GROUND ZER0, New York, N.Y.--Feb 8, 2004 -- A flock of 12,000 chickens in Delaware were sent to Bird Heaven on Friday after two birds tested positive for the H7 virus, according to Delaware's agriculture secretary.
          It was a preventative measure to prevent the spread of avian flu that has killed 18 people in Thailand and Vietnam.    The H7 virus is different from the H5N1 virus in Asia which can kill on contact with humans.   The H7 virus is fatal to poultry, not humans.
         This may be called the Beast of Chicken Terror.

         But that Beast has long arms.   What is H7 today can mutate into H5N1 tomorrow.
         The potential of becoming lethally infected by eating chicken can be devastating for millions of kids who love Chicken McNuggets, or drool over Kentucky Fried Chicken.
         And it's not good.
         Just recently the Beast of Beef Terror cast his dank dark shadow over Big Macs.   The Mad Cow disease scare shrunk the thrill of ordering a "burger," or having mom broil up some juicy steaks.
         Take away hamburgers and chickens from the kids diet, and well, you're left with far too many French Fries.
          I found it interesting that when a disease threatens our food chain, we rush to exterminate the source of the danger.    We slaughter the beef and exterminate the chickens, hoping to contain the threat with "Instant Vigilance."
         In the case of the chicken extermination, the agriculture department in Delaware ordered that all chickens with a two-mile radius of the infected flock be tested.   In other words, they are concerned about the "ripple effect," drawing a wide circle around the epicenter of the Chicken Ground Zero and searching for Terrorist Viruses that may have escaped to other parts of the land. 

        I thought if we were so concerned with Food Terrorism, why not do the same with Human Terrorism.
         When a child was Terrorized by a parent or adult, the obvious extension of the agricultural solution would be to exterminate them on the spot, and then rush and test all the other parents around them to see if the Terrorism Virus they inflicted upon their children had spread to other parents.
         The same would hold true in business.   If a company or manager was cruel and unusual in the treatment of employees, issuing Fear, Intimidation and Complacency as part of tyrannical, oppressive rule, then exterminate such a leader or leaders instantly.  Contain the disease.   And, rush to test all the surrounding companies and business for Employment Terrorism.
          Human Terrorism--the infliction of Fear, Intimidation and Complacency upon others--is a virus.   It spreads on contact, afflicting some more than others.
          Not everyone's immune system is capable of fighting off the Triad of Terrorism--Fear, Intimidation and Complacency--with the Principles of Vigilance--Courage, Conviction and Right Actions for the Children's Children's Children--at the same rate as others.

         A child who is being tortured by the virus of selfishness by a parent or guardian, who is told he or she isn't as "smart as," or as "worthy as" or "as loved as" others may be far more vulnerable to the Terrorism Virus than an adult who has developed thick shields to deflect personal attacks on his or her Emotional well being.
          A husband or wife who is abusive either physically or emotionally to his or her spouse threatens to transmit the virus of abuse to his or her children.   Almost all studies on abuse indicate the abuser had a high degree of experience watching abuse being delivered by parents.    Twisting a child's mind from Vigilance to Terrorism is a learned trait in many cases; it is a virus that is lethal to not only the infected but to those who are close, especially the young and vulnerable who grow into "monsters" following their parental monster's footsteps.
         So, do we exterminate these parents?   Do we exterminate the wife or husband abuser?   Do we exterminate someone who is so filled with Fear, Intimidation and Complacency all they see in the mirror in the morning is a loser?    Do we corral all the people who think their lives are ruts and have no hope of every climbing out and shove them into ovens in hopes we might contain the spread of their Complacency to others?

        We do it with chickens and cows.   We protect our food chain so we don't ingest the virus of Food Terrorism.  Why not extend that Vigilance to humans?   Why not eradicate all the Emotional and Physical Terrorists who threaten the safety and security of our Vigilance Chain?   All those who are potential threats to the future generations?   Why let a person who is cruel and indifferent to a child or employee walk around infecting the world with Fear, Intimidation and Complacency?
          One reason we don't exterminate the threats of human Terrorism is because it is so rampant.    If one were to stop and think about how many people he or she has felt should be exterminated, the pile of bodies would be larger than Mt. Whitney.
          Take a moment and think about the answer to this question:  How many people have you, in a fit of rage or anger, said to yourself:  I wish he or she was dead?
          If not that drastic, how many people would you feel this world be better off if they didn't exist?
          How many times have you mad enough at someone to want them to "disappear."
          When we read in the paper or hear on television about a horrible act of human Terrorism such as the kidnapping and murder of the recent 11-year-old girl, how many of us have a flash of a thought of that person being cruelly tortured to pay for his crimes, or slowly hanged on national television as a warning to the next potential Terrorist?
          How many of us are betting the Saddam Hussein will meet with head chopping when the courts in Iraq finish his final sentence?
          There are more humane ways to exterminate the Virus of Terrorism than killing or exterminating the sources of it.
          It is the Pledge of Vigilance.

        If we were to act with the same speed and concern as the agricultural department, we would contain the center of any act of Emotional or Physical Terrorism and immediately put all the people within a two-mile radius under Vigilance Inoculation.  We would begin Sentinel of Vigilance training classes, forcing them to ingest the antidote to Terrorism--Vigilance--and school and test them daily until they vowed to fight Fear with Courage, to conquer Intimidation with Conviction, and to overwhelm Complacency with Right Actions for future generations.
          We would not let the virus spread.
          But, we are civilized.   And as civilized people who live in free lands, we allow an individual to choose to act or not act in civilized ways.    Unfortunately, we penalize the bad actions after the fact.   We do not force anyone to believe what we believe, otherwise we lose our freedom.

          This leaves us with only one alternative--to fight the Virus of Terrorism with immunity.
          Each of us can build his or her immune system to Terrorism by taking the Pledge of Vigilance and restating its vows daily.   By living one's life under the Pledge of Vigilance, the Beast of Terror has little to infect.    Our immune systems grow stronger, able to ward off the Terrorism Virus.
          We also pass such Vigilance down to our children, and it has a "ripple effect" in our society, causing us to act with respect toward others.   We don't allow others to infuse Fear, Intimidation or Complacency into us, and when we don't allow that, such people shrink to size.
          If we were all to think about protecting ourselves and our children as we think about protecting our food sources, we would give Vigilance the same priority we give exterminating chickens or cows.   We would take the Vow of Vigilance and exterminate the threat of the Beast of Terror growing within us and in our children.
          Protect against Virus of Terrorism.
          Take the Pledge of Vigilance today.   

Feb. 7--The Troubling Eyes Of Terrorism