there is a lot of information swirling around about this pan(dem)ic.

here is my opinion.

i think the timing of it is KEY to understanding what it really going on. this all happened AFTER the Summit of the Americas. also remember the tell - the missing vials from the army base prior to this. there has been an ongoing push to further security/trade/labor bureacracies and infrastructure between Mexico and the United States. there is no better way to quicken the pace and create the needed changes then by creating a panic. the combined strength of Latin American nations moving outside the sphere of influence of Washington has caused Washington to strengthen ties with nations which it still does have major influence with, namely Colombia and Mexico through various free trade agreements, drug-trafficking and military initiatives among other things. a comprehensive coordination will be required as this swine flu thing continues. the epicenter is mexico city and this is already being called the mexican flu.

the angle of this flu being a result of factory farming practices in mexico will also increase calls for more coordination and oversight of industries and a comprehensive and encompassing policy on business practices across the board in mexico and the united states. i hope you could check out the pdf i linked to from the Council on Foreign Relations which calls for increased coordination and integration of Mexican and the United States in areas of labor, trade, security, immigration, military and environmental policies.

they have the far right screaming for a militarized border and the liberals clamoring for amnesty for illegal immigrants. these two find their synthesis in the policies which will be coming down the road.

"America in Terminal Decline? No Way, Says Geopolitical Expert George Friedman
Posted Apr 29, 2009 07:30am EDT by Aaron Task in Newsmakers
Related: ^DJI, ^GSPC, SPY, DIA, TLT, TBT, UDN
With its slumping economy, mountains of debt, ungodly deficits and overseas entanglements, many observers believe the end of the American era is at hand.
Not so, according to George Friedman, founder of STRATFOR, a global intelligence company.
In his latest book, The Next 100 Years, Friedman argues America's power on the world stage will actually increase in the 21st Century for three major reason:

• The immense size of the U.S. economy: The current crisis is painful and America's deficits are shocking on an absolute basis but are "trivial" relative to the country's net worth, which Friedman estimates is about $340 trillion.

• The unrivaled dominance of the U.S. Navy: Even in the digital age, control of the high seas is paramount in geopolitics.

• The ability of the U.S. to absorb immigrants, both culturally and in terms of the nation's relatively low population density.
This last point is controversial, considering the nation's current anti-immigration mood and worries about ongoing job losses. But the global population is shrinking, especially in the developed world, and Friedman foresees labor shortages leading to competition for immigrants in the next 20-30 years. America's ability to attract and absorb those workers, especially relative to economic rivals like Germany and Japan, will thus be key to its continued status as the world's leading power, he argues."

source: http://finance.yahoo.com/techticker/article/237808/America-in-Terminal-Decline-No-Way,-Says-Geopolitical-Expert-George-Friedman

i think also that this also helps to boost the economy - some sectors of the economy are benefitting highly from boosted orders of anti-flu vaccines as mentioned in the article.