Category: Elizabeth Jenkins
Student Visas Forever Changed After Sept. 11
WASHINGTON – The tragic events of Sept. 11 have altered many things in this country, especially the way Americans look at and deal with foreigners including foreign students. For 24-year-old Alain Sfeir, a Merrimack College senior, that reality came when the FBI knocked on his door in New Hampshire.
Sfeir said his name popped up on the FBI’s computer because he is Lebanese and flew to California, even though his trip was months before Sept. 11.
“They said that one guy on the plane saw me reading a manual about how to fly an airplane, which is totally ridiculous,” he said. But Sfeir had nothing to hide and was open with the agents. “I knew why they are here,” he said. “They have nothing against me. They’re the good guys.”
“They are very nice,” said Sfeir of the FBI agents. “But it was very clear stereotyping, like profiling.”
Sfeir, who is here on a student visa, believes that after Sept. 11, the visa application process will be much harder for anyone trying to get a United States visa. All 19 of the aircraft hijackers entered the U.S. on legal visas. One of the hijackers, at the controls of the plane that crashed into the Pentagon, was in the country on a student visa although he never attended classes.
Only 2 percent of all US visas are issued to foreign students. That means only about 550,000 of the 30 million people receiving visas each year are students. But student visas have come in for heightened attention since Sept. 11 and a number of lawmakers have recently proposed legislation to tighten up the student visa process.
On Nov. 30, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., as one of his cosponsors, introduced the “Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act” requiring all visa applicants from a country that sponsors terrorism to undergo a background check.
The legislation also proposes to strengthen the foreign student tracking system implemented in 1996. The reporting requirements for the INS, State Department and universities would be improved to include more information about the student and to monitor whether they attend classes. The INS and State Department will be required to check on schools more often and make sure they are following the requirements for reporting data and record keeping.
How to Get a Visa:
According to an online survey by the Institute of International Education and the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, made public on Nov. 13, 547,867 international students attended American colleges and universities in the 2000-2001 school year.
Chinese students make up the largest group of international students, followed by Indian and Japanese. Asian students make up 51 percent of all international students while only six percent of foreign students are Middle Eastern. California enrolls the most foreign students, 74,281, followed by New York and Texas. Massachusetts, with 29,295 foreign students, has the fourth largest number in the nation attending its academic institutions.
Applying for a student visa can take anywhere from a few days to many months. The visa application process starts only after a student has been accepted at an American school. The school’s international student office then sends the successful applicant an I-20 form, which the student fills out and takes to the U.S. embassy in his or her country, along with a passport and financial documents.
To get a visa, students must prove that they will stay in the U.S. only to study and will return home after their education is complete. Students must also show they have ties to their home country, which is one reason financial documents are so important.
For Amrita Dhindsa, 25, a Boston University graduate student from India who came to the United States in August 2000, the evidence she was going to go back home after college was that much of her father’s business is registered in her name.
“That kind of proves that I am going to go back to my country at some point because I have to look after my business,” she explained. “So it was relatively easy for me to get my visa.”
While Dhindsa got her visa with little trouble, Sfeir, who came here in 1997 from Lebanon, did not.
Because there is no American embassy in Lebanon, Sfeir had to go to Cyprus for his interview. “It’s not a relaxing situation,” he said of his interview experience in the embassy in Cyprus. “You’re standing in a place pretty much like a bunker,” he said. “Steel doors, bulletproof glass. It’s not relaxing.”
Sfeir was denied his visa the first three times. The first two times the embassy did not tell him why it denied his request. The third time the embassy told him some of his paperwork was missing.
“It’s very hard to get through the process,” he said, adding that it is a lot harder for Lebanese to get visas because of the conflict in the Middle East. Keeping
Track of Foreign Students:
There is currently no nation-wide program to monitor international students. However, a program has been in the works since 1997 after the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 became a law. Colleges and universities were given until 2003 to comply with the act, but until Sept. 11, many schools had done little to implement the Student Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). Only a pilot program in 21 schools in the southeastern U.S. had been up and running before Sept. 11.
The pilot program, the Coordinated Interagency Partnership Regulating International Students (CIPRIS), began in 1997. As of Dec. 17, 10 schools in Massachusetts will be involved in a web-based version of CEVIS, SEVIS, and the entire program is expected to begin to go nationwide in January 2003.
“It takes about a year for INS to get paperwork caught up in the old system,” said Jim Kenaston, international student adviser at Mercer University in Macon, one of the schools involved in CIPRIS, the first pilot student tracking program in the country. “At present it’s difficult for INS to determine if students even showed up at all.”
“We have a database we maintain and give the information to INS,” said Kenaston of Mercer University. Currently, there is a software system each school uses to upload the information to the INS.
The INS has rarely, if ever checked up on school records. According to Dyann DelVecchio, a Boston lawyer who specializes in immigration issues, in the past 15 years the INS contacted a school only if it had a question about a student.
“When SEVIS is really up and running, it’s really going to be a good program; it’s just that it’s had to take a long time to get off the ground,” DelVecchio said. She cited personnel changes at the INS, budget problems and lobbying of the education community as reasons it has taken the tracking system so long to get started.
For years, educators have objected to the collection fee that may be required to keep the system up and running. Many institutions feel that that schools are not equipped to deal with collecting money from students and that this should be a function of the government.
In a January 2000 statement, the American Council on Education urged American colleges and universities to write to Congress objecting to colleges’ collecting the fee. But after Sept. 11, many schools dropped their opposition, agreeing that there is no choice but to implement a monitoring system for foreign students.
“It’s going to happen,” said Joseph Sheehan, assistant dean of admissions and coordinator of international relations at Merrimack College, a school not involved in SEVIS. Despite ACE’s objections, he added, there’s no way the tracking system will not be implemented.
“Once implemented nationally it’ll be a good system,” Kenaston said. “This is all information that schools should be collecting anyway and give the information to the INS in a timely manner.”
Without such compliance, said John Keeley, a research associate at the Center for Immigration Studies, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank, SEVIS is “just symbolic” and another loophole in the system.
“I think there has to be a fundamental change in the philosophy and mindset [of the system],” Keeley said. Opposition to the system has been driven, he said, by the unwillingness to single out foreign students and by the burden that fees would put on the schools and the students.
“All of these things have to be put aside when talking about national security, and inconveniencing foreign students doesn’t seem to be a strong argument,” Keeley said.
