[nw_arizona_granny]

Yes, the borders will be our un-doing.

Disease and terror simply walk across it.

I was surprised when Bush allowed the Mexican truck drivers to drive on our roads.

Of course, there are fake drivers licenses for sale, on every corner, I think.

[nw_arizona_granny]

A story of incredible heroics by US Army in Maryland....

---

Ebola's Dogged Enemies
Team of Fort Detrick Scientists Labored for Years to Develop Vaccine

By Nelson Hernandez
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, October 2, 2005; C01

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/01/AR2005100101357.html

By Day 3, Tom Geisbert knew the monkeys were going to die.

He could see it in their faces as he entered the monkey room in Suite
AA-4, wearing the china-blue plastic spacesuit that serves as a uniform
for the scientists of Fort Detrick's U.S. Army Medical Research
Institute of Infectious Diseases when they are working with the world's most
vicious viruses.

Healthy monkeys in the Biosafety Level 4 lab would often react to his
suit by jumping, screeching and beating on their cages. But these
monkeys glared sullenly at Geisbert with bloodshot eyes and expressionless
faces.

It was Oct. 25, 1999. Geisbert had devoted nearly a decade to finding a
vaccine for Ebola. Now he was waiting to see whether the vaccine he'd
given the monkeys would provide any protection against the Ebola raging
inside their bodies.

He pulled on the back of the cage, and a false wall expanded, slowly
pressing a monkey against the bars, where Geisbert jabbed it in the thigh
with anesthetic. Fifteen minutes later, he pulled the sedated primate
from its cage. He drew blood: The white blood cell count was plummeting.
The vaccine for a disease more lethal than smallpox was failing. It was
a bad day in the fight against Ebola.

It would take four more years of such days before Geisbert and his team
would make a breakthrough that could save lives by offering protection
from an epidemic or a bioterrorism attack.

Each day, Geisbert steeled himself to witness the ravages of the virus.

( a very long article, but also interesting)

[nw_arizona_granny]

Growing number of Latin women take the shahaddah Are more Hispanics converting to Islam? A director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) says so, along with a reminder of the sufferings that American Muslims have endured. From the Sun-Sentinel, with thanks to Sparta: Ramadan, which begins around... Full article:

[nw_arizona_granny]

Today in History:
October 3, (year ?) - Australia
Labor Day
No information provided.

October 3, (year ?) - Honduras
Birthday of Francisco Morazan
The national hero of Honduras, who was a leader in the unsuccessful effort to keep
Central America united.

Upcoming Significant Events:
October 4, 1966 - Lesotho
Independence Day
Moshoeshoe II took the oath of office as king for life.

October 5, 1919 - Portugal
Proclamation of the Republic
No information provided.

October 5, 1921 - Liechtenstein
Establishment of the Monarchy
The Principality of Liechtenstein was established as a hereditary constitutional monarchy
based on the constitution of 1921.

October 5, 1987 - Chile
Lautaro Youth Movement Founded
The leftist terrorist group has commemorated this anniversary by attacking Chilean and
American targets.

October 5, 1988 - Chile
Referendum Ends Pinochet Rule
General Pinochet called a referendum to win eight more years as Chile's military ruler.
When he lost the vote, Pinochet decided to allow the restoration of multi-party
democracy.

October 6, 1973 - Egypt
Armed Forces Day
No information provided.

October 6, 1973 - Egypt
The Yom Kippur War Begins
No information provided.

October 6, 1973 - Israel
The Yom Kippur War Begins
No information provided.

October 6, 1973 - Syria
The Yom Kippur War Begins
No information provided.

October 6, 1976 - Thailand
Overthrow of the Government
Thirty-eight students were killed in Thammasat during protests against the return of
former president Thanom. The government was overthrown the same day.

October 6, 1981 - Egypt
Anwar Sadat Assassinated
No information provided.

October 7, (year unknown) - Peru
Communist Party Founded
No information provided.

October 7, 1958 - Pakistan
Mirza Came To Power In A Coup
President Iskander Mirza, supported by senior military officers, seized power and
imposed martial law.

October 7, 1970 - Libya
Fascist Evacuation Day
Celebrates the departure of the last Italian settlers from Libya. Also called "Revenge
Day."

October 7, 1985 - Egypt, Italy
Hijacking of the Achille Lauro
Four Palestinian gunmen hijacked the Italian cruise ship "Achille Lauro" off Alexandria,
Egypt. While off the Syrian port of Tartus, the terrorists killed a wheelchair-bound
American. Egypt and Italy negotiated the return of the ship and the remaining
passengers. U.S. fighters intercepted an Egyptian jet carrying the hijackers and forced it
down at a NATO base in Italy.

