Quick question: What do pregnant women, children below the age of 3 years old and prisoners at Guantanamo Bay Cuba have in common? The answer; they are all first in line for the H1N1 flu- shot.
Yes you read it right. Before you and I can get our swine flu shots, prisoners suspected of terrorism at Guantanamo Bay might already have theirs.
Late last Friday, the Pentagon announced that detainees at Guantanamo Bay would be given priority status in receiving the H1N1 vaccine.
Apparently Pentagon officials have deemed the detainees to be at high risk for pandemic outbreak if the swine flu gets loose in the prison.
The reasoning being the detainees are in close quarters where the flu could easily spread.
When I first heard this story I thought it was a joke. Would our government really give priority vaccination to suspected terrorists wanting to blow up the country while the virus runs rampant among the people they would love to blow up?
I would love to say the answer to that question is no. But indeed the Pentagon says yes.
To be fair to the government officials making this decision, I can understand their concerns about the contained environment where the detainees are located. I especially sympathize with any concerns for the soldiers guarding the prison.
In fact the Pentagon official making the announcement did say that active duty soldiers on the base would receive vaccination ahead of terrorist detainees.
However, the symbolism of terrorists receiving shots before American citizens is puzzling – especially when you consider the number of kids getting sick.
The Center for Disease Control recently reported that as of mid October 114 children had died from swine flu during this flu season. In a normal year the number of total deaths from regular flu strains is around 88 by the end of flu season.
Keep in mind we are just moving into the flu season.
And as far as close areas of containment are concerned, you can’t get much closer than 30 to 40 elementary kids stuck in a classroom for five to six hours. If anyone needs to be worried about close quarters, it’s our school systems not prisons holding suspected terrorists who can’t escape.
Fortunately there are a few members of Congress who are grumbling to the Obama Administration and the Pentagon about this idea of detainee vaccination. Mike Pence, Republican from Indiana and Bart Stupak, Democrat from Michigan, have expressed their deep concerns about the Pentagon’s decisions. Hopefully more members of Congress will see this as something worth stopping because deep concerns doesn’t mean stopping the early vaccinations.
Now I know that vaccinating a few hundred detainees doesn’t sound like a lot. The reality is it’s not that big of a number compared to the millions of doses needed here stateside. But the symbolism cries out for fairness.
I would hate to think that one hard working, tax paying citizen who wants the vaccination can’t get it while terrorists are being offered it.
When every American – to include those guarding prisoners- who wants vaccination is vaccinated then our attention should turn to places like Guantanamo Bay.
In certain parts of the America people are traveling great distances for the H1N1 flu shots. Parents are even camping out the night before to make sure their kids get vaccinated.
Little did they know all they had to do was be a terrorist detainee and they wouldn’t have to travel to get the shot. The U.S. government would bring the shots to them.
Who know!
Davon Gray is a Laurel native who lives in Washington D.C. and works in government and political affairs, including the presidential campaign of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). And for the past seven years has written a weekly column “Beyond the Rhetoric” for The Potomac News. Contact him at beyondtherhetoric@verizon.net
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