Are we prepared for a biological attack?

We need more than ‘luck’ to protect us from terrorists. 1/27/10

TRANSCRIPT

This is DEFCON 3 by KT and I’m KT McFarland.
Just when you thought things were going badly on the homeland security front, we get a report card from a Congressional Commission on how prepared we are for a biological attack. The grade? F.
It should come as no surprise to anyone who tried to get flu shots this year. Last fall we were told there weren’t enough regular flu shots available because the industry was focused on making swine flu shots. But they goofed that one too – the swine flu vaccine wasn’t widely available until after swine flu had run its course. In the end the swine flu wasn’t as lethal as scientists predicted. That’s lucky since over 50 million people were infected – one out of six Americans.
But counting on good luck is no way to protect the American people from biological or chemical attack. Anymore than counting on airline passengers to protect us from suicide bombers, as happened with the when a young Nigerian tried to blow up himself and everyone else on his Detroit bound flight.
The Christmas Day bomber? – we failed to connect the dots. The Fort Hood Shooter? We failed to connect the dots. In our zeal to protect ourselves after September 11 we threw money at the problem and created huge, new government agencies – bloated, bureaucratic, and bungling. Our intelligence and counter terrorism agencies are more like the lumbering Michelin tire man than a swift, innovative, fast moving hero on 24.
Eight years after the anthrax attacks and we still don’t have a rapid-response capability for dealing with disease outbreaks from bioterrorism. Eight years after Sept 11 and suicide bombers are still getting on airplanes. Who’s dropped the ball? Everybody. This isn’t partisan – it’s not a Republican or a Democrat foul-up. It’s a bureaucratic foul-up. And it’s happening more and more these days. And it’s got to change.
That’s DEFCON 3 by KT and i’m KT MCFarland.