October 7, 1992 - Peru
Guzman Sentenced To Life
On October 7, 1992, Abimael Guzman, the founder and leader of Sendero Luminoso
(Shining Path), was sentenced to life imprisonment by a military court.

[nw_arizona_granny]

1] Date: 1 Oct 2005 From: ProMED-mail Source: The Globe and Mail [edited] _____________________________________________________________ Unidentified illness kills 4 Toronto seniors -------------------------------------------- Public health officials are investigating the deaths of 4 people from a "typical respiratory illness" at an east-end senior's residence, but say the outbreak is not SARS. --------------------------------- The 4 victims were residents at the Seven Oaks Home for the Aged in the city's east end, said Dr. Barbara Yaffe, Toronto Public Health's director of communicable disease control. --------------------------------- "We know from the testing that's been done so far that this is not influenza; we know this is not SARS; we know this is not avian influenza," said Dr. Allison McGeer, infectious disease consultant at Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital. -------------------------------- "There are many other viruses it could be ... and the Ontario Public Health lab is working very hard on identifying which one of those viruses it might be." ---------------------------------- The unidentified illness has affected 68 residents and 5 employees at the facility. 3 of the victims died at the home while the 4th died in the hospital, she said. Dr. Yaffe said all of the 4 victims had severe pre-existing medical conditions. 2 were in their 90s, another in the late 70s, and the 4th in the 50s. ----------------------------------- She said outbreaks are typical, but this one set off alarms because of its severity. "We get hundreds of outbreaks every year, however in this situation we do have a particularly serious outbreak," Dr. Yaffe said. ---------------------------------- She said 15 people have been admitted to hospitals in the area, but are not being quarantined. "There is no quarantine necessary for this," Dr. Yaffe said, and emphasized that there was no threat to the greater public. ---------------------------------- The speed with which the illness spread led Dr. McGeer to speculate whether a presence of bacteria within the home contributed to the outbreak. --------------------------------- Dr. Yaffe also added that while this outbreak was serious, it was not the worst in recent memory. Last year [2004], 11 people died after an outbreak at a Cobourg, Ontario nursing home, she said. ---------------------------------- CFTO News reported that the 1st signs of the most recent illness were detected Tuesday [27 Sep 2005], but no residents were taken to the hospital until Saturday night [1 Oct 2005]. Dozens of family members were prevented from entering the home Saturday. ---------------------------------- Emergency room staff at Centenary Hospital donned gowns and masks Saturday [1 Oct 2005] as a procedural precaution, a standard practice in Ontario hospitals after the SARS outbreak in 2003. ---------------------------------- "Either people haven't been following precautions that we are supposed to follow now for all people with fever or respiratory illness ... or alternatively, somebody had brought it in from the community to the nursing home, and they weren't really that sick from it," infectious disease specialist Dr. Neil Rau told CTV News. ---------------------------------- Symptoms of the illness include fever, cough, runny nose, and malaise, Dr. McGeer said. ----------------------------------- She said the best way for the public to prevent such outbreaks from occurring is to wash their hands thoroughly and frequently. --------------------------------- -- ProMED-mail ______________________________________________________________ ****** [2] Date: 2 Oct 2005 From: Allison McGeer [ProMED-mail contacted Dr. Allison McGeer about this outbreak and received the following information:] -------------------------------- We have a significantly larger than usual outbreak (71 of 249 residents, and 6 of 290 staff, plus 2 visitors) in a long term care facility for the elderly that is relatively severe (4 deaths in residents, and one older staff member in the hospital with pneumonia). --------------------------------- [The epidemic] is rapidly progressive; ([the] 1st case [had onset on] 25 Sep [2005], what appears to be peak [in the epidemic] with more than 20 cases on 29 [Sep 2005], and only 7 cases with onset on 1 Oct [2005]). In addition, a few residents who initially appeared to have minor illness then deteriorated rapidly. ---------------------------------- All laboratory tests have been negative to date (EIA [enzyme immunoassay], DFA [direct fluorescent antibody] and PCR [polymerase chain reaction] for respiratory viruses all negative, including influenza A H3N2, A H1N1, A H5N1, influenza B, RSV [respiratory syncytial virus], Adenovirus, parainfluenza viruses 1-4, SARSCoV [SARS coronavirus]; several urines were negative for legionella, [there were] no positive bacterial cultures of blood or sputum). ------------------------------------ So it is certainly different than usual, but it does not appear to be out of range for a respiratory viral outbreak in a large long term care facility. A number of other smaller outbreaks have been recently reported in long term care facilities across the province, as is typical for this time of year; no positive viral tests have yet been obtained, suggesting the circulation of a virus that is relatively difficult to culture. ---------------------------------------------- -- Dr. Allison McGeer _____________________________________________________________ [ProMED-mail would like to thank Dr. Allison McGeer for sending us more information on this outbreak. One can speculate on the variety of respiratory viruses that may be responsible for this outbreak, most of which have already been ruled out according to the testing profiles presented above. One wonders whether there might be involvement of the human metapneumovirus or another member of the coronavirus family (other than the SARS CoV) that might be circulating and not as yet part of the routine test panels. More information as it becomes available would be appreciated. --------------------------------- Information from other geographical areas that might be experiencing similar patterns would also be appreciated, as it might help "point a finger" at the etiology of this outbreak. - Mod.MPP] ..............................mpp/msp/jw *######################################################

