New York Times Readers React to Suggestion We Should Ban Travel from Outbreak Countries: Racism!, Racism!, Racism!

Of course.

This past week someone asked me why Obama wasn't taking the obvious steps to protect the American public from ebola.

Because Racism, I said immediately.

And now I have my confirmation.

Check the comments. Let's admire the Geniuses On Parade.

fregan brooklyn 2 hours ago

By the way, I'm really surprised to see the following come from "Fregan" in Brooklyn.

Note the below is all sarcastic whining, so I've added some whininess to it (though the actual words are all in the original).

Oh, now we'll have to have quarantine wards in every international aaaaairport. And...we can't trust people who are asked questions like, "Have you been in contact with anyone who has Ebola?"

Um, Fregan? You're asking that in the sarcastic whine all you idiots do, but the answer is: No, you can't trust them. In case you hadn't heard, Thomas Eric Duncan lied about his contact with someone infected with Ebola to get a Visa.

So, we'll have to have lie detector testing for everyone at every airport and hospital. And, since nurses and doctors can't talk to one another anymore, every patient will have his travel history tattooed on his forehead, especially if he's black and has no insurance.

Yes, an overload of sarcasm, but hasn't anyone learned anything from the AIDS epidemic in which 75 MILLION have been infected and 35-40 MILLION have died? Does everything that happened more than 10 years ago disappear from everyone's memory?

Cambridgema Cambridge, MA 5 hours ago

Another shocker -- this one from Cambridge.

This is not only racist but ineffective - there are numerous US citizens in West Africa who might return home at any time and bring the ebola with them -

As someone responds: And they should be quarantined before being allowed to re-enter. Even if they're white and have insurance.

MAR Raleigh, NC 5 hours ago Quoting the Southern Poverty Law Center: "the history of CIS [where the opinion writer works at] make clear that it has always been part of a broad-based and well-planned effort to attack immigration in all forms." Jessica Vaughan's comments closely follow this script.

I don't know if this next guy is making a serious point or a progressive ironical point. Either way, it works!

tom boston 2 hours ago Right. Just look what happened to the millions of Native Americans [aka Indians] when the Europeans arrived.

I think this one is almost certainly another progressive showing that he's Just Not Funny:

Keith USA 5 hours ago This ban on travel is totally against God's and our nation's free trade principles.

Another "funny" progressive:

codgertater Seattle 5 hours ago The right approach, but too little too late. Start banning all travel into and out of Texas. Now.

Now we're going to hear from "Bouddica," who I think was a Celtic warrior woman, who is posting from a place called "earth."

Bouddica earth 12 hours ago

I'm sorry if I am in error but your stance sure seems to be based more on bigotry than science. If you do not close the gates to anyone and everyone who travels outside of the USA borders then what you suggest is just so much patter. For example: I am an American Citizen but I now live in France. I can travel anywhere in the world and I can do it as fast or as slow as I choose. What if I go to Liberia or Sierra Leone or Guinea and then return to France to spend the night at home before leaving to vacation in the USA for 2 weeks? Will you deny my entry and how would you do that based on what? Since I am a retired white woman without anything remarkable or notable about myself I am not usually asked must other than 'Did you bring anything you wish to declare?' I'm absolutely positive if I were not white closer scrutiny would be applied but that isn't the case.

Mm-hm. She apparently hasn't heard that the disease is ravaging West Africa, not white women in France.

She says that unless we ban travel from non-infected countries as well as infected ones, why, that's Racism.

Are you going to bar everyone from entering the USA? Good luck with that! The rest of the world will watch as the US economy tanks. You can't partially close the borders and think that is going to be enough. You have to stop everyone from coming into or back to the states.

I suggest that the wiser solution is what Obama is doing now. Trying to contain Ebola where it is at now and educating the people in the process. This is the only winning solution that will be long term.

So, there you go.

Because Racism. The best sort of "thoughtful answer in the world. The "Thoughtful Answer" that requires absolutely no thinking whatsoever.

posted by Ace at 07:06 PM

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