The Super Flu has worked its way to my county now, with a suspected case causing a nearby high school to close. I guess it was inevitable, what with us being only 40 miles from Mexico. Lot of pigs up that way, too, I think. The lo-cal news is now loaded with stories of school districts doing “MRSA Level” cleaning of schools and buses (MRSA being the most recent big scare, of course), interspersed with flashes of the “Swine Flu Hotline” numbers. We’re at Level 5, bitches! Time to get rolling with that duct tape and plastic wrap.

This would be a good time to re-read Stephen King’s “The Stand” (or George R. Stewart’s “Earth Abides”) Maybe they can run “The Stand” mini-series 24/7 on all channels (interrupted only by breaking news of adding new flu cases to a giant electronic map – kinda like Stephen Colbert: “Better Know an Outbreak” – and commercials for Tamiflu®). Should I take this opportunity to remind everyone that Donald Rumsfeld is the former Board Chairman and a shareholder in Gilead Sciences Inc. (former Sec State George Schultz is also on its Board), which developed and holds the patent on Tamiflu®? :paranoid:

On the bright side, the economy still sucks, apparently (yesterday’s slight rise in the Stock Market notwithstanding). On the heels of GM’s decision to kill Pontiac (thereby finally putting an end to the use of the Ottowa Chief – who lead, arguably, the most successful Indian war against Europeans, kicking some major British ass – as a car mascot), it appears that Chrysler’s negotiations with its creditors have broken down. Is the maker of the Edsel and the Pinto destined to become the only US automaker?

In a somewhat ironic twist, the judge in the Fort Dix (where the first – that I remember, anyway – “Swine Flu” scare began in 1976 – before Carter was elected, for those of you who get their history from Michelle Bachman) terrorist attack case (or whatever that was) handed out the final sentences to the “plotters” yesterday. The final tally? Four life terms and one 33-yr sentence, proving that stupidity, apparently, is neither excuse nor reason for leniency.

In a case of what, for a politician, is remarkable consistency, global warming denier James Inhoufe is now denying that Arlen Specter’s jump to the other team is anything but good for the Republican Party.

Breaking News: partial building collapse in NYC. Officials have tentatively identified the cause as Swine Flu.