On the Hill:
The new Kennedy legislation to heighten border security and improve the visa process comes after weeks of discussion and compromise between Kennedy and Feinstein. In September, Feinstein originally proposed a radical six-month moratorium on the issuance of all student visas, which Kennedy and many others strongly opposed.
New Hampshire 1st District Congressman John E. Sununu, R-Bedford, said that he had talked with people in the New Hampshire university system and that there was a “concern” that a moratorium would punish the hundreds of thousands of law-abiding students that come to the United States for an education.
“A moratorium would be a heavy-handed approach,” he said. “What we really need is to modernize and reform the system, and that’s something we need to make a priority and provide funds to implement it.”
Feinstein, after discussing the idea with California universities and the ACE, decided against including a student visa moratorium in her legislation. In her own legislation, Feinstein had also originally considered refusing visas to students from countries that sponsor terrorism unless the Secretary of State issued a waiver to the applicant, but abandoned that approach as well.
When asked why he was against Feinstein’s moratorium plan, Kennedy said there are other ways to protect the nation’s security, such as securing the country’s borders and doing closer screening of visitors.
“Foreign students have a vital role at our universities, and contribute significantly to the spread of our ideals around the world,” he said.
Ursula Oaks, associate director for press relations for the Association of International Educators, said the compromise Kennedy-Feinstein bill is a “more balanced way” of dealing with student visas.
She said the United States should be concerned about everyone who enters the country, not just the “small number” of students from terrorist countries. “I can’t imagine the Secretary of State would look through piles and piles of applicants,” she said, so that effectively, applicants from entire countries would be banned.
“Hooray for the Kennedy-Feinstein bill,” said Alan Goodman, president of the Institute of International Education. “It’s a terrific step forward.”
He said under the bill, the schools and government are each equipped to do their part to make the US safer, but not prevent foreign students from entering the country.
“It brings to life in a very 21st century way all the coordination in reporting that’s needed to have a good visa system,” said Goodman.
But not everyone is pleased with the more liberal approach.
Scott Lauf, executive director of CitizensLobby.com, a non-profit conservative lobbying group, was pleased when he heard about Feinstein’s moratorium idea because he thinks the nation’s tracking system for visa recipients needs a lot of work. During a six-month moratorium, he said, “we will be able to have time to set up a tracking system and consolidate the resources.”
In fact, Lauf prefers more than a simple moratorium. “We should put a hold on the new students who received visas and delay that six months and work with colleges and universities and say we’ll hold the slot for you but delay the admission and entry into the country.”
Lauf said the Kennedy-Feinstein legislation wouldn’t prevent another Sept. 11 and would require only a “flimsy background check” for foreigners to enter the country.
But local Rep. Martin T. Meehan, D-Lowell, believes the new Kennedy bill is the right approach. “The bill introduced by Sen. Kennedy is effective and properly targeted,” said Meehan, D-Lowell. It will “plug holes and prevent abuse” in the student visa program, he maintained. “A moratorium . . . would make sense if there is no effective alternative.”
“The changes in the Kennedy bill are common-sense reforms to the student visa programs,” Meehan said. He added that sharing information among the different agencies and the universities would make the student monitoring system more effective.
Massachusetts 6th District Congressman John F. Tierney, D-Salem said that the Kennedy-Feinstein bill, though it could have a positive effect on the student visa process, is not a “silver bullet” that would solve all problems.
Many universities understand the need for monitoring foreign students but doubt that international students can be prevented from studying in the United States and believe that their presence on university campuses is essential.
“They add culture, they add diversity,” said Martha Flinter, director of International/Study Abroad Programs at Framingham State College. Foreign students introduce American students to cultures and customs they would never have a change of being exposed to without the presence of international students.
“There is plenty of [diversity] of college campuses already,” Lauf argued. “I think national security is more of a concern than diversity.”
“My own problem with the student visa program begins at its essence,” Keeley said. He said foreign students, who usually pay full tuition, support a “fair number” of graduate programs at universities, and he wondered about the extent to which graduate programs have aided countries that support terrorism in their sinister plots.
“How much diversity is really being brought to that program?” Keeley asked, pointing out that only a small percentage of students at American schools are foreign. “It’s naðve to suggest [that a foreign student program] is anything but a cash cow.”
Sheehan admitted that money is certainly one reason foreign students are important to universities, but said that this was only “one side of the coin.” International students also add “personality, color and cultural awareness” to each campus, he said.
“In the good things that we want about our nation, a nation of goodness and tolerance, we need to keep foreign students coming in,” Sheehan said. “They are people and their differences are not so different.”
PACs Give Both to Smith and Sununu
WASHINGTON - Next year's Senate race between incumbent Senator Robert C. Smith, R-N.H. and challenger New Hampshire 1st District Congressman John E. Sununu, R-Bedford, is beginning to heat up as is the campaign fundraising. As of the last filing deadline, Smith had nearly twice as much money on hand as Sununu.
At the end of June, Smith had raised a total of $925,760 and Sununu had raised a total of $564,815. Sununu had $553,384 cash on hand. With more time to fundraise since his 1996 election, Smith had over $1million cash on hand.
In non-election years, candidates only have to file to the Federal Election Commission twice a year, at the end of June and December. Most recent figures were filed in July. In election years, candidates file quarterly.
Out of Sununu's total contributions, $253,699 came from political action committees; $354,504 of Smith's total contributions were from PACs. A PAC is a political committee organized by a group to raise money to help elect a candidate.
At least 30 PACs gave to both Smith and Sununu, including giants such as FleetBoston Financial Corporation, the Boeing Company, Microsoft and the United Parcel Service.
The Boeing Company spokesman Jim Fuller said Boeing "supports a large number" of candidates.
"We don't normally discuss those decisions, but they're based on the candidates that support positions Boeing believes in," said Fuller. "We support candidates of both parties based on their positions on issues that are important to the company."
Boeing donated $500 to Sununu and $2000 to Smith. Boeing made its donation to Sununu on June 25 before he formally announced his candidacy.
"We gave to Sununu for his congressional race," said Fuller. "Since he announced he was a candidate for the Senate, we have not made donations to either candidate." However, Boeing has stopped contributing to any candidates because of a "lack of funds at this time." Fuller said Boeing has not made any decisions about future contributions.
FleetBoston Financial Corporation gave $2000 to Sununu and $1000 to Smith.
Alison Gibbs, a spokesperson for Fleet, said Fleet normally gives to multiple candidates.
"This is not a formal endorsement of either or any candidate," said Gibbs. Instead, she said contributions "allows the candidate to get their message out" by using the money for their campaigns.
