011.html

[NC_Nurse]

1. Hayes is so brilliant.

"We got our shots when we were born." :eyes:
Jeebus.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

2. Burnt rubber and vaccines. Now, that's a country song just waiting to be written.

:rofl:

"To suggest that vaccines are needed to attend NASCAR races is insulting to millions of hardworking Americans who love their country and the smell of burnt rubber," he said.

:rofl:

MKJ

[MethuenProgressive]

3. They were going to visit, and I quote:

"health care centers, detention facilities and other operations where they could be exposed to communicable diseases." Not sitting in the stands with Bubba Joe and Billy bob. Watch the Republicans run with this'un...

[tanyev]

4. They keep their faux outrage at a constant simmer one degree below boiling.

It's always ready to go at a moment's notice.

[Somawas]

5. Condoms, anyone?

Republican Rep. Tim Walberg, whose district includes the Michigan International Speedway, said Democrats must not understand the term "rubbin' is racing."

Should have suggested condom use, too.

[Aviation Pro]

6. Of course the France family can rename the races...

...the Influenza 500 and the Diptheria 400 sound good.

[Somawas]

7. Chlymidia would probably only get a 200, huh?

nt

[davsand]

8. So, do they think you should send employees into a risky setting unprepared?

From the article:

"The brouhaha began when the House Committee on Homeland Security decided to study public health preparedness of mass gatherings. They advised aides to get immunized for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus and influenza before going to the UAW-Ford 500 in Talladega last weekend and the Bank of America 500 this weekend northeast of Charlotte, N.C.

The committee is examining whether the US Department of Homeland Security is coordinating with state local and private law-enforcement and health care responders to prepare for possible mass emergencies.

...committee aides were visiting health care centers, detention facilities and other operations where they could be exposed to communicable diseases. He said the immunizations were routine for health care workers..."


I dunno about everybody else, but if I was gonna go and hang out in correctional facilities and hospitals I'd worry about exposure to any number of bugs (remember, hospitals are where SICK people go!)

It is creepy enough to go to a hospital when a family member is ill, but doing it for my job would make it even worse. If you are sending employees into that sort of setting it doesn't sound too extreme to offer them some sort of protection ageist some of the bugs they might come into contact with.

As for the Nascar connection, they pretty much nailed that in the article as well when they compare the size of a Nascar race to the size of the crowd at the Superbowl. Superbowl is 70,000 for a few hours and a Nascar race can draw 200,000 to 300,000 with people CAMPED there for a few days. Consider the size of the gathering and then think about what one really nasty bug could do with that size population with a lack of facilities...

It ought to scare crap outta anybody--Nascar fan or not. They are going to examine how safe these extremely large public gatherings are, and it makes sense to me that MAYBE it is only polite to warn employees about what they could potentially encounter. (I think they call it informed consent??)

Seems to me this is one more illustration of faked outrage and the GOP not giving a crap about employees and their safety on the job...


Laura

[TwilightGardener]

9. They're not really outraged--they're trying to DRUM UP outrage.

WTF does politics have to do with NASCAR?

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

10. They should never try for nuanced. The connections are so tenuous, they're gossamer.

And, they must spell out exactly the specifics of the perceived insult, which is hard to do when it involves science type things like vaccines and such.

:-) MKJ

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

11. Hepatitis is "blue coller value" and "patriotic"?

That was the word Thursday from Republican officials after they learned that a congressional committee's Democratic staffers had advised aides to get vaccinated for hepatitis and other diseases before visiting NASCAR events in Concord, N.C., and Talladega, Ala.

"Democrats should know that there is no preventive measure yet designed to ward off the blue-collar values and patriotism that NASCAR fans represent," said Linda Daves, the chairwoman of the North Carolina Republican Party. "If they aren't careful, they just might catch some of it."

Damn! Nobody told me when I was working in construction or I woulda gone out and got me a coupla' cases and a flag pin.