BUSINESS CONTINUITY - BCP^™
   Risk Management & Security Consultants
         - A Division of Brightwater Enterprises, LLC

Book Testimonials & Articles

OMAR: A Novel on Global Terrorism by Craig O. Thompson - TESTIMONIALS & ARTICLES CRAIG O. THOMPSON AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR & SPEAKER WORKSHOP LEADER COUNTER-TERRORISM & BCP CONSULTANT Winner: International Benjamin Franklin Silver Award "Best New Voice - Fiction" Testimonials: "Craig O. Thompson's OMAR forecasts tomorrow's headlines. The proliferation of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, materials, and know-how is the number one national security threat to the United States. This well-researched fiction is a timely window into potential disasters for unprepared nations." U.S. Senator, Richard G. Lugar Member, Select Intelligence Committee and Foreign Relations Committee "Given the terrorist threats both to our homeland and to our citizens abroad...this deep ocean adventure thriller could not be more timely." Henry H. Shelton, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Retired) "(Omar) provides an interesting depiction and a realistic account of activities that readers will enjoy." Thomas E. White, Secretary of the Army (Retired) "....I found that this book really stayed with me....The fact that (Thompson) predicted such terrorist attacks gives (him) legitimacy as an expert, and the way that (he) wove the facts with the narrative only added to it." Jeffrey Marks, Writer's Digest "....Thompson is an authority on terrorism and uses his knowledge to add a frightening, in-the-headlines sense of reality." Rich Gotshall, Indianapolis Star ORDER THOMPSON'S BOOK HERE "...(Omar is) a novel that reads extremely well...marvelous climax ...bravo!"   Robert Gover, New York Times Bestselling Author "One Hundred Dollar Misunderstanding" "Undersea salvage, the wreck of the Titanic, and diabolical terrorists bent on nothing less than total destruction of the western world collide on a stage of global proportions in this page turning action adventure from newcomer, Craig O. Thompson....Written before the 9/11 attacks, this book is chillingly accurate in its depictions of terrorists, their actions, plots, beliefs and ruthlessness. Thompson's writing is top caliber, immediately putting him on a square playing field with the genre's top purveyors. The detail, put into the technology and background, is woven seamlessly with the narrative. That lends it credibility and adds to the plot, without bogging the reader down with incessant techno- babble and vague concepts. An extremely engaging read that firmly establishes an exciting (author) in the genre." N.M.J, Rapport Magazine The Modern Guide to Books, Music and More! "(Craig O. Thompson's OMAR is) deep ocean adventure in the tradition of Clive Cussler." Charles Pellegrino, New York Times Bestselling Author "Dust," "Her Name, Titanic" and "Ghosts of the Titanic" "...a story of this magnitude is mind boggling...I can't wait to see it on the big screen!" Captain Jim L. Willsey, Deepsea Treasure Hunter La Nuestra Senora de Atocha Treasure "...I have just finished OMAR, which I thoroughly enjoyed and shall nominate for BookSense...OMAR will be a staff pick and recommended to our customers as a well- researched, absorbing thriller." Arthur J. Bachrach, Moby Dickens Bookshop of Taos "I am impressed by (Thompson's) strength of his storytelling, command of dialogue, and ability to evoke a scene...the text has been brought to a high finish...to a degree that one does not often see these days." Joseph Foote, Past President, Washington Independent Writers Professional Journalist, Writer, Consultant and Editor for the White House and Congress "OMAR, by Craig O. Thompson, is a highly professional piece of writing by a first-class writer and storyteller...he has created a suspenseful, mesmerizing thriller...he will keep armies of readers up all night racing through the pages." Isolde Chapin, Executive Director (Retired) Washington Independent Writers Former Reader/Editor for New York Publishers  ORDER THOMPSON'S BOOK HERE Articles & Op-Eds By, About, or Quoting Craig O. Thompson: Security Tech Advances, But More is Needed WASHINGTON, DC - February 27, 2003" A Loop-hole for "Saudi" Terrorists? Under the "What Were They Thinking" Category INDIANAPOLIS, IN - February 12, 2002 4th of July Threats: bin Laden a Master of Misdirection? INDIANAPOLIS, IN - July 1, 2002 Terrorism Expert Says America Still Lacks A Clear Plan INDIANAPOLIS, IN - June 21, 2002 The Titanic Wasn't Sunk by an Iceberg. Unfulfilled Promises of the 107th Congress... INDIANAPOLIS, IN - January 1, 2003 Thriller Author On Terrorism Mission INDIANAPOLIS, July 10, 2001 Global Terrorism Novel Wins International Award INDIANAPOLIS New Novel Dives Into Terrorism