SOLVING THE NUCLEAR, BIOLOGICAL, CHEMICAL THREAT
"...the days of mustard gas at Ypres are over; today's chemical agents are tremendously more powerful and can be employed in much more sophisticated ways.Moreover, chemical and biological weapons have proliferated not only to Third World nations, who as we have seen, shown little reluctance to use them, but are also likely to be found among terrorist groups, who may exhibit even greater willingness to use these weapons.
A force-in-readiness that has not considered the threat of chemical and biological warfare, including the threat of terrorist attacks on our overseas installations, is no force-in-readiness at all.."
--Mike Sparks, McGazette, December 1988, page 10
October 4, 1940.
Japan is at War with China.
Plague infected fleas fall on Ch'u-hsien in Chekiang province. A month later a plague breaks out killing thousands. Days later, infected wheat grains fall from the sky and another plague breaks out. Before WWII ended, at least 11 Chinese cities were attacked by Japanese biological agents, killing an estimate 9 MILLION PEOPLE. Biological warfare has a long history before it entered the modern era, increasing in sophistication compared to the plaque-ridden corpses the Mongols shot by catapults into the fortress of Kaffa in 1346. In fact, Unit 731 of the Japanese Army experimented with U.S. POWs using biological horrors difficult to imagine.
Chemical and Biological agents have been called the "Poor Man's Nuclear Bomb". Iraq is one of just a few countries using industrial age technology to create instead of fertilizers and vaccines, toxins, spores and chemical substances to be used in war. During the first Gulf War, (Operation Desert Storm, the retaking of Kuwait from Iraq) Iraqi chemical, biological agents were encountered in stockpiles and destroyed by air and ground attack. Some returning Gulf War I veterans have encountered a mysterious list of ailments called "Gulf War Illness" (GWI) that are either caused by these BC agents encountered, the oil well fires and/or the experimental nerve agent vaccines.
The Airborne Combat Engineer unit that blew-up the Iraqi chemical dump has suffered illnesses, but the NBC 2LT. that took the threat seriously, put on ALL his NBC Mission-Oriented Protective Posture clothing level 5 (MOPP 5) and came away unharmed. This is just the tip of the iceberg to the U.S. military's NBC problems.
In an attempt to calm any rising panic regarding the Iraqi crisis, Stuart R. Goldstein, a member of the Israeli Nuclear, Biological & Chemical ("Abach") Emergency Response Team at Rambam Hospital explained to the Israeli magazine MED, about the rapid dissipation of chemicals, particularly in windy weather and rainy conditions.
"These systems are very hard to deliver effectively as their point of impact and explosion, especially from a SCUD, is almost impossible to determine. However, what we do know continues to impress us that effective delivery of widescale chemical weapons with technology existing in Iraq today would be extremely difficult if not impossible" he said."Still, prudence demands that we be prepared for anything, thus our drills, the sealed rooms, masks, etc."
But anthrax, according to Goldstein, posed a different risk.
"Biologicals are a different issue as the spores of anthrax, for instance, can survive in soil for a very long time and therefore be effective for an extended length of time...(for) most biologicals, the most important routes of entry are also inhalation or absorption through the skin and the same rules would apply about dissipation in air as for gases..."
Goldstein recommended moderate to vigorous exercise for about 30-45 minutes every day. He explained "the fear response produces adrenaline in your body. If you do not dissipate this adrenaline through physical activity, it keeps circulating in your body and adding to your panic state (fight-or-flight response)."
Along with special equipment from the U.S. for Israeli use in the event of an Iraqi strike of non-conventional weapons at Israel, a team of IDF officers will leave for the U.S. where they will receive the training necessary for their operation.
This is the first time that the United States has provided this equipment for use by another country. Meanwhile the Dexon factory has manufactured 100 million tablets of Doxsilon, an antidote to Anthrax, and 45,000 gas masks will arrive later this week.
Pamela Weintraub writes in Salon magazine: Be prepared?: Taking precautions against bioterrorism may not be as futile as you think. We have added new information and will continue as it comes in.
By Pamela Weintraub
Oct. 3, 2001 | On Sept. 11, hours after New York's twin towers crumbled to the ground, the state Department of Health and the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were on the scene sampling the rubble and the air. While officials expressed concern over exposure to asbestos, acidic gas and other contaminated dust and debris, their greater fear was that the crashing planes might have discharged weaponized anthrax, smallpox or plague. They were relieved to find no evidence of biological attack. Some were also surprised.
Three weeks later, with lower Manhattan a war zone, Americans face a new reality: Police vehicles barricade reservoirs against acts of biological and chemical terror. Crop dusters and hazardous waste trucks, allegedly targeted by terrorists for delivery of killer cargo, are under 24-hour surveillance. And talking TV heads invoke nightmare scenarios of bioterrorism, which they say could claim millions of lives.
