You know. I just have to complain. I’m sick (heh) of hearing about H1N1. It’s always the leading story on the news every night. And, yeah, okay I get that it’s a serious illness. But so is the regular flu. And did you know that MORE people die of the “regular” flu each year than H1N1?

The news the other night really took the cake for me. One “North Texas mother” wants to cancel Halloween because it’s just “not good” to have all those kids near each other. Outside. Running from door to door. Never mind the fact they’re in classrooms together every single day. Or on the playground. Or whatever. She’s keeping her kids in this Halloween with zero trick-or-treating because it’s “not safe” to go outside.

So…are we going to live in quarantine for the rest of our lives because of … the flu?

And then of course the news has to show the OTHER extreme. The mom who has a dozen kids around her and the house is decorating to the hilt for Halloween. Cobwebs on the trees and shrubs, blinking Halloween lights, you get the picture. She’s all smiles. She’s the “neighborhood Halloween Mom”. You know, sort of like the Kool-Aid Mom but for Halloween. Her house is “the” house on the street that all the kids come to. She doesn’t think we should cancel Halloween.

And you know what? Neither do I. It’s absurd to keep our kids locked up in the house just because it’s just too icky out there. Just because there is the slight chance they “could” get sick. And, really, if the news stations would stop shoving it down our throats that All Mankind is Going to Die of the Swine Flu, we wouldn’t have near the panic.

That’s my rant for the day. And yes, we’re going trick-or-treating. I love Halloween!

I was hoping to have some news this morning when I finally blogged but no such luck. Hopefully by the time Monday rolls around, I will have news.

Can’t believe it’s May! Happy May Day!

And can I say that I’m sick of hearing about the swine flu. Oh, sorry. H1N1. The media is turning this into a frenzy and it’s getting ridiculous. The schools have canceled all before/after/outdoor activities. And here it is the last month of school. So sad for the kids. Fort Worth and Cleburne ISDs have shut down until May 8. Two entire school districts.

The annual Mayfest which is always the first weekend of May has been canceled. In fact, Tarrant County health officials are mandating that ALL public events be canceled. This is just stupid.

And what’s even worse is Tamiflu has been known to cause serious side effects (and death). I’m sorry but NO ONE is going to inject that shit into me or my kid. That’s just tough. And you can’t make me . Swine flu is a mutated version of the flu and we’re panicking for no reason. Lots of people stand to make millions on this “pandemic” in this sagging economy and it makes me angry the media is spreading the fear. THAT’S the pendemic – fear. Not the swine flu.

Back in 1976, there was another frenzy over swine flu. And guess what? Nothing happened. There wasn’t a huge outbreak and millions of people didn’t die. But you can bet your butt that the media spread the frenzy. And you can bet your butt the pharmaceutical companies made tons of money.

Here’s an excellent report on the truth about the swine flu. If you have concerns about the swine flu, I recommend you read this. It will put your fears to rest. And then we can all get on with the rest of our lives. It even has the link to Google’s H1N1 tracker. It will show you where all the outbreaks are. And here is the CDC’s report on the actual cases and how many deaths have been reported (one, if you’re keeping score at home).

The BEST defense against illness is to wash your hands with soap and keep them away from your face and mouth. I’ve been telling my son this for the last two days and I make him wash A LOT. Keeping your hands clean is really all it takes.