The world today can be a very confusing place. This especially applies to living in the United States, where one is not really sure which group they belong to, if they belong to any one group at all. With a variety of things constantly tugging at the thin fabric holding the "melting pot" of America together, it's amazing how devices designed to permanently shatter those thin bonds actually strengthen them. It is for this reason that the recent terrorist attacks have not destroyed American society. The threat of future attacks as well as the threat of biological warfare can not defeat lady liberty. The primary function of the threat of biological warfare is not to kill large amounts of people, but rather to create fear and instill a sense of vulnerability in a society, in this case, with the hope of tearing down the loose sense of togetherness we share.
             Although we may not be completely prepared to deal with a full scale biological weapon attack, we do have a set playbook for just such an emergency. In the event of the unleashing of a biological weapon, government employees at both the local and state level such as firefighters and police officers will be needed as part of the first line of defense in order to contain further outbreaks. Also, reserve units, as well as the National Guard, would be useful for similar tasks. Unfortunately, the equipment and training necessary to handle a biological attack of this magnitude would be under the auspices of the CDC, or Center for Disease Control (Perry). In order to protect the United States from a variety of biological attacks, pharmaceutical companies must begin the mass manufacturing of different forms of treatment for several different biological weapons. Coordinating this kind of response system in the event of a biological attack is the responsibility of Tom Ridge, director of the new Office of Homeland Security (Perry, 31).
             Biological weapons are much bette...