X-Message-Number: 17536
From: "George Smith" <>
References: <>
Subject: Cryonics surviving terrorism.
Date: Thu, 13 Sep 2001 21:29:37 -0700

In the wake of the recent events, some postings here on the Cryonet have
expressed concern over how to defend cryonics facilities and patients
against terrorism.

I am going to suggest that the current attacks in the United States have
precipitated the essential end to meaningful attacks in the long run once we
are past the current emergency.

In my opinion, the underfunding of covert intelligence operations by the
United States in combination with a domestic political unwillingness to
follow the successful record of Israel in using covert assassination teams
resulted in the current crisis.  The outcome from this crisis will be the
adoption of the Israeli approach to include covert assassination teams, the
return of funding for the anthrax vaccination program (derailed only this
summer), and the beginning of what I think historians will probably
characterize as a "Pax Americana".

I would not be in the least surprised to see a tactical nuclear strike (most
probably against Afghanistan with a 3 kiloton warhead delivered from a Gulf
warship via a Tomahawk missile) occur within 72 hours following a formal
declaration of war by Congress.  I doubt that conventional bombings
(including fuel air explosives, the "poor man's nuke") will be considered
sufficient in response to both the demands of the American citizens and the
need to demonstrate that the terrorist situation is not going to ever again
be "business as usual".  I suspect that the NATO agreement executed
Wednesday was made with just exactly this scenario in mind.

It may be that there will be a failure of nerve to exercise the nuclear
option but that would only probably mean that those currently in office will
later be voted out.  The end of the Gulf War was not satisfying to the
American public.  The end of this conflict if conducted in a similar fashion
would be politically disastrous.  The response will have to be "special" for
many reasons.

But these are the foreground issues.  They are not the actual answers to the
long term problem.  Window dressing and not substance.  Politics and not
reality.

At the same time no matter what  massive or horrific actions would undercut
(or give more than strong pause to) the future intentions of those few
nations willing to harbor terrorist activities, I strongly suspect that the
real and permanent answer will stem from fully advancing the Israeli
strategic approach.  This of course includes such simple expedients as a
return to the armed Air Marshall program for domestic flights.  (Israel has
had armed soldiers on board all of their flights for years).   This, more
importantly, includes the use of highly trained covert assassination teams
through United States intelligence agencies.

"Kill the head and the body dies."  An old boxer's maxim.  Covert military
assassination has already been demonstrated to be effective against
terrorism in Israel and, with the destruction of the World Trade Center, the
"moral concerns" of those opposed to such expedient and necessary operations
have been effectively silenced forever.

Large scale terrorist attacks like those witnessed this week will not happen
in the future for many, many years.  Taking precautions against small scale
efforts is always wise.

More than that will not be required.

When the last wave of the current attacks has ceased (if it has not ceased
already - knock on wood)  the events witnessed this week will not be
repeated.  The professionals who have been literally begging for the tools
to defend the free world for over 8 years will at last be given those tools
and the legal permission to do the job.

I am more optimistic about the future than ever before.

George Smith
CI member

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