In case of an actual germ attack, what should we, individually, do? A recent New York Times story reported a sudden flurry of prescriptions for the antibiotic ciprofloxacin -- shown in peer-reviewed medical literature to be superior in treating anthrax and other weapons of biological war. The doctors the story cited labeled the effort misguided, and, said the Times, felt that "Cipro would probably be useless in treating anthrax." Other media outlets have tended to agree. When a listener to a recent radio call-in show asked the physician-host how he might protect himself from the biological threat, he was told, "It's being addressed by the government. It's a public health issue, and individuals need not be concerned." As a society, our best hope for long-term survival is, of course, collective security. We must fight terrorism at its source, and create a rapid response system for civilian defense so that any bioweapon making it through the safeguards can be halted at once.
But you don't have to be chairman of the Pentagon's Defense Science Board, like William Schneider Jr., say, to realize we may still be a tad unprepared. "Our healthcare system already operates at 95 percent capacity," says Schneider, and would be "unable to accommodate a mass-casualty event."
So what is a citizen to do?
There's the conventional wisdom: If and when a weaponized germ is deployed near your office or home, cross your fingers and pray. This might be acceptable if, in fact, there were no means of self-defense. But a reading of peer-reviewed literature in august publications from the Journal of the American Medical Association to the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Report, and interviews with experts in the field, suggest a host of specific preparations that we, as individual civilians, can take. From small private stashes of inexpensive antibiotics like tetracycline to a store of supplies, including electrolyte, paper masks and latex gloves, there are some simple steps that could give us the edge in surviving the first chaotic days of a bioterrorist attack.
Take, for instance, the issue of cipro. While it's true it won't help once symptoms set in, a source as authoritative as the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) points out that the symptoms may start anywhere from two days to eight weeks after exposure, depending how close you are to ground zero and how much anthrax you have inhaled. So while the unlucky victims to get sick first and set off the alarm are beyond help, the rest of us -- those blocks or miles away from the release -- will have a fighting chance with a week or two of cipro or another antibiotic, doxycycline, on hand.
Here's the advice of the "Consensus Statement" of the working group gathered by JAMA to produce a May, 1999 article entitled "Anthrax as a Biological Weapon: Medical and Public Health Management": 60 days of treatment with antibiotic, to commence before symptoms begin. "A delay of antibiotic treatment for patients with anthrax infection even by hours may substantially lessen chances for survival," the Journal states. Given the state of our emergency pipeline, I'll keep a bottle of Doxy or Cipro in the medicine cabinet, thank you very much, no matter what the New York Times says. Going through the potential weapons of biological terror, in fact, I've found at least some means of self-defense in each and every case.
Inhalational Anthrax
Inhalational anthrax begins after an incubation period of 1 to 6 days with nonspecific symptoms of malaise, fatigue, myalgia, and fever. There may be an associated nonproductive cough and mild chest discomfort. These symptoms usually persist for 2 or 3 days, and in some cases there may be a short period of improvement. This is followed by the sudden onset of increasing respiratory distress with dyspnea, stridor, cyanosis, increased chest pain, and diaphoresis. There may be associated edema of the chest and neck. Chest X-ray examination usually shows the characteristic widening of the mediastinum and, often, pleural effusions. Pneumonia has not been a consistent finding but can occur in some patients.5 While cases of inhalational anthrax have been rare in this century, several have occurred in patients with underlying pulmonary disease, suggesting that this condition may increase susceptibility to the disease. Meningitis is present in up to 50% of cases, and some patients may present with seizures. The onset of respiratory distress is followed by the rapid onset of shock and death within 24 to 36 hours. Mortality has been essentially 100% despite appropriate treatment.
Anthrax is a zoonotic disease that occurs in domesticated and wild animals. Humans become infected by contact with infected animals or contaminated products. Under natural circumstances, infection occurs by the cutaneous route and only extremely rarely by the inhalational or gastrointestinal routes. An aerosol exposure to spores causes inhalational anthrax. This form of the disease, which is of military concern because of its potential for use as a biological warfare agent, begins with nonspecific symptoms followed in 2 to 3 days by the sudden onset of respiratory distress with dyspnea, cyanosis, and stridor. It is rapidly fatal. Radiographic examination of the chest often reveals the characteristic mediastinal widening, indicative of hemorrhagic mediastinitis. Hemorrhagic meningitis frequently coexists. Given the rarity of the disease and its rapid progression, the diagnosis of inhalational anthrax is difficult to make. Treatment consists of massive doses of antibiotics and supportive care. Postex-posure antibiotic prophylaxis is effective in experimental animals and should be instituted as soon as possible after exposure. A licensed nonliving vaccine is available for human use.
