When I see replies like yours, my first inclination is to stop posting this kind of information and let everyone "fend for themselves," so to speak. After all, as nunya bidness states, the relative chances of a bioterrorist attack happening to any one given person is remote. Even if the terrorists succeeded in committing such an atrocious act, the chances it would "happen to me" are probably low, especially if I don't live in New York or DC. My intent is not to scare anyone or cause anyone to lose even one minute of sleep over this and it bothers me if someone does.
The reason I posted the articles is because of my philosophy about this kind of stuff: Knowledge is a good thing and allows one to have at least a small measure of control over his fate (although God has the ultimate control). This "sense of control" over your environment can go a long way in relieving the anxiety that comes from watching FoxNews & MSNBC all weekend tell us about new arrests, cropdusting manuals and hidden boxcutter knives.
Basic knowledge allows one to make basic preparations, and basic preparations in turn tend to put one more at ease. Somehow, the idea of a respiratory biological agent turned loose on the public is not quite so frightening if you know you can reach in your closet for your gas mask. The Israelis have lived this way for years. I think we'd better start getting used to the changes brought about by the collapse of the WTC towers and start making some small adjustments to our lives to adapt to these changes.
It stands to reason that once someone acquires knowledge about bioterrorism, he has the option of taking positive, proactive steps to prepare for contingencies. And that's the tricky part: If he doesn't, he may experience even more anxiety. And of course, the part that's out of my control here is what the reader does once he's read the information and acquired the knowledge. ;-)
Many people (perhaps most) would rather not even know about these types of things because it just causes too much anxiety. I can respect that approach to life and don't want to intrude on anyone's method of coping. But what these people don't realize is that this allows the terrorists to "win" without even doing anything. With something as serious as bioterrorism, the words "out of sight" are probably not equivalent to "out of mind." The suppressed anxiety is still there, it just manifests itself in some other way!
With all that in mind, I've decided to post some information so people won't be so anxious about this...
Maybe this will help: For gas masks (don't forget replacement filters)
cheaperthandirt.com 1-800-421-8047 (they're sold out, but this is the only company I can vouch for. Call for update.)
http://www.emergencyresources.com/er_p17.html
http://www.safetyl.com/slstore/riot/gasmask.htm
http://www.fords-mtm.com/milsurp/gas_mask_update.htm
More here: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22gas+mask%22+order++&btnG=Google+Search
For antibiotics, you can:
-Get them from an aware, friendly doctor (highly recommended but sometimes hard to find unless you know one who trusts you. They can't just go around dispensing antibiotics to everyone because there's the potential for abuse.)
-Order them online from an overseas pharmacy (you may get ripped off unless you ask around for references first. I don't have any.)
-Take a trip across the border to Mexico (no prescription required; they're cheap & made by the same US manufacturers)
-Go to your local pet supply shop and get the fish antibiotics (I'm not recommending this--proceed with extreme caution!)
Remember, the odds are that you won't even need any of this stuff. ;-)
So true...I just loaned my friend my copy of Nuclear War Survival Skills yesterday as he was interested in building a shelter for his family. I printed out the book for Y2K and three-ring bound it with dividers. Lots of good info there.
About the gas mask issue. For OUR family that's pretty hopeless. EVEN cheaper than dirt makes it financially impossible with 9 in the family. I'm SURE there are others in the same boat. Maybe this is wrong thinking, but shouldn't the govt be doing something along those lines of protecting us little people?