[nw_arizona_granny]

This is snipped from a Criminal Justice Lecture by OConner, on Counter Terrorism.

If you want to know more about criminal justice and how to work with the facts, there is good information on this website, I have never had the time to read all the lectures and chase all the links and had forgotten it, but it turned up in my first newsletter, I thought the #1, was of interest as to the reasons the media does not publish all the facts about incidents.

The last link, will take you to the index.
granny
~~~~~~

http://faculty.ncwc.edu/TOConnor/427/427lect17.htm


CONTROVERSIES

There's no shortage of recommendations for what to do
about terrorism. One of the most consistent themes in the
literature is the principle that there should be no bargaining
with terrorists. For most nations, the standard policy is no
concessions. This position has always been strongly advocated
by the law enforcement community, primarily because of
reasoning that bargaining invites repeated attacks (Elliott and
Gibson 1978). Another common recommendation, often made
by criminologists, is that terrorism should be processed by the
criminal justice system the same way as other crimes
(Crelinsten et al. 1978). The argument here is really that
special squads, units, and strike forces cause more problems
than they solve. Others in criminal justice argue for global
police forces, international courts, and using anti-terrorist
ideology to rebuild coalition consensus (OConnor 1994).
Current controversies involve to what extent anti-terrorism
efforts by political democracies corrupt those democracies
because such efforts are always politically motivated and
impact civil liberties (Turk 1982; Ross 2000). The following
points are lessons from those controversies.

POINT #1: Some of the things that best shape a response to
terrorism are derived from simply knowing the functions of
terrorism. This is one of the approaches first suggested by
Brian Jenkins of the RAND think tank. Since one of the
functions of terrorism (at least the revolutionary type) is to
provoke government overreaction, anything the government
can do to keep itself from overreacting will thwart the
terrorists' objectives. Since another function is to gain control
of the media, anything voluntary or involuntary on the part of
the media which stifles exposure also stifles terrorism.
Bombings make the best pictures, so the more media-driven
the terrorists, the more likely bombings will be the mode of
attack. Another common function or demand is the release of
political prisoners, and this is almost never a true objective.
The real objective is politicization of all prisoners, the winning
over of new recruits among the prison population. And finally,
the best strategy may be one of going after the financial
supporters of terrorism, not the terrorists themselves. Ideology
may be able to sustain them, but not for long once the money
runs dry. It's only with narcoterrorism that this "dry well"
strategy fails, since the drug market doesn't respond to simple
supply-demand forces.

POINT #2: The other thing about terrorism (or at least
quasi-terrorism and the more lunatic fanatics) is that they are
imitators, not innovators. That is, their crimes are copycat or
cyclical. The skyjacking phenomenon of the 70s was an
excellent example of this, where terrorists always waited until
some other group made the first move, and then they "jumped
on the bandwagon." Most of the them do this because they are
sorely trying to imitate military strategy; others do it because
of standardized paramilitary training or textbook lessons in
guerilla tactics; and still others do it to throw off suspicion from
themselves. Anyway, the cyclic pattern is quite predictable,
and in general, conforms to a Wave-Crest-Plateau pattern.



POINT #3: Although it's inevitable that the first few
hostages may die, a thing called the Stockholm Syndrome
works in the favor of anti-terrorist forces. The longer the
hostages stay alive, the less likelihood harm will come to the
hostages. With this syndrome, the hostages come to think of
their captors as protecting them from the police and soon start
to identify with their captors. The captors themselves start to
develop a parent/child relationship with their hostages. Other
syndromes include the Penelope Syndrome, where women find
violent criminals sexually attractive. Hostage negotiation and
rescue are perhaps the most complicated type of anti-terrorist
operation.

POINT #4: In assessing the threat of terrorism (in lieu of
information on group skills and capabilities), it's important to
concentrate on counting the number of incidents. Do not count
the number of victims, nor the value of harm. It's hard to do
this especially after some extraordinary incident in which many
people have died, but the only true comparison is the number
of attacks since terrorists often have no idea themselves about
how many victims will be killed by their actions. Nationalist
groups tend to seek a high number of fatalities while
revolutionary groups tend to seek fewer deaths and more
wounds or injuries. Splinter or spin-off groups seem more
interested in death counts and fatalities. The point is that no
matter how many victims are targeted, the group is only a
