"Get a grip": Bob Barr has a great piece out (I believe it's in the Washington Times, but this link is to his own site) about fear as a problem in America, specifically over the flu, but generally about fearmongering by politicians on both sides of the aisle. Some good lines:

The CDC formed its own special ethics panel to weigh the moral questions about
who gets vaccinated. (We need ethics in government, Lord knows, but a panel of
ethicists to decide who gets a flu shot? Come on, folks, get a grip.)

And...

If every American followed the basic life lessons learned in kindergarten, the
CDC wouldn't have to go to red alert every time something like this happens.

I'm afraid (ha ha) he might be right.