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America At War:
Potomac Confidential
With Marc Fisher
Post Metro Columnist
Thursday, Oct. 25, 2001; Noon EDT
Scared yet? Or are you rational enough to measure the odds, compare the relatively small number of cases of anthrax with the size of the population, and carry on more or less as normal? I rock back and forth between those two states of mind. Let's hear how you're coping, what precautions you're taking, and how you think the government, media and public are doing in their efforts to handle the anthrax attacks.
Plus, it's 12 days and counting until Virginia selects a new governor. Have the candidates been able to break through the terrorism to create any useful images in your mind? Today's column is the first of two on the race.
And feel free to toss in whatever else you're thinking about, on today's Potomac Confidential.
A transcript follows.
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
Washington, DC:
I have been concerned and a little bit scared after all of the recent anthrax findings. But what worries me is the number of antibiotics that have been passed out to the public in areas of high risk such as Congressional offices. I have three friends who have all tested negative but have been given Cipro. They only give them enough for a few days, and if they find out they are negative, they can stop taking the drug. According to all of the recent hype about anibiotic abuse, won't this make their immune system more resistant to this drug in case of another anthrax attack?
Marc Fisher: Indeed it will, and there are a good many docs who believe the Cipro is being handed out too indiscriminately, largely to allay fear rather than to handle any legitimate medical problem. But the other side of the coin is that the key to treating anthrax is early intervention, so public health officials are caught in a bind. Add the political pressure to appear to be doing something constructive, and I wouldn't be surprised to see much wider distribution of Cipro in the coming days. Will we all pay a price later on, in increased resistance to antibiotics? Probably.
Arlington:
The Post and N.Y. Times today state that
health officials are recommending
antibiotics for "Washington-area" workers
who are not postal employees but who
might have received contaminated mail
via the Brentwood facility. Quoting the
Post, "The advisory covers people
involved in mail-handling operations at
more than 120 private companies and
government agencies."
Why has a list of these agencies not been
published? Where could I get the list?
Such incomplete reporting heightens the
anxiety of federal employees who work
outside the reported hot zones of Capitol
Hill and Brentwood, but who nonetheless
are worried about possible exposure.
Thanks for whatever light you can shed.
Marc Fisher: Excellent question, and one we spent a lot of time and energy on last night. The reason the list is not in the paper today is that it does not yet exist. The post office said last night that it will get us the list today, and if they do so, we will certainly try to get that information out quickly. But generally, the list includes large businesses that do their own mail sorting; a few examples, including The Post, are listed in today's news story.
HLB ~ Mt. Lebanon, Pa.:
Considering the enormous cost to make America Safe -- Laugh -- It'd be cheaper for the government to just issue us all the Wonder Pill: Cipro, Viagra, NoDoze, vitamin, energy booster, anti-depressant, anti-bedwetting, anti-thumbsucking, anti-criticizing clueless authority, tranquilizer. Paid for out of the Social Security Windfall, of course. That would take care of two problems: no more worrying about security, no more worrying about what to do with the budget surplus -- there wouldn't be any left. Thanks much.
Marc Fisher: The obsession with being safe is understandable but also a bit hysterical. The fact remains that only a handful of people in the entire nation have gotten into serious health problems because of the anthrax attacks. If this is the level of fear and panic that results from a scattered few envelopes of anthrax, it's hard to imagine what might happen in the event of a major attack effecting thousands of people. It would be very helpful if the government, rather than feeding into the panic, made it clear how limited these incidents are, and sent a message of business as usual instead of total crisis panic.
Silver Spring:
My husband and I are a no-kids couple who travel during the school year, when it's usually much easier and more fun for people like us. We went to Maine in September, N.Y.C. earlier this month, and are off to New Oleans next month.
People ask us if we feel safe traveling in the current environment. My response is: "I live in Washington, D.C., do you think I'd be safer staying home?"
