Radio host Rush Limbaugh suggested on Monday that
President Barack Obama is refusing to divert flights
from Ebola-infected countries and close down
America’s borders because he believes that the
nation “deserves” to be infected with the virus given
its history of perpetuating slavery.
Via Think Progress reports:
Responding to a caller on his nationally
syndicated radio show, Limbaugh launched
into a soliloquy about so-called politically
correct liberals who believe that America is
responsible for the spread of Ebola in Liberia
because that nation was established by freed
American slaves. “And if it hadn’t been for
that they probably wouldn’t have [Ebola]. So
there are some people who think we kind of
deserve a little bit of this,” he said, before
accusing elected leaders of purposely leaving
the country vulnerable to the virus.
“The danger we have now is that we elected
people in positions of power and authority
who think this or think like this in terms of
this country being responsible, this country
being to blame for things and it’s that kind of
thinking that leads to opposition to shutting
down airports from various countries,”
Limbaugh explained, referring to the Obama
administration’s handling of the crisis.
“It leads to opposition to keeping these people
out of the country: ‘How dare we? We can’t
turn our back on them! They exist because of
us. We can’t turn them away!’” he said.
Though Republicans have been calling on the
Obama administration to impose strict travel
bans on countries with Ebola infections,
experts warn that such a policy could make
things worse. Ill patients would have a harder
time seeking treatment, international health
personnel wouldn’t be able to enter the
country, and local economies and the health
infrastructures would further be devastated by
a travel ban.
Instead, the Obama administration has sent
troops to infected countries, is providing
ground expertise to medical staff, establishing
field-deployable hospitals, and offering
“personal protective equipment and
laboratory reagents, support for technical
advisors, and other requests.”