The Sununu contributions was made on two different dates and probably at two separate events, said Brian Grip, Fleet's vice president of Public Policy and Corporate Communications in New Hampshire.
Grip said the donations to the two candidates could not be compared because "this was made at a time when the two candidates were not running against each other." Grip said he "would not want to even speculate" on whether they would give more money to one candidate over another in the future.
"I think there are many in the PAC community who are very concerned about Republicans holding this US senate seat and obviously they want to support the candidate who will run the strongest race and be the best choice for New Hampshire," said Paul Collins, Sununu's chief of staff.
Collins said that while they do accept PAC money, the majority of money raised comes from individual contributors.
"As a general rule, most of the money we have raised from individuals has come from individuals within New Hampshire," said Collins. "We have a very strong fundraising base here in the state and those folks have been very supportive and continue to be."
"The PAC community know what's at stake in the next cycle, the 2002 cycle," said Corey Lewandowski, Smith's campaign manager. "They've been more aggressive, so they can turn around and give more to candidates."
While Lewandowski said there are some PACs that have give to both Smith and Sununu, he thinks overall are "well-versed enough that they know Smith is going to be reelected."
While the fundraising numbers will not be filed until the end of the year, Lewandowski said he has really been surprised by the "explosion of small dollars." He said he has seen a three fold increase in contributions at the grassroots level.
Steven Weiss, spokesman for the Center for Responsive Politics, said it is "very common" for PACs to give to multiple candidates, as a way to "spread" their money around, so they can have greater influence over a group of elected officials.
"PACs want a close relationship with anyone elected," he said. "They put money down on both candidates so they can have influence with both officials."
While PACs do not give money for ideological reasons, they may often give if there is a piece of legislation or a set of bills that they want passed, said Weiss.
Weiss noted that the Smith and Sununu race is a special situation since both candidates are current members of Congress. No matter who loses, a contribution to both candidates could benefit a PAC since members are guaranteed to be in office another year.
The Race is On: Smith vs. Sununu
WASHINGTON - Sen. Bob Smith and First District Congressman John Sununu have two things in common: both are conservatives, and both are headed for a showdown in next year's GOP Senate primary.
But when it comes to personal style and how they put it to use on Capitol Hill, the two couldn't be further apart.
The Eagle-Tribune spent a day with both lawmakers last week, observing their working habits and talking to those who work with them.
Staff members see Sununu as a young, up-and-coming lawmaker who likes to busy himself with committee and staff meetings, dissecting the details of whatever legislation is pending at the time. He appears to be a reserved man who tries to steer clear of controversy and keep his family out of the political fray.
Smith, on the other hand, is seen as more laid back in his daily working habits, but far less reserved when it comes to diving into controversial debates. He generated a storm of controversy in 1999 when he briefly bolted from the Republican party to run as an independent for president. He raised more eyebrows a year later when he joined the debate over Elian Gonzalez, criticizing the Justice Department for ordering that the boy be returned to Cuba.
A man on the move
On a recent morning, Sununu rushed into his Congressional office at 8:35 after riding the Metro from his Crystal City, Va. apartment. The small office was quiet, the only sound coming from staffers typing at their computers.
Sununu speeded past them, coffee and paper in hand, into his office, and then a few minutes later dashed off to a Policy Committee meeting.
"He walks like a shot out of hell," said Brian Callahan, the office staff assistant.
By all accounts, Sununu, 37, is a man on the move. He can half-run from his office to the Capitol Building across the street, his slim-build slipping in and out of revolving doors and bolting up marble steps. All while talking to reporters, greeting colleagues and never losing his breath.
Sununu has also rapidly climbed the political ladder. The son of former New Hampshire governor and former White House chief of staff John H. Sununu, he was elected to the House of Representatives six years ago and in those few years has already been named to the House Appropriations Committee and the vice chair of the House Budget Committee, leaping over more senior members of his party.
"He's a very fast-paced guy," said Daren McGreevy, one of Sununu's two legislative assistants. McGreevy said Sununu easily learned Congressional procedures and rapidly became accustomed to a congressman's packed schedule.
"You give him stuff and he'll pick it up quickly," said McGreevy. Before being elected to Congress, Sununu attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard Business School and worked in small high-tech manufacturing firms. McGreevy also said Sununu is "well-respected for understanding information."
Between committee meetings, Sununu tries to squeeze in time to talk to constituents. After his policy meeting, Sununu ran down the white marble House stairs to meet with three waiting high school girls from New Hampshire, attending the National Youth Leadership conference.
"Hi, I'm John," he said as he stuck out his right hand to each the girls.
"What can I tell you about?" he asked, squinting, the bright morning sun reflecting off his glasses with thin gold frames.
"We would like to know everything," said one of the girls.
"So would I," he dryly joked. "That's the great quest."
The girls did not have any immediate questions, so Sununu talked about the status of the pending aviation security bill and the work being done on the Appropriations Committee.
After a few minutes, Sununu suggested, "Why don't we take a picture?" As they walked up the House steps, a fellow House member passed by greeting Sununu with, "Good morning, senator." Sununu modestly laughed off the joke. The picture was snapped, Sununu handed each one his business card, and then he was off.
In his office, Sununu surrounds himself with pictures of his wife, Kitty, and their three young children, an antique map of Carroll County and sports memorabilia.
By 10:30, he has jotted down notes for a teleconference with New Hampshire radio reporters. He talked with them about the status of the aviation bill in conference, the appropriation bills being written and the current situation in Afghanistan, using the same phrases he used with the students and with everyone else he will speak with that day. The entire time he paced back and forth across his office with the phone up to his left ear.
He asked for questions, listened and smiled. He rattled off a response to the only question asked without even looking at his notes.
"You got to make sure you prepare when you go in to talk with him," said legislative correspondent Dave Cuzzi. "He knows his stuff."
While Barbara Riley, Sununu's press secretary, said she would not call Sununu a workaholic, she did say he is methodical, diligent and a hard-worker.
"These characteristics have helped in building a record of effective and consistent public service that New Hampshire can be proud of," she said when asked of the upcoming campaign.
Sununu respects voters to "make choices for themselves," but he will "work diligently" to make sure any questions about his record are answered.
'A personable guy'
While Sununu was booked with meetings from the second he arrived to work, Smith arrived at his office on another morning around 7 a.m., after a 25-minute drive from his Virginia home. Smith, 60, enjoys arriving to an empty office.
