The Media's Insane Reaction to Ebola

Now that the very few actual cases of Ebola in the United States have run their course, and the incubation period for anyone else is past, can we talk about the media reaction?

Chris Christie: the Ebola Nut (A Rocky Mountain Mike Song Parody)

Okay, seriously, how many think that Chris Christie has got any kind of shot at the 2016 presidency now? He just keeps piling up the problems and gaffes, not to mention his famous, tempestuous rudeness. Thankfully, Rocky Mountain Mike has put his latest to music, to the tune of Harry Nilsson's Coconut.

For more Mike, go here. And buy his album, Politically Incoherent on Amazon!

Rachel Maddow Makes Darrell Issa Look Like an Fool

Scratch that headline. Darrell Issa is a fool. Rachel Maddow just points that out in a supremely satisfying way. Issa should watch, he might learn something. It's also worth noting the vast difference between Republicans and Democrats regarding their response to the Ebola "crisis." One side is trying to calm people down, the other is stoking panic. Guess which is which.
 

 

Ebola (A Rocky Mountain Mike Song Parody)

It was so obvious, I can't believe I didn't think of it: a song parody about Ebola, set to The Kinks' Lola. Enjoy!

And get more Rocky Mountain Mike here.

 

US Facing Ebola with No Surgeon General

Why don't we have a Surgeon General to shepherd us through a medical crisis like Ebola? Three guesses. . .

Ebola Comes to the US

Captain Trips is a bitch.

Oh, here we go. As a voracious reader of Robin Cook and Stephen King over the years, this is just the scary thing that resonates with me. I'm heartened that it's difficult to catch Ebola, and that its gestation is so fast that people don't go around as carriers for extended periods. That should keep it from becoming an epidemic here. But yikes, let's hope this is one time that truth is stranger than truth. Meanwhile, we can delight in how FOX News and Right Wing world will turn this into: a) President Obama's fault, and b) somehow a distraction from and related to Benghazi.

[Excerpt]

First U.S. case of Ebola diagnosed in Texas after man who came from Liberia falls ill

A man who flew from Liberia to Dallas this month was diagnosed with Ebola on Tuesday, becoming the first person to board a passenger jet and unknowingly bring the disease here from West Africa, where it has killed thousands of people in recent months. . .

Read more at: Washington Post

Christian Radio Host Ties Ebola to Atheism, Homosexuality

Christian Radio Host, Rick Wiles. Nice hair.

Ebola is a horrible virus that kills quickly and gruesomely. Most of us know what we know about it from terrifying novels by Robin Cook, and scary medical thriller movies. So, when it rears its real head in the world, it can kind of freak people out. Which is why the CDC immediately came out and said: you can't get this easily, it's only transmitted through body fluids.

The infected doctors who came here are in isolation, and presumably not sharing any body fluids with anyone. If another healthcare provider gets a needle stick or something, they're sure to be popped right into a plastic bubble. This is not a third-world country. Ebola is very unlikely to become a runaway plaque in the States. It's not airborne. But fearmongers know that there is money to be made by scaring the crap out of people. And they've coupled it with other well-known pocketbook opening boogeymen: atheists and homosexuals (oh my)!

Honestly, can anyone make excuses for this guy? And he's not alone either. I heard our local right-wing radio doofus, Kevin Wall, trying to tie Ebola to the border immigration story. I mean, WTF? Ebola, untreated, kills rather quickly. The quarantine time is something like three weeks, because by that time, you either live or die. How likely is it that these kids can traverse all the way across Mexico from Central America with a disease that wipes you out and quickly? And how did it get there from Africa? It's absurd.

[Excerpt]

‘Christian’ Radio Host: Ebola Will ‘Solve America’s Problems Of Atheism And Homosexuality’
 
Some people, when they look at the worst Ebola outbreak in history, hope for its quick end and for the safety of those in the communities affected. But others, like Christian Radio Host Rick Wiles, hope it spreads to the US and wipes out every last atheist and gay person in the country. . .

Read more at: AddictingInfo

EDITED: I got an odd tweet, taking me to task for not knowing what a virus is. It is totally possible I zipped this post out more quickly than I should have, so I've fleshed it out a little more. Funny, the guy was an atheist (and proudly so), so we'd actually probably get along.

Rush Limbaugh is Still a Big, Fat Pig, Part MCMLXXXVIII

With apologies to Senator Al Franken for stealing his title, Rush Limbaugh just seems to keep trying to outdo himself in piggishness. He's just disgusting.

[Excerpt]

Rush Limbaugh: Liberals will politicize Ebola like they used AIDS to ‘undermine’ Reagan

Radio host Rush Limbaugh warned his listeners on Monday that liberals would make Ebola into a political issue and use it like they had used AIDS to “undermine” President Ronald Reagan. In an audio clip flagged by Media Matters, the conservative talker explained that he had received some complaints from listeners who said that he should not be spending time talking about the Ebola outbreak in Africa. . .

Read more at: Raw Story