Frieden's Fiasco II
A CBS News poll finds that the public's confidence in the Centers for Disease Control has been shattered as a result of Dr. Thomas Frieden's politically correct handling of Ebola. Only 37 percent of Americans believe the CDC is currently doing a good or excellent job. That's a huge drop from the 60% rating the agency scored in a May 2013 poll. Let me repeat: Dr. Frieden must resign.
It's easy to understand why the public's confidence is waning. After learning that an Ebola infected nurse was permitted to board a commercial airliner, I asked in yesterday's report if the CDC had any idea what the other Dallas healthcare workers under observation were up to. Clearly the answer is no.
Headlines today inform us that one worker who handled lab samples from Thomas Duncan is currently on a cruise ship in the Caribbean. But don't worry -- she is isolated.
As for the nurse, Frontier Airlines is now reportedly trying to track down not just the 132 people on her return flight to Dallas, but as many as 800 people "linked to flights [Amber Vinson] took between Dallas and Cleveland." Why? It is now feared that she "may have had symptoms sooner than originally believed."
Today Barack Obama appointed an Ebola czar to better coordinate the government's response. But rather than picking a medical expert, Obama chose a political operative, Ron Klain, former chief of staff to Vice Presidents Joe Biden and Al Gore.
Obama also raised eyebrows late yesterday afternoon for signing an executive order authorizing the deployment of National Guard troops to fight the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. I doubt that is what our weekend warriors had in mind when they signed up.
I highly recommend you take some time today or over the weekend to read the column "Six Reasons To Panic" by Jonathan Last in The Weekly Standard. Much of the information has been covered in our report over the past two weeks, but Last does a great job condensing it all in one place.
It is summarized well in his closing sentences: "We have arrived at a moment with our elite institutions where it is impossible to distinguish incompetence from willful misdirection. This can only compound an already dangerous situation."
Stop Passengers From Ebola "Ground Zero"
The current Ebola outbreak in West Africa has killed more than 4,500 people. Health officials warn that the mortality rate is approaching 70%. But the Associated Press reports that two African nations, Nigeria and Senegal, have stopped the disease in its tracks.
To what do they credit their success? According to the AP, "Officials credit tighter border controls, good patient-tracking and other medical practices, and just plain luck with keeping Ebola confined mostly to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea."
Did you catch that, my friends? "Tighter border controls" and "keeping Ebola confined." Unfortunately, controlling the borders with temporary travel restrictions to keep Ebola confined is the one thing President Obama won't do.
There is a growing chorus on Capitol Hill calling on the administration to stop more individuals from coming to the U.S. from the worst Ebola ravaged nations. So far, 60 members of the House are calling for a travel moratorium. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) is calling for Congress to convene and vote on the issue now.
Many members of Congress would loath returning to Washington in the closing days of the campaign. But 67% of Americans support restricting travel.
Others are not waiting. The Peace Corps has ordered its volunteers out of the hardest hit countries, and several universities have banned travel by students and employees. In fact, Syracuse University has informed an award-winning photojournalist from the Washington Post, who was scheduled to appear at workshop this weekend, that he can no longer come to the campus because he recently returned from Liberia.
Will Pastors Face Prison?
Senator Ted Cruz stood with more than a dozen Houston pastors yesterday to condemn the city's outrageous demand that they surrender any sermons in which they spoke about homosexuality.
Wednesday we reported that Houston city officials were harassing pastors who led opposition to an expansive homosexual rights ordinance that would permit men to use women's restrooms. Unbelievably, Houston's city attorneys have issued subpoenas for sermons and other pastoral communications that mentioned homosexuality, gender identity or Houston's openly lesbian mayor, Annalise Parker.
"Caesar has no jurisdiction over the pulpit," Cruz said, and he blasted the city's "shocking and shameful" subpoenas as a "grotesque abuse of power." In an interview with CBN News, Cruz warned that unless America's pastors forcefully speak up against this intrusion, we may enter a period in this country where pastors risk being jailed for hate speech.
It's not hyperbole, friends. It's already happened in Sweden and England.
Remember how the intolerant left reacted after Proposition 8 passed in California? That venom and vitriol is now being directed at Christian business owners and individuals. Don't assume for a second that pastors will escape persecution.
Kudos to Senator Cruz for sounding the alarm. But the fight isn't limited to Houston. Every pastor in America must speak out. Every American who cherishes religious liberty must defend it by voting.
Chag Same'ach
Carol and I wish all of our Jewish friends and supporters celebrating Simchat Torah a happy and joyous holiday!