guess what it is: it's voluntary, strongly recommended, and a patriotic duty

that's right!!! it's the swine flu vaccine!!!! good job kids. - ed.

President Obama called on Americans on Tuesday to take common-sense steps to help contain the expected impact of swine flu, including staying home from work when they are sick, frequently washing their hands, and covering their sneezes with a sleeve instead of a hand.

Obama told reporters in the Rose Garden that the federal government is taking a coordinated approach to fighting the expected outbreak, including ramping up what he says will be a "voluntary but strongly recommended" H1N1 flu vaccination program.

read more @ wapo

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) on Wednesday said it was residents' "patriotic duty" to get seasonal flu shots in coming weeks to make it easier for health officials to determine if outbreaks are related to H1N1, or swine flu.

If residents do not get vaccinated against seasonal strains and later get sickened by them as a result, there will be little way to determine if those falling ill this fall and winter have been infected by less worrisome strains, or by the more contagious H1N1 virus, O'Malley said.

The governor characterized that scenario as serious because it could stress supplies of antiviral treatments and other resources needed to care for swine flu victims, since only those Marylanders sick enough to be hospitalized may undergo tests to confirm the presence of swine flu, state health officials said.

"You'll be doing your patriotic duty to get your seasonal flu shot this year," O'Malley said. If you've never received one, "by golly, this is a very good year to do it for the first time," he said.

read more @ wapo

OK, BY GOLLY, DO YOU GET THAT? you should take the vaccine to make it EASIER FOR THE AUTHORITIES to figure out if you have regular flu or swine flu. cause see otherwise they can hardly tell the difference! but if you take the shot, see, they'll be able to tell. there's a lot of logistical problems here, see, with managing the resources to treat the people made sick enough by the swine flu, and, well, it's just really difficult for them to do all this counting and treating and managing. damn. could you please just do your patriotic duty and take the vaccine? please? it will be much easier for all the authorities. and anyway if you don't it's a CRIME, so you might want to think about that too.

thanks kids love ya bye!