Marc Fisher: Seems to me you're safe either way. I've heard people talk about not traveling now--even by car--for fear of bridges and tunnels blowing up. Yet these same people would not hesitate to travel because of the risk of a car accident or a wild truck driver--vastly more reasonable fears than any terrorist attack.
This is all one huge and disturbing mind game, in which we are falling into the terrorists' trap by suspending rationality and accepting fear. It's the wrong response, and it will hurt us in the long run.
Virginia:
The U.S. Postal Service is not a federal government agency. They are quasi. They don't get any tax dollars. Now, Congress and OMB want to give them some monies. Why?
Marc Fisher: The notion that the post office is a private business is a canard that the Postal Service trots out whenever they want to be exempted from the expectations we have of government agencies. Notice that whenever they get into any trouble, they quickly retreat to the protections that government agencies have. The Postal Service spends wildly on nonsensical marketing, trying to look like it's a private business, yet if you try to hold them to the service standards of UPS or FedEx, they explain that there's nothing they can do, because they're a federal agency and their hands are tied by federal personnel rules.
It's a load of hogwash.
Washington, D.C.:
Can someone please give me some recommendations about what to do in terms of our mail? We haven't received anything for days (which I completely understand and accept) but is there some sort of target date for when we might expect it to resume? Also, I have mail that I need to send. Should I give it to a co-worker to mail from Virginia or Maryland?
Marc Fisher: The post office says it will resume delivering mail today, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Many postal workers are still off their routes, many of them are properly fearful and may be checking in with their doctors. Also, with the Brentwood facility still closed, very little local mail is being sorted. At my house, we got no delivery whatsoever on Monday or Tuesday, and yesterday, we only received weeks-old third class mail.
If you have mail that needs to move, you might well take it to a suburban station, but understand that some of those facilities are being used to take up the slack from the Brentwood closing, so there will be backups there as well.
Fairfax:
Business as usual vs War footing -- is this a false dichotomy?
Yes, we should go about our lives and not behave like the sky is falling.
But, we are at war, and when a nation is at war its citizens have a heightened obligation to be aware of threats to security and do something about it.
I don't understand why people can't get this. Marc?
Marc Fisher: Good point, but the trick is in finding a reasonable balance. At this point, the direct threat to the average citizen is minimal. The anthrax attacks have been aimed at big name media and political figures, with anonymous postal workers obviously getting hit with the ancillary effects. But this could go on for a very long time, and the experience of societies that have dealt with this sort of long-term strain shows that the more normalcy we can achieve, the better off we will all be.
Halloween lover:
Although I think trick-or-treating in the mall is kind of dumb, it seems like a way for kids of nervous parents to at least have some of the fun of Halloween. What do you think of the malls canceling events? What about the town in Maryland (Columbia Heights?) that is banning trick-or-treating altogether?
Marc Fisher: The handful of towns across the country that have scrapped trick or treating are doing their citizens a huge disservice by spreading panic and drawing children, many of whom have remained blessedly unaware of the terror threat, into the circle of anxiety.
Obviously, parents have a duty to supervise trick or treating, and if some parents choose to limit the places their kids go, or arrange for the kids to go only to the homes of people the family knows and trusts, fine. But the wholesale cancellation or banning of such a tradition is a dangerous and sad case of overkill.
D.C.:
Doesn't it seem odd that we're fighting the war on terror by instilling fear in the populace? The blame rests partially with a naive and sheltered public, but after watching Anne Currie's hysterical (not funny) interview with the Postmaster General yesterday on Today, I have to apportion blame to the media too. Can the media improve?
Marc Fisher: I didn't see that interview, but only heard the hysterical reporting on it that followed. The notion that a simple statement of the obvious by the postmaster general--that he cannot guarantee the safety of every single piece of mail--would become the lead news item for most of the day is a sign of 1) panic by the public, and 2) hysteria-mongering by wild-eyed, sensational journalists. The post office can no more guarantee the safety of every piece of mail today that it could have on Sept. 10. And the FDA cannot so guarantee the safety of every carton of milk. That's a ludicrous standard. What we should be looking for is appropriate protective measures, which the post office appears to be taking, and encouragement to go about our normal business, a goal which the government seems to have forgotten.
