Sand, salt, dust, confetti and packing material have never been so frightening. Reports of suspicious substances are sending teams of hazardous substance experts, FBI agents, firemen, emergency medical technicians and other public servants racing to diverse sites in Buffalo, and cities nationwide.
Buffalo fire departments responded to at least six anthrax scares Friday and Saturday, according to The Buffalo News. All were false alarms.
A passenger aboard a plane in San Jose, Calif. told a crewmember that another passenger had dispersed a powder into the ventilation system. The 85 people onboard were confined to the jet, fearfully awaiting death by anthrax, while emergency personnel stripped the suspect of clothing, washed him with detergent and dressed him in a hazardous materials suit. In actuality, the so-called terrorist was guilty only of sloppily opening a greeting card containing confetti.
In Buffalo, a sandbag supporting a sign resulted in a call to 911 and similar emergency response, as did a malignant powder on the floor of a rail car.
While we do have reason to worry, we must not let fear incite us to overreact. We must employ common sense before placing calls to authorities and needlessly alarming our fellow citizens. Responding to a report of anthrax consumes vital resources, wastes precious time and diverts attention from actual dangers. In this time of crisis, all reports of bacterial contamination are taken seriously and thoroughly investigated. Hazardous material experts, FBI agents, fire trucks, ambulances and police are all deployed in the event of such a report.
The threat of an actual anthrax attack necessitates the availability of these experts. Not only do unwarranted reports of suspicious powders cost the city financially, they also impair its ability to protect the people in the event of an actual threat.
We are very unlikely to see any terrorist activity in Buffalo. With little global economic power and nothing of the grandeur of the Twin Towers, the Queen City is inconsistent with the sites of previous terrorist attacks. These terrorists have limited resources and are focused on world famous symbols of the American lifestyle - not remote attacks on nationally insignificant locales or private citizens.
In the last week, e-mail inboxes across the country have been inundated with a chain letter urging Americans to stay away from malls on Halloween. This e-mail simply spreads terror unnecessarily, therein serving bin Laden's goal of disrupting the American economy and way of life.
The FBI issued a warning Thursday stating there is "reason to believe that there may be additional terrorist attacks within the United States," and suggesting the possibility of attacks in the next few days. Such a warning would be useful if it contained precautionary instructions Americans could follow to improve their safety. But this message failed to do so, only contributing to the physical and emotional insecurity of the nation. The "warning" incited hysteria and overburdened our emergency personnel with false reports.
It would be useful for Americans to disregard such vague statements of danger; unfortunately, that might not be so easy.
Although it is a challenge, we must be diligent in our resistance to terrorism. Bin Laden has succeeded when our behavior and safety is determined by the fear he is working to instill in us. We must realize that Western New York is not a likely target, and we must be careful not to endanger others by making unfounded reports to authorities. The fate of the American way of life rests in our hands.
We must not be the victims of terror.
