Beltway Insider: Ebola Update; ISIS/ISIL Military Action Continues; Mid-Term Elections; Nigerian Girls

Details

Category: Beltway Insider

Published on Sunday, 02 November 2014 18:46

Written by Janet Walker

President Obama and the CDC continued to implement  challenging reforms incorporating risk assessment guidelines to include health care and military personnel engaged in the assisting the Ebola fight to determine the level of risk, upon return, to the general population.

According to Gallup, President Obama’s job approval, over the past week, dropped three percentage points to 40% of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President and those who disapprove of his effectiveness as President increased one percentage point to 54%. 

Ebola Update

President Obama spoke this week on the Ebola crisis and the government’s response, as a whole, to the potential threat of an airborne catastrophe and uncontainable killing machine as witnessed in West Africa.

If that is the case and Ebola has garnered the reputation as a lethal, highly contagious, deadly, unknown and incurable disease simply as it was left untreated or not subject to antibiotics available in advanced medical communities than the Obama administration has a responsible to ensure the antibiotics and medical personal capable of administering them are in place in the ravaged west African countries.

“Of the seven Americans treated for Ebola so far, all have survived.  Right now, the only American still undergoing treatment is Dr. Craig Spencer, who contracted the disease abroad while working to protect others.  And we should be saluting his service.  And we are focused on getting him the best care possible, as well.  And our thoughts and prayers are with him,” the President said.

Ebola arrived, with Index Case 1, in the United States and has been the target of a full court response that included the President, Cabinet and Sr. Officials, Government agencies, officials, as well as individual States leadership who have the right to implement additional protective measures for the protection of the citizens who placed their trust in the their ability of their elected officials to govern and lead.

The President’s second responsibility is to ensure that the Ebola strain, as no medical researcher has a definitive confirmation or has addressed the molecular structure or compound that defines Ebola s a multi-level disease with the worse strain still waiting on the tarmac somewhere.  

“Meanwhile, the West African nations of Senegal and Nigeria have now been declared Ebola-free.  That's in part because of outstanding work led in many cases by Americans working in coordination with those countries to make sure that we did not see an outbreak there,” the President said.

The Center for Disease Control has placed guidelines on the declaration of the end of the pandemic which in the case of Ebola states no new cases can be reported for 21 days for the plague to be pronounced official over.

For most Americans the chances of contracting Ebola is extremely slight, and as the response teams in place are witnessing a reprieve of mass urgency, they are cautiously preparing, understanding the worst may be yet to come and it may be over.

“While Americans who are watching this situation recognize that their government is taking the necessary steps to do what’s necessary to protect them, at the same time, the scientific assessment is that the risk of a widespread Ebola outbreak in the United States remains extraordinarily low, and therefore the risk to the average American from the Ebola virus remains extraordinarily low,” said Josh Earnest White House Press Secretary.

ISIS/ISIL Update

Over the past ten days ISIS/ISIL has continued its assult on the city of Kobani, with intelligence assessments determining the city, located in name the provence, is the next intended target of take over for the shockingly sophisticated terror organization.

 “We have in recent days seen ISIL start to mass its fighters and materiel around Kobani.  The reason for that is they are obviously seeking to make an advance into that city and essentially overrun it.  At the same time, that has created a rather target-rich environment around Kobani for American and coalition airstrikes -- that when they see clusters of fighters or they see depots of materiel and supplies that are critical to the success of those fighters, it’s easier to take them out,” Earnest said.

ISIS/ISIL recently released a video depicting a British citizen they have been holding against his will. No demands for his release have been issued as with the other hostages murdered by ISIS/ISIL, with each released video, ISIS/ISIL reveals its organizational strength and depth. The recent released video was stunning in its communication strength, having the ability to incorporate drone footage.

ISIS/ISIL has a sophisticated command system of which the Coalition has not located and is continuing its march toward recognition, supremacy and full leadership in Iraq.

Initial messaging released from the White House depicted ISIS/ISIL as an easily subdued opponent of the Iraqi people. That assessment has changed indicating ISIS/ISIL is a more advanced, stronger, well funded and determined terror organization.

“The Department of Defense can better characterize the impact that the military airstrike campaign has had on ISIL and their ability to operate in this area.  I could concede at the front end that there are limitations associated with relying at this point only on military airstrikes; that a core component of our strategy is ensuring that we have local ground forces that can take the fight to ISIL on the ground,” Earnest said.

As recently as Sunday, ISIS was responsible for the systematic murder of over 150 villagers, including men, women and children, as the terror group effectively moved its operation through the small village of Rass al-Maa, north of Ramadi.

The Sunday killings were a culmination of a weeklong murder spree where over 100 villagers were murdered in separate killings.

White House officials have made specific mention to radical ISIS/ISIL freedom fighters, disgruntled citizens from other countries, attempting to participate in this terror organization through any means, on the homeland or flying into Iraq.