University Park, Md.:
"It would be very helpful if the government, rather than feeding into the panic, made it clear how limited these incidents are, and sent a message of business as usual instead of total crisis panic. "
Marc, it pains me to disagree with you, but there is no way that the current situation can be characterized as "business as usual"! Postal workers don't usually die, and Congress doesn't usually camp out in corridors and parking lots. At the risk of sounding sexist, I must say your macho additude (which I am hearing repeated by many other men) is just off base. These are extraordinary times, calling for extraordinary responses. Panic is not the right response, but neither is "business as usual."
Marc Fisher: Go on and disagree with gusto! But I don't buy the gender theory of panic you're proposing here. I know plenty of freaked out men and women, and plenty of men and women who've chosen to be more rational about all this. And it is very much a choice. Unless you've been infected with anthrax or work in a place where that's considerably more likely to happen, you are rather removed from the immediate threat. And you therefore have a choice to make--fold the tent and run for the hills, or try to find a level of normalcy that enables you to function and look toward the future, while also remaining cautious.
20005:
The Post today listed three zip codes whose mail is sorted by machines at Brentwood affected by the anthrax shutdown. No mail has been delivered to those zip codes this week. Has anyone expressed concern about mail that went out to those zips last week, after the Hart Building letter was received? Presumably, if mail to those zip codes was sorted on machines contaminated by the letter to the Senate, then mail to those zip codes delivered last week could have been affected. I live in one of those zips and am getting a little nervous.
Marc Fisher: The officials I've heard on that point immediately concede that it's possible there are more anthrax letters in the mail that's already in the system. But no one can know that. There are at the moment no methods for detecting anthrax in any overall mail screening system. The electron-bombing machines and other methods that may be employed in the future just aren't online yet. So the precautions being put in place now are at the letter-opening level. Here at the Post, for example, we all have to go open our mail in a newly created mailroom that is sealed off from the rest of the building. And we wear gloves while doing so. In addition, as a couple of stories in today's paper detail, there are laboratory boxes that people can use to open suspicious mail without having any contact with the envelope.
Washington, D.C.:
You say it would be good if the government didnt feed the panic. But what about papers like the Washington Post and their scare headlines and reporting without the full story and TV anchors like Matt Lauer who ask questions of the Postmaster General that he knows will only scare people? Like "Can you guarentee all the mail is safe?" Lauer knows the answer has to be no and neither the question of the answer added anything except to scare peolpe. Doesn't the media have a responsiblity to calm the public as well?
Marc Fisher: Good point. Much of the TV coverage I've seen has seemed designed to foment panic. I like to think our coverage has been much more sedate and responsible, but if you think otherwise, I'd like to hear specifics. There is, for example, a very sober and straightforward Q&A piece inside today's A section by Valerie Strauss that tries very hard to steer people away from panic and toward the best information we have at the moment.
Two Blocks from the White House:
Marc,
On my way to work each morning, I pass by the
White House. I feel like I am working at
ground zero and it's only a matter of time
before I'm going to be directly impacted.
Never mind that we could see the fireball at
the Pentagon from here. My stomach is upset
all day and doesn't calm down until I get
home (which is also in D.C.). I'm hoping this
is temporary or else I may end up with an ulcer.
Marc Fisher: I've wondered a lot in recent days about our capacity--and my own personal capacity--for worry and anxiety. That is, for how long can a body remain at this level of fear? And the answer is, a very, very long time. Talk to people who've lived in Northern Ireland, Israel, the Balkans, and you'll hear how what seems like an unlivable level of anxiety becomes background noise to a life that simply moves on. We have a far greater capacity to handle stress than we might think.
Arlington:
Marc, a follow-up from Arlington.
