Man Died Of Flesh Eating Bacteria After Helping With Hurricane Harvey Relief

Two months after making landfall in Texas, Hurricane Harvey has claimed another victim.  This time, a man who helped repair flooded homes has died after contracting a flesh-eating bacteria.

The man, who has been identified as Josue Zurita, according to CNN affiliate KHOU, was helping repair several homes damaged by intense flooding from Harvey.  Zurita went to the hospital on October 10 with a seriously infected wound on his upper left arm and was diagnosed with a rare flesh-eating bacterial infection known as necrotizing fasciitis, according to the Galveston County Health District. The 31-year-old man died last week after being diagnosed with the bacteria, Galveston County Health District announced Monday.

Zurita’s death follows closely on the heels of the death of Nancy Reed, a 77-year-old Houston-area woman who died in September after contracting the necrotizing fasciitis bacteria in Harvey floodwaters. J.R. Atkins, a former first responder, also contracted a flesh-eating bacterial infection but survived, according to KHOU. He had been kayaking through floodwaters to check on neighbors affected by the hurricane, according to a Facebook post in September.

In an obituary on the Galveston-based Carnes Brothers Funeral Home’s website, Zurita was called a “loving father and hard-working carpenter” who moved to the United States from Mexico to help his family and “remained to help with the rebuilding after hurricane Harvey.”

Necrotizing fasciitis is extremely rare, usually only popping up in about 1,100 cases per year in the United States. But given the conditions of areas that Hurricane Harvey destroyed, it’s much more likely to contract the bacteria while in the flood waters. “We’re surprised we saw three of them in the region, but given the exposure to all the construction and potential injuries that people would have … it shouldn’t be surprising. It’s well within what we would expect given those numbers,” said Dr. Philip Keiser, the Galveston County local health authority.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, several different types of bacteria can cause necrotizing fasciitis.  An infection like this can spread quickly and kills off the body’s soft tissue, especially if it infects a wound that is not properly cared for, Keiser said. The infection also can become lethal within a very short amount of time. “What happens is, you get some kind of break in the skin, and in that area — between the skin and the muscle — it’s a fairly open space where the bacteria can grow,” Keiser said. “I have seen these things spread over hours. Even in one case, as I was examining a patient, I could see the red spread in the minutes I was examining him, and that’s the real danger to it,” Keiser said. “As it spreads, it’s going up the space between the muscle and skin, and as it does that, it kills all the nerves and the blood vessels can clot.”

Keiser says that this is preventable, however.  People with wounds should make sure that they keep them covered with clean and dry bandages, especially while working in the flood waters. Never delay treating even a minor wound and seek proper medical attention if there is any redness or swelling around the area.

Dickenson, TX Residents Told No Hurricane Harvey Relief Funds if Support Boycotting Israel

[image: Reuters]

Israel’s sinister influence over US policy extends to tiny Dickenson, TX, population around 19,000, ravaged by Hurricane Harvey, residents needing help.

Getting any requires certifying in writing the following on signed applications:

“(T)he Applicant verifies that the Applicant: (1) does not boycott Israel; and (2) will not boycott Israel during the term of this Agreement.”

Recently passed Texas law requires state contractors to certify no opposition to Israel. At a signing ceremony, Governor Greg Abbott called Texas Israel’s “No. 1 trading partner in the United States,” adding:

“Texas is proud to reaffirm its support for the people of Israel and we will continue to build on our historic partnership…Anti-Israel policies are anti-Texas policies, and we will not tolerate such actions against an important ally.”

Earlier Supreme Court decisions affirmed the right of free expression, including political speech and protests, protected by the First Amendment.

Federal, state and local governments are prohibited from requiring individuals to certify political beliefs for employment, contracts or other benefits.

ACLU Texas legal director Andre Segura explained “(t)he First Amendment protects Americans’ right to boycott, and the government cannot condition hurricane relief or any other public benefit on a commitment to refrain from protected political expression.”

“Dickinson’s requirement is an egregious violation of the First Amendment, reminiscent of McCarthy-era loyalty oaths, requiring Americans to disavow membership in the Communist party and other forms of ‘subversive’ activity.”

On October 11, the ACLU filed suit in federal court, challenging a Kansas law on behalf of math teacher Esther Koontz – denied the right to train other teachers for supporting BDS, her constitutional right.

