The Homeland Security Secretary Says The Swine Flu Should Be Called The (H1N1) Virus Instead!

The Homeland Security Secretary,Janet Napolitano,wants the swine flu to be called the H1N1 virus.That's because several countries are beginning to ban meat imports.Especially pork products.Even though it has already been established that you can't get this virus from consuming pork.Here's more from The AFP:

"The United States Tuesday warned trade partners against erecting barriers to US products amid the spreading global swine flu outbreak, saying pork meat does not transmit the virus.

"The American food supply is safe," US Trade Representative Ron Kirk and the head of the Department of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, said in a statement.

"USTR and USDA are working closely with the Departments of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to monitor the situation carefully," they said.

Kirk and Vilsack pointed to statements by the World Health Organization and the CDC that there was no evidence of swine flu being transmitted by meat.

There have been no reports of the new deadly virus occurring in swine in the United States, they said.

"While there is no evidence at this time that swine has been infected with this virus, the science is clear that consuming or handling pork, consistent with safe handling practices, is of no risk to consumers," Agriculture Secretary Vilsack said.

Kirk, the top US trade negotiator, called on all trading partners to base any food safety measures taken to protect their populations on scientific evidence and urged them to keep their international obligations.

"Restrictions on US pork or pork products or any meat products from the United States resulting from the recent outbreak do not appear to be based on scientific evidence and may result in serious trade disruptions without cause," Kirk said.

Ecuador on Tuesday became the latest country to halt pork imports from Mexico and the United States amid the rapidly spreading human swine flu infections.

Russia on Tuesday widened its ban on imports of all meat products to five US states from three. It had already banned pork products from nine US states."(END OF EXCERPT)Read the rest here.

Sen. Arlen Specter's Switch From Republican To Democrat Is The Big News Of The Day!

Senator Arlen Specter has decided to switch parties.He is no longer a liberal Republican.The fact that he is now a Democrat is a dramatic political story.It is such huge news because this now bring the Democrats closer to the 60 seats that they need to control the Senate.Everyone is saying that Specter's move was motivated by political interests because he was the projected loser in the GOP primary.Running as a Democrat would greatly increase his chances of winning re-election next year.

Here's more from the NY Times:

"Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania said on Tuesday he would switch to the Democratic party, presenting Democrats with a possible 60th vote and the power to break Senate filibusters as they try to advance the Obama administration’s new agenda.

In a statement issued about noon as the Capitol was digesting the stunning turn of events, Mr. Specter said he had concluded that his party had moved too far to the right, a fact demonstrated by the migration of 200,000 Pennsylvania Republicans to the Democratic Party.

“I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans,” Mr. Specter said, acknowledging that his decision was certain to disappoint colleagues and supporters.

If Al Franken prevails in his ongoing court case in Minnesota and Mr. Specter begins caucusing with Democrats, Democrats would have 60 votes and the ability to deny Republicans the chance to stall legislation. Mr. Specter was one of only three Republicans to support President Obama’s economic recovery legislation.

The news shocked Senate Republicans, who had been hanging on to their ability to block legislation by a thread. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, called an emergency meeting of party leaders who had no forewarning of Mr. Specter’s plans."(END OF EXCERPT)Read the rest here.

The White House Apologized For The Panic They Caused With Their "Top-Secret " Photo Shoot!

I have to wonder if the head of the White House Military Office should be asked to resign for the panic that he caused.Louis Caldera authorized a photo shoot that involved a fighter jet & the president's plane flying low in the skies near the site of the World Trade Center.And he specifically instructed local officials not to alert the public.As a result,people panicked & buildings were hurriedly evacuated!

I guess Mr. Caldera forgot all about 9/11.But,New York residents & lawmakers didn't. And they are pissed over the stupidity & insensitivity that Mr. Caldera showed.Here's more on the chaos that he helped to orchestrate from CNN:

" A White House official apologized Monday after a low-flying Boeing 747 spotted above the Manhattan skyline frightened workers and residents into evacuating buildings.

The huge aircraft, which functions as Air Force One when the president is aboard, was taking part in a classified, government-sanctioned photo shoot, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

"Last week, I approved a mission over New York. I take responsibility for that decision," said Louis Caldera, director of the White House Military Office. "While federal authorities took the proper steps to notify state and local authorities in New York and New Jersey, it's clear that the mission created confusion and disruption."

Witnesses reported seeing the plane circle over the Upper New York Bay near the Statue of Liberty before flying up the Hudson River. It was accompanied by two F-16s.

Two officials told CNN the White House Military Office was trying to update its file photos of Air Force One. The officials said the president was angry when he learned Monday afternoon about the flight, which sparked fear in the New York-New Jersey area.

"The president was furious about it," one of the officials said. The incident outraged many New Yorkers, including Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

"First thing is, I'm annoyed -- furious is a better word -- that I wasn't told," he said, calling the aviation administration's decision to withhold details about the flight "ridiculous" and "poor judgment."

"Why the Defense Department wanted to do a photo op right around the site of the World Trade Center defies the imagination," he said. "Had we known, I would have asked them not to."

"I was here on 9/11," said iReporter Tom Kruk, who spotted the plane as he was getting coffee Monday morning and snapped a photo. Kruk called the sight of the aircraft low in the sky "unsettling."

Linda Garcia-Rose, a social worker who counsels post-traumatic stress disorder patients in an office just three blocks from where the World Trade Center towers once stood, called the flight an "absolute travesty."

"There was no warning. It looked like the plane was about to come into us," she said. "I'm a therapist, and I actually had a panic attack."(END OF EXCERPT)Read the rest here.