Well that's about it. What do you guys think? I don't think it's happenstance, but I am not certain that it was a concerted attack either. It really doesn't seem logical that anthrax would be happy living on a keyboard.

-- Doreen (animalwaitress@yahoo.com), October 08, 2001

Answers

It may be a "fluke". Or it may be that the press has ignored anthrax until now.

Kenneth

-- It's OK to be an INDIVIDUAL as long as your JUST like everyone else! (healthwizard@surfbest.net), October 08, 2001.

OK, the poor guy obviously brought that illusive wild goat into work with him and the wild goat breathed all over his keyboard and then trotted off to the mailroom to cuddle with the second guy.Seriously, the media today just appeared to me to be saying a collective "DUH".....think about it for a minute..."Natural anthrax"?????? If inhalation anthrax occurs naturally, then why has it not been seen in the entire country since 1978? It's been hiding? We're talking INHALATION anthrax here. An extremely rare bacteria just pops up inside a building in Florida "naturally"? If this were part of a wide-spread terrorist attack in Florida's Palm Beach County, there would be a few hundred folks ill by now, as the usual incubation period is up to 7 days (in very rare instances it can be as long as 2 months). Personally, I think that this is an act which will be found to be perpetrated by a single whacko person, not a terorist..kind of like the insane person who tampered with Tylenol years ago and killed a bunch of folks.If I were the FBI I'd be looking for a disgruntled whacko biochemistry major under some seashell.

-- lesley (martchas@bellsouth.net), October 08, 2001.

The latest I heard was that the spores were delivered in the mail. I heard two scenarios which I will share with you.

1) There was a disgruntled muslim mail worker who quit/disappeared after the 11th. Maybe he is the culprit.

2) It was delivered in the mail and then it got into the air system.

I would say to be terribly careful of everything. Perhaps even food. Say you still need to stock up on flour or whatever, do it by all means.

One other thing. When you use a fake addy to post, the FBI still traces it to your isp and they have a particular number for every account so if the folks are looking they will know who it is anyway. But it does make for high drama!!! And personally I don't care at all if everyone feels better using fakes that is fine by me.

-- Doreen (bisquit@here.com), October 09, 2001.

Anthrax does occur naturally. I asked my father (a Veterinarian), and he said that it occurs in the soil in some places in Texas. It is in the soil in a town called Marlin, just outside of College Station, Texas. People get anthrax more than you think, "Supposedly".

-- Bill (bill@bill.com), October 09, 2001.

Well, from what I heard on the radio last night and this morning, the FBI has announced that this will likely turn out to be a criminal case, and they were supposed to have posted a message on their site that asked people who had received mail from that building NOT to open it, but to call them or the national guard at once. Kinda makes me glad I don't get much mail.

But think about it, if it is being sent through the mail, does that mean the mail service's equipment is contaminated now? Just another cheerful thought from yours truly. Remember, I got a million of them cheerful thoughts.

-- Green (ratdogs10@yahoo.com), October 09, 2001.

Great. . . now how do I explain to the neighbors when they see me picking my mail up with oven mitts and a clothes pin on my nose? Bio chemical warfare just plain sucks, sorry for my honesty.

-- j.r.guerra (jrguerra@boultinghousesimpson.com), October 09, 2001.

The summer intern wasn't Arab, he's a third-generation American of Spanish/Basque descent. He's been questioned and released.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), October 09, 2001.

Isn't it strange that the afflicted were those that attacked OBL in print. Hmmmm Couldn't be a connection. Right.

-- Kenneth in N.C. (wizardsplace13@hotmail.com), October 09, 2001.

Anthrax occurs naturally, but not in inhalation form in this country.Folks in third-world countries who work in wool factories are at risk from skin transmitted anthrax as are folks here who handle infected animal hides. Inhalation transmission is as rare as hens teeth.

-- lesley (martchas@bellsouth.net), October 09, 2001.

One thing this episode has done, is to make me LESS concerned about biological attack with anthrax! It's obviously not something that is likely to cause widespread problems for a lot of people. Now, smallpox I would worry about.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), October 10, 2001.