Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Ilaine who wrote (72147)	2/7/2003 1:11:07 PM
From: carranza2	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Don't drink tap water if you're afraid of ricin--it's a water contaminant.

To: Ilaine who wrote (72147)	2/7/2003 1:38:34 PM
From: arun gera	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 281500

Is this the kind of irrational fear that is driving you to support bombing Iraq. Think of the population of Iraq that is going to be hit with 1000s of Air sorties and intelligent and regular bombs. That is a real fear. Yours is imaginary. But your imaginary fear has more currency than the real fears of a citizen of a poorer nation. >A coordinated group of sleeper cells could sprinkle ricin in hundreds of salad bars and condiment bars all over, say, Manhattan, London, Los Angeles, etc., etc., and kill literally thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, perhaps without detection.>

To: Ilaine who wrote (72147)	2/7/2003 3:28:37 PM
From: Rascal	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

"We are so trusting. That's the true source of the asymmetrical threat - we trust each other. " Too bad we didn't reallocate some of the billions in Star Wars into Ricin Wars. Focus. Focus. Rascal@ orangejulius.com

To: Ilaine who wrote (72147)	2/7/2003 4:18:43 PM
From: Maurice Winn	Respond to of 281500

CB, Trust is extremely valuable. The US$ and Q are based on it. Gold is not based on trust. I think you are right, ricin would be excellent to serve with food. Since some ricin has already been confiscated in Britain, along with some arrested terrorists, it's a sure bet that you are right. Food quality standards are about to improve. Sealed containers will be popular. Maybe those minor vandalistic malicious consumer poisonings of a decade or two ago have been not all bad in the sense that they prepared us and hardened at least some food supplies against attack. Fear is better than bodies and as the anthrax attacks showed, the place can be closed with a few rinky dink little attacks. A bit like making the elephant jump through the roof by releasing a mouse. The actual harm compared with, say, road deaths, which don't keep people off the road, is negligible, but the fear-factor and over-reaction gives it a turbo boost. Bulk-served food would be a great vector for transmission of the toxin. They'd only get to do it once, then people would make other dietary arrangements, so, as with the airline attacks, they'll do lots of them simultaneously. We know they were interested in crop dusters and toxins, so that's the obvious attack method. So, they need lots of people simultaneously at events, such as sports days. They do seem to want to attack political and military targets. The military ones are probably tricky, but you never know - some guy could join the military and bring in a bag of ricin to work - he could mix it in when he's mashing the spuds. I like your sports arena scenario. Baseball would be great! An American icon brought down. But maybe, already, the hot dog sauces are a closely-guarded product for fear of just such an attack. I have no idea how they'd stop some hot-dog salesman at a stadium pulling ricin out of his pocket and mixing it in. The salesman could put it in a "Salt" shaker and nobody would think much of it. Mqurice