You can listen to it here: Bedbug Victims Hope City Will Take Action in 2009.
The bed bug victims part means us. *
To read about Intro 873 click here.
The NYC Health Department spokesperson predictably trots out their tired defense that bed bugs don’t spread disease.
I guess that means the NYC Health Department only concerns itself with disease transmission? Major illness?
I guess someone should explain to us, then, “#64 in a series of Health Bulletins on issues of pressing interest to all New Yorkers”—you’ve never seen this?
Allow me:
“Sleep: Are You Getting Enough?” (PDF)
No, we would not joke or make this up. There is no need. See for yourself. At one point this was even on the front page of the Department of Health’s website—it’s since been replaced by “Marijuana: is it holding you back?” (PDF).
And lest you think this handsome insomnia brochure was sent out it in some pre-bedbug era, it’s dated October 15, 2008.
Look at the production values, though!
And if that is not the biggest insult to a bed bug sufferer in this city that anyone could ever dream up, I don’t know what is.
I am so, so tired of this. So, we’re going to collect every single statement by an entomologist or scientist that supports our contention that bed bugs are decidedly the purview of public health departments, starting with, I don’t know, a WHO publication? and we’re going to put it in our nice report (yes, it’s almost done) and then we’re… see, this is where our plan falters, we’re going to hope someone in this city has the decency to step up.
At some point indifference becomes callousness. Do you think we’re there yet, or did we miss it already?
* 1/5/09: A member of the group mentioned today that there was a version of the segment with my comment and the DOH spokesperson’s comment—I missed my own sound bite. Sorry, it’s not available online. Let’s assume it was brilliant!
These pages may be of related interest:
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What a shame! Maybe the journalist you were interviewed by could send you an MP3 of the segment?
I mean — and that was a bit cryptic, sorry — a shame you did not hear the actual segment with your comment in it. (I didn’t either.)
The assuming brilliance thing is not working, eh?
The person who told me about hearing this could only remember the feelings aroused by the DOH spokesperson’s sound bite. I don’t even remember what I said but I hope in comparison it was good.
Well, I do assume it was brilliant. I think it is fun to hear things, is all.
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