"I have 2 hours to get some work done before the staff starts hounding me," New Hampshire's senior senator said from behind the huge wooden desk in his office. That morning he spent his time writing letters to constituents.
Smith grew up in New Jersey and served in the Navy before settling in New Hampshire with his wife, Mary Jo, in 1970. Smith was a high school history teacher before being elected to the House in 1984. He was elected to the Senate in 1990. Just days after abandoning his presidential run in 1999, Smith was named chairman of the Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee, but lost his chairmanship when Sen. Jim Jeffords became and independent earlier this year. Smith is also a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
A senator's office has more staff members than a congressman's and the office is bustling. Staffers work the phones, type and chat with each other as they go about their business.
By 1:15, Smith was back in his office after spending the morning debating on the Senate floor. He sat at a long, wooden conference table with his EPW Committee staff members.
On the red wall behind Smith is a painting of a Navy boat, Navy seals hang on the wall and two miniature fighter planes on top of one of his cabinets. Pictures of his wife and three grown children are scattered around the room.
Smith was briefed on the bills to be discussed at the EPW mark-up in a few minutes, where the committee amends legislation before it is debated on the Senate floor. Smith listens to them, but also asks plenty of questions about which members support what bill.
Before heading to the mark-up, Smith also met with students from the National Youth Leaders Conference. In an instant, he switched from legislative talk into a laid-back chat with the students.
"How are you guys doing?" he asked the five students as he enters the conference room.
"What do you young people talk about in school about terrorism and anthrax?" he asked after shaking their hands. The students appeared overwhelmed by Smith's loud voice and towering presence, but immediately ask questions.
"How far will this go?" one student asked.
"It's going to be a long haul," said Smith frankly. "I don't think you should go through your life in fear." After meeting for about 10 minutes, Smith thanked the students for coming, said good-bye, and like a father called out to them to be careful.
"He's a personable guy," says Jeff Marschner, assistant to Smith's communications director. Marschner also calls Smith "outgoing." He points out that Smith is a former high school teacher and you can see signs of his previous job in the way he interacts with the students.
"He's really easy to communicate with from what I've heard compared to other members," said Brian Darling, Smith's general counsel, echoing Marschner's comments. He says Smith is "pretty straight forward."
Lisa Harrison, Smith's communications director, has worked for Smith for 17 years and has also worked on all of his campaigns. She knows how Smith's personal style translates on the campaign trail.
"The voters really like him as a person," she said. "He stands for what he believes in."
She said Smith "shoots straight." People know what he stands for and they also know he "tells it like it is." But, also, Harrison said voters know that no matter what Smith's stance is on an issue, and no matter how much voters may disagree with him, he will always listen to them.
She anticipates that the upcoming campaign will be no different than campaigns of the past.
Family and the 2002 campaign
The upcoming Senate primary will be a tight race for both candidates and already, Republican senators are split on who they will support. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., and Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., are supporting Sununu. Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., and New Hampshire 2nd District Congressman Charles Bass, R-Peterborough, have refused to pick sides.
Part of the reason for the split and perhaps for Sununu's decision to run for Senate, may be Smith's brief party, which drew criticism from his Republican colleagues.
For now, both candidates are reluctant to talk about next year's campaign.
"Honestly, I haven't even had time to think about it," Smith said when asked about the campaign for next September's Senate primary. "I have a few staff who try to keep things going right now."
But now he says his job is to "help my president win this war and help my constituents get through this." He said when he goes to New Hampshire, all his constituents want to talk about it terrorist and that is his priority now.
Smith's campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, said when Smith is in Washington, he focuses on his job as a lawmaker and when he is in New Hampshire, he is in "campaign mode." But he said Smith has had one or two fundraisers in Washington in the past month.
While Smith is tight-lipped about the upcoming primary, he will answer without hesitation questions about his family.
"You may want to know background things, like what I do for enjoyment," said Smith, freely dishing out his hobbies: reading, likes football and golf and going fly fishing with his children and talking about the love for his family.
"It's tough to balance the personal and the schedule," said Smith, who has been putting off getting a cap on his tooth for the past two months.
The soft-spoken Sununu, on the other hand, is more guarded when discussing his family and non-political life. He says his family does not play much of a role in politics and that through scheduling events in advance, he has managed to strike a balance for his political career and family time.
"If the difficulty were too much for me and my family than I wouldn't do it because it wouldn't be worth it if my family ultimately couldn't have come first," he said confidently.
Sununu also said the 2002 to election is not his priority now. His focus is on completing this session of Congress. As the election approaches his campaign will not focus on what issues he and Sen. Smith differ on, but rather, what he is like as a person.
"I believe the most important thing I can do is see and meet with as many people across the state personally, look them in the eye, talk to them about my background and experience and the vision have for the future," he said.
Even though Sununu may not be vigorously campaigning yet, Paul Collins, Sununu's chief of staff, said Sununu's campaign committee is actively fundraising and the congressman attended a fundraising dinner on Nov. 6 in Washington.
Lawmakers say the US Should Continue Support of Northern Alliance
WASHINGTON - Even though the fall of Kabul, the Afghan capital, on Tuesday appears to have been a major gain for the U.S.-backed Northern Alliance, New Hampshire and Massachusetts lawmakers say this does not change America's war aims and the United States should continue its support of the Northern Alliance's campaign.
"I don't think this changes the approach of our efforts at all," said New Hampshire 1st District Congressman John E. Sununu, R-Bedford. He said the next step for the United States should be to have its Special Forces units in Afghanistan maintain their support of the Northern Alliance's military efforts.
On Tuesday, Taliban forces fled Kabul, allowing Northern Alliance troops to enter and take over the city. The opposition forces entered the city despite requests by President George W. Bush that they stay out of Kabul until a "broad-based government" to replace the Taliban was developed.
Rep. Sununu said the military objective will be "to control as much as possible and to gather intelligence about al-Qaeda," the terrorist organization headed by Osama bin Laden. The diplomatic objective, he added, will be to make sure that a "representative government," drawing on "traditional tribal and ethnic structure," is in place to give all Afghan ethnic groups a voice.
Yesterday, the United Nations called for a two-year interim government in Afghanistan that would be backed by a "multinational security force." Lakhdar Brahimi, the U.N. special representative to Afghanistan, proposed a committee that represents the many ethnic groups in the country and said it should be chaired by someone recognized as a "symbol of national unity." Zaher Shah, the exiled king of Afghanistan, has been mentioned as someone who could play that role.
During the two-year period, a council of "prominent Afghans" would write a constitution and a second group would create a permanent government.
