From citizen@mindspring.com Thu Feb 19 14:40:42 1998 Received: from mail.net-nerds.com ([12.9.216.10]) by THE-SPA.COM with ESMTP (IPAD 2.03) id 3007200 ; Thu, 19 Feb 1998 14:40:40 EST Received: from user102.net-nerds.com by mail.net-nerds.com with SMTP (Microsoft Exchange Internet Mail Service Version 5.0.1457.7) id 1BYFLTCK; Thu, 19 Feb 1998 11:42:00 -0800 Message-Id: <1.5.4.16.19980219194452.4f1791d2@net-nerds.com> X-Sender: jjohnson@net-nerds.com (Unverified) X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Light Version 1.5.4 (16) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Date: Thu, 19 Feb 1998 11:44:52 -0800 To: citizen@mindspring.com From: "J.J. Johnson" Subject: Las Vegas: BioWar Reality This article was submitted and later rejected by the Las Vegas Review Journal two days ago. In light on the current arrests in Las Vegas, this article becomes more timely than ever. Many have warned about the possibility of domestic individuals having a different agenda that serves as a clear and present danger to the security of American citizens. Those who serve as a watchtower for these individuals should be commended for their diligence, and rewarded for their efforts. This should also serve as a lesson to the country that education of the public can prevent disaster. I only wish this article could have been RJ's editorial page... Perhaps now, everyone will take this potential threat seriously. - J.J. Johnson _________________________________________________________________ Iraq: And the need for Civil Defense. By J.J. Johnson When I grew up in Buffalo, we spent our autumn Sundays watching O.J. Simpson lead the Buffalo Bills' offense to new NFL records. But if you were a Bills fan, it was one of the worst periods in the team's history. Due to an abysmal defense, they could only manage one wild-card playoff spot during the running back's tenure. They suffered many losses. With a possible upcoming war with Iraq, our defensive strategy should be given as much priority as our offensive potential - not only in the Persian Gulf, but at home as well. To ignore this could lead to many losses. Not in games, but in lives. The Clinton administration has failed to build the type of multi-national coalition against Saddam Hussein as did his predecessor, George Bush. Today, we hear the grumblings of other U.N. security council members, as well as threats of retaliation from other Arab States. Cold War conventional wisdom says nuclear retaliation serves as an effective deterrent against mass attacks on American cites. Therefore, we need not worry. But the Cold war is over. We must come to the realization that at least part of that strategic mind set must be discarded, also. If an Iraqi national finds himself dying from nuclear fallout after a U.S. retaliation, little if anything can deter him from a counter-strike using biological or chemical weapons upon a U.S. metropolitan area. In the days of the Cold War, we understood the threat of mutually assured destruction (MAD). In our elementary schools however, we were comfortable with practice shelter drills even though we knew that the chance of our inner-city school surviving a nuclear blast was nil. This is not an attack on the Clinton Administration. Nor am I being alarmist. The responsibility of a local attack with bio-toxins can and must be dealt with in the local community long before any federal authority could provide an adequate defense. The federal government has taken steps to prepare local governments for defensive counter measures against such acts. But regrettably, the population most vulnerable has been given little information on how to defend itself. A few years ago, Surgeon General C. Evrett Koop spent over 11 million taxpayer dollars just to tell us to wear a condom. With today's technology, posting information on a government web site (such as the CDC), and having the President or the Surgeon General give out the URL address on national television and radio would cost almost nothing. Until such time, we must not worry about being labeled alarmist or extremist. The nation of Israel takes the threat of biological or chemical attack serious enough to make sure all of its citizens have the proper tools and education to survive such an attack. It would be irresponsible for Americans to not follow suit. The time has come to lead by example- using the old saying that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". Gas masks should be as common an item in a family's first-aid kit as a band-aid, not simply called "items of choice by survivalist and militia groups". When we check the batteries in our smoke detectors twice a year, we should also check our gas mask filters. Anti-toxins for known bio-war agents should be readily available at retail stores, with clear instructions on dosage. This require take a major policy shift at the FDA. Currently, many of these medicines are available on retail store shelves in Mexico. In public buildings and corporate offices, notices should be posted on how to treat victims and/or quarantine an affected area if necessary. Protective gear and bio- toxins should also be readily available in these areas. After the movie "Jaws", it took awhile for Americans to feel safe swimming at the beach again. When the threat of terrorists attacks on aircraft became a reality, American were not shocked, but comforted when we were inconvenienced by tough security measures at the nation's airports. After the Oklahoma City Bombing, many federal workers did not feel safe until they saw improved security procedures in place. Why should we not take the threat of bio-toxins any less seriously? Why should we allow a death toll possibly ten times that of the Murrah building be an excuse to do what we can start today? This is not a game. America has become vulnerable due to its complacency. To many of us, war on a foreign soil is nothing more than a spectator sport. But if a terrorist decided to unleash an anthrax attack at a Knicks game in Madison Square Garden, the resulting widespread panic would probably spell the end of the remainder of the NBA season. Other sports would probably follow. The ideas discussed here a just a first step in what could be done to make such an attack survivable. This is not a task that can be limited to governmental responsibility. Every American, like the Israelis, should have the proper tools and education made available to them. It could provide an economic windfall for the private sector as well. Everyday, we purchase fire extinguishers, smoke alarms, first-aid kits, and even insurance hoping that we never have to use them. The bio-war genie is out of the bottle. The only thing a terrorist needs to make these weapons of mass destruction is a desire to do so. The national campaign that has been waged against tobacco should be dwarfed by a national awareness to the realistic threat of a bio/chemical attack- an attack that can take many more lives in a shorter amount of time. If we are the world's only superpower, it's time we get our heads out of the sand, and start acting like one. J.J. Johnson - Pahrump Nevada citizen@mindspring.com Written 02/15/98