INDIANAPOLIS Security Tech Advances, But More is Needed By Christine Suh UPI Science News From the Science & Technology Desk Published 2/27/2003 6:57 PM Used here with permission. WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 (UPI) -- New technologies designed to protect the public against biological and chemical weapons are being developed continuously but much more remains to be done, researchers reported Thursday. With a possible war on the horizon and the 2001 anthrax attacks still unsolved, researchers described in the Feb. 28 issue of the journal Science what is in use already to detect and protect the nation from future attacks and a glimpse of what is to come. From scrubbing with household bleach to detection of agents with nuclear technology, the methods are promising but experts said, gaps remain in the system. "We're much better prepared today," said Richard Colton, researcher at the Naval Research Laboratory and co-author of the article. "But we don't have the resources to make (sensing and other counterattack technology) available everywhere and all the time." Detecting biological and chemical agents seems to receive most of the attention, Colton said. A system called NQR, for nuclear quadruple resonance, is being evaluated in a few airports and other places. It searches for explosives in luggage, bulk mail and vehicles. Meanwhile researchers also are developing a system called "smart dust," which uses nanotechnology to detect explosives and warfare agents. Other new technology includes "smart buildings" with filtering systems that could prevent the spread of a localized biological or chemical attack. Colton said buildings easily could be retrofitted with the filtration system. Once bio or chemical agents are detected, buildings and equipment must be decontaminated. In the 1995 sarin nerve gas attack in the Tokyo subway, Colton and co-author John Russell said cleanup was fast and the subway was reopened quickly. However, Sarin dissipates relatively rapidly, said Brian Houghton, director of research at the Oklahoma City National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism. Other agents disperse more slowly, he said, and anthrax is particularly stubborn. For example, some of the buildings where anthrax was detected in 2001 remain closed. Part of the decontamination issue is that there are no standards for "how clean is clean enough," Colton said. Naturally, everyone would prefer to have zero spores or molecules of harmful agents, but it takes large numbers of these to cause illness, Colton remarked. Much of the cleaning is conducted in a low-tech way: with cleanup crews scrubbing surfaces with bleach, Colton and Russell wrote. A new non-toxic decontaminating foam has been developed and is being sold to first responders. Gases such as chlorine dioxide and ozone also can be used to clean up ventilation systems and other confined spaces. All these materials have limitations, however. The gases are harsh, Colton and Russell explained. "Foam is restricted to where you can spray it," Houghton said, adding that gases and bleach cannot reach every space or every surface. Although decontamination is important, a survey of first responders revealed their first concern is development of an on-scene, real-time detector, Houghton said. Although new, experimental technology can detect agents within 20 to 30 minutes of arrival, "that is not enough," he noted. "We're talking about two to three years rather than two to three months," Houghton said, before the real-time sensors are available. Even then, Houghton said, the country still might not be fully prepared for a biological or chemical attack. "Are we prepared to meet an incidence of terrorism?" Houghton asked. "No. I don't think we ever can be. Terrorists are masters at risk and vulnerability assessments." The problem, he said, is where the nation is vulnerable, that is where terrorists probably will attack. Other experts were not so optimistic about current readiness. "We're woefully unprepared," said Craig Thompson, director of communications at the International Association for Counterterrorism and Security Professionals, Arlington, Va. "On a scale of 1 to 10, we're at 2." The problem is not just on the technology end, Thompson explained. A large part of the country's lack of readiness is due to a lack of funds for first responders and hospital emergency centers. Yet the solution is relatively simple, he said: "If we prepare for natural disasters and diseases as well as terrorists, we will be much better prepared." To make his point, Thompson cited the case of a flu epidemic a few years ago that closed emergency rooms because they did not have enough beds for the sick. "It comes down to preparing at various city and county levels with help from the federal government," Thompson