Rep. Sununu agreed that in the short-term it make sense to have a structural government that draws on the traditions of tribal governments and to ensure that all members of the community have a clear voice.
"I think the effort to put that together will be done by the U.S.," he said.
U.S. Senator Robert C. Smith, R-N.H., said, "We should offer our assistance in helping Afghanis select their new government, but strongly mindful of their right to national sovereignty." He said the US should avoid "micromanaging" the formation of a new government and forcing "politically correct ethnic quotas" on the future government.
"I would relegate the U.N. to basic support services such as humanitarian relief, and encourage the U.N. to refrain from meddling with Afghanistan's political future--the U.N.'s record of 'nation-building' is dismal," Sen. Smith said. He said he also supports having former Afghan leaders serve in the interim government, but added that he hoped those leaders would be chosen by the Afghan people.
Massachusetts 6th District Congressman John F. Tierney, D-Salem, said, "The administration has to strike a balance as to how far the Northern Alliance should go South." He added that the Northern Alliance is not well received in Southern Afghanistan. Tierney said it is important that the United States solidify the Northern Alliance gains, get help to the refugees and avoid "destabilization" at Afghanistan's borders.
"It's important now in Kabul to have a neutral entity," Rep. Tierney said. He said he agrees with the proposed idea of having a committee that represents "varying interests" and can solve disputes.
"The hardest thing is to decide who is going to be on that council," Rep. Tierney said. He said he has heard that approximately 120 to 150 people would be on the council and that there are thousands who are interested in council positions.
"A week or so ago, I was commenting that the media was portraying our mission as not going well," said Massachusetts 5th District Congressman Martin T. Meehan, D-Lowell. From all the briefings he has been to, Rep. Meehan said the campaign is going well since it began.
"I was surprised they folded as quickly as they had," said Rep. Meehan, who had thought the Taliban retreat would take about three weeks. Despite quick abandonment of Kabul, Meehan said the United States has to continue the war effort until the Taliban is destroyed.
Rep. Meehan said that ultimately the Northern Alliance and other opposition forces have to show their own leadership and must not commit the same human rights violations as the Taliban.
"The U.S. should assist the U.N., but I think the U.N. should be the lead here because the U.S. shouldn't be ultimately making decisions about who governs Afghanistan," he said. The U.N., he added, is better equipped to make these decisions.
Ultimately, he said, the U.N. has to establish a stable government and the people of Afghanistan have to control their own fate through a permanent government.
Number of Federal Workers Projected to Decrease
WASHINGTON - Washington interns say that in spite of the terrorist attacks that shattered the country's security on Sept. 11, their plans for their future careers have not changed.
After Sept. 11, Jonathan Vega, 21, a senior at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst interning at Massachusetts 5th District Congressman Martin T. Meehan, D-Lowell, said, "I have a greater appreciation for everyone that puts forth any energy into the government." He said he also better understands the situations government workers have to deal with, such as the recent anthrax attacks.
It seems that most people interested in working in the government or doing public service were interested before the events of Sept. 11. And that is going to be a problem.
According to a recent poll, many American's interest and confidence in the government has increased dramatically since Sept. 11. But, in spite of this increased interest, the future projections for applications to federal jobs is falling and is expected to keep declining.
"We have a generation interested in giving back and interested in volunteering," said Max Stier, president of the Partnership for Public Service, a non-profit organization founded last month to help revamp the federal workforce.
The organization was in the works before Sept. 11; its original launch date was Sept. 12. Stier said 50 percent of the workforce will be eligible to retire in the next few years and a shortage of federal workers is predicted to follow. However, according to Stier, the events of Sept. 11 showed the country how critical federal workers and civil servants are.
"The need for public servants to be involved is greater now than in a long time," said Stier.
Vega, a journalism and political science major from Groton, was interested in politics before he came to Washington. He went to the nation's capital to see exactly what he can do with a political science degree. After he graduates, wants to write for a newspaper for a few years and then maybe run for office, he said.
Emily Byrne, 21, said she was interested in politics long before Sept. 11. As a child, Byrne, a senior at the UMass Lowell, who is originally from Lowell, helped in various campaigns by doing activities such as mailing drops and holding signs supporting candidates. This semester, she is in Washington interning at Rep. Meehan's Washington office.
"Kids our age are more cynical and critical of the government," said Byrne. She said young people have just received the right to vote and are not too involved in the government.
"Now, it's a way of life everyday," she said, adding that after Sept. 11, people have to be involved and pay attention.
Byrne, who is a criminal justice and political science major, said she can see herself working in politics in the future, partly because her cousin's husband was on one of the hijacked planes. She said she wants to work in government in the future, so she can have the chance to help people, something she enjoyed doing long before September's terrorist attacks.
"The government has not been directly relevant in our lives for a long time," said Stier. He explained that in World War II and the 1960s, leaders pointed to the government to help solve problems, but up until Sept. 11, there had been less focus on the federal government.
"Clearly there's an increased interest in current events and what's going on," said Dean Bergeron, professor of history and political science at UMass Lowell. Four students from UMass Lowell, including Byrne, are interning in Washington this semester through the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars.
Bergeron said there is now a "significant interest" among other students to intern in Washington and anticipates that all five available slots will be filled for next semester's internships. He also said that curiosity in a group he advises, Model League Experience, which includes Model United Nations and Model League of Arab States, has also increased.
"This [Sept. 11] has been an intense experience that has greatly affected students doing internships in Washington," said Bergeron. He believes that Sept.11, if anything, increased the "intensity" of the UMass interns' commitment to public service.
According to the Partnership's Stier, Sept. 11 made the public appreciate federal workers more, but still did not make them want to be federal workers.
Enrollment in the Massachusetts and New Hampshire branches of the Peace Corps and the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps at UMass Lowell has not shown risen after Sept. 11.
John Friberg, 22, a senior at Harvard University, is currently applying to travel to North Africa with the Peace Corps. While Friberg wants to work in business after the Peace Corps, and has no intention of working in the government of civil service, he enjoys giving back to the community.
"I want to give back to society," he said, explaining that he enjoys tutoring and was interesting in joining the military when he was younger. He said he has been thinking about applying to the Peace Corps for a year and a half.
Friberg also thinks part of his interest in the Peace Corps is because he was born in Holland and lived in Brussels until he was twelve.
"It's kind of a feeling that the U.S. is home, but not fully home for me," he said. Friberg said he is afraid of war, but the best way to prevent war is through education, trying to raise the living standards of other countries and understanding other cultures, all of which is possible through the Peace Corps.
