The Threat of Bioterrorism

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Dear Mr. President,

                My name is Emily. I am a student at Parkway West Middle School, and I am writing you today to share my thoughts on bioterrorism.

                Recently, we were given the assignment in my communication arts class to write a commentary essay on a topic we feel passionate about. I had a few ideas, but none were ones I actually cared for. My teacher was giving us ideas, and she started talking about bioterrorism. I really was not sure what it was, but I had heard of the anthrax letters after 9/11. That was it. As my teacher began to explain what it was, I really started to think about it and came to the conclusion that bioterrorism is a real problem and threat. I then decided that is what I would write my essay about and now to you. Bioterrorism is wrong.

                To begin bluntly, we are not prepared, Mr. President. A few days after 9/11, Vice President Dick Cheney was briefed on the dangers of bioterrorism. The lecturer was searched and went through extreme security measures before entering the rest of the building in which the meeting was held. As a part of his experiment, the lecturer made it through clearance with a test tube of a deadly disease that is almost identical to anthrax. He did this to prove that we are clearly unprepared because we are too preoccupied looking for guns or bombs. We do not stop and look for a powdery substance that could kill us just as quickly.

                Moreover, some US officials could argue that this bioterrorism weapon could take out the enemy without the expenses of battle. True, but it would take just as much money, if not more, to treat all of the innocent victims infected by those attacks. I say, spend more money on preparations, not on another war. Bioterrorism would not be an effective weapon for the US to use because we are not even ready for an attack. The possibility that this could backfire is far too great.

                The US is not ready for this modern weapon. If we are attacked with lethal powders and germs before we launch our diseases of mass destruction, our country our country could start dying off. If that happens, people will be devastated and want to go to war with the enemy that did this. If we go to war, more people will die. This chain reaction is simply unnecessary. We must prevent this. The government's funding should be spent on vaccinations and preparations, not creating more problems. If we do not, anthrax might sound better to us than our future situation.

                Thank you for taking the time to read my letter.

Sincerely,

Emily
Parkway West Middle School
Chesterfield, Missouri

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