said, adding that many small cities and towns do not have the funds to train and provide masks and protective gear for its first responders. "First responders need to be our heroes, not our martyrs," he added. Copyright © 2001-2003 United Press International 2/28/03 10:47 AM United Press International: Security tech advances, but more is needed http://www.upi.com/print.cfm?StoryID=20030227-061906-6861r BACK TO ARTICLE INDEX, ABOVE A Loop-hole for "Saudi" Terrorists? Under the "What Were They Thinking" Category... By Craig O. Thompson INDIANAPOLIS, IN - February 12, 2002 -- North Americans continue the debate over trucker ID cards, foreign national biocards, iris scans, and the right to privacy. Yet, portions of the easily overlooked Immigration and Refugee Protection Act of Canada could render our Northern border impotent--and make way for more terrorists using false ID's. Witness a little-discussed provision, with potentially lethal possibilities, buried deep within the regulations of existing law. Courtesy of the Department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada--better known as CIC, a proposed change in regulations still contain a loop-hole, for Kamikaze terrorists, so big that the H.M.S. Titanic could have sailed through. Given the events of September 11th, a review of the regulations made under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, recently passed by the parliament, begs the question....What were Canadian immigration officials thinking? Having received "Royal Assent," as all proposed Federal laws must, and now in "pre-publishing" mode--with a second round to be published on March 15th for review and comment--the dangerous language only amounts to a few words. The clause titled "Temporary Resident Visa Exemptions," in the regulations, Section 183, Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations of Canada, allows for the following: 183. (1) A foreign national does not require a temporary resident visa if they (a) are a citizen of...Botswana, Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia ...Saudi Arabia... Nearly fifty countries are exempt. With all we know about Saudi national's involvement in the Attack on America, and the body of evidence compiled regarding Saudi involvement with Al Qaeda, I cannot understand why Canadian authorities allowed Saudi Arabia--and several other dubious state nationals--to remain as "exempt" from visas to enter Canada. Section 183 could profoundly affect and effect the lives of thousands of American and Canadian citizens. As written, it could render any future debate over Saudi nationals, as potential terrorists, a moot point. Despite recent counterterrorism measures implemented by the Canadian Passport Office and, regardless of Canada's anti-terrorism legislation, it would appear the CIC has revised its immigration regulations without a word-by-word interpre- tation of potential consequences. With all the history of Saudi Arabian involvement in the events of September 11th, and the all-too-real hatred of Americans by thousands of foreign nationals, why has the language of Section 183 escaped the scrutiny of our good neighbors to the North. This cannot be an oversight. Disturbed by loop-holes in the law, Sergio R. Karas, a Toronto immigration lawyer, wrote a letter of concern to Denis Coderre, Minister of Citizenship and Immigra- tion, and to William Graham, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. Copies were sent to several U.S. high-ranking officials, including Secretary Colin Powell, Governor Tom Ridge and Attorney General Ashcroft. With the exception of a reply from the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa, agreeing with Mr. Karas' concerns and describing them as "very real," each have gone unanswered. I share Mr. Karas' concern. To continue to allow Saudi nationals entrance to Canada without having to first obtain a visitor's visa at a Canadian Embassy abroad, is irresponsible. Since most of the 9/11 hijackers were Saudis or carried Saudi passports, this law sets an extremely dangerous precedence. Terrorists would not need to be true Saudi nationals to get through the gate. Any terrorist, hell-bent to enter America illegally, could obtain false Saudi ID's and passports, and first gain entrance into Canada. Borders be damned, they would find their way into the United States across what has been described by border control expert, Stephen E. Flynn, as "the longest unprotected border in the history of the world." At a time when America and its allies must fight a long-term, world-wide, asymmetric war against global terrorism, our friends to the North must be more sensitive to the nature of the battle. As our Canadian advocate, Mr. Karas, points out, "Saudi Arabia does not accord reciprocity to Canadians wishing to travel