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Ron Jackson's Perspective
The Sunday Journal -
Think
Kankakee, Illinois
October 28, 2001
Fear must be part
of 'reaction' to anthrax |
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America has become a zoo.
And in that zoo they have some anthrax. Ee-igh-ee igh-oh.
With anthrax here and anthrax there. Here a thrax, there a thrax,
everywhere a thrax thrax. Ee-igh-ee igh-oh.
What is wrong with us? We're acting like scared,
caged animals.
It seems the latest scares and panic are going full
steam ahead. What started in Florida a few weeks ago has
snowballed. Now it seems everyone wants to be in on the frenzy.
Planes are being diverted or grounded because of
confetti. Corporate mailrooms are more scrutinized than airports.
Grandmothers can't use baking soda in their own kitchens anymore.
After the first report of anthrax at a Florida news
media headquarters, news media types from Florida to New York to
California and every little podunk town in-between are reporting anthrax
contamination. Television news has gone from reporting and
distorting the news to becoming the news.
Here are my predictions for the next anthrax sightings.
"Policeman spotted running from donut shop with white powdery substance
all over his face. Officer will be placed on administrative leave
until tests are conclusive." "Mother arrested for putting white
powdery substance all over her infant's diaper. The baby remains
in custody of State Children Protective Services." How silly we
must look to the terrorists. From a satellite from high above and
projected onto big American-made TV screens in caves, we must look like
disorganized ants.
What is the big deal about anthrax anyway? It's
deadly but only with a large dose of spores. Symptoms of the most
common form of inhalation anthrax are "fever, malaise, fatigue and
sometimes dry cough. There is a period of improvement followed by
a decline -- trouble breathing, sweating, bluish coloration of the skin.
The patient usually goes into shock and dies 24-36 hours after the
severe symptoms begin." These same symptoms can be found in most
men a few days after their wedding.
We can look for gas mask businesses to replace all the
pager and cell phone stores. Gas masks and Cipro are the hottest
selling items since the Cabbage Patch Kids and will be the most
requested items for Christmas. Poor Santa won't have a sleigh big
enough to carry it all. I hate to imagine what would happen if
Rudolf got a little white stuff on his nose Christmas Eve and had to be
quarantined.
Will we next have a national ban on New Year's Eve
confetti? What about the white stuff on people's shoulders after
scratching their heads? Do we remove powdered coffee creamer from
restaurants?
I have been told that I "have" to be afraid. I
can't just go on as if nothing is going to happen to me. We may
have all been the targets of terrorists, but we are not all victims.
Only those of us still living who choose to be victims will be.
Boy, I miss the good old days of two months ago when
all we had to worry about was gangs, drugs and guns. Our major
concerns were high school shootings, racial profiling, and teen
pregnancy. If we all had looked for Chandra Levy like we are
looking for anthrax, she would have been located by now.
Speaking of a little white powdery-looking substance,
where is Gary Condit? |
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