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opinion
Local anthrax
scare stirs emotions
With the recent events
of Sept. 11, life in Southern California has been anything but
normal.
It's almost impossible
to escape the tragic event because we're reminded of it daily.
When we go home, it's on the news. When we're in our cars,
it's on the radio. Some of us even experience it first
hand.
Four Cal State
Long Beach students, employed at the Wells Fargo Bank in Seal
Beach, experienced it first hand.
It was 6:30 A.M.
on a Wednesday morning when a Wells Fargo customer called
the Seal Beach police to report a suspicious powder substance
on the bank's ATM.
The Wells Fargo
branch manager was contacted and requested to come to the
branch immediately. By this time, the police called the Orange
County Fire Authority, which dispatched the Hazardous Material
team of Irvine.
The hazardous material
team, dressed in full protective gear, tested the substance
for biohazards and concluded on the spot that it was negative.
It was evident
on that Wednesday morning the events and the aftermath of
Sept. 11 have caused people concern. People are second quessing
things that would not have bothered them otherwise.
For millions, going
through the mail will never be the same. People are disregarding
mail that has no return address, or mail that doesn't look
right.
Dispatchers are
getting calls to open mail. Half of the mail is junk, but
every call must be taken seriously anyway.
On a recent report
from NBC News, the U.S. Postal Service will mail a letter
to the American people this week instructing them on how to
handle the mail.
Regardless of the
different viewpoints of anthrax, the fact is that it has become
an issue. If this is concern to you, then take time to learn
the facts. Research and decide whether to worry about it.
Ultimately, it's your choice.
Cathy Blundell
is a journalism major at Cal State Long Beach.
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