When I lived in the United States, before moving to Mexico, I used to depend on Foxnews for a fair chance at hearing something halfway “fair and balanced” in the news. In the two years I have been gone from the U.S., something has happened. What it is I don’t know. Nevertheless, from their coverage of the “illegal alien” issue it must have been something bad.
I assumed the last holdout would be Cal Thomas, columnist with Foxnews. I have been following his career as a columnist and have, at times, wished I could be like himhe was a role model to me. Not only is the man a straight-thinker (until now) but I respected his bold and rational Christian witness. I yearned to mimic that too.
“What’s happened, Cal?”
I have been brooding all day long about his latest column, Is American Facing a Deadly Epidemic, which appeared in the June 13, 2005 column. [1]
In his column, he postulates that a “new strain” of tuberculosis has “shown up” in southern California that is drug-resistant.
“There’s a new strain of tuberculosis that has shown up in southern California among what the politically correct call the “foreign born” population”. [2]
The phrase, “… among what the politically correct call the “foreign-born” population”, should be your first clue to where Cal’s head is concerning this issue.
Cal then goes on to cite an article by Dr. Reuben Granich, a lead investigator for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in which Cal says,
“Granich tries to keep from offending by not labeling the “foreign born” TB carriers “illegal immigrants”, but what else could they be? Most are from Mexico and most lived in this country less than five years when they were diagnosed.” [3]
Before going on, let me say that I would tell Mr. Cal Thomas to his face (and I will send this article to Mr. Thomas) that you, Sir, cannot know what Dr. Granich was or was not trying to keep from doing unless you were a telepath and I am making a good guess that you are not.
Why, Mr. Thomas, don’t you ask the good Doctor instead of making an assumption and creating a “Straw Man”a caricature?
I did not read the article from which Cal Thomas quotes but apparently, the good Dr. Reuben Granich isn’t aware of Ms. Jessica Frickey, CDC Health Communications Specialist, and the information she is dispensing:
“I am attaching CDC’s most recent fact sheet on 2004 TB surveillance data. You will see that while TB was at an all time low in 2004, progress to eliminate the disease may be slowing.
As far as your specific question about illegal immigrants causing a rise in TB, CDC’s data shows that foreign-born individuals whether illegal immigrants or legal immigrants accounted for more than half of TB cases reported in 2004. Overall, racial, and ethnic minorities also face higher rates of disease than white Americans, with both Hispanics and Blacks at a rate that is 8 times higher than whites and Asians 20 times higher than whites.
Despite these numbers, CDC does not have data to show that foreign-born individuals have caused an increase in TB in recent years.”
“What has happened, Cal, to your clear, rational thinking?”
I would simply ask you this, if it is the Asian, “foreign-born” population, as evidenced by Ms. Frickey’s stats, that is higher than the blacks, Hispanics, and whites, then just how to you come to the conclusion,
“Granich tries to keep from offending by not labeling the “foreign born” TB carriers “illegal immigrants”, but what else could they be? Most are from Mexico and most lived in this country less than five years when they were diagnosed.”
Also, if there is such a virulent strain of TB being exported into the Unites States by the illegal Mexican population, which Cal Thomas clearly and explicitly implies, then why isn’t there an out-of-control epidemic presently existing in Mexico dropping its citizen and expatriates (like me) like flies?
Is that not a reasonable assumption? If the illegal Mexican population is totally responsible (which according to Ms. Frickey–IS NOT!) then do you think the TB bug just waits until it somehow knows its host carrier is now in the U.S. and says to its fellow TB bugs,
“Ah ha! Here we are gang. Let’s get busy wiping out the Americans through our Hispanic host carriers.”
Would there not have to be some sign of this disease in some epidemic form in Mexico?
Is American Facing a Deadly Epidemic? You darned tootin’ it isIt is the We’ve Collectively Lost our Minds Epidemic!
[1]
[2] Ibid
[3] Ibid
Doug Bower is a freelance writer, Syndicated Columnist, and book author. His most recent writing credits include The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Houston Chronicle, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and Transitions Abroad. He is a columnist with Cricketsoda.com and the Magic City Morning Star, and more than 21 additional online magazines. He lives with his wife in Guanajuato, Mexico. His newest book Mexican Living: Blogging it from a Third World Country can now be seen at
