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Round-up of Customs and Border Patrol Abuses and Protests
Human rights abuses continue on our Southern border, but there has been some good pushback. First, the bad news. The worst parts have been the abuses reported from CBP “detention” camps, what most people would call concentration camps, as I noted here. Members of Congress visited the camps earlier this month, but little has changed. There are inmates with no running water, inadequate food, and cramped together. For example, DHS inspectors visited Paso del Norte, a facility near El Paso. They found it was holding 900 in a facility designed for 125. Under this administration, at least 24 adults have died while in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.…
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Swimming Pools, Hot Tubs, and Other Summer Recreational Water Hazards
Is nothing safe anymore? Just in time for summer fun, the CDC announced an increase in infections from swimming pools and hot tubs. In their new Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), the CDC announced that cases of a parasite, cryptosporidium, had increased approximately 13 percent each year between 2009–2017, with 444 outbreaks reported in total. Cryptosporidium is a single-celled organism, a protozoan. It causes diarrhea that often lasts for two to three weeks and is readily missed by the lab. This is because often only a stool culture is ordered, and the parasites are instead seen on direct examination of stool through a microscope. Many community hospitals don’t have techs skilled…
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A Tale of Two Principals
This week, two principals made the front page of the news for widely different reasons. Their stories raise thought-provoking questions about how the Holocaust should be taught. The first, shocking story was that of Principal William Latson, head of Spanish River High School in Palm Beach, Florida. In 2018, a mother (who preferred to remain unnamed) wrote asking how the Holocaust was being taught. His response? Lessons were “not forced upon individuals as we all have the same rights but not all the same beliefs.” Compounding her shock, Latson continued in an email, “Not everyone believes the Holocaust happened…” “I can’t say the Holocaust is a factual, historical event because…
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Do You Know Which Mosquito Repellents Really Work? Most People Are Wrong
Being summer–and a wet one at that–it seems appropriate time to repost this favorite from Forbes: Many Americans surveyed in June on how to protect themselves from mosquito-borne diseases like Zika, dengue and Chikungunya are ill-prepared. The June survey by Spectrum Brands Holdings showed that respondents were extremely overconfident about their knowledge. While almost a quarter of participants could not name even one effective active ingredient in insect repellents, 82% incorrectly believed that specific products were effective. Knowledge of insect repellents As explained in yesterday’s post about the survey results, many participants lacked even basic knowledge about what repellents are effective, although they were confident in their knowledge. Almost all were…
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Refugee Detention or Concentration Camps? Protests Begin
Last week, more news came out about abuses of refugees at detention camps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez came under fire for appropriately calling the “detention centers” concentration camps. She is historically correct. This administration has established concentration camps on the southern border of the United States for immigrants, where they are being brutalized with dehumanizing conditions and dying. This is not hyperbole. It is the conclusion of expert analysis ⬇️https://t.co/2dWHxb7UuL — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 18, 2019 Also, here is testimony supporting a temporary restraining order from the Center for Human Rights & Constitutional Law. I couldn’t agree more with AOC. Refugees are being abused physically and mentally. The numbers of deaths…
