TB OR NOT TB?

I actually took a photo of my TV during Larry King's hour-long interview with the TB victim, Andrew Speaker, who flew to Paris despite health risks to his fellow passengers. I still don't understand why Speaker and his dad recorded their consultation with the doctors, but perhaps they sensed that this would become a national headline for a week. I sensed that there was some heavy spin going on and that the image of the guy being interviewed with his wife in a mask was completely ludicrous. (I guess there were no missing dead white women that week to satisfy our hunger for tabloid headlines and distract us from the true horrors which are going down thanks to our elected officials.) If he's that fucking infectious, why wear the mask? Why not just stay away from him if his condition was so serious? And I realize that TB germs are largely (but not completely airborne) so a mask might reduce transmission, but they are holding hands! I wouldn't be surprised if CNN requested that the wife wear a mask to enhance the fear factor.

Today, we learn that Andrew actually has a much less severe case of tuberculosis and it's a variety which IS treatable. A Denver hospital used a different diagnosis technique--Andrew's type of TB can be treated with Cipro. The anthrax remedy. (Hmmm. Anthrax...There's an idea--maybe CNN should mail some anthrax out and get a breaking news exclusive when it arrives.) So in other words, the whole thing was a silly sham aimed at alarming viewers to keep them tuning in for this latest "crisis". CNN actually tried to begin it's weather forecasts with "YOUR HURRICANE HEADQUARTERS" for a few days when a small storm was brewing. But no hurricanes ended up developing, so they stopped trying to scare up ratings using that old trick. I'll bet they were already having Anderson Cooper fitted for some cute new ratings-grabbing rain gear.

I know I'm sounding very L'il Miss Conspiracy Theory today--and right before July 4th, too!--but I'm just sick of being had by the "news" media.