I am concerned about another method of attack,which I will not mention here.
I work at a nuke plant. Its got better security than ever, mandated by the NRC in December 2001, finalized here and elsewhere in Feb 2002. Additional background investigations are being conducted, even on personnel and contractors already working here for years.
Like a cop watching TV police show dramas, or a doctor watching ER, I watch public and media comments on nuclear power itself and power plant security with amusement and frustration. Why would someone choose to attack a place with armed guards when major water supplies, main electrical and fuel lines are unprotected in many places. Of course, I am thinking of overall impact to our nation. Other people probably think that nuclear plants are "meltdowns waiting to happen", or "the China Syndrome", but I do not.
Which brings up a pet peeve... Three Mile Island was almost 30 years(?) ago, wasnt it? Regulations have made changes since then that no one ever hears about. But an accident of that magnitude sure hasn't happened again. And if you worked here, you too would know that the chances are infinitestimal (sp). Anyway, I am less likely to get cancer due to radiation exposure from working here than I would be if I moved from Texas to Denver (the mile-high city). And the accident / mortality rate due to working in the nuclear industry is tiny compared to some of the other similar industries. If something did happen, you would hear about it and you would not ever need your Potassium Iodine pills (preventing absorption of airborne radioactive iodine to your thyroid). I might if I worked at the plant with an accident, but you would not. The thought of it all (the "radioactive plume", the evacuation plans, the state agencies' assistance, etc) is bizarre. It is just part of the evidence of the American public's lack of understanding about the nuclear power industry, which is propagated by the media. Its necessary and important to have emergency plans, I understand that. But its simply not the real world. I guess what I mean is that if they are needed, then things will be really bad, because many of the laws of physics will be broken too.
Finally, the idea of terrorists using the suicide bomber technique on a scale smaller than 9/11 is maybe not realistic either. In Israel, they tried to make automatic weapon attacks work, but they could not because so many people in Israel are armed. An armed gunman would be dead sometimes even before he killed any civilians!! So suicide bombers there are for publicity AND efficiency. But in Washington D.C. where you are suspect if you own a gun, and gun control is legislated, it would be more effective to attack and escape, such as the muslim shooters Muhammed & Malvo. I would think the same principle would apply to infrastructure targets of terrorism such as power plants, and so on. "Better to do some damage, escape and do more damage again later, more glory to Allah," they probably think.
And no, I dont think I am giving anyone any ideas. None of this stuff I am saying is new to anyone who is evil enough to contemplate doing such a thing.