"I think people would be more public service conscious after Sept. 11," said Rep. Meehan. While Meehan said he thinks more people would be attracted to military service, he said the government needs to do a better job increasing military pay and housing benefits.
"I think we were a little surprised that the trust in government is not translating over to the federal government," said Patricia McGinnis, a member of the Partnership's Board of Governors and President and CEO of the Council for Excellence in Government. The Council is working with the Partnership to help attract people to government jobs. Now Stier said there is a chance to turn this attitude around with education.
"There is an appetite for this right now and if we do our job right we will find a very bright future for public service," said Stier.
Stier explained that the Partnership for Public Service plans to help educate people about the variety of federal jobs available, the satisfaction that comes from working in the government, as well as working to make the application process quicker and less cumbersome and working to increase salaries.
Stier is also working with U.S. Senator George V. Voinovich, R-Ohio, a member on the Partnership's Board of Governors, and Congresswoman Connie A. Morella, R-Md., to draft legislation to offer salaries competitive to those in the private sector, to have a Chief Human Capitol Officer in every government agency, and use student loan forgiveness as a tool for recruiting potential government employees.
Rep. Meehan said he would support legislation that would increase pay and benefits of federal employees. However, he said it would depend who those federal employees are, but "definitely" for law enforcement and homeland security.
"That should be priority," said Rep. Meehan, "safety at home."
McGinnis said the Council for Excellence in Government is involved with companies like America Online to work on "online aspects" of this campaign, as well as the entertainment community in order to portray government employees in a "more creative and positive light."
She said the government work being done after Sept. 11 is "critical" and now, more than ever, the U.S. needs its "best and brightest" working to combat terrorism.
McGinnis said the Partenrship's and Council's attempt to educate the public about federal jobs and help recruit federal workers will not be easy.
"I think we're talking about a long-term campaign, but it has some urgency," she said. She hopes that with in a year the public's interest in government jobs will show a "substantial increase."
Kennedy Introduces Bill to Enhance Border Security
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., introduced legislation yesterday intended to prevent prospective terrorists from entering the country by strengthening the security of U.S. borders.
"The Senate took significant steps last week to improve immigration security by passing the anti-terrorism bill, but further action is needed," Sen. Kennedy said at a press conference at the Capitol.
Sen. Kennedy said the legislation attempts to improve the nation's intelligence and technology capabilities, enhance the ability to screen individuals before they arrive at the border and improve the monitoring of foreign nationals already within the U.S.
The legislation, titled The Enhanced Border Security Act of 2001, also calls for sharing CIA and FBI information among the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the State Department and other law enforcement agencies as well as the new White House Office of Homeland Security.
The anti-terrorism bill, which President George W. Bush signed last week, provides for FBI information to be made available to the INS and the State Department.
"One of the realities today is that the Central Intelligence Agency doesn't share with the INS and the FBI a number of those that they believe are terrorists or pose a serious threat to our country," Sen. Kennedy said. Information on individuals who "pose a threat" should be available to agencies across the world and the "watch lists" of terrorists should be updated daily, added Kennedy.
His legislation aims at improving the training of border personnel and the technology available to them. It would also give the government the ability to get information from foreign countries from their points of departure and would allow the INS to track the activities of foreign students and deny visas to citizens of countries that the State Department believes sponsor terrorism.
"We must intercept terrorists before they reach our border," said U.S. Senator Sam Brownback, R-Kan, who introduced the legislation with Kennedy. Of the 19 terrorists involved in the Sept. 11 attacks, 15 entered the United States on legal visas, some of which had already expired by Sept. 11.
Sen. Kennedy, however, was quick to point out that the "vast majority" of foreigners who overstay their visas are not terrorists or criminals.
"The legislation is consistent with what the President has talked about and will support in terms of an executive order," Sen. Kennedy said. He did not have an estimate of the legislation's cost.
Kennedy's bill is co-sponsored by members of both political parties in the Senate and House.
"In carrying out these urgent responsibilities," Sen. Kennedy said, "we must do so in ways that live up to our history and heritage as a nation of immigrants. Immigrants aren't the problem; terrorists are the problem."
Authorities Admit Little is Known About Anthrax
WASHINGTON, D.C.--After hours of questioning by House members, public officials admitted yesterday that little is still known about the outbreak of new anthrax cases and that they have little new information with which to try to ease an anxious country.
"The Postal Service should have done emergency planning before the recent attacks that would provide a blueprint for how to respond," said Rep. Henry A. Waxman, D-Calif., the ranking minority member of the House Committee on Government Reform. "As a result, the Postal Service is now trying to do emergency planning at the worst possible time--in the midst of an emergency."
More than a dozen people have been diagnosed with anthrax around the country. On Monday, a non-postal employee, a female stockroom employee at Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital, was diagnosed with inhalation anthrax.
Dr. Mitchell L. Cohen, director of the division of bacterial and mycotic diseases for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, testified that little is known about anthrax because the country has had little experience with the disease. He said that a person would have to inhale 8,000 to 50,000 anthrax spores to contract inhalation anthrax. He said he did not know the number of spores that had to come in contact with the skin for someone to contract cutaneous anthrax.
"We are in the midst of an unprecedented attack on our nation's mail system," chief Postal inspector Kenneth C. Weaver said. "Never in our history has the mail been used to deliver biological terror as we have experienced this month. Postal employees have been placed directly in harm's way."
Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., asked what the standard is to determine whether to close a post office when anthrax spores are detected. She pointed out that the Brentwood Post Office in the capital was closed after anthrax spores were found, but that other post offices were not closed after anthrax spores were discovered.
"A lot of it depends on the facility, square footage and the size of the facility we find anthrax in," Weaver responded. If the spores are confined and there is a chance that it could spread in a small location, then the building would be more likely to be closed, he said. Cohen said that each location should be looked at on a "case by case basis."
Committee chairman Dan Burton, R-Ind., asked Cohen why the CDC did not anticipate an anthrax attack on the public even though the military long ago took precautions against an attack on troops. Cohen said there had been "interdepartmental activities" at which people from the CDC have tried to discuss the possibility of an attack like this one.
"From the CDC's perspective, one of the critical elements was trying to build and rebuild the public health infrastructure so we could better detect these kind of phenomenons," he said, including building a network of laboratories that could produce quick test results and stockpiling medicines to combat anthrax.
