The spell the sensationalist media and pandering politicians have the American public under is bewildering. No matter the level of education or common sense a person possesses the issue of the day continues to be successfully manipulated. And sadly they win big every time.

Ebola? Come on. In Africa it is an issue. A serious issue. And it has become a global responsibility. But then again so is poverty. But that’s a discussion for another day. Ebola is a global responsibility because people are dying in a region ill equipped to handle this true crisis and because it threatens the welfare of the world. Yet the U.S. public’s containment strategy would be to simply isolate “those people.” Why must we be threatened personally to care? Even if we do not care about the humanity issue, let’s stretch our minds to realize that a true crisis in any region of the world has global economic consequences that effect every one of us. Then again, there is that age old poverty issue we can’t seem to wrap our minds around that costs us trillions of dollars, every single year. And far from contained, it simply grows each year.

Now, for that Ebola “crisis” in the U.S. Really??  We have 3 confirmed Ebola cases in the U.S. 3! One handled a dead body and the other two handled his dead body. And it is well documented that the direct exchange of bodily fluids is the only method of transmission. Yet, the media makes it the lead story of the day, adds the dramatic music and voice-overs, and drags out the talking heads that will validate and help build their narrative and ratings by either scaring or disgusting the viewing public, because that’s what we watch. That’s what we buy. And after that guaranteed immediate success, the media whips it into a mass hysteria making machine. P.T. Barnum would be proud.

Then enter the soulless politicians. Always forgetting they were elected to serve our best interests. Those outside the coveted White House attack and the party inside responds by over reacting, over responding, over spending and over press conferencing. Just so we can feel better. For being so damn stupid.

If they didn’t make hospital protocol mistakes in Dallas not a single person in this country would have died from Ebola at this point, including the guy the same hospital killed by it’s malpractice when he first showed up in it’s ER. And the only other two confirmed Ebola cases come from the same negligent hospital in yet another protocol fail. But let’s ground the plane he flew in on and track down all the people he came in contact with. (all of whom, as of today have been cleared – even his fiancee and immediate family who lived, ate, bathed, and slept with him.) Even though not a single person in that first or second emergency room visit that he coughed and sneezed on when he could barely stand up had any chance of getting Ebola. And didn’t. But let’s close the borders. Ban the flights from Africa. Call in the Trumps. Check the temperature of every passenger from East Africa! – when they get off the flights. Like that would protect us under this hysteria nonsense theory. Even when we know that any “exposed” passenger on the Petri dish that is one of our non fresh air circulating airplanes wouldn’t get a fever for days.

This is all so stupid it is mind boggling. But on the news last night they report the sales of Hazmet suits and “life saving kits” have skyrocketed. Are you kidding me?? They win again. How many people knew what a Hazmet suit was before two weeks ago? Now they are going to sit in their house wearing one? Because one person died?? In Dallas.

Will there be more cases? Possibly. And maybe even the transmission evidence might be a bit more obscure. And the sensationalist batch will be whipped up even further. But now that we are ready for Armageddon it all will be contained. And in three weeks this will be over. And somehow we won’t be the least bit embarrassed by any of it.

We will move on to stocking our basements with water and non perishables because the clocks changed or getting over vaccinated for the devastating, population wiping out, Bird Flu. The dreaded H1N1 “Pandemic! – we even use a scary name for it – has only infected a few hundred people. Ever. And most have been chicken workers. But the drug companies cash in their billions. And the government creates multi billion dollar initiatives, in partnership with drug companies, with our money, as we spend billions more on our own “life saving” protection measures. For nothing.

When will we grow up?