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| Bioterrorism for Real
by John M. Curtis Copyright October 16, 2001
Since Bob Stevens, photo editor of the Sun tabloid in Palm Beach County, died of inhaled anthrax on Oct. 6, authorities wouldn’t confirm a Mideast connection. When his colleague in the Sun’s mailroom Ernesto Blanco also tested positive for the deadly bacteria, red lights began to go off. “Right now, with two cases, I wouldn’t be pushing the panic button,” said Raymond Zilinskas, bioterrorism expert at the Monterrey Institute of International Studies, dismissing the fact that Stevens was the first anthrax death since 1976. Spreading like wildfire, it seems like ages ago—though only one week—that the government wouldn’t make the Bin Laden link. “We don’t have enough information to know whether this could be related to terrorism or not,” said Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft, announcing a criminal investigation but reluctant to speculate. “There’s no question, it’s bioterrorism,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson, after NBC News employee Erin O’Connor contracted anthrax opening a letter addressed to veteran news anchor Tom Brokaw. Curiously, the letter was postmarked Trenton, NJ, not far from one of Al Qaeda’s known sleeper cells. Sending anthrax to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), the Capitol is also under a siege. When United Flight 93 plummeted into rural Pittsburgh, you knew Bin Laden wouldn’t give up. What better way to destroy the U.S. than another sneak attack, this time bioterrorism. Bearing the same postmark as the anthrax-tainted letter to NBC, it’s no accident that an anthrax letter-bomb arrived at the Capitol. “It’s clear that Mr. Bin Laden is a man who is an evil man,” said President Bush, beginning to connect the dots. “I wouldn’t put it past him, but we don’t have any hard evidence,” still reluctant to finger Al Qaeda, but getting closer. With a 7-month-old infant of an ABC News producer contracting cutaneous anthrax at its Midtown headquarters, the bioterrorism threat finally hit home. America’s government, media, corporations and, yes, postal service is under bio-attack. No private nutcase has the cunning to target America’s sacred institutions. Sure, copycat crimes are always possible, but, clearly, the latest wave of bioterrorism fits Bin Laden’s perverse MO. With anthrax arriving on Capitol Hill, the White House no longer has time on its side. More dangerous than leveling buildings, bioterrorism threatens to derail American life not by mass murder but by the slow death of paralyzing fear. Without crop-dusters, spreading anthrax one letter at a time breeds the kind of panic capable of upending a fragile economy. With consumers already holed up, the economy can’t take another shock. Hitting the World Trade Center, Bin Laden had it in mind to cripple U.S. financial markets. Unable yet to disable cyberspace, Bin Laden opted for the next best thing: spread deadly germs and promote widespread panic. Watching U.S. markets recover from Sept. 11, Al Qaeda struck again, this time hitting the media and government with a new plague. Americans are now more obsessed with gasmasks than going to malls—exactly what Bin Laden had in mind. Suggesting that it’s easy to manufacture anthrax can’t ignore Bin Laden’s clever plan of selecting high profile targets. Targeting the media, politicians and key corporations, Bin Laden is still executing his Sept 11 plan of creating helter-skelter. Unable to hit the White House and Capitol, he’s now getting a second shot. Tracking down anthrax-laced mail won’t be easy. But the sooner we realize that Bin Laden is up to no good, the better the U.S. can respond. Just knowing that a second wave of terrorism is underway should force authorities to change tactics. Now under siege, the White House can no longer operate under the same timetable. Sure, it takes time for law enforcement to do their job. But the military must also respond to a new insidious threat to U.S. sovereignty. As Bin Laden’s son told CNN, his father has the electronic means to prosecute the war deep within the caves of northern Afghanistan. As long as he still has command and control, the U.S. must counter his every move. With anthrax infiltrating the postal system and with fear infecting the American psyche, the Pentagon must recalculate current plans for ending Bin Laden’s reign of terror. “This will be a long war. It requires understanding and patience from the American people,” said President Bush, unable to see today’s danger one week ago. Only forceful and relentless military pressure promises to disrupt Bin Laden’s new assault. When Microsoft in Reno received anthrax-laced pornography from Malaysia less than a week ago, few saw the connection to Al Qaeda’s sleeper cells. With anthrax cases popping up daily, it’s clear that the U.S. is now under bio-attack. Using all means, Bin Laden is once again lashing out, only this time in disguised form. More dangerous than bombs, bioterrorism attacks the fiber of an orderly society by spreading fear, death and eventual chaos. While there’s nothing wrong with spending more on antibiotics, the White House must redouble its military efforts to finish off Bin Laden earlier than planned. Allowing his new bioterrorism offensive to go unchecked gives him more time to acquire even more destructive weapons. Infiltrating the U.S. postal system already has scary consequences, breeding panic in postal workers, and, indeed, everyone who receives mail. “There’s no question that terrorism is a stamp away from any of us at any point in time,” said Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), acknowledging that America’s now under a deadly siege. It’s time to admit the source and pull it out by the roots. About the Author John M. Curtis is editor of OnlineColumnist.com and columnist for the Los Angeles Daily Journal. He’s director of a Los Angeles think tank specializing in political consulting and strategic public relations. He’s the author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma. |
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itting America with a deadly one-two punch, bioterrorism is now Bin Laden’s new line of attack. Harking back to the letter bombs of the early 70s, Bin Laden exploited the U.S. mail to launch his next offensive, since demolishing the World Trade Center and Pentagon on Sept.11. Though denying responsibility, “There is America, hit by God in one of its softest spots. Its greatest buildings were destroyed, thank God for that. There is America full of fear from its north to its south, from its west to its east. Thank God for that,” said Bin Laden in prerecorded remarks broadcast by Qatar’s Al Jazeera TV on the first day of military action Oct. 7. Hasty to torpedo Bush’s coalition, Bin Laden hijacked the Palestinian cause and spewed treacherous propaganda. “To America, I say only a few words: I swear to God that America will not live in peace before peace reigns in Palestine, and before all the army of infidels depart the land of Muhammad, peace upon him,” hinting at his next evil move. Even without more suicide missions, the crafty terrorist had something new up his sleeve.|
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