Letter: The real national emergency is the flu
(David Goldman | The Associated Press) In this Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018 file photo, a nurse prepares a flu shot from a vaccine vial at the Salvation Army in Atlanta. Preliminary figures released Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019 suggest this winter’s vaccine is 47 percent effective overall in preventing flu illness severe enough to send a patient to the doctor's office - an improvement from the previous year.
A national emergency. Innocent American civilians are being killed, not by the dozens but by the tens of thousands. Hoards of foreign invaders are sneaking into our country and hiding in sleeper cells ready to cause death and misery.
No. These dangerous invaders are not the starving mothers fleeing climate change drought in Honduras, nor their cherub-faced toddlers (toddlers who apparently have no respect for our rule of law).
No. These invaders are simple flu germs. The influenza virus killed 80,000 Americans last winter. Every five days we lost as many Americans as died in our 9/11 disaster.
Our frightened leader should get a flu shot. Then perhaps he will feel courage enough to accept that Americans do not cower within the walls of a stockade. Compassion opens the door of this home of the brave to the “huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” We all need a bit of courage to recognize which are real dangers, and which just scary stories and flickering shadows.
William E. Cosgrove, Cottonwood Heights
Submit a letter to the editor
For over 150 years, The Salt Lake Tribune has been Utah’s independent news source. Our reporters work tirelessly to uncover the stories that matter most to Utahns, from unraveling the complexities of court rulings to allowing tax payers to see where and how their hard earned dollars are being spent. This critical work wouldn’t be possible without people like you—individuals who understand the importance of local, independent journalism. As a nonprofit newsroom, every subscription and every donation fuels our mission, supporting the in-depth reporting that shines a light on the is sues shaping Utah today.
You can help power this work.
Donate to the newsroom now. The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity and contributions are tax deductible