Flights Cut on Fear of al Qaeda Attacks (NEW info: WMD use on planes planned by AQ)

Washington Post ^ | FEb. 1, 2004 | Sara Kehaulani Goo and Dana Priest

[FairOpinion]

Intelligence indicating that al Qaeda terrorists are seeking to release a chemical or biological agent aboard an airliner, or transport a radiological device in cargo, prompted the cancellation of six international flights scheduled for today and tomorrow, senior administration officials familiar with the reports said yesterday.

The possibilities, as described by three intelligence officials, include releasing an undetectable biological agent such as smallpox or anthrax aboard a plane that passengers would then unknowingly spread; releasing a chemical agent to debilitate the passengers and crew so the plane could be hijacked, and sneaking a radiological device aboard a plane inside a piece of luggage.

Small amounts of chemical, biological or radiological material would be difficult to detect.

[FairOpinion]

Just think malls and airports or even grocery stores. of just think how fast the flu spreads -- I think it would spread plenty fast enough.

[patriciamary]

You can say I'm politically incorrect and i could care less if our children lives are in danger I say WHATEVER IT TAKES TO destroy them all!

[patriciamary]

SO WHY AREN'T THE REPUBLICANS OUT THERE TELLING THE PUBLIC JUST WHAT YOU STATED I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY.

[arete]

Get real, Richard. It takes more than a political plot to stop air traffic.

You must be kidding. If the neocons were serious about security they would have closed the southern border long again. The occasional ridiculous hype and hysteria about airliners is not even good theatre. Like I said, Rove needs some new material.

Richard W.

[Amerigomag]

to stop flights even from other countries

What's stopping the flights, other than the obvious high risk involved, is that profiling is no longer effective since the bad guys have been recruiting European Muslims in Bosnia.

[sinkspur]

The occasional ridiculous hype and hysteria about airliners is not even good theatre. Like I said, Rove needs some new material.

Richard, you're about as convincing on Homeland Security as you are in economics.

Which is to say, not very.

[FairOpinion]

"Like I said, Rove needs some new material."

==

Sure -- Rove orchestrated the 9-11 attack to make Bush more popular, right?

(/sarcasm)

[BiffWondercat]

I deserve that one. I am tired of feeling like there is a target on my back, that I am only worth the money in my accounts and pockets, that despite all my rage - I am still just a rat in a cage.....

I am frustrated and angry, and yes just a bit frightened that we are going to wipe each other out someday.

If you sleep well at night, bless you and sweet dreams!

[Dolphy]

I am personally much more worried about smallpox precisely for that reason. There is no way, they can inoculate everyone in time.

In the months following September 11 I remember reading how many vaccines the government was acquiring. That was a sobering clue to how serious they took the threat. Aren't there fairly elaborate plans on how they would quarantine areas and distribute the vaccine in an infected area?

[Peach]

There is the group that says the president isn't doing enough (the borders) and the group that says the president is doing too much (Patriot Act).

It's impossible to close our borders, although I do wish we'd get more serious about the illegal immigration issue.

There isn't a Democrat in the entire country who would do half as much as President Bush has done to secure the country as best he could.

[FairOpinion]

Most of those plans really are meant for a natural spread -- what are they going to do, when, by the time they find out it's smallpox a few thousand people are infected all over the US?

The ONLY realistic solution is to allow people to get the vaccine voluntarily, which would create some amount of "herd immunity", protecting those who don't have it and slowing the spread.

[eno_]

You vastly overestimate the size of the remaining nuclear arsenal.

However, the U.S. could take out all the major cities of the Islamic world in less than one hour, and still have enough left to deter anyone from trying anything based on the idea the U.S. is running low on nukes.

[Donna Lee Nardo]

I can bet that FairOpinion knows that; what FairOpinion meant, I believe, is that the anthrax spores would be moved around the plane.

[Kozak]

Most of those plans really are meant for a natural spread -- what are they going to do, when, by the time they find out it's smallpox a few thousand people are infected all over the US?

Yeah. Picture someone at a newsstand at Ohare, or JFK airport handing out change which consists of smallpox impregnated one dollar bills. How would you quaranteen that?

[Donna Lee Nardo]

Your fingers are very smart; they resisted keying in "we can trust kerry," because they know we cannot ever trust kerry!

[Ethyl]

I know someone in the midwest that contracted Tularemia a few years ago. All of the circumstances surrounding it have always been suspicious to me. He nearly died and is now permanently disabled. He never came in contact with rabbits. He was a landscaper, but only worked on established lawns. The family never filed a workers' compensation claim (which they certainly should have tried if they believe it was contracted on the job).


There you go again, wanting somebody else to pay because somebody got sick?? That is why the government doesn't want to supply vacines. When will people realize that if they get sick, the government is not responsible and in most cases the Doctor is not either. When this country gets decent tort reform and stop such lawyers as john edwards, we can have real vacines and decent hospital and doctor costs. When the doctors have to pay thousands of dollars for insurance, who pays????????????????? YOU DO! We have to stop all the ludicous law suits against Doctors who are trying to help you, sure some are crooks, but most aren't, and because of that we pay too high of a premium to get decent Doctor's care. When will we learn, stop all the stupid law suits, then Doctor's fees will be managable.

[FairOpinion]

Maybe that's it, LOL.

I think a Democrat president would be an absolute disaster, in these critical times more than at any other times.

[185JHP]

Rabbit dung in the grass?

[1066AD]

Certainly seems to be various opinions in the medical world,
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2003-05-20-smallpox-usat_x.htm
Hope we never have to find out. Like you, if someone wants to take the jab then why not let them ? I took it every three years because it was required for (some) international travel until early 1980s.

[not_apathetic_anymore]

The plan to vaccinate emergency workers flopped. Some of it was because of some safety issues with the vaccine ( which I thnk were overblown by some for political reasons ). Some of it was legal, ie demands for workmans comp etc for anyone who got the vaccine and had any reaction at all.

IIRC there was something about increased cardiac events in people who had been vaccinated? (Or maybe I hallucinated that) but I do remember something that made them back off the vaccination issue.

As another aside. Didn't OBL(or whomever is impersonating him) make a tape that indicated advance warning so that media could broadcast 'the event'. Seems to me that biologicals are a more insidious attack and wouldn't make for splashy media footage. Nuclear or perhaps chemical would fit that bill better IMO.