U.S. warns of another possible attack this week

abc ^ | 9/23/01

[MarMema]

The smallpox vaccine does not have smallpox in it. If you took a trip to England or Europe and found yourself some cows with a disease called cowpox, you could give it to yourself. You would make antibodies which are cross-protective for smallpox. Cowpox is very mild and usually goes away without treatment. It's almost a shame we don't have it here in the US, now, though it is not good for the dairy industry.
The previous mortality rates for smallpox were only 30%. After all this, I sincerely doubt that this will be the agent for use if there is one, in a future terrorist attack. Having worked in the manufacture of recombinant vaccines and monoclonal antibodies, I sincerely doubt that the mid east has managed to alter the smallpox virus.
It is difficult for me to predict what I think would be the most effective and safe bio-weapon of choice. Anthrax would pretty much render the property useless for many long years. Ebola is too self-limiting to kill many and too dangerous to handle and deal with. Bubonic plague is almost safe for us to encounter now - the reasons for it being so deadly in the past had more to do with the ways people lived in that time, and the bacteria itself is very hard to keep alive outside of an incubator.
We have strains of Yersinia in hospitals for QC purposes and we lose them under the best of conditions at times.
I guess I have to think they would use some form of chemical poisoning. Inert bio-weapons will not die enroute to the placement of them and are much more predictable.
God Bless America.

[Silverdrake]

Re: WMD use of smallpox...

1) Vaccination protection lasts, at best, 25 years. As the last vaccinations were given in IIRC the mid- to late-70's, no one is currently protected. (Except CDC researchers who work with the virus.)

2) There are two forms of the variola (smallpox) virus. One is mild, causing scarring but seldom death. The other is the hideous plague that has killed uncounted thousands throughout history. I believe only the killer form is covered by the standard vaccination.

3) Either form could be "weaponized" using genetic engineering. It would depend on the results desired. As weaponization could affect any number of factors, standard vaccine probably would not be very effective.

4) Variola has multiple infection vectors, and remains viable long after many (most?) viruses have been destroyed by environmental exposure. (Ebola, otoh, requires blood or mucus membrane contact, is rather fragile, and so is unlikely to be used as a weapon.)

[DAnconia55]

If they release a bio attack, there will be a total breakdown of control as the vipers are squished.

I'd tend to agree. Any nuke or bio, and all bets are off.

I think it would be time to ask the Russians how they'd feel about half ownership in all the oil in the MidEast...

[Travis McGee]

Time will tell.

[Quix]

I sadly beg to differ. I do NOT believe the terrorists gave us their worst first.

I believe they triggered and will be triggering various intensities, mostly dreadfully awful of different types and they and Russia and China will analyze our responses very carefully to better calibrate Russia invading on the east coast and China on the west coast in the coming WWIII--then the terrorists will soften us up with nukes along with a few "accidental" ones from a Russkie sub off the east coast.

At least that's the very convincing sort of scenario 100's of people have dreamed and had unsought visions of over the last several years.

And THEY are being manipulated to do that in order to insure that the clammer for peace at any price global gov is intensely emphatic for an extended time--as well as insuring 1/3-2/3 less people in the world--all the easier to manage.

[DeckTheHallsHolly]

Keep up with posting warnings and Osama bin Laden will not have to do anything else because we will be doing it for him. I guess it is a catch 22.

[Quix]

Those items were quick, off the top of my head.

However, in that sentence, regarding intuition, it appears that most women and others with highly intuitive ways of taking in and evaluating information tend to do it holistically instead of linearly. i.e. at an unconscious level, their whole range of senses scans the environement and registers data very unconsciously in an evidently--multidimensional, whole sort of way--like a hologram or some such--holistically.. . . . entire at once in some respects. . . . not so much step by step 1, 2, 3, or a, b, c.

[DeckTheHallsHolly]

PS Not you personally but just news outlets in general. :)

[nunya bidness]

Biological Terrorism

[Silverdrake]

I say if they do, nuke the hell out Saudi Arabia first.

Saudi Arabia? Ahhh... you mean the country where we have several thousand troops stationed. The country that has been our ally in the area for at least the past decade.

Interesting target, Osinki. How about we nuke Boston, after that? I understand bin Laden has a relative there, too.

[Aedammair]

I think you are absolutely right. And it wouldn't surprise me to learn that this type of heightened awareness tack, is and will continue to be, used as a means to keep the faithful engaged and in full support of any measures believed needed to aid our cause.

[TERMINATTOR]

Many good practical sugestions in your post. Thank you.

To arms, to arms, the terrorists are coming!

America's Militia wants YOU!

Nine out of ten Americans will fight to keep George W. Bush in the white house, and Osama bin Laden out!

Bible quotes in favor of annihilating jihadists
Poll: bin Laden's skull can be best used as an ....

[blam]

"Just stepped outside for the paper and heard the familiar whine of a crop-duster straining over row crops. If Time's report is accurate, I'd sure like to see it mentioned by more news outlets."

Yup. There was a biplane lazily playing in the sky over the west side of Mobile Bay yesterday.....and then the mosquito spraying truck went by. Geez....

[father_elijah]

From the Roman Catholic mystical fringe comes the call and cry to pray for the safety of Atlanta. I have decided to heed the call and pray as hard as I can for the preservation of Atlanta and all the innocents of the world.

Time was when I would have considered such things as imaginations run amok. How things change.

[Quix]

I assumed that the person was seeing the vehicle some feet from the end result without a handy Mack truck to throw in the way.

At least help could be hastened sooner than has occurred too many times.

[Quix]

Boy did I go on a merry go round to get back to posting this thanks. Cursor froze. . . then FR URL'S produced only SITE UNDER CONSTRUCTION AND 404 ERRORS.

Anyway--THANKS MUCH SILVERDRAKE. RIGHT YOU ARE. WELL SAID. Better said than I did. . . . together I think we covered it.

[FITZ]

Yes I would hope a disaster could be averted if people are paying attention at all times now to suspicious people and events.

[Quix]

STRONGLY CONCUR. Heart-felt earnest prayer of a right-living person who's also trusting in Christ's Blood to cover the errors he still makes, will do more good at exposing AND routing AND destroying evil than all the armies in the world put together.

And sometimes a child's prayer is the most powerful. No beating that child-like faith.

[Quix]

THANKS.

THAT'S THE IDEA--PREVENTED. If not, mitigated. If not that, quicker help to the casualties.

[Osinski]

Ally? You're behind the times. Read the news about how much of an ally we have in Saudi Arabia. Oh yeah, we're real good friends. While you're at it, re-read my post re: binladen relatives.