That didn’t take long. Mere weeks into the U.S. Ebola scare, and liberal media personalities are already playing the race card. Would a ban on travel from countries struggling to contain Ebola actually work? Maybe, maybe not. But that doesn’t matter, apparently. The real problem with the travel ban is that it’s obviously racist:
MSNBC’s Toure Neblett called the idea of a travel ban “immoral.” If you’re unfamiliar w/ Neblett, you’re not alone. His programming appears on MSNBC, which not very many people watch. But since Neblett has dabbled in 9/11 Trutherism, he’s clearly the best person to ask about the public health efficacy of issuing a travel ban to prevent continued spread of a deadly, contagious disease:
How could a plane crash into the Pentagon? And not appear on video cameras?? And leave little wreckage??? #Don'tbuyitfiremenow.
— Touré (@Toure) September 7, 2009
Several prominent politicians in both parties have already called for the federal government to more strictly monitor or outright prohibit people coming into the U.S. from Ebola-stricken countries. Gov. Rick Perry (R-Tex.) demanded tighter screening measures and fully staffed quarantine stations, while Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) called for an outright travel ban:
Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) is calling for changes to help combat the Ebola epidemic by issuing a temporary ban on travel visas to people in areas hardest hit by the virus.
Nelson was meeting at Orlando International Airport with customs officials on Wednesday. He wrote a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry asking him to consider suspending unnecessary travel to the US from African countries hit by the crises.
“Considering the changing events and overall magnitude of the situation, it may be time to reexamine the travel issue from the standpoint of visas,” Nelson said in a release. He later said necessary travel would be OK, for an example. humanitarian assistance.
Federal officials, though, have thrown cold water on the idea, although none of them has said on the record that the mere idea is racist:
Top government health officials said Sunday that they are opposed to placing a ban on travelers from Ebola-infected countries, warning that shutting down borders could impede efforts by aid workers to stop the spread of the deadly virus. The idea of a ban gained currency this past week after the nation’s first case was diagnosed in Dallas. Proponents have argued that it would help ensure public safety.
It was announced earlier today that a Liberian man in Dallas who had been diagnosed with Ebola passed away on Wednesday morning.
