Did Thomas Duncan Commit An Unpardonable Offense? Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf says she is “angry” with Thomas Eric Duncan. The reason for her anger is that Thomas lied that he did not come in contact with an Ebola patient when he did. The President says that kind of lie was “unpardonable”, and she has vowed to prosecute him. That is if Thomas lives, now that we are hearing his condition is “critical”. Here is the dilemma that Thomas finds himself on his Ebola sick bed: 1) President Sirleaf has passed a death sentence on Thomas already. If a person infected with Ebola that does not save is unpardonable, it is equivalent to saying he should die of this killer virus. The president’s expression of anger and judgment are grossly inciting to corrupting doctors who should be doing everything within their professional ability to save Thomas’ life. Is it possible that the doctors would say ‘well, this guy does not deserve to live; after all, his president says he’s unpardonable?’ 2) Thomas faces possible deportation, that is if he lives through this. Already, he has angered his President and I would not be surprised if President Obama expresses the same anger and outrage. Or it could be the Homeland Security or Immigration that could be “angrier” with him because he committed an “unpardonable offense”. Hence, deportation is a perfect way to vent that anger against Thomas. I am thinking Thomas is qualify to win an asylum from the U.S government because he will certainly be persecuted if he were deported to Liberia. 3) Everything held constant and Thomas survives in the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas that is the doctors are gracious enough to work to save Thomas’s life, Liberian prosecution team is awaiting him at the Robert International Airport to slam him with criminal charges. So if Ebola misses Thomas, Liberian Justice Ministry will not. My concern right now is that we often blame rather than help the victims of circumstances. Thomas is certainly a victim. This mentality in Liberia where parents blame rape victims rather than seek to punish rapist is the same here. Or we are seeing yet again how our society blames a battered wife rather than seek to bring charges against the battering husband. Instead of blaming Thomas Duncan we should be praying for his speedy recovery. Here is why. You may agree as I do that Thomas lied about one question, which is if he had cared for Ebola patient. We know now that he cared for a pregnant Ebola victim. But is he unpardonable for lying? I think not. If a liar like Thomas is unpardonable what do we say of President Sirleaf who dished out $20,000 to the NPFL that bought cocaine and guns that killed more than 250,000 of our population? What do we say about the Liberian soldiers who shot and killed a 13 year and wounded several others in West Point and no action is being taken to bring the shooter to book? What do say about doctors and health or Ebola quarantine centers that turned away tens, perhaps hundreds of Ebola infected patients who had to be carried and cared for by their relatives? What do we say about the Liberian Health Minister who told the nation there was health problem when Ebola was discovered in northern Lofa County? Thomas cannot run from his lie, but we should not be condemning him to death why he is already facing a possible one. Like I said Thomas is a victim of circumstances, from his home country, Liberia, to the Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas. In Liberia, tens or hundreds of people are dying in the streets, outside of Ebola quarantine centers, at home because the Liberian government failed to take the appropriate action to deal with the pandemic while health workers look on. Duncan saw it all how people were turned away and the vulnerable citizens carry and care for their Ebola sick. And what happened when Thomas showed up at the Presbyterian Hospital? Could it be he told them exactly what his problem was? The NDC reported, “The first person diagnosed with the Ebola virus in the U.S. wasnt appropriately treated for suspected infection until after a relative personally called the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, his nephew told NBC News on Wednesday night.” Could we say the hospital mishandled Thomas’s situation? Without justifying Thomas’s deliberate lie, his temperature reading in Monrovia before boarding his flight to the United States shows he was normal. It read 36.3 degree Celsius which was 97.34 Fahrenheit. Could it have been Thomas’s intention to lie and come here to get better treatment? Part two will follow subsequently.
Posted on: Sun, 05 Oct 2014 12:16:22 +0000
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