Smallpox: Considered by many the most threatening of all biological weapons because of its extreme contagion and its power to kill a third of those afflicted, smallpox is a virus and, therefore, unresponsive to antibiotic treatment at any point. Nonetheless, there are things you can do to try and improve your chances. One suggestion from experts is the purchase of electrolyte for any infected individual who becomes dehydrated. You may also wish to purchase latex gloves, paper surgical masks and paper gowns to promote cleanliness and ward off contagion in case anyone is infected in your home. Natural immune boosters like the beta carotene found in carrot juice are worth a shot as well. But the most potent form of protection, even after exposure, according to the American Medical Association, is the vaccine itself -- if you can get your hands on it. "Vaccination administered within the first few days after exposure and perhaps as late as 4 days may prevent or significantly ameliorate subsequent illness," according to a 1999 article in the Association's journal.
Plague: As with anthrax, you'd be wise to have a small personal stash of antibiotics on hand. According to the Center for the Study of Bioterrorism and Emerging Infections, a division of St. Louis University School of Public Health, alternatives here include doxycycline, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin and, especially in cases of meningitis, Chloramphenicol -- although this is to be avoided at all cost by pregnant or lactating women. Tularemia: In weaponized form, say researchers at the Center for the Study of Bioterrorism, this bacterial infection can kill about a third of those who remain untreated. Thankfully, common antibiotics, including doxycyline, tetracycline and cipro, reduce that number to 2 percent. Because it might be difficult to count on a prescription, let alone supplies at the pharmacy, in the face of a mass epidemic, it could be wise to have a week or two of your own supply on hand.
Cholera: It's not a pretty death, but without treatment, sometimes an unavoidable one. Yet a few simple supplies can shift the odds in your favor. These include the right kind of rehydration fluids -- World Health Organization solution, Ricelyte or Rehydralyte are recommended. Also advisable: Tetracycline, docycycline or ampicillin, among other antibiotics proven effective in fighting this disease.
There's no need to be alarmist here, just intelligent; no need to hide in a bunker or spend large sums of money. Certainly, it's downright dangerous to use antibiotics unless there's an actual attack, lest you inadvertently breed resistant forms of the very microbes you want to kill. All you need to do is take some modest precautions and, most important, think: Are your personal decisions driven by your own reading and analysis of the peer-reviewed literature, or by radio doctors and TV "talking heads"? To continue your education, try the links below:
"Consensus Statement: Anthrax as a biological weapon, medical and public
health management," from the Journal of the American Medical Association,
May 12, 1999
"Consensus Statement: Smallpox as a biological weapon, medical and public
health management," from the Journal of the American Medical Association,
June 9, 1999
"Consensus Statement: Plague as a biological weapon, medical and public
health management," from the Journal of the American Medical Association,
May 3, 2000
"Consensus Statement: Tularemia as a biological weapon, medical and public
health management, from the Journal of the American Medical Association,
June 6, 2001
"Consensus Statement: Botulinum Toxin as a biological weapon, medical and
public health management," from the Journal of the American Medical
Association, February 28, 2001
Center for the Study of Bioterrorism and Emerging Infection, St. Louis
University School of Public Health
Johns Hopkins Center for Civilian Biodefense Studies
The CDC's Bioterrorism Links
Pamela Weintraub is a former staff writer at Discover, former editor-in-chief of Omni, and the author of 15 books on health and science, including "Tomorrow's Baby," on parenting and early brain development, to be published by Simon and Schuster in March 2002.
After consulting other experts in the NBC field we will now offer a solution to this mess.
ACHILLE'S HEEL: SOLDIERS GETTING TO WORK BY POVs
Common sense tells you that all our "first-responders" to a NBC attack are only as good if they can get to the scene without themselves becoming NBC warfare casualties. Most of these people live at homes away from their military base, fire or EMS station or hospital etc. This is America's "Achilles Heel".
The solution is to supply all of these "first responders" with a complete set of MOPP Gear to be carried in the trunk of their Personally Owned Vehicle (POVs) in event of NBC attack so they can get to their duty stations. The place to begin is all the active duty U.S. military personnel and the U.S. Army National Guard (and their families) which is slated to be the first line of defense in event of a NBC attack. These units already have full MOPP gear available and only need to issue them to the individual Soldier. Gate guards at all military bases should have MOPP gear by their side in addition to their loaded weapons. Each base/post should have a response team with MOPP gear in event of NBC attack.
AMERICA: FOLLOW THE LEAD OF ISRAEL
8 years ago, in anticipation of SCUD surface-to-surface missile attacks from Iraq, Israel prepared itself with sealed rooms and protective masks. While Israel warned us for months about Saddam Hussein's SCUD SSM threat which I can personally attest to months before the Gulf War. We didn't listen and the result was Iraq invading Kuwait. When SCUDs landed in Israel, fortunately they were ready and casualties were light. America should follow the Israeli example.
