<

OPINION: A Scary Report, Even If It Was False
Tuesday, March 5, 2002
Pensacola News Journal

Time magazine reported on its Web site Sunday what many people have suspected lies behind those terrorism "warnings" the government issues periodically: In October, government officials feared Osama bin Laden's group had gotten a 10-kiloton Russian nuclear bomb, and were trying to smuggle it into New York City.

Coming on the heels of reports of a "shadow" government contingency plan put into effect on Sept. 11, it further underscores the serious nature of the terrorist threat. And it reinforces the urgency of bolstering the ability of intelligence agencies to monitor this increasingly scary world, and border security and immigration agencies to do their jobs.

Even though it turns out that officials believe the scare was unfounded, Time reported, it supports a report that a Russian general believed his forces had lost such a device. That adds a dose of reality to the theoretical nature of talk about security.

The question is, how do we react?
(More: Pensacola News Journal News Source)
2002 © Pensacola News Journal.

Dan