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Today's Poll: Should the U.S. military be involved in the Ebola fight in Africa?

By Howard B. Owens
tom hunt

I worry about placing the cream of our youth in harms way fighting this invisible enemy. If they carry this virus back to the US, our general population could be in trouble. The US Government should immediately ban all travel and air flights from West Africa and seal the borders. Normally I am not an isolationist, but this is an extra ordinary event and should be handle accordingly.

Oct 9, 2014, 6:37am Permalink
Kyle Couchman

Tom's right we have very very few volunteer workers over there at the moment who are trained in dealing with medical issues. Now 4 of them have been brought back infected despite this being their field of expertise.

Now you want to send soldiers? Hmmmm I don't think so unless your intent is to create an epidemic here in the US. Military has enough on it's plate without getting involved with a medical issue.

Oct 8, 2014, 2:05pm Permalink
david spaulding

exactly what are the U.S.'s plans? I think I can hear it, " Bombs Away" , we don't like ebola, it is a threat to the Homeland. just bomb the piss out of them like we do to everyone else who doesn't live life the way the U.S. feels they should.
and jobs are created via the bomb assembly line.

Oct 8, 2014, 6:13pm Permalink
Kyle Couchman

Nice work David typing a generalization so broad as to make your whole comment laughable.

Name one instance where the US Bombed any person or country because they didn't live life the way we do. Remember now movies and books are fictional dramas and not real life. So dont pull the movie Outbreak as an example.

Oct 8, 2014, 6:33pm Permalink
Peter O'Brien

David's suggestion is the only way the military should deal with disease outbreaks. Scientists and Medical Professionals are what are needed, not men trained to shoot things.

Oct 8, 2014, 6:46pm Permalink
Tim Miller

Our armed forces are very capable of doing things other than blowing things up.

The Army Corp of Engineers is as skilled at designing and building things (especially on-the-fly) as any organization in the world. The affected area needs hospitals and other structures to hold and help the infected. And who would you want protecting those builders? Blackwater? No - so we send soldiers with guns to protect them, and maybe even the health professionals (rumor has it there are a few of them in the armed forces that may be of assistance, too) trying to help.

Oct 9, 2014, 3:57pm Permalink

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