Regarding the list of more than 120 sites,
do you know whether the health directives
applied only to mail workers at those
facilities, or to anyone who works there?
Now that scientists have confirmed the
extreme lethality of what was sent to
Daschle, aren't these officials splitting
hairs to say only mail-delivery workers are
at risk?
Thanks again.
Marc Fisher: Yesterday's directive was aimed solely at people who handle bulk mail in mailrooms at large businesses and institutions that have a special relationship with the post office. Those businesses know who they are and are already in contact with postal officials.
But your larger point is a good and logical one. That is, if the government is saying that these mail workers are in greater danger because they handle mail that may have come in contact with the anthrax envelope(s), then doesn't it stand to reason that anyone who has mail delivered to his house or business faces the same danger?
Obviously, the more mail you handle, the greater the risk, so it's a matter of judging the risk. I've seen some folks who have sealed off the mail slots on their front door at home. This seems extreme, but each of us decides risk in a different way.
Navy Yard, Washington, D.C.:
Marc,
Yesterday Post Associate Editor Robert Kaiser complained that not enough information was coming out and that reporters did not have enough access. I read reports daily in the Post and many other papers from journalists on Navy ships and with Air Force units. Unless you have a reporter who is both jump and ranger qualified, I'm not sure how much more access you can expect. I agree that the administration has fumbled with the anthrax thing, but as far as the Afghan campaign goes I think the your editor is asking for more than is reasonable.
Marc Fisher: It's not unreasonable to ask the military to follow the guidelines that the Pentagon itself wrote and agreed to following the Gulf war. Those guidelines provide for reporters to accompany U.S. military units into battle, as they did in WWII, Vietnam and other conflicts. The guidelines also provide for a mechanism by which the military can consult with news organizations about deleting material that could endanger troops or give away details that could help the enemy. What Kaiser and other editors are asking for is simply that the military follow its own guidelines, and so far, that is not being done.
Maryland:
Mark, many are asking whether we should halt our attacks on the Taliban during Ramadan. With all respect, recall that in 1973, the Arab states deliberately launched a vicious attack on Israel on Yom Kippur, Judaism's holiest day. They had no respect for religious observances, and clearly the Moslem world should not expect different treatment.
Marc Fisher: As several Pentagon officials have said in recent days, Muslim countries have shown no reluctance to engage in military action against one another during the holy month, and therefore, we ought not feel constricted by the religious calendar either.
Laurel, Md.:
I'm kind of worried here. There are people I know who are buying Cipro overseas, where it is cheap and can be given without a prescription. They plan to take it at the first sign of illness, without a diagnosis from a doctor. Never mind that the sympton could only be indicative of a common flu. Then we'll make it so cases of anthrax will be resistant to antibiotics. And they don't feel bad about hoarding pills that could be used by people who actually have an anthrax attack. They cite the guy at Southeast Community Hospital who was sent home and later died. An ounce of prevention, they say.
Marc Fisher: You should worry about that. I know I do. The government has made a deal with Bayer that should ensure a supply of Cipro for almost any eventuality, and the government has shown that it can quickly get the pills to anyone who needs them.
The deaths that have occurred so far involved people who apparently waited until their symptoms were quite advanced before they sought the right level of care. Now, it's possible that a couple of them got bad medical advice from their doctors, and we should all be aware that almost all physicians in this country have never seen a case of anthrax. So it's important if you get any suspicious symptoms to report to one of the hospitals that are up to speed on the latest developments in handling anthrax.
Washington, D.C.:
Being scared is a pretty much useless reaction, as is "carrying on as normal". The only way to operate is to recognize that there is a sharply increased risk, take whatever steps are available to minimize that risk without caving in to fear, and carry on from there.
Marc Fisher: Sounds reasonable, but again, it's a matter of defining that balance between caution and carrying on.
Anyone have any specific thoughts on what behaviors you have changed and which ones you refuse to change? Particular places you will or won't go to?
