PETER BUFFA --- Comments & Curiosities

I think some of us need a time out. Especially the media. They need a

time out and a nap. The anthrax panic is now officially, certifiably out

of control.

Across the country and right here in the land of Newport-Mesa, lots of

people are convinced that anthrax is the deadliest substance in the known

universe, maybe the unknown universe, and that they’re next. The Orange

County Health Care Agency and our local hospitals say they are on the

case and ready for a major incident. That’s reassuring, but -- though I

may come to regret this -- I will bet my entire collection of autographed

baseballs (it’s big) that there will be no such outbreak and that, like

all national anxiety attacks, this too will pass.

As reported in this very publication, Costa Mesa and Newport Beach

police are getting calls every day about a “suspicious powder” discovered

by someone, somewhere. In Costa Mesa alone, the powder panic is

generating about 15 to 20 calls a day. Yikes. A few people have brought

their mail down to the station and asked police to open it. Others have

asked, quite seriously, for an officer to come to their home or business

and open their mail. In a recent interview, the director of the FBI’s Los

Angeles office said they are getting 40 to 50 calls a day from people who

want an FBI agent to come by and open their mail. What an excellent idea.

Maybe they could do some yard work or help move something heavy while

they’re there. In fact, do you need anything from the store? They may as

well pick it up on the way.

The Newport Beach Fire Department was called to Fashion Island to

investigate a suspicious white powder on the sidewalk. Yep. That’s the

ticket. The perfect terrorist plot: Sprinkle granules of a noncontagious

substance on the sidewalk in an upscale shopping center in Newport Beach,

Calif. One man called Costa Mesa police to investigate a suspicious white

powder on his garage floor. It took just a few minutes for the officer to

determine that some of the drywall in the garage also looked suspicious,

as in “brand new,” which made sense because the man had installed it a

few days earlier. Mystery over. Case closed.

Don’t get me wrong. No one is saying we don’t need to be vigilant. We

need to have eyes opened and ears tuned more than ever before. But

vigilance and panic are two different things, and a little logic can go a

long way. Not that anyone could be blamed for thinking that dangerous men

with giant sprinklers of white powder are lurking behind every third

bush. The news is now “All anthrax, all the time.”

Yes, yes, I shouldn’t make predictions, but this time, I just can’t

help it. The source of all this will prove to be yet one more loner who

has some loopy philosophy and/or a long-seething grudge about the

government or his ex-boss or his ex-wife or God who, of course, told him

to do it. Considering how many of these we’ve seen in recent years, does

it matter? The police should have a separate booking form for these cases

to speed things up. Please choose the answer that best completes this

sentence: “It was: 1) the IRS, 2) my ex-boss, 3) my ex-wife, 4) God, 5)

other.” You may select more than one answer.

Let’s review. All the indications are that the anthrax in the various

mailings came from the same source. Most of the mailings have been traced

to an area in Trenton, N.J. The anthrax is in a form that is fairly easy

to obtain and far different than weapons-grade, or in the jargon of the

Defense Department, anthrax that has been “weaponized.” Producing

weaponized anthrax is extremely difficult and only two countries in the

world have done it: the United States and Russia. Contrary to the rumor

mill -- and they’re running three shifts at the mill until further notice

-- Iraq has not. Iraq has developed a liquid form of weaponized anthrax,

which is far less effective.

Anthrax is not contagious. You have to come into direct contact with

it. Yes, one reporter in Florida died from it, but for the same reason

that a few people in the U.S. die every year from the plague -- the

people treating them don’t recognize what they have until it’s too late.

Prior to that one death, no one except farmers had given anthrax a second

thought for years. Why farmers? Because anthrax spores are a natural

substance, commonly found in soil. Since cows spend about 14 hours a day

with their snouts in or near soil, they can ingest huge amounts of

anthrax in the course of a day. Biological weapons are definitely scary.

But even if someone did get some weaponized anthrax, it is the least

effective bio-weapon. We all remember the loopy Japanese cult that

released sarin gas in the Tokyo subway in 1995. Prior to that, they did

manage to get their hands on some weaponized anthrax and released it in

aerosol form on at least eight occasions in various Tokyo locations,

without any known effect.

What does any of this mean to us? It means we have plenty to worry

about these days without wasting valuable worry cells on the wrong stuff.

It’s hard not to worry when you’re being bombarded with “news” about

something 24 hours a day. The fact remains that you have a much, much

better chance of being struck by lightening today than struck by anthrax.

In fact, go outside right now, look at the sky and tell me how many

thunder clouds you see. See? Now get inside before the neighbors see you

and enjoy your Sunday. I gotta go.

* PETER BUFFA is a former Costa Mesa mayor. His column runs Sundays.

He may be reached via e-mail at o7 [email protected] .