A major concern

[Mensa]

One thing that has changed since "Terrible Tuesday" is that the people concerned with security aren't talking. You used to be able to get them to gab like fishwives, but no more, they won't tell you anything. One thing was that heightened security will probably get worse because they're afraid that the next target could be the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City next February.

They fear such a tempting target might be too much to ignore. You can bet the security there will be unprecedented!

 

[YoungGun69]

I allways wondered how secure someting could be if th epeople in charge were telling everyone who was there and how many doing what...

 

[lavender]

 

[April]

Welcome to the wonderful world of Op-sec.


(operations security)

 

[p_p_man]

....they're afraid that the next target could be the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City next February.

They fear such a tempting target might be too much to ignore. You can bet the security there will be unprecedented!

That will probably make it the safest place on the planet.

Terorists would rarely go for the obvious after the WTC. They'd start going for their secondary and less obvious targets.

Shopping malls, small towns, public buildings...anywhere they could create the most disruption and death and undermine public confidence. These people haven't got a grand plan, they're not aiming to form a Government. They're in it for their hatred of America.

 

[cymbidia]

Re: Re: A major concern

Shopping malls, small towns, public buildings...anywhere they could create the most disruption and death and undermine public confidence.

I agree. And i'm betting money that widespread bioterrorism, a first in our long history as a self-destructive species, is next.

I live in eastern Washington on the edge of farming country and thickly wooded rugged mountains. The big news round these parts is that all the crop-dusters have been grounded on and off since info relating to the operation of these aircraft was found in the papers that belonged to two of the terrorists.

Some deadly pathogens can be reporduced in even crude labs by people who know very little about biology or chemistry. Some of those deadly pathogens are stable enough for long-distance transportation. The terrorists could, for example, release small quantities of live smallpox virus in some airport (small town airport with plenty of people flying out to large town hubs, for example - kinda like the one in my town) and wait patiently while those small-town travellers carried the virus all around the country. It takes at least days for symptoms to begin to show; by then it would be too late to stop the spread.

Smallpox, anthrax, a few other deadly diseases - we don't have stocks of vaccines for such illnesses or, disconcertingly, vaccines don't exist.

I'm not afraid of a plane blowing up while i'm in it or of it being used to divebomb a building. Such are very remote scenarios. I am, however, very afraid of bioterrorism - and there's nothing at all i can do about it, either.

It fucking sucks being held captive to such fears. Makes me angry. Scares the bejeezus out of me too, for my kids' sakes.

 

[Calamity Jane]

Re: Re: Re: A major concern

The big news round these parts is that all the crop-dusters have been grounded on and off since info relating to the operation of these aircraft was found in the papers that belonged to two of the terrorists.

(small town airport with plenty of people flying out to large town hubs, for example - kinda like the one in my town) and wait patiently while those small-town travellers carried the virus all around the country. It takes at least days for symptoms to begin to show; by then it would be too late to stop the spread.

Smallpox, anthrax, a few other deadly diseases - we don't have stocks of vaccines for such illnesses or, disconcertingly, vaccines don't exist.

i live across the road from a small private airport which crop dusters fly out of regularly... i also live within 15 minutes of an international airport. the whole biological warfare thing scares me too... BUT i don't think we're looking at a real life version of a Stephen King book.

I think the threat is still to population centers... the security at the new NASCAR track was insane this weekend... it's near impossible to get into a football or baseball game... i foxhunt at fort leavenworth, and (obviously) the security there is intense.

These guys are going for big shock value, tv cameras on the scene within minutes so the whole world can witness their power. dropping random diseases just doesn't have the same ratings power.