America should prepare for a NBC attack by having each household prepare a sealed room in a high spot of their home (not a basement where particles settle) and setting aside at least a 2 week food/water supply so they can stay isolated from any dangerous particles/biological agents. And of course particle filter masks and "gas masks" need to be obtained for further protection by individual Americans. This kind of preparation is also useful in event of natural disasters, too. Details for making sealed rooms are available here: IDF Sealed Room web page
So then if a major U.S. city gets attacked, the word can be set out to stay indoors as response teams and the U.S. Army National Guard comes in and cleans up the mess and/or the agents die down to safe levels.
Another aspect of sealing a room is providing ventilation with purified air. Here is a company offering a blower to turn your sealed room into a ventilated over-pressurized, safe dwelling place.
For less than $2,000, you can have a safe room
The ASR-100 positive pressure Safe Cell Air System draws outside unfiltered air through its filter bank, and then safe, breathable air is blown into your safe room with enough force to produce a slight overpressure or positive pressure in the room. Power is either 220, 110 AC, or 24v DC.
This keeps allergens and toxins like pollen, anthrax, Nuclear Fallout and War Gases from contaminating your "safe room." It will shelter you and your family if a terrorist strikes and give you the peace of mind that comes from knowing your home will always be your shelter.
This system meets the requirements of U.S. Army Edgewood Research, Development and Engineering Center Nuclear Grade Filter Media: MIL-F-51079 test reference number PATD-7697 & ASME AG-1 Section FC. Department of the U.S. Army, Corps of Engineers: Tecnical Letter ELT-3-498 24 Requirement for Class II NBC/CBR Toxic Free Overpressure Systems (TFA).
These portable systems are suitable for placement in homes, apartments, offices, bedrooms, bomb shelters and first response vehicles.
The ASR-100 comes with everything to install it in a variety of dwellings. The significance of this cannot be overstated. You can purchase this positive pressure filter with the confidence that it will work in almost any closed room 1500 ft/3 or less.
STOPPING THE THREAT AT THE BODY IS TOO LATE
Just as the first line of defense for America should be a sealed portion of their homes, Soldiers are wise to try to stop NBC agent attacks at the vehicle or a building/shelter and not their bodies. Here is why.
What most SOLDIERS do not realize is that their Chemical Protective Over Garments (CPOGs) are charcoal lined and quickly lose their protection ability in a chemical environment. We went with a breathable CPOG instread of a rubberized CPOG for most troops in order to reduce heat casualties/deaths as the Russan Army has encountered with their un-breathable suits. U.S. Army NBC units slated to come into contact with NBC agents by mission wear full rubber suits.
That we need a new CPOG with a hood and folds into itself for compact storage attached above the rear butt pack in its plastic bag goes without saying.
Our charcoal filter Field Protective Masks (FPMs) lose their protection quickly when asked to contaminate, though the newer M40 series filters screw-in and can be replaced rapidly while wearing the mask compared to the M17 series cheek piece filters whick require unmasking and tedious replacement steps. If a unit is in MOPP 5: Rubberized Helmet cover, FPM and hood on, CPOG over BDUs. Rubber gloves and boots on, it gets sprayed by chemical agents, and it should RAIN thereafter, the rain will seep the chemical agents into their skin and be seriously harmed. This fact is known by NBC units but not infantry, armor, combat engineer, artillery units etc.
WE NEED "MOPP 5 AND 6" ADDED TO OUR TACTICS, TECHNIQUES AND PROCEDURES
This means units must over the helmet rubber covers or else their helmets will become unsuable after a chemical contamination. Next, MOPP 6 needs to be established: throwing a rubberized G.I. poncho over the top of ALL the MOPP 5 gear in a defensive repel/attack posture or if it rains to prevent seep-through. The amount of rain present is very important in whether biological vectors spread or not as the recent report on the bottom of the page describing the El Nino weather pattern shows. New MOPP levels description click here.
All Soldiers must know that their FPMs must have war filters in them, not training ones. Any time you open a CPOG from its bag, moisture from the air contacts it and its year-long life not in contact with chemical agents begins to fade away. Keep your CPOGs in their sealed plastic bags until needed. Make sure you have war filters in your FPMs.
THE DISPOSABLE NBC ONE-MAN TENT
Standing on watch in MOPP 2-3-4-5-6 is extremely tiring. For every 4 hours of watch, there should be two hours of rest. But if a surprise attack were to occur, those resting could be killed unless they sleep in MOPP 2-3 and are able to don their FPMs etc. to get to MOPP 4-5-6. The answer is a disposable one man tent that unfolds and erects itself instantly with a place for a M40 series FPM screw-in filter to be the source for all air going in/out in event of attack. Until then, the tent would be open with a mosquito net screen to keep out bugs that can be "vectors" for biological agents. When Soldiers eat their MRES, they go into this tent to avoid ingesting spores, biten by vectors from possible enemy biological attacks.
