“Avoid public places?” I don’t necessarily think that anything huge is likely to happen, but to be realistic, there’s no way the administration would ever advise the entire country stay home and hide under the bed for a couple of days. It would be a terrible kick in the groin to the economy.[sub]_/:eek:_[/sub]
I have no idea where the next attack attempt will be (and there wil be a next attack–everything about OBL’s M.O. suggests it.) However, I’m quite sure it won’t be at Hoover Dam. The thing is incredibly difficult to blow up, and is not exactly located in the best location for on-the-scene massive media coverage. It’s far, far easier to hit something the middle of a city than an isolated dam out in the desert.
There’s also nothing immediately downstream. I’m sure that any terrorist who was blowing up a dam would want to use the water as a weapon.
Here’s a document (a .pdf file) that chronic worriers should avoid at all costs: DEFENDING AMERICA - ASYMMETRIC AND TERRORIST ATTACKS WITH BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS, prepared by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The first section, Illustrative Attack Scenarios, is enough to give ya the screaming meeemies. Examples:
[quote]
[list][li]Several workers move drums labeled as cleaning agents into a large shopping mall, large public facility, subway, train station, or airport. They dress as cleaners and are wearing what appear to be commercial dust filters or have taken the antidote for the agent they will use. They mix the feedstocks for a persistent chemical agent at the site during a peak traffic period.[]Immunized terrorists carry Anthrax powder into a building or urban area in containers designed to make them look like shopping bags, brief cases, suitcases, etc. They pick sites where their study of federal, state, and local governments indicate that detection is unlikely, and local response capabilities are limited. They slowly scatter the powder as they walk through the areas. The US does not detect the attacks until days or weeks after they occur. It then finds it has no experience with decontaminating a number of large buildings or areas where Anthrax has entered the air system and is scattered throughout closed areas. After long debates over methods and safety levels, the facilities and areas are temporarily abandoned. (A variation on this scenario is the use of a form of inhaled Anthrax modified to prevent effective immunization and use of normal medical treatment.[]A truck filled with what appears to be light gravel is driven through the streets of a city during rush hour or another heavy traffic period. A visible powder does come out through the tarpaulin covering the truck, but the spread of the power is so light that no attention is paid to it. The driver and his assistant are immunized against the modified form of Anthrax carried in the truck, which is being released from behind the gravel or sand in the truck. The truck slowly quarters key areas of the city. Unsuspected passersby and commuters not only are infected, but carry dry spores home and into other areas. By the time the first major symptoms of the attack occur some 3-5 days later, Anthrax pneumonia is epidemic and some septicemic Anthrax has appeared. Some 40-65% of the exposed population dies and medical facilities collapse causing serious, lingering secondary effects.[]Simultaneous release takes place of Anthrax spores at 10-20 scattered subway platforms during rush hour, and at commuter rail stations as well. No notice is given of the attack. Incubation takes 1-7 days, and the attack is only detected when massive numbers of cases in the acute phase exhibit flu-like symptoms and then enter the breathing difficulty and shock phase (1-2 days after incubation.) Several million commuters are potential exposed, but the locations of the attack are unknown, and effective triage is now impossible. Prompt treatment is no longer possible. Local and regional medical facilities collapse.[]An illegal smallpox culture is used or stolen. The agent is planted in the air duct of aircraft flying to an airport in the target country. The first cases occur two weeks after the flight(s). Widespread infection presents major problems because of a lack of the ability to trace passengers and secondary infections. Mass panic affects national medical facilities and some 10-30% of those infected die.[]A freighter carrying fertilizer enters a port and docks. In fact, the freighter has mixed the fertilizer with a catalyst to create a massive explosion that also disseminates a large amount of a radiological, and/or biological agent. Response focuses on the damage done by the resulting explosion. The scattering of a radiological or biological weapon over the area is only detected days later.[]A local terrorist group produces Ricin from castor beans and either distributes the toxin through the air intake of a government building or sprays it from a truck moving down a street. The first symptoms do not appear until three hours later and there is no know treatment. Significant deaths occur within 36-72 hours.[/li][/quote]
My WAG has been malls on big shopping days. The day after Thanksgiving. 12/23. 12/26. There is next to no parking control, tons of us evil american consumerists in an enclosed space, and they could easily park a car or twelve and walk in one side of the mall, and out the other.
I don’t know if I’m paranoid, but I’ll be doing my shopping online this year.
This week’s version could be a mass mailing of something icky.
I’ve never been terribly motivated to look into automated bill paying til now.
So, how long it will take for the first TV commercial for an in-home mail irradiation device?
The knife. In the Conservatory. Miss Peacock.
That bitch.
Manhatten:
bwuhhaha. 
good one.
(arg: manhattan. Preview is my friend.)
Great, I live in suburban Salt Lake County, ten minutes from one of the Olympic venues.