Smallpox Apocalypse

The Strategy Page ^ | July 22, 2002 | Tom Holsinger

[gg188]

Tom Holsinger is a California attorney and wargaming grognard. He began writing for Strategy Page in April 2002 when Jim Dunnigan asked him to rewrite an email for publication.

Does anyone know what a "grognard" is?

[AdamSelene235]

ain't buyin it. No way have we been able to find/create enough vaccine to protect all of North America this fast.

Likewise, if we had enough vaccine to do the job, no way would low level staffers be able to block the President's wishes. If he ordered approval for voluntary vaccinations, we'd have it tomorrow.

There are currently 100 million doses available. No way the Feds are going to let Americans make decisions about their own bodies.

[gg188]

It wasn't in Merriam Webster online; that is why I asked. I just plugged "grognard" into Google, and here is one of the first page of hits

Grognard is a slang term for someone who enjoys playing wargames (and strategy games in general). Originally it referred to table-top gamers, but now, by extension, it's also used for computer gamers.

In the old Jeff Foxworthy "redneck" tradition: If you enjoy reading 300 page manuals for your games, you may be a grognard. If you sometimes find yourself staring at a strategy game map at 4 AM, and you keep mumbling "just one more turn", you're probably a grognard. If the game represents planes by plus signs and ships by 0's, you're definitely a grognard.

The word was originally used to describe veteran soldiers in Napoleon's army - in French, it can be translated as "grumbler".

[Thud]

The reason we plan on diluting the @ 90 million doses of existing vaccine five times each, for 450 million doses (i.e., all of the U.S. Canada & Mexico), is because the original dose size was based on anticipated screwups by the people doing the inoculations. A 500% overkill factor was built into the original dose size.

Doing it right with the 500% overkill takes a little practice - it's not a simple injection. They dig several half inch long scratches in your upper shoulder with a needle, then rub the smallpox vaccine into the bloody scratches. If you don't develop at least a small oozing sore there 2-3 days later, to prove the vaccination "took" (you'll also feel crappy - like flu), they'll do it again to the other shoulder. That happened for my wife with full-strength smallpox vaccine, and the repeat on her other shoulder didn't work either.

Sometimes it's a big oozing sore, and sometimes the sore and flu-like symptoms last for weeks. Generally it goes away fast and the sore scabs over after a day or so of oozing.

Doing it right with a diluted vaccine will take much more practice than intended for full-strength doses. The ones who are inoculated earliest will be the ones who are most likely not to have the initial, and 2-3 days later repeat, vaccinations "take", and therefore be vulnerable to contracting smallpox. And the first inoculated in this emergency will also be both the ones most exposed and most mission-critical - medical first responders plus emergency service providers. So they should be vaccinated ASAP.

[Thud]

ping

[Thud]

Take a look at the other articles in that site's archive. Some discuss the chances of Saddam using bio-weapons.

[EternalHope]

Thanks for the info.

The Great Satan might find this interesting too.

[vannrox]

Scary... Look at these pictures...

[vannrox]

. .

[vannrox]

[spycatcher]

http://www.germwarfarebook.com/5.shtml

"...according to an Israeli Defense Forces study, persons who received smallpox booster shots as a child might still have some protection for thirty years, and possibly longer. (El-Ad B. The persistence of neutralizing antibodies after revaccination against smallpox. The Journal of Infectious Diseases 1990;161:446-448.) Consequently, we might not even have to release enough doses to vaccinate everyone in those industries in order to have 100% coverage. And some of those who were vaccinated during childhood might only require diluted booster shots to be protected. Thus, we might not have to tap into a large amount of the stockpile in order to frustrate the terrorists."

[vannrox]

You might want to read this article. I can just picture it in the pages of USA Today.

This Chart tells the entire story

[Centurion2000]

bump ..... maybe we should threaten them with smallpox.

[Timesink]

I would imagine that you could get the ugly round scar anywhere you want.

How about the back of my forehead? Then it would be hidden till ... *looks at father* at least my late 50s.

[Travis McGee]

Food for thought.

[MinorityRepublican]

Almost all Muslim immigrants would be deported - some would be lynched.

Well, if they would not revert to terrorism as form of their grievance, there wouldn't be any problems with the Muslims.

This is one last warning to the Muslims, if we have another Sept. 11, I wouldn't want be happy being an Arab.

P.S. Not all Arabs are Muslims, in fact many of them are Christians. Remember that.

[wardaddy]

Scary...I had chicken pox at age 33 when I contacted it from my then baby girls.....this stuff is like chicken pox on steroids...bad stuff...especially for the wee ones and the infirm. Reprisals would be in order...if we could indentify our foe more readily...if not, I think the public would be less discriminating.

[wardaddy]

I think that shoulder scarring folks in our generation got when vaccinated is no longer viable. It's only good for around 10 years or so...isn't it?

[infowarrior]

Re:grognard...

A French word meaning "grumbler". Used to describe wargaming fanatics...

the infowarrior

[spycatcher]

Believe it or not, in the US the majority of Arabs are Christian, and the majority of Muslims are black.