I've been hearing a lot about fear of big brother and government control of our lives. All of the mandates, checkpoints, tests and other impedments to our lives restrict our freedom and when we get contradictory information, often from social media and social circles, we began to mistrust government, and even, scientific authority. But we could learn a lot from history. I just saw a very good example on television.

I had completely forgotten that there was another terrorist attack in the shadow of 9/11 in 2001, one month later, where letters filled with anthrax spore were sent to certain government officials and representatives fighting for passage of the Patriot Act. A number of postal workers and a secretary died needlessly. The true story, Hot Zone: Anthrax, appeared on the National Geographic Channel this past week.

If you watch the program carefully, you will see higher officials jumping the gun when it comes to partial information. In this case, leading to the strategic decision to a war with Iraq who we all know was a very bad decision in many ways. Also, the failure of citizens like you and I, when told by authorities to leave the workplace for fear of their lives, and then didn't, or thought that they would be okay, ended up needlessly losing their lives.

In a case like this, official information may be slow in coming, and it may be a bit confusing. But when officials come into your presence and you ignore what they tell you, you take a great risk with your life. You can view the whole series again, free, here. I suggest you do it at your leisure. The lessons, are many.

In addition, all of the cameras everywhere and data farming on us have really reduced our privacy. But do we really need to live private lives? These cameras are beginning to solve crimes in record time and with accuracy that eyewitness accounts never could. We should be grateful and think that cameras as our eyewitnesses are much better at keeping us safe and secure than having guns which so often backfire in so many ways by just having them around.

Incidentally, I keep on hand a course of ciprofloxacin for occasional UTI flareups. The cure for anthrax poisoning.

Copyright 2021 © Ronald W. Hull

12/1/21