Are Wall Street execs and Guantanamo detainees receiving H1N1 vaccines before the rest of the public? Certainly appears that way according to the Associated Press, who report that Goldman Sachs and Citigroup are among the companies to be given the vaccine. A Miami Herald report disclosed that a Gitmo spokesman said inoculations were scheduled for inmates and guards later this month.

Now, political fervor has risen since these announcements, with some calling out the Obama administration for not responsibly doling out the swine flu vaccine. The Atlantic’s Chris Good has an article explaining that the American Future Fund, a conservative group, will start airing an ad pointing out the issues behind a health care plan from a government that can’t handle a simple vaccine program. Thanks to YouTube, here’s the advertisement in question:

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs has since denied that any shipments were on their way to Guantanamo at the current time. Officials from the Pentagon clarified the vaccine’s priority list, stating that troops that have been deployed or are poised to will be vaccinated first. Pentagon Spokesman Bryan Whitman detailed the mindset behind prisoners receiving the vaccine. “The department has an obligation to care for people in its custody. The DoD (Department of Defense) takes that very seriously. There is a limited supply of the H1N1 vaccine and DoD has prioritized how it will be delivered. The detainee population is toward the bottom of the list.”

Even as the GOP starts pointing the health care finger of civility at the administration, they should take another look and the short but informative offering from the Associated Press. Company doctors, like the ones for Citigroup, are only allowed to use their vaccine on employees that fall under the “high risk” banner like pregnant women and those with chronic illnesses. Sounds to me like spreading the vaccine directly to companies will get it to individuals faster and avoid large lines at any one specific location.

It would be illegal for those doctors to use it on say, company CEO’s unless they were at high risk for contagion. If anyone still has a problem with the idea of a bank getting the vaccine, perhaps they should start looking at their state government, which determines how and where to distribute the vaccine. Let’s just point that finger at the right people, shall we?

Elsewhere in the land of political civility, gay rights suffered a setback when Maine voted to repeal gay marriage in their elections. Maine was considered to have a good chance for progress because of their independent-thinking voters and healthy campaign. A major setback was the voice of the opposition which was against gay marriage being taught in elementary schools if allowed.

The state of Washington held its own vote on gay rights (Referendum 71), which if passed as projected means expanded rights for domestic partnerships of all kinds. It would grant gay couples the same rights and responsibilities as heterosexual couples. The only thing not present is calling the union a “marriage.” While not a total and complete victory, it certainly is a welcome sign for gay marriage supporters.

Our Take:
I’ll try to avoid this article becoming a flame war for or against gay marriage. Apparently Maine’s voters could be fine with the idea of gay marriage, but would be embarrassed if they had to explain it to their children. That just seems off to me. The loss in Maine is surely a heart-breaking one, but the fight will continue. Washington’s impending results are certainly indicative of that.

And that was the week that was in political civility.