RUSH: The president of Liberia is a woman by the name of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. She became internationally known last week discussing one of her own citizens, Thomas Duncan. It was revealed that Thomas Duncan, who has since died, got on an airplane in Monrovia for the United States, knowing he was sick with Ebola. He traveled to the United States, and he has subsequently passed away. She said that she had immediately changed his classification from “citizen” to “refugee” and would never let him back in the country.
Because, according to what she said, she thought what he did was reprehensible. Knowing that he carried the virus, he got on an airplane, exposing others, and took it to a country where there were no reported cases, the United States. The world was shocked. The president of a nation criticizing and ostracizing one of her own citizens. Well, the reason I mentioned this is because she is back in the news.
“Liberian lawmakers debated Friday whether to grant President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf more power to restrict movement and public gatherings in the fight against Ebola as one parliamentarian warned that the country could turn into a ‘police state,'” if they weren’t vigilant. “State media said the House of Representatives would convene a special session Friday to discuss the proposed measures outlined in an October 1 letter.
“The contentious proposals include the power to restrict public gatherings and appropriate property ‘without payment of any kind or any further judicial process’ to combat Ebola. The letter also says Sirleaf can ‘limit the right to assembly for any reason,'” and they’re now arguing about this in Liberia. I’m just throwing it out. This is a natural tendency for bureaucracies and governments to do in fighting the spread of something that apparently is uncontrollable.
I’m just throwing it out. I’m not saying it’s gonna happen anywhere else. I’m not leveling any warnings or allegations or accusations. We had a couple of phone calls yesterday from people who think this is right around the corner here and it is going to be seized as an opportunity whether it’s justified, warranted, or not. (interruption) Well, it says here they can take your property without any payment of any kind, or any further judicial process.
They can revoke your right to assemble, limit the right to assemble and restrict your movement. This is what she wants to do. It hasn’t… Well, they’re hours ahead of us so I don’t know what action was taken, but they were debating this. Now, back here on our own shores, we have a story from the Cybercast News Service. “Speaking in a video message to residents of West African countries experiencing outbreaks of Ebola, President Barack Obama dispensed advice on how residents could avoid the disease, including, quote, ‘You cannot get it through casual contact like sitting next to someone on a bus.'”
Do you think the residents of Sierra Leone and Liberia are excited to see a message from Barack Obama on how to deal with Ebola? (interruption) You don’t? (interruption) You don’t? (interruption) You don’t think they’re excited that the president of the United States cares enough about them to sit down and do a message? (interruption) Really? (interruption) Well, okay. Anyway, the president did that. He recorded a video message for the citizens of West African countries experiencing the outbreak.
Again in the video message, the president told the citizens, “You cannot get Ebola through casual contact like sitting next to somebody on a bus.” At the same time this wizard that runs the CDC, Dr. Thomas Frieden, is advising Americans who travel to these Ebola-stricken nations to avoid public temptation. (laughing) I’m sorry. I can’t help but laugh. I know it isn’t funny. I’m sorry. I really am. Folks, I’m sorry, but I can’t. Here’s Obama on TV in in Liberia, Sierra Leon:
(impression) “Hey, you know what? It’s perfectly fine get on a bus and sit next to someone. You cannot get the disease that way. That’s casual contact, and it will not happen,” and Americans… Wait ’til Liberians hear about this! Americans are being advised by their own CDC guy, if they travel there, don’t get on a bus with anybody! (laughing) Sorry. This is not confidence inspiring. Here you have the president and his director of the CDC; they’re clearly not on the same page.
They clearly do not have the same set of guidelines or instructions or what have you. Hey, does anybody in there have Gwyneth Paltrow’s number? I’d like to call her and ask her if the president of Liberia has enough power. I’d like to ask Gwyneth Paltrow if we should give Ellen Johnson Sirleaf all the power she needs to pass this stuff that she wants to pass, the powers that she would give to Obama. (sigh) I know. It’ll never happen.
(interruption) You just can’t forget that story, can you? Snerdley keeps asking about the dwarf. It’s a sad story, ladies and gentlemen, from the first hour. What happened was, a bride-to-be became pregnant after having sex with a dwarf stripper at her bachelorette party, and she gave birth to a baby that her husband thought was his until he saw the baby and saw that it had dwarf characteristics, then he knew something had happened that he wasn’t a part of.
So now there’s trouble in paradise. Snerdley keeps asking me questions. Like he just said, “Well, does the Ebola virus hang around in dwarf semen 90 days?” It doesn’t know the difference. Yes. Ebola hangs around in semen for 90. That’s what we that’s what we learned yesterday. (interruption) No, I’m that serious. The Ebola virus remains in male semen for 90 days after a patient has recovered. I mean, that’s pretty serious stuff.