Although I am one of those people in fear about an Ebola epidemic in the U.S., I am appalled by the Obama administration’s “nothing to see here” attitude.

As Bill Kristol says in a podcast, the medical authorities seem more concerned with being politically correct than protecting citizens from disease. A Center for Disease Control official, for example, has talked about the "right of return" to the U.S. for people with communicable diseases–it appears that he is referring to non-citizens as well as citizens.

Speaking of citizenship, I am furious at Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings for lionizing the man who brought Ebola to Dallas and embracing him as “a citizen now." (Ironically, the man in question may have been coming here to join a family of illegals).

Of Thomas Duncan, the Liberian man who lied about his contact with an Ebola patient in order to fly to the United States, where he is in critical condition in a Dallas hospital, the mayor of that city told USA Today this:

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings told News 8 that he thinks the entire city is pulling for Duncan to make a recovery.

“We’re all rooting for this guy,” the mayor said. “He’s our citizen now.”

Kudos to radio host Laura Ingraham for noticing this verbal construction.  

We hope that Thomas Duncan not only survives but makes a full recovery. He is not, however, a citizen of the United States. Of what in Mayor Rawlings mind does U.S. citizenship consist? Duncan lied on health forms he filled out in order to board the plane before he left Liberia and that lie has put U.S. citizens at risk.

The Dallas apartment in which Duncan stayed briefly has been cleaned by a hazmat team and the people who lived there and came into contact with Mr. Duncan are being housed elsewhere until it can be determined if they contracted the deadly disease.

If Mr. Duncan dies, this will be a human tragedy: he contacted Ebola by trying to help a pregnant woman who had just collapsed, but that initial act of charity does not cancel Duncan’s subsequent lying about his exposure to the deadly virus.  

Even if we can understand Duncan’s temptation, we should not celebrate him as the mayor of Dallas has done. Being charitable to Mr. Duncan, and if these are Mr. Duncan’s last days on earth, making him as comfortable as possible, are to be applauded. But giddily applauding Mr. Duncan and conferring faux citizenship on a man who has brought risk and fear to an American city are beyond the pale.  Mayor Rawlings should be furious. I know I am.