Posted on 09/17/2014 2:20:06 PM PDT by No One Special
Obama is sending 3,000 troops to West Africa to stop the deadly outbreak. But 250,000 people could already be infected by Christmas.
As the Ebola epidemic in West Africa accelerates beyond the capacity to count its toll, an unprecedented escalation in global support is evident, led by U.S. President Barack Obama's call for U.S. military intervention. In what will amount to the largest humanitarian commitment since the American response to the 2004 earthquake and tsunami in Aceh, Indonesia, the White House announced late on Sept. 15 that an estimated 3,000 military personnel will deploy to the Ebola-ravaged West African nations, alongside a significant increase in civilian mobilization.
Obama committed the United States, in what the White House has dubbed Operation United Assistance, to spend some $750 million and deploy up to 3,000 U.S. military personnel, primarily targeting Ebola control in Liberia. The president formally announced the operation on Sept. 16 in a speech at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta.
During his speech earlier today he reassured Americans that "the chances of an Ebola outbreak here in the United States are extremely low." However, when it came to the potential devastation Ebola posed to West Africa, he was adamant about its urgency:
"In West Africa, Ebola is now an epidemic of the likes that we have not seen before. It's spiraling out of control. It is getting worse.... And if the outbreak is not stopped now, we could be looking at hundreds of thousands of people infected, with profound political and economic and security implications for all of us. So this is an epidemic that is not just a threat to regional security -- it's a potential threat to global security...."
(Excerpt) Read more at foreignpolicy.com ...
Just “Shock and Awe” Ebola.
Nuke it from space, it’s the only way to be sure.
pRes_ _ent Obola is intent on establishing an aerial
gateway for the disease to all states, in case
the tuberculosis, IS, or EV-68 don’t finish the job first.
And if the outbreak is not stopped now, we could be looking at hundreds of thousands of people infected, with profound political and economic and security implications for me. So this is an epidemic that is not just a threat to regional security — it’s a potential threat to my security....”
Enough is enough!
These are soldiers, military personnel, not medical personnel or aid workers! Use the right tools for the appropriate jobs.
Who is going to protect the troops while they are working to stop Ebola?
This is not how we should use our military personnel. Boots on the ground to fight the ebola virus. Air strikes against the dreaded ebolas. Why didn't we try sanctions first?
Yes, intimiate Ebola until it surrenders.
Actually, I support this move. I hope that they use some common sense, err on the side of caution, and take appropriate measures to protect our military from exposure. They should use the military in ways that minimize their chance of exposure.
I think the military could set up medical facilities, deliver supplies and enforce quarantines with minimal exposure to the civilian population.
At the same time, they need to be aware that we have enemies such as Boko Haram over there and they need to take appropriate precautions.
And I think wherever they can, they should employee West Africans to do work, as long as it’s segregated from our troops. They only make $200 a month. And their economy has been ravaged. So paying them to help stop the epidemic, helps their economy at the same time it protects the world from this threat.
I’m still skeptical about involving the U.S. military in this.
They’ll have to go back to a .30 caliber battle rifle first. .223 is not adequate for fighting Ebolas.
I’d think this would be the perfect opportunity for the older Obama daughter to do some mission/outreach work. Let an Obama go personally to the Ebola-infected nations to work beside U.S. troops.
We have more “boots on the ground” in West Africa than Iraq.
Logistics, MAYBE, but from afar. Very far, as in air drops. Keep our soldiers, soldiers. Not nursing assistants. You want them then advertise for volunteer STNAs and CMAs.
ah. my favorite line in that film!
napalm the villages
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