Death by mail

Is there a real "anthrax attack", the opening gambit of a bioterrorist war against the United States? Anthrax cases have been proliferating from Florida to New York, and as far away as Reno, Nevada. Needless to say, the American public is in a high state of paranoia.

And who can blame them? As The Economist of London (Oct. 13) quickly seized on the subject, and pointed out that "in America . . . there have been only 18 cases of this sort, known as inhalation anthrax, in 100 years, the last in the 1970s."

The article explained that anthrax is a common affliction in livestock everywhere but noted that "the few who catch it tend to be those who come in close contact with animals – tannery workers who breathe in spores from contaminated hides, for instance – or laboratory workers, or diners who consume infected meat."

I can’t tell about their eating habits, but those who were first struck down in Boca Raton, Florida, had nothing to do with either livestock, tanneries, or research laboratories. The first victim was an employee of American Media, a tabloid publication. The 63-year old victim died on October 5th. A second victim came from the same organization. On October 10, a 35-year old female employee became the third person who tested positive for exposure to anthrax.

News of the disease then jumped to New York City where a 38-year old lady assistant to the famous TV newscaster (and author of The Greatest Generation) Tom Brokaw of NBC News, whose headquarters is right next to the Rockefeller Center in downtown Manhattan, was taken ill. It was learned that the woman, in late September, had handled a letter addressed to Brokaw inside a brown envelop containing a white powdery substance. She tested positive for a rare strain called skin anthrax, but was immediately bombarded with antibiotics and is expected to recover. The New York TImes received a similar-looking envelope, but didn’t open it, summoning the police to investigate the item instead. Like the missive to NBC, the letter to a NYT reporter bore a St. Petersburg, Florida, postmark – and contained white powder, too.

This revelation led to the Times evacuating two of its floors temporarily, but business has resumed since. Other news organizations, fearing the same type of attack by envelope – i.e., Fox News and The New York Post, ABC television (run by Walt Disney), and AOL Time Warner – initially shut down their mailrooms, but most firms have resumed gingerly handling their mail, with the employees in some mail-sorting offices wearing gloves and putting makeshift masks over their nostrils.

Even fan mail is not being received with any enthusiasm in Hollywood. The Dickson Herald, a Gannet publication, sent four employees for "testing" when it also received an envelope with a white powdery substance inside.

Is the scare justified? US President George W. Bush had to go on the air to reassure Americans that every precaution is being taken. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents and Health department agents have been looking into all leads. The government itself is not insulated from the growing unease. The State Department in Washington, DC reported it had also received an envelope containing white powder.

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There has been such a panic that Secretary Tommy Thompson of Health and Human Services had to issue an appeal to the public not to snap up and hoard antibiotics such as "Cipro", which can be used to treat some anthrax infections. This appeal, however, did not prevent the State Department from instructing all American embassies to stockpile three days’ supply of "Cibro-floxacin."

Whether the envelopes are being sent by terrorists, or cranks, or copy-cat pranksters, it’s too early to determine. The truth is that people are falling sick from exposure to anthrax spores – while other envelopes might mischievously contain only "baby powder."

What’s happened, on the other hand, cannot be underestimated. Once Americans begin to fear opening their mail, everyday life is disrupted, business is stalled – the economy, already reeling from the September 11 blows – will go deeper into recession. If old Osama bin Anthrax is behind this new biological-war assault, he couldn’t have asked for more satisfying results.

The trouble with detecting and "fighting" anthrax is that it can be contracted in three different ways – i.e., by inhalation (through the lungs), through the intestines, or through the skin. The first case in Florida flummoxed authorities when investigators found that anthrax spores were all over the computer keyboard of the victim. The NBC employee in New York, on the other hand, acquired her infection by inhalation.

There are three types of anthrax. The deadliest is inhalational anthrax – with the spores being breathed into the lungs. Once the bacterial spores enter the lungs, they germinate. In its early stage, the disease exhibits the symptoms of the common cold, then comes severe fever resulting in much hardship in breathing. Death ensues in 80 percent of these cases. This would be the "dream weapon" of the murderous terrorists.

Intestinal anthrax is contracted by ingesting the meat of infected animals. Its first symptoms are similar to food poisoning, then turn into severe diarrhea, and finally breathing difficulties begin to occur. Death results in 25 to 60 percent of these cases.

The least threatening but most common strain is cutaneous anthrax. The bacteria sneak in through a cut or abrasion in the skin, first resulting in itchiness resembling a skin ulcer. Although 20 percent of such cases can still result in death, this disease can be cured by the timely application of antibiotics.

Britain’s Financial Times last Saturday summed up the painful situation: " . . . after a century of fighting wars far from America’s shores, the US is now on a crash course to learn how to fight one at home."

The Economist, waxing literary, cited a line from the arch-villain Goldfinger in the James Bond novel (and movie) of Ian Fleming. Goldfinger warns Agent 007: "Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time is enemy action."

Looks like enemy action, doesn’t it?

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Back to our home wars.

In a few weeks the Judicial and Bar Council will be submitting five or more nominees for the Supreme Court seat just vacated by Justice Minerva Gonzaga-Reyes who retired last month at the age of 70.

Certain to be in the list are ACCRA Senior Partner Rogelio Vinluan, former Presidential Legal Counsel Antonio Carpio, Court of Appeals Senior Associate Justice Cancio Garcia, and possibly Malacañang Chief of Staff Renato Coloma and CA Presiding Justice Alicia Martinez. The five received the highest number of votes when the members of the High Court took a "ballot" in the several applicants for the vacant seat in their tribunal. I hear that tied for first place were lawyers Vinluan and Court of Appeals Justice Garcia. Lawyer and former FVR Presidential Counsel Carpio came in second. Third place went to Sonny Corona; fourth to CA Justice Martinez.

This does not mean, of course, that one of them "close" to GMA, or the First Gentleman Mike Arroyo, won’t shoot to the top of the final list – and be appointed. But the President must be careful: She must not yield to whim, caprice, or pakikisama but choose wisely. For this will be her first appointee to the Supreme Court.

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In her column in yesterday’s Today, Maria Isabel Ongpin remarked that "political reward is too base a reason for a Supreme Court appointment." She pointed out that "it will cause more trouble than its worth for a President who does it," adding that "a Supreme Court appointment is not the coin to pay for favors."

Alas, President Arroyo has not been too wise in such matters, sometimes being influenced, contrary to her first pronouncement upon assuming the Presidency, by First Gentleman, relatives, and friends in selecting appointees to important positions. Let her be more circumspect with regard to the High Tribunal.

With several cases impressed with a political complexion pending in the Court, the President might be tempted to follow the Dictator Ferdinand Marcos’ precedent of dumping former UP Law classmates in the Supreme Court, or those with previous ties to him who, invariably, voted to uphold his Martial Law regime. (Political appointments to the Supreme Court would inevitably erode that tribunal’s independence from the Executive Branch.)

It’s not just that a close ally would add a "vote" in favor of Malacañang to Court decisions, but, even more dismayingly, a new Justice loyal to GMA and her coterie might "monitor" the leanings, or secret ballots (necessarily confidential in nature) of other Justices. This is what happened during the Marcos hegemony when his Presidential Legal Counsel – Justice Lolong Lazaro – was too well informed of what transpired in the conclaves of the High Tribunal. In fact, in those days, copies of adverse draft decisions used to reach Malacañang even before the Court’s members actually voted on each draft.

If my calculations are correct, President GMA will be naming as many as six Associate Justices of the Supreme Court during her term, with retirements falling due within the next couple of years. I trust she will choose them with care. Otherwise, the High Tribunal will be brought low.