there. Canadians must first apply for a visa. The application requires disclosure of one's religious affiliation. Even after obtaining a visa, travel is restricted. Women are not allowed to travel alone or drive, and Saudi Arabia is one of the world's worst human rights violators." In fact," Karas states, "Canada has no strategic oil alliance or significant economic ties with Saudi Arabia." Therefore, we must vigorously oppose the continuing practice of granting visa-free travel privileges to Saudi nationals. Contact the CIC, immediately. Encourage Canadian authorities to rewrite the "Temporary Resident Visa Exemptions" section. Proposed changes in regulations for the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act should exclude Saudi Arabian nationals, and others with dangerous allegiances, from this exemption. Fax the CIC at 1-613-946-0581. Then, write the White House and Congress. If you need addresses to contact politicians, call Project: Vote Smart at 1-800-VOTESMART or go to their web site at: www.vote-smart.org. For Americans to be concerned about Section 183 is only natural. For Mr. Karas to express his concern, as a Canadian, is noble and a true act of kindness toward our country. -- 30 -- PLEASE NOTE: Due to extreme pressure, put on the government of Canada by many organizations, on both sides of the border, this issue was finally resolved in late 2004. Mr. Thompson and Mr. Karas are available for print and electronic media interviews. Craig O. Thompson Counter-Terrorism & Business Continuity Consultant keynoteR-central.com P.O. Box 503 Greenwood, IN   46142 Email: craigt@BusinessContinuityBCP.com AUTHOR PROFILE: Craig O. Thompson, is communications director for the International Association for Counterterrorism and Security Professionals. A counter-terror expert and keynoter, Thompson has been interviewed by countless worldwide media outlets--prior to and since the Attack on America. He is the author of the award-winning book on global terrorism, OMAR: A Novel(Brightwater Publishing Company / StrataGem Press™, Hard Copy #0-9675207-03 and Soft Copy #0-9675207-11). A keynoter and workshop leader for Business Contingency and Disaster Recovery Plans and Neighborhood Preparedness programs, he is a member of the Institute for Business and Home Safety, and the Association of (Business) Contingency Planners International. Mr. Karas is a noted authority practicing exclusively in the area of Canadian Immigration law and United States Consular processing. Web site: www.BusinessContinuityBCP.com BACK TO ARTICLE INDEX, ABOVE   4th of July Threats: bin Laden a Master of Misdirection? By Craig O. Thompson INDIANAPOLIS, IN - July 1, 2002 -- As we celebrate our Independence Day holiday, fraught with "nonspecific" terrorist threats, it would be appropriate to remember the obvious. Osama bin Laden and his trained al Qaeda lieutenants have mastered the World War II tactics of deception, rumors, and misdirection to confuse, conceal and cloak their larger mission. Bin Laden is not a student of misdirection. He is an expert. Should we take this lightly? Absolutely not. Witness bin Laden's pronouncements one week prior to the Attack on America, when major threats were openly broadcast. Osama's warnings suggested that any American military installation or business in Japan and South Korea would soon come under attack. In addition, he implied Japanese or South Korean businesses that served Americans or allies would be subject to terrorist attack. Where did the United States concentrate its highest alert status? Where was America looking on 9/11? To the Far East...not to the East Coast of America. Historically, in preparation for D-Day--as with other major operations during WWII--America and its allies carried out diplomatic deception, spread rumors, and created outright fabrications to, as Winston Churchill once described it, endow the facts with "a bodyguard of lies." D-Day, otherwise known as "Operation Overlord," succeeded through a series of deceptions so complex that Hitler and his troops would ultimately be confused, pinned down in the Balkins, and spread too thin in other critical theaters. Does this sound familiar? Terrorist tactics employed by the al Qaeda--such as those utilized as a screen for the Attack on America--reveal the manner in which we should treat all so-called 4th of July threats, or any future warnings. At the risk of "threat fatigue," America cannot complacently presume that every warning, or so-called "corroborated" threat is without the potential for jeopardy ...whether the threats emanate from Al-Jazeera, the Qatar-based satellite television network, from interrogations of captured terrorists, or from bin Laden, himself. The possibility of bogus "Las Vegas-type" threats, such as the cellphone conversation report from an Arabic