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Politics : America Under Siege: The End of Innocence -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Machaon who wrote (7966)	10/19/2001 1:48:42 PM
From: Michael Watkins	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 27666

I agree with almost everything you said, especially "personal decisions" - that ultimately is the most powerful statement. >> Embargoes are highly successful. << Except for this - depends on what the goal is. If the goal is to stop a foreign power from doing something like terrorism that is transnational - outside their borders, yes, I agree, it sure helps. But it doesn't help the majority of the people within said country at all. Somehow those people need to be given a taste of prosperity and freedom and then they will make sure that never again does a Saddam Hussein darken their door.

To: Machaon who wrote (7966)	10/19/2001 8:32:56 PM
From: Captain Jack	Respond to of 27666

Robert--- there is one sentence (separated) that says exactly what I've been saying-- along with this is bad-- but not really a huge deal like WTC or the rest that may come. Things need to be put into perspective with rational and logical thinking.... not much of those 2 things recently.............. WASHINGTON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - The anthrax disease that has infected eight people in the United States so far is not contagious, but the fear caused by a few real attacks and hundreds of false alarms is, health experts said on Friday. They urged Americans to use apprehension constructively and stay vigilant against possible further attacks in the wake of the Sept. 11 World Trade Center attacks and the anthrax cases. "Fear in a situation like this is normal," Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson told reporters in a telephone briefing. "We have never been hit with a bioterrorist attack like anthrax. But what we should not allow is to let our fear turn to panic, and that is what terrorism is all about," he added. Dr. Steve Hyman, head of the National Institute of Mental Health, added during the same briefing: "Now we have to talk about the 'terror' in bioterrorism. "Anthrax is not contagious from person to person (but) I would add that panic is." Eight people, one of whom has died, have been infected with anthrax in several separate attacks in Florida, New York, Washington and New Jersey and health experts said a few more cases may be found. But the experts also pointed out that the numbers, and overall risk, are tiny in a population of 280 million. "While we can't have zero risk here, panic is not warranted," Hyman said. Hyman said it is natural for human beings to become afraid when others are harmed. "We empathize with other people," he said. "None of us immediately turn to something warm and friendly like a statistical risk analysis," he added. "The terrorists are exploiting precisely these two aspects of human nature." Other experts agreed that it is the uncertainty that is the most unsettling. "LIFE IS UNPREDICTABLE" "Human beings cannot seem to deal with the fact that life is unpredictable, that things happen at random," psychology columnist and writer Joyce Brothers told a news briefing. "We can expect that for a period of time that we will be jittery and anxious." The huge amount of media attention given the cases has just made things worse, Hyman said. "Whoever is responsible for this has certainly done his homework in terms of contagion by targeting the press," Hyman said, referring to the attacks on a tabloid newspaper office in Florida and on the major television news networks in New York. "They made sure that the message they want has gone out." Gaining control of the situation will reduce the fear, Hyman said. "We tend to underestimate risk when we feel in control. So people will drive a car very fast .... We tend to vastly over-estimate risk when we feel we are not in control. Now people are incredibly afraid of airplanes, indeed fear is what is killing the airline industry ... even though, statistically, airplanes are much safer than cars." Hyman suggested that people turn to their friends and other social networks. "(However) we have to make sure they don't turn into clubs for catastrophic thinking but places where people can turn to each other," he added. SOME NEED A LITTLE EXTRA HELP "We really should worry about the elderly, people with serious mental illnesses, people who are isolated," Hyman said. "There will be other people ... in reaction to Sept 11 who will need help," added Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher. "They are going to need some sort of therapy." Satcher said anyone who was still having trouble sleeping, eating or who was unusually forgetful may need therapy. Staying in good physical shape will also help, Hyman said. "We have learned that stress hormones in the body can create a vicious cycle, making things worse and even consolidating traumatic memories." Children should be told what is going on, in an "age-appropriate" manner, Hyman said, and adults should reassure kids that they are safe. "That really is statistically true," he added. Brothers said people should be glad they have this reaction, saying studies have shown that people with fatalistic attitudes do not do as well in society as those who have a little healthy anxiety. (( -- Washington newsroom 202 898 8300, fax 202 898 8383, e-mail washington.bureau.newsroom@reuters.com)) REUTERS * end of story * * end of story *