Saw on 60 minutes last night that with all of the talk about chemical warfare and all the diseases that could be spread that the government "has it all under control". I sure want to believe them and after listening to the program .....maybe they do ?? (I know, I just fell off of the cabbage truck)...They were saying that these diseases would take days to kill and the government has all the necessary drugs to help us citizens. They even said that after the bombing of the WTC that a truck loaded with doctors and medical supplies was there just in case of the diseases that might have been "dropped" too. In 3 years they will again have the smallpox vaccine available...why would they worry about that ?? Guess us older folks are lucky that we have had that vaccine already. What do you guys think about this ?? Should I dig myself into the mountain here and buy a gas mask and load myself up with antibiotics and keep the rifle handy. ??? Let me know what you all are thinking ??

-- Helena (windyacs@ptdprolog.net), October 01, 2001

Answers

Helena, I really don't think about it! I refuse to watch most of the news cause I think it is a lot of BS! The news media keeps hammering all their "views" at us, hour after hour! And, some people get all stressed about "what if". I quit worrying abot "what if" a long time ago and I deal with the present. That keeps me busy enough! As for the Ben person wearing a dirty dish rag on his head, I wish the news media would quit showing that patheticly misguided fanatic's face all the time. He's getting more attention than the people cleaning up his messes!

-- Ardie from WI (ardie54965@hotmail.com), October 01, 2001.

Think so, go read this: http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010925/ts/attacks_vaccines_dc_1.html

This is not a website dummy...this is an actual article from the Washington Post

-- Karen (db0421@yahoo.com), October 01, 2001.

Helena -- Isn't that just what they want? Isn't changing your lifestyle and living in fear exactly the effect this was supposed to have?

I admire Mr. Bush for one thing he said (and I admit, if I were an American, I doubt I would have voted for him), but he said one thing that I think is really important: "Go to Disneyland". I don't think he meant LITERALLY drop everything and spend a couple of grand to go to a theme park. I think he was speaking figuratively, and telling the American people, "Get on with your lives -- yes, this is bad, and we as a people will deal with it, but you must not let them win over your spirit."

Homesteaders have traditionally been people who take what is dealt and make the best of it. I can only say that, for myself, I intend to do just that. Some twisted, maniacal idiot isn't going to scare my children by forcing me to cover their faces with masks every time we go out into public -- and he isn't going to stop me from taking them out. If I did that, he would have already won.

-- Tracy Rimmer (trimmer31@hotmail.com), October 01, 2001.

Giving the small pox vacine was stopped in 1972. It is only effective for 10 years after you receive it. So really no one is vaccinated.

The goverement knew that the soviet union was adding small pox to nuclear weapons (if the nuke blast or fall out did not get you then smallpox would with your weakedn immune system) yet decided that we would never need to be vaccinated.

Each county health department was suppose to be working on a disaster plan, that included chemical and Bioterrism for several years now. Call your local department find out what they have in place. It might scare you to find out how few have done anything other than paperwork.

Best advice I can give is keep yourself strong, physically & mentally. And avoid large metro areas.

-- AAA (an_angry_american@usa.net), October 01, 2001.

If it comes down to being attacked by a nuclear bomb, I'll be the first one to go out into my backyard and paint a great big "X". What I want to know is where was all this unity and patriotism and generosity before the WTC was attacked? People are making me feel guilty because I'm not "giving" to all the relief efforts....Hell half the time I can't even buy things that my family needs. It is estimated that it is costing 100 million dollars a week to clean up NYC,and it is also estimated it will take 6-12 months to finish. Who do you think is going to pay for that? We are that's who!

-- Harmony Bullington (harmonyfarm57@hotmail.com), October 01, 2001.

If we allow ourselves to be scared into staying inside and not going on with life then the man in the dirty dishrag has already won. This is not going to happen to me and mine . sally

-- sally stanton (mallardhen67@hotmail.com), October 01, 2001.

AAA

It seems impossible to me that smallpox would survive a thermonuclear explosion at ground zero. The temperature is incredible and would destroy anything , especially something biological.

Maybe smallpox is tougher than I thought, but not that tough.

Talk to you later.

-- Bob in WI (bjwick@hotmail.com), October 01, 2001.

Have a look at this from MSNBC Aug 21

-- Rich (asdkgb@office.com), October 01, 2001.

here is the link

http://msnbc.com/news/616710.asp

-- rich (asdkgb@office.com), October 01, 2001.

They said on the news the other night that if we was to be chemically attacked that most of us wouldn't know when to put the gas masks on. Or how long to keep it on. And if it was even safe to take it off. You can't keep it on for days cause you have to eat and drink. So gas mask may not be a solution to most of us.

-- r.h. in okla. (rhays@sstelco.com), October 01, 2001.

Check out salon.com today and the article called "Be Prepared". Very interesting view.

-- Anne (HealthyTouch101@wildmail.com), October 03, 2001.

Let's face it - our economy is in a very rocky state right now. I think the government is going to avoid telling us the truth on these issues if it will cause mass panic and further ecomomic hardship. I really don't think we can know who or what to believe. I do not however, that things are just not adding up in some of the news reporting that is going on - particularily relating to boiterrism. One report tells us the government is prepared with enough meds and vaccines and another report tells us they will run out in two days. Who is telling the truth?

-- Tiffani (cappello@alltel.net), October 04, 2001.