Bethesda, Md.:
The anthrax sent to Daschle wasn't "extremely lethal". Yes there's evidence that it's a refined, weaponized form of anthrax, but it didn't kill anyone in his office. If it was extremely lethal you'd expect that his office staff would all be dead.
The idea that this stuff is out there and going through our mail system is scary, but there is so little risk to the average Joe, it's really not worth worrying about. Be aware, pay attention to things, but people need to live their lives.
Marc Fisher: Another good approach.
I'll come back to anthrax and all that in a couple of minutes, but just want to toss in a few non-crisis related posts....
Alexandria, Va.:
I enjoyed your column today on the two Virginia gubernatorial candidates, and look forward to the second on on Saturday.
I was already tending to support Mark Warner, because he seems more attuned to the needs of Northern Virginia, especially transportation and education. However, if I had been on the brink, that "Warner will raise taxes" advertising campaign would have pushed me over the edge to Warner.
Does Early think we in Northern Virginia are such idiots that we'd believe him when he alleges that allowing us to VOTE on a 1 cent rise in the sales tax to fund roads and schools -- i.e., invest in our future economic and social future -- is Warner lying to us about not raising taxes?
No, I don't want a governor who thinks the voters are idiots and he can say any stupid thing and we're stupid enough to believe him. May he, and all other politicians who think the electorate doesn't know how to think, sink into the oblivion they deserve!
Marc Fisher: The Earley campaign against northern Virginia's right to seek a solution of its own for its transportation problems seems to have backfired in a big way in this part of the state, and my sense is that most of the rest of the state has no reason to care either way about our traffic troubles, and therefore Earley won't get much of a boost on that anywhere. But obviously he has some poll numbers that must indicate otherwise, because he's putting nearly all his marbles on that issue.
Washington, D.C.:
What are the three zip codes that have been shut down? I can't find an article that lists them, and I live on Capitol Hill. Could washingtonpost.com please post a link? Thanks.
Marc Fisher: I believe Rocci, our fine producer, has a handy link for you that he'll put right here....
washingtonpost.com:
Here is the link for the zip code story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47932-2001Oct24.html
washingtonpost.com:
Here is the link for the zip code story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47932-2001Oct24.html
Haymarket, Va.:
Not to put down your columns, which I love, but what was the point of today's? I mean, I'm almost through the John Adams biography too, but how does that help me distinguish the candidates?
Marc Fisher: Well, today's column is based on the notion that's been popular among American history professors for the past generation or so that presidential performance is very much a factor of presidential character. This would go for governors as well, and so we've seen an increased emphasis in academic research and in journalism on probing the character and values of candidates. Obviously, that should only be a part of a voter's decision, and that's why we've been running stories on the candidates' positions on many state issues, and profiles of the candidates' careers, and the usual coverage of their campaigns. Overall, we hope to present a broad menu of information on the candidates, and then of course it's up to you as the voter to decide which sets of information to base your decision on.
Silver Spring, Md.:
Mark, harkening back to your Oct. 16 column about the Moslem School in Potomac, I must say it sent chills down my spine. I wonder -- does this school receive any federal state or local government support? It shouldn't. And also, aren't there restrictions on the activities of the Iranian "interest" section in the U.S.? How can they support this kind of hatred in our backyard?
Marc Fisher: As far as I know, the Muslim Community School does not receive any government aid directly, though as a non-profit organization, it receives tax exemptions that any school gets.
The Iranian interests section is of course watched closely by U.S. authorities, but it is also permitted considerable leeway in its activities under international law protecting the rights of diplomats.
washingtonpost.com:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47932-2001Oct24.html
washingtonpost.com:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47932-2001Oct24.html
Leesburg, Va.:
Hi Marc, Re: today's column.
Both Earley & Warner were in high school on
May 4, 1970, when four Kent State University students were shot dead and others wounded
by Ohio National Guardsmen at a campus noonday rally.