Last July, the ACLU wrote congressional members, opposing legislation criminalizing boycotts of companies doing business in illegal Israeli settlements.

The unconstitutional House and Senate Israel Anti-Boycott Act aims to silence criticism of Israel. The Center for Constitutional Rights earlier called criminalizing criticism of Israel “the Palestinian Exception” to fundamental First Amendment rights.

House and Senate versions of the Israel Anti-Boycott Act call for stiff fines and imprisonment for up to 20 years – the measure not yet passed, subject to revisions.

The ACLU said its letter to congressional members got Senate sponsors of the bill to consider changes.

If passed and signed into law by Trump, a judicial challenge could get it overturned – though anything supporting Israel won’t be easily changed, perhaps not even by the Supreme Court.

The post Dickenson, TX Residents Told No Hurricane Harvey Relief Funds if Support Boycotting Israel appeared first on The Sleuth Journal.

As Thousands Left Homeless from Hurricanes, Trump Sends $75 Million MORE to Israel

As many Americans struggle to get back on their feet after their homes were destroyed by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, the United States government has insisted that the only way to raise money for relief efforts is to increase the national debt—while setting aside another $75 million in aid for Israel.

Just one year ago, the Obama Administration signed the largest military aid deal in U.S. history, promising Israel $38 Billion over the next 10 years. However, while the deal stated that Israel was expected to return any money that was more than the original amount, the Trump Administration is breaking the rules.

According to a report from the Jerusalem Post, while Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was against giving an additional $75 million to Israel, a senior State Department official insisted that, “The administration is committed to ensuring that Israel receives the assistance that has been appropriated by Congress,” and that Trump will “work to ensure the $75 million in additional aid is delivered.”

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While Congress had no problem giving Israel another $75 million in military aid, it did so by once again turning a blind eye to the long list of human rights abuses carried out by the Israeli military—and funded by the United States. Israel has occupied Palestine since 1967, and in those 50 years, it has been accused of numerous categories of human rights violations, according to a report from Human Rights Watch:

“At least five categories of major violations of international human rights law and humanitarian law characterize the occupation: unlawful killings; forced displacement; abusive detention; the closure of the Gaza Strip and other unjustified restrictions on movement; and the development of settlements, along with the accompanying discriminatory policies that disadvantage Palestinians.”

When Donald Trump ran a campaign based on “Making America Great Again” and truly putting “America First,” his supporters latched on to his promises, as if his presence in the White House would make everything different. While some of Trump’s supporters were adamant about his support for Israel, it should be noted that the Trump Administration is not just putting Israel first—it is also putting every country that is a recipient of U.S. foreign aid at a time when Americans desperately need help, first.

Went out to Rockport to help law enforcement families who have devastating loss & damage due to Hurricane Harvey. #TexasStrong pic.twitter.com/EPgzHjfnJV

— Destiny ❁ (@dessttinyy) September 10, 2017

As Congress debated raising the Debt Ceiling, in order to find money for hurricane relief efforts, Sen. Rand Paul proposed an amendment that would allocate $7.85 billion in aid for repairing the damage caused by Hurricane Harvey, with an additional $2.5 billion set aside to prepare for Hurricane Irma—all by simply making cuts to foreign aid.

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“My amendment, the ‘America First’ amendment, would take the money from money that we were going to send to foreign countries,” Paul said. “We send billions and billions of dollars to countries who hate us. We send billions and billions of dollars to countries who burn our flag. I think it’s a very simple choice that when we’re looking at those in need in our country, we quit sending money to other countries.”

Stunning drone footage captures severe damage, flooding in Naples after Hurricane #Irma plows through the area. https://t.co/OXfmsaECNM pic.twitter.com/2sK1Kqcz4g

— ABC News (@ABC) September 11, 2017

In response to Paul’s proposal, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made a motion to table it, which passed 87-10. Unfortunately, while the majority of Congress does not seem to care about how much money the U.S. is wasting on foreign aid, it also does not seem to care about the status of the National Debt.

The United States’ National Debt surpassed $20 TRILLION this week, after jumping $317,645,000,000 in one day. The Trump administration’s $75 million gift to Israel is in addition to the record-breaking $3.8 billion a year the country already receives from the U.S.

The idea that the United States should continue to hand out obscene amounts of money it doesn’t have to the nations it favors—with no oversight—is a reminder that the vast majority of the elected officials who claim to represent the will of the American public, do not have their best interest in mind.