threat via its number of attacks as a percent of total activity.

POINT #5: Do count the number of victims saved by any
preventive action. If you manage through some leverage to
get the terrorist leader to stop things with a cease-fire
agreement, regardless of whether further negotiation follows
or not, it will significantly help your agency and your career if
you have calculated how many lives you've saved, and can
report this information to policymakers. Everyone in a
leadership position wins by a cease-fire. The terrorist leader
looks good; your leaders look good; and if the experts that say
terrorist leaders have low self-esteem are right, it should be an
easy job to feed their egos and get leverage on them through
negotiation. After the cease-fire, it's important to also
measure the resumed level of violence and compare it to
pre-cease-fire levels. Does the violence resume at a higher or
lower level? It may be that your short-term (e.g., 30-day)
truce resulted in a 16% short-term reduction in violence (e.g.,
6 months), but in the long-run, you've instigated a more
heinous pattern of violence.

POINT #6: Giving into terrorist demands for political change
only changes the pattern of violence, not the violence itself.
Economic and political reforms aimed at helping the group's
ethnic or religious group and resolving its grievances will win
over some supporters among the general population, but in the
long-run, will create new problems and a new set of grievances
over the precise implementation of policy and the degree of
power sharing. A much better strategy is to initiate economic
and political reforms for all the people of a nation. Economic
development solutions have worked in Ireland, Uruguay, and
Italy.

POINT #7: The thing that works best is reduction of recruits,
supplies, and support. You've got to reduce the number of
active trainee members of the terrorist organization. Capture
and imprisonment works (it's helped to keep Spain fairly
terrorism-free), as well as preemptive strikes against training
camps. The number of terrorists captured or killed should be
counted, and this can be put as the denominator in a fraction
with the number of government security forces killed in the
numerator. You've also got to keep weapons, ammo, and
supplies out of the hands of terrorists. Destruction of their
"stash" houses is the best preemptive strategy. Unfortunately,
many religious terrorist groups operate under the cover of
religion and it doesn't look good to blow up religious buildings.
Whenever a dragnet or raid takes place, the number of
weapons found should be counted. Finally, cutting off support
should be done with precision and not indiscriminately. Too
often, governments are willing to engage in "collective
punishments" against all (suspected) aliens, all unfriendly
foreign powers, and even its own citizens, in what are all only
symbolic efforts with no discernable short-term or long-term
effect. A more precise focus would go beyond identifying
support countries by name, and identify support by type,
amount, seasonality, and displacement. The latter two mean
that cutting off support at certain times of the year will have
more effect than a random cutoff, and that cutting off two or
more sources of support will be effective since groups may
simple displace or find new sources of support once old ones
dry up.

POINT #8: Things that don't work, or have questionable
value, include the notion that swift and harsh retaliation is the
best policy. This is a popular notion, but the degree of moral
certainty and justification empowering terrorism does not
respond to displays of overwhelming force or "lines drawn in
the sand." The standard doctrines of deterrence as
punishment (that punishment be swift, certain, and severe)
don't apply to terrorism. Justice has a longer timeline in this
context. If you're going to play the retaliation game right,
wait until things have cooled off and hit them when they least
expect it.

POINT #9: Terrorism doesn't respond to coalition-based
sanctions which are intended to express the international
community's disregard for them. Terrorists are people who
have long ago felt rejected by mainstream society. In fact,
their desire is often to be further rejected. If they are broken
up from receiving any psychological rewards or sympathy from
their social support groups, this strategy might work.
Terrorists long ago crossed the line of ethical and moral
restraint. Rebuilding this in all the diverse places of the world
is going to take some time.

POINT #10: Sharing of information and intelligence by
counterterrorism agents is essential. Unfortunately, turf
battles, credit claiming, stovepipes, and unnecessary secrecy
permeates the counterterrorist community. Agency
cooperation, however, also fragments the jurisdictional
grounds and/or changes the perceived level of threat, so there
tends to be more intelligence/policy disconnects. Law
enforcement agencies typically separate terrorists into
criminal, political, or mentally unstable categories, and this
may be too simplistic a classification. Terrorist behavior differs
from that of ordinary criminals. Criminal investigation
techniques must be modified to reflect these differences when
examining terrorist cases.