Iowa. We are obsessed, according to the news media, with Iowa. Today, they have their caucuses and the results will prove absolutely nothing. Many former Presidents have lost Iowa, not surprising since, no offence to any Iowans, they are not representative of most of America. However, like sharks smelling blood, Fox and CNN are devoting the day to coverage, which is very strange since there will be no results until much later in the evening.
Elsewhere, wars are raging, terrorists are threatening and the weather around the World is downright bizarre. The only other story I have seen mention of is the Zika virus, so let's look at that. I did a bit of research this morning and learned that it really is none to serious, Only 1 in 5 who have the virus show symptoms and that those symptoms, when they develop, are fairly mild and gone in about 2 weeks. There is some concern about pregnant women, but that is true with every illness. Yet, the media and the World health Organization are wringing their hands and declaring a possible pandemic.
Think back. In recent years, we have had pandemics of MRSA, bird flu, swine flu, Ebola, and SARS predicted. They never materialized. Yes, some people got sick and some died, and I do not want to make light of serious illnesses, but pandemic is a little bit of an exaggeration. Let's keep some numbers in mind. There is about 7 billion people on Earth. AIDS, as horrible as it is, has killed about 35 million. A horrible thing? Of course, but that is 1/2 of 1% of the total population.
We will have a true pandemic one day, but not now. Zika will not be the scourge of humanity.
Why then are we beset with doomsday prophecies and inane election coverage? Simple, something big is going to happen. What? I am not sure, but what we are seeing in the media is misdirection. Those who run the World in general, and the US in particular know something and do not believe we, the general population, can handle it. Either that or they are afraid we will stop it. Is it a Natural disaster? A political coup or some new military adventure? Perhaps the long awaited Extraterrestrial invasion (odd threat they just brought back the X-Files and the CIA just released its old UFO files)? An economic collapse? I really have no idea and have no wish to engage in wild speculation, although that is a lot of fun, but I have been around long enough and seen enough strangeness to know when something funny is in the works. I am just waiting for the other shoe to drop, and, given how weirdly edgy most people seem, I think a bunch of other folks are doing the same.
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