Image: Karuna Waghela (in orange sari), widow of Thakur Budha Waghela, weeps at a condolence meeting in Mumbai, India, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008. Thakur Budha Waghela died in recent terror attacks in Mumbai. A frightening focus on Pakistan as the crossroads of terrorism
by Victor Karunairajan
(December 04, Toronto, Sri Lanka Guardian) In an Associated Press report by Pamela Hess warning comes that the United States is vulnerable to terrorist attack using nuclear and or biological weapons within the next five years. According to this report it is a matter of terror organizations finding scientists willing to sell their know-how to the forces of terror and darkness.
The vice-president-elect, Joe Biden was briefed Tuesday December 2 by a bipartisan commission that the administration of the new president when he takes office in January “should bolster efforts to counter and prepare for germ warfare by terrorists.”
According to the report obtained by the Associated Press, the margin of safety in respect of such attacks is shrinking instead of growing. Two former US senators Bob Graham of Florida and Jim Talent of Missouri headed what was known as the Commission on the Prevention of WMD Proliferation and Terrorism (WMD – Weapons of Mass Destruction) and they acknowledged that “terrorist groups still lack the needed scientific and technical ability to make weapons out of pathogens or nuclear bombs,” but this could be overcome in a matter of time.
The report stated, “The United States should be less concerned that terrorists will become biologists and far more concerned that biologists will become terrorists.”
The commission expressed the view that “biological weapons are more likely to be obtained and used before nuclear or radioactive weapons because nuclear facilities are more carefully guarded” but civilian laboratories with potentially dangerous pathogens abound and they could be easily compromised
It further stated: “The biological threat is greater than the nuclear; the acquisition of deadly pathogens, and their weaponization and dissemination in aerosol form would entail fewer technical hurdles than the theft or production of weapons-grade uranium or plutonium and its assembly into an improvised nuclear device.”
The commission while stating that the counter-proliferation of US government’s activities have been geared towards preventing nuclear terrorism, it must make the prevention of biological terrorism as a higher priority.
The chairman of the commission, Bob Graham stated that “while anthrax remains the most likely biological weapon, contagious diseases like the flu strain that killed 40 million at the beginning of the 20th century, are looming threats.” It is understood that this particular virus has been recreated in scientific laboratories and there are no antidote by way of inoculation or any other means to protect against it if by chance it gets into the wrong hands.
Referring to the Mumbai Massacre, Bob Graham said the threat of using nuclear or biological weapons, it must be regarded, as growing. This is not because of the lack of efforts to do something about it but terror elements “are moving at an even faster pace to increase their access to those materials.”
The report made a frightening focus on Pakistan where the potential nexus of terrorism using nuclear and biological weapons is especially acute. It zeroed on a deadly reality stating, “Were one to map terrorism and weapons of mass destruction today, all roads would intersect in Pakistan.”
Recently, the members of the commission who were due to visit Pakistan had to cancel their visit in the last minute. The Marriot Hotel in Islamabad where they were booked to stay was blown up just hours before they were due to check in and terror bombs were the cause of it.
There is hardly any doubt that terrorism in any form is evil and inhuman and cannot and ought not to be the weapon for any liberation movement and for any government to use against any political activism. If Sri Lanka is taken as an example, the country need not have gone through such horrendous agony and continue to do so if only the fundamental rights of every citizen is enshrined as sacred.
It is unexplainable as to why this is not possible in a country that prides in having four great religions of the world to inspire its population, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity and Islam.
ENDS - Sri Lanka Guardian
by Victor Karunairajan
(December 04, Toronto, Sri Lanka Guardian) In an Associated Press report by Pamela Hess warning comes that the United States is vulnerable to terrorist attack using nuclear and or biological weapons within the next five years. According to this report it is a matter of terror organizations finding scientists willing to sell their know-how to the forces of terror and darkness.
The vice-president-elect, Joe Biden was briefed Tuesday December 2 by a bipartisan commission that the administration of the new president when he takes office in January “should bolster efforts to counter and prepare for germ warfare by terrorists.”
According to the report obtained by the Associated Press, the margin of safety in respect of such attacks is shrinking instead of growing. Two former US senators Bob Graham of Florida and Jim Talent of Missouri headed what was known as the Commission on the Prevention of WMD Proliferation and Terrorism (WMD – Weapons of Mass Destruction) and they acknowledged that “terrorist groups still lack the needed scientific and technical ability to make weapons out of pathogens or nuclear bombs,” but this could be overcome in a matter of time.
The report stated, “The United States should be less concerned that terrorists will become biologists and far more concerned that biologists will become terrorists.”
The commission expressed the view that “biological weapons are more likely to be obtained and used before nuclear or radioactive weapons because nuclear facilities are more carefully guarded” but civilian laboratories with potentially dangerous pathogens abound and they could be easily compromised
It further stated: “The biological threat is greater than the nuclear; the acquisition of deadly pathogens, and their weaponization and dissemination in aerosol form would entail fewer technical hurdles than the theft or production of weapons-grade uranium or plutonium and its assembly into an improvised nuclear device.”
The commission while stating that the counter-proliferation of US government’s activities have been geared towards preventing nuclear terrorism, it must make the prevention of biological terrorism as a higher priority.
The chairman of the commission, Bob Graham stated that “while anthrax remains the most likely biological weapon, contagious diseases like the flu strain that killed 40 million at the beginning of the 20th century, are looming threats.” It is understood that this particular virus has been recreated in scientific laboratories and there are no antidote by way of inoculation or any other means to protect against it if by chance it gets into the wrong hands.
Referring to the Mumbai Massacre, Bob Graham said the threat of using nuclear or biological weapons, it must be regarded, as growing. This is not because of the lack of efforts to do something about it but terror elements “are moving at an even faster pace to increase their access to those materials.”
The report made a frightening focus on Pakistan where the potential nexus of terrorism using nuclear and biological weapons is especially acute. It zeroed on a deadly reality stating, “Were one to map terrorism and weapons of mass destruction today, all roads would intersect in Pakistan.”
Recently, the members of the commission who were due to visit Pakistan had to cancel their visit in the last minute. The Marriot Hotel in Islamabad where they were booked to stay was blown up just hours before they were due to check in and terror bombs were the cause of it.
There is hardly any doubt that terrorism in any form is evil and inhuman and cannot and ought not to be the weapon for any liberation movement and for any government to use against any political activism. If Sri Lanka is taken as an example, the country need not have gone through such horrendous agony and continue to do so if only the fundamental rights of every citizen is enshrined as sacred.
It is unexplainable as to why this is not possible in a country that prides in having four great religions of the world to inspire its population, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity and Islam.
ENDS - Sri Lanka Guardian
, widow of Thakur Budha Waghela, weeps at a condolence meeting in Mumbai, India, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2...){kind=link}
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