Day 182: Phantom Vaccine for ‘Immunocrats’

My apologies to those who couldn’t find the site earlier: ISP issues.

I wish I were in Salt Lake City. It’s probably the only way to determine how and why a number of citizens there burned a library two days ago. My TV says unrest had been brewing for months as people ran out of food and patience. Unfounded tales of a clinic operating in the library lured an out-of-control mob to torch it. Somehow it’s the mayor’s fault.

STORM—THEN MEDIA FOG— IN SALT LAKE CITY (Jonnyapple)Bloggers, however, are saying the populace went ballistic because they noticed that well-connected and well-heeled residents were turning up at a library that had been closed for years. Word had it that federal workers were vaccinating them with H5N1 shots freshly trucked in from the airport. The Web says questions weren’t answered, and that the police were neither polite nor numerous enough to get away with being rude.

A latter-day hell broke loose. People were beaten, killed, run over, burned, and dragged off to Hill Air Force Base 30 miles north, where they’re being held without charges.

I’m inclined to believe the Internet on this one. I can see where folks might find selective vaccinations compelling. We all know that cops and soldiers are getting shot up. We remain free enough to imagine who else is getting jabbed. America throbs with mistrust. People are said to be demonstrating from Tacoma to Tampa, demanding access to instant liquid security. Some chant ”Death to the Immunocracy.”

That makes N.A.T.U.R.E. today’s ‘moderate’ antivaxers. The group’s partisans are merely hijacking big shopping websites to post informational videos about how the longed-for vaccines might kill us all. A lesser-known antivax group is threatening to shut down the U.S. transportation system with targeted Web attacks, as has been happening in Poland, Greece, and (wow) Norway. They demand to see concrete testing data on whatever the pharmaceutical sector has devised after all the problems it had cooking up H5N1 vaccine in eggs.

Enter al Qaeda. That chatter we always hear about at the oddest moments—particularly before elections—is back. So we’re told.

The Limits of Terror

I’m not sure a terror attack would make much difference. We’re already scared out of our wits, the stock market has crashed, no one is working, and people are dying in surreal numbers that clearly aren’t being reported. What more could terrorists want? Would anyone notice if some schmucks blew something up?

I suspect it means elections will be held on schedule, though it’s too late for them to be fair. Few will have heard of the challengers, who must find it impossible to raise money. Only very rich candidates will have a chance against the insiders. I never vote or tout candidates, but I suggest y’all bear in mind that politicians who salivate over crushing illegal aliens and looters are unlikely to work at keeping us stocked with food, water, and power. Their priorities are penal, not medical.

The president takes no chances. Anyone who disagrees with the White House is “undermining public order” and “inviting chaos.” I doubt anyone is listening. Threats and bluster do not constitute leadership. Nor are they entertaining. A pox on Washington.

Anna is hard-pressed to keep the LES DIY going. Key volunteers from the community keep dropping out to work at religious facilities approved by RAISE. They’re under a lot of pressure to quit. Plus the work is easier on the other side. That leaves Anna toiling 18 hours a day in her tiny kitchen. She and her dwindling band give out food late in the afternoon at Tompkins Square Park and then rush home before curfew (to work on tomorrow’s offerings) because the LES DIY can’t get permits. My pass and I are on call for twilight emergencies. I spend every afternoon hoping a crisis will arise so I can help Anna save the day.

Do I have to join these dangerous radicals to spend more time with her?