Thursday October 25 11:52 AM ET

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Pentagon Seeks a Few Good Ideas to Fight Terrorism

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon appealed to Americans on Thursday to send in bright ideas on thwarting terrorism, announcing an unusual, open competition to speed the winners into use.

The Defense Department said it was looking for help in ''defeating difficult targets, conducting protracted operations in remote areas and developing countermeasures to weapons of mass destruction.''

The goal was to find concepts that can be developed and fielded in 12 to 18 months, a blink of an eye compared with standard Pentagon acquisition and deployment procedures.

U.S. officials from President Bush down have said they fear more terrorist attacks after the Sept. 11 hijack attacks that killed more than 5,000 people at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and on a crashed flight in Pennsylvania.

Laying out a streamlined three-step application process, the Pentagon called for one-page idea descriptions by Dec. 23. Those retained will be asked to provide up to 12 pages of details.

The department then will invite those with the most promising ideas to submit full proposals in a third phase ``that may form the basis for a contract,'' a statement said.

-- (Pent@gon.seeks), October 25, 2001

Answers

The first place to look for the Anthrax terrorist would be the CIA. If they're clean, get them to look thru the FBI.

-- KoFE (your@town.USSA), October 25, 2001.

Captured from another forum, this: (Thank you D!)

Take all American women who are within five years of menopause - train us for a few weeks, outfit us with automatic weapons, grenades, gas masks, moisturizer with SPF15, Prozac, hormones, chocolate, and canned tuna - drop us (parachuted, preferably) across the landscape of Afghanistan, and let us do what comes naturally.

Think about it. Our anger quotient alone, even when doing standard stuff like grocery shopping and paying bills, is formidable enough to make even armed men in turbans tremble.

We've had our children, we would gladly suffer or die to protect them and their future.

We'd like to get away from our husbands, if they haven't left already.

And for those of us who are single, the prospect of finding a good man with whom to share life is about as likely as being struck by lightning.

We have nothing to lose.

We've survived the water diet, the protein diet, the carbohydrate diet, and the grapefruit diet in gyms and saunas across America and never lost a pound.

We can easily survive months in the hostile terrain of Afghanistan with no food at all!

We've spent years tracking down our husbands or lovers in bars, hardware stores, or sporting events...finding bin Laden in some cave will be no problem.

Uniting all the warring tribes of Afghanistan in a new government?

Oh, please ... we've planned the seating arrangements for in-laws and extended families at Thanksgiving dinners for years ... we understand tribal warfare.

Between us, we've divorced enough husbands to know every trick there is for how they hide, launder, or cover up bank accounts and money sources.

We know how to find that money and we know how to seize it ... with or without the government's help!

Let us go and fight.

The Taliban hates women.

Imagine their terror as we crawl like ants with hot-flashes over their godforsaken terrain.

I'm going to write my Congresswoman. You should, too!

-- Aunt Bee (Aunt__Bee@hotmail.com), October 25, 2001.

ROLLING ON THE FLOOR, LAUGHING MY ASS OFF!!!

-- Peg (too@close. for comfort ;)), October 25, 2001.

Finally a good mind has spoken truth. Death to men hello pms bitches of the world UNITE

-- (theend@is.near), October 26, 2001.