speaking, naturalized U.S. citizen, born in Lebanon, brings home the new reality. The warning of a 4th of July attack on Las Vegas was found to be without merit. However, if we, for only a moment, presume that these stories are always "lies" we must presume that some could also be terrorist cell codes. Consider the amount of trouble the semi-retired businessman went to in order to get his message out. First he called the Las Vegas FBI and got no response. He called again, with the same result. Finally, he phoned the media and the FBI took notice. There are at least four possibilities: 1) The man is just looking for his fifteen minutes of fame 2) He actually overheard the reported terrorist phone conversation 3) He is a member of a terrorist cell, publicly spreading codes for a future attack or, 4) He is an honest, though perhaps misguided, man who truly believes what he said about "the city of corruption... prostitution ...gambling...(and) of unbelievers." Could any of this be misdirection? Lest we be lulled to believe there are no longer terrorist cells of any consequence remaining on our homeland, since September 11th, remember the famous anthropologist Margaret Mead. She said, "Never doubt for a moment that a small group of committed individuals can change the world....Indeed, it is the only thing that has." In twenty-four words, Dr. Mead's razor-sharp analysis of what facilitates world change says it all. Whether from the terrorist's perspective or from our own. It's only a matter of degree that permits change to direct history. Thomas Jefferson said, "No nation is permitted to live in ignorance with impunity. The key is to remain knowledgeable, cautious, vigilant, alert and active. As you go about daily activities--or 4th of July celebrations--be more focused and have a stronger awareness of your surroundings. Finally, each of us must take the responsibility--along with our Congress and the President's Cabinet--to emulate and stimulate individual and community implementation of what our best Top Gun jet pilots refer to as "Situation Awareness." This is an intangible force that separates Americans from the ordinary, helps us to analyze and assess any encounter...or the potential for one, exactly as it should be--then, to react instantly and simultaneously, with precision, to multiple tasks to prevent or mitigate terrorist attacks on our homeland. How each of you choose to address and react to these issues and challenges, today, will determine the level of preparedness our beloved country will reach tomorrow. Therein lies my hope...and,hopefully, yours. -- 30 -- © 2002, Craig O. Thompson & Brightwater Enterprises, LLC PLEASE NOTE: Mr. Thompson is available for print and electronic media interviews. As a spokesperson for the International Association of Counterterrorism and Security Professionals, terrorism expert and keynoter, Thompson, has been interviewed by over 240 worldwide media outlets--just since the Attack on America.  BACK TO ARTICLE INDEX, ABOVE Terrorism Expert Says America Still Lacks A Clear Plan By Jay Caniglia INDIANAPOLIS, IN - June 21, 2002 -- In the summer of 1990, Craig O. Thompson, believed what most Americans perceived about terrorism. Terrorists only bombed facilities overseas. Hostages were taken in other countries. And our government agencies would seek the perpetrators. Incredibly, the 1993 WTC and 1995 Oklahoma bombings did not change those perceptions. Today, Thompson speaks out because, as he states, "American still lacks a clear plan to inform, train, and prepare average citizens for additional attacks on our homeland. Though the aim of a terrorist attack is to create death, destruction, fear, and paranoia among their actual targets--average citizens--Americans know less about what to actually do in case of a terrorist attack than a private who serves in the military." Craig O. Thompson, terrorism expert and award-winning author of the book OMAR--on global terrorism--continues to speak out. As a principal spokesperson for the International Association of Counterterrorism and Security Professionals (IACSP), Thompson is available nationwide for interviews. His mission: to help every American better understand the challenges we face in order to practice better preparedness at home. Thompson's book (OMAR: A Novel; Brightwater Publishing Company / StrataGem Press™, August 2001; Trade Paper $14.95; Trade Cloth $24.95) was recently awarded the 2002 Benjamin Franklin Awards™ Silver Award in the category for "Best New Voice--Fiction." "With the exception of the first bombing of the World Trade Center, in 1993, and the Murrah Federal Building, in 1995, terrorism always happened somewhere else...not on our soil," Thompson said of America's naivete. "Prior to 9/11," he continued, "our smugness and complacency led Americans to feel