I seem to remember the invective doled out to a certain political entity (the US) for being “unprepared” for a certain natural disaster (Katrina). I seem to remember the invective was doled out by the fringe left (mainly the media but also by a certain ex-Chancellor). I seem to remember the invective was doled out based on hysteria which turned out to be untrue.

Certainly even bigger government, higher taxes, and more socialism is needed to “protect” the citizenry from natural disasters. Why then this from the current home of Governmentalist thought and practice:

Europe is not properly prepared for a flu pandemic and has inadequate supplies of vaccines and antiviral drugs, says an internal European Commission document obtained by the Financial Times.

WHAT?!?!?!

With avian flu on its borders, the human vaccine situation in the EU is “far from satisfactory”, according to a note presented last Wednesday by Markos Kyprianou, health and consumer protection commissioner, to his colleagues ahead of a meeting of EU health ministers on October 20.

Surely not. Why hasn’t government “done something”?

It seems as though a member of the hated corporate class of greed is actually "doing something" (via WSJ subscription):

A Roche spokesman said Saturday the pharmaceuticals company is donating 20,000 packs of Tamiflu to Turkey to protect workers who may come into contact with infected poultry, and has given 2,400 packs to Romania. Roche, which has said it is increasing production of Tamiflu as quickly as possible, also has given three million packs to the World Health Organization.

Two stories which do not fit the fringe left template, therefore both stories are destined for a short life and an even quicker burial.