By MONROE ROARK
mroark@thecitizennews.com

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 back to the events of Sept. 11. I will never downplay the effects of that day on the lives of thousands of Americans. But it could have been much worse.

The perpetrators of those vile acts knew a few things. First of all, it was no accident that those two planes hit the World Trade Center 30 minutes apart, because they knew the second hit would be seen live by millions of people on television. They also knew of the symbolism involved in striking what is perhaps New York's most recognizable structure, and the level to which it would be seared into our national conscience.

So they made their statement. But now they have launched a worldwide manhunt that will never stop, and triggered a military action they can never hope to overcome. They took their best shot, and yes, they walked away with thousands of casualties. But they'll never get another chance like that, because now we're watching.

Suppose that these animals had come into this country with no concern for publicity or any kind of high-profile action such as a crashing jet. What if they had quietly dumped a few tons of anthrax, or whatever, into the drinking water of a dozen major cities instead of putting it on a few envelopes mailed to senators and news anchors? By the time the authorities connected the dots, would the body count have been as high as it was Sept. 11, or ten times as high?

Analyze these kinds of theories long enough, and one could deduce that nothing is safe, there's nothing that can be done, just go home and draw the blinds, pull the covers over your head. Or you could decide that right and wrong, good and evil, are worth standing up for, and that a power greater than any of us is in control anyway, which could be why Sept. 11 wasn't ten times more devastating than it was.

You can believe what you like, but I'll keep believing in our efforts to defend and protect this country, and the attempts to find those responsible and punish them for their treacherous acts remembering all the while that their eventual punishment, the eternal kind, will be the most effective of all.

[Monroe Roark can be reached at mroark@TheCitizenNews.com.]

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