our country was impregnable. After all, most terrorist activities only included simple hostage takings and unsophisticated hijackings--not the type we witnessed where sleeper-cell terrorists turned jetliners into weapons of mass destruction." Thompson admits that, over the years, the more he researched the more frightening the specter became for the probability of terrorist attacks on our own homeland. In August, 2001, his keynote speech titled "The Terrorist Cell Game," delivered in Washington, DC, warned of Osama bin Laden, bioterrorism, failed mock disasters, a poorly prepared public health system and infrastructure, and attacks on our homeland that could lead our "first responders" to become our "first martyrs." Ironically his speech was broadcast on C-SPAN August 11th--exactly one month to the day prior to the Attack on America. On Monday, September 10, 2001--while appearing on a three-hour, sixteen-state, late-nite broadcast of the Lee Klein Show, KFI, Los Angeles--Thompson, spoke of extremely poor airport security, inadequate border patrol, the need for "better grass-roots intelligence," a Congress that was "living in an ether," bioterrorism, an unprepared public health system, the Taliban, Afghanistan, and Osama bin Laden. Of attacks on our homeland, Thompson said, "...this is where it will come from..." Then, the world came to a halt--as photos of the 9/11 Attack on America were broadcast to every corner of the earth. Despite the tragedy, Craig O. Thompson believes we still lack a clear plan for informing, preparing, and coordinating our citizens for the possibility of additional terrorist attacks. "To say that the world changed on September 11th has almost become a cliche," says Thompson. "But to perceive the need for better preparedness as a cliche would be very dangerous." An interview with Craig O. Thompson could feature the following ideas: What are the current probabilities for nuclear, chemical, radiological or biological warfare (NCRBW)? Why are America's security and medical institutions not yet prepared to face the exposure from NCRBW? | What are the government's serious misstatements about the facts of biological terrorism and how could our security be compromised? What could happen to our civil rights during an epidemic or pandemic biological disease quarantine? Who controlled the world's largest, secret, illegal bioweaponry labs until 1992 and what has been done with tons of surplus biological pathogens? Why is the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Protection Act a dangerous threat to our health and safety? Should visitors to our country be accorded all rights of a citizen? How can ordinary citizens become advocates for our nation's security to protect our loved-ones? Why Americans must learn to depend on themselves when our "first-responders" and medical personnel may not be able to protect us What can businesses do to protect their infrastructure and critical resources from natural and man-made disasters? Thompson is a member of the Institute for Business & Home Safety, the Association of Contingency Planners International, and the IACSP. He holds a B.S. and M.A. in Education from Northern Arizona University, and has been writing and speaking for over 25 years. Currently, he is working on a non-fiction book on terrorism, a new novel and the adaptation of a screenplay. A limited number of the preview e-Book version compact disc of OMAR: A Novel (compatible with PC's, Mac's, and Palm Readers) is available on a first-come basis, for review. Referred to as "more faction than fiction," U.S. Senator Richard G. Lugar said, OMAR forecasts tomorrow's headlines ....This well-researched fiction is a timely window into potential disasters for unprepared nations." Craig O. Thompson is available for interviews nationwide. Contact: Jay Caniglia E-Mail: jcanig@BusinessContinuityBCP.com # # # OMAR: A Novel (on global terrorism) by Craig O. Thompson. First edition 5.5 X 8.5, 624 pgs. ISBN: (Hardcover) #0-9675207-0-3 (Softcover) #0-9675207-1-1 ; CIP/LCCN: #00-191553. $24.95 (Hardbound) / $14.95 (Softbound). Publication: Aug., 2001 BACK TO ARTICLE INDEX, ABOVE The Titanic Wasn't Sunk by an Iceberg. Unfulfilled Promises of the 107th Congress... By Craig O. Thompson   INDIANAPOLIS, IN - January 1, 2003 -- Those of us who believe the R.M.S. Titanic was sunk by an iceberg suffer under a delusion. The fact is, the Titanic was not sunk by the reported iceberg. The tragedy of that great ship was induced by the arrogant and smug attitudes of those who built and sailed her. Likewise, the smug platitudes and attitudes that emanated from Congress, prior to adjournment, have set a course for America not unlike that of the royal passenger liner. They beg answers from our members of Congress: What is it about "America is still not prepared