Enemies of

the United States made a major public statement Sept. 11. That was their

intention, to a large degree. They wanted us to sit up and take notice.

Obviously,

we did. It would take hours to recap what has been going on in response

to the terrorist attacks of six weeks ago.

Now, with biological

and chemical warfare the chief topic of conversation across the country

and perhaps in much of the world, American forces are bracing themselves

like never before. With officials repeatedly proclaiming that more terrorist

assaults are essentially a given, one can assume that safety and security

precautions will be in the front of everyone's minds for some time to

come.

I've often

wondered lately what type of sweeping plan is in place to counter a large-scale

biological attack. Fans of Tom Clancy might recall how in his novel "Executive

Orders," a madman bent on creating an Islamic superstate in the Middle

East unleashed the Ebola virus on the United States via a couple of dozen

commercial airliners. As nearly a hundred reports came in from all over

the country, President Jack Ryan activated a national emergency plan that

included having National Guardsmen seal every state border, essentially

creating 50 separate quarantine areas, with other measures designed to

contain those already infected and keep the epidemic from spreading.

Clancy has

long been admired for his incredible attention to detail and knowledge

of military and government operations. This plotline was thorough enough

that one could speculate whether it was the government's actual plan in

case of such an emergency. The point is that some kind of plan is likely

in place and has been for years.

But no matter

what is available for defensive purposes, a strategic biological attack

would result in thousands of casualties, even now. What would it have

done before Sept. 11, when most Americans were going about their business

with no thoughts of terrorism on any scale?

Probably every

major media outlet in this country the past week has devoted time and

space to coverage of protecting major water supply sources and related

targets. Hitting one, or several, of these targets with lethal doses of

genocide would have been child's play two months ago. It could be done

now, but it would be a lot tougher.

Which brings

us