Cohen said the CDC, under congressional mandate, is doing research on an anthrax vaccine, including possible side effects, and is studying "new regimens" for distributing the vaccines. Other institutions are trying to develop new anthrax vaccines.
"I think the advice we give out is often very generic," Weaver said of the current recommendations to the public about characteristics of suspicious mail. The problem, he said, is that all suspicious mail shares similar characteristics, and that every time the country runs into a situation such as this, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service needs time to adjust.
"We have a message for those who use this time to contribute to the unrest and terror," Weaver said. "If we find you, we are going to prosecute you and send you to jail."
Cohen said the Inspection Service is screening mail at various locations, not just on Capitol Hill, and it is nearly impossible for the average person to look at powder in a package and know whether it's anthrax without a test being done.
"I'm not certain you could feel with a high degree of comfort that a particular material did not represent anthrax unless it was appropriately examined by the laboratory," he said. He added that people should be "alert and cautious," heed the enumerated suspicious characteristics and call the police if they receive a mysterious package.
Massachusetts 6th District Congressman John F. Tierney, D- , when it was his turn to ask a question at the hearing, said, "I am satisfied with these witnesses" and he did not have any questions for them.
Congressional Bipartisanship Starts to Crack
WASHINGTON, D.C.- Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Congress has worked quickly, cooperatively and for the most part free of its usual partisan rancor to pass legislation to aid the country and pursue a war against the terrorists.
"There's been good cooperation right across party lines in terms of national security issues," said Massachusetts 6th District Congressman John F. Tierney, D-Salem.
On other issues, however, Rep. Tierney said, bipartisanship has been "deteriorating."
Wednesday night's narrow House passage of the economic stimulus bill is a sign that the bipartisanship may be beginning to erode. All but seven Republicans voted for the package and only three Democrats voted for it.
Rep. Tierney said William M. Thomas, R-Calif., the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, which sent the "Economic Security and Recovery Act" to the floor, are "trying to hide behind the flag."
Rep. Tierney called the package a tax break for Republican campaign contributors and the Republicans' friends. He said the tax break is for large multinational corporations and would "not do anything to stimulate the economy."
"The Republicans could have easily tried to work out a package with us," Rep. Tierney said. "They stayed along party lines."
Over the next 10 years, the package would provide $160 billion in tax relief. In the current fiscal year, approximately $30 billion would be set aside for tax breaks for individuals and about $70 billion for businesses. The bill would also provide $12 billion for increased unemployment benefits, including money to pay for health benefits for workers who lost their jobs as a result of the attacks.
"I think yesterday's debate was disappointing, but I don't think bipartisanship is dead," said Massachusetts 5th District Congressman Martin T. Meehan, D-Lowell. Even though there was harsh debate on the House floor on Wednesday, he said, he is confident that the final economic package that passes will be bipartisan and fiscally responsible. The Senate still must consider the legislation.
"I think we all need to take a deep breath and figure out how to get back on a bipartisan track," Rep. Meehan said.
David Skaggs, director for the Center for Democracy and Citizenship, said he thinks the problem in Congress has not been bipartisanship but instead the "nastiness" with which issues have been resolved and the "personal attacks" that occurred before Sept.11. Skaggs, a House member from 1986 to 1998, hopes future debate will be respectful and constructive.
"There will be a different method dealing with issues that are likely to be partisan in their outcome and debate than there used to be," Skaggs said.
New Hampshire 1st District Congressman John E. Sununu, R-Bedford, said, "I think on issues relating to national security and the war on terrorism there is and continues to be bipartisanship."
"We can't and shouldn't expect a difference of opinion to evaporate overnight," Rep. Sununu said of domestic issues and other subjects that have been partisan in the past. He said everyone has the right to his or her point of view and called the split in the House over the economic stimulus package an "honest difference of opinion."
U.S. Senator John F. Kerry, D-Mass., said, "Patriotism does not mean that we cannot have a dialogue and a discourse--in fact, I strongly believe that both are an important part of a healthy democracy. But we cannot let party affiliation interfere with America's efforts to recover, rebuild and defend itself against future attacks."
He said there is too much work ahead of the Senate to let the bipartisan spirit of Sept. 11 die.
"There has been a dramatic change, and it's hard for me to believe it will vanish anytime soon," said Thomas Mann, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. He said there has been "genuine consultation" between congressional leaders of both parties and President George W. Bush.
Mann said that Democrats and Republicans have different views on how the world works and on the role of government and that the differences were evident in the House Wednesday night.
"There are still differences, and when they are not talking about the response to terror, the differences will emerge," Mann said. He said that as in World Wars I and II and the Vietnam war, Congress always "rallies around the flag" in times of national crisis, but that fissures develop quickly on matters unrelated to war.
"There have been--and probably will always be--disagreements between Republicans and Democrats on some of the issues before Congress," said New Hampshire 2nd District Congressman Charles F. Bass, R-Peterborough., "but we are working together as Americans to resolve our differences and pass legislation important to the people of this country." Rep. Bass supported passage of the stimulus package.
"Historically, bipartisanship lasts as long as the response to the crisis is clear," said Jonathan Smaby, a Dallas attorney and political analyst. He said that as long as the response to a national crisis is military action, almost everyone is on board. "Then economic issues start to intervene, and the response to action becomes less clear, and that falls along party lines," he said.
Closed Congressional Offices Slow Business
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Since last week's closure of the Senate and House office buildings due to the anthrax threat, members of Congress and their staffs have been scrambling to find space to work.
"We're managing to get our work done," said Massachusetts 6th District Congressman John F. Tierney, D-Salem, whose staff was scattered around the city, some working from home and some from temporary quarters at the General Accounting Office building that had been made available to members of Congress.
"It's inconvenient, but we're making do," said Rep. Tierney, who said he had spent time working in the Capitol and at the GAO.
All six Congressional office buildings were closed last Wednesday for full anthrax testing when more than thirty people in the Hart Building tested positive for anthrax exposure after a letter containing anthrax was sent to Senate Majority Leader Thomas A. Daschle, D-S.D.
Yesterday the Russell Senate Office Building, where both Massachusetts senators and New Hampshire Senator Judd Gregg have their offices, was the only congressional office building which had reopened. It was unclear late Wednesday when other congressional office buildings would reopen.
But the House and Senate were both in session on Wednesday and members said they were trying to forge ahead and conduct business as normally as possible.
"The shutdown of House office buildings has not prevented Congress from considering important legislation today to help stimulate the economy and provide federal agencies with the tools necessary to win the war on terrorism," said Rep. Bass.