The Viet Nam War ("Conflict") was at full-throttle. Nixon had just ordered the bombing incursion of Cambodia, inciting nationwide college protests.
There was a tremendous need during the '70s
for activism, from protest to contributing
across all societal boundaries, including
such endeavors as Peace Corps service.
To be sure, these Virginia boys were not
participating. And, apparently, neither were
they reading or watching.
Your observations?
Marc Fisher: Both candidates are clear and forthright about their youthful decisions to stay out of the protest movements that were in full force during their high school and college years.
But it's not fair to say they weren't watching or reading. I think Earley's reading and interests from that period show a clear impact of the volatile world he grew up in; his turn toward missionary work grew directly out of the sense of service and the concern over inequalities that were so prevalent in the atmosphere in those days. Similarly, Warner moved at a very young age into political work on the Hill and in campaigns, and by all accounts, his was a very idealistic approach back then. I wouldn't expect that many of the people who are attracted to mainstream politics would have been involved in anti-government actions back then; seems a different personality type to me.
Washington, D.C.:
My office receives all of its mail thru Brentwood. Yesterday we had a meeting about the Post article saying that 60 places that deal with bulk mail in and out of Brentwood should consider antibiotic treatment or anthrax testing. Today the Post has doubled that number to 120. While we have no reason to believe we are in that 120, we do get a great deal of business reply mail processed at Brentwood. Those of us who deal with it here are on edge. The Post has no list that I can find of the 120 organizations/businesses. Have they been notified by authorities individually?
Marc Fisher: The post office says it is in contact with all of those businesses, so if you aren't in contact with them, it seems you're not in that group. But it can't hurt to check in with them.
Hell's Kitchen, N.Y.C.:
Re: Your "macho attitude"
I am a petite female -- as girly-girl as you could imagine -- and I will be DAMNED if I will allow those murderers to foment fear in my city, to make me cower in my apartment instead of embracing the excitement and energy that moves my city and yours.
I will NOT buy Cipro unless I test positive for anthrax. I will NOT get tested unless there is reason to believe I've been exposed to it. (And I work in the NBC building -- 30 Rock -- yes, we're on edge but we're dealing.)
(I do think the House overreacted. I think the best message would've been to meet elsewhere, on the Mall if necessary. Think of the photo ops!)
Never surrender. Never allow fear to take over.
Marc Fisher: I'm with you. Thanks!
Re: the Post's hysterical reporting:
How about yesterday's huge, bold headline in the print edition that said something like "Anthrax attacks widen"? It almost took up the whole section "above the fold."
Also, I would like to vehemently disagree with the earlier poster who called a "business as usual" approach to life "macho." I call such an approach "reasonable," and as a woman, I would not like to think that only men are capable of a calm, meaured response.
Marc Fisher: I thought that front page treatment accurately reflected the level of concern among the public and certainly among the officials handling the attacks. Recall that we had the chief medical officer of the city saying "This is a different day" and we had federal officials reversing earlier statements about the extremely limited nature of the exposure, and we had thousands of postal workers being put on antibiotics. If that doesn't justify a banner headline, I don't know what would.
Vienna, Va.:
From what I see on this show, I don't think people are really getting the message that we are at WAR. All people seem to want to do is act like this war really doesn't exist, the anthrax attack is not real, the government and media is just inducing panic, and we can go on with life as usual. Forget it, folks ... this is no dream world. This war really EXISTS. We are being ATTACKED by a real ENEMY, like it or not ... just like we were last month ... and probably will be attacked again. We can take our choice ... fight him NOW or put it off and maybe have to deal with nuclear warheads or biological weapons far worse than anthrax. If you all are going to fly the flag from your houses and cars, then START ACTING LIKE IT.
Marc Fisher: It's certainly worth reminding ourselves from time to time that this could come a lot closer to home than it has, but part of being at war is forging ahead with our work and lives. Look back at the experience of WWII, when even without a direct assault on our continental US homeland, people came together both to aid the war effort and to push ahead with our daily lives, including everything from school to sports and commerce and movies.
