Anthrax Attack? Count on the Mailman
If the nation ever faces a large-scale attack by a biological weapon like anthrax, the U.S. Postal Service will be in charge of delivering whatever drugs and other medical aid Americans would need to survive.
In an executive order released Wednesday, President Barack Obama put the Postal Service in charge of dispensing "medical countermeasures" to biological weapons because of its "capacity for rapid residential delivery."
While most likely unrelated, the release of the executive order comes less than a week after a man with alleged ties to al Qaeda tried to bring down a Detroit-bound U.S. airliner. In recent days, Obama has sought to assure the public that his administration is doing what it can to protect the nation from terrorist attacks.
Under the new order, federal agencies must develop a response plan that includes possible law enforcement escorts for Postal Service workers and gives anthrax "primary threat consideration."
Anthrax made headlines in the weeks following the 2001 terrorist attacks when letters containing the substance were sent to lawmakers and news organizations.
The spores killed five people: Two Washington, D.C., postal workers, a New York City hospital worker, a Florida photo editor and a 94-year-old Connecticut woman who had no known contact with any of the poisoned letters. Seventeen other people were sickened.
Obama says his decision to give the Postal Service a role in responding to a widespread biological attack won't supersede the authorities of other agencies.
AP In an executive order released Wednesday, President Barack Obama put the Postal Service in charge of dispensing "medical countermeasures" to biological weapons because of its "capacity for rapid residential delivery."
While most likely unrelated, the release of the executive order comes less than a week after a man with alleged ties to al Qaeda tried to bring down a Detroit-bound U.S. airliner. In recent days, Obama has sought to assure the public that his administration is doing what it can to protect the nation from terrorist attacks.
Under the new order, federal agencies must develop a response plan that includes possible law enforcement escorts for Postal Service workers and gives anthrax "primary threat consideration."
Anthrax made headlines in the weeks following the 2001 terrorist attacks when letters containing the substance were sent to lawmakers and news organizations.
The spores killed five people: Two Washington, D.C., postal workers, a New York City hospital worker, a Florida photo editor and a 94-year-old Connecticut woman who had no known contact with any of the poisoned letters. Seventeen other people were sickened.
Obama says his decision to give the Postal Service a role in responding to a widespread biological attack won't supersede the authorities of other agencies.
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I am a bio-terrorism health planner for medical countermeasures and this came out of left field -- especially just before a long holiday weekend. It throws BILLIONS of dollars of planning right on its' head. This method of distribution is NOT new. This "postal option" as it's called is part of the existing detailed planning which is part of Cities Readiness Initiative )CRI) funding from Health & Human Services (HSS) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). It is PART of an overall strategy to help distribute medical countermeasures (like antibiotics to save lives from Anthrax death). However, it will not be effective in rural communities and many other suburban and urban communities alike.
Another thing -- there WILL be an armed law enforcement officer escorting EVERY postal worker; the labor unions wouldn't permit it otherwise and it's necessary because there will be limited supplies of antibiotics available. The fact is there is NOT an adequate supply of these medical countermeasures for all of the population.
Let me tell you -- this politically-motivated order does nothing to increase preparedness. Rather, this pandering has caused a whole lot of confusion among public health planners about existing plans to distribute antibiotics through mass methods called points of dispensing or POD's.
Though, by and large, the Postal Service does a pretty good job safely and effectively distributing the US mail, it's an idea that has limited effectiveness. The postal system, by itself, cannot be the centerpiece of the anthrax response plan.
Who is giving the President advice? Why are we ignoring the present system and the "lessons learned" from the New York and Boston exercises of this "postal option"?
Who is to blame?
Main stream media for their love affair with the First Black President no matter his allegiance is to another country;
just what our Constitution protects against but all 3 branches of gov. have failed to protect the people.