Ask Auntie Pinko
October 25, 2001

Dear Auntie Pinko,

How can we protect against "plane bombs"?

My son is a manager in a nuclear facility. They have plenty of ground security. What scares me is knowing a suicide bomber can rent/buy/steal a small jet make a plane bomb out of it. Fly from as close as 20 miles to the plant tree tops. No way to stop it.

A Worried Dad in
Burlington, NC

 
Dear Worried Dad,

Auntie Pinko doesn't blame you for being worried! I would be worried, too. And your worry is shared by millions of Americans who have family members at risk right now. These are worrying times.

I'm not a security expert or a military analyst, so my opinions on how to protect against "plane bombs" don't really mean much. I am reasonably certain, though, that some of the best experts available are working on that very issue even as I write this. They may have already begun the process of implementing as much protection as possible. But if they do come up with some ways to make your son's facility safer, they are in a "Catch-22" situation when it comes to telling you (and even him) about it. The more a potential terrorist knows about a facility's defenses, the more effectively they can plan their attack to thwart those defenses.

So it is possible that some measures have already been taken. Nuclear facilities are, after all, pretty high on the list of places where Really Bad Things Can Happen. So their contingency plans and protection have to be the best of the best.

But we do have to face the melancholy truth that someone willing to die in the process can do great damage in spite of security precautions. This is a reality for all of us, Worried Dad. It's not very much comfort to reflect that in fact, the risk is no greater tomorrow than it was on September 10th—and may, indeed, be slightly lessened since we are now alert and (hopefully) better prepared. Nevertheless, it is true. We need to keep our worries in perspective.

Auntie Pinko has a friend who used to live in Viet Nam, during the war there. I asked him once, how he and his family managed to live with relocations, losing friends and relatives, losing their home, and the constant threat of sudden death facing them all. He told me this: "Every day, we got up and did whatever we could that might make us safer that day, even if it was only praying. Then we put aside the fear and lived for the rest of the day as if things were normal."

I think that's good advice for all of us in such uncertain and frightening times. Do whatever we can do to make ourselves safer. Everyone can make a family emergency plan, with a meeting place and ways to communicate. We can prepare an emergency kit for our homes-contact the Red Cross for information on what is advisable for your area. We can avoid unnecessary risks.

And then, we can put aside the worry and live the rest of the day as if things are normal. We can show those who would like us to live in fear that fear is not as powerful as freedom.

Thank you for writing to Auntie Pinko!

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