MOUTH/NOSE BIO PARTICLE FILTERS
When not even in MOPP, Soldiers must wear a mouth and nose particle filter to prevent inhaling biological spores and germs. Hands must be constantly kept clean using a multi-use soap packette in his MRE. Soldiers need to wear these particle filters when operating near enemy vehicles and positions struck by depleted uranium (DU) 25mm (Bradley IFVs) and 30mm (A-10 Warthog, AH-64 Apache) autocannon rounds to avoid ingesting potentially cancerous particle dust. Extreme care must be taken not to cut open the skin, and to shave daily to maintain an airtight seal between face/mask, using a rail on the MRE plastic spoon "spork" to attach disposable shaving cartridges.
BETTER HYGIENE IN GENERAL: CLEAN HANDS
The American custom of shaking hands is a bad one and a likely cause of the common cold being passed on regularly. Use the military hand salute. Also, the hands need to be washed constantly as SOP before eating and after visiting the latrine.
BETTER MOSQUITO NET FOR THE KEVLAR HELMET
A mosquito net with plastic clear window that connects over the PASGT kevlar helmet and secures at the neck to keep biological agent vectors out is a dire necessity.
STOPPING INSECTS AT THE BDUS?
Soldiers can spray insect repellent into their BDUs and tuck in their trousers to keep a majority of their bodies covered from insect bites. The recent El Nino weather patterns throughout history have accented biological outbreaks.There is a new BDU repellent kit being developed by U.S. Army Natick Labs to further this protection.
BETTER OVER-ALL HEALTH: MULTI-VITAMIN VITAMIN IN THE MRE
While vaccinations in anticipation of contact with biological agents like anthrax to build up immunity is a good idea, but overall health is vital. This can be greatly helped by a good diet. The MRE is not a good diet and is supposed to be limited to no longer than 30 days of use. Well, we all know MREs have been eaten for longer periods than this! At the least the MRE should have a multi-vitamin with things like beta carotene to boost immunity so the Soldier on a poor diet can insure he has the proper nutrients to if he does get sick ward off illness.
DRINKING WATER IN MOPP GEAR
Current one quart canteens have a rubber fitting for the FPM's drinking tube to connect to hydrate while wearing the FPM. However, the only thing protecting these canteens from NBC contaminants is a plastic cap that easily falls off. The entire neck and cap area of the 1 quart canteen is exposed when carried in the pathetic G.I. canteen cover. The snaps of the canteen cover are notorious for coming undone, resulting in the canteen falling out into likely enemy hand's--giving away the presence of the U.S. unit or used as a bait in a booby-trap to kill Americans.
The solution is a better one-quart canteen cover with a cover flap using fastex quick releases so NBC contaminants cannot touch the canteen at all. In addition to being a carry case for the myriad items a soldier needs but has no place to carry except the rucksack, an improved one quart canteen cover-pouch could interface the M40 FPM maker, Mine Safety Appliance's NBC drinking tube extension so soldiers can drink-on-the-move while in MOPP gear without having to remove the canteen and hold it up.
A FPM IS NO GOOD IF ITS WET
The current M40 FPM carrier is a huge velco closed abortion. It is 3 times the size it needs to be in order to carry the hose for a M42 mask used by mechanized crewman but on the leg is a serious drain on dismounted Soldier mobility. A new FPM carrier is needed that is watertight to keep the FPM away from water (so it works!), and belt sized so it can be parachute jumped without being rigged to the rucksack and carried on the LBE by the Soldier away from the legs for high levels of field mobility.
The current SAS FPM pouch with waterproof features already exists and is available.
NBC AGENTS MUST BE STOPPED AT THE VEHICLE
The Russians shelled an Afghan village with chemical agents during their "Vietnam". A Decon/survey team went into the tow wearing rubberized clothing. They never left.
The point is that as you sweat and exert doing military tasks, this will compromise your CPOG, as the Iranians learned fighting the Iraqis. The solutiomn is to NOT WAIT TIL THE AGENTS GET TO THE BODY BEFORE STOPPING THEM! This means putting NBC air filtration systems on ALL U.S. Army vehicles--- especially light infantry units' HMMWVs, 2.5/5 ton trucks and supplying them some M113A3 APCs for shock action and armored mobility organic so these units can encounter NBC attacks and continue their missions not plead for rotation to the un-contaminated rear.
The new M-17 Decon apparatus can be used to decontaminate the VEHICLES quickly so they can proceed on with the mission.