for bio-terrorist attacks" that you don't understand? And, what makes you think small communities are immune? Toxic pathogens know no borders. Yet, with the congressional stalemate on spending bills, billions in promised anti-terrorism funding will not reach our communities until mid-year, 2003--or later. And that's just reprehensible. Once Congress voted for establishment of the Homeland Security Department, adjournment clouded our representative's minds. The most important duty--to fund promised homeland security issues--came to a screeching halt. Fulfilling critical post-9/11 commitments such as funding bio-terrorism defense, equipping and training first-responders, and retraining medical professionals has gone a begging. The updating of our national public health system, purchasing state-of-the-art tools for rapid diagnostics, improving border security, protecting the shipping, trucking, and chemical industries, and an entire laundry list of important homeland security and customs department deficiencies have been treated as step-children by the 107th Congress. Translate the old Scottish phrase, "Ye'll get your heid in yer hands and yer teeth tae play wi'" and you get the modern-day phrase, "You're really in trouble." Following years of political wrangling, avoiding the truth, and turning a blind eye to just how vulnerable America was--prior to the Attack on America--the term "consequences management" says it all. By avoiding the hard realities, we elected our members of Congress to deal with, the United States could continue to pay the consequences for decades to come. What if your boss reneged on a promise to give you a major raise to help with important family issues? That is the position in which countless fire and police departments, doctors, nurses, and hospital administrators--nationwide--have been left by our retreating Congress. When you don't get a raise, you tighten the belt and deal with it. But imagine front-line responders arriving at the scene of a disaster--or a covert bio-attack--without the needed training and updated safety equipment to protect them at the level our "bipartisan" congress promised, last year. When your representatives say, "We'll leave that for the 108th Congress," you have the right to ask, "What are you thinking?" Imagine a scenario--God forbid--where our first-responders (pick any city) are called to a scene of a covert release of deadly Soviet-developed, bio-engineered strains of plague, smallpox, or anthrax (and, yes, they also mixed these strains together in what I call "multi-lethal cocktails"). Imagine what you would do as a responder who had no way to tell if the site was safe enough to enter. Would you enter the scene, knowing you could spread deadly pathogens, if no diagnostic equipment existed in your community to determine the level of toxicity? If you were a hospital administrator, a doctor, a nurse...an orderly, would you stay to treat those who become infected with plague or smallpox, knowing you had no decontamination equipment, bio-masks, or isolation tents...because Congress had been too interested in getting home for the holidays? I can tell you with certainty, most mock disasters held in the past ten years have established that many dedicated medical professionals might stay home to protect their families, under this type of ill-equipped scenario. Wouldn't you? The truth is, more than half of our emergency responders--medical, police, fire, and our public health system personnel--may never be trained in time, or prepared for the potential of biological or chemical events until homeland security funding is in place. The billions in proposed dollars must also be divided among small communities, that can be just as affected by biological toxins, due to our modern methods of travel. Whatever happened to the work ethic that mandated "we'll remain on the job until it's done"? Today, congressmen run off to raise personal campaign funds and point out to their constituents "what a good boy or girl am I"...all the while hoping no one will notice the back door to our national security has been left open. We must ask the question, "Will our first-responders continue to be our first-heroes in our communities...or our first martyrs?" As a citizen, I am incensed at the smugness of our congressmen. You should be, too. Only members of Congress will decide on funding issues--when they feel like it...unless you insist they get back to Washington. And that they not come home until the work is done and promises are fulfilled. -- 30 -- Copyright © 2002-2003 Craig O. Thompson and Brightwater Enterprises, LLC AUTHOR PROFILE: Keynote speaker and counter-terrorism consultant, Craig O. Thompson, is the communications director for the International Association for Counterterrorism and Security Professionals, a m