As I sit here suffering from the symptoms of a confirmed case of H1N1 which I got from my grandson, I feel qualified to speak about the current panic gripping the nation. A panic which is causing selfish, self-centered and immoral people to horde medicine, against all expert medical advice, get a vaccine when they are not in a high risk group or even worse, attempt to make money on the misery and misfortune of others.Yes I am really sick and feeling lousy; body pain and aches and temperatures as high as 103.7. Yes, I am worried about my grandson who being only 10 years-old falls into the category of those who are being disproportionately affected by this new virus. And yes I am worried about the thousands of people who are standing in line for as long as 16 hours in hopes to get the vaccine. But I can’t help but wonder what the feeding frenzy would be if President Bush were still in the White House and the nation was facing such shortage despite assurances a few months ago that there would be enough vaccine available by now to properly vaccinate at least the high risk groups.
If you are a moderate intelligent American with an open mind and a willingness to listen to both sides and then make up your own mind and you still believe that the media is not biased toward the left, just take a look at the any of the three major news networks in this country and notice the lack of public outrage and outcry over the shortage.
I don’t know that President Obama, or any other president for that matter, can do anything to accelerate the production of a vaccine which is created by a private for-profit organization: Is not like the President of the United States can pick up the phone and order a private institution to increase production even under emergency circumstances. And yet somehow I feel that if President Bush were still the president, the outcry would be heard around the world!
Remember a few weeks back when President Obama visited New Orleans to see the damage which still affects the city? President Obama, in what is a rare occurrence, was criticized for being making the visit two hours long. Residents felt that the president should have spent more time in the devastated city. That criticism was first reported in early broadcasts the next day but it was removed and absent from subsequent evening broadcasts.
It seems that any criticism of the president is quickly removed from the major news networks if it makes it to the broadcast at all!
If this is not enough to convince you, consider the latest salvo fired by the White House when they attempted to change Fox Network’s status from a legitimate new media organization to that of a “talk show” which is not entitled to have access to the president and one in which the president does not have to appear as clearly demonstrated when the President appeared in all three major network news casts to promote his health reform plan but refused to appear in any Fox News broadcasts.
The White House’ attempt to discredit and disqualify Fox News was so outrageous that the entire Press Corps rebelled against the move, choosing instead to fight for the First Amendment and not allow the president to go after a news agency simply because he doesn’t like the criticism.
When President Bush was president not a day went by where the major media outlets didn’t burn then President Bush in effigy for anything and everything.
Once again we witness that the facts don’t really matter and when it comes down to it, everyone, including the President and his administration, always tries to put the best foot forward.




