04/10/07 Bird Flu Flap

What ever happened to the frenzy over bird flu? We hear nary a peep about it but don't expect bird flu phobia fanatics to flutter anywhere permanently. They've simply migrated to another "anti-meat" or organic project waiting for next outbreak to occur, typically in some remote Asian outpost. Then, expect the activists to swoop back in sensationalizing Bird Flu, milking it for all it's worth ( Oops, I forgot these groups wouldn't touch milk , unless it's organic!) In spite of the folly of attempting to scare even duck hunters out of their blinds, (they underestimated that one) Americans never really worried about bird flu. Out of the millions of chickens processed in this country each year, we are comfortable with the fact that over 95 percent of all outfits check poultry before they are brought into the plant, and that the last confirmed cases were in 1984. While special interest "quacks" want to ruffle our feathers over Bird Flu it should remain at the bottom of our worry list next to mad cow, especially in light of a study showing that the mortality rate from bird flu equals that of the common flu.