Where Were the CDC Planes? (there may be more to this than TB guy

[wakeme2008]

Source: ABC

Where Were the CDC Planes?
The CDC's Planes Cost Taxpayers Millions, but They Weren't Used to Bring Andrew Speaker Home

June 5, 2007 —

In a new twist in the trans-Atlantic health scare triggered by tuberculosis patient Andrew Speaker, a Senate committee will hold hearings Wednesday to find out why the CDC didn't use one of its emergency jets to bring Speaker home from Europe.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta has three private jets to use in case of an emergency. They cost $7 million a year for taxpayers, and in the last year, they were used nine times.

That has some people asking why one of those planes was not used to bring Speaker home when he was in Rome last month with a drug-resistant strain of tuberculosis.

Read more: http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3245292&page=1

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One could ask if the CIA are using the planes part-time...

[valerief]

1. Probably Halliburton. nt

[BadgerKid]

7. Or friends of same. Are visitor logs missing? n/t

[TexasLawyer]

2. good question!

[xchrom]

3. this from the article...

''The CDC planes cost $3,000 an hour to operate and are usually only used to carry CDC staff to emergency situations, but they have been used for other business. One was used regularly for political travel by Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, until Congress started asking questions. ''

[StarryNite]

4. Oh I'm sure they were tied up

doing some really important stuff. :eyes:

[KurtNYC]

5. Looks like their jets don't have the range

This is a weird story. I am thinking these hearing are going reveal something more than where these jets were at the time.

A jet that goes for $3000 /hour is something like a Hawker and the max range is like 2,700 miles.

http://www.sterlingaviation.com/fleetHawker.htm

but even if could make the hop to Rome -- the CDC hasn't said that their procedure is to go pick the guy up so....? I will be watchig to see if this turns into something else.

[damntexdem]

6. Or there may be less:

TB guy certainly has been taking up airwaves that might be better devoted to prosecutorgate, getting out of Iraq, and so on. I suspect that there never was much of a story there.

[Generator]

8. Yes, this is a big concern

Hey congress-where was the country while a city drowned? Or that little place called New York with no air cover. I think one fucking case of TB is a little less important. Does anyone expect this goverment to do it's job? Are you kidding me? Why should they do their job? Who will force them to quit? The big bad congress? Have people not been watching the last few years? This country IS becoming like the old Soviet state-as long as you are a party member there is nothing more required of you.

[LisaL]

11. It's much more serious that just one case of drug resistant TB.

If TB is becoming drug resistant and not curable, then it could easily become a big problem it was before antibiotics.
It already is a big problem in some other countries.

[DemBones DemBones]

14. I like your sig line, it's been running through my head lately whenever

I heard/read about any of the candidates.

"Meet the new boss, same as the old boss."

Plus ca change plus c'est la meme

[Screwfly]

9. There's probably

at least one person with drug resistant TB flying on a commercial airliner at any given moment these days. Asking the government to take care of business and safeguard the public is a waste of time. If don't want to catch drug resistant TB on a commercial airliner just don't fly on a commercial airliners...it's as simple as that.

[DemBones DemBones]

13. I think you're right. There are a lot of people with TB today

and other potentially contagious diseases like measles, malaria, dengue fever globe-trotting freely. There's a lot of potential for spreading disease. Back in the days before jet travel, I think there was more health screening of passengers entering most any country, more checking of immunization records.

I wouldn't be surprised to see required TB tests for everyone before long. They're no big deal and I don't think they have any side effects except a little soreness (I'm sure someone will tell me if I'm wrong.) I don't know how they'd get everyone to have it done, maybe give away free lottery tickets when you get your TB test? :hippie:

[rodeodance]

10. they did not use the plane cause the CDC had no PLAN!

[undergroundpanther]

12. Wanted to try to start a epidemic

Because than bush could declare martial law.

[dbt]

15. Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner! No more calls, please!

XDR TB Man was just a test run for the New, Improved Bird Flu that they're selling as hard as New Coke. They just needed to make sure that an infected person could travel to several countries without being confonted and/or stopped. The rest is Hysteria.

Look for Bird Flu around January and be secure in the knowledge that bu$h will save us!!!1!

[undergroundpanther]

16. Regarding the TB guy story

You and I are on the same page.

BTW anise seed oil and Kimchee a oriental cabbage dish that is very hot seems to do damage to bird flu.
Funny, I went to buy some star anise seed for some cookies I was making for my mom,recently(April) and I couldn't FIND any star anise seed.Checked every supermarket in the area too.Fancy that. Good thing I got some later on and I already have star anise oil.I use it for making my own toothpaste.
Wonder why it's so hard to find? Maybe because it WORKS in reducing symptoms.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/17/AR2005111701855.html

[Sgent]

17. According to testimony

they didn't use it because the planes don't have isolation areas -- and Speaker would have exposed the crew to the TB.