[QUOTE=Capatalist Lion Tamer]
The whole point is that Speaker was under the impression that he was not endangering his fellow passengers. He was under that impression because an expert told him he was not contagious, and because no one refuted that expert’s opinion.
[/QUOTE]
I don’t disagree that Speaker believed he wasn’t contagious, despite the fact that he was.
I believe that if the CDC told someone he had XDR-TB, that he was being placed on a no-fly list, and that he should not fly commercial airliners, a reasonable person would infer that he was being treated as if he were contagious. He would then ask something like, “Why are you treating me as if I am contagious? My doctor told me I wasn’t.” The CDC, which has some experience in these matters, could then explain that his doctor was wrong and that he is contagious.
Instead of this warm-fuzzy scenario, the CDC had to track Speaker down to issue the diagnosis and new urgent instructions. He assured them he wouldn’t go anywhere and then he skipped town. Speaker was a danger to other people, he was being treated by the CDC as if he were a danger to other people, and he severed communication with them as they were trying in good faith to inform him of that fact!
Fulton County said, “You’re not contagious. Don’t travel.” Speaker depended on the former and ignored the latter.
The CDC said, “You’re dangerously ill. Stay where you are!” Speaker acted on the former and ignored the latter.
Speaker cannot honestly argue that he was acting in good faith on medical advice. He was acting on fifty percent of the medical advice, that fifty percent which corresponded with his own agenda.
I contend that Speaker should have realized that he was contagious and that he had possibly the best resource in the world trying to set him straight on the topic. The fact that he ran away with his fingers in his ears singing la-la-la instead of asking some intelligent questions doesn’t excuse him from his obligation to know and act accordingly.
If you believe that a guy who has just been told by the CDC that he’s under quarantine shouldn’t be able to reasonably assume that he is contagious, or at very least, ask a few pertinent questions of the Expert on the line, we should just stop arguing.
All this tail-chasing will make us both way too dizzy.