Piggy, piggy.

Ugh! Alex is totally sick. I took him to the doctor this morning and they asked about a billion questions about possible interactions with Mexico.

The "good" news is that he has something else. Bronchitis, it seems. The bad news is that he is sick, sick, sick. I mean ... sick!

The Mexico questioning has lead me to a random pouring of thoughts I seem to consistently go back to about the media in general, and this current "outbreak" of swine flu specifically. I just can't decide what I believe.

All of the subs in AISD have been asked to avoid schools right now. (That includes me, even though I'm "permanent.") Apparently, there is some nervousness about bringing "new" germs constantly in and out. I get it ... and I don't.

I definitely don't get the closing of schools before any cases have even been confirmed, or are even probable ... as in Fort Worth. I think that's just way too touchy and rash.

Then again, I'm not really worried about most of the stuff they warn about on tv. I would prefer to not catch this supposedly horrid flu, but I'm just not panicked like a lot of people seem to be.

I can't decide if this is a good or a bad thing. Which is my biggest thought on government and the media in general. I never have any idea what to believe, and just how worried (or comforted, for that matter) to be about all of the crap they spew.

Because, you know, President Ford faced something like this in 1976 while he was campaigning against Reagan. There was a military base that had an outbreak of this same flu ("they" say).

One G.I. died and Ford made a huge deal about it on the campaign trail. He ordered that vaccines be made for every man, woman, and child in quick-order. They were rushed through, and it turns out less than half of the population took them.

I read that of those who did, a certain number (rather small-ish, but still) either became paralyzed, lost function of the arm in which the shot was given, or flat-out died.

And it turned out that only about 150 were infected total, all of which lived on the base ... it never left the premises. Still, there was a mass flip-out, just like there is now. Decisions were hasty and people were overwrought.

My point - Is this the same kind of situation, or are we actually dealing with something that is as terribly threatening to the human population as so many officials are saying?

Because, you know, hysteria does no one any good. This is just my opinion, of course. I'm no one who knows anything about it, really, I'm just a normal, everyday member of society ... one who can't help but wonder how all of this recent flurry will play out.

My instinct tells me that a somewhat small number of people will get it, some might have really bad times with it, but the great majority will be just fine ... and it won't end up being the animal house it's so far been chalked up to be.

Like I said, I could be totally wrong. I hope I'm right, though.

Those are just my thoughts for now. I guess we shall see.