Sally Tibbetts, spokeswoman for New Hampshire 2nd District Congressman Charles F. Bass, R-Peterborough, said she was working out of her home using her phone and e-mail and monitoring Congressional action by watching CNN and C-SPAN. Other staff members were working at the GAO and from home.
Phone calls from constituents and others to Bass's office were being forwarded to his Concord office. "Procedures have been implemented that allow me to consult with my staff and remain in touch with my constituents," Bass asserted.
"It has affected our ability to communicate somewhat with the New Hampshire press and our constituents," said Tibbetts. Mail to all of the congressional offices has been halted and there was no word on when it would resume. "Hopefully our constituents will be patient," said Tibbetts.
Rep. Tierney said his office usually responds to constituent letters within 10 days, but since mail has been stopped, responding has been slowed. He said constituents are also sending e-mails, but his staff has not answered those either since his office is closed. The Congressional e-mail system is not available outside Congressional offices.
Massachusetts 5th District Congressman Martin T. Meehan, D-Lowell, spent yesterday working at the Capitol building, voting, meeting and talking to other members, and working out of his home.
"There's good logistical support at the GAO, but not enough to support a lot of people," said Bridger McGaw, Meehan's press secretary.
McGaw said calls from constituents are being directed to Rep. Meehan's Lowell office.
"We're all eager to get back to our offices," said McGaw.
The Dirksen Senate Office building where New Hampshire Senator Robert C. Smith has his office was still closed yesterday so Smith and a few of his staff members were working out of his "hideaway" office in the Capitol.
Eryn Witcher, a spokeswoman for Sen. Smith, said she was working from home, but the Senator has a "phone tree" in place, so he can communicate with everyone.
Matt Ferraguto, a spokesman for U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass, said even though their office building is open, only about half of the staff are back. He said only "critical staff" that are involved with bioterrorism and economic stimulus legislation were working.
Ferraguto said that necessary staff came in yesterday and worked out of the senator's Capitol office. He said some staff members even gathered in a park next to the Senate to work on bioterrorism legislation.
"The Senator's office in the Capitol is a good size as far as a Capitol office goes," said Ferraguto, but added that only a limited number of people can fit in that office and the closure was disruptive.
Senators Try To Get A Handle On Anthrax Outbreak
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The anthrax death of two Washington, D.C. postal employees over the weekend became the focus of a Senate subcommittee hearing yesterday. The hearing had been called to discuss funding to combat bioterrorism but senators used the opportunity to take government officials to task about their handling of the anthrax case.
Members of the Appropriations subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education wanted to know why Washington postal workers were not immediately tested for anthrax once an anthrax-laced letter was discovered in Senate Majority leader Thomas A. Daschle's, D-S.D., office.
"I'm very concerned about what the Center for Disease Control and Prevention is doing and how they are operating," said subcommittee chairman U.S. Senator Tom Harkin, D-Iowa. He said it seems like something "broke down" in the CDC and that the CDC needs to be made sure people are "alerted" and "treated."
"It's obvious people are getting sick and people are dying," he said, and this cannot be afforded.
Dr. Jeffrey P. Koplan, Director of the CDC, said part of the reason the Washington postal workers were not advised to be tested or take antibiotics was because the people had not yet been diagnosed with anthrax. Koplan admitted that gloves and masks are not always effective and that the CDC does not have any hard fast rules to give out to postal employees. He said the CDC was planning to meet later yesterday to discuss the advice to give postal workers.
Koplan and Tim Caruso, Deputy Assistant Director of Counter-terrorism for the FBI were among eight speakers, including scientists, that testified. Both tried to calm the edgy senators and the worried public, even though they admitted that little is known about anthrax. Caruso also said that there are no "evidentiary links" of the anthrax outbreaks to Osama bin Laden.
As of yesterday, three people had died from inhaled anthrax, including the two Washington postal workers. Two other Washington postal employees have been hospitalized with inhaled anthrax and nine other cases have aroused "concern."
The Brentwood facility has now been closed for testing and approximately 3,400 employees from across Washington were tested and given antibiotics.
The CDC's Koplan said the early stages of inhalation anthrax, which include flu-like symptoms are easy to miss and mimic many other diseases. He said it is believable that one of the sick Washington postal employees was turned away from their doctors.
"A key issue here and an important issue for the public is the combination of those symptoms and where this person works and that is the key linkage," said Koplan. He said that will be part of the present and future protocol for doctors when people come in with flu-like symptoms. "Something we wouldn't have asked two weeks ago, we need to ask now."
Koplan said the CDC is still investigating whether the anthrax bacteria can definitely be passed through unopened mail since a postal worker in Trenton, N.J. was diagnosed with skin anthrax. Trenton is the origin of letters sent to "NBC Nightly News" anchor Tom Brokaw and Sen. Daschle.
"This is not the time to panic," said Sen. Harkin. "That's what the bioterrorists want." He said there is "misinformation" being put out to the public and misinformation leads to panic.
"The public needs information," said Sen. Harkin, who believes the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Federal Bureau of Investigation need to have a better coordinated operation. "Our public health agencies need information on which to make decisions to protect the American public. We need to determine a course of action and we need to start on it now."
The FBI's Caruso noted that in Miami, New York, New Jersey and Washington, the local FBI is working closely with state and local government offices, law enforcement and public health agencies.
"The FBI is coordinating sampling and testing operations with the CDC and Health and Human Services to ensure public safety and we are closely aligned with the U.S. Postal Service and the office of the chief postal inspector at the local and headquarters level," said Caruso.
Koplan advised the public, that if they have a problem or question relating to anthrax, to first call their local county or city health department and second their state health department.
Sen. Spector adamantly suggested establishing a national hotline for people to call even though Koplan said it would be "virtually impossible" to answer all the phone calls that would be received. Koplan said there is currently a hotline for state and local health departments.
U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu, D-La., suggested changing the current posting on the FBI's website. Currently on the FBI's website, an advisory is posted telling the public to look for packages and envelopes that have oily stains, strange odors, an incorrect address, no return address and extra postage. Sen. Landrieu pointed out that the letter opened in Sen. Daschle's office last week did not have any of these characteristics.
Caruso called Sen. Landrieu's suggestions "wise" and a "good" observation and would see if the FBI could "incorporate" her suggestions.
When asked by U.S. Senator Arlen Specter, R-Penn., ranking member of the subcommittee, about the threat of spreading disease through the use of crop dusters, Koplan said it is "difficult to determine" the threat but "it is an issue."
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