“ISIL has demonstrated a capacity to use social media and other aspects of modern technology to try to radicalize citizens in other countries.  I know that the Canadians were active participants in the United Nations Security Council meeting that the President convened last month in New York that was focused on this specific issue of countering foreign fighters,” Earnest said.

Mid-Term Elections and Issues Facing Voters

As a general election will be held on Tuesday, November 4, 2014 some voters will go to the polls able to decisively change the political make-up of their states as well as voice their opinion on a wide range of issues from minimum wage to marijuana legalization to Distribution Tax on Soda.

With only a few days before Tuesday, several states, Michigan, Iowa, Texas, Oregon, Georgia and Ohio have held early election voting allowing registered voters to cast their ballot either by mail in absentee ballot or in person at early voter locations.

Exit poll and data has been gathered from various states and only represent the limited trend and do not purport to be final numbers, tallies, or decisions.

The major fight inside the beltway is with control of the Senate. Presently, democrats control the Senate, Republican’s control the House of Representatives.

Tuesday’s mid-term elections could change that creating, effectually, a two year early end to the Obama administration if Republican’s take control of the senate. There are no key Senate races, every race is important.

“We continue to be confident because of the message that the vast majority of Democratic Senate candidates are carrying about how important it is for Congress to be advancing policies that benefit middle-class families.  That's in the best interest of the country.  I think it also is a value that the vast majority of voters agree on.  There are others who are more steeped in these details that would suggest that they have confidence in the outcome because of the advantage those Democrats have on the ground,” said Josh Earnest, White House Press Secretary.

Voter Referendums and other Important Issues

Increasing the Minimum Wage

Increasing the minimum wage, a plan President Obama is pushing across all states as many governors and state leaders have put together comprehensive bills and added a Minimum Wage increase referendum to the ballot.

At present Seattle holds the record for the highest minimum wage at $15.00 per hour. Many other states and cities are crafting similar bills none more progressive than San Francisco.

San Francisco’s proposed minimum wage law builds inflation increases into the measure that goes to the polls this week.

With no cap for inflation increases, if the bill passes, workers in San Francisco could eventually have a minimum wage base of $30.00 per hour based on an initial minimum wage hike, to $15.00, as inflation in major metropolitan areas is more widely felt.

The idea presented by the Obama White House, noble as it is, that a simple minimum wage increase will lift the minimum wage worker out of poverty is Orwellian.

Without incremental inflation increases, in place, protected and outside of government’s ability to change, and built into any minimum wage bill the worker becomes subject to cost of living increases that reduce the hourly wage to below pre-raise levels.

Oddly the noble idea of raising the minimum wage which must be enacted eventually could, in fact, without the inflation protections become the catalyst to increase inflation and price gouging for the newly minted minimum wage worker who will be left to undergird the rising costs of public transportation, gasoline prices, food and other necessary staples.

Inflation protections are in the ballot in San Francisco which allows for automatic cost of living increases (no voter referendum or government approval necessary) which is a detriment to inflation.

San Francisco Soda Tax

As San Francisco is set to pass historic minimum wage legislation, a second high profile bill is on the ballot for voter on Tuesday.

The Soda Tax, as it has been dubbed will force distributors to pay 2cents per ounce of any carbonated beverage, soda, teas, sports drinks all included. Even as the tax would create a health and wellness fund the bill has generally lost it fizzle with voters and it is expected to fall flat.

Marijuana Legislation

In addition to Oregon’s Measure 91, which would legalize the use of Marijuana, similar to Washington and Colorado’s historic legislation that allows adults to legally use and the state regulate and tax marijuana sales. Both states also have medical marijuana laws.

Oregon’s Measure 91, California and Nevada all have similar legislation packages on Tuesday’s ballot that include both decriminalization and legal adult use.

Even as Measure 91 has not passed Oregon is being singled out as the cheap weed market available in the state would then affect the supply and demand of Washington’s neighboring consumer market.

Boko Haram Abducted Girls

Boko Haram, the Nigerian based terrorist group, has released a statement saying all the girls “converted to Islam and are now married off.”

An extremely dangerous and brutal organization Boko Haram has murdered more than 5,000 civilians since 2009 with 2000 of those murders in the beginning of 2014.

The Chibok school girl abduction brought more international media and attention on the group than any previous act of aggression. Although there was widespread condemnation no military action was taken and repeated requests by the United States to send any military aid to help find the girls was turned down.

The extent of the statement issued by Abubaker Shekau and Mohammed Yusuf, leaders of the People Committed of the Prophet’s Teaching of Propagation and Jihad, indicate the girls will likely never be seen again.

For more information on President Barack Obama: www.whitehouse.gov

Sources: Whitehouse.org, Wikipedia.com,