Light, Airborne and Air Assault units that force-march into battle need to use All-Terrain Bikes and Carts to carry their rucksacks to reduce their sweat and exertion to prolong their CPOG's protection levels.
THE NBC DECON TRAILER: ANY VEHICLE HMMWV-SIZEOR LARGER CAN TOW IT
Instead of waiting for the battle to calm down and rotate to a safer "rear" area without contamination, a special trailer with a lock-in/lock-out feature and a shower should be developed that can be towed by vehicles HMMWVs size or larger. It would have hoses to tap into a nearby water source to draw on water or from its own 200 gallon bottom tank. 2 Soldiers at a time enter with a CPOG in plastic bag in hand. They lock-in, undress, then shower away NBC contaminants. Their old CPOGs/BDUs/boots are pushed out through a exit chute.
After showering, they put on a new set of BDUs/boots from a supply bin (or from the Soldier's ruck in their own vacuum-sealed bag) and the new CPOG opened from its bag. Returning back the same way they came, they re-don their FPM and exit for another Soldier to enter. At 5 minutes per man, 24 men per hour, an infantry company and a half could be deconned and refitted by just one trailer in a day's 8 hour period. With 4 NBC decon trailers, an infantry company in just one hour. By being HMMWV towable, these trailers are air-transportable and droppable to take care of light, Airborne and Air Assault units that are short on vehicles.
WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT THIS MESS?
Write to U.S. Amy Natick Labs and demand better gear.
U.S. Army Soldier System
Command (Provisional), U.S. Army Natick RD&E Center,
1600 Kansas Street, Natick, MA 01760.
e-mail THEM!
Write to the Chief of Staff of the Army, and Congress requesting the same things.
Chief of Staff of the Army
General Eric Shinseki
E-mail address
We can do a lot better than we are doing now. WE MUST DO BETTER.
Craig Thompson, author of the technothriller Bright Omar, writes:
"Get involved" in the management of our great country...and let our President, your congressmen, and state officials know that you expect an appropriate proportion of any newly allocated counterterrorism preparedness dollars--currently $20 billion of $40 billion allocated--to get past the "beltline bandits" and down into every community in this country--for national preparedness. Congress and the President said that this amount is "...just a down payment on what is to come." And what price is too much to pay to protect our communities?
Currently, there is only $11.1 billion in this year's budget to fight terrorism AT HOME. We must at least triple that budget to upgrade our public health infrastructure to handle bio-terrorism and any increase in natural diseases; immunize ournation against smallpox (and begin to produce the vaccine, once again); provide appropriate training to our first-responders (those fire-fighters, police, doctors, nurses, and public health system personnel who could be our first heros or our first martyrs, at the next attack, if not properly trained).
Please explain to politicians, at every level of our society, that these funds must go directly into every community in America to upgrade diagnostic medical and protective equipment, bio-suits, masks, training and train-the-trainer programs...for ourpublic health system personnel, for our medical practitioners, and for our first-responders who mustface any disaster with eyes wide open...aware of their surroundings and able to assess potentialdangers, in advance.
Funds should not be allocated just for the big cities that have the lobbying power and population to fight for the dollars. Every community should benefit.
Help take the politics out of securing our borders. Participate in the process, now! Check out Project: Vote-Smart, below, for ways to help you reach any one of over 40,000 politicians who are tracked, annually, by this non-partisan organization. Know where your representatives stand...and how to get in touch with them.
If you choose to request the very complete, 59 page, 8 1/2 X 11, 3 Steps to Family and Neighborhood Emergency Preparedness book that is available, please request the "Neighbors Uniting Neighbors" version--for use in communities throughout the United States. As of this writing, there is a nominal $5.00 charge(which includes the neighborhood planning booklet, postage and handling). However,much of the actual program planning information and updates are available at the website without charge.
Here is the link to the general "3-Steps" website
The 3 Steps plan is a simple way to organize a neighborhood so that neighbors help each other to get prepared and be ready for any emergency. It is a way to build community and bring people together for a common cause. (NOTE: their main server has been down, so you must use this long link and the following one to access their information). You can click on the links below or copy and paste them directly into your browser:
www.pcncommunity.com/servlet/pcn_ProcServ/DBPAGE=cge&GID=00077000000967565804514492
Here is the link to order the large "3-Steps" booklet
(now in its 22d printing)
Specify "Neighbors Uniting Neighbors"when ordering this 60-page booklet
Project: Vote-Smart
("The Last Trusted Non-partisan Source for Political Information")
http://www.vote-smart.org
One Common Ground
Philipsburg, MT 59858
406-859-8683
Email: comments@vote-smart.org
Call the Voter's Research Hotline toll-free 1-888-VOTE-SMART (If you call, please tell them that Brightwater Publishing referred you. We do not receive remuneration for this or any other public service).
FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency)
Make Your Own Disaster Plan:
www.fema.gov/pte/displan.htm (download PDF)
Assemble Your Own Disaster Supplies Kit:
FEMA's Online Library for Preparedness, Training and Exercises:
www.fema.gov/library/lib07.htm
The FEMA Library...A Wealth of Information at Your Fingertips:
FEMA for Kids, Families and Teachers:
www.fema.gov/library/lib15.htm
Disaster Preparedness for People With Disabilities:
www.fema.gov/library/disprepf.htm
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response:
Adams Fire Protection
If it were known world-wide that Americans were ready to ward off NBC attacks by sealed rooms and protective masks, there is a good possibility terrorists would not even try to use chemical and bio agents in an attack.
You have to wear a mask 24 hours a day to protect oneself from an attack, since a bio attack is colorless, odorless, and does not explode. An overt bio/chem attack, published in the news media would let you know that you may have been exposed to a bio toxin or virus so you can go in and get medical care before the incubation period ends. You could isolate yourself in your sealed room and with your family sit out the attack until the agents are cleaned up and/or the number of individuals fallen ill are quarantined. Be certain to do your homework and ask all the questions necessary to determine the feasibility for personal use of these products.Compare prices and specific level of protection between various suppliers (particularly for bio-hazards).
www.adamsfire.com/index.htm
www.adamsfire.com/Respiratory/Masks/Masks.htm
www.adamsfire.com/Respiratory/SCBA_Descrip.htm#Panorama%20Nova
Medscape Resource Center
(Open to the Public--But You Must Register to Use)
"The largest collection of professional medical information on the Web."
Bio-Terrorism: Preparing for the Future --"Regularly updated collection of Medscape's key clinical content:"
http://id.medscape.com/Medscape/features/ResourceCenter/BioTerr/public/RC-index-BioTerr.html
U.S. Department of State
Travel Warning Site:
http://travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html
For Emergencies Abroad:
http://travel.state.gov/acs.html#emr
Business Travelers:
http://travel.state.gov/acs.html#bus
The Nuclear Threat Initiative (Non-Partisan Organization)
http://www.nti.org
"A Foundation Working to Reduce the Risk of Use and Prevent the Spread of Biological and Chemical Weapons"
NTI
1747 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, 7th Floor
Washington, D.C., 20006
Tel: 202-296-4810
Fax: 202-296-4811
Email: gwinnti@aol.com
Business Executives for National Security (Non-Partisan Organization)
An organization of Fortune 500 and small business executives/owners--at every level of society--dedicated to work in partnership with all private and government decision-makers "to apply best business practices to our nation's security" in a knowledgeable, respected, non-ideological and non-self-serving manner. They are also partnered with the banking sector to "follow the money" of terrorist organizations, and to help our country hold terrorist bank accounts hostage. Any business owner or executive may participate as a member:
http://www.bens.org/
BENS
1717 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 350
Washington, D.C. 20006-4603
Tel: 202-296-2125 Fax: 202-296-2490
Email: djames@bens.org
American Red Cross
Front page for the most up-to-date information from the ARC:
http://www.redcross.org
Where to give blood, nationwide:
http://www.givelife.org (Also: 1-800-GIVE-LIFE)
Association of Volunteer Emergency Response Teams (AVERT, in Utah)
A part of the national CERT (Community Emergency Response Teams Program, through FEMA) The site is an example of those "dedicated to the support of Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) and their mission to do the most good for the most people in times of disaster" throughout the U.S.:
http://www.avertdisasters.org/
International Association for Counter terrorism and Security Professionals
A professional association of experts and those interested in counter-terroism and security issues, founded in 1992, to meet security challenges facing the world...and to provide education and information to the public:
http://www.iacsp.com
Emergency NetNews
24 Hour News, Information, Analysis and Coverage of Disasters and Major Emergency Events. Crisis, Conflict, and Emergency Service news, Analysis, and Reference Information:
http://www.emergency.com
El Nino seen as cause of flu, plague, revolution
By Michael Byrnes
CANBERRA, Feb 27 (Reuters)
The El Nino weather phenomenonthat is devastating crops and sparking fires in Southeast Asia is now being blamed as a leading cause of influenza and a contributor to plagues and revolutions throughout history.
A conference of leading Australian scientists on El Nino was on Friday told that the weather pattern contributed to the French Revolution, the Black Death of the late 1340s and major outbreaks of disease and could be a leading cause of influenza. Richard Grove, convenor of the El Nino History and Crisis conference at the Australian National University, said major political and disease events had been connected with El Nino throughout the past 5,000 years.
Grove said the latest link between the El Nino and politics was occuring in Indonesia, where drought was exacerbating the currency crisis.
