U.S. fear factor assists terrorists

    Fear is the greatest weapon of terrorists, and unchecked it can do untold damage.

    Because of the Sept. 11 attacks, our nation has been ravaged by rampant fear. Anthrax is currently the fear of the month.

    It seems that the majority of people are afraid of anthrax and other terrorist attacks, and they are not even sure why.

    Anthrax is very difficult to use as a weapon.

    Furthermore, only a small handful of countries even have the technology to make anthrax in its inhalant form. The United States, Russia, England and Iraq are the only countries capable of producing this form of anthrax.

    The odds of dying from an anthrax attack are very low. Just being exposed to it will not kill a person immediately.

    Antibiotics can be successfully used to treat all forms of exposure except inhalation.

    Even the chances of dying from inhalation are relatively low.

    People and the media need to learn about anthrax before causing a nationwide panic.

    Anthrax scares dominate most of the local and national news even though the attacks are fairly isolated.

    Our fear of attack and death has gotten the better of us as a country.

    Another example of fear out of control is an e-mail in circulation that warns of an impending attack on shopping malls Wednesday, Oct. 31.

    The message is allegedly sent by a person who knows a person who is dating a person from Afghanistan. Supposedly, the Afghani told his date about future attacks.

    Thus, the e-mail warns of impending attacks at local shopping centers and malls.

    This letter is reminiscent of the urban legend involving a child who ate Pop Rocks, drank a can of Coca-Cola and died as a result.

When the Pop Rocks myth was circulating, everyone knew someone who knew someone whom this had happened to.

    The truth is that it never happened to anyone.

    To think that our society has been described as the most cynical and skeptical to date would seem to be false.

    If our country were that cynical and skeptical, we certainly would not be falling for old recycled rumors such as the impending-attack e-mail.

    It seems that our country, and our society, would be better served by being more skeptical and more cynical.

    By questioning more and researching what we fear, the chances for a panic greatly diminish.

    Common sense is our greatest weapon against fear, and it is the one weapon we seem so very reluctant to use.

    It would be wise if people would remember that the next time they start talking about thinking they have found anthrax or the next time they pass an e-mail warning on to a friend.

    These people may think they are helping, and they are.

    Unfortunately, they are helping the terrorists.