Reston, Va.:
Hi Marc,
This is going back a little, but remember the column you did on the student's father who got him off for cheating in high school? The father said he would do whatever he could for his son, blah, blah, blah. That reminded me of Samuel Sheinbein's father a few years ago saying the same thing. Obviously, what Sheinbein did was infinitely worse and is no comparison, but it makes me think that many parents don't understand their value of "teaching" their children certain lessons in life now.
Marc Fisher: Ouch. Tough comparison. But I agree that the Whitman cheating case points to an unwillingness on the part of some parents to let the schools enforce a reasonable standard of behavior. Too many parents are too quick to take to legalistic defenses rather than let their kids take their punishment.
Couple more and we've got to close up shop for today.
Rockville:
Marc,
Just a measure of how paranoid I have become. Last night we were ghosted. That is someone in the neighborhood left a note and candy in a bag on our front porch and said to deliver to other houses in the neighborhood until the whole neighborhood was ghosted ... a nice idea for Halloween, but first, I would not let my kids eat candy whose origin I did not know under any circumstances, and second, who sent it anyway. I called the non-emergency police number, they concurred that it's probably not the swiftest move in this day, but that it was probably harmless.
Marc Fisher: Paranoia reigns supreme. It's fine to be cautious, especially surrounding our kids, but we should also think about the incredible demands being placed on emergency services, and if there's a way to handle something without unnecessarily calling on uniformed officials, we should probably do that.
Arlington, Va.:
You asked what behaviors we've changed and
what ones we haven't as a result of
terrorism:
I still take the Metro every day. I don't
even tense up when we go through the
I wash my hands after opening the mail.
I take more note of suspicious packages: Unattended backpacks, unattended vehicles illegally parked, bulky abandoned newspapers on Metro cars. I should report every one of these to the cops but, there are so many, I rarely bother. That's stupid, too.
So, there you are. I take the pointless precautions and avoid the useful ones because it's too much effort.
Marc Fisher: Here are a few quick ones on how we've changed behaviors and that'll wrap it up...
Washington, D.C.:
On places I won't go: crowded, symbolic places with little to no security -- e.g., mall at Christmas time. I'm not sure why that one sticks in my head, but I can't see myself going this year. I'll definitely do my part to buy stuff and shore up consumer spending, but it's going to be online or at smaller shops outside of malls.
Marc Fisher: and another...
In D.C.:
I'll get scared when I get a diagnosis that I have anthrax. Until then, I have concern, but I'm far from panicked. I don't watch the network news shows any more because they are, by turns, frustrating, infuriating, ludicrous to the point of amusement. I'm female, by the way, so I guess that shoots the gender theory.
AND -- I work a block away from one of the contaminated buildings. I often frequented their cafeteria. I'm just across the river from the Pentagon, so yes, I've been aware of all that's going on. I just can't whip up this level of fear that some people seem to be dealing with.
Marc Fisher: and another...
Annandale, Va.:
About handling personal mail. I heard on the radio that (if you are scared or concerned) IRON your mail for 10 minutes or so. The heat will kill the live spores. You can try the clothes dryer, but don't cause a fire! For me, I really am carrying on as usual. I go to work, stop at the grocery, cook dinner, maybe eat out, walk around the block in the evenings. I am not naieve, but am certainly not one to "hole up in the bunker." Yet.
Marc Fisher: And one last post...
Washington, D.C.:
Do you think that post office and mailroom employees are in for big pay raises? You couldn't pay me enough to work in a mailroom right now.
Marc Fisher: I've been wondering about that. I haven't heard of any bonus or "war zone" pay for mail room workers, but I wouldn't be surprised if it becomes necessary. That is very hard, and now very nervewracking, work.
More next week. Stay safe, and get out of the bunker.
washingtonpost.com:
That wraps up today's show. Thanks to everyone who joined the
discussion.
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