``It (is) the same pattern as the French revolution,'' Grove said. ``The social conditions were there for the French revolution, but if it hadn't been for El Nino kicking in in 1787-88 you might not have had a French revolution at all.''
The weather effect's link with the French revolution occurred through very big crop failures in 1785 and 1788, which occurred in association with very tough winters, wet springs and dry summers, he said. Grove said El Nino weather patterns produced major rainfall events throughout in history that promoted the flea and mosquito populations that carried diseases and saw rat populations also grow. Most major influenza pandemics between 1557 and 1900 seemed associated with El Nino and the same link existed with smallpox and malaria, he said.
El Ninos of the seventeenth century in Southeast Asia caused a 50 percent drop in population in areas such as Java, almost certainly through the spread of malaria. ``It's (El Nino) obviously good for malaria and so the population crashes.'' The Black Death, which had its origins in rodents in Asia and central China and spread virtually across the world, was also associated with El Nino, Grove said.
Peculiar weather conditions in Ireland in 1845, a strong El Nino year, might have stimulated potato blight, causing the Irish famine at the time, Grove said. In medieval India it caused massive inflation and brought about major episodes of irrigation and canal construction and all major Indian famines were associated with El Nino events, because monsoon failure preceded El Nino events.
``Historically, El Nino has had a huge economic impact.''
Pentagon undergoes mock terrorist attack May 30, 1998 Web posted at: 7:38 p.m. EDT (2338 GMT)
ARLINGTON, Virginia (CNN) -- The Pentagon was the site of a mock terrorist attack Saturday in preparation for what officials hope never happens. The scenario was a sarin nerve gas attack that killed 26 and contaminated more than 100 people after terrorists seized the secretary of defense's office. The exercise, dubbed "Exercise Cloudy Office," was the first ever held at the Pentagon.
"Following the situation in the Tokyo subways, everybody in this particular field has been looking at how would you react to that event," said John Jester, chief of the Defense Protective Service, the Pentagon's civilian police force. In March 1995, 12 people were killed and thousands sickened by a sarin gas attack on Tokyo's subway system by a doomsday cult.
More than 500 people were involved in Saturday's exercise, including the Pentagon's SWAT team and a metropolitan medical strike team in charge of decontamination.
The Pentagon attracts 150,000 visitors a year and is considered to be a prime target for terrorist attacks. The Pentagon test is one of a series of measures the Clinton administration is taking to combat high-tech terrorism. The Department of Health and Human Services is working with state and local governments to have 27 medical strike teams available across the country by the end of 1998. The Defense Department is training special National Guard teams in 10 states to respond to weapons of mass destruction. President Clinton also has announced plans to stockpile vaccines. Nearly 20 communities across the United States have held mock exercises as well, but the Clinton administration acknowledges that the country is far from prepared for a chemical or biological attack. "Most of your police chiefs, mayors, fire chiefs will tell you they do not have (the proper) equipment and that is the greatest vulnerability that we have right now," FBI Directory Louis Freeh said in testimony to Congress last month.
More exercises are planned in 60 cities next year.
In Saturday's scenario, the terrorists break away from a tourist group and take hostages. They later accidentally knock over a jug of sarin gas and are captured. In real life, the Pentagon's 25,000 employees would have to be evacuated, nearby highways diverted and flights to nearby Ronald Reagan National Airport would be rerouted.
FEEDBACK!
When this zero-cost proposal was sent to a major military magazine editor in 1997 to sound the alarm, look what kind of defeatist non-sense (BS) was sent back:
"I appreciate your comments. There is definitely a role for the National Guard in domestic preparedness issues, but what that role will be is as yet undefined. As you are probably well aware, there have been 10 Rapid Assessment and Initial Detection (RAID) teams established by the National Guard Bureau to help serve as a domestic response capability in the event of a WMD attack. Many believe, however, that this will not be nearly enough to mitigate the effects of a mass attack. Your idea of a sealed room makes sense and has been mentioned during various planning meetings, but it has been deemed by the powers that be as something that is too politically sensitive to mention. Those opposed to the idea fear that instituting such a program on a large scale would remind people of the 'bomb shelter days' of the Cold War. Our civilian political leadership wants to avoid such a scenario due to the increase cost, both political and financial, that would be involved. In short, they don't want to deal with the possibility of creating a national emergency regarding WMD. It's fine to tell people that the Iraqi's have nerve agents, but almost no one outside of the emergency response community wants to be told that terrorists could use such a weapon on main street, U.S.A. As such, I personally believe that nothing significant will be done to prepare the nation until people start dying. It's a rather cynical view, but it is one that is probably accurate."
UPDATE 2002: we now have 3,000 plus dead in NYC and Washington D.C., hope this editor is happy. Let's see if he gets off his ass and starts printing the public preparedness articles we need (I doubt it).