I just saw a news report on this Florida Anthrax scare. Now they are saying that it was a criminal act, But it is supposedly not related to the attacks on New York. To this I say, Yeah Right! Oh, give me a break! A major terrorist attack is performed. The terrorists promise more. We suddenly have an anthraz outbreak in a building. But it's not terrorists. Oh, Brother!

Little Bit Farm

-- Little bit farm (littleBit@compworldnet.com), October 11, 2001

Answers

Well, they think we are to be controlled like cattle...or other popular livestock. I can understand not wanting to panic everyone, but for some reason I think people still operate best when they are told the truth. Guess that's archaic. I don't think they need to outline how faulty all of our systems are, but ~maybe~ that's how they are justifying not telling us the truth about the anthrax....God only knows.

-- Doreen (bisquit@here.com), October 11, 2001.

I am beginning to believe they must really think we are all idiots. I know that we are not perfect but give me a break. We are to be alert that there is a serious threat for more terrorist activity in the next couple of days, the president has seen the evidence, but we are left in the dark. This is REALLY getting to me.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), October 11, 2001.

Anthrax in the offices of the "National Enquirer" and other TABLOIDS, can you say PUBLISITY; GREED at any price....

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), October 11, 2001.

I wonder what kind of story that reporter was working on when he became infected.

-- Dave (something@somewhere.com), October 11, 2001.

I still say this was done by a whacko with a USA birth certificate and a deranged mind. Any group of terrorists who are sophisticated enough and have alot of big bucks, and who were able to hijack 4 airplanes and murder thousands of folks would have done a more thorough job with anthrax. UNLESS this was a test run to see how the government reacted to the threat. I grimace every time I watch the news and hear experts happily telling the world that anthrax is a Virus" instead of a bacteria; our government has ONE lab to manufacture anthrax vaccine (they are even kind enough to tell folks where this lab is); it takes "weeks" to figure out what strain the anthrax is; we are not prepared to deal with anthrax infections on a larger scale; our government is clueless as to how it got into the building, etc. etc. etc. Imagine you are a group of terrorists who planted a small amount of anthrax in a letter to a newspaper and now you and your buddies are watching TV and laughing yourself silly, being fed all this nice information. When will everybody wake up to the fact that this is a WAR and telling the enemy all these details just is not in our best interest. There is such a fine line between the publics' right to know and the protection of information which could be used against us.

-- lesley (martchas@bellsouth.net), October 11, 2001.

Hate to put another hole in your boats, kiddies, but the just announced that a CNN reporter in NYC has come up with cutaneous anthrax. This is getting to be a bigger pain in the collective behind all the time, IMHOP.

-- Sandra Nelson (Magin@starband.net), October 12, 2001.

That would be an NBC employee.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), October 12, 2001.

Stupid enough to "DO AS WERE TOLD". without question. To blindly follow any and all "RULES" (mark that laws) as prescribed by those in charge. To believe anything put before us on the CONTROL BOX (loveingly called the TV).

Other than that their sure were as smart as any other sheep.

-- Kenneth in N.C. (wizardsplace13@hotmail.com), October 12, 2001.

And they've got an envelope in Nevada (Reno) testing positive for anthrax "and other biologicals". I'd sure like to know what ELSE was in there!!

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), October 12, 2001.

Also, kiddies did anybody catch that there are 5 counties in VA that have shown up whooping cough? It can kill children, but why 5 counties all grouped together and why hasn't there been any other news about it?

Also, that lab in Iowa has been defunct for many years. Don't know where they are making the stuff now, but I guess anybody with a couple of dead cattle skins could make a batch. Which means that just about any one of you could come up with it if you had the medical background.

What I am trying to figure out is, it tested negative in the powder and positive in the human....what is the powder? Does it inhibit, or bind the anthrax until it comes in contact with a person?

-- Stephanie Nosacek (possumliving@go.com), October 12, 2001.

The lab is in southern Mich.----don'tcha love all these knee/jerk reactions.......

-- Jim-mi (hartalteng@voyager.net), October 13, 2001.

Did you know that there was Anthrax found last year, the year before and the year before that. I would put the blame on the news media for grabbing at anything they can.

If you watched the news you would though this year was the worst year for shark attacks. Far from it. It was actually a little below average, but the us media likes to harp on an issue until they beat it into the ground.

I doubt the fla or the NBC anthrax was terrorist acts. The DC stuff might be a real attack but even then its a poor attack. For some reason people have Anthrax on the same level as the plague, ebola. Granted Anthrax is nasty if untreated, but its easy to treat with common drugs.

-- Gary (gws@redbird.net), October 18, 2001.

It may be easy to treat but during flu season, it may not be easy to diagnos. If it was nothing to worry about why did someone die from it?

-- Stephanie Nosacek (possumliving@go.com), October 18, 2001.

It's really NOT treatable after the symptoms have begun, which is the largest part of the problem. That's for inhalation anthrax, cutaneous is and gastrointestinal is, but the gastrointestinal form is rarely properly diagnosed until it's waaaayyyyy too late. You need to begin antibiotic treatment prophylactically. IF there is a very good chance that you have been exposed, then you start in on the antibiotics.

I was just reading an article that says that these tests are only accurate within 24-48 hours to determine exposure. Still hoping to find out that that info is incorrect. When I find out one way or another, I will post it here.

-- Doreen (bisquit@here.com), October 18, 2001.

What do terrorist try to do?? I would say create fear and disruption. Looks to me like they have been pretty successful. Close down 1/2 our congress and have the whole world slightly wacko. Not bad for a few letters well placed. We may be winning some battles but right now I would have to say that "they" (whoever they is) are winning the war. Being the wacko, weirdo isolationist that I am, I plan to hunker down for a while and see what happens next.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), October 19, 2001.